Dayton still couldn’t quite grasp the reality of the situation.
He was so tense by the seaside that he could hardly remember what he had said.
It was fortunate that he didn’t end up saying something strange due to his nerves.
But the only thing he remembered clearly was Yerna’s expressions.
Her surprised face, her flustered expression, and then her shy demeanor—each stayed in his mind like a vivid photograph.
——–
Compared to the scorching heat of the day, the seaside at night was refreshing.
The dreamy light from the sunset cast down, and with few people around, the sound of the crashing waves was incredibly loud in the tranquility.
Luke, who had brought both him and Yerna to this place, excused himself briefly, saying he needed to go to the restroom.
It was truly the perfect place and time to confess.
He took a deep breath and finally opened his mouth.
“Yerna, this might sound strange, but listen.”
“Hmm?”
She turned to him with an innocent smile.
He looked at her face and spoke as seriously as he could.
“I actually like you.”
“…Huh? What?”
Yerna showed a look of utter surprise at his unexpected words.
Then, she quickly asked with a flustered expression, wondering if she had misunderstood again.
“What do you mean? You like me? Is it as a colleague or something?”
“No, that’s not it. I mean, I like you as a woman.”
However, Dayton answered Yerna calmly.
“I… I don’t quite understand…”
While Yerna was flustered and fumbling, Dayton began to unearth the words he had kept in his mind for a long time.
The sentences he had abandoned while crafting love letters, the words he had delayed conveying despite finally solidifying his feelings.
Dayton looked into Yerna’s violet eyes and said.
“Since the moment I was assigned to Luke Forest, I’ve only thought of you. That’s why I worked so hard to stay in Luke Forest where you are.”
Hearing those words, Dayton realized that he had trained more passionately than anyone else during the training in Luke Forest.
He vividly recalled how pleased he had been to watch himself.
But was it really because of her?
“Um…”
Yerna shyly avoided his serious gaze and began to mutter self-deprecating words.
“But I really don’t think I’d suit you at all. By human standards, I’m quite old, and… I can’t do anything besides fighting. I can’t cook… Moreover, my right arm has severe burns and looks disgusting.”
No matter how one looked at it, it was a list of attributes that were hard to like.
What about Dayton?
“But you’re young, and your future is bright. You cook well, and your body is healthy, so you have plenty of opportunities to meet other girls….”
At her words, Dayton shook his head and replied.
“I actually worked out hoping you would like my body, and I learned to cook for your sake. It means nothing if it’s not for you. And you’re more than enough of an amazing woman for me. So, will you go out with me?”
Dayton spoke with a resolute expression and a firm voice.
In contrast, Yerna’s expression was completely out of control.
“Wha, what…?”
Yerna bowed her head, as if she were too embarrassed to keep her eyes up.
Her long elven ears had already turned bright red and drooped down.
But she just couldn’t form a response.
As the silence grew longer without an answer from Yerna, Dayton began to feel anxious, his heart pounding at her every reaction. He suddenly noticed Yerna glancing in the direction where Luke had gone.
“Are you worried about Luke?”
“…”
Yerna quietly nodded.
She absolutely did not want to part with Luke.
She had grown so attached that she couldn’t imagine life without him.
Therefore, she wouldn’t give up her relationship as his guardian.
If that happened, Dayton would be 23 years old. But having a 10-year-old daughter would be an immense burden.
But Dayton, with indifference, spoke confidently.
“For you, I could even become Luke’s guardian. Even if that’s not the case, I can strive for anything I’m capable of. I mean it.”
“What?”
Yerna was shocked.
“Is that really true?”
“I was prepared for it from the beginning. No, I actually hoped for it. Yerna.”
“…?”
Realizing a beat too late what Dayton meant, Yerna inhaled sharply.
“…!”
If he wanted to become Luke’s guardian, didn’t that presuppose that he was thinking of ‘marrying’ her?
If that’s the case, was this the proposal she had only heard about before?
The moment Dayton finished his statement, an eclipse began to take place.
He slowly leaned in to kiss her, gazing into her violet eyes amidst that perfect atmosphere…
“Wait, Dayton.”
“…”
… he couldn’t do it.
Something was blocking his lips.
It was Yerna’s right-hand index finger.
Dayton soon thought that it was a sign of rejection and wore a look of disappointment.
He felt the rough texture of her burned hand against his lips and was filled with a tragic sense of loss because of the scars.
It felt as if the burn had split them apart.
But Yerna, avoiding his gaze shyly, mumbled softly.
“…Even so, it’s completely my first time doing this… Let’s take it slowly, one step at a time.”
“One… step?”
“Yeah, so…”
Yerna offered her unburned left hand to the flustered Dayton.
“Let’s start with holding hands…”
“…Ah, got it! Sorry!”
————
Luke was scribbling magical formulas in his notebook, doing some calculations.
This was about the research on black flames.
Most of the main calculations processed in his mind were conducted through mental arithmetic. Still, it was a great help to jot down notes by hand.
Eclipse, darkness that devours light.
Black flames and darkness.
The mysterious black magic and the operation principles of that artifact…
He had understood them to some extent.
