Chapter 81

Caldeon instinctively shoved Belona away the moment she came running at him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist like an overexcited puppy.

 

But Belona, refusing to let go, used her light-attribute magic to coil bands of light around his torso.

 

In an instant, she was stuck to his side like glue. No matter how hard he tried to pry her off, she wouldn’t budge.

 

“Let go. Now.”

 

He scowled, struggling to detach her.

 

The more he pushed, the more Belona intensified her light magic, clinging even tighter.

 

“What the…!”

 

His face went pale from confusion.

 

He never had much experience with women in the first place, and the idea of touching any woman other than Enria repulsed him to the point of goosebumps prickling across his skin.

 

He instinctively summoned black mana to force her off, but the light magic wrapped around him held it completely still, trapping his mana without letting it move.

 

“You seem to be mistaking me for your parents or something.”

 

“…Groen.”

 

Belona murmured, cutting off his words.

 

Even though she’d lost all her memories, it seemed she hadn’t forgotten Groen. Still clinging to Caldeon, she kept chanting his name over and over.

 

She had asked them to find “the man with the black shadow.” Now it seemed she had mistaken that as a way to look for her dead lover.

 

“How does this body look anything like that weak-looking guy? Just—get off.”

 

“Groen, Groen…”

 

As if the only words she remembered were his name, Belona hugged him tighter and repeated it endlessly.

 

The stronger she clung, the more a shiver of disgust rose deep in Caldeon’s gut.

 

He even stopped breathing for a second, face stiffening.

 

Then he sighed—long and exhausted—because the light spell prevented him from shaking her off no matter what he tried.

 

“Groen.”

 

“That damn Groen… haa. Look, I’m not Groen.”

 

There was no point getting angry at a woman who was half-mad, or half-hollowed of her soul.

 

He gave up.

 

“Damn it.”

 

With no better solution, Caldeon walked toward his office with Belona still stuck to his waist like an oversized parasite.

 

 

***

 

 

“Uh… hm…”

 

Arsen stared at Belona clinging to Caldeon’s waist, her eyes wary of him.

 

Since he was the one who suggested Caldeon go find her, he looked understandably troubled.

 

“Do something about this.”

 

Caldeon pointed at Belona’s head with one finger.

 

“Um, Miss Belona?”

 

When Arsen took a step toward her, Belona instantly cast a light-attribute prison in front of Caldeon.

 

“Oh dear!”

 

Arsen stumbled back with a very old man-like yelp.

 

Caldeon glared at him.

 

“I said solve it—not run away.”

 

“Your Excellency, how exactly am I supposed to deal with a light-attribute mage who casts cages on sight…?”

 

“You told me to go find her. You fix this.”

 

Arsen blinked, dumbfounded, then let out a resigned sigh.

 

Of course Caldeon was dumping responsibility on him.

 

Arsen looked down at Belona, who clung tightly to Caldeon’s waist, cast a light cage around them, and glared at anyone who approached.

 

Light magic and black mana were famously incompatible, almost repelling forces.

 

To Caldeon, a black-mana user, a light-attribute mage was especially irritating. This was an absolute mess.

 

More than that—if Enria saw this?

 

Especially with Roseanne already living in the castle as the acting duchess, the rumors were bad enough.

 

If Belona got added to that mix, Enria—the mother of Caldeon’s son and soon to be duchess—would be thrown into a storm of nasty gossip.

 

‘That can’t happen.’

 

Arsen resolved to handle Belona first if he wanted to head off a future disaster.

 

But how to peel off a girl who could casually cast impenetrable light prisons?

 

“What—what is this?!”

 

Rahar, entering through the office door, froze at the sight of Caldeon and Belona.

 

Roseanne and Tearen, who followed, widened their eyes as well.

 

“Perfect timing. His Excellency is suffering quite a bit because of that light magic.”

 

“You’re already cheating, Caldeon?”

 

Tearen teased with a grin.

 

Caldeon gave him a murderous glare.

 

“You think this is funny?”

 

“Miss Belona, he already has a lover.”

 

Roseanne stepped forward gently.

 

Belona immediately tightened her hold on Caldeon and eyed Roseanne with hostility.

 

“Groen. He’s my Groen.”

 

“Oh dear…”

 

Roseanne covered her mouth.

 

Witnessing her lover’s soul get devoured by a dark mage must have been traumatic. Maybe that’s why she mistook Caldeon for Groen.

 

Arsen shook his head.

 

“No. I think she lost all her memories after half her soul was taken. And her soul was only kept from collapsing because of the black mana. She woke up searching for the person who used black mana.”

 

Roseanne exhaled softly.

 

Arsen rubbed his forehead, looking helpless.

 

“The black mana seems completely trapped by her light magic. It can’t escape.”

 

“Right. That’s dangerous in itself. A dark mage could show up anytime.”

 

Rahar nodded, and Roseanne carefully approached Belona again.

 

“Miss Belona, look closely. Groen is much prettier than the man you’re holding.”

 

“…”

 

“If you really look at him, you’ll see—he looks nothing like Groen. Groen is delicate and beautiful. This man is… well, he’s handsome in a rugged, masculine way.”

 

Roseanne’s words were meant to emphasize that Caldeon and Groen looked nothing alike, but somehow they sounded like she was downgrading Caldeon’s appearance.

 

Caldeon, Rahar, and Tearen all reacted with ambiguous expressions.

 

“Groen. My Groen.”

 

Belona tightened her grip again.

 

Caldeon held his breath, face hard, then hissed a curse under his breath.

 

Roseanne turned to Tearen.

 

“Any ideas?”

 

“Couldn’t you cut the light cage with your magic?”

 

“If we don’t fix the root cause, it’ll only make her create a stronger one.”

 

She shook her head.

 

Tearen crossed his arms.

 

“What about using illusions so she sees Caldeon as Caldeon?”

 

“It won’t work. Illusions fool the eyes, but her brain is fooling itself.”

 

Rahar agreed. If she was this far gone, nothing would separate her from Caldeon easily.

 

“But how does she even mistake Caldeon for Groen? Their bodies, faces, personalities—nothing matches.”

 

He wondered aloud if Belona had once secretly crushed on Caldeon.

 

Roseanne immediately denied it.

 

“She would’ve been wary of him, not attracted. People who feared black mana must have drilled suspicion into her since childhood.”

 

Arsen chimed in.

 

“As I said, she woke with no memories except the black mana that saved her. I think she’s conflating that with the man she loved most—Groen, the next Tower Master.”

 

Roseanne, Rahar, and Tearen all murmured in realization and looked at Caldeon again—still desperately trying to push Belona away.

 

“Ah… poor thing…”

 

Rahar muttered.

 

Caldeon shot him a death glare.

 

“Who are you calling poor?”