Chapter 22
“Your Highness, do you think I would dare to scold you? An irresistible bait and an unavoidable trap—an impeccable deception strategy. You did excellently.”
“It was thanks to Ailesia’s help.”
“Lady Millenov, you say? Impressive.”
Kubera let out an admiring laugh. It was surprising enough that the two of them had worked together, but the fact that it had ended so cleanly was even more astonishing.
That amazement soon gave way to suspicion as he looked at Ailesia.
“Wait—then the barrier being damaged too…?”
“That was intentional. It’s all been restored now, though.”
“As expected—…What?”
Had he misheard something? Kubera, uncharacteristically, stared with his mouth hanging open.
“You restored the barrier?”
Thermion also asked back, as if he couldn’t understand what Ailesia meant.
“It wasn’t that hard.”
“Even if the entire Tygel Knight Order rushed in, it would take at least a full day…”
Kubera trailed off, dumbfounded by her reply.
‘And yet I didn’t sense even a ripple of large-scale mana…’
A dimensional-coordinate distortion barrier wasn’t something you could fix like stacking a sandcastle.
At the very least, the intruders had broken into the mansion one or two hours ago at most. That meant the distortion barrier had been down until then.
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to check it yourself.”
“…Then the reason those bastards struggled to the bitter end was?”
“With their escape route cut off, they had no choice but to thrash around if they wanted to live. Not that they had any chance against the Tygel Knights.”
“They used rather unusual mana. I almost had a bit of trouble.”
Listening to the exchange, Thermion tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Really? I didn’t get the impression they were stronger than our knights.”
“That’s only because Your Highness is so outstanding.”
“I still have a long way to go.”
Hearing that, Ailesia recalled the original story with an expression that said, just as expected.
‘They said even among Aura Masters, he was on a different level—and it’s true.’
Thermion showed no sign of injury, not even a bead of sweat, maintaining a calm demeanor. It was proof of how light the battle had been for him.
Just how strong would he become once he fully matured? It was hard to imagine.
“…Elly’s got the strongest nerves of all.”
“She’s a child destined for greatness, hehe.”
As if this midnight commotion was nothing compared to her drowsiness, Eleonora slept soundly in Ailesia’s arms.
“It seems she feels very comfortable with you.”
“That’s a relief. Thanks to that, she didn’t have to see anything ugly.”
Between her slow breathing and her slack, peaceful expression, she looked exactly as if she were asleep in her own bed. Thermion gently patted his niece’s cheek and turned away.
Now that Eleonora was confirmed safe, it was time to wrap things up.
“Lock those three in the underground dungeon, and put this one in solitary confinement with restraints. He may cooperate voluntarily, so keep a close watch.”
“Rest assured. We’ll keep them under strict surveillance.”
“We’ll conduct a detailed interrogation tomorrow morning. If they wake up in the meantime, it’ll be a nuisance, so it’d be best to put them under a sleep spell.”
“Should we treat their injuries as well?”
“…Only minimally. It’d be troublesome if they died before the interrogation.”
Thermion replied in an irritated tone.
If torture became necessary, their bodies had to be intact. He would have liked to execute them on the spot, but there was no helping it.
“Understood. Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness. And our gratitude to you as well, Lady Millenov.”
“If you’re grateful, make sure there’s a special reward.”
“That’s something you’ll have to discuss with His Highness, haha.”
With a light chuckle, Kubera saluted and withdrew.
“Let’s walk together to the west wing.”
“Sure.”
It was only proper to see his niece settled into bed. Truly, a model uncle.
Ailesia slipped her staff into subspace and adjusted her posture slightly. Holding Eleonora with just one arm the whole time had made her shoulder start to ache.
“I’ll take her.”
“Not tonight.”
When Ailesia gently refused his hand, Thermion’s eyebrow twitched.
“…I’m Elly’s uncle, you know.”
The voice that slipped out was quite low—probably because he was mindful of the sleeping Eleonora.
