By Zephyria 
Coming out of the room, I went downstairs with Sakira and asked,
“Why did you marry Abyss?”
“Pardon?”
“You must have done it because you liked each other, right?”
Sakira looked at me, seemingly flustered for a moment, then nodded.
“I, I guess so?”
“What do you like so much about him? How long after you met did you get married? Did you think you had to marry this man when you first saw him? Or did you just come to that decision as you spent time together?”
I should have given her some time to answer, but I had so many questions that I couldn’t control myself.
“Um… well, we just kept being together, and it naturally… happened, I think. We spent a lot of time together, and more than anything, we communicated well.”
“Naturally? That’s too abstract.”
“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”
I thought of the two of them together in the empty lot at dawn.
“Who liked the other first?”
“I don’t really know. We just somehow realized that we felt the same way…”
“Somehow? That’s too abstract too.”
It was all vague words that weren’t helpful at all.
“Was there a specific reason you started liking him?”
“Um, as we accumulated various memories… wouldn’t all of those things eventually become reasons?”
“…”
What the heck is she talking about?
I don’t really know, but one thing for sure is that the two of them have known each other for a long time.
I suddenly wondered if the feelings I was experiencing were really love. Could it be that I can’t distinguish between love and lust?
Considering my age, it’s the time when my sexual desire is at its peak. Maybe the biological activities that had been stopped due to my illness have started again.
I had been celibate for almost five years against my will, so it was natural to overreact to the mere act of rubbing lips.
“…”
It was such a plausible deduction that my stuffy heart felt relieved.
Then, if I hug Aska once, wouldn’t these symptoms disappear too?
“Um, just a moment.”
I was thinking that I should sleep with Aska when Sakira straightened my clothes. It was suffocating to have my collar pulled up and buttoned tightly, but my head was full of imagining spending the night with Aska, so I let her do as she pleased.
“Master!”
After tidying up my clothes, I arrived downstairs with a light heart, and a man I had never seen before said to me. He jumped up from his chair and ran towards me with a delighted face, kneeling down.
“It’s been a long time. How have you been… no, you probably haven’t been well… Anyway, I’m glad you look better than I thought. Do you remember me?”
His face was full of freckles, and his eyes drooped, so he had a very gentle impression.
“Are you Zero?”
“Yes, I am Zero. I guess you don’t remember me. I was going to come earlier, but I lost my wallet on the way…”
He talked so much that I half-listened and went to my seat. Zero followed me around, constantly talking without a break.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
Sakira asked me as I sat down in my chair. I nodded and said to Abyss, who was standing behind me,
“Why are you standing there? Sit down too.”
“I’m comfortable in this spot.”
“I’m not comfortable. Sit down.”
He had been feeding me and sitting next to me just fine, but now that he was acting like that, it was just uncomfortable. Abyss hesitantly sat down next to me and cleared his throat.
“Recently, so many new Ruins have been discovered that I don’t even have time to sleep. But that doesn’t mean I’ve been neglecting the work you ordered me to do, Master. I just wanted to let you know that I’m spending every day so happily these days. It’s all thanks to you, Master, that I can live doing what I want to do. Thank you so much.”
“…”
I looked at Zero with a slightly burdened gaze and asked Abyss quietly,
“Why is he calling me Master?”
“Maybe…”
“Ah, Master! Let me tell you! At first, I called you ‘Your Highness,’ but you said you would rip my mouth off if I ever called you ‘Your Highness’ again, so I called you Kyle-nim, right? But when I thought about it, I felt like it was too disrespectful for me to call you by your name so carelessly, so I call you ‘Master.’ You allowed it too!”
I couldn’t concentrate at all because of his chattering. Seeing Zero taking a big breath to say more, I quickly interrupted him.
“Okay, but calling me ‘Master’ might be too conspicuous, so call me Theodore from now on.”
“Theodore?”
Abyss also looked at me with wide eyes.
“It’s an alias.”
“Did you come up with it yourself?”
Should I say that Aska gave it to me? I wanted to brag, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to tell them. In that brief moment when I didn’t answer, Zero made another fuss.
“Can’t I just keep calling you ‘Master’? Even if it’s an alias, I don’t think it’s right to call you that so carelessly…”
“No.”
“Yes, sir, then I will call you Theodore-nim.”
“Stop talking about that and tell me about the Ruins.”
At my words, Zero took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket.
“This is the letter you sent me, Theodore-nim. And this is a drawing depicting the place where the Relic was discovered at the time.”
I carefully examined the paper Zero handed me. There was nothing special about it, and it was a letter that was no different from an order to investigate the Ruins and the various materials found there.
