A Gift and a Disturbance

By the time the report was finished, the sun had already set.

Hesperon rose immediately to take his leave.

Ensi, his stiff expression softening into a relaxed one at the fact that work was over, waved his hand to see him off.

Then, remembering a piece of business he had forgotten, he let out a short exclamation.

“Is something the matter?”

Hesperon, who had been paying close attention and didn’t miss even the slightest sound, stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“The harpy feathers I left with you last time, have they already been made into a dagger?”

“I heard the blade is finished, though the handle has not been made yet because we haven’t found a suitable mana stone.”

“—I see.”

Ensi, who had been touching his dry lips from talking too much, looked at the teacup containing cold, neglected tea.

Even though the warmth and scent had faded, it didn’t mean he was indifferent to it.

“Regarding the mana stone—look for a Fire attribute one.”

“……Pardon?”

Ensi’s attribute was Water.

To be more precise, it was Frost, but according to the general classification of mages, it was Water.

Hesperon knit his brows as a man with such an attribute suddenly looked for Fire.

“I am thinking of giving a gift.”

“Is the recipient’s mana attribute Fire?”

“Probably?”

Ensi ended his sentence with an upward lilt, unsure.

A deeper furrow appeared on Hesperon’s brow at the unreliable answer.

“Mana stones are expensive.”

“Yes. That is why I am giving it as a gift.”

“What will you do if the recipient is not a Fire attribute?”

“It will be useful eventually. If all else fails, I can just stick it in the greenhouse.”

Hesperon groaned inwardly at the reply that Ensi didn’t care if it failed.

Even though he knew Ensi was wealthy, he felt the waste on his behalf.

“Understood for now. If you happen to learn the exact attribute, even midway, please let me know via letter. Or should we investigate separately?”

“I do not think that is necessary…… I will tell you if I find out.”

Should he just ask directly?

Based on what he experienced during practice and exams, Agniele felt like Fire.

Since the spirits felt a sense of familiarity with him, he didn’t seem to have a vague attribute either.

In fact, unless one was a mage, it was rare for mana to carry an attribute.

Ensi himself only had one because of his disease.

Considering Lily didn’t have one either, Agniele, who possessed an attribute, was indeed a special case.

No, Agniele was the “male lead.”

Perhaps it wasn’t special, but expected.

Ensi, entertaining idle thoughts, waved at Hesperon, who was truly leaving now.

When Noah also left the room to see him off, Ensi snapped his fingers with a sharp sound.

At the signal, the mana flowing quietly within his body materialized.

Soon, following his clear will, the documents scattered on the floor froze solid.

It was a simple trick, not a complex spell.

It was a loathsome disease, but he benefited from it at times like this.

He couldn’t have done this if his mana didn’t hold an attribute.

After disposing of the documents appropriately, Ensi wiggled and lay down to look at the ceiling.

Crossing his hands neatly over his chest, he blinked very slowly.

He hadn’t left the room since waking up this morning, so he wasn’t physically tired, but he was mentally exhausted.

Processing planned tasks was one thing, but adding unexpected events on top of that was draining.

Feeling fatigue weigh down his eyelids, Ensi sensed a familiar presence approaching and turned only his head to look at the door.

Noah entered without notice and twitched an eyebrow at the frozen papers on the floor.

“Oh dear, Young Master. This was something I could have cleaned up myself.”

With a short complaint, he gave a simple signal to the waiting servants to clean it up quickly.

“It is fine. More importantly, Noah, where are Donovan and Luke?”

“Neither has returned since they left for the research institute.”

“Really?”

He wondered when they would return.

They left for the institute the day they entered the capital, so it was about time they came back.

Ensi moved his fingers to tap the back of his hand.

Although he had provided convenience facilities at the institute, eating and sleeping at a workplace couldn’t be entirely comfortable.

“Are there no research facilities within the mansion?”

“Maintenance was recently completed, but it is not quite the right place for sharing opinions.”

“Tell them to come back soon anyway. The mages and alchemists at the institute will find it uncomfortable.”

Those who suddenly appeared and roamed the research facilities just because they were the employer’s friends wouldn’t be looked upon kindly.

They might have reached an agreement on their own, but there was a limit to how much a rolling stone could accomplish.

