Chapter 19
"...No." I sighed again and thought it over. There was nothing to hide. As a mage, I ought to face the facts bravely rather than run away, so I told Mel frankly, "He was acting strangely toward me because he's my ex-boyfriend. We just broke up."
Mel's eyes widened in an instant. I even heard him gasp. "No wonder... Good thing..." he murmured.
Because I seemed perfectly calm and wasn't very upset about it, Mel studied my face and decided to keep asking... The way he frowned as he looked me over made me want to ruffle his hair again.
"So, why did you two... break up?"
"Because I'm not his true love," I answered bluntly.
Right after that, I noticed Mel's expression change the moment I finished speaking. Now he looked... every bit the dark mage he was.
Chapter 19
Mel's gaze grew unusually sharp, the corners of his slender eyes tilting upward as his smile vanished... Well, then I realized that everything I had imagined about dark mages had come true. Handsome and refined as Mel was, when he grew serious, he was still a grand mage with an imposing presence. I noticed that his emotions had stirred up the magical elements, and a torrent of magic was tugging his soft, long hair out of place where it had hung beside his cheeks. I even suspected that some dangerous forbidden art was brewing in the unfathomable depths of Mel's mental power, that a black spell with terrifying visual effects might be hidden beneath his tongue.
It was hard to describe Mel's bearing just then. In any case, seeing him like that immediately reminded me of the orcs whose necks had been crushed by shadows on the northwestern battlefield back then. How those poor neck bones must have hurt.
-To put it plainly, I could tell that Mel was angry at that moment, and... angry enough to kill.
Fortunately, the politicians were all caught up in their own business, and none of them paid any attention to the two prisoners who couldn't get out. No one saw that the magical pressure around Mel had grown unstable, and Reynold, who had kept sneaking glances at us, happened to turn around to speak with them. After that brief moment passed, Mel returned to his usual quiet composure.
I hadn't expected the news to make Mel act so out of character. While I was hesitating over whether to continue, he suddenly spoke first. "Xipei, you were right to break up. You deserve better."
He said it with absolute conviction, without a trace of doubt. Every word was firm and forceful, as though he were reciting some ancient, solemn sacred incantation. Mel looked at me gravely and earnestly, as if discussing the most profound and complex academic problem in the world, but all he was doing was repeating himself:
"Xipei, you deserve a better partner."
His eyes were bluer than the finest water-element magic crystals. In his pupils, I could see my own faintly surprised reflection, and I could feel a flush creeping uncontrollably up my face. This was bad. If Mel didn't look away soon, I was definitely going to blush!
...Maybe it was because the color of his eyes was so beautiful, but I couldn't bear to look away first either!
This was a problem, because Mel still wouldn't stop staring at me!
Fortunately, we didn't stay like that for long, and I didn't have to consider throwing a cooling spell at my face. During that time, the people making a racket outside the room had gotten onto some topic or other, and the door suddenly opened, so we had to look away from each other and turn to the doorway. Lusien, the captain of the Shield of the New Star, held everyone back, especially the five-star old man who wanted to rush inside. He stepped aside, and Warden Crow Angela walked in and said to Mel:
"Come with us for a moment."
Mel stood up with a frown and gestured toward me. "What about him?"
"We'll deal with you one at a time. You come with me first." Ms. Crow folded her arms expressionlessly and turned to leave. Mel glanced back at me hesitantly, and I gave him a small smile. He turned and followed Crow out.
Then all the politicians trooped after them, leaving the room suddenly empty and the corridor quiet again.
With nothing to do, I sat at the table, staring blankly up at the spot where Mel had written the runes earlier. It was really, really quiet in here. I could hear my own breathing clearly because the mage cell block was so empty. And I guessed that even if it weren't empty, the soundproofing would still be much better than in my apartment. At the apartment, I would occasionally hear the neighbors watching TV, playing games, and so on, but alone in a pure white cell without a sound, the silence was magnified endlessly, because there was nothing to do. My apartment was small, but at least it had plenty of my precious books.
So for now, all I could do was lie across the table and silently recite the spells I had learned. They were easy to review, because I had developed my own customary way of casting many of them and simplified them to suit me best. For many spells, I didn't need to recite the entire incantation word for word, or even say a single word, to achieve the best effect.
Among the grand mages of the Legendary Age, many could cast spells without incantations. Some legendary grand mages could even cast forbidden spells instantly. They could manipulate magical elements at will-directly with their mental power. They only had to imagine it, and the elements would change according to their thoughts. That was truly remarkable. At most, I could only toss fireballs or ice spikes that way; I still needed supporting incantations or gestures for advanced spells.
But you really couldn't blame modern mages for not trying hard enough. After going through the "Lightless Years" and entering modern society, the fact that magic hadn't vanished from the continent was already a precious result that countless predecessors had paid for with their blood. So there was no doubt that modern mages as a whole couldn't compare to ancient mages. But I was heartened that mages were growing stronger with each generation, and that many still devoted themselves to studying magic without being dazzled by flashy electronic devices.
Mel, for example. What a young and outstanding grand mage he was! I had said it long ago: even if he went back to the Legendary Age, the world would praise Mel's brilliance.
I turned to look at the doorway. It was empty. I was so bored. Reviewing the spells went quickly, and there were no new books to read. When was Mel coming back? Then we could continue practicing runes. I was staring blankly at the ceiling all by myself, practically turning into a statue.
Sitting in my chair, I shifted my weight back and forth several times. Otherwise, if I kept one leg crossed, half my backside would go numb from the pressure. I counted, and when I shifted for the seventh time, a clamor came from outside the door again.
Mel was back!
I immediately sat up straight and looked toward the doorway, but Mel wasn't the only one in sight. Quite a few people were following behind him, with Lusien, the captain of the Shield of the New Star, at the front. After Lusien opened the door, only Mel came in. His anti-magic hand shackles had been removed, though, and his mage robes were neat and tidy, with his rings back on his fingers.
Mel's lips were clearly pressed tight into a stiff line. His brows were raised, and he gave off a chilly, oppressive air, his face darker than his black robes.
"I have to leave first." His voice was chilly too, but I could tell that when his blue eyes looked at me, they were plainly full of grievance and frustration.
"Oh..." I nodded and sighed, unable to keep from feeling disappointed. It looked like our wonderful plan to practice magic had fallen through, and I didn't know when we would get another chance to study together without distractions like this.
"Your magic notes are in my spatial ring." Mel bit his lip and continued very reluctantly, his gaze lingering as it wandered around the room. Without thinking, he stretched out his slender fingers and rubbed a plain ring on one of them back and forth. Besides his own rings, he was now wearing that rather plain-looking one of mine. Seeing it on Mel's hand put me much more at ease. Though my magic ring was nowhere near as valuable as Mel's, leaving it with the prison administrators, locked away gathering dust in a cold storage locker, had always felt improper to me. It wasn't particularly valuable, but it was the only magical implement I owned, and I had used it for many years. I was very fond of the ring, and Mel would surely take good care of it for me, so I felt considerably reassured.