The Sunlit Greenhouse

Lily only began to move two days after the plan was devised. Those two days of silence were spent entirely on seeking understanding from her beloved Nocturne.

While Ensi marveled at Lily’s sincerity in investing 48 hours into Nocturne despite the urgency of the situation, he also quietly shook his head at the twists and turns that must have occurred during that time—long yet short as it was.

Of course, he didn’t know the exact details of what happened over those two days. It was both a matter unrelated to him and something he simply had no interest in.

“Agniele!”

In that sense, Ensi stood a step back and watched the “nitpicking” session that had begun once again today, signaled by Lily’s thunderous call. For the record, today marked exactly two weeks since Lily had started bothering Agniele.

“Let’s spar!”

“…Again today?”

“Yes, again today.”

Agniele unconsciously stiffened his expression as he looked at Lily, who was glaring at him with wide eyes. Having lived through the past two weeks, he had already realized that after the duel, she would surely pick a fight using some bizarre logic.

Even if he tried to avoid her, it wasn’t easy because Lily pursued him relentlessly. Moreover, Agniele possessed exceptionally sensitive hearing, making it difficult to simply ignore her.

Facing Agniele’s reaction right in front of her, Lily rejoiced inwardly at the fact that her efforts were finally showing an effect, and Ensi, watching from afar, also marveled quietly. Though he had recommended it as the most realistic plan, even Ensi hadn’t expected a reaction to come this quickly.

If things continued at this rate, Agniele might truly reconsider the engagement, provided no other variables cropped up.

“She’s doing well.”

Having confirmed the better-than-expected results with his own eyes, Ensi let go of the lingering trace of worry and turned his steps away. It was almost time for class to start, but that wasn’t important to Ensi. Above all, he was perfectly fine skipping class like this.

Thus, with a conviction that others would have found bizarre, Ensi headed toward the forest that was said to have existed even before the Academy was built. His residence was somewhat special compared to other students, revealing itself only once one ventured deep into the forest.

Normally, it was only right for Ensi to stay in the dormitories provided by the Academy. However, the illness he suffered from made it impossible for him to live in a conventional house.

In the end, to obtain this residence abandoned in the woods, he had to engage in numerous heated debates with the Academy before enrollment and hand over bribes disguised as donations. There were times he considered giving up on enrollment thousands of times because of the exhausting power struggle with the Academy, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Ensi had a reason why he had to graduate from this Academy.

At any rate, the only people who visited this laboriously acquired residence were Ensi himself and the six members of his club. Perhaps it was because they had passed through steadily over the past year, but a small trail had formed in the once-overgrown forest, leading all the way to his home.

Because of that, his residence—which was supposed to be a secret—was no longer a secret, but it also meant the vegetation that used to tickle his ankles with every step had vanished, so Ensi didn’t mind it much.

“Donovan?”

Ensi spotted a familiar figure at the end of the single path and called out the name. Hearing the voice, Donovan, who was securing the door, looked up.

“Ensi? Isn’t it time for basic physical training right now?”

“Mm, it’s cold today.”

“Ah—is it still like that even though it’s spring? This Utia disease is truly…”

Donovan sighed, understanding the hidden meaning behind Ensi’s poor excuse.

“Don’t stay out here; let’s get inside quickly.”

Sighing, he immediately opened the door he had just locked and led Ensi inside.

Led into the residence by Donovan’s urgent touch, Ensi breathed out deeply at the temperature that was starkly different from the outside. He had simply crossed a single threshold, yet a scorching heat filled the air. At the same time, his hands, which had become as cold as ice, began to slowly thaw from the tips.

Ensi repeatedly clenched and unclenched his tingling hands as he glanced at Donovan. Evidently, he was the only one who considered this place “warm,” as sweat was already beading on Donovan’s forehead. Watching Donovan hurriedly pull out and activate an artifact from his pocket, Ensi took a step away from him.

“It’s certainly hot since it’s a greenhouse for growing Sun Grass.”

Donovan smiled faintly at Ensi’s action and likewise moved a step further away. The artifact he had activated emitted a chill, making it an unwelcome object for Ensi. Above all, he didn’t want to feel that loathsome cold even in an environment carefully prepared to match his required temperature.

“You have class soon, don’t you?”

The club members visited often, but this greenhouse wasn’t a place where they could stay for long. Ensi spoke up, considering Donovan, who must have been staying here since before he arrived.

“That’s true, but… since I’m back inside, I’ll take a look at the Sun Grass before I go. Among the Sun Grass near the hut, some seem to be in poor condition.”

“Ah.”

‘If it’s the ones next to the hut…’

Ensi, having an idea of why, instinctively let out a gasp but hurriedly turned his head away when he caught Donovan’s gaze. Donovan inhaled sharply at that quick movement.

“Ensi, don’t tell me you touched the Sun Grass?”

“I thought they lacked water, so just a little.”

Heaven as his witness, he really only gave them water. However, he too was flustered because the cluster of Sun Grass he had watered had been losing their strength since that day.

