CHAPTER 32………………………………………………
“They say Baron Daisen was executed summarily.”
A hand with long, pale fingers set the crimson teacup it was holding onto the saucer with a soft thud.
Across from her, a close aide, Count Lassen, lifted his head while drinking tea. The pentacle he wore sparkled in the sunlight.
“It seems the Duke of Nostdian has made his move.”
At the mention of the duke, the woman who had spoken, Princess Cecilia, let out a long sigh.
“Thanks to him, I wasted an entire month. Right when I was swamped preparing for the scholarly society.”
The idea that the opponent was the Duke of Nostdian was, upon reflection, an utterly exasperating imperial order.
“Still, I got to see something interesting because of it.”
In her hand was a ‘Magic Enhancement Accelerator.’ Count Lassen looked flustered.
“Your Highness, that’s dangerous—”
“I sealed it with magic, so there’s no risk of explosion or someone accidentally drinking it. Besides, the faulty components they left behind were precise enough that I’ve completely removed them. It’s safe now.”
“You aren’t disposing of it?”
Everything that had been circulating secretly had been confiscated; only disposal remained. But ever since the imperial order to track down the manufacturer, the distribution of this potion had dropped sharply—a clearly unusual event.
It was as if the Imperial Palace and the Sky Ark had somehow quickly caught wind of this potion through some secret route.
Princess Cecilia studied the bottle containing the blue liquid before flicking it into the air.
At the same time, as she waved her hand, the floating bottle flew steadily and the glass cabinet door swung open. The bottle landed neatly on the shelf, and the door shut again.
Count Lassen stared, entranced, at the princess’s delicate object-moving magic.
“You could leave just one as a memento, right? It’s quite an interesting creation.”
“Your Highness, this is why you keep getting into fights with the duke.”
“That man is far too rigid. Where would progress be without sacrifices?”
Beautiful, with sky-colored curly hair and piercing blue eyes reminiscent of the empress who died young, Princess Cecilia smiled lightly.
Count Lassen pressed his forehead, unsurprised. Though she was a royal mage that even nobles found tiresome, her convictions unexpectedly had the support of many aristocrats—enough that even the crown prince was wary of her.
Cecilia herself, with no interest in the throne, let her eyes sparkle.
“By the way, I heard the duke did something interesting?”
“Interesting?”
“Haven’t you heard? That brute brought a bride.”
“Wasn’t that just a rumor?”
“It’s true. His Majesty called me and told me personally. He wanted me to marry that frustrating man, so I threw a little tantrum—but I ended up helping sweep up criminals, and that man got his bride.”
Even Count Lassen, who assisted the princess, had heard the rumors. But given the people involved, he had assumed it was just a wild story.
“They say the bride is the eldest daughter of the Yuberis family… is that true? Rumor has it she’s a Notch.”
“If she’s from a high-ranking house like Nostdian, they’d typically want a high-ranking mage as a bride. But has that man ever done anything sensible?”
Cecilia picked up a round chocolate cookie from the top tier of a three-tiered plate.
“A woman who actually likes that cold-hearted man… heh. Maybe he’s already taken everything from her. That type of person, once they fall, gives everything without looking back.”
She held the crisply baked cookie in both hands and pressed down. It cracked into two pieces.
“I hate people like that.”
She ate one piece herself and handed the other to Count Lassen, who sighed softly as he took the half-cookie.
“You really don’t match him at all.”
“Exactly what I said.”
Cecilia smiled lightly.
“So I’m curious.”
“Curious about what?”
“Send a visit request to Nostdian.”
“…Pardon?”
Lassen doubted his hearing. Princess Cecilia wanted to visit the Duke of Nostdian?
Her eyes were alight with curiosity.
“I want to see who the woman he’s so smitten with is.”
“Your Highness, the scholarly society—”
“Eh, even if the research presentation is delayed a little, Grandpa Bilson will just make a fuss. It’s more of a loss to postpone something this interesting.”
She sipped her tea and picked up a muffin this time. The dried fruit in it gave off a sweet aroma.