And I saw a picture that felt somewhat similar to the underground prison. Except for the entrance, all sides were sealed without windows. It was a fairly large space, and in the very center, there was a peculiar stone statue.
“At the time, Theodore-nim said that it looked like it was guarding something. When I looked into it, it was half right.”
“Half?”
“Yes, this statue is actually not an ordinary stone statue, but a Magical creature from ancient times called a Gargoyle. They usually guarded and monitored intruders from the roofs or spires of castles.”
Roles? Does that mean that in ancient times, these Magical creatures formed groups and created forces? It gave me a slight chill to imagine it.
“What the Gargoyle was guarding was more likely something to be summoned from that magic circle rather than the box in the center of the magic circle. After all, it didn’t react at all when we invaded the secret room. If the purpose was to protect the box itself, no one would have come back alive from that place.”
Of course, the name Gargoyle was a word I was hearing for the first time.
“You said you found a necklace with a medal inside here, don’t you remember that either?”
“I don’t know. Are you sure it’s a summoning magic circle?”
“It’s quite old, so it’s slightly damaged, but looking at the formulas, I’m about 88% sure.”
So that’s why you thought the incident that happened in Actan that day was deeply related to me? Because Magical creatures poured out as the sky tore apart. More than that, what is that ambiguous number?
“What about the other 12%?”
“The shape of a typical magic circle is usually a pentagram, but this one is inverted. Looking at the completeness of the formulas, it can’t be a mistake, and it could be a completely different magic circle that I don’t know about.”
I turned the paper upside down and carefully looked at the magic circle.
“First of all, to proceed with further investigation, we need the necklace. The magic circle has been activated, and if the summoning is really over, there’s a high probability that it’s already been destroyed. Usually, those things are used as a medium for rituals. Unless there are separate activation conditions like in Sa Dillin…”
I don’t remember anything, so there’s no way I would know where the necklace is.
“Ah, Theodore-nim. Did you know that Mahir-nim is very serious about Magical creature research since he ascended the throne? Sa Dillin Castle itself is like a huge magical legacy. He has opened the castle to all Wizards regardless of gender or nationality, and has established a headquarters there to train Wizards. I went there too, and it’s really fantastic…”
“…”
The serious atmosphere became infinitely light with Zero’s chattering voice. I looked at the ecstatic Zero with an absurd expression and asked,
“But isn’t Sa Dillin the castle where the Emperor resides? You’re saying he opened it up? Then where does the Emperor live?”
“He continues to live in Jihad. The Empress likes that place better too.”
No matter what, there is such a thing as tradition and history… Allowing unverified civilians to enter a place that has been the symbol of Actan for nearly a thousand years. What are they going to do if it gets damaged?
Moreover, if a magic circle is engraved to the extent that a Magical creature burns to death as soon as it touches the barrier of light, the tactical value is considerable. Even if I concede a hundred times and only allow it to citizens, anyone can enter as long as they are a Wizard? Are they out of their minds?
“That’s absurd.”
“The vassals were strongly opposed too, I heard. But the image of Actan has improved a lot. Actan is also leading the way in Magical creature research.”
Image improvement? What is that even for? No, if you want to improve the image so much, you should do volunteer work, help the poor, or go out and wave your hands with a smile.
I couldn’t understand it with my common sense.
“The important thing is not that, but anyway, we need a medium or more time to find out more.”
“You’ve been investigating for five years, and you need more time?”
Doesn’t that mean it’s virtually impossible without a medium? At my question, Zero scratched the back of his head and smiled.
“It hasn’t been five years. I’ve been living in Sa Dillin for a while… Hehe.”
“…”
That useless…
I was already feeling stuffy, but hearing Zero’s words made my anger surge. I was about to say the words in my heart, but I stopped.
Is my memory coming back? I felt like something was coming to mind while talking about Sa Dillin earlier… Anyway, I heard he was a psychopath, and it seems like it was true.
“Please have some of this and calm down.”
At that time, Sakira brought me a juice full of ice.
“I’m not excited.”
“You don’t look good. First, take a cool sip. Don’t swallow it too quickly.”
I took a sip of the juice as Sakira told me to. The cold liquid passed through my throat and cooled my boiling insides, making me feel a little calmer.
“Is your memory coming back a little?”
Zero asked out of the blue.
“Why suddenly?”
“It’s because the way you look at me seems similar to how you used to.”
“Have I always been a bit useless?”
“Oh, I think your memory is back!”
Zero jumped up and shouted with an excited face. Abyss also widened his eyes, and Sakira also had a face full of joy.
I said harsh words, but no one blamed me. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.