Callion quietly examined Erna's sleeping face. To be precise, her lips.
Whenever he happened to run into Erna in the Assembly, she would narrow her eyes and bite her lip as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. The corners of her tightly closed, slender lips were twisted upward as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was enough to make him want to applaud her for how well she could express her displeasure with just her lips.
Was it because he had always seen that expression? If someone had asked him to draw Erna's face, Callion would have simply scribbled a short line over her mouth. Of course, with one side slightly crooked. But the lips of Erna he saw now were different from what he usually imagined.
The lips, plump enough to be considered just right, were a deep red, as if blood flowed only there. Perhaps because it was a spot with exceptionally good color on her pale face, Callion's gaze kept lingering on the red lips.
Then, he saw some marks that were a little darker in color. Callion noticed that they resembled the teeth marks remaining on his shoulder.
Perhaps because she was lying on her side, her lips, which should have been closed when asleep, were parted, revealing neat white teeth inside. And deeper inside, a tongue as red as her lips was visible.
Gulp.
The moment Callion saw the inside of Erna's mouth, he involuntarily swallowed hard. Had his body been tense? Just swallowing saliva made his throat start to hurt.
As Erna's body slowly rose and fell, the hair in front of her lips trembled at the breath she exhaled. Callion slowly lowered his head. As he brought his face close enough to almost touch Erna's, her breath touched his face as well.
At the warm breath brushing against the fine downy hairs on his face, Callion felt the muscles throughout his body stiffen with tension.
He smelled a sweet scent from the breath touching his face. The kind that would be incredibly sweet if swallowed just like that.
Callion parted his lips without realizing it. He felt that the escaping breath was too precious to waste. So, wouldn't it be alright if he swallowed a little bit...?
At that moment, Erna's closed eyelids slowly rose.
“...”
Their eyes met at a distance of less than a hand's span. Callion had to face the deep green eyes, drowsy with sleep. His own reflection was visible in the hazy pupils. He quite liked that.
Blink blink.
As Erna's eyelids blinked a couple of times slowly, the focus gradually returned to her blurry pupils. As her unfocused eyes widened and surprise flickered beyond them, it was then that Callion realized what he was doing.
Trying to kiss a sleeping person without permission...
“No, I...!”
As Callion stammered, not knowing on earth to describe his actions just moments ago, Erna spoke, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand to shake off the drowsiness.
"Are you planning to take this?"
"Uh?"
Instead of the shouts asking what he was trying to do, he heard a voice heavy with drowsiness; Callion patted his pounding heart and looked at the hand Erna held out. In her hand was the Piece of the Ocean he had given her. Seeing the indentations on her fingers, it appeared she had been holding it since before she fell asleep.
'I didn't see it.'
However, when he approached Erna, that beautiful jewel did not catch his eye.
Callion recalled the time he had taken that out of the ancient ruins. Hadn't he insisted on bringing it back, blinded by its beauty, even though he knew there wasn't much time left before the entrance closed? Cedric, who had been with him at the time, grumbled for days after they escaped the ruins, saying, "You were completely blinded by the jewel!"
It had completely distracted me, so why wasn't it visible just a moment ago?
Then, Callion's gaze lingered on Erna's still red lips. Looking back and forth between her lips and the Fragment of the Ocean, he found the answer to the question he had heard just moments ago. It was simply because Erna's lips were a darker shade than the Fragment of the Ocean. That was all. There could not possibly be any other reason why he had failed to see the Fragment of the Ocean.
“What are you doing? I said take it.”
While Callion was still hesitating, Erna, who was now fully awake, reached out her hand again.
Erna recalled the situation from a moment ago. When she opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps, she saw a familiar blue color despite her blurry vision. She should have been startled by what she saw in front of her, but when she realized it was Callion's eyes, Erna almost closed her eyes comfortably again. As if Callion being there were only natural.
Then, as her head slowly woke up and Callion hurriedly stepped back, Erna noticed something strange.
'Why were you so close? And you didn't even wake me up.'
Then, Erna's eyes fell on the piece of the ocean she was holding. And she guessed.
'Was he trying to take this?'
She wondered why he had held his breath and come closer than necessary, but it seemed he intended to take this while she was asleep. Then again, it was something she no longer needed.
Erna spoke to Callion, who had quickly stepped back.
“What’s wrong? Did you hear the news about the Marquis of Carnarvon?”
“...I heard.”
“Then I see that this is no longer needed. Since that human collapsed before we could do anything, there is no longer any need to go out of our way to offer something like this to Havand. I will write a letter requesting a replacement for the envoy. Fortunately, he didn't die thanks to Vanessa's excellent first aid. And Havand won't be able to blame us for failing to manage the envoys, either.”
