ESL Chapter 42

Abram felt his fingers tremble as his eyes met Lea’s red pupils, which were gazing at him with a peculiar smile. The trembling gradually spread, and his entire body began to shake violently.

“Is there a way to break the prohibition spell?”

At the Duke’s question, Lea raised her hand and opened a subspace. From within, she pulled out the ring Abel had given her. Although she was wearing the ring he had given her on her hand, that ring didn’t have the function to summon Abel.

“What on earth is that space…”

The Duke watched with astonished eyes as Lea opened the subspace and retrieved the ring, unconsciously opening his mouth. Hugo also had his eyes wide open in surprise. Lea smiled slightly at their reactions.

“It’s a subspace I received from the friend I’m about to summon. Abel. Help me.”

When she called Abel’s name into the ring, surprisingly, a silver magic circle was drawn beside Lea, and a beautiful young man with silver hair appeared. Seeing the unnaturally handsome young man with a pure white face and emotionless, mysterious silver eyes, Hugo immediately remembered who he was. He was definitely the young man who had been with the young lady when they cleaned up the Kaien ducal house.

“You’re the one who suddenly disappeared back then…”

As Hugo exclaimed in surprise, the Duke also remembered Abel.

‘The young man who was beside Lea when we dealt with Michelle…’

The Duke quietly observed Abel. Then he frowned slightly at his handsome face. Like his daughter, he couldn’t sense any mana accumulated within his body, yet he could definitely feel the stirring of mana surrounding him.

A Sword Master meant someone who had reached a certain level of mastery with the sword, and mana was an inseparable part of that. However, they controlled mana through their affinity and capacity. Therefore, each person had a limit to the mana they could control. But this young man standing before him now gave the impression that mana was clinging to him of its own accord, even without him doing anything. Lea also had such a quality, but this young man’s was excessively strong. It seemed almost as if the mana was showing excessive obsession toward him.

‘Someone with a mysterious aura…’

Lost in thought, the Duke stiffened when his eyes met Abel’s. Though momentary, the energy that poured from those beautiful silver eyes was not something a human could possess. If the Duke hadn’t reached the realm of Sword Master, it would have been energy powerful enough to make him kneel from the tremendous pressure. But that gaze smoothly disappeared with Lea’s voice.

“Who are you glaring at right now?”

Abel turned his gaze to look down at her as Lea’s fingers pinched his cheek. His eyes were as warm and gentle as sunlight, as if nothing had happened.

“I was just greeting him briefly. Don’t be angry.”

“That wasn’t a greeting. Do it properly. Father. This is Abel. He’s my soul friend and a mage.”

Lea reached out and made Abel’s head bow toward the Duke as she spoke. Only then did the Duke relax and nod slightly. He still found his identity suspicious, but since his daughter called him her soul friend, he said nothing.

“So what brings this on? Is there something I can help with?”

At Abel’s question, Lea pointed to Abram, who was staring with wide eyes in surprise.

“He has a prohibition spell on him. Remove it.”

“A prohibition spell?”

“Yes. They say a 7th-level mage cast it.”

“Understood.”

Even at the mention of 7th-level, Abel showed no change in expression and took a step forward. In that moment, his form disappeared from that spot and reappeared in front of Abram, who was blocked by iron bars. Both the Duke and Hugo’s eyes filled with surprise at this sight. No matter how short the distance, it was instantaneous spatial transfer without chant or magic circle. They had never heard or seen anything like this.

“Hi…hiiik!!”

As Abel lightly placed his right palm on the head of Abram, who was making strange groaning sounds in surprise, and his silver eyes glowed slightly, a black magic circle surrounding Abram’s head revealed its form. It was an astonishingly intricate magic circle. Abel examined the magic circle for a moment with what seemed like interest, then turned around and said:

“Breaking it is easy, but if I just break it, the caster will notice the magic circle has been destroyed. How should I do it?”

“Obviously, do it so they won’t notice.”

When Lea answered as if there was nothing to think about, Abel smiled and raised his left hand. His silver eyes glowed mysteriously once more as a silver magic circle was drawn dancing outside the black one. When the silver magic circle completely enveloped the black one, Abel raised his other hand and waved it lightly. Then, like melting ice, the black magic circle instantly dissolved and disappeared into thin air.

“…….”

Watching Abel break the prohibition spell more easily than drinking a cup of tea, both the Duke and Hugo were left speechless. If he could dispel a spell cast by a 7th-level mage so easily, just what level was this young man standing before them…

Is… is this even allowed? Does this make sense?

