Erna was sitting in her room.
'It will probably take some time for Callion to arrive.'
She glanced at her watch, and it was a little past 6 o'clock. She knows that unless something special happens, Callion leaves the Knights' Order and returns to his room at 6 o'clock.
Before Orpheus, who had been working with her until just moments ago, left the room, she called a servant and asked him to tell Callion that she was looking for him when he returned. So she thought he would wash up and come find her as soon as he came back.
'Then, shall we head over to the master bedroom?'
Erna stood up from her seat and looked at the documents piled on the table. There wasn't just one pile of documents. There were three piles, each reaching up to her chest as she stood there.
They were all documents that arrived while she was lying down.
'That's why I was planning to do it in advance.'
It was Erna who had been lying down for almost a week.
These are documents that would always pile up anew, no matter how much she processed them every day. However, having been in bed for nearly a week straight, the ones that arrived during that time have piled up to form a mountain.
So she tried to look at at least a few of them, but Orpheus immediately noticed and snatched the documents from Erna's hand like lightning.
“Orpheus, are you rebelling right now?”
Where in the world would there be an aide who snatches the documents from the Grand Duke's hand?
“Even if you cut off my head for insubordination, I will never give it back! The doctor told you to do nothing and just lie still for a week!”
Just as Orpheus said, the doctor had indeed said so. What did he say again? He told her to relax, rest well, eat well, and sleep well. He said she had to keep doing so, not just this time, but in the future as well. Erna was dumbfounded by those words and spoke to the doctor.
“Isn’t it because that’s not possible that you guys are here?”
If you could live like that, why would you need a doctor? You need one precisely because you can't.
Erna expressed her dissatisfaction, but this time, both the doctors and Orpheus were firm.
Orpheus took all the documents intended for Erna and carried them away for herself, saying she would bring them back once she felt better. Although she shouted for her to go and retrieve them again, as it was the Grand Duke's order, even the servants in the main house gave troubled smiles and quietly snuck the documents into their arms, saying, "You need to rest this time," before following Orpheus.
From then until this morning, the only things given to Erna were novels she could read without any real worry, or specialized books that were akin to dictionaries.
As soon as morning came, Erna ordered Orpheus to bring back the documents that had accumulated, and Orpheus, as if she had been waiting, brought the cart she had placed by the door.
The documents contained in that cart were the ones Erna was looking at right now.
"Ha..."
After sighing deeply, she began to categorize the items into those to leave on the desk, those to look at before bed, and those to discuss briefly with Callion. As a result, the number of documents to discuss with Callion came out to be roughly enough to carry in one sitting.
Erna left the door to the couple's bedroom open in advance, then walked away holding the documents in her arms.
Had Callion not used this place in the meantime? It was neatly tidied, but she could feel the distinctive chill of an empty room.
As Erna headed toward the table next to the sofa, she looked at the document on top. It was a document regarding the matters Orpheus had mentioned before leaving.
'Did I finally find a decent teacher?'
In the meantime, she has been trying to find a teacher who can explain the theoretical aspects to the wizards.
Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have a knack for explaining things easily, and Orpheus, who could teach a bit more easily, still had a mountain of work to do.
So she went around looking here and there, and finally managed to find a suitable person.
'We agreed to meet tomorrow.'
Erna had not officially hired them yet. This was because she needed to meet them in person to confirm the extent of their magical talent and knowledge.
'There is one problem, though...'
It was the fact that the teacher was a man.
Her order of wizards consisted entirely of women. There was no particular reason for this. It was simply that there were more women when searching for talented individuals.
It was not that there were no men at all. However, the men who happened to come in would leave for the Magic Tower, where they could gain greater honor and wealth, rather than stay in Hessengard as wizards.
So, in the end, Erna stopped accepting more male mages. She had taught them diligently, but in the end, it was only the magic tower that benefited.
'Besides, it was inconvenient in various ways.'
Fights were frequent, and there was a lot of conflict due to the difference in their abilities. So, she tried not to include men in the Wizard Corps if possible...
There was also one more thing that weighed on her mind.
'He's handsome.'
When Orpheus first said those words, Erna looked at her in disbelief. However, undeterred by Erna's cold gaze, Orpheus continued to explain about the newcomer.
“He’s a rare handsome man. Everyone is already following him around like a puppy.”
At those words, Erna chuckled and blurted it out unintentionally.
“More than Callion?”
After spitting those words out, Erna was surprised by herself and shut her mouth. Of course, she knew that Callion was handsome. No matter how much she had hated the sight of him all this time, Erna's eyesight was perfectly normal, and her standards of beauty were not much different from those of others.
However, whenever the topic of handsome men came up, Erna never once mentioned Callion's name. As if no such person existed in the world.
But now, to think that people are naturally bringing up his name as if Callion were the standard for the world's handsome men.
