I should come back here some other time. Erna remembered that there was a villa owned by Hessenguard not too far away. In addition to that one, there were at least one or two other villas owned by Hessenguard in the surrounding area. But she didn’t often leave the castle grounds so this hadn’t interested her before.
I heard he uses them often though. She’d heard that Kalion usually spent his time in the villa whenever he went on a mission outside of the castle grounds. This information had been given to her by Vanessa, who’d once asked Erna if she’d wanted to visit these areas. At that time, she hadn’t thought much about it, but if there were more trips to suppress magical creatures, that could be an option. I’ll have to look into it a bit more once I get back.
Erna stretched her arms upwards and turned away from the window, feeling so much more relaxed after a good night’s rest. I’ve been on edge every night because of him lately… Then, she realized that there was a contradiction in her thoughts. How could one sleep comfortably with the presence of another who bothered them the most? Come to think of it, it’s ridiculous. I was in the same room with Kalion, and I was sleeping without any precautions? Especially after what had happened recently? And to make matters worse, there were magical creatures everywhere.
The general public might be fearful, but she wasn’t. Erna was one of the most powerful wizards around, with the widest range of magical powers, so, if there were any magical creatures close by, she would’ve sensed their presence. But it was still strange that she’d slept so deeply. Was I too tired to even think about it? It was possible, especially if someone was exhausted to the point that they could faint. Erna felt almost too refreshed after waking up, and with unsolved questions, she looked around the room, wondering if someone had put a spell on the mansion in the past.
But no sign of magic was found anywhere in the room. Instead, Erna found something else. There was evidence that someone had slept on the very bed she’d slept on! Erna was sure that she’d slept soundly in the middle of the bed. But, at the edge of the bed, there was an indentation, as if someone had slept on top of it for a very long time. She looked at the rug on the floor where the mattress ended and she saw indentations there too as if someone had stood there for a long time. She put her foot on it but it was certainly not from her, as the size was half an inch bigger. There was undoubtedly only one person in the room who could’ve left the indentations on the bed and the rug, “I told him not to come over!” She yelled to the empty room.
Yesterday, Erna had glanced at Kalion before going to bed. He’d been lying on the sofa with a calm look on his face. It was so out of character for him and she’d expected him to demand his right to sleep comfortably, ignoring her feelings about it. And, he would’ve told her to sleep elsewhere if she felt uncomfortable. But yesterday, Kalion was unable to say anything because he probably felt guilty about what he’d done. So Erna had slept peacefully, but now she felt irritated that Kalion had gotten into the bed with her and slept pleasantly too, while she was unaware because she was in deep sleep.
“Don’t even think about it today!” She yelled again. Erna vowed to not allow Kalion near her bed, even if it meant she had to use magic.
*
“Are you all right?” Cedric looked at Kalion with a slightly worried look.
Knights themselves were like weapons. Just as they had to care for their swords every day, a knight had to take care of himself too, and a good night’s sleep was one of the most important ways to do so. Cedric knew that Kalion always took good care of himself, especially when he was on a mission to fight against magical creatures. He would take extra care to be in the best condition he could be. But today, Kalion’s face looked as if he’d overworked himself until late last night. His eyes were darker than usual, he had slightly bloodshot eyes, and his hair looked unkempt.
“Why are you asking me that question all of a sudden?”
“I’m asking you because you seem as if you didn’t sleep well last night.”
Cedric’s words reminded Kalion of the previous night. ‘If you come over here, you’re dead to me.’ Erna had said and had immediately fallen asleep. Soon after, he’d heard her deep breathing and he’d sat quietly on the sofa holding his breath.
He’d tried his best to convey an apology but it seemed to irritate Erna even more and her eyes seemed to have been filled with contempt. Kalion felt falsely accused. He’d never done anything like that in the past, so why all of a sudden was he dreaming about something like that? No matter how much he regretted it, what was done was done and there was no going back. So Kalion had decided to be more mindful and respect Erna’s wishes for him to not step over the carpet.
