It was well past midnight.

Riley had sent the letter at Rachel’s urging, but she had neither expected a reply nor expected him to return home.

“I miss you.”

‘I must have been out of my mind for a moment.’

By the time she came to her senses, she had already sent the letter.

Missing him. An unconscious true feeling had followed the tip of her pen and been conveyed. Thinking about it afterward, she was flustered. Why had she written such an embarrassing sentence? What would he think?

They were not even on terms to exchange such embarrassing words. She felt like a fool, having excitedly crossed the line in a moment. How ridiculous he must find her letter.

A lukewarm warmth disturbed her mind.

Embarrassing.

She was thinking that she probably wouldn’t sleep deeply when,

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

‘Who is it?’

At this time, all the servants would have gone back to their lodgings to sleep.

Who could be visiting at this time? Riley cautiously opened the door. Then something suddenly jumped in and hugged her tightly.

“……Gi, Gibnen?”

“Hello.”

Had he taken a shower? Dressed in a robe, he was damp. He also smelled of good fragrance oil.

“When did you arrive?”

“A little while ago.”

“……I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I was planning not to.”

“……”

“You said you missed me.”

“……”

“So I came.”

Riley was flustered, not knowing what to say.

It was a note sent so impulsively that she found it ridiculous even to herself. It felt strange to think that he had rushed all the way here after reading a note that could have been ignored.

“Did you really run all the way here because of that letter? Why……?”

“You said you missed me.”

Riley was flustered, licking her lips. Then, she bowed her head and muttered,

“……Rachel suggested I write a letter.”

“She suggested a good thing. Write often in the future.”

“But I didn’t know you’d run here right away.”

“How can I not come when my wife says she misses her husband?”

“……You could have just ignored it. You’re very busy.”

At Riley’s words, Gibnen pushed her against the wall and trapped her between his arms. Then, he gently lowered his head to meet her eye level.

“I missed you too.”

He took one of Riley’s hands and put a ring on her finger. Then he brought her hand to his nose.

“I missed this scent. It wakes me up every now and then.”

“……What scent is it?”

“I don’t know, the smell of your skin. It’s the best I’ve ever smelled.”

“……. ”

“What have you been doing?”

“……Just stayed in the mansion. I haven’t really done anything. I don’t know what to do.”

“I told you to think about what you wanted to do. Have you thought about it?”

It seemed strange to have such a casual conversation, close together, playing with hand rings.

Riley tried to calm her pounding heart and nodded her head.

“……Not yet.”

“Is there anything inconvenient about life?”

“No. Everyone is too kind and takes good care of me.”

“I’m glad.”

“……But this is, it’s too close.”

Her back was leaning against the wall, and her front was blocked by Gibnen’s body, a situation that Riley found quite awkward.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“……A little.”

At Riley’s answer, Gibnen let out a soft laugh.

“To sleep together, to shower together…… Is this more embarrassing than that?”

“……Then, I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“I feel neglected, I was very sober then. It was just me who was sincere.”

He sulked like a child again. Riley, who was dumbfounded by this, said in a timid voice,

“……I was sincere too. It wasn’t that I hated it or anything. Just……. ”

“It’s a joke.”

Gibnen pulled away from Riley.

“A drink?”

Gibnen sat down in the master’s chair of the room. He created transparent ice and put it into the glass that had been on the table.

The ice he made was so transparent and clean that it sparkled like crystal inside the glass.

“Magicians must be convenient.”

“It’s not always convenient. This is also technically illegal.”

“Is even such a simple magic prohibited?”

“Originally.”

“Why?”

“When you get used to magic, you can’t live like a person.”

The development of magical tools.

Ironically, he said, this had been brought about by the persecution of magicians.
Magic makes human life convenient and comfortable. But the dependency on it grows equally. Relying on magic, depending on it, you become a fool who knows nothing.

“Ah…….”

The ancient wizards themselves couldn’t walk. With magic, they could go anywhere, so they never felt the need to move their bodies. Their muscle mass was at rock bottom, and they had all sorts of chronic diseases. There were even jokes that in those times, living past 30 for a wizard was considered a long life. The magic itself drains the life energy, too.

“Ah.”

So unless it was a permitted case, using magic was forbidden. Of course, wizards who follow this rule are rare. If you don’t have permission, you can only use simple magic like this. Especially for a minority like me who is under special management, it’s even stricter.

“……I see.”