There were seventeen fatalities, and the number of injured exceeded three times that.

The story of Lydia Elfenbaum summoning a demon and turning the area in front of the Magic Association into a wasteland shook not only the Wilas Islands but the entirety of Ershe. It was so sensational that when just two people gathered, they would spend the whole night discussing it.

Rosenblur, as the head of the Elfenbaum family, officially stated that he would take full responsibility. He personally met with the bereaved families of the deceased and visited the temporary shelters housing the injured to offer apologies and condolences to each of them. As a result, for more than ten days after the incident, not a single hair on Rosenblur’s head could be seen.

“That poor fellow, having such a troublesome sister.”

“Indeed. Our master also suffered a lot because of Maximilian.”

“What are you doing? Is your arm getting tired?”

Leonard glanced back at Cordelia.

It seemed she had been massaging his shoulders for at least an hour, but her wicked master showed no signs of letting up. Cordelia inwardly sighed about a hundred times before finally managing to curl up the corners of her mouth.

“Oh no, not at all. I was about to start on your right arm now.”

“Ah, suddenly my back is starting to ache a bit.”

“Shall I prepare an ice pack?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Hurry up and bring it.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Cordelia scurried out of the room. Baron, who had been standing quietly at a distance, openly sighed as soon as Cordelia left.

“Master, are you thinking of taking Cordelia as your maid?”

“Keep quiet if you don’t know anything. How dare she…”

“Did something happen?”

“How dare she to me!”

He glared towards the door Cordelia had exited, bursting with indignation. The more he thought about that night a few days ago, the more infuriated he became.

How could she so easily make that connection without any hesitation? What kind of impression did she have of her master normally? It was beyond vexing; it was downright disheartening.

‘Wouldn’t a normal person naturally think there was romantic interest? She knows about kissing, so why can’t she notice my feelings? Is she purposely acting this way?’

Leonard kicked the innocent blanket, forgetting that he had never properly confessed his emotions. Baron shook his head at that foul temper.

“Hasn’t your back already healed? How long do you plan to deceive Cordelia?”

“Who says that? That my back has healed?”

“The physician who came this morning. He couldn’t stop marveling at your monstrous recovery ability.”

“Keep your mouth shut. Don’t let her catch on. Hmph. No, with her level of perception, how would she figure it out?”

Something seemed to have upset him regarding Cordelia, though the exact cause was unclear.

“By the way, how long are you planning to stick around Wilas? Go and do what I told you to do. No, before that, visit the main house.”

“Do you have any more tasks for me?”

“Go and bring the ring. The one my mother wore when she got married. That excessively sparkly diamond ring, bring that one.”

“Pardon?”

“And while you’re there, tell them to start preparing for the wedding. If we start now, we can hold the ceremony by next spring, right? It’s going to be grand, so make sure the preparations are thorough.”

“…”

Baron was so dumbfounded he was at a loss for words. Of course, he had brought up something similar before, but it was half-joke, half-serious, with the obvious premise that the two’s hearts were in sync.

He spoke as politely as possible with a very sour expression.

“If I may ask, have you found a bride to walk down the aisle with…?”

“Oh. She just went to get some ice. She’ll be back soon.”

He looked as shameless as a man who had already finished proposing. Baron spent a long time choosing his words before speaking to his overly nonchalant master.

“Why don’t you first ask for Cordelia’s opinion? That seems to be the proper order.”

“If I tell her to marry me, she’ll agree without a second thought. She probably won’t even ask why.”

“Surely not. Even if you say Cordelia is obtuse…”

“No. She’ll probably think I’m using her because I need a woman to marry. Hmph. She might even ask what kind of magic is on the ring when I put it on her finger.”

He became irritated as that scene was all too easy to imagine. He had a sad feeling that even if he confessed, she wouldn’t believe him.

“Oh, Master. That’s all the more reason to showcase your charms. Instead of sending Cordelia on ice errands. How is Cordelia supposed to notice your feelings if you act like this?”

“Charm? I’m overflowing with charm from head to toe! What more do you want me to flaunt?”

He grumbled back in irritation. Just then, the door opened. They naturally thought Cordelia had returned, but an unexpected figure appeared.

“Atilei! Who are you to order our Cordelia to bring ice or not?”

“K-Kanon!”

Kanon, with a face plastered with ill humor, kicked the door open and entered. Behind him, Cordelia followed with a rather bewildered look, carrying a bucket of ice.

“Do you know how much praise Cordelia is receiving within the Magic Association, and you’re making her run ice errands? If that’s how it’s going to be, give up! Send her to our Diduasel!”

“What praise are you talking about?”

Leonard listened to Kanon’s bellowing with one ear and let it pass through the other. Kanon put a hand on Cordelia’s shoulder and boasted.

