Chapter 58
[It’s been a while.]
“My goodness…!”
Thermion gave a faint smile, but Iolene covered her mouth with her hand, unable to continue speaking.
A deathly pale face devoid of color, his right shoulder secured in a splint, bandages visible through the gaps in his clothing.
Just a few days ago, he had departed on campaign in perfect condition—yet now, anyone could see he was a critically injured patient.
“Y-your body! How are you? Hm?!”
[I may look like this, but I’m fine. At most, five days and I’ll be able to rejoin the subjugation.]
“What nonsense is that? You should be returning to the castle immediately and resting!”
[My lady, what are you saying? Injuries like this are routine during monster subjugations.]
“What on earth were the other knights doing? And Kubera—how could they let you end up like this?!”
[How is Ellie?]
“…Haa.”
As Thermion changed the subject, Iolene let out a long sigh, clearly resigned, before replying.
“She’s fine. Eating well, playing well, sleeping well. Aside from ruining her clothes every afternoon by running around with the wolves, there’s nothing wrong.”
[That child… it’s cold out, yet she doesn’t know moderation.]
“What can you do? She takes after her father. At least she also inherited her mother’s temperament, so she’s patient—that’s some comfort.”
After forcing a few more pleasantries, Iolene finally asked,
“So then, what exactly happened? I heard from the tutor that you defeated a drake.”
[We discovered a Snow Ogre colony, but it turned out they had already been attacked by a drake.]
Thermion summarized the situation at the time. Listening intently, Iolene suddenly turned her head sharply when Ailesia was mentioned.
“T-tutor? Is that true?”
“Huh? What is?”
“That you defeated a drake with just three spells?”
“Ah… y-yes?”
Is something wrong? Ailesia laughed awkwardly and continued without much thought.
“Doesn’t everyone do about that much?”
“Haah…”
[…Ailesia. Exactly who does this ‘everyone’ refer to?]
“I mean, what’s the big deal about catching one oversized lizard?”
Sure, it was large for a lizard, had wings, and tough scales—but it was still a reptile, wasn’t it? Was it really something to be this shocked over?
[In any case, thanks to Ailesia, everything was resolved smoothly, so please don’t worry too much.]
“…I see. You’ve always been good at handling things on your own, so I suppose it’s the same this time.”
Iolene answered with a tone of resignation, her expression unbearably lonely. Seeing that, Ailesia unconsciously furrowed her brows.
I’ve seen that reaction somewhere before.
It wasn’t just that the expression felt familiar. She had experienced a situation like this herself.
And very vividly, at that.
“Rina, do you really distrust your aunt that much?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Why did I have to hear from your homeroom teacher that you collapsed while studying?”
“No, it’s just… you’re busy, Auntie. And the hospital said I was fine.”
“…Couldn’t you grow up a little more slowly? Please?”
She still couldn’t forget the look in her aunt’s eyes as she gazed at her sadly.
That expression—unable to scold her, simply swallowing back tears in silence.
“It’s late, so go get some rest. When you’re sick, all you need to do is eat well and sleep well.”
[Yes. Good night.]
It seemed the conversation was drawing to a close. Thermion and Iolene exchanged farewells, and Ailesia ended the communication by waving her hand and putting the mirror away.
“We truly owe you so much, tutor. First Ellie, and now Thermion as well… Thank you.”
“Please don’t worry too much. Once we return to the base, I’ll stick right by Thermion’s side no matter what he says.”
“That would put my mind at ease. He was rather adorable when he was younger, but now that he’s grown, he won’t listen to a word I say.”
“That’s how kids usually are. He’s especially responsible by nature.”
“Even if he’s outstanding for his age, he still has many shortcomings. How fortunate it is that someone as admirable as you is by his side.”
“Haha, it’s nothing.”
“Honestly, a private tutor might be more necessary for that child than for Ellie.”
…Staring at me like that won’t change anything, you know.
