A Fairytale for Wizards

Rhema was silent for a moment before he nodded.

“Yes, without your permission, I won’t harm anyone you know. However, I can’t promise that if that person is a wizard.”

“Is wizard an exception?”

“It’s a matter related to my duty, Azriel. I’m sorry.”

That duty again. What Could possibly be his duty related to wizards? Knowing that she would not get an answer from him, Azriel still asked.

“Can you tell me what duty that is?”

Instead of answering her, Rhema changed the subject.

“Azriel, why don’t we go to the house? Noir and Largo must want to see you.”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

Rhema’s house was very close to the village. It used to be a short walk even for the little Azriel. Walking along the woods trail behind Rhema, she fell deep into thought.

The Wizard of the Horizon, his duty, needing to kill her someday if she became a wizard, the case that might not need to kill, another possibility, wizard… All of a sudden, she recalled the middle-aged wizard from the capital, who asked to borrow her. Was it Tarbo Tameion? It was definitely something like that. The wizard who looked into her eyes with a piercing gaze with a distorted, burned face.

‘That person… was gone when I woke up from being unconscious.’

When she lost her consciousness, she clearly heard Rhema’s voice. And in the room, she found something random like grains of sand. Sand. Naturally, it reminded her of Rhema’s magic that made the bodies of the Coltes into a pile of sand.

Did Rhema kill the wizard? Why? Come to think of it, he said he came to the area because he needed to do something. A duty? Could killing that wizard be related to his duty?

What kind of wizard was Tarbo Tameion? It was a wizard who came to examine the ruins found in the Colte territory and who belonged to the Aurora Society located in Modjankle.

“Rhema. Do you know a wizard called Tarbo Tameion?”

Rhema, who was walking ahead of her, did not even stop nor looked back. He responded as usual.

“I don’t know that person.”

‘A lie’ was what came to her mind first, then she thought of another case. Azriel asked differently. 

“The wizard from Modjankle who wanted to borrow me, with a burned mark on his face…”

“Oh.”

Rhema looked back at her and added as he took his steps.

“I know that person.”

As expected, he was not pretending not to know him. He just did not know his name. Azriel freshly thought that there was a lot of room for misunderstanding in his way of speaking.

“Did you kill that person?”

“Yes.”

“…Is that also related to your duty? Was that the reason why you came to Colte?”

“You’re right.”

Rhema, who surprisingly answered her candidly, went on without hesitating.

“Don’t pay attention to my duty, Azriel. I have no intention to tell you about this.”

“Will something bad happen if I learn about it?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Then, is it bound by some sort of magic that it can’t be known to others?”

“…We’re here.”

There was a beautiful, picturesque second-story house surrounded by a low fence. Azriel momentarily was lost for words. Memories surged in like a rising tide covering her.

Rhema opened the fence door. Following him, Azriel stepped in the backyard. When she passed the door, the still chilly air of early spring turned sweet and warm. It was the sensation that she missed.

She watched the chickens roaming around the yard and the colorful bird sitting in its nest on the roof in turn. When her eyes reached the beige blanket hanging on the rocking chair laying on the terrace, the door to the house suddenly swung open. Wolf! A yellow dog wagging its tail at a scary speed dashed to her.

“Largo!”

As Azriel delightfully bent her waist, Largo frantically licked her face. 

[Meow.]

Following that, a black cat stuck its head out. The cat instinctively ran toward her as soon as it saw her and then flinched and slowed down with effort in the middle. He walked toward her pretending to be casual.

“It’s been a long time, Azriel.”

Noir rubbed his body against her legs and greeted her lightly. Azriel beamed and held out her hand to the cat.

“Noir, have you been well?”

When she stretched out her hand, the cat’s corners of mouth twitched. His long whiskers trembled. At last, Noir could not hold back anymore and ran toward her like Largo.

[Meow! Meow! Meooow! Meooow!]

He cried as if he was lamenting about something, but Azriel could not understand a single word. Plopped down on the ground, she had to welcome the two animals who expressed their gladness with their entire bodies.

Rhema watched that scene from a distance. Azriel showed a beaming smile without a shade. After getting her memory back, she did not show him such a big smile like that. It felt like something was stirring inside him. 

Rhema suddenly lifted his head up. Ofeq was looking down at him with its black eyes from the roof.

‘You brought her back at last, you lunatic.’

His eyes seemed to tell so. Rhema avoided them.