“It’s okay now. I’ve just decided to accept that my father is such a bad person. I probably won’t ever understand him.”

“You don’t need to be hung up on blood ties. There are some families that are better off not having. Like my brother.”

“Come to think of it, compared to Maximilian, my father was still tolerable.”

“Don’t tolerate it. Why would you tolerate that?”

“I won’t tolerate it. So I’d like you to stop giving money to my father. It makes my blood boil thinking about my father and brother living in luxury with your money. Money that I’ve never even touched.”

Cordelia grumbled. The largest sum of money she had ever had in her life was the three thousand linkit her mother had secretly given her, but her father and brother received fifty thousand linkit every month, and that too from money earned by selling her.

The thought of it made her indignant. She begrudged her father even a single coin.

“I’ve already decided to stop giving them money since you went to the Abrams.”

“That’s good then.”

She turned her body in the opposite direction with a more relieved expression and looked at the sea.

“I’m not annoyed at you anymore, and all my anger has dissipated.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing the definitive answer, Leonard, who had been slightly tense, finally relaxed. At the same time, he realized anew how sensitively he reacted to her emotions.

‘I’ve definitely gone mad.’

He used to find it pathetic when he saw men wavering because they were infatuated with women, but now that he was in that position himself, he found his past mockery of them amusing.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that his days were determined by her.

When Cordelia smiled, he just felt good, and when he saw her crying face, his heart ached. He wanted to give her anything…

It felt like he had become a puppet dancing on Cordelia’s fingertips. And the strange thing was that it didn’t feel particularly bad.

“We seem to be almost there. I can see Wilas now.”

She pointed to an island visible in the distance. However, what Leonard actually focused on was her small, white, and soft hand.

He wanted to snatch that hand and intertwine their fingers, then kiss the back of her hand. She would probably be startled and her face would turn red. Maybe she would try to pull her hand away, so that’s when he would say it.

That he was in love with her green eyes.

* * *

“Atil, Lord Atilei!”

“Lord Atilei has returned!”

Although they must have already heard that he was alive, when the people of the Magic Association saw Leonard’s face, they reacted as fervently as if a dead man had opened his coffin and come out. Of course, they had a frenzied reaction when Cordelia revealed that she was his disciple, but today was even more intense.

“Sob, sob, I knew you would return. Of course. You’re not the kind of person to leave us so hopelessly.”

“Lord Atilei!”

They hadn’t even reached the Hall of Stars yet, but more than five people were already prostrating themselves and crying at the sight of him. What was even more surprising was that Leonard seemed to accept all these reactions with familiarity. It didn’t look like this was his first or second time experiencing this.

“Stop blubbering and get out of the way.”

“Hearing your voice, I can tell you’re in good health. I can now die without regrets.”

“Don’t die in front of me, it’s unpleasant.”

“Waaah, to think you’d worry about me like this. I’ll never forget this kindness!”

All Leonard had done was utter a few curt words, but the old wizard, who looked to be around the age of a baron, acted as if he had received some tremendous favor.

Cordelia could somewhat understand why Leonard had grown up to be so inconsiderate. If she had been surrounded by such people since childhood, she felt her personality might have turned sour too.

After barely making it past the Hall of Stars, an old man presumed to be Seirius appeared. Wearing a long cloak different from others, he was unmistakable.

He was someone Cordelia hadn’t seen when she came before.

“Tsk, tsk. I sent so many letters telling you to come, but you show up after more than two months?”

“Do you think I’m a person with nothing but free time? I had to sort out the family affairs I’d left behind, and I had to catch my brother who stabbed me. How much do you think I had to do?”

“So, did you catch that brother of yours?”

“I caught him but he escaped, so I’m tracking him again.”

“Well done, well done. I warned you so many times to be careful of that Maximilian, that his eyes were crazy. Aigh, you stupid boy. What’s the use of learning magic if you get stabbed to death by your own brother?”

Cordelia’s jaw dropped as she watched the old man scolding Leonard without restraint. It was surprising in itself that there was someone who dared to treat Leonard like this.

“Is this how I taught you?”

“Anyone would think I studied under you for about ten years, Master Hayden. When you only taught me for a year.”

The subsequent conversation made sense. Come to think of it, it was only natural that Leonard would have a master too.

“Ah, you rascal. You sucked everything out of me in just a year, so what could I do? There was nothing left to teach. And is this your disciple beside you?”

“Hello. I’m Cordelia Vasquez.”

“Hmm.”

Hayden stretched his neck and scrutinized Cordelia closely.