Seeing no sign she would change her mind, Count Lassen pressed his forehead.
“Ha… very well.”
No matter what anyone said, she was undoubtedly the emperor’s blood. If something was interesting, she couldn’t resist.
“By the way, the mercenaries who helped us this time were competent. What were their names again? I should remember them for next time.”
“Next time…?”
“Baron Daisen was just the lizard’s tail. He got his tail cut off.”
“In that case…”
“I have imperial orders. Find the lizard’s head before going to the Sky Ark.”
“So His Majesty is determined, I see.”
Beatrice.
That magical crime guild experimented on anyone—Notch or mage alike. The Duke of Nostdian had been pursuing them for a long time, though the guild was not well-known then.
Recently, as their activities became impossible to hide, even the emperor could no longer ignore them and issued an order.
“I thought you cared a lot about Notch rights and not about mage rights… apparently not. I even thought the duke was your father’s son.”
“Your Highness.”
Count Lassen knew another reason Cecilia disliked the duke: the emperor himself. Even though the duke had no royal blood, the emperor adored him—more than his own children, the crown prince and princess.
“So, who are these mercenaries?”
“Oh. The male one…”
“I don’t care about the male. Only curious about the female.”
Count Lassen responded naturally, used to the princess’s strong interest in capable female mages.
“She’s one of the original pioneering mages. Her name is…”
She handed over a report containing their portraits.
“Risha.”
Clack, clack, clack.
The sharp sound of heels echoed through the empty, dark corridor. Finally, they opened a worn wooden door with a small window and stepped inside. Two men in robes leapt to their feet in surprise.
“You’re here, Master.”
“After letting things get this bad, you two are awfully relaxed.”
The middle-aged man, pale under the sharp gaze, bowed deeply.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Even without using magic, the pressure made it hard to breathe. The woman called Master, after a brief glare, took the head seat at the table as if it were natural.
Moonlight from the small window cast shadows across her face.
“The Duke of Hunters has moved. The factories in Baron Daisen’s territory are no longer usable.”
“Yes, we’ve received reports.”
“You knew that was the largest one. Is that all you have to say to me?”
“I-I apologize!”
The two shrank back, bowing their heads further. Their knees ached on the rough stone floor, but they didn’t move. In front of them was a woman skilled yet merciless to failure.
Thinking of the countless subordinates disposed of over the last ten years, they trembled in fear.
“Dispose of the contact by any means necessary.”
“Yes, absolutely!”
They pressed their heads to the floor, answering desperately. After a brief silence, her voice continued.
“And regrettably, increasing our patrons will require another method.”
“Another method…?”
As her anger softened, they cautiously lifted their heads. She gestured for them to rise.
They staggered to their feet.
The guild master toyed with a blue bottle and a red stone on the table.
“Are there enough test subjects?”
“Yes. The guild members cooperated, collecting children without guardians or homeless people—no complications. This should last several months.”
“Good. Then stop distributing the accelerator entirely.”
She picked up the red stone and placed it in the man’s hand.
“Test this. If it succeeds, all guild members will be promoted to high-rank.”
The two men’s eyes shone at the words high-rank.
“Ah… oh!”
“You’re finally starting!”
This was it—the reason they risked death to rise in the guild under a capricious master.
“You’re truly a genius sent by the gods! How do you come up with ideas that we ordinary folks can’t even imagine?”
“Thirsty people naturally seek a well.”
“We’re truly fortunate to serve someone like you. Without you, we’d still be wallowing in despair at the bottom, with no hope forever.”
They bowed repeatedly. She didn’t even raise an eyebrow, as if used to it, though she offered a gentle smile as if empathizing.
“We all share the same dream. So there’s no reason not to help. Until the day all humanity becomes mages, we won’t stop.”
“We’ll follow only you, Master!”
“You are our salvation, Master!”
She gently stroked the heads of those who prostrated at her feet like zealots.
“Yes. Beatrice is salvation.”
The hood covering her head was lifted by the wind through the small window.
In the darkness, revealed, was beautiful black hair.
