“Let go of this.”

“Then say it. I won’t let go until you do.”

Ugh. Really. Seriously.

“You’re pretty! Pretty! Is that enough?”

“The prettiest in the world?”

“Yes!”

“Only me?”

“That’s right!”

I had no choice but to answer obediently. Because Edan’s hand was slowly moving down to my waist.

Satisfied with the answer at last, Edan stopped his descending hand and came back up to stroke my hair.

His hand that had touched my forehead slowly moved down over my head to my ear and nape.

At the same time, Edan’s upper body pressed down on me more and more.

“Then do it.”

“Wh-What?”

“You know. My head hurts right now.”

Edan slowly lowered his head and approached.

Wait a moment. Don’t tell me you want me to heal you in this state? It’s dangerous.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

But Edan, who had come close enough for me to feel his breath, stopped right there.

“…?”

I opened my eyes. Edan, who had suddenly stopped his actions, was staring down at me intently.

And then he pulled away from the bed and stood with his back to the sun by the window.

It was disconcerting because this had never happened before.

As I blinked and looked at him, Edan, with his hands shoved in his pockets, opened his mouth.

“You come.”

Suddenly?

I tilted my head quizzically as if I didn’t understand what he meant, and he nodded slightly, pointing to the floor in front of him.

“Up to here.”

What’s he up to now?

Though thinking it was strange, I got up from the bed. As I was about to take a step towards Edan without thinking, I stopped right there.

Come to think of it, it’s not a big deal right now.

Going near Edan. Since when has it been like this?

This isn’t about preventing a bad ending. Right now, I’m just vaguely thinking that contact with Edan would feel good.

In fact, it was the same when I grabbed Edan’s hand in front of Dante.

Rather, I thought I didn’t want to let go. I felt so relieved and my mood improved to the point of being almost scary.

If Edan were to reach out his hand now, I would grab it without any doubt, as if it were natural.

I still don’t want to go to the temple and don’t want skinship with ability users.

But at least with Edan, I don’t want to avoid it.

Rather, if he wants, I want to touch him, and I want to touch him as much as I want – these thoughts filled my mind.

I quietly met Edan’s intense gaze.

He leaned against the wall leisurely, as if willing to wait as long as it took.

“Don’t you want to?”

“That’s not it…”

“You could come to me once in a while. Or should I get down on my knees and beg?”

Why is Edan okay with this?

“I’m waiting.”

Edan urged in a relaxed voice.

First, come if you want, he seemed to say.

That’s good. It’s a good timing to check anyway.

Whether I feel a sense of relief with Edan even when it’s not an urgent situation like in the desert. Whether my heart flutters. Whether that pleasant feeling was real. Why it was like that.

I hesitated but approached and stood in front of Edan.

“Close your eyes.”

“No. I want to look at you like this.”

“…Pervert.”

“Yes.”

Only this man would smile so happily at being called a pervert.

“I’m going to touch your face.”

“By all means.”

There was no trace of the person who said he didn’t like others touching his face until recently.

Edan willingly lowered his head and offered his face.

I gently cupped his cheeks. His hair fluttered softly, covering the backs of my hands.

After hesitating, I gathered my courage, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a light kiss.

Oh my, I must be crazy.

The moment our soft lips touched, I was certain.

I don’t dislike it. No, it’s not just that I don’t dislike it…

“Not enough.”

Edan murmured, keeping a short distance close enough for our breaths to mingle, then opened his mouth and brushed my lips once, then swallowed them once more.

And then again, more strongly than before, he swallowed my lips.

He pushed into my mouth hotly, making it hard to breathe.

And then gently again.

Even though I hadn’t used my healing power yet, I felt so good that my head was getting dizzy.

It feels too good. Could it be that I like Edan?

As that thought occurred to me, my hands cupping his cheeks trembled slightly.

“Are you scared?”

“It’s not like that.”

Edan laughed lightly as if to say don’t lie. Right. I’ve been lying all this time.

I always said I wasn’t scared when I was.

But now it’s really not a lie.

Because I liked kissing Edan.

Not because of the pleasure given by the healing power, but because I really liked Edan. So much that I didn’t even think of pushing him away.

Even though contact with ability users is unbearable just to think about, and Edan, who would have the most severe side effects and affect me the most among them.

A pleasant sensation washed over me like a huge wave surging.

But conversely, anxiety naturally arose as well.

Would Edan like me even without my healing power? It’s a primitive question with an obvious answer.

Probably not. He’s being so kind to me just to receive healing.

Thinking that made my chest ache sharply.

“I’ll start.”

I manifested my healing power in my hands cupping Edan’s cheeks.

The healing power that he likes.

A smile slowly spread across Edan’s lips. Edan, who had said he wanted to keep looking at me, closed his eyes with satisfaction.

The pink glow that had bubbled up seeped into Edan’s skin and spread throughout his body.