“Vasquez, you say? Then is Greta Manson your mother?”

“Eh? You know my mother?”

“I do. She was Matilda’s cherished disciple.”

“Disciple? You mean my mother was a wizard?”

Cordelia’s eyes widened as much as they could. She had no idea her mother had learned magic. Her mother had never mentioned it even once.

“Yes. It seems Greta left without saying anything. I’ll introduce you to Matilda later, so ask her about it. I just saw her face a few times in passing, that’s all.”

“Where is Matilda now? Is she in the Magic Association?”

Cordelia asked, somewhat excitedly. Her mother was a wizard, and even the master who taught her mother was here!

“Why are you in such a rush? Matilda went to investigate a place where a collapse occurred. She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“A collapse occurred? When exactly?”

“About a fortnight ago. The scale of the collapse was larger than expected, so Matilda went personally. If you’re curious, attend the meeting tomorrow.”

Cordelia, not knowing what a ‘collapse’ was, just stood there blinking. Fortunately, that topic was quickly passed over.

“More importantly, we need to perform the ceremony to establish Acheron’s successor first. That guy might get stabbed by his brother and die again. We need to establish you as his successor quickly. Only then can I sleep easy.”

“You’re really cursing me to die, aren’t you?”

“You’ve died once, why not twice?”

Hayden chuckled and teased Leonard relentlessly. The scene itself was so unfamiliar that Cordelia couldn’t take her eyes off the two of them.

As she followed behind the bickering Hayden and Leonard, a small clearing decorated with flowers came into view.

Seven Seirius were gathered there. There were some she was seeing for the first time and some she had seen before. Menuphio, who had been somewhat familiar, was not visible.

“Persistent, so persistent. He’s really alive.”

“His lifeline must be so tough that no one can cut it.”

“Ugh, to think we have to see that guy’s face again. My stomach is already hurting.”

Unlike the regular wizards, the Seirius seemed annoyed that Leonard had returned alive.

“What are you doing? Both of you, quickly get into that circle.”

In the center, there was a circle surrounded by white flowers. The ceremony she had imagined was like a knighting ceremony, but the atmosphere was completely different from that.

The circle wasn’t very large, so Cordelia had to stand facing Leonard with about a hand span’s distance between them.

Hayden waved his hand and said:

“We don’t have time. Let’s do this quickly and finish. Take out the ring.”

“What? Ring? What ring?”

Cordelia turned her head sharply to look at Hayden. Hayden, rather incredulously, asked back:

“You didn’t prepare a ring to give to your master? I knew you didn’t have a bouquet since you came empty-handed, but… oh my.”

“Was I supposed to prepare it?”

“It’s fine. I prepared one.”

Leonard calmly took out a ring from his pocket.

Whatever it was, it seemed a ring was needed for the ceremony. Cordelia mumbled in a small voice, embarrassed:

“You… you should have told me in advance.”

“It’s just a formality. Here, write your name on this with your magical power.”

Leonard handed over the ring he had prepared without much emotion. Cordelia, as he instructed, engraved her name on the ring using magical power.

“Now you put it on.”

“Which finger?”

“…The ring finger.”

Thinking it’s the same as a wedding ring, but not making much of it, Cordelia put the ring on his ring finger.

Leonard recited an incantation. The seal of Acheron appeared simultaneously on both of their bodies. No matter how many times she saw it, it was always amazing.

That’s when it happened. The ring she had put on Leonard’s ring finger crumbled into powder and disappeared, and instead, a complex pattern of tattoo appeared on his finger like a ring.

Cordelia stared at it, amazed. That was all there was to the ceremony. She couldn’t feel any changes, just like when the seal of Acheron was first engraved.

At that moment, Hayden, who had been standing a bit far away, approached with a grin.

“Well, well, it seems that guy does cherish his only disciple. Preparing the ring himself, and on the ring finger no less…”

“Master Hayden. If you’re going to talk about unnecessary things, shall we go inside?”

“We haven’t even started yet?”

Hayden said mischievously. Fortunately, as Leonard had wished, Hayden couldn’t say anything more.

This was because a young wizard came running from afar, breathlessly delivering surprising news.

“In front of the Magic Association, huff, there’s a person, I mean, that person.”

“Child. Take a breath before speaking. Who came?”

“Haa, haa. Yes. Lord Elfenbaum has arrived.”

“Come on. Is that something to run here for?”

“Ah, no. It’s not Lord Rosenblur Elfenbaum, but his sibling. Lady Lydia Elfenbaum has arrived just outside.”