Hugo, who had been staring at Abel with an expression of disbelief, suddenly thought it was good that he had resolved to dedicate himself to the Kaien ducal house. A young lady who had reached the realm of Sword Master and a mage friend of at least 8th level or higher… The prosperity of the Kaien ducal house seemed to unfold before his eyes. What did age matter? When possessing such tremendous abilities… Hugo looked at Abel returning to Lea’s side with eyes full of respect.

“…Is it done?”

At Abel’s question, Lea nodded as if satisfied. Then she looked at Abram and smiled wickedly.

“Now we can talk, can’t we?”

Abram’s face, which had been brazenly demanding death because of the prohibition spell, had now turned pale enough that not a trace of color could be found.

****

Leaving matters concerning Abram to her father and Hugo, Lea came up from the underground prison with Abel. The Duke had been worried even about her seeing tortured people. Naturally, he didn’t want to show her the sight of torture. Understanding his heart, Lea readily withdrew. In truth, she also preferred to spend time with Abel, whom she was meeting after a long while, rather than watching torture.

The knights guarding the entrance to the underground prison were alarmed when Abel, who hadn’t been there when they entered, came out with her, but they lowered their guard upon realizing she was with him. Leaving a greeting for the knights to keep up the good work, Lea took Abel’s hand and walked toward the garden.

She strolled slowly through the garden, where darkness had settled, without letting go of Abel’s hand. The warmth one could feel from a human couldn’t be felt from Abel’s held hand. Nevertheless, even that coldness was familiarity and naturalness to her.

Abel slowly lowered his gaze toward her as she tightly held his hand. His eyes looking at Lea were softer and gentler than the moonlight permeating the garden.

“…Why?”

At Abel’s question, Lea playfully shook their joined hands.

“Just because. It feels like it’s been a while since I held your hand.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing Abel make an expression as if he didn’t quite understand, Lea unconsciously smiled. She had known since long ago that he was so indifferent to the passage of time that even such a reaction felt natural. With that thought, Lea playfully voiced a thought she had been holding in her heart.

“Seeing things like this, I feel like Abel wouldn’t care at all even if I gave my heart to another man. But I think I’d get jealous if Abel was with another woman.”

At Lea’s words, Abel looked down at her with warm eyes and slowly answered.

“…Only this time.”

“Hm?”

Seeing Lea tilt her head at his incomprehensible answer, Abel only smiled mysteriously and didn’t open his mouth further.

“You’re strange anyway.”

Hearing Lea’s grumbling, Abel raised his hand and gently stroked her head. As always, a gentle smile lingered at the corners of his mouth. She had been pouting at Abel’s attitude, as if dealing with a small child, but when he stopped walking and released her hand, she looked at him, wondering what was happening. As Abel’s hand lifted hers, which was clutching the ring, Lea understood his intention and opened her clenched fist.

“…Aren’t you going to wear this ring anymore?”

Abel asked, looking down at the ring resting on her pure white palm.

“No. There’s someone targeting Joseph. And lately, I don’t particularly need to change my appearance. Besides, I have this ring you gave me.”

Lea grinned broadly and raised her right hand, which wasn’t being held, to show him the silver ring.

“I see… Then let me have that one for a moment…”

Abel’s silver eyes glowed slightly as he received the ring from Lea. Then the ancient pattern engraved on the ring changed, and the color of the ring also changed to silver with a reddish tint.

“I removed the transformation function and added a detoxification function. The one you’re wearing now blocks poison but doesn’t have a detoxification function… The other functions are the same.”

“Then this ring can also communicate with you?”

“Yes. Whenever you want…”

Abel turned over Lea’s hand he was holding and slowly slipped the ring onto her third finger.

“Don’t take it off your hand now. That way, no matter where you are, I can come when you call…”

When a gentle breeze stirred Abel’s silver hair, it sparkled in reflection of the moonlight. His silver eyes were also glowing mysteriously under the moonlight. Enchanted by that beautiful sight, Lea stared at him and nodded.

****

The underground prison of the capital guard, where darkness had completely fallen. The neck of a soldier standing at the entrance, struggling to keep his drooping eyelids open and trying to stay alert, instantly separated from his body. As the body of the soldier who had lost his head without even making a scream fell, scattering blood, shadowy figures wrapped entirely in black revealed themselves. There were three of them, and they held swords in their hands.

“Hurry.”

At the low words of the man who appeared to be the leader, another figure who seemed to have cut down the soldier sheathed his blood-stained sword and searched the fallen guard’s body for keys. Shortly after, they opened the door to the underground prison and slipped inside silently.