The Melody Named Heartbeat

The morning sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, spilling onto the soft carpet of the bedroom and raising fine dust.

The room was very warm, and the charcoal fire in the fireplace still radiated residual heat.

Felsy woke up very early.

Perhaps it was because she had gone to sleep too early last night (after all, Kuma had been kicked out to patrol the mountain, so no one disturbed her), or perhaps it was because of... some habitual expectation.

She lay on her side in bed, propping her cheek with one hand, her long silver hair cascading like a waterfall over the pillow. Those purple eyes, which usually carried a touch of cold majesty, were now intently, perhaps even greedily, watching the sleeping man beside her.

Lynch was still sleeping.

Last night, he had been busy in the "secret workshop" downstairs until the latter half of the night before coming up.

Looking at his slightly tired sleeping face and the faint blue stubble emerging on his chin, Felsy didn't find him scruffy at all; instead, she felt he was... very manly.

This was a completely unprecedented experience for her. In the past, she had never felt anything special for any male.

But Lynch was the most special existence to her.

"Idiot."

She murmured softly, extending a pale finger to trace the contours of Lynch's brows and eyes in the air.

Ever since they shared a bed at the inn in town that day, something seemed to have changed.

Previously, the boundary of "sleeping in separate beds" was her final reserve as a witch. But once this thin paper was pierced, she realized how comfortable it was to have someone beside her.

That continuous radiating heat, the sense of security from being surrounded by solid arms, and the reassuring sound of breathing when waking up in the morning...

It was like an addictive poison.

"Even though you're just a weak human..."

Felsy's finger lightly landed on the tip of Lynch's nose and tapped it. "Why do you make me... not want to let go?"

Seeming to feel the harassment on his face, the sleeping Lynch frowned, grunted unconsciously, and then made a move that made Felsy's heart skip a beat.

He rolled over, stretched out a long arm, and extremely naturally, as if practiced countless times, pulled Felsy, blanket and all, into his embrace.

"...Stop messing around, sleep a little longer."

He mumbled indistinctly, rubbing his chin against the top of Felsy's head, then tightened his arm and found a comfortable position to continue sleeping.

Felsy completely froze.

Her face pressed against Lynch's chest, listening to the strong heartbeat: "Thump, thump, thump..."

A wave of heat instantly burned from the base of her neck to behind her ears.

Is... is this what the books call "going back to sleep"?

Too... too presumptuous! How dare he hug me like a body pillow!

According to her usual temper, anyone who dared to offend her like this would have been blasted ten miles away by a "Ring of Repulsion Fire" long ago.

But at this moment.

Felsy's hand moved under the covers, but ultimately she did not push him away. Instead, like a kitten finding its nest, she quietly snuggled deeper into that warm embrace, found the most comfortable position, and closed her eyes.

Hmph, for the sake of your hard work making "weapons" to protect this home last night...

I will be merciful and let you hold me a little longer.

Just a little while.

...

This embrace lasted for over an hour.

By the time Lynch fully woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

"Morning."

Lynch stretched lazily, looking at Felsy who was sitting at the dressing table combing her hair, with a somewhat sheepish smile on his face. "I stayed up too late last night and accidentally overslept."

"Mm."

Felsy glanced at him through the mirror, her expression indifferent, as if the woman who had just been lounging in bed in his arms wasn't her at all.

"Kuma has already made breakfast (actually, it's just heated leftovers). What are your plans after eating?"

"Plans?"

Lynch smiled mysteriously and took out an object wrapped in coarse cloth from the nightstand.

"After breakfast, I'm going to show you a treasure."

"Is it the 'secret weapon' you made last night?"

Felsy's eyes lit up. She put down the comb, turned around, her tone carrying anticipation and certainty. "Take it out. Let me see what ultimate weapon you've prepared for the beast horde. Is it an alchemical bomb? Or some kind of high-frequency magic oscillator?"

Although she didn't need such things for protection, it was her husband's heartfelt effort (and proof of his combat power), so she had to give it sufficient attention and praise.

"Uh..."

The smile on Lynch's face stiffened.

Bomb? Oscillator?