“I know. That’s why I’m asking you to hold back. Even if it was a trivial fight, in that state?”
“Ah.”
Now that he thought about it, holding a child while covered in blood-stained clothes was inappropriate. Thermion fell briefly silent at Ailesia’s point.
Ailesia deliberately kept her gaze forward as she walked. Seeing her avoid his eyes, Thermion began to feel a little awkward—just then—
“You don’t need to be so anxious. I’m not going to take her away.”
Startled, he turned his head sharply. But Ailesia’s eyes remained fixed straight ahead.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s your niece. Your family. In the end, the person who should be by Elly’s side is you.”
“…That’s only natural.”
“So be moderately jealous. I’m just someone like a fleeting childhood memory.”
Her pace slowed slightly, and a quiet trace of regret surfaced in Ailesia’s eyes.
‘If only I really could remain just a childhood memory…’
It had been over 450 years since her master, Rubia, returned to nature. Her memories with her aunt from before possession dated back over 500 years.
Yet even after such an unfathomable passage of time, memories of those two were as vivid as if it were yesterday. The countless experiences she had accumulated in this world were the same.
Even before learning magic and absorbing the Dragon Heart, she had already lived 700 years. By that point, Ailesia could be certain that she was no ordinary human.
‘I’ll probably live at least another two thousand years.’
Even if Eleonora reached a happy ending safely, she herself would remain in this world.
She had steeled herself for this from the moment she realized she had transcended her limits. Now that she was aware she stood in the very heart of the story’s flow, the feeling only resurfaced more clearly.
An extra who lives long before the original story begins—and long after it ends. She knew it in her head, yet it was a truth that was hard to accept with her heart.
Shaking off her thoughts, she forced a bright voice and chattered on.
“Well, if Elly grows up and still thinks of me sometimes, I’ll be proud. Like, ‘Our teacher was super strong and really pretty,’ you know.”
“…That’s not easy to understand.”
Thermion’s mind was in utter confusion as he looked at Ailesia.
She cherished and cared for Eleonora more than anyone—so why did she keep saying such distant things?
No, even calling it distant felt strange. How could that expression possibly be described as cold?
‘If anything… isn’t it lonely?’
She gazed at Eleonora in her arms with eyes dripping with affection, yet spoke as though she were someone who would soon leave forever. Why?
It reminded him of his former self, and with a sudden surge of emotion, he spoke impulsively.
“It would be fine if you stayed with House Letis for the rest of your life.”
“Huh? For life?”
Ailesia flinched slightly, then smiled softly.
“Oh, come on. Elly will grow up someday. She’ll marry a good person, have cute children who look just like her. Me sticking around forever would just be a burden.”
“…What if Elly wants you to?”
“Then we can think about it when the time comes, right?”
Thermion felt irritation quietly rise at her attitude.
If you pour out that much affection, isn’t it natural to hope for at least a little in return? The way she acted—like someone incapable of clinging, even if it made her sick—rubbed him the wrong way.
“Why are you so lacking in desire?”
“I’m full of desires, though?”
How could she be lacking in desire? Ailesia tilted her head, clearly disagreeing.
Raising Eleonora properly, keeping Thermion alive to the end—those were givens.
She would help the original male lead too, so he and Eleonora could fall in love sweetly. Naturally, she also had to wipe out the scum responsible for the current situation.
If possible, she planned to meet the original mages—the Tower Master, the Archduchess, and others—build relationships, and exchange knowledge.
Beyond that, there were countless pleasures left in this world: exploring uncharted lands, relaxing at tourist destinations, collecting rare items.
‘With so many things I want to do, how could I be called lacking in desire? Seriously.’
But Thermion couldn’t know any of that. By now, he had moved close enough to stand right beside her as he continued.
“As much as you cherish Elly, Elly likes you just as much.”
“I know. I’m grateful for that.”
“If you know that, then please accept Elly’s affection honestly, just as it is.”
At those words, Ailesia stopped in her tracks without realizing it.
“…Does it not look that way?”
