Chapter 51…………………………………
Princess Cecilia had shown up unannounced. Coming without any prior arrangement was extremely rude, but she was royalty and the next heir of the Sky Ark.
I had no choice but to cancel my schedule and lead her to the parlor.
“You must be busy preparing for the banquet soon. What brings you here?”
Luckily, the duke was out of the house. If he had been home, seeing the princess suddenly appear would have sparked yet another endless battle of wills.
Soon, Luigi brought out some black tea and madeleines.
The princess took a bite of a madeleine and smiled.
“I came because I wanted to see the Duchess.”
“Just call me Eloah. ‘Duchess’ isn’t my name.”
“Is that alright? Well, it’s fine by me.”
At my suggestion, Princess Cecilia’s delicate face brightened, and she eagerly plopped down beside me.
She smelled faintly of lavender.
“The reason I came today is clear. Eloah, you and I are going to the Sky Ark together.”
“Pardon?”
Why would I go there?
The Sky Ark.
It was the cradle of magic in this world, a place crawling with high-ranking magicians obsessed with magic.
For someone like me, who had abilities that made magicians drool with envy, it was the number one place to avoid.
Perhaps seeing my expression, Cecilia chuckled and began to explain.
“Recently, I’ve been working with that blue-haired magician on an investigation. He couldn’t stop praising your talents, Duchess.”
“Berrriiik! I told him to keep my magic a secret!”
If he were there, I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him until his soul rattled.
I quickly waved my hands to dampen the princess’s enthusiasm.
“That’s impossible. I can only use a few second-rank spells. I’m still clumsy with magic, so I often fail. Berik was probably just being polite.”
“Polite? If he were that clever, he wouldn’t have been expelled in the first place. He’s surprisingly stubborn.”
Then, with a mischievous expression, she seemed to remember something.
“Eloah, do you know why he was expelled from the Ark?”
“Because… he caused some sort of incident, the Duke said…”
She snickered.
“Memory-erasing magic isn’t forbidden, but using it requires reporting it to the Ark. He used it however he pleased.”
“Memory-erasing magic?”
Cecilia twirled her hair around her fingers, frowning.
“His younger sibling died in an accident, and the Marchioness went mad. So he erased the sibling from their mother’s memory. The Marchioness returned to normal, but since he had to hide the fact that he used memory-erasing magic, he didn’t report it. Years later, another Sky Ark magician visiting the mansion found out.”
She spoke matter-of-factly, but her expression was uneasy.
“Anyway, he was permanently expelled from the Ark for keeping a secret from the Marchioness. Such a promising talent, it’s a pity.”
I never imagined that the usually cheerful Cecilia had such a story.
“So even magicians have rules.”
“Most are just to protect my own turf, but thanks to them, the Sky Ark remains stable to this day, serving as a true cradle of magic.”
She paused, speaking softly as if to herself.
“…Sometimes I wonder if it’s really right.”
It was unlike Cecilia to question things this way, considering how she often clashed with the Duke for disregarding anyone’s sacrifice for the advancement of magic.
Then she suddenly perked up and grabbed my hand.
“No, that’s not what I wanted to say. Duchess—or rather, Eloah—try using some magic.”
“I can’t use magic on my own yet.”
My mana was steadily increasing, and I was practicing with my pen, but my control was unstable. Even with a launch point, I failed once or twice out of ten attempts.
She waved her hand dismissively.
“The next heir of the Sky Ark is right here. What’s there to worry about?”
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Then she swept her hand through the air, and sky-blue mana, the same color as her eyes, filled the space.
“Second-rank, [Tarraksia Fou].”
A vase on the fireplace flew toward her. It was magic that manipulated objects by moving air.
“Wow.”
She caught the vase and placed it on the table.
“See? Simple. Try it yourself.”
“I’ve never seen this magic before. I don’t even know the formula.”
“I’ll show you. It’s simple.”
‘Tarraksia Fou’ wasn’t in my spellbook.
Hesitant, I couldn’t deny that I wanted to learn it badly.
‘If I can use that, I could fetch books from bed or even do two assignments at once!’
Knowing that the Duke would smile if he saw me learning magic from the princess, I couldn’t refuse.
“…What’s the formula?”