He’d laid back down on the couch and tried to sleep, but it was uncomfortable and too small for his body, but he had thought it would be better than sleeping on the floor. Not too long after he’d closed his eyes again, he had heard a strange sound. His eyes had shot open as he listened to Erna’s groaning, wondering what in the world was going on. Jumping up, he’d grabbed the sword on the table next to the sofa, thinking it was some sort of attack, and had seen that Erna was alone in the bed. After confirming that there was nothing else around, he’d put the sword down and had sat down on the sofa.
She continued making strange groaning sounds and Kalion could see her body flinching under the covers. Is she sick or something? Why is she like this? He’d wondered.
‘Hey. Pumpkin,’ he’d said softly. Erna had always been annoyed by the word pumpkin. It was probably because it made her think about their wedding day. Of course, just as Erna was irritated by the word pumpkin, Kalion was also irritated by the word earthworm. He didn’t even worry about swear words, but for some reason, that particular word irritated him. She hadn’t replied to him which confirmed that she’d been fast asleep.
But what is wrong with her? Why is she suddenly groaning all alone? He’d thought.
Kalion had stood at the end of the carpet that Erna had pointed to, and he’d watched her. Her head had stuck out of the blanket, but her face had been covered by her long hair. Soon after, she’d tossed and turned as if she’d been uncomfortable and her hair had scattered about, and Kalion had noticed her exhaling sharp cold breaths.
He’d unknowingly forgotten what she’d said and had approached the side of the bed and looked at her closely. What’s happening to her? He’d remembered asking himself. Erna had looked tired but she hadn’t looked like she was experiencing any pain. However, she had been sweating profusely and her face had been pale.
He’d wondered if he should call the lieutenant and the doctor or perhaps find a wizard who could heal. Kalion had agonized for a while but soon realized that Erna’s condition was somewhat similar to something he’d seen before.
A long time ago, he’d met a wandering wizard while on a mission to fight magical creatures. Moving with the knights for a while, the wizard had told Kalion a few things about magic and wizards. Then, one night, when the magical creatures had gotten closer, he’d suddenly hugged Kalion’s arm and groaned as if he were in agony. Kalion, who’d been staring at the creature, had watched as his knights approached in surprise, but the wizard had waved his hand as if he were okay.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Oh, no need to be surprised. There seems to be quite a lot of creatures nearby.’
‘Do all wizards feel the presence of magical creatures?’
‘It’s because we use the same power. In the first place, magic is the power that fills space, and magical creatures are creatures that have flowed in the wrong space and out of normal order, so we often feel each other because we all have the same roots. I’m not that strong, but other strong wizards become more sensitive to their nearness. And it’s like this only at night. Nighttime makes magic much more powerful.’
‘Is there any way we can help you?’
When he’d asked, the wizard answered as if he had waited for the words, ‘Can I sit next to you?’
‘Next to me?’
‘Yes, wizards and the knights are opposites. Knights are people who are extremely fit to harness the power of the body, that is, the power of the world we live in. If those people are near, wizards are less influenced by the creatures,’ the wizard had explained and had quickly sunk between Kalion and Cedric. Then, surprisingly, he’d soon gotten better.
It’s similar to what happened with the wizard, Kalion recalled thinking. The only difference between then and the previous evening, was that the magical creatures had been much further away from Erna than they had been from the wizard. The nearest lake was a long way down the hill and the magical creatures wouldn’t have been able to make it this far on land. Kalion also remembered that the stronger the wizard was, the more sensitive they were, and currently, the strongest wizard in Hessenguard was Erna. It had made sense that she was so sensitive to the creatures, even though they were so far away. To add to that, it had also been late at night, which meant that magic was far more powerful.
Kalion had stood next to the bed feeling helpless and wondering what to do. When Erna had moaned and groaned again, he’d sneaked up to her, and surprisingly, her face had immediately relaxed. The wizard’s words had been true.
Kalion had taken a few steps back and her relaxed face had hardened as she’d curled up. Seeing that, he had hesitated for a moment, then he’d approached the bed again, and her face had softened with a gentle smile.