"Right, I'm not Sally, I'm Selinia."
“Sally, Sally”
The little one repeated the name as if denying what I had said. At this point, I felt frustrated. I met the child's eyes while still holding him. I wanted to make it absolutely clear that I was not Sally.
"Who are you? Can you tell me who you are? It's not that you can't remember, is it?"
However, my green eyes seemed to make only the illusion of Sally clearer.
"Sally... Sally."
"No, I'm telling you, I'm not."
Every time the child's forearm was shaken, the small head followed along weakly.
"Who are you? What is your relationship with Tower Master Eon?"
I didn't realize that the grip was getting tighter. I hadn't even considered how I might appear in the child's eyes. Right now, my mind was filled only with the determination to find out the true identity of this suspicious little kid.
"Is there nothing you know how to say except 'Sally'!"
"It wasn't always like that."
The answer came from the direction of the door, a place I hadn't expected. When I turned my head, I saw a figure leaning diagonally against the door.
Eon, who was there, caught my eye. I mean, it wasn't little Eon, but the Tower Master Eon.
"You really woke this guy up."
This time, I was glad to see him. I realized that I had gotten too worked up about differentiation. I expected him to mock me for waking the little kid up and yelling at him, but Eon simply kept his gaze fixed on me and approached slowly.
A chill of midwinter wafted through me, as if he had just returned from outside. Perhaps due to his slightly disheveled hair and shadowed eyes, he looked not only tired but also in a bad mood. Although I had never been comfortable around Eon, I felt more tense than usual.
"I never imagined it would succeed this quickly. I guess the mind penetration magic really worked."
It was he who had asked to wake the little one, but the reaction was completely different from what he had expected. He hadn't anticipated a tearful reunion with the child, but he thought the child would at least show some sign of welcome.
"So, what about Miss Selinia?"
For some reason, the attention that should have rightfully been directed at the child was directed at me. I was flustered by the expectation and curiosity etched on the face observing me. It was to the point where I wondered if horns had grown on my head in the meantime.
“How do you feel?”
I had no choice but to ask back the question I didn't understand.
"Yes?"
A slight wrinkle formed between his straight eyebrows.
"It doesn't seem to have had any effect, though..."
Eon muttered that and thrust his face close to mine. His purple eyes met my gaze intently, as if telling me to look at him. I turned my head to the right to avoid his eyes, but his gaze persistently followed me. I tried moving to the other side, but it was the same this time as well.
If it had been someone other than Eon, it certainly would have looked like he was playing a prank. But that face, devoid of a single trace of a smile, was simply dry.
“What are you doing?”
"It's just Miss Selinia."
"Then do you think I might have turned into something else?"
"I know, right. I don't know what I was expecting."
Just as I was about to say that he should have found what he was expecting in that little kid rather than me, Eon suddenly turned around and lifted the child's face.
"You're no different, either."
The hand supporting my chin looked as if it were about to break my slender neck. I shouted urgently.
“No.”
What kind of expression was Eon wearing? He was asking why I was interfering with what I ought to be doing. That expression, devoid of any cruelty or anger, made me even more anxious.
“No.”
I mustered up the courage to grab his arm.
"Don't mess with the little one."
"Didn't you clearly say just 'Miss Selinia' a moment ago?"
The lips, curled crookedly, spat out words colder than ever. It was a mystery why on earth he had become so twisted. I could feel the hand gripping the little one tighten, as if in defiance of my request.
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Does Miss Selinia have any reason to defend this guy? Or has she grown fond of him in the meantime?"
It was a typical idea for a murderer. Not only was he threatening the sick child, but he was also asking why they were stopping him.
“Don’t kill him.”
“Is this an order?”
"Y-yes. It's an order."
Giving an order in a trembling voice. Even I found it ridiculous to hear.
"Tell me what you liked about this guy that made you go to such lengths to wake him up. If you do, I’ll obey your command."
This was no longer the attitude of someone following orders. Even amidst Eon's threat, I caught the eye of the little one, looking only at me. It was the gaze of a baby bird begging for food.
'I wonder if they are fearless, or if they just can't grasp the situation.'
Even if we weren't bound by a subordinate contract, I felt like I would have had no choice but to help that kid.
"You look like you are extremely sorry."
Eon twisted his arm slightly and slipped out of my grasp in an instant.
"Do you know? That expression made me extremely displeased."
"Such unreasonable..."
"Are you saying you're going to look out for that guy in front of me?"
"It's a child. And it's sick too!"
"Ha, kid. So, in the end, you're taking that guy's side."
Eon bowed his head and covered his face with his hand. Soon after, he let out a long sigh and shook his head.
He looked like someone about to crush his face in his palm. In that gap, I stood between the little kid and Eon. As if noticing my movement, Eon raised his eyes slightly and turned toward me.
“I have to kill him.”
He said it once again, as if making a promise.
“I have to kill him.”
I reached out to him as if it were not my own will. Before I knew it, I was clutching the collar of his jacket.
"You were the one who told me to wake the little one up."
"It was a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."
"A mistake? If I had known you would be this useless, I wouldn't have woken him up."
He was pulled toward me because I had tightened my fist gripping his jacket. He came close enough for the tip of his chin to touch my head. I caught a scent that seemed to be a mixture of the smell of old wood and acrid smoke.
I had no intention of speaking to the jacket, so I tilted my head high and looked at the other person.
"No, you can't kill that kid. I won't let that happen."
Even though he could have easily shaken off my hand, Eon did not do so.
"You asked what I liked about him that made me wake him up, right? I felt destiny in that child. I felt that we are connected."
The overwhelming emotion pushed away the fear.
"It's already been proven that it wasn't just my imagination. You know better than anyone what mind-penetration magic is, don't you?"
I caught my breath for a moment.
"So don't kill that kid."
Instead of an answer, the distance between him and me narrowed even further. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward him. I managed to narrowly avoid burying my face in his embrace, but I couldn't help but feel our bodies touch.
"Did you call me a murderer? You really don't know who the cruel one is."
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