I thought I would understand even if Edan forcibly took my healing power now, but he didn’t and opened his eyes after a moment.

“Are you okay?”

“If I say I’m okay, will you let go?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“I don’t want to.”

Edan’s hands wrapped around my waist. I unconsciously tensed my stomach.

“It’s okay, don’t be nervous. If you stay still, I’ll do everything.”

Ah, no! Of course, the skinship feels good, but this is a bit rushed.

“W-Wait a moment…”

As Edan’s hands caressed my waist, I unconsciously pressed my hand against the window frame.

And then, clunk-!

The room shook with a strange noise.

“…?”

“…What’s that?”

Even the always calm Edan furrowed his brow this time and stopped his movements at the ominous sound.

We slowly turned our heads towards where the sound came from.

A stone was slightly protruding from the floor of the unusually spacious bedroom.

I looked at my right hand.

The wall I had pressed against the window frame was slightly indented. When I removed my hand, the stone that had been pushed in as a square slowly came out and returned to its place.

I was so surprised that I froze for a moment.

Then Edan furrowed his brow and repeated exactly what I had done.

As he cursed irritably and pressed the stone, the protruding stone on the floor returned to its original state with another clunk! sound.

“Are you joking?”

Edan pressed the wall again, and once more the stone on the floor protruded. The stone in the window frame seemed to be acting as a switch.

As I watched that, the heat that had risen in my body cooled, and my foggy head started to clear.

“A square…”

Like lightning striking my head, my vision suddenly flashed.

“Ah! Could it be…?”

As I cried out, cupping my cheeks with both hands, Edan ran his hand through his hair.

“What is it?”

He wouldn’t know what was going on since I hadn’t told him.

I got down from the window frame and headed to the center of the room.

I stared quietly at the square stone protruding from the floor. A small square, the symbol of the Grand Magician, was engraved on the corner of the stone.

I’m sure. This is the secret space I’ve been looking for.

Even so, to think it was in a place like this?

I only searched the library bookshelves and walls, never thinking they would hide a secret space in the bedroom.

It’s disconcerting to discover it in an unexpected place, but it’s a great stroke of luck.

“What is this?”

Edan, who was watching from behind, irritably pressed the stone with his foot, and a portal opened with light shining from the wall.

“I-I found it!”

“What is this?”

“It’s the Grand Magician’s secret space!”

I smiled as brightly as ever towards Edan.

Night had fallen before we knew it.

Edan, Ruben, me. And Maxium too.

In the late hours of the night, we gathered in Edan’s bedroom, each holding a lamp.

I wanted to enter the portal right away, but there was something Maxium had earnestly asked.

‘If you find the secret space, you absolutely must not enter alone. You must go with me! Promise me. Please.’

That’s what he had said.

So we hurriedly called Ruben and Maxium, but Edan was very irritated.

It wasn’t because of side effects since he had received healing. It was because the mood was ruined and we had to stop what we were doing then.

But what can I do? This is really an important matter.

“Now, look.”

I focused my gaze.

And seriously repeated the same steps as when I first discovered the portal.

Press the window frame, press the protruding stone on the floor.

“Huh?”

Press, that is, press again, press… It won’t press!

Edan easily pressed it with his foot!

I jumped up and down on the stone several times but failed to press it.

Huff, huff. Breathing heavily, I slowly turned my head towards the three men behind me like a broken wooden doll.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three men were looking at me with narrowed eyes as if to say, ‘What are you doing?’

“Help me.”

“Then I’ll…!”

Maxium, who was looking forward to the Grand Magician’s secret space more than anyone, eagerly stepped forward.

But Edan pulled Maxium back by the nape of his neck.

He approached with long strides and pressed down with his foot, and the stone went down very lightly.

It seems like it should be this easy, but it wouldn’t work when I pressed it.

“Th-This is the Grand Magician’s!”

Anyway, the portal opened again, and the orange glow of the portal filled the bedroom.

Ruben, who had been standing most calmly, looked back and forth between Maxium and me incredulously and asked.

“So… was this castle really the Grand Magician’s castle?”

“Yes!”

“How did you know this place was the Grand Magician’s castle?”

“Look at that. He was someone who liked to leave marks. The square symbol representing the Grand Magician is everywhere.”

Maxium pointed to the portal as if he had been waiting for this.

And the protruding stone on the floor and the stone in the window frame that I had pressed. Everything was square, to the point where one might wonder if he had OCD.

“It’s just a rectangle. How is this a mark?”

“They’re all squares. It’s the Grand Magician’s symbol. He was a perfectionist who liked squares. It’s neat, and all four sides are the same length. You can find it on the library desk, bookshelves, and even the long ladder!”

Maxium spoke passionately as if he were the Grand Magician’s top disciple. Then he asked Ruben a question.

“By the way, I heard that Sir Ruben bought the castle, where did you find it?”