The Flower of Separation

Zushi asked him to bring the letter, and perhaps a reply too.

So when he brought Pierre over and used the front gate, the girl was more than surprised. The elders left moments ago after confirming who he was and his magic level. Despite the curse on him, the boy still had more light magic than dark.

It seems they will discuss whether he can stay or not, but they won't turn him away. He also left, knowing he would only disturb the two friends who hadn't seen each other in a while.

Ever since he entered his room, though, Raiju remained in a daze.

The people in the monastery arent saints, even though this is a place of worship and holiness. Even those bathed in the light have dark secrets. His father knew this very well, and that was why the man sent him here.

Unfortunately, he has not found any concrete information, for the last two years, so he never has much to report to his father. Father, however, never gave him the order to go back. It seems father knows what to look for better than him.

Still, he wonders how much longer he can keep this up. It is getting difficult to stay here while restraining his magic. People will eventually find out, but when they do, he should be ready. He will explain it all to them, how much he knew.

But for now, neither having light or dark magic should remain a secret.

His thoughts break off when he hears a knock on his door, "Come in."

Raiju knew who it was; only one person would boldly visit this late. Normal people, even the seniors and the adults, would think twice before visiting at night. Even though he has neither dark or light magic, he is still a member of the Ageha family. He is still a member of that corrupted family.

Corrupted huh? Sometimes it is hard for him to swallow the negative things regarding his family. Why did he have to be born into such a family? There are thousands of families in this world, yet he ended up in that place with his luck.

But even though he has explained that to her on numerous occasions, this girl has never feared him once. It seemed even when they made eye contact in her manor; she wasn't afraid but just curious. What an unusual person.

To his surprise, the girl bowed, causing him to blink surprised. He didn't think the day would come where she would behave formally in front of him.

"Thank you for saving him."

"It wasn't me." In the end, if his sister hadn't interfered, then that situation would have ended up badly. If his sister were just a normal girl with no magic, then that young boy would not be alive.

I would have had no choice but to kill him.

Raiju wondered if Zushi considered this possibility.

"Also, I apologize."

"Apologise?"

"This is the first time I have heard of a commoner with such strong mana, let alone get a curse."

Raiju blinked when he heard those words. Huh, it seems she still hasn't realized it. Then again, if he recalled correctly, sir. Aaron did mention that the Zestra family traditions were peculiar. Interactions between the opposite gender were rare, even amongst direct family members. But they grant a bit of freedom to direct heirs.

This girl probably has no idea that she is a candidate as an heir to her family.

Zushi? That girl is stronger than me, but it will not show until she learns to control her abilities.

Perhaps that is the one thing they have in common. They both have little sisters who cannot control their mana now but can surpass them. If it is mana control, Lillian is slightly better, but just having control isn't enough. That something Lillian lacks. Zestra Zushi has it.

He wonders what would happen if their paths cross someday.

His gaze fell back onto the girl who was now kneeling crouched on the ground, her head low.

Should he inform her who that young boy is? But, if she were to learn that, then that boy will no longer be able to run away from home. Zushi probably doesn't realize it, but her father has a monitoring spell on her. At the very least, she didn't have it before she came to the monastery; otherwise, the girl would not have been able to come here.

The Zestra family must suspect something about this place too.

Raiju sighed and got up from the bed. He grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"You know I will say this just once, but you shouldn't bow in front of your enemies."

"Enemies?"

"Our families don't exactly see eye to eye." Though he still hasn't figured out what the reason was.

Sure the Zestra family advocates more for peaceful methods, but it is not like they are a peaceful family without corruption. Especially the current head, that guy gives off a scarier aura than his father these days. But despite that, father has some sort of grudge against them.

When he suggested Lillian entered the monastery, too, fathers reaction surprised him. He was so against it and even mentioned something along the lines of not letting the two meet for now. His sister cant meet with Zushi; why is that?

He has so many questions in his head, but unfortunately, he does not have any answers to these right now.

His thoughts broke off when he felt a familiar warmth across his cheeks to find that the girl had grabbed his cheeks. "You—what are you?"

What on earth is she doing?

"Look me in the eye and say that you treat me as your enemy."

Huh? What-?

"Well, can you repeat that?" Zushi challenged.

It took Raiju a few extra minutes to process what was going on. This girl must be some kind of idiot. Doesn't she realize how dangerous he is? He knew she sensed it; no matter how bad she is at detecting mana, she can tell this much.

It seems there are many fools in this world, Lillian. It is a shame that he cannot let them meet. If Lillian knew how kind another human being could be, then perhaps it could heal her heart?

Raiju knew that no matter how kind he is to his sister, all those efforts are in vain once she starts her training.

He closed the distance between him and the girl before he landed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Zushi, startled, immediately stepped back and was about to fall to the ground until he reached over and caught her.

"Honestly, young miss from the Zestra family, you should be more careful."

"Y-you did something weird."

This girl must be clueless about romance. It is not like he is interested in her that way. He has a short life span, to begin with, so he never saw the need to get a fiancé or even a lover. Until the day he dies, there is one thing he has to do.

To take down the Ageha family and take down the current head, only his mother will have peace.

His gaze softened when he saw the young girl with a red-stained face and averting his gaze. If he was a normal person, if he wasn't born into the Ageha family, maybe he would have given it a shot.

She is pretty cute, and she treats him very well. She is one of the rare few who doesn't see him as a monster. It could work if he was a normal person.

Raiju grabbed hold of the girl's arms and pulled her into his arms. He honestly had no idea what he was doing right now. Maybe he just wanted to try his luck a little. Maybe if she felt something for him, this could turn into something, and he wouldn't feel bad about it.

Of course, he knew she was fond of the boy that Lillian and him just saved. But she is still young. It is normal to miss a friend if they have not seen each other in so long.

He turned to Zushi, who was struggling to break free. "Not going to scold me, I see?"

"I--I am prepared! First, I need to escape."

Raiju laughed. This girl is indeed very interesting. "So am I just going to get a thank you?"

Zushi immediately understood. "Is this what you want from me?" She slowly asked.

Raiju nodded. "Just stay still for a few minutes."

There was an odd flowery and sweet scent around the girl, and it was very plesant. Who knew she would fit so comfortably in his arms like this?