Erna thought of the bee she had seen earlier that day. She was told that such accidents happen occasionally. They said the bees become particularly violent during the breeding season. She had heard that some unlucky people wandering the mountains sometimes lose their lives.
It seems the bee had been wandering around the Grand Duke's castle garden while looking for a place to build its nest, and unfortunately, it had entered the Marquis's room. And the Marquis, of all people, had provoked the bee while it was in a state of violence. It was an accident for which no one could be blamed.
It would have been a complicated matter if the Marquis had been discovered by the Grand Duke's servants. After all, they could have insisted it was poison, not a bee sting.
'It’s a relief that Havand’s delegation was a witness.'
It was said that they were the ones who had killed the bee with a book. Thanks to what they had witnessed, Hessengard had little responsibility to bear. It was merely to nurse the collapsed Marquis and comfort the heartbroken delegation with lavish food and appropriate rewards. Of course, a piece of the ocean was not needed to comfort them.
Erna held out the piece of the ocean to Callion as if telling him to take it quickly. Yet, her gaze remained fixed on the piece of the ocean.
This was not highly valuable merely because it was beautiful and wondrous. What was rippling within the gem was compressed magical power.
'I told you that this one thing is equivalent to the magical power of hundreds of wizards.'
Therefore, whenever there was a war, each nation gathered wizards while simultaneously desperately scraping together fragments of the ocean. Having this allowed wizards to continue using magic. However, it could not be used indefinitely, and because it was so precious, it was only utilized in truly critical wars. And Erna had only ever seen it from afar and had never once obtained it.
I thought I should return it, but it was still a shame.
'Maybe I should start looking for ancient ruins too.'
Erna had mostly stayed at the Grand Duke's castle until now because she had not long since moved the Order of Wizards. Just like Callion, who was wandering all over Hessengard, it was highly likely that she would have to travel to various places to find the entrance to the ancient ruins.
As she gazed at the fragment of the ocean with a look of lingering regret, an unexpected answer came back.
"You take it."
"...What?"
“I don’t want to take back what I gave. So just keep it.”
Erna's mouth dropped open at Callion's answer.
“Are you crazy? Do you know what this is? It’s not just some pretty jewel! It’s not only really expensive, but it’s also precious.”
“Who doesn’t know that? I know it well, too.”
"But why are you giving this to me?"
Callion could not answer Erna's words. He knew very well that it was something valuable. That is why, when Erna had demanded that he hand over everything he had that morning, he had looked at her with the expression of someone looking at the world's greatest thief. And yet, now he was telling Erna to take it as if it were just a stone lying on the street.
Callion's mind was racing like crazy. Why am I trying to give this to Erna? Why? For what reason? Soon, his mind found a decent answer.
"I heard that wizards can use that to cast spells."
“That’s true, but..”
“Since I can’t use it myself anyway, you keep it and use magic that will be helpful for this task. I mean, um... You know, magic for your body. Like healing magic.”
Having finally found a decent answer, Callion spoke first before Erna could say anything.
“Your body doesn’t last long. You always lose consciousness so easily.”
“That’s you being rough...!”
"So, I hope you hold out a little longer, even if it means using magic. I’m worried whether you’ll be able to have a proper successor at this rate."
At Callion's words, Erna fiddled with the piece of the ocean she was holding in her hand.
'I knew he would give something like this away so easily.'
Erna knew very well that Callion was eager to have a child.
Callion is just as reluctant to return to his homeland as she is. Although they haven't properly slept together many times yet, during that one night, Callion held her again and again.
Erna recalled his bodily fluids that had been sprayed inside her. As if to show her what it meant to be overflowing, Callion had continued to sow his seeds inside her.
'Callion must be desperate, too.'
He must have been hoping for her to get pregnant and have the child born soon, in order to maintain the Grand Duchy of Hessengard. However, since she could not endure him every time and fell asleep as if she had fainted, it was understandable that he would be dissatisfied.
"...Yes."
Erna sat up and placed the piece of the ocean next to the bedside table.
Actually, she was going to tell Callion that she wouldn't be able to do it today because of the lingering aftereffects of yesterday. On top of that, she still felt a chill in her body, and she was so tired that she had fallen asleep before Callion arrived. However, looking at the Fragment of the Ocean, she couldn't bring herself to say that she couldn't do it because she wasn't feeling well.
Callion is so sincere about this matter that he would even give something like that to her. On the other hand, even though she wasn't seriously ill, she was about to say she couldn't do it simply because she wasn't feeling well. For some reason, she felt like she wasn't fulfilling her duty.
Erna hated that. If there was work to be done, one had to endure it, even if it was difficult. That was the natural thing to do, and it had always been that way until now. Knowing that Callion would surely think the same, Erna approached him and spoke.
“Callion.”
“Uh, huh?”
When Erna suddenly called his name, Callion flinched in surprise and looked at her. Then Erna spoke in a serious voice.