Why does my wife's train of thought always run toward the aesthetics of violence?

"Ahem, let's eat first. We'll try it out in the yard after breakfast. There's not enough room here."

Lynch kept her in suspense. After all, the sound of a music box was crisp and would feel better in an open space. Moreover... he was afraid that if he hadn't made it well, it would be too awkward indoors, whereas outside he could use the excuse that the wind was too loud to hear clearly.

...

After breakfast, in the yard.

The cold wind was still piercing, but the faint glow emitted by the brand-new magic sentry tower added a sci-fi touch to the yard.

Kuma was squatting under the sentry tower, curiously picking at the runes on it.

"Brother Lynch, can this thing really kill people? It looks like an oversized fire poker."

"Shoo, shoo, don't touch it, be careful not to scorch your tail."

Lynch chased Kuma aside, then brought over two chairs and placed them under the eaves out of the wind.

"Come, Felsy, sit here."

Lynch had Felsy sit down, then took a deep breath. Like an elementary school student waiting for a teacher to grade his homework, he solemnly untied the coarse cloth bundle in his hands.

As the layers of cloth were peeled back.

A somewhat peculiarly shaped object gleaming with metallic luster was revealed to them.

It was a brass base about the size of a palm, topped with a delicate cylinder densely covered with tiny protrusions. On one side of the cylinder, a green wind-attribute magic core, only the size of a fingernail, was inlaid.

This was the result of Lynch staying up late last night.

Although there was no professional polishing equipment, leaving some scratches on the brass surface, and although the gears didn't look perfectly meshed.

But in Felsy's eyes, this was still a...

"Is this... a new type of time bomb?"

Felsy stared at the device, her purple eyes flashing with the light of professional analysis. "Using a wind-attribute magic core as the detonation source, and using mechanical gears to control the detonation time? Is that cylinder... used to increase shrapnel lethality?"

"..."

Lynch almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"It's not a bomb! It really isn't!"

Lynch rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Wife, could your imagination be slightly... slightly more romantic?"

"Romantic?" Felsy paused. "Do you still need to be romantic when killing enemies?"

"This is a gift for you."

Lynch stopped explaining and directly reached out, gave the winding knob next to the base a few gentle twists, and pressed the start switch.

Buzz.

A faint trace of wind-element magic was channeled out, driving the delicate gears to start turning.

As the cylinder rotated, those tiny protrusions plucked the teeth of the musical comb one by one.

The next second.

Ding—ding-dong—

A crisp, ethereal sound, like the clinking of crystals, rang out in the cold winter courtyard.

It was not the harsh scraping of metal.

It was a melody.

A melody that had never before appeared in this other world, yet was enough to pierce the soul.

Castle in the Sky.

The tune carried a faint sorrow, yet contained a yearning for distant places and a stubborn clinging to beauty.

As the melody flowed, Felsy, who had just been studying what kind of bomb this was, was completely stunned.

She stared blankly at the spinning little object.

Watching how this mechanical contraption, driven by magic, could actually produce such beautiful sounds.

"This... this is..."

Felsy opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly.

As a witch who had lived for hundreds of years, she had heard the performances of court musicians, the harps of bards, and even the roars of abyssal monsters.

But she had never heard a sound like this.

So pure, so clean.

It was as if someone had plucked the stars from the sky, put them in a box, and let them sing to you.

"It's a music box."

Lynch crouched in front of her, looking into her gradually entranced eyes, and said softly,

"Earlier in town, I saw you always cooped up in your room, either reading or zoning out. I wanted to buy you something to relieve your boredom, but the ones in that shop were too expensive, and... I didn't think they sounded as good as this."

"So I thought I'd just make one myself."

Lynch scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and pointed to the somewhat rough brass casing.

"My craftsmanship is a bit lacking, and it can't compare to the works of alchemy masters. But this melody... is a famous piece from my hometown, called Castle in the Sky."

"Legend has it that there is a city floating in the clouds. It is the refuge for all lonely people, and the place where dreams begin."

"I want to give it to you."

Lynch held Felsy's hand, which rested on her lap, his eyes sincere.

