Inside his room, the two of them sat there feeling refreshed. When Leona asked if he wasn't planning to sleep at all, Rean firmly said he wouldn't die from missing one night of sleep. After reminding him of his own words about how mages were supposed to need proper rest, she casually mentioned that his eyes were a really deep blue.
That comment caught him off guard for a moment. Eventually, he asked if she was only noticing now. Confused, Leona said it wasn't like she'd ever looked closely at his eyes before. She'd always assumed they were green, or maybe light blue. Rean teased her in return, saying her eyes looked a bit strange too, and that she might want to see an eye doctor someday.
And then his thoughts betrayed him. He realized he did remember her blood red eye color. It was unusual, one of those things that stuck in his mind whether he wanted it to or not.
Then he heard a soft sound. At first, he thought he'd imagined it, but no. Leona had fallen asleep while sitting right beside him.
Rean stared at her, irritated. It was the middle of the night. She was alone in a room with him, someone who could use powerful magic and was considered devastatingly handsome. And she was sleeping like nothing in the world could go wrong.
But the real issue hit him next. Would he really be fine staying awake the entire night?
The next day gave him no time to overthink it. The two of them were now standing in front of their commander, who witnessed their unbreakable hand-holding firsthand. In the end, Miles decided to call Leona back once the effect wore off.
Leona asked if the reason for summoning her was something Rean wasn't supposed to hear. The commander explained it wasn't exactly a secret, but it could be a personal matter for her. A new recruit was joining the Central Division, someone she had known since childhood, freshly graduated as the top student from the Spirit Academy.
Leona frowned and immediately cut him off, saying she didn't have any friends like that.
Rean, listening quietly, connected the dots in his head. Spirit summoning and necromancy usually came from noble bloodlines. And judging by the commander's careful tone, this wasn't some distant branch family. Whoever this person was, he came from a high-ranking household. That was why the commander wanted Leona's opinion first.
He even offered to transfer her to another branch if she wanted. Leona thanked him, but said she didn't care whether the guy joined or not. If anything, she pointed out that transferring him instead of her would be more reasonable for fair treatment.
Miles accepted her decision and moved on to the important news. The ether criminals captured yesterday had no memory of committing their crimes. Their memories cut off while they were on Geral Island. On top of that, a mine worker had gone missing there just the night before. Because of the previous incident, the case had been handed directly to special forces instead of the local precinct.
A portal would be prepared as soon as they were ready. Their first destination would be Mavado City, the closest point to Geral Island.
As they were sent off, a female staff member awkwardly remarked that the two of them seemed to be getting along well. Both of them denied it at the exact same time without missing a beat, of course.
Once they reached Mavado City, Leona's attention immediately drifted to the important things, like food. She was already looking forward to eating seafood. Rean reminded her they weren't there to eat. They were on a mission and should check the ferry schedule first.
That resolve lasted about five seconds. The streets were packed with vendors, the smell of seafood hanging thick in the air. Leona was ready to pounce on everything she saw when Rean tried to yank her back and reminded her about the mission again. Leona argued that her hunger had already hit its limit.
One woman suggested that Rean should treat his girlfriend to lunch, since their place offered a couple's set. Rean immediately denied that Leona was his girlfriend, then walked away while practically dragging her along.
After confirming the ferry schedule, Leona protested that they still had an hour before the next ferry, and suggested they at least eat something. Rean sighed and told her to wait ten seconds.
Exactly ten seconds later, their hands separated.
Leona stared at him, impressed. Rean had actually been counting down, and his timing was perfect. He said that level of precision was normal for him. On the spot, Leona thought this was exactly why mages like him were so insufferable. But since they were already there, she declared they might as well eat, and pointed out the couple's set the woman had offered earlier.
Rean refused, but suggested they eat separately and meet back at the dock in an hour. Just because they'd been stuck together due to a celestial's prank didn't mean anything had changed, or that they were suddenly close. Annoyed, Leona told him he had zero tact, but he didn't care and just moved on.
If Rean thought she wouldn't be able to eat the couple's set, he was dead wrong. She ordered it anyway and ate the entire thing by herself, leaving her completely stuffed and satisfied.
As she walked, a little girl called out to Leona and handed her a small charm, saying it was exactly what she needed. It was a protection charm. The girl explained that her grandma had made the pouch, and she had picked the flower petals inside herself. Her grandma was an amazing psychic and had told her to make sure the charm went to a lady with red hair. She added that wearing it would protect Leona from dangerous men.
When Leona asked if she even knew what that meant, the girl happily admitted she didn't. She was just repeating what her grandma had said.
Half amused and half touched, Leona asked if she could buy all the charms instead. Even if it was just for peace of mind, it couldn't hurt. And anything that might protect her chastity from those weird gods sounded like a good deal. However, the girl refused, saying her grandma had told her to give Leona only one.
Leona accepted that, then mentioned she knew someone else in a similar situation. She told the girl to wait there and turned around, already planning to drag Rean over so he could buy a charm too.
Soon enough, Leona scanned the area, but Rean was nowhere to be found. Then she heard women screaming about a handsome man who looked like an actor. They'd never seen someone that charming in their town before, and now they were all eager to find out who he was.
Of course, Leona already knew exactly who it was. She marched straight over, grabbed Rean, and told him they were leaving immediately because they didn't have time to linger. Rean, completely confused, asked if she'd found some kind of clue. She quickly said no, then admitted this was about protecting their chastity.
But when they reached the spot where Leona had seen the little girl, there was no one there. Leona ignored his protests about being dragged there without checking first and asked a nearby woman if she'd seen a child selling talismans in the area. The woman shook her head and said no one had been there all day, and that the stall had been empty ever since the old woman who used to own it passed away.
So, had Leona just encountered a ghost earlier?