Crazy Like a Fox

Chapter 9

Lisbelle didn’t miss the meaningful glint in the gray eyes shining through the glass sphere. But even that was fleeting. Her body floated into the air. The man had lifted her effortlessly, showing no signs of strain.

“W-what...”

“Can’t you allow this much to someone who saved your life?”

This time, Lisbelle was truly taken aback. In her entire life, no one had ever held her like this before. Of course, they certainly carried her around or dragged her…

“That’s enough, just put me down. I can walk…”

Before she could even voice a protest, the man gently placed her on a plush bed. Then he knelt beside her ankle.

“Ah!”

In the next moment, Lisbelle barely managed to suppress a moan that was about to escape her mouth. The man’s hand touched her foot, and her vision went white with a pain that felt like she had been ruthlessly clawed by a beast.

While Lisbelle tightly closed her eyes, he briskly unwrapped the bandage around her foot. The bandage, stiffened with dried blood, made a crackling sound with each pull. He had brought her here and while he had stopped the bleeding and sterilized the wound, moving around had slightly caused the injury to split open again. She barely opened her eyes but still saw his hand movements, then witnessed a mesh-like substance appearing in the air.

“Uh...” She had never seen such a phenomenon before, but she could tell. It was magic. The sudden appearance of the glasses earlier must have been magic too. Lisbelle asked in a daze, “Are you a magician?”

“It would seem so.”

The stubborn bloodstains were steadily fading away wherever his fingertips passed. Lisbelle’s pale foot gradually revealed its original color. It felt as if it were being washed in cool water. She trembled slightly at the tickling sensation to a degree that made her body oddly tense up, then she felt something unusual.

Real water?

Lisbelle looked at her feet in surprise. It was real; tiny water droplets were appearing from the man’s fingertips and washing away the bloodstains, the blood evaporating into the air without a trace.

So a magician can do this kind of thing, too. Lisbelle forgot her situation for a moment and simply marveled. She had never seen a magician before, not in the previous timeline, and not in this one.

“Vaille, bring it here.” The man gave a quiet command, but to whom she was unsure.

Could there be someone else in here? Lisbelle anxiously looked around the room and saw thick gray smoke billowing up in front of the door on the other side of the room. What was that? Not only was it rising, but it was also running toward them. Running? Lisbelle thought the expression she used was strange, but there was no better way to describe it.

The smoke cloud rushed toward them eagerly, then something suddenly popped out from the thick gray smoke: a white bandage. As if it was a familiar occurrence, the man caught it and began to wrap it around Lisbelle’s foot again.

“It would have been nice to have some ointment or antiseptic,” he said.

Even if I’d had them, I wouldn’t have used them.

Asius tied the knot of the bandage skillfully and said, “We’ll have to make do and avoid moving for the time being, at least until a scab forms.”

“And why should I trust you?” Lisbelle immediately started prodding to find his hidden intentions. It was a habit that always surfaced when she felt fear or anxiety. Her lips curved into a beautiful smile. “Why should I stay put when I don’t even know who the hell you are?”

Asius paused for a moment and looked up with a clear, smiling face, and their eyes locked onto one another. One was an explorer, and the other was an indifferent observer. Then, their gazes moved; Lisbelle stared intently into Asius’ eyes as he carefully scrutinized her face.

For the first time in a while, he found himself genuinely admiring another person’s appearance. The harmonious blend of pure platinum blonde hair and eyes resembling the clear midday sky left him mesmerized. Her thin, translucent skin, which blushed quickly, appeared as though it was deliberately crafted to evoke a desire to touch. Her beauty was enough to make any number of men fall in love at once. Indeed, is that what it meant to be a daughter of a goddess?

Asius offered a very polite and gracious compliment, “You truly do resemble an angel.”

Of course, that was far from what Lisbelle wanted to hear. She maintained her composure in the face of such an odd turn in the conversation and reluctantly responded, “Okay, you’re handsome, too.”

