Chapter 3 Part 8: The Last Sound of Sand

“Ugh…….”

Since coming here, I’ve had so many bouts of nausea that I’ll probably develop acid reflux soon.

My ears felt slightly muffled, like when taking a lift to a higher elevation.

I think I even heard a faint ringing sound.

“At least say something before moving.”

“I’ll do that next time.”

Thud.

Ezekiel landed lightly and set me down on the ground.

The massive mirror that had been right in front of us had vanished without a trace, and we were already in front of Abaddon’s mansion.

“……If we’d come this way from the start, we could have been back in no time, couldn’t we?”

“We could have.”

It wasn’t a question—I meant why did he make me waste my stamina.

But from his bright expression, he seemed to be pretending not to understand.

“Hah…….”

As I let out a long sigh, servants who spotted us bowed their heads and opened the door.

Young wizards came running and tugged at my sleeve.

“Lord Rudan, Lord Abaddon is looking for you!”

“I know.”

I answered casually as usual, but the child who had spoken flinched and stepped back.

Come to think of it, Rudan probably wouldn’t have been so brusque with children.

“I just heard about it.

Where is he?”

Forcing out kindness I didn’t have, I asked in the gentlest voice I could manage, and the child’s eyes went wide.

“Follow me!”

Watching the child’s back as he ran off, Ezekiel grumbled.

“He said to return, not to show up immediately.”

“There’s such a thing as contextual implication.”

“But…….”

Fine.

Muttering as if giving up, the boy obediently followed the child with me.

On the way, he tugged at my arm and whispered softly.

“Don’t be nice.”

“……To Abaddon?

I wasn’t planning to.”

“No, not him.”

Then who?

His downturned gaze was fixed on the child’s round head.

No, seriously, what was that?

“Nice?

Me?”

“Hmph.”

Ezekiel slipped through the door the child opened and went in first.

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, pressing my forehead.

‘How is it that he acts more like a child now than when he was a child?’

Oblivious to the two adults whispering behind her, the child looked up at me with clear eyes, wondering why I wasn’t going in.

“Thanks.”

I gave her shoulder a pat and walked past.

Inside, Ezekiel was watching me.

***

Abaddon’s office.

The atmosphere inside was gloomy.

As if he hadn’t even summoned me and wasn’t paying attention, Abaddon sat at a desk piled high with papers and books, focusing intently on a tattered document.

In front of the desk, two sofas that could seat three or four each faced each other across a low table.

Ezekiel had taken one of the seats and lounged comfortably.

Flutter.

Abaddon released a document into the air, and it slowly floated over to land in front of Ezekiel.

“Read it.”

At the monotonous command, Ezekiel straightened up and began reading the document.

His gaze moved rapidly, then stopped.

“Haha!”

Ezekiel burst out laughing.

“Rudan, want to read it too?”

Now I was curious, but was it really okay to show me something like this?

I glanced at Abaddon, and he silently nodded.

If he permitted it, I had no reason to refuse.

The brittle paper was covered in irregular wrinkles, as if it had been crumpled and smoothed out.

Though scribbled, the handwriting still looked elegant.

“Wow.”

Even without a name, I could tell who the sender was.

It was Killian.

To summarize the contents:

Since Abaddon had broken his promise, the Tower Lord, having promised peace to the human world, had no choice but to respond firmly.

In particular, destroying a place of learning filled with young wizards was something that could not be overlooked even as an elder of wizard society.

So he was planning to come and crush them soon.

‘If you ignore me, I’ll take your head first.

If you surrender, I’ll just take your head and let the rest go!’

That was the condition.

He said if Abaddon agreed to become his subordinate, he’d generously spare his neck as well.

“Entertaining, isn’t it?”

Ezekiel asked as if seeking agreement.

I cleared my throat and avoided answering, but honestly, I kind of agreed.

If you’re going to be a jerk, doing it this refreshingly was rather amusing.

“A trace of magical power was detected at the gate.”

The only serious person here was Abaddon.

“It’s not something that breaks easily, though.”

“It might be different if the Tower Lord himself comes.

