Chapter 113……………………………………..
Reunion
A quiet mansion surrounded by tall stone walls stood still, with bare branches poking sparsely over the top. The air was still tinted with dawn — a bluish hue blending strangely with the gray sky.
Soldiers stood guard before the iron gate. From a distance, a sharp gaze watched their strict security.
After a while, the firmly closed gate opened, and someone appeared.
A tall man, even taller than the soldiers, wearing plain, unremarkable clothes, gave a slight nod and began walking down the path. Those standing behind the wall followed him from a discreet distance — like shadows, silent and watchful.
But as they turned a corner behind him, a quiet sigh escaped among them.
“…Huh.”
The man was gone — vanished without a trace. Had he noticed he was being followed?
They exchanged glances and immediately scattered in all directions.
Who were those people just now?
As soon as Noah turned the corner, he swiftly slipped into a nearby alley and darted noiselessly through the winding path. Passing through the narrow passage, he emerged into a busier street where carriages came and went. He hailed one on sight and drew the curtain over its window.
He often used this alley to avoid being tracked, but it was the first time he’d noticed people tailing him near the mansion.
He’d heard that the place where he and his mother were confined was a top-secret location, known only to a select few even within the royal family. Should he really dismiss the people who followed him as coincidence?
A single possibility came to mind, and Noah’s expression darkened. He couldn’t be sure of anything until he confirmed it himself — but there was a strong temptation to never find out at all.
Noah shook his head, brushing away the thought. He sat straight, his blue eyes fixed on the driver’s seat — eyes unyielding, as if they could never break.
“How about this one? Among the latest shipment, this is the best quality we’ve got…”
“I’ll take it. Can I bring it with me right now?”
Noah chose the last block of plaster he needed, then climbed aboard the freight wagon with two workers, heading toward the workshop. When he got off and approached the door, it suddenly burst open before he could touch it — startling him.
“What the— why so noisy out there— oh.”
A middle-aged woman with tousled hair scratched her head as she stepped out, and Noah’s eyes widened.
“Master?!”
“It’s been a while. Finally gave up on that gloomy hairstyle of yours, did you?”
His teacher, Olive Flotera, laughed heartily. Noah let out a small sigh.
“When did you arrive?”
“Last night. Thought I’d stretch my hands a bit while I was at it — and look who shows up.”
Over her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of a half-shaped plaster figure. Before he could reply, one of the workers behind him called out loudly.
“Should we move this one over there?”
“Oh, yes. Please set it in that corner.”
Noah stepped aside as the workers carefully carried the plaster in. Once they had left, he quietly asked,
“When will you start the work?”
“I was just about to go see that fellow, Ferron. Want to come along?”
“I should. You don’t have any other assistants, after all.”
“I could manage fine on my own.”
“Please, think of your age. So, where have you been this time?”
“Ah, I made a little trip to Herita.”
At those words, Noah’s face froze. He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then hissed under his breath,
“Why on earth would you go there?!”
Herita — the Magic Kingdom beyond the western border. A nation where even a commoner could earn a title if they had talent in magic, but where the existence of slavery meant many also fell into bondage for the smallest mistake. Compared to his homeland, the Kingdom of Kreitz, it was a land ruled by strength — a virtual lawless zone for ordinary people.
“Crossing the border a little won’t kill me. And the soldiers there don’t have time to bother with an old woman like me.”
Noah glanced at the solid muscles still clinging proudly to her arms and legs, but the worry didn’t leave his face.
“That region’s dangerous these days. It’s barely been two years since the royal family suppressed that mage rebellion. There are even rumors that the survivors of the purge are still lurking near the border.”
“Ah, so that’s why I found someone like that there, huh?”
The start of her story sounded ominous. Before Noah could ask, Olive went on cheerfully,
“Anyway, I happened to save a so-called mage over there.”
“…What?”
“He’d fallen into some kind of pit trap, so I pulled him out. Poor thing could barely stand, struggling to climb out of a simple hole.”
“Ordinary people can’t just climb out of holes like that, you know.”
“Really? Well, in any case, he wanted to repay me somehow, so I showed him that magic circle thing you sent me — asked if he knew what it was. He said it looked like some kind of ancient magic.”
“Ancient…?”
“He even wrote something down for me, but I can’t read their script, only understand when it’s spoken. Here.”
