SYMDF 14

Chapter 14

 

“…Yomnyong? Where are you going?”

Ion’s eyes followed the little dragon fluttering from his chest toward the balcony doors. Just then, the glass pane nudged ajar, letting a faint breeze slip inside.

There, perched on the railing, was the creature responsible for knocking. Larger and darker than any common bird, with a heavy beak, dusky-brown feathers bordering on jet black, and golden eyes gleaming in the dark.

Ion stilled immediately, recognizing it. The eagle. The same one whose gaze had locked with his inside the library earlier. Now it cocked its head, sharp gaze drilling straight into him again.

Uncertain, Ion glanced around the empty room, then pointed awkwardly at himself.

“…Were you… looking for me?”

Ridiculous, speaking to a bird—yet the urge surged instinctively. And astonishingly, an answer came.

“Forgive me for startling you, Ion.”

From behind the eagle, a tall form strode into moonlight, sleeves of a white dress shirt loose, black trousers plain. The eagle alighted daintily on his arm.

Ion’s breath hitched.

“…Camillus?”

Stunned, Ion checked reflexively that the door was still shut. He took a hesitant step off the bed. But Camillus closed the distance in an instant, grasping his arms.

“Don’t strain yourself.”

It was truly him—Camillus Clodel. Ion had expected they would meet again. But tonight? So soon?

He gripped Camillus’s sleeve tighter, needing to feel the solidity of flesh and bone before whispering the question:

“How did you even get in here?”

This was the Craiger estate. Not the Imperial Palace, but still guarded by patrols of knights and layered with protective wards around the family’s living wings.

At Ion’s words, Camillus’s eyes flicked to the balcony. Yomnyong growled—“Kku”—and fussed, but nosed the glass shut again.

Only when the doors were sealed did Camillus guide Ion back to the bed, tucking him beneath covers before seating himself beside him. His hand clasped Ion’s—and immediately, soft blue light shimmered where their skin met.

[Status Effect “Overflowing Mana” upgraded. Duration 90 minutes.]
[Vitality increased. Negative conditions suppressed. Death probability reduced by 40%.]

Camillus murmured softly, “For me, entering here is easier than you might think.”

Ion tilted his eyes—it was true, Camillus’s hand trembled faintly as if tense.

“You were watching me… through the eagle, weren’t you?”

Camillus inclined his head once, lowering his gaze. “…If that offended you, forgive me.”

Ion shook his head. Relief washed in. At first sight of the eagle, he had feared it a curse from □□. But knowing the source put him at ease.

“Not offended. Just… why are you here?”

“…Because I missed you,” Camillus confessed. “I told myself I’d only watch quietly. But I couldn’t hold myself back.”

[Reunion with Camillus Valderas Clodel: (1/3)]

Perhaps they had already passed the threshold of “ten sentences.” A quest update lingered briefly, but Ion ignored it. His heart cared only for the boy before him. With Camillus, not just his body but his mind felt lighter.

So he teased gently:

“…Sneaking into someone’s home at night like a thief, are you?”

Camillus’s eyes crinkled faintly. By candlelight, his irises glowed softer than ever.

“Yes. For me, wards like these mean little.”

“Lawless,” Ion quipped.

“How can I not be, when I see you suffering?”

The jest drained—his touch lingered at Ion’s fever-hot brow, brows furrowing deeply.

“I never knew you had weakened so terribly. Never…”

Was that self-blame in his voice? Did he imagine Ion’s condition his fault?

Ion forced a small smile. “…So I was healthy, once, to you?”

Camillus opened his lips, as though more might spill. But Ion pushed the covers aside and rose.

Alarmed, Camillus caught his arm. “Ion, don’t—”

“You’ll catch me. Won’t you?”

It was a bold demand. But Camillus, far from offended, simply breathed assent.

“…Yes.”

He clasped Ion’s hand with courtly care, guiding him with the steadiness of an escort.

Leaning gently on him, Ion spoke low. “If I suspect, this frailty fell on me suddenly. Yet no one in this house will acknowledge it.”

Camillus gave no reply—averting his gaze, his silence suspicious.

Ion pressed further. “…So serious a matter no one dares even whisper? That’s what it must mean. If it were minor, someone would have spoken. But none did.”

Still lightly needling, until at last Camillus breathed:

“…Perhaps they fear. Fear me.”

“I see,” Ion said softly, though inwardly he had already guessed. His long captivity in the tower, the Duke’s scathing words—all pointed here.

But Ion did not wish to mire them in heaviness. He adopted a lighter drawl, tilting his head with faint play.

“…So am I supposed to think you’re terrifying, then? How much?”

Camillus hesitated. Then he drew Ion toward the balcony doors. Pushing them open, the night breeze rushed in. Together they looked over the estate: horses being led into stables, knights in armor patrolling, maids carrying pails under lanterns.

Voice low, Camillus muttered, “The Duke employs fine ward-mages here. Not one could bar me. Just as your father could not bar me from reaching you. At the least… I am feared to that degree.”

Bitter resignation laced his tone. Ion feigned ignorance, easing it off.

“That’s not fear—that’s incompetence of their mages and pettiness of a Duke.”

Yes, Camillus might be called “Archmage,” “Witch’s Son,” yet standing here—he was merely a boy of sixteen. His cheeks still round with lingering youth, a trace of soft down upon his skin.

Ion squared his gaze with him, speaking firmly:

“You don’t scare me. Not at all.”

The simple words hit Camillus deeply. He froze—nearly breathless—before inhaling slowly.

“…Ion.”

“Yes?”

“That forest near the Duke’s manor,” Camillus said, “where I last brought you. Did you know… it is lovelier than most realize? Will you see it again with me?”

Ion chuckled lightly. With a tug of his loose night-robe sleeve, he arched a brow.

Camillus’s face pinched with awkwardness—yet it was not refusal he sought.

Ion relented with a small nod.

“…Even if I’m still in nightclothes… let’s go.”

Footnotes:

• Archmage (대마법사): Camillus bears this extraordinary title at only sixteen—fuel for both fear and awe among nobles. 
• Reunion Quest (재회): A system-dictated goal requiring three meetings with Camillus to affect Ion’s survival rate. 

Fear of Camillus: Both Duke Craiger and the Empire at large view his unmatched power as dangerous, leading to his years of confinement.