Chapter 19
For a moment, Tulk nearly lost his patience at her shameless attitude—but as a knight with deep discipline, he clenched his teeth and barely managed to endure it.
“…Yes, it was an accident, but…”
From the outside, the west wing looked completely fine. If the physical defense magic or anti-magic shield had broken, clear damage would have appeared on the walls.
The most serious issue they expected was damage to the distortion spell that scrambled spatial coordinates.
“Tulk, what’s going on?”
“Captain.”
Tulk turned and saluted. Kubera approached, wearing light armor instead of his usual formal uniform, as if he’d been in the middle of training.
“Well… Lady Milenoff, you see…”
After hearing the situation, Kubera’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He immediately released a small amount of mana and walked toward the west wing.
“Haha… well, this is something.”
Placing his hand against the outer wall, Kubera let out a low groan without realizing it. Even he—normally so composed—couldn’t hide his discomfort.
“It’s completely out of alignment…”
Before worrying about repairs, he needed to explain the situation to the person involved. With no choice, he spoke in a stiff voice.
“Lady Milenoff. To put it simply, the spatial coordinate distortion spell has been damaged.”
“The coordinate distortion spell?”
“The buildings of the ducal estate form a large magic array that twists the spatial coordinates inside the buildings and across the grounds. It prevents unauthorized teleportation from outside and also stops criminals from escaping via spatial magic.”
“And?”
“There’s an issue with the west wing’s formula. At the moment, the distortion spell isn’t functioning properly.”
“Does that mean… the entire estate is exposed to teleportation magic?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Since the estate’s barrier system hadn’t been explained beforehand, they couldn’t simply pin the blame on Aylesia.
She wasn’t even a retainer of the ducal house. Unlike Thermion, Kubera—being only the knight commander—was in an awkward position to scold her directly.
I’ll report this to His Grace, but… what a mess.
After weighing everything, concern settled heavily across Kubera’s face.
There had been no property damage or injuries, and the barrier could be restored within two days at most. What bothered him was that, during that time, the estate would be half-exposed.
“Uncle Kubera… Did our teacher do something wrong?”
At some point, Eleanora had grabbed tightly onto Aylesia’s skirt and was looking up at Kubera with teary eyes.
She looked as if she might burst into tears at any second—as though she were the one at fault.
“I—it’s because Ellie begged Teacher to show her magic…”
Seeing that, Kubera panicked and waved his hands wildly, abandoning all composure.
“N-not at all, young lady! Lady Milenoff did nothing wrong—absolutely nothing!”
Because the matter was serious, he had completely forgotten Eleanora was present. This should have been discussed among adults, away from the child.
Flustered, he rushed to explain.
“This is just an accident—no, unavoidable circumstances! A natural disaster! An act of fate! A coincidence of coincidences! Like when you go for a walk under a bright sun and suddenly get caught in a downpour! Or when you wake up and your blanket has somehow slid off the bed! One of those very common, trivial things that just happens without anyone knowing, yes!”
“…Really?”
Eleanora’s voice trembled. Kubera exaggerated even more, forcing an awkward smile.
“Of course! Completely, truly, absolutely so! So please don’t worry, young lady, and continue enjoying your magic lessons! No one is hurt and the building is fine—what problem could there be? Ha… haha!”
“…My goodness.”
That was unexpected.
She thought Thermion was the ultimate doting uncle—but this man might be even worse.
“Lady Milenoff.”
As if he’d never smiled at all, Kubera’s expression turned serious again.
“Could you conduct the rest of the lessons at the training grounds? They’re protected by barriers installed specifically for training, so you may freely demonstrate magic to the young lady there.”
“Oh? Really?”
“If possible, it would be best to continue using the training grounds in the future as well. For today, please use any open space. I’ll inform the knights and have a dedicated area prepared.”
“I hope I’m not causing unnecessary trouble.”
“Trouble? Not at all. You are the young lady’s precious teacher—this level of accommodation is only natural. It was my oversight not to prepare in advance.”
Dragging this out would only upset Eleanora further. Aylesia nodded and quietly used message magic.
[I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for taking care of it.]
Kubera flinched slightly upon hearing the message and then quickly replied.
[…No. This shouldn’t have been discussed in front of the young lady. It’s my first time dealing with something like this—I lacked consideration.]
After wiping the sweat from his brow, Kubera immediately issued orders.
“Ronel, Tulk. Escort the young lady and Lady Milenoff to the training grounds. I’ll go report to His Grace.”
“Yes, sir. This way, young lady, Lady Milenoff.”
Eleanora still looked a little downcast, but when Aylesia bent her knees, the girl immediately hugged her.
“You were startled, weren’t you? It’s okay.”
“Teacherrr…”
“If you cry, your pretty face will get ruined. Stop.”
“Hic… stop.”
After rubbing her eyes with her arms, Eleanora wrapped her arms tightly around Aylesia’s neck.
She cried because she was worried about me? Seriously…
She really only did adorable things. While patting Eleanora’s back, Aylesia glanced sideways toward the main building.
That should be enough of a show.
The magical shockwave had been strong enough for ordinary people to feel. A few servants nearby had already looked around in confusion.
One maid’s face had turned pale—rumors would spread soon enough.
Go on. Make your move. I’ll hunt every last one of you.
Especially Baron Beighton. She would destroy him without fail.
At the very least, she wanted to kick him hard enough to feel satisfied.
You dared target our Ellie? You won’t die peacefully.
Aylesia’s eyes gleamed coldly as she carried Eleanora in her arms.
* * *
“The coordinate distortion barrier was damaged?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
In his office, Thermion couldn’t hide his disbelief as he listened to Kubera’s report.
Even without a talent for magic, he understood the basics well enough to grasp the situation immediately.
“That shouldn’t break so easily.”
“…Unless the Grand Dame herself used her full power, something like this should be impossible.”
“This is troublesome.”
Letting out a short sigh, Thermion shook his head.
“Even if people find out, it’ll only cause panic. Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut. Start repairs tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to begin immediately?”
“If we do that, it’ll openly advertise that there’s a problem with the barrier. It’s better to start early in the morning and finish within a day, even if it means pushing ourselves.”
“That makes sense.”
Thermion calmly organized the situation. Kubera, listening, couldn’t help but smile faintly in approval.
“We’re leaving for the ducal territory soon—there’s no need to create unnecessary unrest. It’s safer to act as if nothing happened. Say there was an accident during a magic experiment.”
“Yes. I’ll tell the knights there will be dawn training.”
“Inform the head lady-in-waiting, the head butler, and the council chairman as well. Those three need to know.”
“Understood.”
After Kubera left, Thermion stared out the window, lost in thought.
She said she had a plan… But this is beyond imagination.
Recalling his conversation with Aylesia the night before, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Your estate has defensive barriers everywhere. They’re no joke.”
“And where did you hear that?”
“I could tell the moment I entered through the main gate. Teleportation magic felt impossible.”
“That’s right. That’s why the entire estate went on high alert when Ellie disappeared last time.”
“What if you leave the other defenses intact and dismantle only the coordinate distortion spell?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Of course. I’m a super-strong witch.”
He hadn’t expected her to stage an accident like this.
She really was an impossible woman to read.
Aylesia’s plan was simple: once teleportation magic became possible, wouldn’t someone rush in to kidnap Eleanora?
On the surface, it looked reckless and crude—but in truth, it was a trap. A controlled hunt.
“… Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight.”
