CHAPTER 106
They didn't just hug; their foreheads had touched too.
It didn’t bother me then, but now that I think about it, I feel a bit embarrassed.
However, it didn't seem like Lewis felt the same way.
"It's nice to have peace and quiet in my head. Do you want to try it again to see if it still works?"
"Do we really have to?"
"Aren't you curious if it was really because I hugged you?"
To think he'd ask for a hug right here in the Marquis' mansion!
I just flinched and stayed still, so Lewis urged me.
"Think of it as for the sake of silencing the noise. I have no other intentions."
Using noise as an excuse in this way.
Even though I looked at him with eyes saying, 'I see right through you!', Lewis was unfazed.
He was shameless!
"So come here, Selina."
How could he tempt me with those smiling eyes?
It's cheating to act like that with that face!
Still, my feet moved little by little.
Hesitantly.
If I were to describe my movements, that word would fit perfectly.
If I asked myself if I disliked it, I couldn't find a strong reason to push him away…
But since I didn't go to him quickly, it should be okay, right?
When I got close to Lewis, he hugged me. It felt like he was hugging a big doll like the ones I used to sleep with when I was little.
We weren’t dating, but we had this kind of physical contact.
Is this really okay?
"Shall we do it like last time?"
I stayed stiff, so Lewis gently rubbed his forehead against mine before pulling away.
But even though our foreheads parted, his arms still held me.
"Um, Marquis? Isn't this enough…?"
Last time, I was just happy to see Lewis, so I wasn’t conscious of anything. But today, I felt embarrassed.
Are we friends or lovers…?
I felt my face flush a little with embarrassment.
Yet, it seemed Lewis wanted more.
"Just a little longer."
I felt like a comfort object or something…
As I stood there, wide-eyed and hugged, other thoughts started to creep in.
Does this really have an effect?
Is physical contact other than holding hands really more effective?
Maybe we didn't realize it until now because most of our contact involved holding hands.
Lewis did hug me in the bell tower, but it was so brief because he was surprised.
So, since the noise stopped for three days after more intimate contact…
Would other forms of contact be even more effective?
My thoughts started to wander.
Typical physical contact between a man and a woman would be…
I looked up at Lewis' face.
To be precise, my eyes fixed on his lips.
More effective than touching foreheads would be…
At that moment, Lewis spoke abruptly.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah, about you, Marquis!"
I was startled.
When I quickly answered, he loosened his hold on me and tilted his head.
"Then why did you look so surprised?"
"I was having some strange thoughts…"
"Anyway, I'm glad you were thinking about me."
It seemed he wasn't going to ask what those strange thoughts were.
Thank goodness. It’s better that Lewis doesn’t know.
If he knew what I was thinking, he’d really like it, wouldn’t he?
He might even suggest testing it to see if it really lasts longer.
"If you were smaller, I'd carry you around everywhere."
"No, please don’t say such dangerous things."
The way he spoke regretfully like that showed how dangerous Lewis really was.
"If it’s you, Marquis, I think you really could…"
"Don’t worry, I’m just joking."
It's a skill to make a joke sound so serious. Truly impressive.
I awkwardly laughed at his words.
---
Chapter 16: Peter Kendrick
The next day, I decided to visit Lewis at the mage tower to have lunch together.
Carrying a delicious lunch box prepared by the maids at the Marquis' mansion!
"I'm here!"
"Are you?"
Lewis was in his office slash lab, examining Alain's mana stone.
"Marquis, how’s the noise?"
"Still gone. Just like last time."
That meant the noise hadn’t returned even after three hours.
Lewis didn’t sound gloomy. He seemed more energetic than ever.
And I felt the same.
"So it really works!"
Physical contact beyond holding hands.
In other words, touching parts of me other than my hand seemed to significantly affect the noise in Lewis' head.
Does this mean we might be able to eliminate it completely?
"The effect is definitely real. It’s a relief. It’s easier to work with a clear head."
Lewis tapped the mana stone lightly.
"Selina, about this mana stone. I've been thinking."
