Chapter 27
“Granny, it seems there’s a problem with your core. Is that why you can’t use any of your precious offensive magic?”
“Shut up!”
“Well, Madam Matriarch of the noble house, is it appropriate for you to speak so rudely? I suppose that’s why you were thinking of curing the core with illegal medicine or making a hand-and-foot mage. Do you understand the gravity of this? She’s likely to welcome you for the first time.”
“Nonsense!”
She, too, seemed well aware of the notorious reputation of the Duke of Nosdian. He was, after all, a name that inspired hope for Nochi but terror for mages.
“Uwaaah!”
At that moment, Hans’ magical energy began to go fully berserk. The magic that had been creeping along the corridor suddenly burst outward like a balloon popping.
“Ugh!”
My stomach was already unsettled, and now the oppressive magic filling the corridor made me want to vomit. I tried to block my mouth and nose as much as possible, but it was useless.
‘This magic… it’s unsettling. If this continues…’
The grayish magic swirled as if ready to explode at any moment. Just as Risha had said, it would soon run rampant and devastate everything around here.
‘I have to evacuate everyone…’
Even if I tried to speak, no sound came out because of the nausea.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“What should we do, Lord Obrian?”
Sina and Obrian, who couldn’t sense magic, suddenly realized my condition had worsened and grew anxious.
‘I can’t take much more…’
It felt like I was about to faint at any second.
Whoosh!
A golden aura swept away the oppressive magic in an instant, as if sunlight had driven away storm clouds. The refreshing energy enveloped the surroundings, and everything glittered with golden particles left behind by the aura.
‘This…’
My eyes caught the white coat the Duke often wore fluttering in the air.
“You’re simply irresistible, Miss Eloah.”
Raising my head along the coat, I saw the Duke of Nosdian, his hair slightly messy from rushing over, holding a sword shimmering with golden light and smiling at me.
About an hour earlier:
Rectarion walked along the familiar garden path of the Cyrus Empire’s imperial palace, lost in thought.
“At that time, I’d rather find a way to be happy.”
I was genuinely surprised when I heard that.
I never expected someone to say something like that. I knew he had an unpredictable personality, but still,
‘He really is kind of interesting.’
Then, I remembered impulsively reaching out to pat her head, only to quickly pull back at her reaction.
It seemed like a reflexive response to mistreatment.
Thinking about it made me uneasy again.
‘I hope there’s a way for her to overcome her trauma.’
Physical exertion could help forget worries, but I couldn’t just handle this small, squirrel-like woman like a piece of equipment for the Duke’s knights.
‘Hmm. She seems to enjoy food. Maybe if I give her something delicious and pet her while she eats… that could work. A form of training that might be acceptable.’
As he seriously considered how Eloah might respond, a royal knight approached.
“Your Grace, the Duke of Nosdian requests an audience.”
The knight bowed nervously. Rectarion realized where he was and nodded in acknowledgment.
“I’ve come to see His Majesty.”
“Ah, His Majesty is currently…”
“It seems he’s over there today.”
In front of them stood a five-story tower, used for magical surveillance and occasionally for the emperor to enjoy views of the palace.
“I’ll inform him of your arrival.”
“No need. He already knows.”
“Ah, then we’ll prepare the magic circle immediately.”
The tower had no stairs. For maintenance, both commoners and knights sometimes needed to climb it, so magical circles were installed throughout the tower.
“That’s unnecessary. I’ll ascend myself.”
“Excuse me? You mean… up there?”
As soon as the Duke of Nosdian spoke, he sprang from the ground, stepping across decorative protrusions to leap all the way to the fifth floor.
It was instantaneous.
The royal guards watching from below gaped.
“Is he really one of us?”
“I know, right? How could we ever reach that level?”
“Forget it. Only an Aura Master could do that.”
One of the knights who had greeted the Duke asked,
“Why ascend directly instead of using the magic circle?”
“Don’t you know? His Grace hates using magic circles.”
“Really?”
“That’s why he travels between the duchy and palace by carriage, even in this age.”
“Ah, so that’s why His Majesty hasn’t removed the stables from the palace.”
Reaching the top, Rectarion was greeted by Emperor Yugris’ warm smile.
“You’ve improved since last time.”
He bowed to Emperor Yugris, who was feeling the wind atop the tower.
