IOBTML 24

Sweet potatoes disappeared one after another into Ahwin’s mouth, as if he’d become addicted to their sweet taste after trying them for the first time.

The maids cast sulky glances at Ahwin as he even stole the snacks intended for Penelope, but she didn’t seem to mind.

The floor was warm, her stomach pleasantly full.

‘It would be nice if things could stay this peaceful,’ she thought.

The heavy snowfall of recent days had confined the vassals to their quarters and minimized the movements of the castle staff.

But once the snow stopped, Halo Castle would come alive again, and Penelope would undoubtedly be busy once more.

‘At least the heating system will make moving around easier. Maybe I should focus on sprucing up the castle this winter. Once the heating system is complete, I’ll need to start renovating the soap workshop too.’

Penelope gazed out the window, her thoughts organizing themselves step by step.

In the courtyard, the knights were engaged in an intense sparring session.

These were the knights assigned to guard her, tasked not only with protecting the lord but also with defending the territory’s residents in times of need.

“Ha!”

“Hyah, ha!”

The clash of swords echoed sharply as Penelope watched with fascination.

Such scenes, which she’d only ever seen in games or movies in her past life, now unfolded before her eyes, drawing her attention.

Ahwin, who had been silently sipping tea beside her, suddenly spoke.

“Do you find that entertaining?”

“What?”

“Clashing bodies, where it only ends when someone bleeds.”

“They’re not bleeding while sparring, are they? They’re using wooden swords,” Penelope replied, puzzled.

Ahwin gave her a look of sheer disbelief. What in the world had she eaten to turn out so absurd?

“It’s the most barbaric way to subdue someone,” Ahwin said flatly.

“That’s quite an insult to the knights training out there.”

“Well, it’s something anyone wielding a sword has to hear eventually,” he countered, his tone sharp.

…He’s unusually snappy today.

It seemed that a well-fed and rested wizard could be unnecessarily cutting with his words.

Still, Penelope didn’t forget to stand up for the knights.

“If they can save lives without dirtying my hands, then I think they deserve gratitude.”

“Your life is being saved by me, though. Who do you think set up the magical barrier beyond the outer walls?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention it? Thank you. Thanks to you, I can relax this winter. I truly appreciate it.”

“Well, if you really mean it…” Ahwin trailed off, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. He hadn’t expected Penelope to thank him so straightforwardly.

‘He’s surprisingly fussy, but in some ways, he’s refreshingly easygoing,’ Penelope thought, amused as Ahwin glanced at her while she drank her tea.

Since last night, Ahwin had started seeing Penelope in a new light.

‘She’s more mature than I thought.’

Though she often seemed to entertain the most nonsensical ideas, Penelope had a way of catching him off guard at critical moments.

Last night, in particular, had been unexpected.

He hadn’t realized how much she was paying attention to him.

‘For some reason, what she says always sticks with me.’

Ahwin had listened to her words last night because she had crossed boundaries he thought she wouldn’t. It was bewildering yet strangely endearing.

‘And she doesn’t even try to exploit my power, which is odd.’

Penelope didn’t calculate or manipulate their relationship. She simply crossed the line to worry about him.

Just then, Giselle interrupted.

“May I open the window for a moment? I’d like to air out the room.”

Penelope nodded easily. “Go ahead. It’s time for cleaning, isn’t it? I’ve finished my tea, so you can clear this as well.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Giselle replied, giving Ahwin a brief look. He placed his empty teacup on the table without complaint.

Soon, the maids opened all the windows, sweeping and scrubbing the living room and bedroom.

The cold wind that blew in was biting, but the warm floor made it tolerable. It felt almost like being in an open-air hot spring.

As Penelope watched the maids work, she suddenly asked, “Shall I help?”

“Please, milady, just stay seated. What would the knights think if they saw you working?”

“I don’t know. They’re too focused on their sparring to notice much.”

“I think the wizard might have a different opinion,” Giselle said, shooting a pleading look at Ahwin.

The idea of Penelope, the lord of the territory, doing a maid’s work was enough to make Giselle’s knees weak.

But Ahwin ignored Giselle’s silent plea, feigning indifference.

When it became clear that Ahwin wasn’t going to step in, Giselle raised her voice.

“If you take over our work, milady, the steward might think there’s nothing left for us maids to do and dismiss us!”

“Oh, that won’t do. All right, I’ll stay out of it,” Penelope relented, finally giving up. Giselle let out a sigh of relief.

Ahwin chuckled quietly, finding their exchange amusing.

Penelope looked every bit the noblewoman on the surface, but underneath, she was unexpectedly down-to-earth and endearingly clumsy. He didn’t dislike that about her.

By now, Penelope had moved to the window, watching the knights train. Her eyes sparkled with excitement every time their swords clashed.

‘How could she find that interesting?’

Ahwin grumbled internally but stayed quietly by her side.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside.

“Whoa!”

One of the knights lost their grip on a wooden sword during the sparring match. The sword, propelled by the knight’s full strength, flew straight toward the window.

It was too late to dodge. Penelope instinctively raised her arms to shield her face, squeezing her eyes shut.

In that moment, Ahwin’s hand shot out.

Thunk.

As if by magic, the flying sword stopped in Ahwin’s grasp.

“…!”

Penelope slowly opened her eyes, staring in amazement. The knights were equally stunned.

Ahwin smirked. “See that? That’s twice now I’ve saved your life.”

“…”

Penelope couldn’t find the words to respond. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.

Ahwin frowned and threw the wooden sword out the window. It flew past the knights and embedded itself in a tree with a loud thunk. The knights’ faces turned pale.

Ahwin’s display of power left them visibly shaken.

Catching a flying sword mid-air wasn’t something an ordinary swordsman could even attempt.

It meant this extraordinary wizard was far more skilled in swordsmanship than any of them.

“From now on, no more sparring in the courtyard. I don’t know where you get the confidence to show off such poor skills. Train somewhere out of sight.”

“S-s-sorry! We’ll be more careful!”

“If you understand, then take those ugly hunks of metal and pretend to guard something. Not that it would be of any use.”

Ahwin waved his hand, and the window closed abruptly with a soft click. Magic, of course.

Penelope, finally snapping out of her shock, asked, “Wait… can you use a sword too?”

“What are you talking about?” Ahwin furrowed his brow, turning to her.

Penelope calmly brushed back her disheveled hair and said, “I thought you were a wizard.”

“I am a wizard.”

“But you just caught a flying sword. Was that magic?”

Ahwin looked genuinely puzzled by the question.

“Is there magic for that?”

“Of course.”

“That wasn’t magic. Just pure reflexes.”

‘A genius…’

Penelope instantly understood.

There are rare individuals in the world who can shatter others’ efforts with sheer natural talent—true prodigies.

Ahwin was one of them.

She had suspected he wasn’t an ordinary person, but she hadn’t expected his abilities to be this extraordinary.

‘Surely, he’s not a character from the original story?’

In the original, no character combined expertise in both magic and swordsmanship, at least not in her memory.

The Mage Tower Master, Irial Ar Ahwin, had been mentioned as having potential in swordsmanship but had never been shown wielding a sword.

‘It’s a stretch to connect him to the Mage Tower Master, though.’

Irial Ar Ahwin had the talent to become a famous swordsman had he pursued it. But he avoided swords altogether, disliking violence and detesting the sight of blood. If provoked, however, he

showed no mercy.