He turned his head to my calling. The red eyes that lost their light and sunk stared at me. His expression made my heart feel cold just looking at it.

“Calm down.”

I struggled to catch my breath.

It was true that Sinahan made a gap for me to be attacked. He was rash.

But that didn’t benefit Idris to get rid of him. There’s no way that a smart kid doesn’t know this.

It seemed to me that he lost his composure and was about to act carelessly.

“Relax your face.”

I’m going crazy too, but I’m going to die trying to take care of him.

“I’m not hurt. And for this incident…  …  .”

“Vianne.”

Idris spoke patiently.

“You are hurt.”

“…  … Huh?”

I was confused.

Idris threw the knife away and covered my cheeks with his hands.

“Ouch.”

The movement of his hand passing by my skin stings.

Idris couldn’t stop this one thing as it made a stratch on my cheek.

If he was a little later, my head might have flown away.

“A little… I only got scratched.”

I got goosebumps but I tried to hide it.

However, Idris still did not release his stiff expression.

I said a little outrageously.

“Wait. But why are you angry? I’m the one who should be angry”.

“…Go back to the empire.”

He said something else. After healing the wound on my cheek, he laid a large magic circle under my feet.

“What? Hey!”

I know what magic this is. It’s teleportation magic! What’s wrong with him?

“I told you, I’m not confident in protecting anyone other than myself here.”

“You just kept your word! It’s dangerous to go back there alone.”

“I’ll follow you soon. Don’t worry about your health or safety.”

“You’re so stubborn! Do you think that makes sense? Cancel this right now!

“I’m sorry, Vianne.”

The magic circle was spinning excitedly and entering the process of activation. Her feet did not move as if they were attached to the ground.

No. If I go back to the empire right now, he’ll be in trouble in many ways!

And I didn’t even learn magic yet! Where else would I learn magic if it weren’t the mage’s island?

“It’s because I’m afraid.”

He said to me.

“What are you afraid of, it’s frustrating!”

I shouted to him.

“Losing you.”

But his answer made me speechless.

“…….”

“There’s nothing else I’m afraid of.”

I thought I heard something that would have been better not to listen to.

“That’s it, Vianne.”

Why am I included in the only thing he has? What did I do?

It was frustrating.

“… Idris, cancel the teleportation.”

I bit my lips and asked him again. It was obvious that words would not work, so I also tried another way.

I never thought I’d use this again.…. It’s perfect for showing that I’m stubborn, too.

A small white gun with beautiful blue patterns was taken out.

The moment I put the gun on my temple, Idris was in front of me. With his big hand wrapped around my gun.

“What are you doing!”

Unlike usual, he screamed at me. It seemed like he was really irritated by my action.

I looked down at the disappearing magic circle on the ground and looked up again.

“…I had no bullets I used it all a few days ago.”

To be precise, I used it all up to help Eustave at the entrance to mage’s island.

“…….”

Idris didn’t get angry even when he realized that he had been deceived. His interest was actually elsewhere.

“Don’t do this.”

 I replied,

“If you hadn’t laid a teleportation magic wand under my feet, I wouldn’t be like this.”

“Vianne!”

He called me as if he was pleading to me.

I sighed a little.

‘Yes, even though it was an inevitable choice… It’s my fault to do this in front of someone who can’t see me get hurt.’

I took a step forward and hugged him. Because of our height difference, I was closer to his chest.

“Are you scared enough that your hand is shaking? Okay, I’ll try not to die as much as possible, so calm down. I’m really fine.”

Idris looked at his hand only after I mentioned it. I also held his trembling hands.

“Look at me.”

He said, raising his head.

“…  …  I’m looking.”

Idris said quietly.

“Idris. Nothing happened because you came quickly. You don’t have to send me to the empire. Let’s think about it calmly.”

“That won’t work.”

He bit his lips and let go as if weighing his options.

“If it doesn’t work, we can choose slowly. Okay?”

