How on earth did this happen?

Kalia gazed at Simon through the window, lost in thought.

‘I carry Simon’s baby in my womb.’

Really, how did this happen?

What went wrong that day?

‘…Alcohol?’

No. Alcohol wasn’t the problem at all.

They had shared a drink so many times…

‘Then is it Derek’s weird scroll?’

With this thought, she chuckled and shook her head.

It was a foolish excuse to blame the scroll when she was a sword master.

Neither the alcohol nor the scroll was the problem.

In the end, the problem was Kalia that day.

Yes, Kalia that day.

“What’s the point of blaming now…”

Kalia rubbed her forehead feeling a bit embarrassed as she recalled that day.

* * *

That day was a mild victory celebration.

For the past 7 years, the Empire fought countless wars and achieved numerous victories.

Kalia played a significant role in the history of these victories, and thanks to her, the Empire entered a period of stability.

The Battle of Mahatari Sea was a battle that took place a year after the end of the previous war, when the foolish foreign pirates dared to plunder the Empire’s island country.

As always, the Emperor held a party in the main palace for her, and Kalia had a few drinks as she was in high spirits.

Kalia got quite drunk as she didn’t refuse whenever someone offered a toast, and Simon, who was watching from a distance, took her out to the garden when the party was in full swing.

“Why are you drinking so much today? Drink moderately, Kalia.”

“Hmm. I want to, but I’m in a good mood.”

Saying so, Kalia gave a loose smile.

It was because Simon, who had taken her out, didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

But strangely, he seemed to be in a worse mood when she smiled.

“…”

He stared at her in silence, clenched his fist and let it go, then muttered ‘dammit’ in a voice that only she could hear.

Kalia, who was slightly drunk, teased him.

“Hey, don’t swear. It’s disrespectful to the General, Simon.”

“Shut up, Kalia. I have a position that’s high enough not to lose to you.”

Simon grumbled fiercely, but his hands that gave her a cold cup of water were not as fierce.

His hands, that spread the fingers of her calloused, wounded hand and gave her a cup of water, were unusually white and clean.

Looking at his neatly cut and clean nails, Kalia chuckled.

What an unreadable guy.

When did he prepare this?

He seemed kind, yet his words were cold.

Although he often gets angry, he would sometimes burst into laughter at ridiculous times.

“You’re strange.”

After saying this, Kalia gulped down the water he handed over and held the empty cup.

Then Simon took the cup from her hand and muttered.

“If I’m strange, you’re annoying.”

As if carrying the cup was troublesome, Simon placed it on his palm, summoned mana, disassembled it smaller than dust, and brushed it onto the ground.

Using such a high-level skill just to get rid of a cup… It was nothing but a waste of skill.Shaking her head as if resigned, Kalia turned towards the garden, slightly tipsy.

Simon, who grabbed her wrist, said.

As always, indifferent, a bit annoyingly.

“Follow me. I have something for you.”

“Something for me?”

“You know, it’s your birthday today.”

Birthday?

‘…Oh, my birthday!’

Kalia laughed, revealing her dimples, as she understood what he was saying.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t her real birthday, it was the day she entered the Terroan Duchy when she was six years old.

Stubbornly, Simon called this day her birthday.

And for more than 20 years, he consistently celebrated this fake birthday of hers, known to no one else.

‘He is really diligent in strange places.’

Simon took her into the Mage Tower.

The Mage Tower was not far from the main palace.

Ordinary wizards used the second star palace in the west as their residence and frequented the Mage Tower, while master-level wizards used one floor of the Mage Tower as their lab and residence.

Since master-level wizards have the status of a junior count, their mansions are set separately within the capital, but the number of times those obsessed with research and magic use the mansion was rare.

Simon, who entered the master level at the age of 20, was no different.

From three years ago, Simon used the top floor of the Mage Tower as if it were his own house.

He had a small garden created on the existing roof, built an additional floor on it, and decorated it as if he were living in a two-story detached house.

No one could say anything about him taking up such a spacious area alone.

As mentioned, he was the Archmage.

A truly exceptional person who inherited all the magic power of his elf mother from the forest and had a talent that was noteworthy in a hundred years.

Thanks to this, he was the person who received both the jealousy and love of many people.

Kalia, still a little drunk, opened the small box Simon handed over with a dazed look.

Upon opening it, there were four magic scrolls that looked expensive at first glance.

“…Scrolls again.”

It was the same gift every year. Magic scrolls.

Ever since he started walking the path of magic and was able to make scrolls, his gifts have always been magic scrolls.

Kalia laughed at his consistency.

Indeed, he is strangely diligent.

Although her laughter was a bit tipsy from drinking today, she didn’t realize it herself.

