CHAPTER 35…………………………………….
Wouldn’t it be something that wasn’t impossible for someone like him?
The Duke, as if he could read my thoughts, lightly tapped my forehead with his index finger.
“I can see everything you’re thinking. I can’t use it right now, but believe it or not, until I was ten, I properly learned even my family’s secret arts. I was a full-fledged fourth-tier mage. So teaching a beginner mage isn’t difficult.”
“Fourth-tier?”
It wasn’t an easy achievement for a ten-year-old.
But what shocked me even more was something else.
‘The Duke was originally a mage?’
When I reflexively turned my head in surprise, Elden—who had worked in this house for a long time like Ruth—nodded.
‘Seriously?’
He was famous as an aura master, so I had never even imagined he had once been a mage.
And fourth-tier, at that.
…Then why couldn’t he use it now?
In truth, I knew he possessed another kind of magical power—one tinged with red.
What in the world was that?
Was it some special mana usable only for human-body magic circles?
Or had it always been part of him?
To begin with, it should’ve been impossible for one person to possess two different kinds of mana.
‘He is human… right?’
Questions only led to more questions, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
“…Beatrice is the worst criminal guild, specializing in human experimentation.”
As he spoke, unmistakable hatred flickered across his face.
Something terrible must have happened between the Duke and that horrifying guild.
But as a contract wife of only one year, I had no right to pry.
All I could do was guess that the Duke of Northdian carried a complicated past of his own.
“Your Grace, wouldn’t it be better if I handled it? A mage should teach another mage.”
“Beric, you seem to have a lot of free time these days.”
“I’m worried you’ll block the pathways so violently whenever your mana overflows. Don’t forget—I was the one in charge of training recruits until two years ago.”
“If they were recruits of the Ark, they would’ve been at least sixth-tier. You can’t apply the same methods to a beginner. Besides, do you think I don’t know you only stepped in to observe Eloa’s mana? Don’t try anything foolish.”
“F-foolish?! I’m purely driven by academic curiosity…!”
While the two bickered, Ruth came looking for us.
“Master? What is all this…?”
He stared blankly at the reception room, which looked like it had been hit by a magical storm.
Unable to tell the truth, I could only laugh awkwardly and scratch my cheek.
Ruth soon regained his composure and entered, offering the Duke a silver tray.
“A message has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
“From His Majesty?”
The Duke opened the letter with practiced ease.
Even though most communication was done through transmission orbs these days, he still insisted on physical letters—probably because he disliked magical tools.
“No. It’s a letter from Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
His hand paused mid-motion.
‘The Crown Princess? Why would she…?’
I tilted my head slightly, and it seemed the other two were just as confused.
Seeing their reaction, Ruth smiled awkwardly. He must have been told the purpose along with the letter.
“She said she’ll be visiting the Duke’s estate soon.”
“…What?”
At that single sentence, shock swept through the room.
*
After completing the Sky Ark’s request, Ripei returned to the southern part of the Empire, to the mage mercenary guild in Simak City where he worked.
The five-story guild building, constructed using magical architectural techniques, had half of the first floor operating as a reception area for clients, and the other half as a dining hall and tavern for guild members.
Ripei, skipping even his meal, ordered a beer and sank into thought.
“Haa…”
For nearly a month, he’d been trapped in the same worry.
‘El becoming someone’s wife…’
Lately, just thinking about it was enough to make him bolt upright even in his sleep.
‘El… I miss you.’
Ripei let out another deep sigh.
El, whom he had met by chance during a request, was a girl much smaller than others her age, dressed in shabby clothes—yet her shining golden eyes and rich amber-brown hair drew attention.
Not only that, she was one of the extremely rare “mana readers,” and she even possessed the ability to cross doors every two weeks to travel anywhere across the continent.
She was like a great mage from old legends.
In reality, she was little different from a notch—abused at home.
Sometimes she seemed oddly lacking in common sense, yet other times she made judgments colder and sharper than most adults.
‘I can’t throw away my mother’s keepsake. It’s not just because I loved her. I need it if I want to become a mage.’
That was why she endured the abuse, gritting her teeth and stubbornly holding on.
Ripei pitied her and wanted to save her somehow.
