While Blair was lost in her thoughts, Mihael, sensing the crisp night breeze blowing through the forest, suggested returning.

Blair stood up to follow him. However, there was a problem.

“Ah…”

Her heels were scraped, causing a stinging pain with every step. Since the shoes were not originally designed for a walk, the heels were worn out, resulting in injuries.

Blair tried not to show that she was bothered, not wanting to be a burden. However, Mihael quickly noticed her limping steps and furrowed his brow.

“I apologize. I didn’t consider that the shoes might be uncomfortable for you.”

“No, it’s my oversight. Folding the back and wearing them should work, so don’t worry about it.”
“If you expose wounds in a forest like this, there’s a chance they might get infected. May I take a moment to examine them?”

Blair sat on a nearby tree stump.

Mihael took off Blair’s shoes and examined her feet. The scraped wounds weren’t too deep, but there was enough blood on the shoes.

“If it’s gotten to this point, it must have hurt quite a bit.”

Blair’s patience was once again admirable.

In this condition, it would be best not to walk anymore, but Blair’s personality didn’t seem like she would allow herself to be carried or embraced.

“Then, there’s no other choice.”

While contemplating Blair’s feet, Mihael, after a brief hesitation, lifted her gaze.

“Since you trusted me with the job, I’ll share one of my secrets with you.”

“A secret?”

Instead of answering, Mihael cautiously touched Blair’s wounds. Then a faint light emanated from his hands.

“This is…?”

Blair’s eyes widened in surprise.

The power he had just used was undoubtedly divine.

Strangely, though, the wounds didn’t heal immediately; they remained. Mihael furrowed his brow.

“Healing magic… isn’t working?”

Raising his head to inspect Blair’s condition, Mihael, shocked by the divine power he possessed, locked eyes with the astonished Blair.

And under her face, he found the cause of this phenomenon near her collarbone.

A faintly sparkling, black magic circle.

“…Dark magic?”
Dark magic inherently resists divine power, so I’ve heard that divine power doesn’t work well on dark wizards or the subjects of dark magic.

“But dark magic is now a forbidden and rarely used magic.”

Why does this woman have a dark magic circle?

Mihael scrutinized Blair’s expression with unbelieving eyes, but there was no sign of her trying to hide something on her face.

She seemed completely unaware of the existence of the dark magic circle implanted in her.

The dark magic circle hid its traces before he could thoroughly examine it.

Mihael used a slightly stronger healing spell to heal Blair’s wounds. Fortunately, this time the magic worked.

Watching this, Blair asked cautiously, “Why didn’t you become a priest?”

Divine power is a force bestowed only upon a select few chosen by the gods. While the likelihood of inheriting it is higher if your parents have divine power, it’s not common enough to accumulate significant wealth. Still, becoming a priest could lead to an honorable and prosperous life.

Despite this, Mihael responded to her question with a smile and an ambiguous answer, “For some, the power they earnestly desire becomes a coveted strength, while for others, it becomes a trace they wish to erase.”
Although he didn’t outright refuse, Blair sensed from Mihael’s ambiguous answer that he didn’t want to continue this conversation any further.

After finishing the treatment, Mihael carefully helped Blair put on her shoes, his touch as delicate as handling a fragile glass craft.

“Shall we go back now?”

Blair stood up and took the lead.

Mihael, walking beside her with matching strides, briefly glanced at Blair’s collarbone.

However, the dark magic circle was nowhere to be seen.

The view outside the slightly swaying carriage window displayed the lazy afternoon scenery.

Gazing at the platinum-tinged afternoon sunlight that had gradually started to shine, Herdin naturally thought of Blair.

His wife was, in many ways, a woman resembling sunlight.

Starting with the visible strands of her hair, the gentle body temperature, and, above all, the ephemeral atmosphere that could vanish even if gripped tightly in his hands.

Perhaps because of that.

Even when he looked at her or held her in his arms, an inexplicable sense of unease always lingered in his heart.

Especially after seeing the map he had left by her head this morning, the unsettling feeling became even more peculiar and couldn’t be easily shaken off.