He, standing in front of her, was on the verge of going crazy because she kept laughing.

Simon, with his golden eyes, stared at Kalia who was laughing carelessly, oblivious to his dangerous feelings.

His persistent gaze seemed to painstakingly comb through each and every eyelash of hers, but Kalia, who always seemed to leave her tact on the battlefield, didn’t pay him any mind.

‘…I’m getting dumber.’

“Eh? What did you say?”

“Never mind. Now, this is a scroll that erases the traces of manifestation. It makes tracking impossible within a radius of 20km, by magic or even tracking dogs.”

Simon spoke nonchalantly, habitually ignoring his feelings.

He was always leisurely, never in a hurry.

His behavior showed a slight arrogance, as if everything was under his control.

He was ignorant of the fact that his arrogance would later cause him to shed tears.

His cold fingertips, unaware of the future, pointed to each scroll and explained.

“And this is a teleportation scroll. If you have coordinates, you can move up to 100km. And this green one, as you know, is a healing scroll. Frankly speaking, this is the most expensive one here. It’s filled with magical power and divine power from the temple. It can detoxify poisons and cure diseases within a radius of 10km, and even recover from serious injuries.”

Kalia stared at the scrolls he was explaining, speechless.

Such scrolls could only be expected to be possessed by the imperial family.She had received numerous scrolls from Simon until now, but it was the first time she had received ones with such a wide range.

At first, when he handed her the scrolls, she accepted them lightly, but as the explanation went on, Kalia began to worry about why he was giving her these.

‘…He didn’t steal them from the imperial warehouse, did he?’

As if reading her suspicious gaze, one of Simon’s delicate eyebrows lifted in annoyance.

He said bluntly.

“Self-produced. Handmade.”

“…”

“Made by this Archmage.”

Simon proudly patted his chest with his finger, chin raised arrogantly.

His arrogant appearance suited his dazzling beauty, which was unfortunate.

Kalia recalled a time when she had almost thrown her cookie after hearing the ladies describe such Simon as ‘sardonic, aloof yet sensitive, and dripping with sexy charm.’

She didn’t want to deal with Simon like that, so she quickly pointed to the remaining scroll and spoke.

“I know this one. It’s to call you, right?”

“Correct.”

Simon smiled as if praising her.

His eyes, with thick eyelashes and deep shadows, narrowed.

The golden pupils glowing inside them caught a soft light and sparkled.

Even the slight curl of his red lips, his smile was as splendid as a painting.

Yes, admit it.

Her childhood friend was a man, but also a beauty that was infuriating.

“This is not constrained by radius. You just have to tear this and call me. Even if you’re on the other side of this continent.”

Simon approached Kalia, looking straight into her eyes.

And he reached out and touched her soft cheek, his fingertips barely brushing against her skin.

“…I will always find you, Kalia.”

For some reason, Kalia felt a tingling sensation all over her body.

It was her cheek where Simon’s fingertips had brushed, but she didn’t know why her waist twitched.

She didn’t know why, but anyway, it felt strange.

But why did he touch her cheek? Was there something on it?

“Did something stick on it? Tell me.”

Kalia rubbed the cheek where Simon’s fingertips had touched and brushed his hand away.

At her rough touch, rubbing her cheek until it turned red, Simon’s face stiffened.

After staring at her reddened cheek for a long time, Simon sighed and muttered.

“Idiot.”

‘…What is he talking about all of a sudden?’

Kalia frowned in disbelief, but Simon just shook his head, seemingly more confused by Kalia’s disbelief.

“Never mind. I’m the idiot for expecting something from you. A real big idiot. Yeah, what’s the difference from asking a passing brick if it knows death. Right? General Kalia, simple and ignorant, only knows swords and wars, and couldn’t catch a hint even though I’ve been dropping them consistently. For over 5 years. Ah, forget it. Just forget it. Ugh, I’m getting angry again after a long time.”

…Hey, Simon. Your words are harsh, aren’t they?

Kalia stared at him a little taken aback, but she didn’t really say anything.

After all, Kalia couldn’t beat Simon.

No, no one in the world could stop that madman.

If you argue with him, he spews out words in a language that is utterly incomprehensible, and with Kalia’s simple mind, it was impossible to interpret what he was saying.

“Hmm.”

It was better not to bother Simon when he was getting hot like that.

She had to avoid him for the time being.

Kalia secretly walked around the lab, avoiding Simon, who was furiously running his fingers through his hair.

He needed time to calm down.

‘What is this?’

Then she accidentally discovered a pile of scrolls.

Picking up one of the scrolls that she normally wouldn’t be interested in was the beginning of the problem.