Chapter 57…
The Duke of Wheaton’s face twisted.
‘Well now…’
A dry laugh escaped him.
Last time, she couldn’t even squeak in protest, and now she’s learned something new somewhere?
“She dared to extort money from me.”
No one had ever taken money from the Duke of Wheaton’s purse before.
Even when he gave something away for “free,” it was always an investment—money he intended to collect again someday.
When he gave, it was because he chose to. But this—being robbed in broad daylight—was a first.
“Hah… really. Ha.”
The Duke shook his head in disbelief, laughing quietly to himself as he walked.
Then, at the end of the corridor, he ran into a woman dressed flamboyantly.
Clink, clink.
“…!”
Her outfit screamed “I’m a wizard!” to anyone who looked.
The Duke narrowed his eyes instinctively, studying her from head to toe.
The woman was taller than him, so she naturally looked down on him with a hint of condescension.
“What are you staring at? Never seen an Archmage before?”
“…A mage?”
The Duke’s eyes widened.
This woman—she was that mage from the rumors.
“Not just a mage. An Archmage.”
Nilit shook her head impatiently, her ornaments jangling noisily.
“Oh—pardon me.”
The Duke quickly smiled and bowed politely.
At his impeccable manners, Nilit snorted softly.
“I am Duke Wheaton. You must be the Archmage Nilit, correct?”
“Oh? You’ve heard of me somewhere, I see?”
“How could I not know the great Archmage who came running to save the King of Nerendis?”
“Hahaha!”
Nilit burst out laughing.
“You’re quite the flatterer.”
“I only spoke the truth.”
“All right, fine. I’ve got business to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me—”
Mages were not easy to meet face-to-face.
Even when Princess Elly had sent countless invitations begging her to attend the coronation, Nilit ignored them all.
It was said that if you happened to bump into a mage by chance, you should go buy a lottery ticket immediately.
“Ah, please wait a moment—may I ask you one question?”
The Duke stopped her hastily.
“Ugh, more hassle.”
Nilit clicked her tongue but stopped walking.
If this were out on the streets, she’d have ignored him. But since this was the royal palace—and the palace paid her handsomely—she tolerated it.
After all, the palace treated her lavishly: a vast, glittering suite; meals so extravagant they might break the table; and a team of attendants ready to serve her at any hour of day or night.
It was hard not to be generous under those conditions.
“What is it?”
“Will the Mage Tower be His Majesty’s ally?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. You’ve devoted so much of your time here… I simply wish to confirm whether the Tower’s allegiance to His Majesty can be considered firm.”
The Duke smiled softly.
“…As a loyal subject, it would ease my mind. And perhaps I might even be of help to His Majesty, if I knew where the Tower stands.”
Nilit tilted her head left and right, her jewelry jingling with each motion.
Her thoughts were as noisy as her ornaments—the relationships involved were far too tangled.
“Hmm…”
After a long moment of thought, she stopped moving.
“The Mage Tower isn’t a single will. It only follows its own communal rules.”
It wasn’t much of an answer, but the Duke’s eyes gleamed faintly.
He could already see what he wanted between the lines.
“Then your stay in Nerendis… that’s purely your personal decision, Archmage Nilit?”
“Well… you could say that.”
“…I see.”
That was all the Duke needed to hear.
He turned first and began to walk away.
“What the—how dare you turn your back on me, the Archmage?!”
Nilit stomped her foot furiously.
Clang!
Her ornaments rang loudly across the hall, but the Duke didn’t hear a thing.
‘So the Tower hasn’t fully taken the King’s side. Good enough.’
That was all he needed to confirm.
People had been gathering too closely around the King lately, and it bothered him.
The most dangerous of them all was, of course, the Mage Tower.
If the King secured their loyalty, he’d become untouchable.
But if not—then the hangers-on around him could be eliminated at will.
‘Still… I can’t relax just yet.’
The Duke recalled the children he’d seen in Elly’s chambers.
Fabian and Jurina—fine, they were young girls, nothing strange there.
Pretty dresses, ribbons, tea, cakes—harmless enough.
But among them was Duke Berndt.
“How?”
There was no way Duke Berndt, with his history with the royal family, would be personally involved in royal matters.
Their families had been at odds for generations.
He was raging about vengeance not long ago.
“Just what’s going on among those little ones?”
The Duke had a wide network. Normally, little happened in the kingdom without reaching his ears.
But for some reason, nothing about those children ever did.
Even the Archmage’s sudden arrival at the palace had escaped his notice.
‘For now…’
It was time to regain control over the parts he could still manage.
The princess’s unexpected hands-on rule wouldn’t last long.
Sooner or later, she’d falter.
And then—his chance would come.
* * *
“Peanut! You know, I was just thinking…”
As Nilit entered the room, she froze at an unexpected sight.
She’d expected to see Elly alone—or perhaps with Madam Laval or Marquis Simon.
“…Looks like you’ve gained three more peanuts?”
“Yup! These are my friends who came to visit me!”
At Elly’s cheerful introduction, Fabian and Jurina pressed their hands together nervously in front of their chests.
“F-friends…!”
They had actually become friends with the Queen!
And now, standing before them, was that Archmage herself.
Just moments ago, they’d even seen the legendary Rohfen perfume in person!
“Y-Your Majesty, I feel dizzy…”
Fabian swayed, hand to her forehead.
Too many incredible experiences in one day—it was overwhelming.
“Oh no! Fabian, maybe your body can’t handle the magic either?!”
Elly leaned forward anxiously; she knew the symptoms well.
Nilit snorted.
“That’s not something that just happens out of nowhere.”
Even at the Mage Tower, Elly’s case had been unheard of—an incident so rare it might have happened once in all of history.
Nilit herself had never seen anything like it, and the odds of it happening twice in the same era were absurd.
“Please, Archmage! Can’t you check whether Fabian also has magic issues?”
Elly looked up at her with wide, pleading puppy eyes.
“……”
Nilit stared down at her silently.
“You sure know how to make people work for you, Peanut.”
“No, this is a favor!”
“A favor that happens to sound like an order?”
“I won’t ask again. Promise.”
“……”
Nilit sighed. Something about this felt like a trap.
“So, what did you come here for anyway?”
“…We’ll talk about that later.”
In truth, she’d come to propose setting up a research lab inside the palace.
The palace’s comfort and its fine dining were just too tempting.
The Mage Tower housed its mages individually; they usually kept a disciple for chores, but that hardly compared to the royal chefs’ daily feasts.
‘If I watch over the girl so she doesn’t lose control, that’s mutually beneficial, right?’
The calculation made perfect sense.
Still, perhaps she’d think about it a little more—this kind of generosity could easily end with her being milked dry.
“You want me to check her magic, huh?”
Nilit turned to Fabian, as if changing the subject.
Fabian’s heart pounded wildly—this was the moment of destiny!
“P-p-please take care of me!” she stammered, her voice trembling.
She glanced at Elly for reassurance.
“…It doesn’t hurt, right?”
“Not at all! You won’t feel a thing!”
“R-really?”
Fabian’s voice cracked into a squeak.
Elly clenched her fists beside her, cheering her on.
“Doesn’t matter how hard you cheer, nothing’ll change. Just stand still.”
Nilit smirked and grabbed Fabian’s wrist.
Fabian flinched. Something terrifying was about to happen—!
“…Nothing.”
Before anything could happen, Nilit let go of her wrist with a flick.
“Huh?”
Fabian blinked up at her, dazed.
“You don’t have any magic. You can’t be a mage.”
“…!”
Fabian staggered again—this time from pure shock.