Donovan let out a sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead at Ensi’s words.

“I told you Sun Grass are delicate plants and you have to give them even a single drop of water carefully. No, more than that, I told you I’d manage them, so please, Ensi, don’t touch them—”

“Right, I won’t touch them ever again, so why don’t you head to class now? You must be quite short on time.”

Having poked one of the few points where the timid Donovan would undergo a personality change, Ensi quickly cut him off with a weary face. Donovan looked displeased at Ensi’s reaction but remained silent. Everything in this greenhouse belonged to Ensi, so he actually had no right to argue.

It was a line he could cross only because Ensi allowed it. Donovan recognized that fact and decided to back off for now.

“I’ll come by again in the evening after class. It’s okay if I come then, right?”

“Sure, though I feel a bit sorry.”

Since there weren’t just one or two stalks of Sun Grass, this greenhouse was hotter than midsummer even in the dead of winter. Donovan had said it felt hotter than the desert at its peak, which meant it held a temperature that was difficult for ordinary people to even stand in.

“I’m doing this because I want to.”

Speaking firmly, Donovan conveyed through his gaze that Ensi shouldn’t even dream of managing the Sun Grass alone.

“…Understood.”

“Good. Then I’ll be going. See you later, Ensi.”

When Ensi nodded, unable to overcome that intensity, Donovan flashed a satisfied smile, checked the time, and hurriedly rushed outside.

Sending him off with a light, airy wave of his hand, Ensi looked around the environment that had instantly become quiet and headed further inside. It was a place designed specifically to create an environment suited for him, but that didn’t mean his physical condition improved immediately upon entering.

Seeing as the fatigue weighing down his limp body felt particularly heavy, it seemed best to take a nap.

“I’m exhausted.”

Agniele, letting out a rare groan, loosened the buttons fastened all the way to his neck. He was a man who always maintained a neat appearance and an unwavering posture, yet today, that was proving difficult.

To begin with, it hadn’t been long since he managed to shake off Lily’s persistent pursuit, so his appearance was bound to be a mess. Agniele moved busily while smoothing back his disheveled hair.

Since it wasn’t yet time to let his guard down, Agniele kept his nerves sharply honed as he walked along deserted paths. At one point, he stopped in his tracks at the scenery that unfolded before his eyes.

“A forest?”

Was there a place like this in the Academy?

Dense trees and unkempt grass filled his vision. Judging by the lack of a path, it seemed that no one frequented it, let alone a minimum staff to manage the woods.

Thanks to that, Agniele stood at the boundary separating the forest and the Academy for a moment, deep in thought. The fact that no one frequented this place could mean it was a forest where entry was not permitted.

If that were the case, there would certainly be no people, which meant Lily Florence wouldn’t be able to follow him either.

Reaching that conclusion, Agniele stepped inside without further hesitation.

Normally, he would have turned back toward the Academy, but heading into the forest was a sort of impulse. Agniele was just that severely harassed by Lily.

Thus, Agniele ventured slightly deeper into the forest.

Clearing away the grass that obstructed his path with his scabbard, he headed wherever his feet led him until he happened upon a greenhouse sitting all alone in the middle of the woods.

“Why is there a greenhouse here…?”

The building, constructed of iron and opaque glass, seemed to be the only place in this forest touched by human hands.

Drawn by that sense of incongruity, Agniele approached the greenhouse as if possessed and opened the door. Immediately, a suffocating heat surged out like a wave.

Enduring the intense heat that felt as though it might cook his body on the spot, he looked around and marveled. Inside the greenhouse, Sun Grass—which was not easily obtained—was blooming in abundance.

The Sun Grass, blooming under someone’s devoted care, was all emitting an intense heat just like its name. Realizing the reason for the scorching heat, he rolled up his sleeves.

Unlike the outside, the greenhouse had a neatly arranged path. Agniele slowly moved along that path, looking at the endless clusters of Sun Grass.

It was suffocatingly hot, but the eye-catching brilliance held his feet. It had a charm similar to the sun—knowing that looking directly at it might lead to blindness, yet one couldn’t help but keep looking up.

With a desire to see the end of the Sun Grass colony, Agniele continued walking until he suddenly discovered a small hut and let out a huff of laughter. The unassuming hut gave Agniele the impression that he had stepped into a fairy tale he had read as a child.

As he was debating whether to enter the hut for the sake of it, he realized he could hear faint breathing nearby and lifted his head.

Was it someone who had wandered in by accident like himself? Or was it the owner of this place?

The breathing he heard was too quiet. Quiet enough to make him worry that someone ignorant like him had entered to look at the greenhouse and collapsed.

Agniele couldn’t ignore the slight possibility and quickly headed toward where he felt the presence.

Then the path ended, and a space appeared that was hidden by high walls and hedge trees, unlike the open surroundings.

A hidden space following a hut inside a greenhouse.

He thought it was strange, but checking whether the owner of the presence was alright came first. Thus, he wove through the maze-like path without hesitation.

Inside that cleverly hidden space, what Agniele discovered was, well.

It was a fairy.