"Let's do it."
Whenever he happened to run into Erna in the Assembly, she would narrow her eyes and bite her lip as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. The corners of her tightly closed, slender lips were twisted upward as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was enough to make him want to applaud her for how well she could express her displeasure with just her lips.
Was it because he had always seen that expression? If someone had asked him to draw Erna's face, Callion would have simply scribbled a short line over her mouth. Of course, with one side slightly crooked. But the lips of Erna he saw now were different from what he usually imagined.
The lips, plump enough to be considered just right, were a deep red, as if blood flowed only there. Perhaps because it was a spot with exceptionally good color on her pale face, Callion's gaze kept lingering on the red lips.
Then, he saw some marks that were a little darker in color. Callion noticed that they resembled the teeth marks remaining on his shoulder.
Perhaps because she was lying on her side, her lips, which should have been closed when asleep, were parted, revealing neat white teeth inside. And deeper inside, a tongue as red as her lips was visible.
Gulp.
The moment Callion saw the inside of Erna's mouth, he involuntarily swallowed hard. Had his body been tense? Just swallowing saliva made his throat start to hurt.
As Erna's body slowly rose and fell, the hair in front of her lips trembled at the breath she exhaled. Callion slowly lowered his head. As he brought his face close enough to almost touch Erna's, her breath touched his face as well.
At the warm breath brushing against the fine downy hairs on his face, Callion felt the muscles throughout his body stiffen with tension.
He smelled a sweet scent from the breath touching his face. The kind that would be incredibly sweet if swallowed just like that.
Callion parted his lips without realizing it. He felt that the escaping breath was too precious to waste. So, wouldn't it be alright if he swallowed a little bit...?
At that moment, Erna's closed eyelids slowly rose.
“...”
Their eyes met at a distance of less than a hand's span. Callion had to face the deep green eyes, drowsy with sleep. His own reflection was visible in the hazy pupils. He quite liked that.
Blink blink.
As Erna's eyelids blinked a couple of times slowly, the focus gradually returned to her blurry pupils. As her unfocused eyes widened and surprise flickered beyond them, it was then that Callion realized what he was doing.
Trying to kiss a sleeping person without permission...
“No, I...!”
As Callion stammered, not knowing on earth to describe his actions just moments ago, Erna spoke, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand to shake off the drowsiness.
"Are you planning to take this?"
"Uh?"
Instead of the shouts asking what he was trying to do, he heard a voice heavy with drowsiness; Callion patted his pounding heart and looked at the hand Erna held out. In her hand was the Piece of the Ocean he had given her. Seeing the indentations on her fingers, it appeared she had been holding it since before she fell asleep.
'I didn't see it.'
However, when he approached Erna, that beautiful jewel did not catch his eye.
Callion recalled the time he had taken that out of the ancient ruins. Hadn't he insisted on bringing it back, blinded by its beauty, even though he knew there wasn't much time left before the entrance closed? Cedric, who had been with him at the time, grumbled for days after they escaped the ruins, saying, "You were completely blinded by the jewel!"
It had completely distracted me, so why wasn't it visible just a moment ago?
Then, Callion's gaze lingered on Erna's still red lips. Looking back and forth between her lips and the Fragment of the Ocean, he found the answer to the question he had heard just moments ago. It was simply because Erna's lips were a darker shade than the Fragment of the Ocean. That was all. There could not possibly be any other reason why he had failed to see the Fragment of the Ocean.
“What are you doing? I said take it.”
While Callion was still hesitating, Erna, who was now fully awake, reached out her hand again.
Erna recalled the situation from a moment ago. When she opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps, she saw a familiar blue color despite her blurry vision. She should have been startled by what she saw in front of her, but when she realized it was Callion's eyes, Erna almost closed her eyes comfortably again. As if Callion being there were only natural.
Then, as her head slowly woke up and Callion hurriedly stepped back, Erna noticed something strange.
'Why were you so close? And you didn't even wake me up.'
Then, Erna's eyes fell on the piece of the ocean she was holding. And she guessed.
'Was he trying to take this?'
She wondered why he had held his breath and come closer than necessary, but it seemed he intended to take this while she was asleep. Then again, it was something she no longer needed.
Erna spoke to Callion, who had quickly stepped back.
“What’s wrong? Did you hear the news about the Marquis of Carnarvon?”
“...I heard.”
“Then I see that this is no longer needed. Since that human collapsed before we could do anything, there is no longer any need to go out of our way to offer something like this to Havand. I will write a letter requesting a replacement for the envoy. Fortunately, he didn't die thanks to Vanessa's excellent first aid. And Havand won't be able to blame us for failing to manage the envoys, either.”
Erna thought of the bee she had seen earlier that day. She was told that such accidents happen occasionally. They said the bees become particularly violent during the breeding season. She had heard that some unlucky people wandering the mountains sometimes lose their lives.
