Chapter 18
He couldn’t suppress the rage boiling inside him.
A gray aura flickered around his shoulders, as if he might leap forward and slit someone’s throat at any moment. The leather of the sofa was already tearing with an ominous sound.
“Calm down first.”
“Calm down? Even locking him up and ripping his limbs off wouldn’t be enough!”
“There’s no evidence.”
“No evidence? What you just told me is more than enough.”
“But there’s no actual recording. What if he denies everything? Are you going to say, ‘A super-strong witch was watching you,’ or something?”
“…Enough with the witch nonsense.”
Thanks to that, Thermion’s anger cooled, and the aura around his shoulders faded away. He let out a breath and looked at Aylesia.
“How did you even see that? You weren’t hiding nearby, were you?”
“I monitored the entire ducal estate for about two hours. From the roof of the main building.”
“…That’s possible?”
“I’m a super-strong witch, remember?”
“What exactly does ‘super-strong’ mean?”
“It means ridiculously powerful.”
“…I see.”
The meaning was so straightforward that Thermion sounded oddly deflated.
“If things continue like this, he’ll definitely make a move before you leave for the ducal territory. I don’t know why he’s so desperate to keep you in the capital, though.”
“I have a rough idea.”
Sabotaging the winter preparations and the demon beast subjugation had already crossed his mind.
The schedule wouldn’t collapse just because Thermion was absent—but the results would be worse than usual. And if anything went wrong, responsibility would fall squarely on him.
Either way, public opinion inside and outside the family would turn against him.
“Baron Beighton has always insisted that we increase exchanges with the outside,” Thermion said.
“Unlike other great noble houses, Retis handles nearly everything internally.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We can do that because of the abundant resources from the Gardeveil Mountains, the population of the ducal territory rivaling the capital, and the military power of the Tigel Knights. Even our titled retainers are nobles in name only—functionally no different from regular administrators.”
“Are there any nobles with their own lands?”
“A few, including the council chairman and the head lady-in-waiting. But all of them are still within the ducal territory. Tigel Knights are stationed in every domain, and above all, none of them can ignore the Grand Dame’s influence.”
“The Grand Dame? Ellie’s grandmother?”
“Yes. She’s one of only three Upper Mages in the Empire.”
Aylesia listened without making a sound.
Information that never appeared in the original novel was spilling out freely. She made sure to engrave every word into her memory.
“In most noble houses, retainers each hold key roles. You could call it a mutually dependent contract. But the ducal house manages everything internally. Because manpower is scarce, there’s no real concept of branch families.”
“Then why does Beighton insist on outside connections?”
“He wants to expand his influence through the benefits that come with them. He claims it’s for the good of Retis—but he’s confusing loyalty with ambition.”
“…Then why didn’t you get rid of him sooner?”
No matter how you looked at it, Beighton was undermining Thermion’s position. In the original story, Thermion was razor-sharp and decisive—but now, his actions didn’t quite match that image.
Thermion seemed aware of it himself, answering with a bitter expression.
“He’s capable. The servants respect him, and he performs his duties as head butler faithfully. His arguments also carry the banner of ‘development of the ducal house,’ and some of his proposals were actually reasonable.”
“That’s complicated.”
“If I drove out everyone who didn’t fully satisfy me, who would remain loyal? I endure it knowingly. But this time, he crossed the line—by far.”
His voice was cold, his anger far from gone.
“What a headache… You’ve had it rough, Your Grace.”
Aylesia’s eyes softened with sympathy. He’d inherited the ducal seat before he’d even had time to truly learn anything—this was probably the best he could do.
“There are likely others supporting Beighton as well. Finding an excuse to purge them isn’t easy. He’s sharp, so even placing surveillance on him isn’t simple.”
“I thought of a plan while listening to that conversation. Want to hear it?”
Now it was her turn to step in.
Aylesia grinned slightly.
“Noisy frogs need to be caught all at once. The son, the grandson, even the daughter-in-law.”
“All at once?”
What would happen if they deliberately created a gap that couldn’t be ignored?
They’d probably fabricate evidence themselves—and once they did, they’d talk.
“The bait looks delicious, and there’s no time? They’ll swallow it without thinking. And then they’ll choke.”
“Oho.”
At Aylesia’s gesture—like snatching prey from midair—Thermion’s eyes gleamed.
* * *
“What does it feel like when a drop of water falls on your palm? Cold, right?”
“Yes.”
“Now imagine that cold drop flowing through your body.”
“The water flows?”
“Like a small stream trickling down—from your chest to your shoulders, along your arms, all the way to your palms.”
In the garden in front of the west wing, Aylesia’s magic lesson was in full swing.
A maid and two knights stood nearby. The knights, especially, watched Eleanora with keen interest.
Eleanora stretched out her arms and pressed her palms together, shivering slightly. As she imagined it, a cool sensation moved somewhere inside her body.
Before long, a blue glow of mana flickered around her.
“Oh.”
One of the knights let out a quiet gasp. Visible mana meant it was both pure and abundant.
“When the drops gather in your palm, at the end—freeze.”
“Freeze!”
Pop!
An ice sphere almost as big as an adult’s head floated above Eleanora’s palms. She stared at it, mouth half open.
“Well done, my baby.”
“Did Ellie really do this?”
“Of course.”
Aylesia gently patted her head, smiling proudly.
“Let’s stop here for now.”
Snap.
With a flick of her finger, the ice sphere scattered into white mist. Eleanora’s eyes sparkled.
“Teacher, Teacher! Can you show me too?”
“Hm? You want to see Teacher use magic?”
Eleanora nodded enthusiastically. There was no escaping now.
“Perfect timing. And just enough spectators.”
Aylesia raised her staff and released her mana in one burst.
CRACK!
“Woooow!”
An ice pillar shot up in an instant, rising as high as the west wing itself. Eleanora stared in awe.
“Shall we make it snow now?”
“Snow?”
The moment Aylesia lightly tapped her staff—
BOOM.
The ice pillar shattered from the top down, sending a heavy vibration through the entire estate. The fragments scattered through the air, forming a swirling snowstorm.
“Aaaah! Teacher is the best! You’re like a fairy!”
“Pretty, right?”
“Yes!”
Unlike the two smiling teachers and students, the knights standing guard stiffened.
“…Ronel.”
“I’ll report to the captain.”
The man called Ronel hurried toward the training grounds. The remaining knight stepped forward.
“Lady Milenoff.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Well… um…”
How was he supposed to explain this?
After hesitating, he finally spoke.
“It would be best if you paused the magic lessons for now.”
“Why?”
“There seems to be… a problem.”
“Well, um…”
Aylesia laughed awkwardly, dodging the answer.
She knew he was one of the knights who’d gone to the Chernil Forest with Thermion—but she couldn’t remember his name.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t memorized everyone’s names yet.”
“Tulk Rears.”
“Sir Rears, then. Could you explain? What’s the problem?”
“The magic you just used seems to have affected the estate’s barrier.”
“The barrier?”
Tulk had noticed it the moment Aylesia released her mana. The wall of the west wing had briefly rippled, as if distorted.
“All buildings in the ducal estate are protected by powerful barriers.”
Alarm spells to detect unauthorized intruders, defensive magic against physical attacks, and even shields that forcibly disperse mana.
Aside from the Imperial Palace and the Mage Tower, only the Retis ducal house possessed such an extensive defensive system.
After hearing the explanation, Aylesia blinked a few times—then clapped her hands.
“Oh my. Did I cause trouble?”
