When the enemy was incapacitated, Roland turned to Martina with a troubled expression, as if unsure how to react.
“…For now, don’t untie the ropes.”
“Thank you.”
A silence passed between them as Martina’s hands and feet were untied, and she stood up. Roland placed a hand on the back of his neck and gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Sorry for hiding it until now. Having someone who uses dark magic nearby… it must feel disgusting. I’m sorry.”
After saying that, Roland averted his gaze from Martina. Startled, Martina hurried to respond.
“I don’t think that at all! I was just… surprised. I mean, I’ve only read about dark magic in books, so seeing it in action for the first time was kind of exciting, that’s all…”
Her words, very characteristic of Martina, left Roland momentarily stunned. Then, after a brief pause, he burst into laughter.
“Y-You… You’re definitely still Martina!”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“Yeah, it’s a compliment, for sure.”
Wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, Roland’s expression softened, and he lightly patted Martina on the head.
“Thank you.”
“No, I didn’t do anything. It’s me who should be thanking you for saving me. Really, thank you so much.”
“Of course. When a comrade is kidnapped, it’s only natural to help. For the first time, I’m glad I could use dark magic.”
Seeing Roland’s faintly sorrowful smile, Martina furrowed her brows and spoke.
“…Dark magic is a rare and powerful attribute. Why is it so despised?”
“Probably because of the kind of abilities it offers. For example, what I used this time…”
Roland trailed off and hesitated slightly before speaking in a small voice.
“This time, to locate you, I traced the form of your magic power. In other words… well, I thought it might be useful someday, so I memorized your magic power in advance. Sorry for doing that without asking.”
“Now that you mention it, there is such a spell in dark magic, isn’t there? Thanks to that, I was saved this time, so I really don’t mind.”
Hearing Martina’s words, Roland let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Haa… I’m glad to hear that.”
“Memorizing someone’s magic power isn’t a problem, is it? The problem would be using that for something like stalking someone or committing a crime. But you wouldn’t do anything like that, Roland, so there’s no issue.”
Hearing Martina’s perspective—that using magic itself wasn’t the problem—Roland froze as if a revelation had struck him. Slowly, his expression softened, and a smile tugged at his lips.
“Yeah, you might be right about that.”
“Exactly. So, what do we do now? We need to take these people back to the castle, don’t we?”
When Martina glanced at the three people glaring at them, Roland’s gaze turned cold, and he glared back at them.
“Yeah, you’re right. We need to report your safety. Everyone’s probably worried by now. For now, we’ll bring them to the outer gates and have the guards contact the knights.”
“That sounds like the best plan. About your dark magic… there’s no way to keep it hidden now, is there? I’m sorry that it had to come out because of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t regret using it. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my current position.”
Since dark magic was both rare and feared, there were no precedents for someone with such an attribute being employed in the royal court. What decision the court would make regarding Roland was entirely unknown.
“If it comes to that—if you’re forced to leave your post—I’ll protest with everything I’ve got. It’s absurd!”
“Haha, thanks for that. Let’s head back. Everything else can wait until we’re there.”
“Agreed. …Oh! Did you find the paper with the magic circle? It should’ve been in the carriage since I was holding it when I was kidnapped.”
Panicking, Martina rummaged through the damaged carriage and found the paper, miraculously unscathed, resting in a corner.
“Thank goodness!”
“Alright, Martina, you carry that. I’ll load these three onto the horse and secure them.”
“Understood.”
After Roland used his shadow magic to hoist the three onto the horse, the two of them started walking toward the outer gates of the royal capital.
