The cursed eyes. Or rather, colorless eyes.

In the empire, the brighter and more vivid the color of one’s eyes, the more one was supposedly blessed by God. Being born without any color in one’s eyes was therefore considered a curse.

The stranger smiled when he saw their reaction.

“So you’re not going to run away? Aren’t you afraid of being cursed yourselves?” he asked.

Selen was certainly surprised—she had never seen a colorless one before, as they were called. Surprised, yes. Frightened, certainly not. After everything she had seen and heard, she no longer believed in the stories she had been told all her life.

“Cursed? What nonsense. We were here first, so if anyone should leave, it’s you.”

The stranger seemed surprised by her remark, and she felt the duke’s gaze on her. Northerners were known for believing all sorts of absurd tales, so she wasn’t surprised that he believed the story about cursed eyes.

“We’re the ones who arranged this place. And if you look carefully at the walls, you’ll see our emblem on them,” the stranger replied.

Selen looked more closely at the cave walls. In the daylight, she could see the drawing of a rose covered in thorns carved directly into the rock.

“As if we’d stay in the cave of a colorless man like you,” the duke said. “We’re leaving.” He addressed the last words to Selen.

“So you believe that ridiculous story about a curse too?” Selen asked him.

“Of course. Did you see those eyes?”

The duke sheathed his sword and went to retrieve his bag.

“You won’t be leaving until we’re sure you didn’t steal anything,” the stranger said.

Selen could hear the threat in his voice. If this continued, things would quickly escalate.

“Steal? Do you see anything here worth stealing?” the duke replied.

The stranger pulled something from beneath his cloak and pointed it at them. It was a magical pistol capable of firing bullets filled with mana. Such an object was a luxury, difficult to acquire given the constant decline of magic within the empire.

This man is not just anyone, Selen thought.

The duke had already drawn his sword again and was ready to fight. Selen decided to step between them. This problem could be solved without bloodshed. The sooner they left, the sooner they would reach the port city.

“Calm down, both of you. We didn’t take anything—there’s nothing here to take anyway. But if you want to check quickly so we can leave, then everyone will be satisfied.”

The stranger looked at her with surprise.

“You’re not afraid to put your hands on a colorless man?” he asked.

Selen realized she had placed her hands on both him and the duke when she stepped between them. She smiled at him.

“Your cursed-eyes card won’t work on me, because I don’t believe in such absurdities.”

The stranger then reacted in the most unexpected way. He lowered his weapon and burst out laughing.

“You’re the first person I’ve met who wasn’t afraid of me at first glance. Very well. I’ll check if everything is still there, and if it is, you’ll be free to leave.”

He signaled to his companion, who had until then remained silently behind him. The man stepped toward one of the cave walls and formed a magical circle. The wall moved before the astonished eyes of the duke and Selen, revealing a hidden space filled with black bags.

“May I know the name of this delightful lady?” the stranger asked, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it.

Selen turned sharply toward him. She might have believed the sweetness of his voice if his eyes hadn’t contained that calculating glint. He looked like a snake trying to charm a mouse. She didn’t have time to answer, because the duke snatched her hand away from the stranger.

“How dare you touch her with your cursed hands?”

Selen rolled her eyes. Cursed this, cursed that. She was beginning to get tired of it.

“Milady said she doesn’t believe that story. So unless you’re her brother—no, you’re too ugly—or her husband—impossible—you have no say in the matter.”

“Ugly, me?” the duke shot back. “Have you looked at yourself?”

“Stop!” Selen shouted. “I am neither anyone’s sister nor anyone’s wife. And as for this curse nonsense, I repeat once again that I do not believe in it.”

“So you’re taking the side of this—”

“Say that word one more time and I swear that—”

“I said stop, both of you,” Selen repeated. “You wanted to know my name? Well, my name is Selen. And yours?”

The stranger smiled and once again took her hand to kiss it.

“Noah, your humble servant, milady.”

