“It works! It works!”

Airy exclaimed excitedly, tightly grasping the wind crystal that the Master of the Magic Tower had found inside a volcano near the border between the Empire and the Eastern Continent.

‘Wow. As expected!’

The Master of the Magic Tower was truly the Master!

Reviving the dead goes against the laws of nature. It requires tremendous power.

Moreover, I am not the true owner of this body. Infusing my soul into Yuriella’s body requires even more delicate skill and a strong breath of life.

If Airy hadn’t lost her true form, it would have been as simple as breathing with the skill of the unparalleled genius Magic Tower Master and the power of the holy sword Airy.

But Airy, who awoke from a 500-year long sleep, doesn’t remember where her true form is at all. She said most of the power the Wind Sword once possessed was scattered into the air back then.

Now Airy is just a tiny fragment of wind.

She said her spirit form is incomparably smaller and more insignificant than before.

Seeing what that small fragment can accomplish, it’s hard to even imagine how powerful the true holy sword must be.

But Airy, who revived me once, couldn’t do it a second time.

That’s why the Magic Tower Master went down to the boiling crater and got burned to find that wind crystal.

The pale green wind, looking like salt crystals, slowly dissolved into Airy.

The Magic Tower Master raised his hand and wrote something in the air, causing a magic circle to appear, sparkling like stars in the night sky and starting to rotate.

As Airy blew a strong breath into the center of the magic circle with her tiny eyes shining brightly, my soul floated up and instantly entered Yuriella’s body.

‘Whoa!’

My eyes opened. I could see the ceiling, and the slowly stopping magic circle.

“Wow.”

I waved my arms around. My joints creaked, probably from lying down for so long.

“Wow.”

I tilted my neck back and forth, and gently rotated my waist and leg joints. My legs moved well too.

“Thank you, Magic Tower Master! You’re truly amazing!”

I got up from the bed and gave a thumbs up, causing the Magic Tower Master to blush as he stroked his chin with his hand.

“It’s nothing, really.”

“People really need bodies. When I was just a soul, I felt droopy and gloomy like a willow fallen in water. Thank you so much!”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“It’s not just help, you saved my life. You’re my life savior! You’ve saved me not once, but twice.”

[Yuriella. It was Airy who breathed life into you. The Magic Tower Master only transported the wind crystal!]

Airy flew over and tugged at my hair in protest.

I placed Airy on my palm and gently stroked her head, which had puffed up to twice its size in anger.

“Thank you, Airy. I love you.”

[‘Wow’ is?]

The jealous Airy never misses even the smallest thing. I thought I just had to make up for the ‘I love you’s I couldn’t say before, but…

“Wow! Thank you, Airy. I love you.”

[Tch. I don’t need a ‘wow’ that you throw around to just anyone.]

“Alright. From now on, all my ‘wow’s belong to Airy. I promise. I love you.”

Finally seeming appeased, Airy flew up and sat on top of my head, fluttering her two pairs of small, transparently sparkling wings.

[You heard that, Magic Tower Master? From now on, all of Yuriella’s ‘wow’s are mine. The ‘wow’ she said to you earlier is canceled. Right, Yuriella?]

I shrugged and gave an apologetic look to the Magic Tower Master.

Fortunately, the Magic Tower Master burst into hearty laughter and nodded. As expected.

The Magic Tower Master’s heart is as broad as his gentle appearance suggests.

“Is that…?”

The Magic Tower Master glanced at the snow globe I had placed on the bedside table.

“It’s a snow globe my friend Rion made for me as a birthday gift.”

I picked up the snow globe and showed it to the Magic Tower Master.

“The snow looks real, doesn’t it? The flowers look real too. It even feels cool when you touch it on a hot day. Rion isn’t even a magician, so he couldn’t have added such a function.”

The Magic Tower Master smiled contentedly as if he was the one being praised and held out his hand.

“May I see it for a moment?”

And after just stroking the snow globe for a moment, amazing new functions were instantly added to it.

“Tap it once and a light will turn on, tap twice and the light will get brighter. Like that, three times, four times. Adjust the brightness of the light. Press and hold to turn it off.”

As expected. The Magic Tower Master was truly the Master.

“Wo…”

I almost said ‘wow’ to the Magic Tower Master as he demonstrated, but I managed to swallow the exclamation down my throat.

“It would be handy to use instead of a torch when it’s dark!”

The Magic Tower Master said as he handed the snow globe back to me.