And there’s that paladin, a master of defensive magic.”

Pausing, Abaddon rested his chin on his hand and stared at Ezekiel.

An interrogating gaze.

“Ezekiel, why did you take Rudan to the gate?”

“He said he felt suffocated staying inside, so we just went out for a short walk.”

“No, you deliberately took him there.

And you’d even replenished your magical power beforehand.”

“……Are you suspecting me?”

Instead of answering, Abaddon let out a deep sigh.

His weary gaze drifted into the distance, then slowly returned toward me.

A strange look mixed with longing and betrayal—all I felt was confusion.

“Ezekiel.”

The man was used to pressuring others with just a name.

“Why did I say I keep you by my side?”

“You said that since I have power, I only need a knack for tricks and a good head.”

“That’s not a reason—that’s utility.”

The seat was like a bed of nails.

Because it was all too easy to tell that he wanted to avoid this conversation.

“You said you trusted me.”

The traces of emotion were slowly washing from Ezekiel’s voice.

His tone remained gentle and polite, but the temperature was empty, as if nothing was left.

“Someone who doesn’t give his heart to anyone would easily follow any cold order.”

“A smile lingered at the corners of his mouth—each and every one of them cold.

“That’s what you said.”

In the silence, the man’s blue eyes gleamed.

Ezekiel didn’t meet his gaze, but he didn’t try to leave either, enduring the silence.

This…… even if I immediately explained that I was the one who asked him to take me, it didn’t seem like the kind of atmosphere that could be smoothed over.

“I’ll ask again.

Why did you take Rudan to the gate?”

Ezekiel didn’t brush it off this time.

He didn’t look to me for help either.

“You were never a particularly loyal subordinate to begin with.

In the months you were away, you could have easily concluded that siding with Killian was more advantageous.”

He didn’t protest his innocence against suspicion.

“Were you planning to be a double agent?

If not, were you planning to covet what’s mine?”

He didn’t appeal to emotion.

“Ezekiel, even if you tried, you can’t have Rudan alone.

You know you don’t have the power for that.”

He simply accepted Abaddon’s attacks.

“Hey.”

“How tiresome.”

Watching what seemed less like a conversation and more like one-sided harassment didn’t sit well with me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Ezekiel cut me off.

“You should have watched your words, given your own condition.

As you said, I’m not particularly loyal, so why would I tolerate someone who gets irritable after walking into their own trap?”

Every word was correct.

“Abaddon, I cannot follow a master who doesn’t trust me.”

With that, Ezekiel slowly rose.

“Since you wish it, I’ll leave.

It seems this isn’t where I belong.”

Ezekiel strode out, and Abaddon didn’t stop him.

He simply stared at the closed door with that same expressionless face, then turned his gaze to me.

“Rudan.”

His voice softened, as if he’d never been so harsh with anyone.

“You heard the message, didn’t you?”

Like someone who felt no void at all from the departure of the one who’d delivered it.

“Since you were well enough to go out that far, I don’t think I need to be considerate of your condition.”

“Still…….”

“Come here.”

There was no way out.

Even if I ran out right now, this was his mansion, and that damned gate couldn’t be activated by my power alone.

‘Ezekiel.

If this was how it was going to be, you should have taken me with you.’

I understood logically that he’d have been caught up in the same trouble, but the resentment kept circling in my head.

With no other choice, I approached him.

Abaddon brushed aside the loosely tied hair and stroked the back of my neck, where he’d struck me.

The cold sensation of his leather glove seemed to run down my spine.

“The bruise is gone.”

“……You don’t like it?”

“Nothing about you displeases me.”

I’d been completely out of it, so I didn’t remember that moment clearly, but I did recall the loud sound when I hit the ground.

The one who healed the bruise that must have turned black and blue was, without a doubt, Ezekiel, who claimed to be good at healing magic.

‘So he’s saying he’s unhappy that Ezekiel healed me.’

He seemed to be harboring a rather strange misunderstanding.

“Please don’t hate El too much.”

I didn’t need to clear that up for him.

Let him keep stewing in it.

That’s the price for picking on someone who was minding their own business.

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