* * *
‘Is that why he was more worried?’
If it was a Divine Beast, it could sneak into my clothes and hide without any presence.
“……”
“……”
“……That’s right.”
Klen’s eyes involuntarily furrowed.
“Why is the Divine Beast by your side?”
“Well. It suddenly came to visit.”
I pondered whether I should tell him that I was its master.
I knew better than anyone that his mouth was heavy.
But it felt awkward to convey a fact that I myself had only just begun to accept to someone else.
Of all things, to be the Master of a Divine Beast.
Klen seemed to find it difficult to understand with just that and continued to stare at me.
Just as I was rolling my eyes in an awkward mood, a thought suddenly flashed in my mind.
Why did I go out to find him instead of waiting patiently in the room?
“If you tell me the unvarnished truth, I, too, will tell you everything.”
Klen tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Adrian. I have never lied to you.”
Indeed.
Since he hadn’t told me he couldn’t use magic, he hadn’t lied.
That was the issue we needed to resolve now.
“First, please let go of the bird.”
“……”
Only then was the bird released from his hand.
As soon as it gained freedom, it quickly flew up and approached Klen as if to attack him.
But it hastily moved away, circled widely above his head, and then landed on my shoulder.
And only after it flapped its wings a few times, as if its restrained wings were stiff, did it calm down.
[Hmph. I endured it for the sake of my Master’s partner. You should deeply reflect on your actions.]
The bird said, lifting its head arrogantly.
Although the words weren’t understood, the atmosphere was conveyed enough, as Klen glanced at the bird and then moved his gaze back to me.
His calm eyes seemed to urge me to ask what I was curious about.
In that case, there was no need to beat around the bush.
“Klen, can you… use magic?”
[Didn’t I say he can use it~ That fellow uses magic. Do you doubt my words?]
Klen’s eyes widened in surprise at my question.
Ignoring the noisy sound piercing my ear from my side, I focused all my attention on the movement of his lips.
The slightly parted lips opened a little wider. And,
“Yes, I can.”
“……!”
He agreed so easily.
And seeing me, who was more surprised than he was a moment ago, Klen chuckled softly enough for his throat to vibrate.
“When did you notice?”
The bird on my shoulder had told me; I hadn’t noticed.
But I knew the answer to that question.
“Didn’t you use magic in the forest?”
“Did you know that was my magic?”
[I told her!]
I think I need to muzzle the bird first.
I raised my hand and lightly covered the bird’s beak, and as if it understood my intention, it surprisingly didn’t cause a fuss.
And even when I removed my hand, its beak remained tightly shut.
‘I should give it a snack later.’
I nodded lightly.
At that, Klen’s eyes changed subtly, as if he had discovered a fascinating creature.
Well, it was so long ago, why was I asking about it now?
Soon, that expression, too, instantly vanished, and only cold seriousness remained.
“I never hid it from you.”
Klen’s hand reached toward me.
I quietly followed the direction of his hand with my eyes.
The slowly approaching hand lightly touched my cheek, went up, and rested on my forehead.
A pleasant, cool sensation, starting from his hand, spread around.
“I used it often right in front of you.”
“Ah?!”
When my condition wasn’t good, he often touched my forehead like this.
That coolness wasn’t due to Klen’s low body temperature.
Especially when I was held in his arms, I rarely felt him to be cold.
Was that magic, then?
Was he making his hand cold with magic?
When I questioned Elliot’s ability, he said he could only judge it by seeing it directly.
Someone like me, who can’t feel magic at all, couldn’t judge how skilled he was even by seeing it directly.
That, too, might have been a hint about his ability to sense magic.
His words about not hiding it were true. I just hadn’t realized it.
“The reason you deliberately hid it was still, surely…”
“Wouldn’t it become bothersome if it were known publicly?”
Indeed, I was the only one who knew he could use magic.
And perhaps I was the only one who received enough hints to figure it out.
Was that natural?
He had to hide his outstanding ability.
Klen held his hand out, palm up.
Fzzzt—
For a moment, sharp ice sprung up into the air and shattered above his head.
And the small ice grains fell, glittering like snow.
A cool sensation filled the warm garden.
Seeing it directly in front of me, I was newly aware of his magic.
But being born with magic power wouldn’t automatically allow one to use magic freely.
‘Come to think of it.’
When I was investigating the spell and explaining the content, hadn’t he smiled, saying I did well?
If he already knew everything, how must he have seen me, who was just reading a book and reciting the content?
“Did you study it?”
“I thought it was better to make sure the power I possessed could be used properly, just in case.”
Those were truly ideal words, but they weren’t easy to achieve.
Could he be a more diligent person than I thought?
If he became lazy only after bringing all his abilities to their peak, I could understand no matter how much he lazed around in the future.
Suddenly, his face looked like that of a transcended superhuman.
Such people often cast a fishing rod without bait and fish for time, didn’t they?
“But I intend not to use it in front of others as much as possible.”
He emitted cool air from his hand, as if to show more since he had been caught.
Perhaps the reason his amber eyes, which should have been warm, felt cold was also due to his magic.
Now, he had no hesitation in using magic in front of me.
The cool air that rose up to my eyes burst like a flame.
And soon, a new one arose and burst again, repeating the cycle.
A gentle and ticklish magic, like a child’s play, rather than a flashy and dangerous one.
It was amusing that it felt inconsistent with his true nature.
I was ready to challenge him firmly with the various stories the bird had told me if he denied it.
But his simple admission rather deflated me.
Clap.
Just then, his finger suddenly rang out, and
Fzzzzzt—
“……!”
Unlike the playful magic he had been displaying until now, a sharp, spear-like tip of ice lined up toward the bird.
And it was right above my shoulder, close enough for the chilling cold to be fully transmitted.
“So, why was this Divine Beast hiding in your pocket?”
[Truly a rude fellow!]
The bird, which had been keeping its beak tightly shut, spread its wings wide.
It was a gesture like a small animal trying to make itself look bigger to an enemy, and it also indicated that the creature was angry.
A strong gust of wind flowed out from between its wings.
“Ugh.”
But as the stream of wind hit and passed my cheek, all movement suddenly stopped.
* * *