“Try calling out ‘Rion’.”

“…? Rion.”

I cautiously called the name towards the snow globe, and the orb doubled in size as a pearly film that reflected the surroundings like a mirror overlaid its surface.

“That way you can use it as a magic communication device. Tap once to match the Empire’s standard communication frequency. If you want to communicate with a specific device, specify that target to match.”

As expected. Befitting the master of the Magic Tower, he’s truly magnanimous. Setting Rion’s name as the command for a function he created himself shows such thoughtfulness.

“Can I give this to Rion as a gift? I think he’d be really amazed and like it.”

“Rion would prefer you to keep it. Rion would be happier seeing you happy.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any ‘young lady’ in this room?”

A grumpy voice came from behind me. Ah! It’s the Grand Duke!

“Grand Duke!”

I turned around happily, but somehow the Grand Duke’s expression didn’t look good at all.

“I drank two cups of tea.”

The Grand Duke silently looked at me for a while.

Just as I had once examined the Grand Duke’s physical condition with my eyes, he thoroughly scanned me from head to toe and let out a shallow sigh of relief.

“I was told that if I drank a cup of warm tea, you would wake up and come to see me.”

That was a lie I made up to send the Grand Duke out of the room, but I forgot.

“I drank two cups of tea very slowly. As I was brewing the third cup, I faintly heard your voice exclaiming in admiration at something.”

His attractive low voice is still pleasant to hear, but for some reason it’s cold and sharp as if covered in thin ice, making my shoulders flinch.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I was just out of it.”

“Ah. So you were out of it, admiring a mere glass bauble touched by a magician who can’t even use proper titles. While I drank two cups of tea.”

The Grand Duke tilted his head with a very displeased expression, causing his beautiful silver hair to sway to the side with a splash.

“Absolutely-”

I was about to explain that it was absolutely not a mere glass bauble, but I closed my mouth.

“Absolutely what?”

The Grand Duke glared at me coldly.

It’s only natural that he’s displeased after drinking two cups of tea he brewed himself instead of the delicious tea served by the head maid.

The black magician summoned because of me left the Grand Duke in a mess, and he had to be separated from his beloved Shavell for nearly ten days, so of course he would be angry.

“I’m sorry…”

“For someone who knows they’re sorry-”

“I’m sorry, but I have to argue a bit too.”

When I glared fiercely, the Grand Duke stiffened, startled.

Huh? Yuriella’s large, gentle eyes have no intimidating effect no matter how fierce an expression I make. Why is he so surprised? Anyway.

“What on earth were you thinking when you called Cassandra Cabeza here?”

“Huh?”

“Black magic forbidden by the country! And a black magician you personally put restraints on!”

“Uh… that-”

“Don’t make excuses! The Emperor is here too! If you suddenly chase away that dark-hearted person like that, do you think they’ll just sit idly by? What if the imperial knights had barged in to catch them in the act!”

“But nothing serious happened-”

“What do you mean nothing serious! Look at the state of the grand banquet hall. And this room too!”

As I waved my arms pointing at the mess in the room, the Grand Duke quietly avoided my gaze and glared sharply at the Magic Tower Master.

Like a younger brother cringing beside his scolded older brother, the Magic Tower Master also flinched, shrinking his shoulders and quietly turning his head away.

“I’ll soon call the servants to clean it up thoroughly-”

“That’s not the issue right now!”

The Grand Duke’s large shoulders flinched at my sharp rebuke.

What’s this? It’s strange that he keeps reacting even to Yuriella’s soft voice. Was there some unknown power in the wind crystal the Magic Tower Master brought that I didn’t notice?

“Then what-”

“Don’t you know what the problem is?”

The Grand Duke’s blue eyes, like deep lakes, blinked round as he awkwardly avoided my gaze again.

“Hmm.”

I crossed my arms and tapped my forearm with my finger. I also let out a shallow sigh, imitating the expression of the highest judge in the noble court I had seen before.

He inhaled sharply as if hearing thunder, and I couldn’t help but dimple my cheeks.

“Grand Duke. Don’t you know what the problem is?”

The Grand Duke turned to stone, faced with the eternal dilemma of husbands.

Seeing him flustered, falling into the swamp of wives’ questions, I laughed inside.

Is this what it feels like to be someone’s wife?

I must have let out a laugh outwardly too.

My smiling face was fully reflected in the Grand Duke’s widely opened eyes.