She could feel the duke’s disapproving gaze on them.

What’s gotten into him? Selen wondered.

“Noah, pleased to meet you,” Selen replied. “But tell me—what’s inside those bags, and why do you say this cave belongs to you?”

Selen did not expect him to answer honestly. Yet he smiled at her before taking her hand again.

“I’m merely a humble merchant, my sweet Selen. This cave is simply one of my vaults.”

My sweet? Selen repeated in her mind. Was he really flirting?

“A humble merchant? Yeah, right,” the duke said, casting him a condescending glance.

Selen agreed with him. All of this looked far more dishonest than that.

“Ah, the count is correct,” Noah said after glancing at his companion.

“I suppose we can finally leave,” the duke exclaimed.

“Where exactly are you heading?” Noah asked. “If you’re not newlyweds running away together or relatives, then I assume you’re traveling together for a particular reason.”

“Where we’re going is none of your business,” the duke said.

“And you, Selen? Won’t you tell me?” he asked, giving her a charming look.

Who does he think he is? Selen thought.

“We just met, so we don’t trust you. And I know the feeling is mutual. You’ve confirmed we didn’t touch your belongings, so we’ll be leaving,” Selen said as she freed her hand.

Noah shot her an annoyed look. Nevertheless, she picked up her bag and was about to step out of the cave.

“You’re going to the port city, aren’t you?”

Selen stopped abruptly. How had he guessed?

“The other brute has a northern accent, which means you’re from there. So either you’re going back home, or you’re heading to the neighboring port city. Simple deduction.”

“Well, I’ll just get rid of him. That’ll be easier,” the duke suddenly said, walking toward Noah.

“We don’t have time for that,” Selen told him. Then she turned to Noah. “As for you, I don’t know what you really want from us, but we’re in a hurry.”

“What I want… I only wanted to offer my help. You see, no one knows the city of Puerto Rosa like I do. If you’re going there for a specific purpose, I can help you.”

Selen was intrigued. She knew nothing about the city, and the duke even less. It would be useful to have someone who knew the region—provided he told them the truth.

She saw Noah walk toward one of the bags hidden in the wall and open it. He pulled out a red stone.

“A magic stone,” Selen exclaimed. “So all these bags contain…”

“Exactly,” Noah replied. “I sell various items, including these stones infused with magic. Puerto Rosa is my hometown, and you’re in luck because I’m heading there to rest for a while.”

Selen thought about his offer. The stones generally extracted from mines were blue and therefore weakly concentrated with magic. Those were the stones used in everyday devices to power common appliances. But red stones were infused with magic. If used in sufficient quantity, they could grant magic to people who lacked it. They were rare stones, because it required a great deal of magic to infuse them.

In her previous life, the High Priest had used her blood to create red stones.

And this man possesses so many of them, Selen thought.

“What would you want in return for your help?” Selen asked.

“What help are you talking about?” the duke shouted. “We don’t need him. Let’s go.”

“What I want in return is a dinner alone with you,” Noah replied, ignoring the duke.

“A dinner?” Selen repeated, confused.

“Yes. A dinner. Just the two of us.”

“Why?” she asked.

Many men had fallen under her charm and invited her to private dinners before. But Noah did not really give her the impression of belonging to that category. In truth, Selen couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His smiles and his looks were empty of emotion, and it gave her goosebumps.

“I told you. You’re one of the rare people who didn’t treat me like a cursed man. I think you intrigue me. Yes, that’s it—you intrigue me.”

“Just for that?”

“Very few things intrigue me in life. So I’m simply taking this opportunity to discover something new.”

Selen thought about his offer for a few seconds. One dinner in exchange for his help wasn’t a bad deal at all.

“She won’t accep—”

“Fine. I accept,” she said, cutting the duke off. “But on one condition. I will dine with you only once, I want to make that clear—if your help proves valuable once we arrive in Puerto Rosa.”

She saw Noah’s lips curve into a smile.

“Then we have a deal.”