Chapter 55
“It’s fine. As you said, you also need to guard the lower areas. If you need anything, you can always request support from the Imperial Palace.”
Though the Border Marquis was effectively independent when it came to military matters, Gloria was still a princess. It was clear she thought support would come naturally if she asked the palace, and so the Countess of Steng gave Gloria another long look.
“Well then, I should be going. Until next time.”
The Countess of Steng left the study.
Only after she had completely gone did Ellen belatedly realize something and shout.
“Wait a second! That lady said she’d stay behind to help Roy, but she just left!”
Gloria gave Ellen a stern look.
“The Countess…”
Ellen quickly corrected herself in a small voice.
“Whatever. Even if she stayed, it’s not like she’d actually help me. Without her around, she’d just lock herself in her room anyway.”
Roy whispered to Ellen, and Ellen nodded in agreement.
Gloria took out the sky-blue box from her pocket again. Inside was the same letter she had placed earlier.
“You haven’t checked it yet, have you? Roy, I should get going too. Looks like you’ll have a lot more on your plate now.”
She rose from her seat. Roy also stood, holding one of the letters.
“Yes, Aunt. Thank you for everything.”
“There’s no need for thanks. For now, don’t think about anything—just rest. Oh, and Ellen told me about Silla. Sending her to the mines can wait a few more days. What matters is you getting back on your feet first.”
“Yes.”
After escorting Gloria to the front of the estate despite her telling him to go back inside, Roy went upstairs with Ellen.
“Where do you think the kids are right now?”
“Probably in your sitting room?”
Ellen opened the door to Roy’s sitting room as she spoke, but no one was inside.
“Nope. Maybe they’re gathered in Erica’s room?”
“Ellen! Roy!”
As Ellen tilted her head and closed the door, the children appeared down the hallway, calling out to them.
“Why are you all in your outdoor clothes?”
Only then did Roy notice, at Ellen’s words, that everyone except Erica was dressed for going out.
“We were just about to leave,” Serel replied. Servants passed by carrying the children’s luggage toward the carriages.
“You’re not staying a little longer?”
“You should wrap things up quickly and get some rest,” Serel said.
“Yeah. You look really tired,” Adrian added.
Adrian and Santityuk each slung an arm around Roy’s shoulders and walked him toward the stairs. Serel followed behind, linking arms with Ellen and Erica.
When they stepped outside, the servants had already loaded their luggage into the rear carriage.
“It’s almost lunchtime. You’re leaving without even eating?”
Adrian patted Roy’s head, who looked oddly downcast.
“Since when are you so needy?”
“We’ll see each other again soon enough.”
Serel gave Roy’s hand a gentle squeeze, then Santityuk lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
“Stay strong.”
With Adrian patting his head, Serel holding his hand, and Santityuk hugging him from the front, Ellen and Erica couldn’t just stand there either. Feeling like they too had to cling to him, they moved closer and patted Roy’s back.
Roy, still held tightly by Santityuk, glanced at the scene of himself and his friends stuck together like barnacles—and burst out laughing.
“Thanks, everyone. Without you, it would’ve been so much harder.”
“Make sure you eat properly. We’ll see you again.”
Serel, Adrian, and Santityuk boarded the carriage.
As Roy, Ellen, and Erica stood watching the quickly departing carriage, someone approached from behind.
“Oh dear, I didn’t even get to greet them before all your friends left.”
It was Dame Letty. Earlier that morning she had once again prayed for Diana’s peace, but now she had changed back into her usual silver-embroidered robe.
“Lady Erica, Lady Elenoa. Could we have a word?”
Ellen and Erica exchanged a brief look before nodding together.
✿ ✿ ✿
“Lady Erica, you’re a Spiritist, aren’t you? Unregistered with Edelheim.”
It was a direct question. Erica, realizing the moment had come, nodded.
“Since when?”
“Not long. I don’t think it’s even been a hundred days.”
“For someone so new, you handle spirits quite well. At the funeral service, it looked like a Sylph—am I right?”
“Yes.”
That opened the floodgates. Dame Letty’s barrage of questions followed.
“Why haven’t you registered with Edelheim?”
“What kinds of things have you done with your Sylph?”
“How did you first sense mana?”
“Where did you make your contract with the spirit?”
“When was the first time you felt a spirit’s presence?”
She even pulled out a file and began writing down Erica’s answers one by one, like some investigator. Nervous, Erica sat stiff and answered as faithfully as she could.
“Who else knows you’re a Spiritist, Lady Erica?”
Erica froze mid-posture.
“Um… I haven’t told anyone. Well, now Ellen and Roy know. Because of the Countess, we had to summon the Gnome for testimony, so they found out.”
