Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 105

To Teacher, From Vanessa 105

The slender ankle, held in his large hand, felt incredibly delicate. He gently tugged on Vanessa’s leg, extending it straight.

Vanessa stifled a scream—even in this situation, she was a considerate neighbor, mindful of the sensitive people next door.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

He didn’t answer, instead running his other hand over her skin. His hand moved like a long-legged spider, a light touch, barely there.

But every place it touched sent shivers down her spine.

The slow advance, creeping upward, was agonizing. Her mouth fell open involuntarily.

The unknown tension had her in a daze for a moment. Vanessa belatedly noticed the emotion in his expression. Oh no…

Crap, my injury!

Sleep vanished instantly. Vanessa thrashed and protested.

“It’s not that bad! It just looks dramatic!”

“That’s a pretty obvious lie to someone who’s looking right at it,” he replied calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he examined the colorful marks. His face suggested he wanted to check if there were any more injuries elsewhere.

When he glanced at the long top that reached down to her thighs, Vanessa glared.

“No higher.”

“……”

Gideon exhaled briefly and removed his hand from her injured leg. Vanessa tried to pull her leg back as quickly as possible, but he easily stopped her. The man’s hand then moved to his own collar.

Immediately, a soft white light began to swirl in Gideon’s other hand. Before she knew it, the wound on her knee had vanished without a trace, and even the bruising had faded. It was an incredibly clean healing spell.

“How is your healing magic so fast? I heard it was notoriously slow. Was that just for me?”

Despite Vanessa’s sulky muttering, Gideon’s expression didn’t soften, and one eyebrow remained stubbornly raised.

His serious face made Vanessa shut her mouth and grumble inwardly.

What *can’t* you do? Being good at both attack magic and healing magic is too much! The way you use magic is completely different. How much innate magic do you have… Oh, come to think of it.

Vanessa suddenly raised her hand as if she were about to ask a question to a professor, causing Gideon to give her a dumbfounded look.

“Come to think of it, where’s your sword?”

Gideon’s magic realization condition was ‘contact with a sword made of Eldar steel,’ so the sword should have been visible for him to use healing magic, but he was empty-handed.

Vanessa, who had already gotten up and sat on the edge of the bed, looked at him with a curious expression, examining him from side to side. Gideon, who had been quietly looking down at her, removed a pin from his collar.

“Here.”

What was placed on her hand was a long, unadorned piece of metal.

Vanessa turned the decorated goldwork and pulled it out, revealing an end that was finished as sharply as a blade. It somehow resembled a sword.

“What is this? Is it Eldar steel by any chance?”

“That’s right. My condition is that I recognize something made of Eldar steel as a sword. This *is* a ‘sword.'”

“Wow, this is a sword?”

Vanessa rolled the metal in her hand, looking at it with interest.

It was a condition that was no different from a trick. Most wizards do not reveal their magic realization conditions to strangers, as the condition can be a weakness.

However, Gideon’s condition was so famous that it was used as an example in many academies because he had publicly revealed it for early graduation.

If someone were to attack Gideon, they would try to take the sword first, preventing him from using both magic and the sword. But this small object would instantly render their intentions useless.

*It looks exactly like a sword, but it’s too small. If he recognized this as a sword, does that mean he can use this object as a sword?*

Vanessa’s academic curiosity swelled up after a long time, and she became excited.

Gideon, who had been quietly watching her, reached out, retrieved the ‘sword,’ and reattached it to his collar. The beautifully crafted metal suited him very well, looking just like an ornament.

“I’m afraid you’ll get hurt, so I can’t let you do that anymore.”

Vanessa cleared her throat at his gloomy voice and insisted, trying to sound confident.

“It’s much better than when Gideon was hurt. I was just hit by some branches, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with me.”

Of course, she hid the fact that she had been tied to a vine and dragged into the air.

Gideon stared at Vanessa’s—shameless—face for a moment before letting out a small sigh.

He reached out and caressed her cheek. When Vanessa met his eyes and smiled brightly without any reservations, a faint smile returned to his lips.

“Okay. You came back healthy, so let’s say you kept your promise. Good job, Vanessa.”

His quiet voice made her truly realize that she was home. Vanessa smiled brightly before realizing something and quickly pulling up the blanket.

Now that Gideon’s healing magic had removed the colorful marks, her white skin was clearly visible. It was a great relief that her top was long.

Vanessa cleared her throat and mumbled.

“You shouldn’t touch other people’s bare legs like that. Be careful next time.”

Gideon protested with an aggrieved expression.

“Didn’t you take it off and open it for me? Why don’t you properly check who it is? What if it was someone else?”

“Well, I was sleepy and not thinking straight. The owner wouldn’t let just anyone in anyway… Come to think of it, how *did* you get in?”

Now that she felt quite relieved, Gideon began to look around the room without answering. With a tall, thick man standing there, the space seemed completely filled.

He looked like an out-of-place, ornate decoration in the small, humble room.

Vanessa stared at him, but Gideon was still busy looking around. The room was filled with sunlight, making the man’s golden hues look even more vibrant….

*But is the sun setting now?*

Vanessa rubbed her eyes several times in disbelief. How long did I sleep?

“Did the owner let you in?”

When Vanessa pressed him, the man finally turned his gaze back to her. He looked at Vanessa, wrapped in a blanket, and smiled slightly.

“Yes. Don’t worry, I teleported right in front of the building and came here, so no one saw me. The owner let me in easily. Is it really safe here?”

*It must be because of his face.*

Vanessa could understand the situation without seeing it.

The owner must have stammered as soon as he saw his face, spilling out where Vanessa Rose was and what floor she was on. If Gideon asked him to keep it a secret, he would have nodded as if he were hypnotized.

