The door was flung wide open. A runny-nosed little boy poked his head inside. With a grin, the boy asked whether he was Lilith's little brother.
Abel was baffled. What on earth was this child talking about?
The boy, who called himself Ted, declared with great self-importance that he intended to take Abel as his underling. Abel felt a wave of helpless resignation. Judging by the fine clothing, the boy was clearly of noble birth. He calmly declined this so-called honor, but the boy began to pester and whine, insisting loudly and persistently that Abel had no choice but to agree.
Pushed past his limit, Abel decided to drive the boy off in the most direct way possible. He warned the boy not to, and deliberately let him get a clear look at the color of his eyes.
The boy was indeed taken aback. Abel thought his plan had worked. Then Ted let out a thunderous burst of laughter. He shouted excitedly that this was the first time he had ever seen the legendary amber eyes.
Abel couldn't understand why the boy wasn't afraid.
Just then an older boy came rushing over to stop his younger brother. This was Ted's older brother, Bors, and he scolded Ted for barging into someone else's home. But Ted couldn't wait to point at Abel, eager to share his discovery.
Seeing Abel's amber eyes, Bors seemed to understand. He mentioned that Lilith had spoken highly of her brother's remarkable talent, but his words carried a barely concealed disappointment at seeing the reality for himself. Ted leaned in to explain that these chick-like amber eyes meant a complete inability to adapt to magic of any attribute whatsoever.
Abel was inwardly stunned. This was the complete opposite of everything he knew. Amber eyes required grueling training to unlock their full potential, but once mastered they could command powerful magic of every attribute. In the past, that power had drawn envy, and yet it had also commanded deep reverence.
Bors scolded his brother for speaking so harshly, and then followed it with words of his own. He remarked that these days one could live a perfectly happy life without any magic at all, and implied that Abel would be looked after in a manner befitting his station.
Abel was inwardly appalled. He was being treated as someone utterly useless.
Bors urged his brother to go home and practice his magic. Before leaving, Ted couldn't resist one last look back to mock Abel's chick eyes.
Abel stared at the door as it slammed shut and felt a wave of absurd helplessness wash over him. In that moment he suddenly understood the history he had just been reading. The world had been at peace for a century. The demon race had faded into distant legend. The amber eyes that had once mirrored those of demons naturally no longer inspired fear. In a peaceful era where the general standard of magic had fallen into decline, eyes whose worth only revealed itself through years of hard training had become a laughingstock.
From being persecuted in the past to being ridiculed in the present. The simple, ordinary life he longed for seemed forever out of reach.
Just then Lilith returned, pulling him from his thoughts. Seeing what she was wearing, Abel understood her occupation at a glance. Lilith gave a light twirl and asked if it suited her. Abel felt a slight warmth rise to his cheeks and answered honestly that it did.
Now his confusion was resolved as well. He understood why she had to conceal those amber eyes. Over two hundred years, the status of amber eyes had been turned completely on its head.
Lilith's expression grew sorrowful. She spoke of how the demon race had declined over those two hundred years. Ever since the demon king was defeated by the heroes, the remnants of the demon race had been hunted down and wiped out by humans, and the standard of mages had visibly plummeted as well. He took up her words, lamenting that even the truth of the power hidden within amber eyes had been forgotten.
Then he asked her something sudden. As a member of the demon race, did she harbor hatred toward humans, and toward him?
Lilith only gave a gentle smile and softly shook her head. She recalled how he had thrown himself into protecting her when she was little, wandering everywhere with her in tow. He had not only taught her magic, but also how to survive among humans.
She rose to her feet, and with quiet but unwavering resolve she voiced the feelings she had long kept hidden. She confessed that for a very long time now she had been deeply, deeply in love with him.
Then she made a request.
In the steam-filled bathroom, she gently wiped his back. He pointed out, slightly flustered, what a scene like this might imply. She only laughed softly, saying that with his child's appearance he wasn't exactly making a compelling case. Still, just being seen as a woman in his eyes was more than enough to make her happy.
That night they shared the same bed. It was the first time in two hundred years, the first time he had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.
In the mornings that followed, he and she shared breakfast together. During the days he would immerse himself in books, soaking up the knowledge of this era. But every afternoon the peace was rudely shattered by an uninvited guest. Ted, the noble's son, would come barging in, demanding a playmate. Abel had no time for children, and found himself constantly scheming ways to escape.
One day he walked straight to the window and cast a simple spell. Under Ted's wide-eyed, open-mouthed stare, he leapt lightly onto the neighbor's rooftop. It wasn't even a fraction of his former ability, but it was more than enough to impress.
Ted's competitive spirit was instantly ignited. He actually tried to muster his own magic and leap out the window. His body wobbled unsteadily, barely leaving the ground, and his magic leaked out wildly and unchecked. Abel could see the problem immediately. That kind of control could never be sustained.
Sure enough, Ted's magic gave out. He shrieked and tumbled down into the bushes below. Abel jumped down to check on him, but the embarrassed and furious Ted suddenly launched himself at him. Abel lightly stepped on his back and used it as a springboard to leap aside. Ted crashed straight into the wall.
Looking at the boy clutching his nose in pain, Abel found himself thinking the kid could take a hit. With twenty years of training, he might actually become a decent mage.
Ted was furious at this, accusing his underling of having some nerve to talk to him that way. Abel calmly denied being anyone's underling. Then a thought suddenly struck him, and he immediately reversed course, saying he would be willing to be Ted's underling after all.
Ted lit up with delight. But Abel said there was one condition.
He thought of the warm scarf Lilith had given him. He told Ted that if he could snatch the scarf from him before sunset, he would gladly acknowledge Ted as his older brother.
Ted thought it sounded easy and immediately agreed. Abel, however, had his own plans in mind. Since this noble young master was going to interrupt his reading every day regardless, he might as well use him as an excellent physical training partner.