Erna rubbed her needlessly flushed cheeks with her shoulder and approached the table next to the sofa.
Just as Erna was about to place the documents on the table next to the sofa, the door to the master bedroom, which leads to the hallway, suddenly opened with a loud bang!
“W-what is this!”
Startled by the sound, Erna hurriedly stepped back. As a result, the pile of documents she had been carrying fell to the floor and scattered in a mess.
As Erna unconsciously tried to grab it, the things she was holding completely tumbled out.
She turned her head while looking at the documents covering the floor.
“Callion? What’s wrong?”
Erna is well aware that he is the only one who can enter this room like this. So, she wasn't surprised that Callion had come. She was just curious why he was panting so heavily, as if he had run his life out of it.
"You...!"
As soon as Callion's eyes met Erna's, he strode over with his long legs.
“Hey, don’t step on my papers! Let me tidy them up first... Aaaah!”
As Erna bent down to catch the fallen things, her body floated up into the air. Callion had grabbed her waist and lifted her up.
Erna, wondering why on earth Callion was suddenly acting this way, screamed as soon as she realized he was carrying her straight to the bed.
“Hey, you beast! The first thing you do as soon as you arrive is... huh?”
She thought that Callion might just lift her up and lay her on the bed, but contrary to her expectations, he very carefully seated Erna at the edge of the bed. Then, he leaned down and met Erna's gaze.
His gaze toward her was gentle yet persistent. He scanned Erna as if he were the most demanding appraiser in the world. Unable to speak further under his sharp stare that seemed like it wouldn't miss a single swaying strand of hair, Erna had to endure the stare directed at her.
Callion, who had been gazing at Erna for a long time, raised his hand. His hand touched Erna's forehead. Then her cheek, then her neck.
Now, Erna was not surprised even when Callion's hand touched her. She simply remained still, looking at him with a look that seemed to say, "Why is he acting like this?"
"No fever."
“...It’s been a long time since my fever went down.”
"What about the stomach and back pain?"
"That's fine now, too."
At Erna's answer, Callion's slightly stiff expression relaxed. It was merely a matter of his eyes lowering and the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, but that alone changed Callion's impression significantly.
As Erna tried to turn her head away at his expression, which she found somehow embarrassing to look at directly, Callion moved even closer and pressed his forehead against hers.
"Thank God..."
Callion, with his forehead pressed against hers, closed his eyes and spoke in a voice that sounded genuinely relieved.
Erna looked at Callion, who was standing right in front of her, and cautiously raised her hand. Her hand, which had been wandering as if contemplating where to grasp, soon stroked Callion's cheek.
Come to think of it, they returned alive from a situation where they could have died—no, death was almost certain. Both of them knew very well that they were able to return because they had each other.
And so, the two of them belatedly shared their joy and relief at having returned alive together.
After a moment, Callion lifted his forehead. He took a step back and looked at the floor where the papers were scattered in disarray.
“What is all this?”
“What do you mean? I brought it to look at today, but since you suddenly opened the door and walked in...”
"You're going to watch that today?"
Erna saw Callion's face contort at her words. After thinking for a moment, she answered as if she knew nothing.
"Can't I look at this? I deliberately picked out things to talk about with you."
At Erna's answer, Callion ran a hand across his face. It seemed Erna had made a pact with a demon. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to pick and choose her words to make him explode like this.
'But...'
Callion's mouth went completely dry. It was the woman who had shouted, "Are you a beast?" just moments ago when he had carried her to the bed.
Even though her physical condition has improved now, isn't it still animalistic to want to do something as soon as she gets better?
Reflecting on whether he had been thinking only of his own desires, Callion bent down and began to tidy up Erna's documents that had fallen on the floor.
As if he were good at anything involving physical effort, Callion quickly picked up all the fallen items and placed them on the table.
"Are you done cleaning?"
"Yes..."
He answered in a somewhat listless voice. However, Erna called him with a gesture.
Grumbling inwardly, Callion went straight to her side like a trained puppy. As Callion approached, Erna stood up from the bed. Now at eye level with Callion, she leaned slightly forward, kissed his cheek, and whispered.
"Thank you."
At that moment, Callion couldn't think of anything. What had Erna just done? The small, red lips that had brushed against his cheek whispered words into his ear that once again drove him insane.
"Do you want to do it now?"
“...!”
At those words, Callion froze on the spot like someone struck by lightning. He couldn't believe his ears for a moment. What did Erna just say?
It took a little while for his mind to understand her words. He saw Erna's face, flushed red yet gazing intently at him.
Callion did not answer. Instead, he turned and went outside.
He stepped outside and struck the lion ornament hanging on the master bedroom door with a loud thud. The lion's head, which had been facing forward, turned limply to the side. It meant that no one should approach the area until called.