"Even though we can only live in this small village right now, I hope... at least in this home, you can feel like you are in the clouds—free and happy."

The music continued to flow.

The crisp ding-dong sounds, accompanied by Lynch's incredibly gentle voice, chipped away at Felsy's emotional defenses bit by bit.

In that instant.

Felsy felt that the psychological defenses she had built up over hundreds of years, the wall named tsundere and aloofness, was crumbling amidst this simple melody.

Never had anyone...

Never had anyone spent an entire night polishing a cold piece of metal just to make her happy.

Never had anyone wanted to build her a Castle in the Sky simply because she looked bored.

In the past, those who feared her would only offer tributes and severed heads.

But this man...

Gave her a melody.

A melody that belonged solely to her.

Felsy felt her eyes grow hot, and her vision blurred.

She took a deep breath, trying hard to maintain her dignity as a witch, not wanting him to see her in such a pathetic state.

"...Idiot."

She lowered her head, her voice thick and nasal, yet soft as a puddle of water. "It's... so ugly."

"There are so many scratches on it, and the sound of the gears turning is so noisy..."

Although her mouth spoke words of disdain, her hands gripped the music box tightly, desperately, her knuckles turning white from the force, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Yes, yes, I'll definitely improve it next time." Lynch smiled and helped wipe the corners of her eyes. "So... do you like it?"

Felsy looked up, her purple eyes shimmering with unshed tears, reflecting Lynch's smiling face.

She didn't speak.

She just suddenly reached out, grabbed Lynch by the collar, and pulled him toward her.

Then, the originally unreachable witch gently pressed her forehead against Lynch's.

Their breaths mingled together.

"...I like it."

Felsy closed her eyes, her voice so soft that only the two of them could hear. "I like it very much."

"This is... the best tribute I have ever received."

Kuma, standing off to the side: "..."

She silently picked up the half-eaten flatbread from the ground and took a vicious bite.

I shouldn't even be here!

How is this a music box? This is clearly a public display of affection launcher!

And this sour stench of romance... is even stronger than last night's!

However.

Just as the atmosphere was turning romantic, with Kuma choking and rolling her eyes, and Lynch preparing to strike while the iron was hot with a few more sweet words.

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

A rapid, piercing, and panic-filled tolling of a bell suddenly rang out from the direction of the village entrance, instantly tearing apart the heartwarming scene.

It was the village's warning bell.

It would only be rung when facing a crisis that threatened to wipe out the entire village.

"Beast tide!!!"

"A massive beast tide is coming!!!"

"Run! We can't hold them off!"

It was the hoarse roar of the old village chief, accompanied by the howling of countless beasts and the trembling of the ground, sweeping over them like a tsunami.

Lynch stood up abruptly. The tenderness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the grim coldness of facing a formidable enemy.

"They're here."

He glanced at the dust billowing up at the village entrance, the sight of hundreds of magical beasts stampeding.

This time, it wasn't just a vanguard of a few slime monsters.

This was the true main force.

"Lynch..." Felsy also stood up. The music box in her hands was still playing the melody of Castle in the Sky, but it seemed somewhat faint amidst the ear-piercing warning bells.

"Don't be afraid."

Lynch turned around, grabbed her shoulders, and pressed her back into the chair.

"Just stay right here, listen to the music, and drink your tea."

He pointed to the magic sentry tower standing silently nearby, a confident smirk curving the corners of his mouth.

"Perfect timing, the gift has been delivered."

"Next... it's time to serve a heavy course to these uninvited guests."

With that, Lynch drew the longsword at his waist and shouted to Kuma, who was just about to rush out:

"Kuma! Protect your lady well!"

"Leave the rest to me!"

Watching his back as he carried his sword and charged into the snowstorm and the beast horde, Felsy gently stroked the still-spinning music box with her fingers.

Amidst the ding-dong melody, her eyes gradually grew deep and dangerous.

"Kuma."

"Here."

"Keep an eye out," Felsy said softly. "If a single magical beast dares to cross his defense line and interrupt my music..."

"Then let them know what real... noise sounds like."