Chapter 52…
Nilrit, who had been racking his brain trying to come up with some excuse, just gave up.
“No… I can’t use healing magic.”
“Huh? You can’t heal?”
“Yeah, I can’t. Do I look like I could?”
“They said you can’t tell just by looking at a mage.”
“…At least they got that right. But I really can’t heal.”
“Isn’t a mage supposed to detect where someone’s hurt and heal them with magic?”
Her brother did that.
When Ellie was very little, she got sick quite often, and each time, her brother would use magic to find out what was wrong and either treat it or make medicine for her.
‘The human body is the most complex organism in this world, but it’s not impossible to figure out. I can do it. Then finding the problem areas will be easy.’
So she assumed that all mages would naturally be able to do the same.
Nilrit wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
‘Again? That brother again.’
At this point, he had to admit it.
He wasn’t some kind of universe-level prodigy grand mage like her brother.
“…That’s probably only your brother.”
“If you can’t do it, why did you come?”
“Because they said you get paid just for showing up.”
“?”
A look of betrayal appeared in Ellie’s eyes.
It was the kind of look from a sparrow or a puppy, as if betrayal was absolutely forbidden.
It pierced Nilrit’s conscience deeply.
“Well… so… the kid who became king is dying, the academy sent a medical scholar too, they say normal medicine might not work… sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”
“?”
In other words, he came just to watch.
“…Maybe, as a mage, I could, you know, help a little. Yeah.”
There was at least a little bit of truth in that thought.
Even if he couldn’t set broken bones with healing magic or patch up damaged organs, he could at least diagnose things related to magical energy.
If the problem truly came from magic, he would need to report it to the Tower, so Nilrit coming wasn’t entirely wrong.
…Though it didn’t have to be Nilrit specifically.
“Anyway, he seems fine for now, but since we don’t know when his magic might flare up, I should stay nearby for a while.”
The rule was that if someone with magic was discovered, they had to be taken to the Tower. If a mage saw someone with magic and didn’t report it, the mage who discovered them first would be punished.
But Ellie was the king, so she couldn’t do that.
Moreover, if that enormous magic suddenly erupted, Nilrit would take full responsibility.
For now, the best thing Nilrit could do was stick around and watch over him.
‘What on earth is happening.’
He came out to kill time with a little side job, only to end up with shackles on his ankle.
“Make yourself comfortable!”
The innocent seven-year-old, who dared shackle a grand mage’s ankle, smiled as if it were the best thing ever.
During the short meeting, Nilrit, thoroughly exhausted, opened the door.
“Phew, it’s over? How is His Majesty?!”
“What happened to His Majesty?”
Nilrit looked at the people anxiously pressed against the door with a pained expression.
This was at least predictable, which was comforting.
He used to find the obvious boring, but it was exactly that predictability that made everyday life precious.
Nilrit’s world had expanded once more.
Feeling generous, he could now be kind to those clinging to him.
“Though he’s born with magic, he’s still very young and small, so his body got overloaded. What’s most important now is to feed him well and exercise so he grows strong.”
“…His Majesty truly has magic?”
People’s eyes widened.
It felt unreal, like waking up in the morning to find a dragon tapping on your window and meowing.
Mages were truly rare and unique beings.
Our king is one of those unique beings?
“Yeah, he is.”
“So, does he really have to go to the Tower?”
“Not urgently, so I’ll observe him for now.”
“So it’s okay not to go immediately?”
“If his magic doesn’t go berserk immediately, or he’s not going to become a mage right now?”
The reason magic users were taken to the Tower immediately was the risk of runaway magic.
Imagine someone’s leg suddenly turned into a horse. They wouldn’t even be able to go to the bathroom properly. They could accidentally step on people, panic, run around, and break everything.
Discovering magic was just like that.
If you didn’t learn to control it properly, a disaster could happen in an instant.
But Ellie already knew how to handle magic—except for its instability and her own mental state.
“…By the way, your country’s king… was he always like this?”
Nilrit asked discreetly.
“Like his personality? Our princess is gentle, quiet, and considerate…”
“Gentle…”
The same kid who shouted “Brother! Brother!” and scratched people furiously, asking if they were really a mage?
“Quiet…”
The same kid who wanted to learn deadly magic first?
People really were multi-faceted.
Nilrit nodded bitterly, feeling he had once again realized a truth of the world.
There was no end to learning in this world.
He didn’t particularly like the Academy kids who, lacking magic, always tried to compete with the Tower, but today he deeply felt it.
“Anyway, the kid’s still young, and since we don’t know what dangerous things his magic might do, I’ll stay nearby to watch over him.”
“Oh, it would be an honor beyond words if you did!”
Yes, that’s it.
Finally, he was being treated like a true grand mage.
Nilrit’s pride, which had been shriveled from facing Ellie, swelled once more.
“Then would you show me the room I’ll be staying in for now, Chief Steward?”
“Of course! It’s an honor! Please, this way.”
Nilrit strutted, following the steward.
Once the mage disappeared from view, the people rushed into the room.
“Our princess! Are you okay? Was nothing wrong?!”
“Your Majesty! Did meeting the mage make you feel better? Your complexion seems brighter…”
“Born with magic, you say? So our king truly has the potential to be a mage? Was that real?”
Even Marquis Simon couldn’t contain his excitement and fired questions one after another.
A mage was something most people would only ever see once in a lifetime.
To see one up close and even converse with them—people couldn’t help but be excited.
“Yes, I’m fine. I understand why I was struggling. And they’ll even ask the Tower if I can become a mage!”
Ellie answered each question as it came.
“Wonderful!”
“Thank goodness!”
Only then did people breathe a sigh of relief.
“But… what about Duke Bernt?”
Ellie smiled along with the people’s brightened faces, then suddenly noticed Cleus wasn’t there.
“Huh? He was just here a moment ago…”
“Maybe he had something urgent and went home first?”
“Then he should’ve at least said he was leaving.”
“…Duke Bernt?”
“…With the current Duke Bernt.”
If it were the old Duke Bernt, he would’ve spat and run away just stepping foot in the palace.
It was natural; it was the house of his parents’ enemies.
But recently, Cleus and Ellie had grown remarkably close.
“By the way, Your Majesty, how did you get so close to Duke Bernt?”
Lady Laval was curious.
She had been observing Cleus and Ellie from the side, but couldn’t hear their conversations, so she didn’t know what had been said.
Lady Laval was extremely curious about the princess’s true feelings.
“Hmm… just…”
Ellie traced back her memories in response.
At first, when they had tea, he had been extremely sharp.
…After they both cried together, it became a little easier?
No, maybe when she invited him to a meal after that, it became easier.
‘He was still cold at that time…’
He didn’t speak harshly or say unpleasant things, but he seemed to want some distance.
Next?
‘When he barged into the mansion recklessly.’
Even now, she thought it had been a huge breach of etiquette.
Ellie took a brief moment to reflect.
When she seemed to be kidnapped, he rushed over. That’s when he started being a little kinder.
‘And when Marquis Simon “kidnapped” me.’
Seeing Cleus appear tucked under Marquis Simon’s arm shocked Ellie.
He even got himself “kidnapped” for her, who cried desperately because she missed her brother.
And into the royal palace he had been so reluctant to enter.
Not only that—he carried her, shared secrets, allowed pet names.
‘We had already become friends!’
Thinking this, Ellie was struck like lightning.
‘This is what being close feels like, right?!’