In the first place, is there even anything I could teach him? To an aura master who doesn’t have a shred of magical talent?
“I will personally keep an eye on the maid named Sophia. If she truly has ties to the imperial family, we’ll catch her tail soon enough. And as for Hilda…”
Trailing off, Iolene then proposed a rather bold solution.
“The simplest method would be to appoint her as an official maid immediately—starting tomorrow.”
“What? Is that even possible?”
“With Thermion out in the mountain range, I’m acting in his stead. While accepting her as a retainer or granting a title would be too much, this much is well within my authority.”
“Won’t others object?”
“If someone objects even after revealing Hilda’s background, that would be suspicious in itself.”
As she spoke, Iolene also gave a brief explanation about the Porthein baronial house.
Though their title was low, they had served the Letis family since before it was elevated to a grand ducal house. In truth, they were worthy of holding a count’s title.
So basically, they’re like founding contributors?
No wonder Hilda was so devoted to Eleonora. Of course, regardless of her family, Hilda had already long since fallen completely for Eleonora.
“Still, after such a major incident, you must be tired as well, tutor. I apologize if this old woman forced you to stay.”
“Oh, not at all. Overworking for a day won’t cause any serious problems.”
As Ailesia subtly hinted that she wanted to stand up, Iolene’s expression shifted strangely.
Well, how many people would dare say something like that outright to the Dowager Duchess?
Did I come off as a bit rude?
At a glance, she almost seemed reluctant—but it was hard to tell.
In any case, without showing it further, Iolene tidied up and personally opened the door to see Ailesia off.
“Next time, I’ll invite you at a more comfortable hour, tutor.”
“Please do, once the monster subjugation is over. I’ll be leaving early in the morning, so I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye properly.”
“Will you be returning again?”
“I was planning to stop by at least once every two days, but… since Thermion is injured, I’ll be staying close by for a while.”
“I was just about to ask you that. Thank you. I’ll take good care of Ellie, so don’t worry.”
“Yes. Have a good night.”
Watching Ailesia descend the stairs until the very end, Iolene stood alone in the corridor, lost in thought.
I meant to pry into her identity this time, without fail…
It was easy to see why rumors called her a witch from legend.
Long-distance spatial travel performed casually, even ignoring spatial distortion barriers.
Outstanding magical prowess—single-handedly slaying a drake that would normally require at least two experts of Thermion or Kubera’s caliber to face.
And on top of that, a mysterious appearance that inspired not just envy, but awe.
At this point, even without probing further, the outline was becoming clear.
“…Is she indulging in a pastime spoken of only in legend?”
A great race said to live lives approaching eternity, possessing wisdom as vast and deep as the sea, and bodies stronger than any other living being.
How was she supposed to accept the possibility that her granddaughter’s private tutor might be a dragon?
Iolene’s worries only continued to deepen.
* * *
The forward base, once they returned, was brimming with energy from early morning.
Despite slaying a drake, there had not been a single fatality—nor even a severely wounded knight besides Thermion. Naturally, morale was sky-high.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better after sleeping. The medic said a light walk should be fine.”
“Already?”
“I suppose the magic you cast was particularly effective.”
It wasn’t just polite talk. Even compared to last night, when his complexion had been pale, the color had fully returned to his face. His right shoulder was still in a splint, but he said the pain had nearly disappeared.
“How’s Ellie?”
“She kept singing about how much she misses her uncle. I told her I’d let her talk to you through a video later.”
“Well, I can’t exactly show myself like this to Ellie.”
Thermion gave a bitter smile as he looked down at his body wrapped in bandages.
Even the usually composed Dowager Duchess had caused a huge fuss yesterday—so Eleonora would be far worse.
She would undoubtedly cry and wail, clinging to Ailesia and begging to be taken to her uncle. That, at least, was absolutely not allowed.
“Have you eaten yet? It’s quite early.”
“Worry about yourself first. You still have that whistle I gave you last time, right?”
