Chapter 88

“Why are you trying to take Enria with you?”

 

Silri frowned as she looked at Caldeon.

 

“What do you mean why? To prepare for unexpected danger.”

 

“There’s no danger to prepare for. I’m here, and so are other humans.”

 

“So you’re telling me to leave.”

 

“You should leave. Your black mana is useless against that human’s light attribute.”

 

At Silri’s dismissive gesture telling him to hurry up and go alone, Caldeon’s expression soured.

 

“Enria said she’d look after that human for a while. So she should stay with her from now on.”

 

“……”

 

“Don’t worry, Caldeon. If things start to look dangerous, I’ll come to you.”

 

At Enria’s words, Caldeon reluctantly nodded. Then he pressed a light kiss to her forehead and said: “I’ll be with Hayden. If anything happens, you call me immediately.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“If something happens, I won’t call you. Your black mana is useless anyway.”

 

“Hey, it’s not that useless…!”

 

Caldeon glared, offended. Enria quickly pushed him toward the door.

 

“Come to think of it, Hayden’s with Chavel. A dark mage might attack again. You should go.”

 

Caldeon rushed out.

 

Once he was gone, Silri suddenly seemed to remember something.

 

“By the way, can holy power block light attributes?”

 

“Oh—yes. I don’t know the details, but I think both powers share the same root. That’s why light attacks are relatively weaker against saints with holy power.”

 

“Hm. Good.”

 

“Why? You’re not worried Lady Belona might attack me, are you?”

 

Enria joked, but Silri looked at her with a surprisingly serious expression.

 

“Probably not. But a shocked human can break in unpredictable ways.”

 

“…But she has no reason to attack me—”

 

“You never know. You’re the ‘real lover’ of the man she believed was her lover.”

 

Enria’s eyes widened.

 

“If she puts all her resentment on you, she might unleash something you can’t withstand.”

 

“……”

 

“Like I said—unlikely. But being careful never hurts, right?”

 

Enria nodded slowly and looked toward Belona.

 

 

***

 

 

“Can you do this? What about this?”

 

Hayden puckered his tiny lips as he asked Caldeon.

 

He shaped his black shadow into stars and hearts, giving Caldeon a look that said, ‘You can’t do this, can you?’

 

It was so trivial—and adorable—that Caldeon rested his chin on his hand, watching his son with a soft smile.

 

He remembered showing off every little thing he could do as a child, and thought, ‘Yes, he’s definitely my son.’

 

“Daddy, can you do this?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really?”

 

Caldeon nodded. Hayden immediately erased the floating stars and hearts with a disappointed look.

 

Caldeon straightened up.

 

“I can do it, but not as well as you.”

 

“Not well?”

 

“Right. You’re good—no, you’re excellent. I’ve only ever used shadows in battle, so I can’t make pretty shapes. Look.”

 

Caldeon created a shadow-star and shadow-heart—intentionally crooked.

 

Hayden burst into giggles.

 

“No, that’s wrong. It should be like this.”

 

He demonstrated again.

 

Caldeon mimicked his son, carefully shaping the shadow—deliberately clumsy to keep Hayden entertained.

 

“I’m really not good at this. You’re amazing, Hayden.”

 

Hayden puffed up with pride.

 

“Baby can make other things too.”

 

Excited, Hayden erased the shapes and began crafting a human figure.

 

He scrunched his face in concentration, molding and stretching shadow again and again, then began adding delicate details.

 

As the figure took form above Hayden’s head, Caldeon’s eyes widened.

 

***

 

 

Despite Silri’s concerns, Belona looked simply… drained.

 

Her eyes were swollen from crying. She sat motionless inside the wind barrier, staring blankly out the window.

 

Enria quietly approached.

 

“Lady Belona.”

 

“……”

 

There was no response.

 

Enria sat across from her and looked out the same window—at the snow-blanketed territory below.

 

“You should take revenge.”

 

She kept her eyes on the scenery as she spoke, whether Belona listened or not.

 

“Staying like this won’t bring your lover back.”

 

“……”

 

“If it were me, I’d avenge him first—relieve the injustice—then grieve or fall apart afterward.”

 

Belona finally turned her hollow gaze toward Enria.

 

Enria met her eyes.

 

The blank gaze sharpened—then immediately filled with tears.

 

“Revenge…”

 

Her voice cracked. She swallowed hard as tears spilled again.

 

“Can I… do that…?”

 

“You can. You’re not alone.”

 

Enria told her that everyone in this duchy—humans and spirits alike—wanted the dark mage dead.

 

“Join our fight. Your lover would be grateful to you.”

 

Belona’s tears poured harder, soaking her hands and clothes.

 

Enria’s chest tightened. ‘If it were me, I’d have broken long before this.’

 

“You’re not alone, Belona. I’ll help you until the revenge is done.”

 

Belona stared at Enria, then slowly nodded.

 

***

 

 

“Pretty, right?”

 

Hayden beamed.

 

Caldeon stared at the shadow above his head—an exquisitely detailed face of Enria—momentarily speechless.

 

“Daddy, you don’t think it’s pretty?”

 

He snapped out of it.

 

“No—yes. It’s pretty. It’s your mom.”

 

“Yep, it’s Mom. Pretty, right?”

 

“Yeah… she is. I didn’t know you could make something like this with shadow magic.”

 

The shadow portrait of Enria—drawn in the air like ink—was unmistakably her.

 

Caldeon was stunned at Hayden’s instinctive skill.

 

He couldn’t help thinking of the nights he’d ached for Enria when she vanished to give birth. If he’d known he could draw her like this… maybe it would’ve eased the loneliness.

 

Unconsciously, he began forming Enria’s face with his own shadow.

 

“Oh! Pretty!”

 

Hayden clapped, delighted.

 

Only then did Caldeon realize how detailed his shadow portrait was—far beyond anything he’d created earlier. He felt a twinge of embarrassment.

 

Thankfully, Hayden only giggled.

 

“Should we show Mom?”

 

Hayden shook his head excitedly.

 

“She’ll love it.”

 

“You think so?”

 

Caldeon worried she might scold him for wasting mana—but even he had to admit the portrait looked like a master’s painting.

 

He nodded.

 

“Yeah. Let’s show her. She’ll be pleased. You haven’t shown her before, right?”

 

“Nope. Made it now.”

 

“What? Just now?”

 

“Yeah. Just made it.”

 

Hayden answered innocently.

 

Caldeon’s eyes widened slowly.

 

He remembered—Hayden had used black mana naturally from the beginning, without learning.

 

A question rose in him.

 

“Hayden, you never learned how to use black mana, right?”

 

“Baby? Yeah. Never.”

 

Hayden shook his head cheerfully.