Olive handed him a neatly folded piece of paper. Without unfolding it, Noah tucked it carefully into his pocket.
“What happened to the mage?”
“He said staying with him would be dangerous, so he left. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Well, I’m just glad you came back safely.”
Whoever that mage was, for him to recognize a magic circle that even the temple’s chief scholar, Ephinas, struggled to decipher, he must have been a person of remarkable knowledge. Noah could only hope he had escaped the tyranny of the Seleman royal family safely.
“What exactly have you gotten yourself tangled up in, boy?”
“I’ll explain when everything’s over.”
“Does this have something to do with you cutting your hair?”
“Most likely.”
Noah looked quietly at his master before finally speaking,
“I’m sorry. You crossed the border because of me, didn’t you?”
It must have been a question even the temple priests found difficult to answer. His teacher’s wanderlust was famous, but she wasn’t the type to risk her life without reason.
For someone like her to suddenly take interest in the neighboring kingdom of magicians — there had to be a cause. Feeling ashamed, Noah lowered his head, but her rough hand clapped his shoulder firmly.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s been ages since my only pupil ever asked me for a ‘favor.’ Honestly, you’ve always been so mature it was almost creepy.”
“C-creepy…?”
“So just focus on your work as my assistant. And don’t go losing confidence for no reason.”
Saying she’d go meet the guildmaster, Olive started walking off. Noah followed behind, glancing once at the unfinished white plaster that stood alone in the workshop, silently seeing them off.
“Um,”
Cordelia suddenly broke the silence, looking around at the people seated with her — Jasmine, Elissa, and Viscount Owen. They were having a rare, leisurely gathering at the viscount’s estate.
Since the incident, attendance at their reading club had dropped sharply, leaving the mansion unusually quiet. Cordelia had apologized for the trouble, but the viscount only said he was worried she had been dragged into danger because of him, and was relieved she’d returned safely.
Everyone had been surprised to see her short hair, but no one pried — and that lack of curiosity was something she deeply appreciated.
She had stayed in Devron until the rumors subsided, and after returning, she’d been holed up in her mansion, writing non-stop. She could have gone to the salon first, but she’d chosen to meet these friends instead — there was something she wanted to ask frankly.
“If you tell your lover you’d like to meet their parents… would that sound like, you know, that kind of meaning?”
“Pfft—!”
Jasmine, sipping her tea, suddenly choked and started coughing uncontrollably. Thankfully, Elissa had been reaching for a cookie, avoiding a similar mishap. As Cordelia patted Jasmine’s back, Elissa asked carefully,
“By ‘that kind,’ do you mean… like, marriage?”
“Well… probably?”
“Since you’d be introducing yourself to the family, it could definitely feel serious. But wait — you have a lover?”
“It’s recent, actually. Things just… worked out. And somehow, he’s already met everyone in my family.”
Since she’d even met Rick’s family at Callisto Castle, it meant both sides of her family had now been introduced.
“But I haven’t even greeted his family properly yet. Doesn’t that seem a little unfair?”
Cordelia recalled Irene’s face — Noah’s mother — from the time she’d shared a meal in Noah’s body. Her main worry now was how the woman would react to her.
From their brief conversation, Irene hadn’t seemed unpleasant, but her fierce love for her son was famous since her days as queen. And considering that the king’s official consort — her political rival — had been Cordelia’s own sister…
“…I guess expecting a warm welcome might be a stretch.”
“What was that?”
“Oh, nothing — just worried about her reaction.”
Would she try to tear me apart with words? Not that she was afraid, exactly — but she knew Noah would worry for her, and that alone made her uneasy.
“Hm. If it were me — an old man like me, that is — I’d probably think, ‘At last! My son’s brought home his bride!’”
Sitting beside Elissa, Viscount Owen offered his gentle insight. Cordelia nodded quietly; his words carried the weight of years.
“You think so too? My only concern is whether she’ll like me.”
Still, she had to meet her eventually. The sooner both families were acquainted, the less chance Noah would have to back out later.
He’d seemed troubled lately — probably overthinking things again. She’d decided not to pressure him, thinking that patience was the least she could offer.
After all, for someone like Noah, accepting her at all had been no small thing.
As Jasmine finally recovered from her coughing fit, she studied Cordelia’s expression and said bluntly,
“…Are you nervous, by any chance?”