From now on, nothing could stop him.
'It will probably take some time for Callion to arrive.'
She glanced at her watch, and it was a little past 6 o'clock. She knows that unless something special happens, Callion leaves the Knights' Order and returns to his room at 6 o'clock.
Before Orpheus, who had been working with her until just moments ago, left the room, she called a servant and asked him to tell Callion that she was looking for him when he returned. So she thought he would wash up and come find her as soon as he came back.
'Then, shall we head over to the master bedroom?'
Erna stood up from her seat and looked at the documents piled on the table. There wasn't just one pile of documents. There were three piles, each reaching up to her chest as she stood there.
They were all documents that arrived while she was lying down.
'That's why I was planning to do it in advance.'
It was Erna who had been lying down for almost a week.
These are documents that would always pile up anew, no matter how much she processed them every day. However, having been in bed for nearly a week straight, the ones that arrived during that time have piled up to form a mountain.
So she tried to look at at least a few of them, but Orpheus immediately noticed and snatched the documents from Erna's hand like lightning.
“Orpheus, are you rebelling right now?”
Where in the world would there be an aide who snatches the documents from the Grand Duke's hand?
“Even if you cut off my head for insubordination, I will never give it back! The doctor told you to do nothing and just lie still for a week!”
Just as Orpheus said, the doctor had indeed said so. What did he say again? He told her to relax, rest well, eat well, and sleep well. He said she had to keep doing so, not just this time, but in the future as well. Erna was dumbfounded by those words and spoke to the doctor.
“Isn’t it because that’s not possible that you guys are here?”
If you could live like that, why would you need a doctor? You need one precisely because you can't.
Erna expressed her dissatisfaction, but this time, both the doctors and Orpheus were firm.
Orpheus took all the documents intended for Erna and carried them away for herself, saying she would bring them back once she felt better. Although she shouted for her to go and retrieve them again, as it was the Grand Duke's order, even the servants in the main house gave troubled smiles and quietly snuck the documents into their arms, saying, "You need to rest this time," before following Orpheus.
From then until this morning, the only things given to Erna were novels she could read without any real worry, or specialized books that were akin to dictionaries.
As soon as morning came, Erna ordered Orpheus to bring back the documents that had accumulated, and Orpheus, as if she had been waiting, brought the cart she had placed by the door.
The documents contained in that cart were the ones Erna was looking at right now.
"Ha..."
After sighing deeply, she began to categorize the items into those to leave on the desk, those to look at before bed, and those to discuss briefly with Callion. As a result, the number of documents to discuss with Callion came out to be roughly enough to carry in one sitting.
Erna left the door to the couple's bedroom open in advance, then walked away holding the documents in her arms.
Had Callion not used this place in the meantime? It was neatly tidied, but she could feel the distinctive chill of an empty room.
As Erna headed toward the table next to the sofa, she looked at the document on top. It was a document regarding the matters Orpheus had mentioned before leaving.
'Did I finally find a decent teacher?'
In the meantime, she has been trying to find a teacher who can explain the theoretical aspects to the wizards.
Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have a knack for explaining things easily, and Orpheus, who could teach a bit more easily, still had a mountain of work to do.
So she went around looking here and there, and finally managed to find a suitable person.
'We agreed to meet tomorrow.'
Erna had not officially hired them yet. This was because she needed to meet them in person to confirm the extent of their magical talent and knowledge.
'There is one problem, though...'
It was the fact that the teacher was a man.
Her order of wizards consisted entirely of women. There was no particular reason for this. It was simply that there were more women when searching for talented individuals.
It was not that there were no men at all. However, the men who happened to come in would leave for the Magic Tower, where they could gain greater honor and wealth, rather than stay in Hessengard as wizards.
So, in the end, Erna stopped accepting more male mages. She had taught them diligently, but in the end, it was only the magic tower that benefited.
'Besides, it was inconvenient in various ways.'
Fights were frequent, and there was a lot of conflict due to the difference in their abilities. So, she tried not to include men in the Wizard Corps if possible...
'I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher?'
'He's handsome.'
When Orpheus first said those words, Erna looked at her in disbelief. However, undeterred by Erna's cold gaze, Orpheus continued to explain about the newcomer.
“He’s a rare handsome man. Everyone is already following him around like a puppy.”
At those words, Erna chuckled and blurted it out unintentionally.
“More than Callion?”
After spitting those words out, Erna was surprised by herself and shut her mouth. Of course, she knew that Callion was handsome. No matter how much she had hated the sight of him all this time, Erna's eyesight was perfectly normal, and her standards of beauty were not much different from those of others.
However, whenever the topic of handsome men came up, Erna never once mentioned Callion's name. As if no such person existed in the world.
But now, to think that people are naturally bringing up his name as if Callion were the standard for the world's handsome men.