“You probably don’t know since you’ve been lying here sprawled out, but Cordelia even warned us about the demon’s descent beforehand.”

“What? Kanon, I never told you anything…”

“Matilda said if it wasn’t for Cordelia’s magic, we’d all be dead. That rumor has spread, and now everyone in the Magic Association is singing Cordelia’s praises. So what makes you so great that you’re ordering our Cordelia around like this, huh?”

“It’s… it’s not that big of a deal…”

Somehow, it felt like Kanon’s words were becoming increasingly exaggerated, and it wasn’t just her imagination. Cordelia fidgeted with the hand holding the bucket. Leonard beckoned to her.

“Come here.”

“Yes.”

Leonard, completely ignoring Kanon’s presence, took off his top and lay face down on the bed.

“If you’re done talking, you can leave. I need to get an ice pack from my one and only disciple.”

“Y-you, you!”

Kanon trembled, looking like his blood pressure was about to burst through the roof.

Cordelia quickly wrapped some ice in a towel and carefully placed it on his wound. Although it had healed considerably compared to before, the grotesquely torn wound still looked painful just to look at.

Kanon grumbled a few more times before sidling up to Cordelia.

“If you come to Diduasel, you won’t have to do things like this.”

“Please don’t be so hard on my master. He got this wound while protecting me. I’m grateful that I can help like this.”

“Oh, our kind Cordelia. But you know, it’s only natural for a master to protect their disciple!”

“Haven’t you left yet?”

Leonard threw out a comment while lying down. His tone was so apathetic and indifferent that even Cordelia glanced at Kanon to gauge his reaction.

“I’m leaving. If I talk to you any longer, I might collapse from stress. Oh, what was that demon’s name again?”

“I heard it was Nazabut.”

“Hmm. Nazabut… Is it higher-ranked than the Kandias attached to your door?”

“It’s said to be the ninety-ninth demon.”

Cordelia, who was diligently applying the ice pack to her master’s back, unconsciously added a comment.

“Good heavens, it’s rare enough for a demon within the top hundred to be summoned, let alone descended. No wonder there was such an uproar. Lydia couldn’t have done this alone, so it must be related to Maximilian after all.”

“You mean the collapse that happened in the south?”

“That’s right. This confirms who the contractor is.”

Maximilian and Lydia. It was such an unlikely combination that she couldn’t even imagine it. Cordelia tried to picture the two side by side, but they were completely mismatched.

“I heard Menuphio joined Maximilian’s pursuit team?”

“Yes, I heard they departed for Ansen.”

“Our side is preparing to form a pursuit team for that demon. We need to stop Nazabut before it causes any more harm. Sigh, but of all people, to think Lydia Elfenbaum would do such a thing.”

“How is Blaze doing?”

“He’s out of his mind, of course. His beloved younger sister summoned a demon into her own body and turned Wilas into a wasteland overnight before leaving.”

Kanon shook his head with a deep sigh. It was easy to imagine how heartbroken and distressed Rosenblur must be, even without seeing him.

Despite saying he would leave immediately, Kanon exchanged a few more words with Leonard before finally departing. After Kanon left, Cordelia began applying the ice pack to Leonard’s back in earnest.

“How does your back feel?”

“It’s cooling.”

“The wound seems to be healing well. There’s no fever or swelling. At this rate, you’ll be up and about in no time.”

Cordelia said with a genuine smile, clearly happy about his recovery. Suddenly, Leonard twisted his body. An awkward groan accompanied the movement.

“Ugh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Suddenly, my back is in terrible pain. It’s throbbing so much I can hardly bear it.”

From the corner, Baron, who had been quietly keeping his place, looked at his master with contemptuous eyes.

Hearing his words of pain, Cordelia’s eyes widened in panic. She seemed to have no idea that her master was putting on a ridiculous act.

“Are you in a lot of pain? Should I call for a physician?”

“No. Just sit beside me and hold my hand.”

“Will that be enough?”

“I’ll have to endure it, won’t I? Come on, give me your hand.”

After calmly lying, he swiftly snatched Cordelia’s small, soft hand like a bandit encountered on a mountainside. Cordelia held her master’s hand tightly with a very worried look.

Leonard glanced sideways at Cordelia, then cleared his throat and spoke.

“What was your first wedding like?”

“My wedding? We just went to the temple, made our vows as a couple, and that was it. If you can even call that a wedding.”

“What? That’s all? Are you crazy? Who has a wedding like that?”

He suddenly sat up and became angry as if he had been personally wronged. Cordelia picked up the towel that had fallen to the floor and spoke casually.

“Craig wasn’t even interested in me. I told you, didn’t I? I was just a medium to pass on the Vasquez blood to the Abrams family.”

“I should have just killed them all…”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. So, um. Ahem. Do you have any kind of wedding you’d like to have?”