But then she suddenly left that house… and got married.
‘No matter how I think about it, she must’ve gotten tangled up in something again.’
Whether it was her nature or her fate, trouble followed her wherever she went.
It had been the same when they first met.
While waiting in the palace reception hall for a request, he saw a girl in worn clothes sneak in through the door, looking around with fascination.
Because the hall was enormous and it was late, she didn’t notice Ripei—dark-skinned, hood pulled low.
“Wow… so this is the Imperial Palace. It’s insanely fancy. You could probably steal a few gold decorations and no one would notice. Oh! This is that clock artifact I saw in a book!”
She clearly didn’t belong there, so he quietly observed her.
Then suddenly, the security magic sounded.
Looking closely, he saw she was holding a large sheet of paper.
Later, he asked what it was, but El dodged the question.
The alarm echoed throughout the palace.
Startled, the girl rushed for the door—only to be caught in a magic trap.
If she was captured by imperial guards, it wouldn’t end well.
So Ripei temporarily disabled the trap and pulled her free.
“Wait. Don’t move.”
She stared at him with wide golden eyes.
That must have been the moment…
‘When I fell for her at first sight.’
Ripei had been seventeen then. El was fifteen.
Like a squirrel on high alert, she glared at him, fierce and defensive, her golden eyes shining as if she would never surrender no matter what.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ripei. A mage mercenary.”
“A mage mercenary? You’re a mage, but also a mercenary? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Do you even know what a mercenary is?”
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m not as young as I look.”
After he saved her, she backed away… then suddenly threw open the door and bolted.
“Wait! That way—!”
Security magic was still active nearby.
Panicked that she’d be trapped again, he rushed after her.
But the hallway was empty.
“I didn’t even get her name…”
A completely absurd first meeting.
And because she was an illegal palace intruder, he couldn’t even ask around.
That would implicate him as well.
But exactly one month later, El appeared at his mercenary guild.
She slammed a gold coin onto his table.
“That’s your reward for saving me. Thanks. Bye.”
He was dumbfounded.
A tiny girl casually offering such a fortune, then turning away without hesitation?
His curiosity sparked.
“Wait! There’s something I want to ask!”
Without thinking, he grabbed her.
He wanted to know how she escaped that day, and how she found him.
More than anything… he wanted to know about her.
But El, despite her innocent appearance, didn’t easily let people close.
“Why should I answer you?”
“Because I saved you?”
“Are you trying to take credit? I paid you back.”
“I didn’t want payment. More importantly… do you need a mage?”
“…What’s your goal?”
“Don’t be so wary. I’m not a bad person. Look—do I look like a villain?”
“…You know you’re handsome, don’t you?”
Only then did her expression soften slightly.
Seeing that, Ripei smiled brightly—something he rarely did—and tried to seem even more harmless.
His acquaintances would’ve been horrified, but it worked.
“I’m looking for medicine to fix my heart.”
Thanks to that, after months, she finally opened up enough for him to hear her story.
Why she was so guarded.
Why she was in the palace.
And what special power allowed her to cross continents.
She was mysterious.
And without realizing it, Ripei fell deeper and deeper for the small girl.
But her environment had frozen her emotions.
One day, he realized he had never once seen her smile.
“El… try smiling once.”
“Smile? There’s nothing to smile about. How could I?”
The words struck him harder than expected.
After that, wanting to see her smile, Ripei joined her journey to find the heart medicine.
Before he knew it, he was spending every day with her.
Ripei, who always kept careful boundaries in relationships, soon understood what it meant.
But El wasn’t in a place emotionally to accept his confession.
Instead, she was nearing her limit more and more each day.
Growing desperate, Ripei pushed too hard and brought her something like a “mana enhancement accelerator.”
But it only put her in greater danger.
And in the end… El escaped that terrible house without his help.
Then, to top it off, she suddenly got married.
“Haa… so this is what it feels like to be the dog chasing the chicken.”
He had chased her for five years with everything he had—
Only for her to be taken by some unknown man before he could even confess.
Considering El’s situation, that man couldn’t possibly be decent.
‘But if I barge in recklessly… she’ll definitely hate me.’