Erna rubbed her needlessly flushed cheeks with her shoulder and approached the table next to the sofa.
Just as Erna was about to place the documents on the table next to the sofa, the door to the master bedroom, which leads to the hallway, suddenly opened with a loud bang!
“W-what is this!”
Startled by the sound, Erna hurriedly stepped back. As a result, the pile of documents she had been carrying fell to the floor and scattered in a mess.
As Erna unconsciously tried to grab it, the things she was holding completely tumbled out.
She turned her head while looking at the documents covering the floor.
“Callion? What’s wrong?”
Erna is well aware that he is the only one who can enter this room like this. So, she wasn't surprised that Callion had come. She was just curious why he was panting so heavily, as if he had run his life out of it.
"You...!"
As soon as Callion's eyes met Erna's, he strode over with his long legs.
“Hey, don’t step on my papers! Let me tidy them up first... Aaaah!”
As Erna bent down to catch the fallen things, her body floated up into the air. Callion had grabbed her waist and lifted her up.
Erna, wondering why on earth Callion was suddenly acting this way, screamed as soon as she realized he was carrying her straight to the bed.
“Hey, you beast! The first thing you do as soon as you arrive is... huh?”
She thought that Callion might just lift her up and lay her on the bed, but contrary to her expectations, he very carefully seated Erna at the edge of the bed. Then, he leaned down and met Erna's gaze.
His gaze toward her was gentle yet persistent. He scanned Erna as if he were the most demanding appraiser in the world. Unable to speak further under his sharp stare that seemed like it wouldn't miss a single swaying strand of hair, Erna had to endure the stare directed at her.
Callion, who had been gazing at Erna for a long time, raised his hand. His hand touched Erna's forehead. Then her cheek, then her neck.
Now, Erna was not surprised even when Callion's hand touched her. She simply remained still, looking at him with a look that seemed to say, "Why is he acting like this?"
"No fever."
“...It’s been a long time since my fever went down.”
"What about the stomach and back pain?"
"That's fine now, too."
At Erna's answer, Callion's slightly stiff expression relaxed. It was merely a matter of his eyes lowering and the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, but that alone changed Callion's impression significantly.
As Erna tried to turn her head away at his expression, which she found somehow embarrassing to look at directly, Callion moved even closer and pressed his forehead against hers.
"Thank God..."
Callion, with his forehead pressed against hers, closed his eyes and spoke in a voice that sounded genuinely relieved.
Erna looked at Callion, who was standing right in front of her, and cautiously raised her hand. Her hand, which had been wandering as if contemplating where to grasp, soon stroked Callion's cheek.
Come to think of it, they returned alive from a situation where they could have died—no, death was almost certain. Both of them knew very well that they were able to return because they had each other.
And so, the two of them belatedly shared their joy and relief at having returned alive together.
After a moment, Callion lifted his forehead. He took a step back and looked at the floor where the papers were scattered in disarray.
“What is all this?”
“What do you mean? I brought it to look at today, but since you suddenly opened the door and walked in...”
"You're going to watch that today?"
Erna saw Callion's face contort at her words. After thinking for a moment, she answered as if she knew nothing.
"Can't I look at this? I deliberately picked out things to talk about with you."
At Erna's answer, Callion ran a hand across his face. It seemed Erna had made a pact with a demon. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to pick and choose her words to make him explode like this.
'But...'
Callion's mouth went completely dry. It was the woman who had shouted, "Are you a beast?" just moments ago when he had carried her to the bed.
Even though her physical condition has improved now, isn't it still animalistic to want to do something as soon as she gets better?
Reflecting on whether he had been thinking only of his own desires, Callion bent down and began to tidy up Erna's documents that had fallen on the floor.
As if he were good at anything involving physical effort, Callion quickly picked up all the fallen items and placed them on the table.
"Are you done cleaning?"
"Yes..."
He answered in a somewhat listless voice. However, Erna called him with a gesture.
Grumbling inwardly, Callion went straight to her side like a trained puppy. As Callion approached, Erna stood up from the bed. Now at eye level with Callion, she leaned slightly forward, kissed his cheek, and whispered.
"Thank you."
At that moment, Callion couldn't think of anything. What had Erna just done? The small, red lips that had brushed against his cheek whispered words into his ear that once again drove him insane.
"Do you want to do it now?"
“...!”
At those words, Callion froze on the spot like someone struck by lightning. He couldn't believe his ears for a moment. What did Erna just say?
It took a little while for his mind to understand her words. He saw Erna's face, flushed red yet gazing intently at him.
Callion did not answer. Instead, he turned and went outside.
He stepped outside and struck the lion ornament hanging on the master bedroom door with a loud thud. The lion's head, which had been facing forward, turned limply to the side. It meant that no one should approach the area until called.
From now on, nothing could stop him.
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