However…
‘It’s indeed difficult without magic sight.’
“Haah.”
Luke sighed, expressing his frustration as he looked down at a couple of notes filled with calculations and ideas.
Despite his best efforts to shorten the length of the notes with every character and symbol he had developed himself, it still resulted in quite an amount of content.
If he had originally put in that much effort, he would usually have achieved the desired results.
However, right now, he still hadn’t obtained the results he was after.
Although most of the experimental theories about black flames were organized, reviewing them was not easy without magic sight to assist his magical calculations.
In the end, it was best to recover magic sight as soon as possible.
“How frustrating.”
Luke stroked his eye patch, hoping that the magic sight beyond it would recover.
It shouldn’t take long.
He could definitely feel that, since the circle had stabilized, the pain was gradually decreasing each day.
‘Only a few days left.’
In a few days, he would be able to continue his research and gain verified complete knowledge about black flames.
Then, perhaps, he could heal Yerna’s burns.
But right now, there was simply no way to do that.
Ultimately, Luke threw his notebook onto the table and lay down on the sofa.
The cool, enchanted, plush, and refreshing sofa made him feel drowsy just from lying face down.
It felt as if it would be okay to just fall asleep like this.
In fact, Pyris was already sleeping beside him.
“Mmm… Hehe, I can eat more…”
Pyris wriggled around and changed her position again.
Seeing her mumbling in her sleep, it seemed she was dreaming about eating something delicious.
Luke chuckled at the sight.
‘I wonder what she’s eating in her dream.’
Just as he was considering asking her when she woke up, he began to hear Yerna’s footsteps.
“Lu, I’m back!”
“Oh, Yerna. You’re back?”
“…Yeah!”
Yerna nodded her head, as if touched by Luke’s response.
When it was just the two of them, Luke would sometimes let her call him “brother.”
He didn’t realize how uplifting that was every time she entered the house.
It felt like they had grown a lot closer just by that title of ‘brother.’
On the other hand, Luke simply thought that his ‘childlike’ self had become that much more natural.
At least, she wouldn’t faint from him saying something strange.
‘Alright, if it’s like this, I might be able to use the child act when needed…’
In fact, due to the nature of the mage, who could not lie, crafting an image of oneself seen by others was an essential trait to survive among humans.
Sometimes, it was necessary to pretend not to hear pointed questions or to instill false perceptions of oneself.
If one could skillfully mimic a child in such cases, the range of possible actions could expand even further.
Perhaps he could even play innocent to more easily win favor from others.
Most adults were weak against the appearance of children, after all.
That was especially something Luke had felt a lot in this era.
Since his appearance was undeniably that of a child, the world was generally kind to him.
But if he could perfectly imitate a child, wouldn’t he be able to completely make that kindness his own?
‘It might just be a flimsy excuse…’
Yet, there was no doubt that it increased the range of actions he could take.
At the very least, Yerna really liked this way of speaking.
So it served a purpose right away.
Luke looked at Yerna’s expression and brightly asked.
“Did you enjoy your date?”
Taken aback by Luke’s choice of words, Yerna nodded and answered.
“Um… Yeah, it was fun.”
“Where did you go? What’s all this stuff?”
“Oh, about that!”
Yerna pulled out something white from her shopping bag and held it up against her body.
“Luke, I bought this outfit similar to yours! What do you think?”
“Wh-What is that…? Why would you wear the same outfit as me?”
“Yeah, if we wear this together, anyone will think we’re family! And it goes really well with the black gloves too!”
“Oh.”
The black gloves were the leather gloves she often wore to conceal her burns when going out.
Realizing that she had chosen such clothing to hide the burns on her right hand, Luke felt a gloomy expression come over his face.
“Eh? What’s wrong? Doesn’t it look good? Dayton clearly said it was fine…”
Seeing Yerna’s bewildered reaction, Luke forced a smile and replied.
“No, no… It looks great on you…”
Luke glanced at the burn on Yerna’s right hand, marked by the black flames.
He held the responsibility for that burn.
Because he had dealt too carelessly with the odd circumstances at the facility, and despite hearing the talk about the facility from the Third, he had failed to make the right judgment.
If only he had been able to find Yerna sooner, perhaps she wouldn’t have suffered such severe burns.
As such, that burn remained a sort of guilt for Luke.
And the only possibility of healing that burn lay in one thing.
Understanding black flames completely.
Luke picked up the notebook he had thrown on the table and walked into his room.
Wasn’t it impossible right now because he had no magic sight?
Was it true that he couldn’t analyze and understand magic without proper observation equipment?
When had he started to set limitations on himself, thinking there were things he could never achieve?
Even if he firmly believed there were things he simply couldn’t do, he must continue to try.
It was due to that mindset that he had ultimately been able to defeat even the Demon King of the Otherworld, who was said to be unbeatable except by the Hero!
But if he gave up just because he couldn’t do it, how could he ever call himself a great mage?
Yerna, surprised by Luke suddenly getting up, asked.
“Eh? Luke, where are you going all of a sudden?”
“I’m going to study. Please don’t disturb me for a while.”
“Okay… Good luck with your studies.”
“Sure.”