Her face lit up when I responded positively, and she pulled a pen and paper from thin air, writing the formula. It wasn’t as difficult as I had expected.
‘Surprisingly simple.’
A second-rank spell indeed.
I focused my core mana, sending it through the launch point, forming the magic according to the formula.
The target was a peridot-studded brooch on the dressing table.
“[Tarraksia Fou.]”
At the launch command, my mana manipulated the air, moving the brooch smoothly into my hand.
“Done…”
The brooch flew to me without my touch.
“Your Highness, I did it!”
I was in a daze when the princess’s exclamation reached me.
“You’re insane.”
“Pardon?”
Suddenly, Cecilia’s tone grew harsh.
She came up close and gripped my hands tightly.
“Eloah, you don’t belong here.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“That spell isn’t second-rank—it’s actually a fifth-rank custom spell I made. And you reproduced it perfectly just from the formula… This is a once-in-a-century, even historically unprecedented, genius-level talent…”
Who said the princess was just a magic-obsessed magician? Her eyes glinted with mania as she held my shoulders.
‘Help! Someone save me.’
She looked ready to whisk me off to the Sky Ark immediately.
“You are a genius magician. Don’t waste your talent here. Come with me to the Sky Ark and advance the magical world together…!”
Sky-blue mana began to flow as if she were about to cast teleportation.
‘No, not Rectarion!’
I squeezed my eyes shut—and heard a savior’s voice.
“Who allowed you to take my wife?”
Opening my eyes, I saw the Duke of Nostdian threatening Cecilia with a sword pressed to her neck.
Only then did Cecilia regain her composure.
“D-Duke? When did you arrive?”
“You’re using magic in my house again. Did my warnings sound like jokes to you?”
His crimson eyes glinted. He smiled crookedly, ready to draw his sword.
“Ah, no. Duke, you can even sense residual mana? That sensitivity is insane! No, that’s my fault, so stop glaring. I’ll be crushed by your aura.”
Cecilia let go of my hands, raising hers in surrender.
Indeed, golden aura surged around her, like pouring oil on a burning fire.
The Duke glared at her for a moment before sheathing his sword and asking me,
“Eloah, are you alright? Your heart?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
Both my heart and mana were flowing properly, stabilizing day by day.
‘Wait, she said fifth-rank custom spell?’
A chill ran down my spine.
Custom spells are tailored to their creator; they cannot be easily replicated. And fifth-rank?
‘I was only learning second-rank spells.’
That meant mana control was complex enough that failure could have led to mana overload.
‘This crazy princess!’
She nearly killed me out of curiosity.
The Duke clearly knew this, which explained why he was always wary of Cecilia.
Cecilia was a true magic-obsessed fanatic, beyond reason.
“I told you not to bother my wife. Someone like you isn’t to be handled carelessly.”
“I’m just acting like a hedgehog protecting its cub. I heard it was Eloah’s birthday recently, so I came personally to give a gift. Who do you think I came to see—the Duke?”
“Then leave the gift and go. Don’t cause trouble.”
Invisible flames sparked in the air.
Even with a sulky expression, Cecilia knew she had crossed the line. She muttered but obediently put her hand into the air.
“Here, Eloah. It’s my gift.”
She handed me a letter.
“This…?”
Cecilia grinned.
“Yes, an invitation to the Sky Ark.”
“Why give it to me?”
She shook the letter in the air like a salesperson, smiling brightly.
“The Sky Ark isn’t easily accessible even for nobles. Your talent would be welcome anytime, but wouldn’t it be good to visit and observe before making a choice?”
“I have no intention of entering the Sky Ark.”
Going to a place overflowing with die-hard magical prodigies? No, thank you.
Even if the massive flying ship spanning the continent was fascinating and offered countless spells to learn, the danger was real.
Even the princess who just saw my magic had eyes gleaming with mania. Going where there were dozens like her? Absolutely not.
My goal was simple: divorce the Duke in a year, then live freely and peacefully.
“Come on, think it over. Opportunities like this are rare.”
“But…”
“It’s not formal admission—you’re just going to look around.”
Just observe? Honestly, I was curious. It would show the ultimate state of magic in this world.
I hesitated to answer.