“I hear that often.”

“Must be nice.”

Lisbelle sighed. She hadn’t intended to play along with him, but something felt very off. She had clearly lost consciousness in the castle hall... How did a magician who didn’t even know her know about it and manage to get her out of the castle hall?

“Did you bring me here?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m not so callous as to just walk past someone who’s passed out without helping them.”

Asius answered readily this time; he seemed prepared to respond without hesitation to whatever questions came up on the topic he wanted to address. But, of course, he also seemed to have no intention of divulging anything beyond that.

Lisbelle noted his easygoing demeanor and couldn’t hide her discomfort. Who the hell is he? It was strange for a magician to be in Valdimar in the first place. Valdimar was a nation of warriors who neither trained nor employed magicians—especially given their aversion to magic, as rooted as its people were in their familiarity with swords.

Ah, in that case… Her mind quickly raced. He must not be from Valdimar. That leaves the empire as the most likely option. They did mention that this time a delegation was arriving from Rattaeh. She hadn’t seen the list of delegates, but from what she had heard about the members coming in the delegation, there was only one magician among them.

Lisbelle was a little doubtful but blurted out first, “I guess you’re the master of the Magic Tower of Rattaeh?”

“Since you’re aware of that, you must be from the royal castle.”

His response was quicker and more nonchalant than she expected. As she was at a loss for words, he looked up and smiled broadly.

“Well, whether you trust me or not, that’s up to you, I suppose.”

After delivering this cryptic remark, he lowered his gaze again and started to tie off the bandage. Of course, Lisbelle couldn’t afford to be so relaxed—whether it was his positive response to her uncertain statement or his immediate deduction that she was from the royal castle that surprised her more, she couldn’t quite decide. But as always, she wouldn’t let herself be easily surprised. No matter what she was thinking, she had to maintain composure in her speech and demeanor.

“Haha... Ha...”

And now, she found herself laughing without having to act it out. It seems the goddess really didn’t abandon me. While he could still be lying, a man with such presence would suffice, even if he were not necessarily the grand magician of Rattaeh.

Lisbelle’s eyes sparkled as she extended her hand toward the man still kneeling at her feet.

“I see. I guess you are quite a remarkable magician.”

She pushed her fingers through his hair, the black strands gliding over her skin. It’s so soft… Really soft. The feeling of his hair slipping through her fingers would be a memory she’d not soon forget.

Carefully gathering her neatly bandaged feet into his hands, the man spoke calmly, “As long as you understand that being wary of me is near futile, feel free to think of me as you wish.”

“Hmm.”

“And since you’re not giving me an answer, I’ll repeat it: Please stay here for the time being. I’m concerned about your inj—”

His words halted abruptly as she gently cupped both of his cheeks, though he did not resist, did not push her away.

Lisbelle’s face lit up with joy as she spoke in an excited tone, “As long as you’re not trying to take me to the moonlit hill.”

This was an opportunity. Though it came under unexpected circumstances, it was an opportunity nonetheless. A man of his caliber was rare. If only she could keep him close, perhaps she could gain an advantage in the succession war.

Lisbelle traced Asius’ features with her fingertips, lifting his chin to gaze upon the unfamiliar man’s face. He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man she had ever seen. Sculpted with perfect proportions like a finely carved statue, yet devoid of any fragility in his features, and the few small trinkets adorning his left ear added to his exotic allure. If… If he harbors no immediate ill intentions toward me, Lisbelle thought, lowering her head toward his handsome face. Acting the part of the eccentric came as naturally to her as breathing.

Even as she drew dangerously close, Asius did not push her away. Their breaths mingled once more as they drew closer. Lisbelle’s lips brushed against his prominent nose and descended.

But just before their lips met, overwhelmed with unrestrained delight, Lisbelle whispered, “Then I’ll stay quietly. Quietly by your side.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she pressed her lips against his.

They were ice-cold.