An evening as the sun was setting.
Enoch had been blindly working without rest up to this point.
He was busy working on putting up a strong barrier that would repel intruders while he was away.
It was only supposed to take a day to complete.
However, Enoch was anxious. That anxiety snowballed as his thoughts dwelled on what might happen.
In the end, what should have been completed with just one layer ended up becoming several.
No matter how powerful Enoch was, it was bound to take a while since he had to split up his time.
"Admonition."
Enoch precariously stood on top of the high wall surrounding the Estella duchy’s castle.
It was a struggle of balance, but Enoch seemed unphased.
As he walked while reciting spells, green flame-like mana followed his footsteps.
It died down quickly, but it was certainly a sight to behold.
That is, it would be if anyone could see it.
Fortunately, before starting his work, Enoch had cast illusion magic along the entire wall.
In fact, there were two maids talking under the wall.
They didn't even realize Enoch was passing by.
"The Duke and Butler Wolf...…. Don't you think their relationship is strange?"
"I guess so? Lately, that butler’s behavior has been changing strangely so it’s becoming more obvious."
"It’s been changing strangely?"
"Lately, there’s more of a racy air about them and I’ve been averting my eyes."
"Wow! He's truly good at everything!"
They were happily chatting away, slapping each other’s shoulders as they blushed, as though imagining some scandalous things.
They would have never imagined that Enoch would be on the wall.
Enoch looked down at them for a moment and then took another step forward.
"Admonition."
This was the second lap.
There was still a long way to go, as he was going to make a few more rounds around the wall.
He walked and walked.
Then, he got lost in thought thinking about what kind of magic he should cast next.
However, his concentration was quickly broken.
"Wolf!"
Lysander appeared.
He was fervently calling out to Enoch from beneath the outer wall of the ducal castle.
‘He definitely wasn’t capable of seeing mana traces. How did he find me?’
Enoch squinted and observed Lysander.
Then, he figured it out.
A very powerful mana, similar to his own, was coming out of the goggles Lysander was wearing.
"Wentus."
There was a light breeze as Enoch jumped down from the wall.
He landed lightly.
In a single, swift motion, he roughly snatched the goggles off of Lysander's head.
"It's my magic energy."
"Yes! It's just magic extracted from Wolf's hair, but it's a very powerful force...….”
"I'm warning you."
Enoch took on an unusual tone.
That’s why Lysander, who had continued to speak happily even in the midst of tiredness, closed his mouth for the first time.
He stared at Enoch quietly.
"I won't take these away, but you'd better watch your mouth. Whatever you see with these...….”
It was a grim warning.
Anyone who knew Enoch’s true identity would feel a chill run down their spine.
"Yes."
But Lysander was not frightened; he just nodded his head vigorously.
He cleverly changed the subject.
"I couldn't find my client, but I brought this. It's the old woman here."
Lysander quickly took out the frame he had put in his chest pocket.
He immediately handed it to Enoch.
Naturally, Enoch's gaze moved toward a person pictured in the frame’s photo.
Because he saw a familiar face.
"Do you know them?"
A face full of freckles with reddish brown hair and brown eyes.
Obviously, it was Anna, who had been working under the duke not too long ago but was now dismissed.
And the old woman with her...….
"You found this frame in the mansion of the client, right?"
"Yes, I brought it straight here."
Lysander cautiously asked Enoch, who looked slightly surprised.
"Do you know her?"
“……I know her."
Before long, a smile formed on Enoch's mouth.
He’d seen her in passing when he was young, but he clearly remembered her.
It was definitely Rosenta's nanny, Emma.
"Was this the only picture?"
"Yes. Other than this, there wasn’t any information that stood out."
‘Should I go there myself?’
Enoch was briefly troubled, but soon shook his head.
‘Not yet. I'll stay with Rosenta a little longer...….’
‘Until she leaves.’
"I'll take this picture."
Enoch took out the picture and handed over the unnecessary frame to Lysander.
It was the moment he was about to fold the photo and put it in his pocket.
He froze.
"This is...….”
He saw something very small.
Behind them, the back of a man, so small that it was hard to notice him.
"Brown skin?"
His first teacher, Hiorin.
It was a picture of him from behind that captured his tan skin and copper colored hair.
Even though his side profile was only vaguely visible, the man and his teacher looked very similar.
"I was definitely told he died...….”
With Carligo Estella, Rosenta's father.
It was strange.
Then, it occurred to Enoch that this would not be a simple conspiracy.
"Magic Tower...….”
"What?"
"I'll go to the Magic Tower soon."
Enoch withdrew his decision to stay with Rosenta a little longer.
It was time to leave the comfort of Rosenta.
For the good of both of them.
Rosenta's pain would be more painful to him than a brief separation.
***
It wasn't until nighttime, when the sun had gone down, that she could return to the duke’s castle.
Rosa felt like her heavy body kept being dragged down.
It was because Theodore was on high alert and asked her to join him for dinner.
She had to eat carefully and think twice before speaking because she was afraid that the veil might come off.
So, it would be strange if she wasn't tired.
He burst open the bedroom door.
"There's no one here."
Enoch was nowhere to be seen. He took off his robe with a little relief.
He looked ridiculous.