I soothed him gently. Only then did his emotions that was about to explode fade away.

I only had an hour left.

“…  …  Can you find the person who just tried to kill me and bring them to me?”

I then changed the subject.

“…  …  Okay. I will do that.”

Idris nodded his head.

***

Eustave failed to track the person.

Hardly any traces were left on the scene.

They must have been extremely skilled in magic or used ancient artifacts.

He was frustrated at the situation where he had to take the news of his failure to his master, who would have been very angry.

He went back to the place with disappointment.

“…  …  What is this situation?”

Eustave stared blankly at the mess.

Sinahan fainted with his limbs trapped by several spells. It was completely like a fish caught in a net.

His master,  who was certain to be the person who made it, was hugged by a small person.

Vianne saw Eustave and greeted him awkwardly.

“Did you catch the culprit?”

“No, it failed. But what is all this?”

“That… Idris was a little angry. He really don’t like me getting hurt.”

“…  …  I see.”

Eustave replied in a half-hearted way.

In the meantime, Vianne stepped back from Idris. Then Idris looked at Eustave coldly.

“Report.”

Eustave quietly posted a report, recalling dozens of swear words to himself.

After hearing it all, Idris entrusted him with Sinahan’s treatment and went somewhere else with Vianne.

“Damn that master.”

Eustave hated it and saw Sinahan lying on the floor.

In the meantime, he saw that the cut the back of his neck is deep. Healing magic seemed quite necessary because he had broken all his limbs and was trapped.

 “Heal the rest on your own, Sinahan. I’m not generous enough to do that.”

Eustave roughly healed only Sinahan’s bloody neck. Then he hit him lightly and forced him to wake him up.

Sinahan groaned at him, but Eustave ignored it and left.

 ***

The incident prevented me from taking a step out of the building.

This is another problem I got other than being forced to return to the empire, but it was inevitable because it was dangerous.

Even though I thought my situation was very miserable, I felt weird with the extravagant hospitality.

“Ugh. It’s weird, they’re weird.”

I raised my knees after crouching down and muttered. It was very comfortable even if I did that because I was on a soft and large cushion.

 “What is it?”

Idris put a cup of warm tea in my hand and talked to me.

I raised my head and looked at him.

‘You are the weirdest.’

“My life.”

I reply casually.

“What’s up with your life?”

He replied to me softly.

“I never know what would happen.”

“…That’s what I thought too.”

Idris sat down on the floor next to me.

His white robes fluttered in the air, then slowly sank again.

He was looking at me softly.

His cold appearance was nowhere to be found. He seemed to try not to do that in front of me.

He apologized as soon as he took me to my room that day. He examined my condition and blamed himself for every little detail.….

He was like a beast desperately hiding its claws.

But, why?

“Yes. We both have an unusual life.”

I smiled and drank the tea.

“…  …  Idris. It’s absurd, but let me ask you one thing.”

I erased my smile and looked at him.

“What do I mean to you?”

10 years is a long time. 10 years was not short for me, who had been reincarnated once.

But Idris treated me as if the time away from me was nonexistent.

Come to think of it, it was weird. Of course, I had to treat him like before too. Even now, I was being friendly and comfortable with him.

But that was because I was used to him. It was possible because I had known a man named Idris since I knew about the novel.

But wasn’t Idris’s situation different from mine?

He was quite close with me ten years ago and even risked his life to save me.

However, due to the action, he was kidnapped to Mage’s Island. We were separated for 10 years, and we finally met again.

I think it’d be natural if he would resent me or wasn’t like before.

He shouldn’t have reacted this way even if I get hurt when we weren’t as close as before because of the time away from each other.

Being wary as if he doesn’t want to be abandoned, or telling me that he have endured so much to come back. I couldn’t fully understand.

So I was curious. What did I mean to him?

“…….”

Idris was silent as if choosing what to say. I waited patiently.