It seems the bee had been wandering around the Grand Duke's castle garden while looking for a place to build its nest, and unfortunately, it had entered the Marquis's room. And the Marquis, of all people, had provoked the bee while it was in a state of violence. It was an accident for which no one could be blamed.
It would have been a complicated matter if the Marquis had been discovered by the Grand Duke's servants. After all, they could have insisted it was poison, not a bee sting.
'It’s a relief that Havand’s delegation was a witness.'
It was said that they were the ones who had killed the bee with a book. Thanks to what they had witnessed, Hessengard had little responsibility to bear. It was merely to nurse the collapsed Marquis and comfort the heartbroken delegation with lavish food and appropriate rewards. Of course, a piece of the ocean was not needed to comfort them.
Erna held out the piece of the ocean to Callion as if telling him to take it quickly. Yet, her gaze remained fixed on the piece of the ocean.
This was not highly valuable merely because it was beautiful and wondrous. What was rippling within the gem was compressed magical power.
'I told you that this one thing is equivalent to the magical power of hundreds of wizards.'
Therefore, whenever there was a war, each nation gathered wizards while simultaneously desperately scraping together fragments of the ocean. Having this allowed wizards to continue using magic. However, it could not be used indefinitely, and because it was so precious, it was only utilized in truly critical wars. And Erna had only ever seen it from afar and had never once obtained it.
I thought I should return it, but it was still a shame.
'Maybe I should start looking for ancient ruins too.'
Erna had mostly stayed at the Grand Duke's castle until now because she had not long since moved the Order of Wizards. Just like Callion, who was wandering all over Hessengard, it was highly likely that she would have to travel to various places to find the entrance to the ancient ruins.
As she gazed at the fragment of the ocean with a look of lingering regret, an unexpected answer came back.
"You take it."
"...What?"
“I don’t want to take back what I gave. So just keep it.”
Erna's mouth dropped open at Callion's answer.
“Are you crazy? Do you know what this is? It’s not just some pretty jewel! It’s not only really expensive, but it’s also precious.”
“Who doesn’t know that? I know it well, too.”
"But why are you giving this to me?"
Callion could not answer Erna's words. He knew very well that it was something valuable. That is why, when Erna had demanded that he hand over everything he had that morning, he had looked at her with the expression of someone looking at the world's greatest thief. And yet, now he was telling Erna to take it as if it were just a stone lying on the street.
Callion's mind was racing like crazy. Why am I trying to give this to Erna? Why? For what reason? Soon, his mind found a decent answer.
"I heard that wizards can use that to cast spells."
“That’s true, but..”
“Since I can’t use it myself anyway, you keep it and use magic that will be helpful for this task. I mean, um... You know, magic for your body. Like healing magic.”
Having finally found a decent answer, Callion spoke first before Erna could say anything.
“Your body doesn’t last long. You always lose consciousness so easily.”
“That’s you being rough...!”
"So, I hope you hold out a little longer, even if it means using magic. I’m worried whether you’ll be able to have a proper successor at this rate."
At Callion's words, Erna fiddled with the piece of the ocean she was holding in her hand.
'I knew he would give something like this away so easily.'
Erna knew very well that Callion was eager to have a child.
Callion is just as reluctant to return to his homeland as she is. Although they haven't properly slept together many times yet, during that one night, Callion held her again and again.
Erna recalled his bodily fluids that had been sprayed inside her. As if to show her what it meant to be overflowing, Callion had continued to sow his seeds inside her.
'Callion must be desperate, too.'
He must have been hoping for her to get pregnant and have the child born soon, in order to maintain the Grand Duchy of Hessengard. However, since she could not endure him every time and fell asleep as if she had fainted, it was understandable that he would be dissatisfied.
"...Yes."
Erna sat up and placed the piece of the ocean next to the bedside table.
Actually, she was going to tell Callion that she wouldn't be able to do it today because of the lingering aftereffects of yesterday. On top of that, she still felt a chill in her body, and she was so tired that she had fallen asleep before Callion arrived. However, looking at the Fragment of the Ocean, she couldn't bring herself to say that she couldn't do it because she wasn't feeling well.
Callion is so sincere about this matter that he would even give something like that to her. On the other hand, even though she wasn't seriously ill, she was about to say she couldn't do it simply because she wasn't feeling well. For some reason, she felt like she wasn't fulfilling her duty.
Erna hated that. If there was work to be done, one had to endure it, even if it was difficult. That was the natural thing to do, and it had always been that way until now. Knowing that Callion would surely think the same, Erna approached him and spoke.
“Callion.”
“Uh, huh?”
When Erna suddenly called his name, Callion flinched in surprise and looked at her. Then Erna spoke in a serious voice.
"Let's do it."
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