He had put on his magical jewelry as soon as he came through the secret opening, but he hadn’t been able to change his clothes.
It was annoying to take them off, but he was able to quickly change into pajamas.
He went out into the hallway.
He needed to meet Enoch. He had been held up that day, so he needed to prepare properly with the time he had left.
He then heard Enoch's voice.
"Duke."
Not long after he’d come out to find him, he encountered Enoch.
‘Did he fly here in the form of a crow.’
Enoch was sitting on the windowsill watching him.
It looked very precarious.
"I was looking for you."
Enoch's hand, pale as snow, stretched out toward him.
Rosenta looked down at the hand quietly. It was not because he was wary, but because he was gauging his intention.
Then, slowly, they clasped hands.
In an instant, raven wings sprouted behind Enoch's back.
The wings swallowed Rosenta and Enoch.
Reflexively, Rosenta slightly shrunk his shoulders and closed his eyes tightly.
“……Open your eyes."
He heard Enoch's voice in his ear as an arm wrapped around his waist.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The surroundings had changed. Enoch had moved them into the underground space he had made for him.
"Why is it so messy?"
It didn’t look like what it did before leaving.
There were several items scattered, perhaps because Enoch had used this place.
Jewelry, papers with magic circles on them, items related to magic, etc.
"As you can see, I made several accessories that are magic tools."
Rosenta was looking at the mess on the floor as a jewelry box appeared in front of him.
Enoch opened the jewelry box.
"These are some extra polymorph magic tools for you to use while I'm away. And this brooch is for the Duke...….”
"Are you leaving?"
To anyone looking, it would look like he was preparing to leave at any moment.
Enoch looked at him meaningfully at his question. There was a faint smile on his face.
Instead of answering, he asked back,
"Does it make you sad to think I'm leaving? I hope it does…….”
His light green eyes curved like mysterious half-moons as he smiled.
"Yes."
However, Rosenta could see those curved eyes gradually waver at his answer.
"It really does look like you feel sad."
Enoch's light green eyes, which were about to open wide as if they were a little embarrassed, relaxed again.
He didn't look angry.
There was actually a hint of a smile on his lips.
It seemed like he was trying to suppress his feelings of joy.
"That's a relief. I think it will be less difficult to leave your side if you say so."
At the same time, he took out a brooch embedded with light green jewels from the jewelry box.
It seemed like he was trying to continue the explanation he couldn't finish earlier.
"I will send a mage here disguised as the duke. If anything happens, you can talk to him using this brooch."
“……Have you taken a break recently?"
It was a sudden thought.
Lately, Enoch had been taking care of him.
As if to take one more careful look before leaving.
Maybe that's why he hadn’t seen him waiting for him or sitting back and relaxing in his bedroom lately.
"I guess you haven’t."
Enoch had no answer.
He took Enoch out of the underground space with a light sigh.
Then he dragged him to the sofa and pressed Enoch's shoulder firmly.
"Rest."
Like a mother watching her studying child, Rosenta stared at him from the sofa across from him.
Of course, Rosenta was also tired, so he couldn’t help gradually relaxing his posture.
Eventually, he turned to the side and laid down.
As though following his lead, Enoch also laid on the couch. Then he turned toward Rosenta.
Their eyes met.
It was awkward. He couldn’t just look away, so he just asked a question.
"Why do you want to leave so suddenly?"
Enoch's mouth flinched at his question and closed tightly again.
Enoch folded his arms and gently shook his head.
Then he spoke briefly.
"Later...…. There are too many things you have to deal with at the moment."
***
His eyes were glued shut and he was struggling to open them.
But the voices of people outside kept waking him up.
He forced his eyes open.
"Ah, I’m stiff...….”
After lying on the sofa with Enoch yesterday, he seemed to have fallen asleep.
But what about Enoch?
Obviously, at least until part of the night, Enoch had been lying on the couch across from him.
But now he was nowhere to be seen.
"Enoch?"
He quietly called out his name.
He scoured the room, but there was no Enoch.
It didn’t look like there was a note on the table.
‘Did you leave all of a sudden?’
He felt a sense of emptiness. He thought he would at least say goodbye...….
It was then.
knock, knock.
"I'm coming in, Duke."
Just as he was thinking about him, Enoch's voice came from outside the room.
Soon the door opened, and Enoch appeared, dressed neatly in a butler’s suit.
Rosenta stood in the middle of the room, blinking.
“……Didn't you leave?"
Enoch approached him with a smile at that question.
As usual, he tidied Rosenta’s bed and brought him clothes to wear that day.
Then he told him,
"There's no way I'd leave without saying goodbye to you."
Enoch held him by the shoulder and gently pushed him towards the dressing the dressing table.
Rosenta obediently sat in the chair at the dressing table.
He saw Enoch looking at him through the mirror and felt his hands carefully stroking his hair.
His red lips opened,
"But I will be leaving soon. It might be today, or tomorrow."
“……Is that so?"
Rosenta looked away from Enoch's light green eyes.
He closed his eyes so he wouldn't look in the mirror again by accident. He just focused on the comb going through his hair.
Now Rosenta had to admit it.
The feeling he felt when he didn’t see Enoch that morning, and the bitterness he was feeling now.
It was all telling him.
Without him realizing, Enoch had permeated his life.