After finding out that Philip was behind it, Lewis kept the mana stone because he wanted to investigate it further.
"The person who made the mana stone is Madden, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I usually don’t have trouble tracking people, but it’s been oddly difficult to trace Madden."
That was true. Even though Lewis had far superior magic, he struggled to find Madden.
"Could it be… that Madden is secretly very powerful?"
"No. Remember that spell Madden cast on the maid? I broke it instantly."
"Ah, the one where she was staring blankly into space?"
"Yes."
Lewis quickly undid that spell, which Madden had obviously tampered with.
"I have stronger magic, so anything Madden does with magic, I should be able to unlock and understand."
Lewis seemed to be organizing his thoughts.
"But I couldn't find out that Madden made this. You discovered it first."
It was a coincidence that I learned it.
Lewis flicked the mana stone with his finger.
"Even now, I can't feel any trace of Madden here. It’s like something is blocking my vision. He's cleverly hidden his tracks."
"But what did he do to make it so even you, Marquis, couldn't notice?"
That was strange.
If he could fool someone like the head of the mage tower, it couldn’t be something simple.
"It’s almost like a smell."
"A smell?"
"Yes. They say people usually can’t smell their own scent."
Is that common knowledge here?
"Even if they have a scent, they themselves can’t notice it. Others can, but it’s as if their own eyes are blinded."
Oh, since it’s about smell, I should have said their nose is blocked.
I mentioned it without much thought, but it seemed to give Lewis a hint.
He walked to the bookshelf against the wall, pulled out a book, and opened it.
As he opened the book, the pages automatically flipped until they stopped on a specific page, showing a particular scene.
"There's an unusual case where magic doesn’t work. When part of the same bloodline is included as a magical ingredient."
Lewis stopped reading there.
If the book is right, then he used part of the same bloodline…
What did he use?
Unlike me, Lewis seemed to have a clue.
"Is there anything from a person that can be used as a magical ingredient?"
Yaniels use all sorts of strange things when making potions.
Like horns or hearts of creatures…
"The simplest is hair."
Oh, that’s possible too?
"Hair is easy to get."
"The question is whether Madden could get it."
Lewis frowned.
"Madden entered the palace when my father retired as a mage."
"Hmm… the timing doesn't match at all."
"Hair is easy to lose, so it’s usually collected just before use."
I tilted my head, listening to his explanation.
"Then isn’t it unlikely that Madden used your father's hair?"
"Yes. It's more likely he used something else."
Lewis seemed to believe Madden used something, whether it was his father's hair or not.
What did he use?
"Are there any materials that can be collected long ago and used much later?"
"Yes. There are."
He answered with a profound look.
"What is it?"
"Blood."
---
While Selina and Lewis were discussing at the mage tower, Philip was with Madden.
"Is the restoration of the materials still far off?"
More precisely, Philip was urging Madden.
Madden was restoring the damaged materials from the banquet, halting all of Philip's desired research.
Stopping efforts to harm Lewis and to locate the magic circle.
"Bloomberg has already entered the temple. While you're stuck."
Though polite, Philip's tone conveyed his frustration.
Madden sensed Philip's impatience and hidden rebuke.
It felt like Philip was calling him incompetent, which irked Madden.
'That temple magic circle nonsense! Wasting someone like me on a mere hobby.'
Still, Philip was the crown prince, so Madden had to remain composed.
"Your Highness, the key to defeating the Marquis is restoring those materials. Not the temple’s magic circle."
"The problem is how long the restoration is taking."
Philip narrowed his eyes slightly.
Neither of them was pleased with the situation.
But Philip was in a superior position. Madden had to back down.
"At least we have *that*, don't we?"
"*That*? Oh, I understand."
Even with the vague subject, Philip understood Madden.
When part of a specific person is used as a magical ingredient, even the most powerful mage from that bloodline cannot easily trace the magic.
Madden had used this principle to make the mana stone, including some of Lewis' father, Peter's, blood as an ingredient.
Specifically, preserved blood with a preservation spell cast on it.
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