Vanessa groaned and buried her head in the soft, white pillow.

The room wasn’t dirty, but it didn’t look particularly tidy either. Clothes that had been carelessly thrown off were still hanging on the back of the chair, and the desk was cluttered with papers and pens.

“Coming on a day like this is cheating….”

Gideon chuckled as he watched Vanessa grumble while lying down. He curiously stroked Vanessa’s [a type of magical horn] hornir and flipped through the books on the desk.

Most of the books with very long titles were magic theory books, and he smiled faintly.

On the white paper on top, there were passages from the books that had been copied and then heavily underlined, and there were also places where only ‘?’ was scribbled, allowing him to immediately feel Vanessa’s anguish.

Even though it was a very small room and everything could be seen at a glance, he wandered around, looking at various things with great interest.

Vanessa, on the other hand, quietly observed the man.

The eyes lowered to look at the letters on the paper, the faint smile on his lips. He looked as innocent as a curious boy.

Gideon already roughly understood her situation. He knew that her parents had passed away, that she had grown up in an orphanage, and that she would not have been able to attend the academy without the help of a sponsor.

With that much information, he would probably have a rough idea of how Vanessa was making a living.

Still, she absolutely didn’t want to show him her small, humble room until the very end. No matter how neatly she decorated it, it was just one room. It felt like her last bastion.

Even if he was guessing, it would be different from seeing it in person. He might try to hide his surprise at how small and messy it was.

But after he came in, she realized it wasn’t a big deal. He’s looking at it with such interest, so what.

He was definitely not the type of person to look down on someone for something like this.

“Gideon.”

Gideon softly turned his gaze at the sound of her calling him. His gentle gaze made her feel relieved and smile involuntarily.

*Yeah, it’s nothing.*

Her eyes started to droop again. The fatigue hadn’t gone away even after a long sleep.

Gideon, noticing this, pulled a chair next to the bed and stroked Vanessa’s eyes. The warm, large hand covering her eyes made her body feel even more relaxed.

“It was your first mission, and you’re not even telling me how it went. I was worried sick all by myself.”

“The Commander already reported everything. It’s embarrassing…. You heard I got a pay cut for acting on my own, right? It would have been better if you had reported it properly.”

Vanessa mumbled and yawned softly.

“I didn’t know Special Forces work was this tiring…. Come to think of it, how did the academy go?”

As Vanessa asked with her eyes closed, he whispered in a low voice as if singing a lullaby.

“Fortunately, the investigation was completed without any problems. Vanessa’s contribution was significant, so His Majesty, who personally chose you, will be very pleased.”

“We all did it together…. Are you off work?”

“I think I’ll have to go back later, but for now, yes.”

Vanessa glanced up to check Gideon’s expression. He didn’t look too bad, but she couldn’t tell because he was so good at hiding his struggles.

She was so exhausted after only going on one mission, wouldn’t he be exhausted from overseeing everything?

“The bed is too small… Do you want to lie down? Just a moment.”

Gideon paused slightly. Vanessa, with her eyes closed, probably didn’t mean anything by it, but it wasn’t quite the same for him.

When the flustered Gideon didn’t say anything, Vanessa squeezed herself as close to the wall as possible. Even as she moved, her eyes remained half-closed.

“If I lie on my side, wouldn’t that work? Maybe not….”

Another small yawn.

Gideon paused for a moment before taking off his perfectly fitted uniform jacket and hanging it on the back.

He kept hesitating. There was a clear difference between being together in Valder Castle and being together in her small, cozy space.

However, no matter how many times he thought about it, there was no reason why it wouldn’t work, and the temptation was overwhelmingly strong. Someone who had been starving for a long time would easily succumb to a fragrant scent.

He tried to get up, but the bed was too narrow and small for his body.

In the end, Gideon lay on his side and completely pulled Vanessa into his arms. Only then could the two of them lie on the bed.

His legs stuck out slightly from the bed due to his height, but well, it was okay.

Vanessa, leaning her head against Gideon’s chest, half-opened her eyes and untied the string around the man’s neck. Then, she hugged his back and began to pat it.

Vanessa noticed the tense back muscles, but she didn’t say anything. His arms were very warm and comfortable.

“Get some sleep… You must be very tired….”

After leaving those words, Vanessa closed her eyes again and slowly began to breathe evenly.

*She must be wanting to sleep, but she’s uncomfortable because I just came in, so she’s asking me to sleep with her.*

Gideon thought so, but he was helplessly melting. Vanessa, completely nestled in his arms, was excessively sweet. He sometimes wondered if she was made of honey or sugar.

Vanessa had completely fallen asleep while Gideon was suspecting her.

He felt a happiness in this narrow room that he hadn’t felt even in the ornate and beautiful castle.

How satisfying this room with only the two of them was. The only sound was Vanessa’s small, soft breathing. It was too perfect to be real.

But at the same time, a chilling sense of unease came over him. Eugenia’s voice came to mind.

*’I advise you to reveal the truth as soon as possible, Sponsor-nim.’*

Yes, it would be better to tell her before piling up more lies. It was something he couldn’t hide forever. Vanessa still sent affectionate letters to her ‘teacher.’

However, Gideon could no longer properly reply to those letters.

He was afraid that the affection, different from that for her ‘teacher,’ would be revealed, and the guilt of deceiving her made the pen feel heavy. So, he could only manage to write a few lines in response.

But after sending it, he worried that she would be upset by the short letter. Vanessa must be worried about her teacher, who she didn’t know why had become less communicative.

*Vanessa might forgive me. But….*

What if you feel betrayed and think all of this is a lie and abandon me?

Feeling anxious, he clung to the small warmth in his arms. He repeated to himself that it wouldn’t happen and tried to close his eyes.