I Became Close to the Villain - Chapter 19

He’s an unusual friend. There is nothing more wonderful than a hug to share the joy of reunion.

“You can say no if you don’t like it.”

As if he had lost his confidence, he let out a slightly muffled voice.

What? It may not be appropriate for me to say this to an adult, but he was a little cute.

“Oh, no. I’m not saying I don’t like it.”

It was quite awkward, but he reached out and hugged me around the waist. I patted his back like a child, fearing that it would be awkward if I stayed still.

I don’t think it’s okay to do this at this age. But, it’s already too late.

“Nice to meet you again, Idris.”

Idris took another long breath.

He shifted. Perhaps because of our height difference, his waist was bent down, his body leaned in and wrapped his arms behind my back.

The scent on the tip of my nose was pretty good. Did he use perfume too? But I don’t know what it smells like.

I slowly looked into his eyes. Have we ever had a hug this long?

“Idris.”

I pushed him softly.  Unexpectedly, he let go of me immediately. There was disappointment on his face though.

“What are you going to do now?”

He gazed at me with eyes full of meaning.  I explained what I asked him.

“You’re a mage. We can’t be together like before. You know you’re the most dangerous person in the empire, right?

“……I will find a way.”

“Is there a way for us to be together again? I don’t think it’ll be easy to find.”

“First of all, let’s meet secretly for a while. Because of your mana, I can’t stop seeing you completely.”

“Is there any way to hide it first?”

“It’s just a temporary solution. There is no way to hide it right now. In the first place, this is not a disease, but a dangerous ability.”

“Hmm… Then mages might come in like last time.….”

“First of all, the magic circle that erases the presence of mana has been put back. But I can’t be rest assured. Since you’ve already been exposed to mages once, some of them may have already noticed you are my  weakness. They are quick-witted.”

Idris quickly concluded.

Not all mages are on the same side. No matter how much Idris ordered the mages and do crackdowns, there will still be limitations.

In other words, there will be many mages who will be after me in the future. It’s already bothersome.

“Should I put a trustworthy mage around you?” 

“If you have a mage, do it.”

I’ll trust you, Idris.

“I wish I could be with you, but it’s hard… then, I’ll send one of my closest aides instead. It would be better to contact me through him.”

“That sounds good. Is there any restriction on you because you’re the archmage? Can’t you go everywhere freely?

“Rather than a restriction…”

At this point, Idris hesitated. But that was quickly over when I looked at him.

 “The archmage has many enemies.”

“Is that it?”

“If I said more, it wouldn’t sound good.”

He said softly as he tucked my hair.

I said to him angrily,

“I’m already immune to the brutal words that will come out of your mouth. Just tell me what you want to say.”

“…..My men are probably at war by now.”

“Hmm.”

How should I interpret this?

I didn’t know anything about it, so I stared at him.

“It’s still early days in power, so rebellion is officially allowed. The faction that has captured the mage’s castle can immediately establish a new archmage. It’s one of the customs of mage’s island.”

“…… Huh?”

“There are several factions on mage’s island, but the factions do not cooperate with each other because there is only one position as the archmage. So, in order to usurp that position, they aim at the time when the mage’s castle is at its weakest. That was just now, the moment I was not in that castle.”

“So… If they find a moment when you’re not there, they’re going to take your place right away?”

“That’s true.”

“Unbelievable. Aren’t you supposed to go back right now?”

“As I said, there’s no problem right now because my aides will be fighting. As long as I go back before they go into a full blown war.”

“Are there any guarantees that they will hold on that well?”

“Of course.”

Why is he so sure? I looked at Idris with a face full of distrust.

Seeing my reaction, he grinned. His smile was different from the one in his youth. What should I say now? It looked much more mature.

Why did I suddenly feel something is somehow different about him? It’s like he’s more relaxed than before and sneaky?

Did the child suffer too much? No, even then he would still be as cute.

“They’re people Oscar worked hard on. Of course, the escort chosen will be the most useful among them.”

“I can’t even say anything more because you’re so confident. But don’t do anything weird. Got it?

“Yes.”

Idris responded politely and held out his hand.

“It’s late at night. I will take you home.”

“What are you going to do? Don’t tell me you’re going to teleport like back then.”

“That’s right.”

“Hey, I had a lot of mana, but I’m just an ordinary person. I can’t stand that…….”

“You’re not an ordinary person, Vianne.”

Huh?

“Then what am I?”

“There is only a slight difference between having the ability to handle mana and the ability to collect mana. Theoretically, you can use magic too. So even if you’re included in a spell, there’s no problem.”

“Really? Can I use magic?”

“You’ll have to learn how to see mana, step by step. There is nothing that can’t be done.”

“Wow, what kind of reversal is this?”

You mean I’m a mage in theory, right?

What a special extra that Vianne Astahilt must have meant to be.

Hang on. What if I become a mage and leave the empire? The empire hates mages so much. If I do something wrong, it’ll be chaotic.

“Lesha, did she not tell me this because she was afraid that I would become a mage? If she had told me, I could have just learned and used my mana.….” 

I muttered involuntarily.

“…… Is that person dead?”

Idris asked as if he didn’t know. I guess he didn’t hear from others because he went straight to mage’s island.

“……Yes. On the evening of the party, it seems like she met the mage before us.”

“It must be Oscar.”

He easily concluded as if it was obvious.

I also didn’t feel good when I thought of Lesha. I sighed and said it jokingly on purpose.

“You know, Idris.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you have any seats left on mage’s island? If you do, I’ll just learn magic and build an empire. That’s why I think it’s safer to stick with you.”

Anyway, wherever I go, my life will be threatened by my condition.

If so, wouldn’t it be better to be guaranteed safety next to a trusted and strong friend?