She darted her eyes around as she spoke, but it was obvious to anyone she was lying. For a noble lady who had always worn her heart on her sleeve, lying was no easy feat.
Dame Letty calmly shut the file and set it down on the table.
“I won’t record this part. So, Lady Erica? Who actually knows?”
Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe a word, and Erica hid her face behind her teacup. When she caught Ellen’s eye and saw her give a subtle nod, Erica finally lowered the cup.
“Ellen, Roy, Serel, Adrian, and Santityuk.”
“Your friends, then. You hesitated because you didn’t want them to get into trouble, right?”
“Yes. If you don’t report an unregistered Spiritist, you can be punished too.”
“How long have your friends known?”
“I told them not long after I made the contract. But at the time, neither I nor they knew it was required to report. If I’d known, I never would’ve told them.”
Erica rushed her words, worried sick about her friends being punished.
“I already sealed your registration papers, didn’t I? This won’t leak out. You can relax.”
Dame Letty smiled reassuringly, and only then did Erica release her tension.
“I know you’re reluctant, but now that I know, you’ll have to go to Edelheim. You understand?”
“…Yes.”
Erica’s reply was deflated.
“The Duke and Duchess don’t know?”
It struck Dame Letty as odd that Erica had named her friends first instead of her parents.
“No, they don’t.”
“They don’t?”
Dame Letty was surprised by her answer.
“Like I said, I don’t want to go to Edelheim yet. But if Father found out, he’d send me there immediately…”
Erica hunched her shoulders. Until now she had only thought about how much she disliked the idea of Edelheim, but Dame Letty’s reaction made her realize it might actually be more serious than she thought.
Fortunately, Dame Letty didn’t scold her or treat her like a foolish child.
“Edelheim will send a letter to House Notegar. Shouldn’t you tell your parents before they hear it from someone else?”
“Yes, I’ll tell them right away. Ellen, let me borrow your message seal.”
So this was how her parents would find out after all. Erica sighed.
“As you know, by Article 48, Clause 2 of the ‘Law on the Training of Mages and Spiritists,’ enacted in the first year of the Empire, you are required to study at Edelheim for three years. After that, Article 49 requires twenty years of service. This service includes conscription during wartime. And during the three-year training, Article 23 of the enforcement decree states—”
Do I have to memorize all this once I enter Edelheim?
Erica stared at Dame Letty reciting the statutes with glazed eyes.
She wasn’t even sure when the explanation ended, but at last Dame Letty turned to Ellen.
“Lady Elenoa.”
“I’m not a Spiritist!” Ellen blurted reflexively.
The truth was, she had been listening just as seriously to Letty’s talk about Spiritists’ rights and duties—but, like Erica, her focus had drifted until she was nearly dozing. When her name was suddenly called, she panicked.
Dame Letty chuckled.
“I only see spirits. And that’s only been for a few days. It’s because Erica kept a spirit by my side twenty-four hours a day for over a month. I don’t understand anything about mana.”
Ellen sounded almost desperate, but Dame Letty only nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s normal for Spiritists not to sense mana well. Erica is unusual. If you don’t mind, may I examine you a bit, Lady Elenoa?”
Not sure what that meant, Ellen hesitantly nodded, and Dame Letty sat beside her.
“I’ll just be checking whether you can sense mana. That’s the prerequisite for being a Spiritist. Please turn sideways.”
Like an obedient child, Ellen shifted on the sofa. Dame Letty placed her hand on Ellen’s lower back.
“Now, Lady Elenoa. Focus on whether you feel anything inside your body. Don’t move or speak. Closing your eyes may help. Lady Erica, don’t touch us. She probably won’t be able to respond if you talk to her. If anyone comes in, please let them know.”
Ellen closed her eyes nervously, while Erica hugged a cushion and shifted to another sofa. Dame Letty closed her eyes as well.
Erica watched the two of them. As the minutes passed, her posture grew more relaxed, though she thought she felt something faint moving between them—it was so subtle she couldn’t be sure.
After about thirty minutes, Dame Letty opened her eyes first.
“Lady Elenoa, did you feel anything?” she asked, setting down a teacup she had picked up.
“No… Honestly, I don’t even know what we were doing.”
Ellen looked embarrassed. It felt to her like she had just been meditating for half an hour.
“That happens. Some Spiritists need up to three tries before they sense it. But usually, they do by the third attempt.”
Dame Letty asked for some cold water. When Erica rang the bell, a maid came in.
After a short break and a sip of water, Dame Letty rolled her shoulders.
“Let’s try again. This one will take about thirty minutes too.”
Ellen rotated her neck once and turned sideways again.