And the Grand Duke’s lips, which had lost their luster and become dry over the past few days, slowly curved into a gentle arc.

Only upon seeing that smile did I truly feel I had returned.

‘Ah, I really missed you, Grand Duke.’

“Well. I’m sorry. I was wrong, wife.”

The Grand Duke apologized unconditionally first, just like any other husband would.

But, did he just call me wife?

Ugh. This is strange. I feel so strange.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

I must have unconsciously rubbed the goosebumps that rose on both my arms.

The Grand Duke’s face hardened as he strode towards me.

His large hands came down on my shoulders, turning me this way and that, and his clear blue eyes, full of worry, thoroughly scanned me.

“I’m fine. No, I’m bursting with energy. I think I’m even healthier than before thanks to Airy and the Magic Tower Master.”

[Still, the ‘wow’ is mine. The Magic Tower Master only transported the wind crystal.]

Airy, who had been sitting on the wall sconce with sharp eyes even after the Grand Duke arrived, flew over and perched on my shoulder.

The Grand Duke crossed his arms and glared at Airy with a frown.

Since Airy had barged in and stopped the two of them when they were fighting with the Magic Tower Master earlier, I can no longer hide Airy’s existence. How should I introduce her?

Should I just pass her off as a small and insignificant wind spirit?

He’s looking at her with eyes that see something small and insignificant right now.

“Grand Duke. Let me formally introduce you. This child is a wind spirit I happened to meet.”

[Yuriella! The order is wrong! I’m older so you should introduce the Grand Duke to me first and then tell me to greet him!]

Airy flared up.

Is it because she’s a holy sword that has existed since the beginning of time? She seemed very irritated at not being treated like an elder.

But I too am someone who spent a long time as a knight with clear hierarchies. If the command and control structure breaks down, uncontrollable chaos occurs. It’s a sure defeat in war.

“No. You’re my partner and the Grand Duke is my superior like the sky above. Your introduction comes first.”

[But I’m a holy sword? Airy has lived since the beginning of time and is older than the Grand Duke! The Wind Sword is bigger and cooler than the Ice Sword! So introducing the Grand Duke first is right!]

Airy narrowed her eyes into triangles and fluttered her transparent wings.

I held back my hair being tousled by the wind and watched the Grand Duke’s expression, his brow furrowing deeper.

“Not superior, but husband, wife.”

Huh? What’s this?

The Grand Duke gritted his teeth as if using the term ‘wife’ was more painful than me hiding the truth about the holy sword Airy.

“Grand Duke, you don’t need to pretend to be my real husband in front of Airy and the Magic Tower Master. The Magic Tower Master is my life savior who saved me twice, and Airy is my friend who is practically one body with me.”

I smiled brightly, stretching out my arm to point at my reliable allies.

I felt much lighter now that the Grand Duke seemed to be letting Airy’s existence slide.

Is it because he was chosen by the holy sword Ielheim from his mother’s womb that he thinks ‘anyone can have a holy sword or two’?

“You really have no sense, do you?”

I had been tense thinking he might get angry because of Airy. The attack came from a completely unexpected direction.

“Not only do you lack sense, but your ability to discern people seems quite lacking as well.”

His piercing gaze swept over me, then coldly swept over the Magic Tower Master and Airy.

“Today’s benefactor may strangle my neck tomorrow. The comrade who was as one body with me may stab me in the back. That’s the sad reality of human relationships. You don’t seem to know this yet, having never experienced it.”

Both Airy and the Magic Tower Master glared fiercely at the Grand Duke with looks of disbelief.

And I…

“…”

My mood sank like seaweed stems, not a willow fallen in water.

He says I don’t know because I haven’t experienced it.

My current situation is precisely the tragic result of that sad reality of human relationships he speaks of.

But even if I had my throat cut by someone I served loyally with my life, even if I was betrayed by a subordinate I trusted with my back.

Still, I don’t want to stop believing.

Because there was someone who believed in me, I learned how to believe in myself.

And the one who taught me that was you, Grand Duke.

Because you entrusted your back to me completely on the battlefield, I was able to believe that I could protect you.

How many times was I comforted in moments when my heart was sinking into the mud by your voice calling me ‘Solas!’ as an equal owner of a holy sword.

So, my dear Grand Duke.

“Enough! Stop saying useless things and follow me. You’re going to get acupuncture. It’s going to be quite painful today!”