Furthermore, since they weren’t going to stay forever, the limit would be clear.

“I will send someone.”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t as if they would find a clue just by living in the lab.

He didn’t want to make them suffer that much.

“And Young Master, Hesperon seemed upset.”

“……Why?”

Had he been too harsh today?

Ensi retraced his conversation with Hesperon but only ended up tilting his head in deeper confusion.

The level of conversation was similar to usual.

It wasn’t particularly sharp or soft.

If he had to pick something upsetting, it was perhaps cutting off a good conversation midway and kicking him out to the drawing room.

“He said he was hurt by the fact that you drank the gifted tea without hesitation.”

Noah dropped a hint as Ensi seemed to have no idea.

“Ah. That.”

He wondered why such a thing would hurt him, but he also thought there was no point in leaving room for misunderstanding.

If it felt like a trivial matter, he could just fix his attitude so they wouldn’t feel hurt.

“Did the children who went on trade trips gift tea?”

“They used to gift it often in the past.”

“Lately?”

“Lately, unusual items or rare jewels are the main gifts.”

“……From now on, serve the food gifted from that side as well.”

“Yes.”

At first, he didn’t think he had refused food or tea gifts.

Since he stopped touching them at some point, there must have been a reason, but the exact motive didn’t come to mind.

If he couldn’t remember, it must be an old or unimportant reason.

Ensi let out a short yawn and dismissed the thought.

Late at night.

Luke and Donovan, who had dismissed the servants sent to meet them because it was late, entered the mansion habitually.

Unlike Luke, who walked casually, Donovan was restless.

Luke chuckled at Donovan’s behavior, as he walked stealthily on his tiptoes like a thief.

“Ensi cannot hear you even if you don’t do that.”

“Is that really true? I can hear it……”

“You are the unusual one. Even my older brother cannot hear sounds from other floors unless he focuses. So Ensi certainly won’t hear.”

The love of spirits wasn’t just for show.

It was so great that it had even changed Donovan’s constitution, and Luke treated the abnormal physical abilities as nothing special once he learned of them.

“By the way, do you think Ensi is angry? He told us to come back before dinner, but now it is dawn.”

“Hmph, so you knew but came late anyway?”

“—Gah!”

Donovan, who had relaxed at Luke’s assurance, screamed in shock at the voice coming from above his head.

At the loud scream, the spirits that had been hanging dizzily from his shoulders and head snapped their eyes open.

Crash!

“Oh no, Donovan! Don’t!”

The aftermath of failing to control emotions was not small.

A fierce wind blew, shattering thin glass windows and the chandelier.

As the flames dimly lighting the hall surged and dazzled the eyes, a piece of broken glass vibrated and was suddenly shot toward Ensi.

“Ugh—.”

Sensing an attack aimed at him, Ensi timely infused mana into his hand to deflect it, but it was a sharp attack, leaving a shallow cut on the back of his hand.

“That hurts.”

This is why spirits are bothersome.

Ensi muttered as he brought his lips to the bleeding back of his hand.

Donovan, who had fallen into a different kind of panic at the sight of the ruined hall, snapped his head up at Ensi’s voice.

“Ensi! Are you okay!? Are you hurt badly?”

“No. It is fine. More importantly, Donovan.”

The bleeding stopped quickly, and it wasn’t a large enough wound to leave a scar.

Since getting hurt like this could happen anytime, Ensi dismissed it casually.

“Yes. First, let me see the wound!”

However, Donovan couldn’t dismiss it as easily as Ensi.

Ignoring the call directed at him, Donovan rushed toward Ensi in a hurry.

“No. More than that, Agniele. What was his mana attribute again?”

“……Pardon?”

Is this the situation to be asking that?

Donovan, who was rushing up the stairs, came to a dead stop, startled by the random question.

He looked up at Ensi awkwardly, and Ensi met his eyes while slightly tilting his head.

“It is Fire, right?”

I’m asking if this is the situation to be asking that.

Donovan wanted to argue so badly, but knowing his own fault, he only wore a tearful face.

“I do not think Ensi used to have this kind of personality.”

Luke, who had watched the situation unfold in an instant, let out a hollow laugh at Ensi’s bizarre question.

Lately, his friend seemed a little, no. A lot strange.