“Thanks to your concern.”
“I did nothing. Your humility is still superficial.”
Rectarion only smiled faintly. He leapt down from the railing toward the emperor.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“Just a courtesy visit.”
“Don’t lie. A few days ago, you were pestering me to punish Viscount Roister through the communication sphere you despised so much. This time, did you come to show me that lady you’ve been hiding?”
“You are quick to learn. Have you planted spies in my household?”
“Even if I did, it would only increase your entourage. What’s the point?”
“Is that so?”
When Rectarion first inherited his title, the emperor had secretly planted spies to see what the boy, ragged and battered, would do as a Duke.
The spies reported back in a week that they could no longer serve and would rather devote themselves entirely to the Nosdian house. The emperor tried again with skilled spies, but the result was the same.
The reason? They all said it was because the Duke treated even commoners with respect despite being a noble.
This was one reason the emperor put so much effort into improving commoner treatment.
Even after losing three spies, Rectarion acted as if nothing had happened, leaving the emperor bewildered. He revealed the source of the news.
“Count Yuberis sent frantic letters, claiming the Duke of Nosdian kidnapped his eldest daughter.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. She was brought with her consent.”
“Still, he took her. There were two daughters, right? The one you took must be the famous young lady. He wouldn’t have given up the second, who’s skilled in magic.”
Eloah Fin Yuberis.
A noble by blood, yet living like a commoner—a tragic young lady.
Even the emperor had heard rumors about her from other nobles.
“She’s the one I’ve long admired.”
The emperor paused, then laughed uproariously. That was entirely devoid of sincerity.
“I see why you came. So you cannot obey my orders.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I cannot live without her.”
“Speak with your eyes and a smile, then.”
Despite the emperor’s scolding, Rectarion only smiled. The emperor waved his hand, thinking the man surely had a hundred cunning schemes inside him.
“Very well, do as you please. I never expected success anyway. It must be because of that person you’re searching for.”
Rectarion’s smile vanished for the first time.
The emperor knew that “that person” was the Duke of Nosdian’s forbidden target. The reason he became an Aura Master and hunted magical criminals was all because of her.
“If she’s not found now, she must already be dead.”
Rectarion remained silent for a long while.
A cool breeze passed over the tower.
“I will not give up.”
Emperor Yugris saw in the grown Duke the same yearning eyes he had as a boy ten years ago.
“Very well, do as you wish. I am content as long as your hunting yields results.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“If you’re grateful, bring that young lady along next time. Roister’s rampage prevented it this time, but if she comes alone, I might descend to your duchy out of curiosity.”
The emperor’s words always sounded like jokes, but they were never mere jokes.
“A banquet will be held in the palace soon. Why hurry so?”
“New amusements are always welcome. You should try signing documents every day with the same faces, crying about the same matters. You’ll understand my feelings.”
The emperor, now in his late fifties, let his shoulders slump dramatically as he sighed.
“I can’t understand why everyone desires such a tedious position.”
He remembered his foolish half-brothers who fought viciously for the throne, only to die, leaving him, a quiet child reading books in a rural estate, to inherit the empire. He shook his head.
“We’ll discuss the rest in the main palace. A meeting is soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor waved, levitating in midair using “Pegra T,” one of the three-tier gravity-reducing spells.
Rectarion followed suit, leaping from the tower without any preparation. Using aura around his feet to soften the impact, he landed, followed by the emperor.
They began walking toward the main palace.
“By the way, upon hearing you brought the young lady, Cecil was delighted.”
“Is that so?”
“Both are children I cherish, yet they get along so poorly.”
“I could not dare. The princess must simply find me unsatisfactory.”
“Always so flattering.”
The emperor took the documents offered by the anxious chief steward and read them, then smiled.
“Did you know? When I told her to marry the Duke of Nosdian, she sneaked into my office and erased all the report’s writing. So, I gave her a little punishment.”
The heiress of the great empire and the next heir of the Sky Ark, playing tricks—interfering with the emperor’s reports—she was clearly still eccentric.
“Have the documents been restored?”
“It was easy. Bringing the Sky Ark’s owner makes it simple.”
“….”
Not even a subordinate mage, but summoning the Sky Ark’s owner—her willfulness resembled the emperor himself.
Emperor Yugris smiled at him.
“Aren’t you curious what punishment she received?”
