Chapter 28
Cordelia shot up from her chair, but Tyraine cut in firmly.
“Think back to what happened earlier. What will you do if something like that happens again?”
“Then shouldn’t I be with you instead? The kid I chased after was a magician. Leaving us alone might actually be more dangerous.”
“…Hold on, what do you mean by that?”
Seeing Noah’s and Tyraine’s faces turn grim, Cordelia realized she’d slipped. Ah, right. That was something to be concerned about.
“Why didn’t you say that first?”
“I was going to! But when I saw that guy, I was so startled I just forgot.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake… What are you even saying?”
With both of them looking at her like she was a walking disaster, Cordelia felt rather wronged. I mean—what? It’s not like I invited a magician on purpose!
“We might have to report this. You’re telling me there’s an unlicensed magician in the country?”
“When hasn’t there been? You said yourself they’re pretty common near the border.”
“Well, yes, but…”
Magicians like that could be useful for keeping the Temple’s monopoly on magic in check, so the royal family turned a blind eye to some extent—provided it was in the borderlands.
“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t report it yet. If you do, they’ll insist on combing through all of Lité. Are we really going to burn the whole house down to kill a flea?”
Cold but logical. And since, as Noah had stressed, Cordelia was the one in charge here, Tyraine smacked his lips and reluctantly agreed.
“All right, at least explain the situation. What happened exactly?”
Cordelia had charged at the boy, knocking him to the ground. The moment a red gleam lit in his eyes, the tip of a sharp dagger aimed straight at him.
“Don’t move. Try anything funny, and I’ll stab you.”
The man’s eyes were far from playful—they were cold and dangerous. The boy closed his mouth and studied him, and the man added gently,
“Even magicians have weaknesses. Don’t they?”
That was something Rines had taught her when he came to inform her she’d be joining the inspection party.
‘Magicians channel magic through mana. It’s innate—you need talent to become one.’
Rines had lifted Cordelia’s hand to point at his own eyes, stopping her fingers about a handspan away. His gaze was serious.
‘There are two ways to cut off mana: use a control device made of special metal, or damage the eyes, which are the source.’
‘The eyes?’
‘Yes. They’re the focal point for mana, so damage them and it hampers magic. But don’t go telling people that. Just thinking about this being leaked makes me shiver.’
Though his face was calm, Cordelia caught the unease in his eyes. Instead of commenting, she clapped her hands exaggeratedly.
‘Wow, are you even allowed to tell me that?’
‘Of course not.’
After hesitating, Rines said,
‘But since your condition is because of magic, you might run into it again. It’s not an easy target, but magicians tend to be frail… and they look down on ordinary people. If you catch them off guard, you might be able to take one down. Maybe.’
Still, he’d begged her not to take risks unless it was truly dangerous, and to leave it to others whenever possible. She’d nodded half-heartedly—though she’d ended up getting an earful and a dagger to carry afterward.
Not that she’d expected to actually need it so soon. Her heart was pounding wildly.
Would he cast magic first, or could she stab his eyes first? As she stared tensely down at him, the boy chuckled. Despite the blade right in front of him, he showed no sign of nervousness.
“Seems like you know my weakness. Even so, you’re not very scared.”
“Not a fan of being dragged around like this.”
Truthfully, she’d only attacked because he was small and she trusted Noah’s strength to back her up. If he really was a magician, he could knock her out and drag her off immediately, but the fact that he didn’t suggested he had no intention to harm her.
Cordelia forced herself to keep her face calm despite her racing heart.
“And to be honest,” she said after a deep breath,
“whoever your master is, inviting people like this is really rude, don’t you think? If you want to meet my lady or me, you should send a proper invitation. If you can hire a magician, you clearly have money. Can’t even invest that much?”
Did he know how many party invitations she got every month? She only accepted the most polite and respectful ones. Rude types like this never even made it past the Duke’s gates—yet here he was trying to get in for free?!
She swallowed down the rest of her rant and glared at him.
“We’re staying at the Plador Inn. We won’t run or hide, so follow proper etiquette and visit properly!”
When she finished scolding him, looking aggrieved, the boy suddenly started laughing—laughing so hard she began to pity him. Maybe he’d gone mad.
“No, really… now that I see you up close, I get it.”
The boy’s hand groped near hers, then clasped something invisible—like grabbing a thin thread. Cordelia flinched.
Wait. No way.
“Hey, hands off!”
When she pressed the dagger closer, he let go and met her wavering eyes.
“Understood.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll send it exactly as you said. So, would you step aside?”
What, he was really going to let her go?
Still wary, Cordelia stepped back, and the boy leapt to his feet. With a flick of his hand, the surrounding noise came rushing back into her ears.
“Well then, goodbye.”
As he turned politely away, Cordelia blinked. Wait—
He was taller than she’d thought. Still small, but definitely not a child.
She blinked again, and he was gone. Staring dumbly at the spot for a long moment, she tucked her dagger back into her belt—then suddenly screamed.
“Oh, right. My money!”
“So in the end, you never found your purse? Ugh, I’m getting mad all over again.”
When Cordelia finished explaining, Noah added gravely,
“If that’s the case, the one who sent the magician was probably Duke Peshik. The men who tried to take me acted like they were working for him.”
“What? Wait—someone came after you too?”
“Yes. That kid must have been bait.”
“Hold on. That means he brought an unlicensed magician all the way to the royal palace!”
Cordelia’s face turned serious, but Tyraine countered lightly,
“Not necessarily. Since the duchy borders the principality, he could claim the magician came to escort him for safety. Given the lawlessness out here, people might accept that.”
“As if!”
“Yes, yes, I know. I’m just saying it’s a plausible excuse.”
Before Cordelia could argue, there was a knock at the door. All three exchanged glances. Noah, the room’s occupant, called out,
“What is it?”
“A man just delivered a letter. He said it was ‘as promised.’ Shall I bring it in?”
“Yes.”
Tyraine took the letter from the guard. It looked like a standard invitation—except it bore the Peshik family seal. The date was set for tomorrow at noon.
“Well, he works fast.”
“What do we do?”
“We could go, right? Now that they’ve sent an official invitation, if anything happens, we can lodge a formal complaint. They won’t be able to dodge responsibility, so it’s not that dangerous. The principality prefers neutrality—they won’t want to risk war.”
Tyraine turned to Cordelia with surprise, like a mother bird seeing her chick fly for the first time.
“I’ve been in high society for twelve years, you know. What, did you think I had no sense at all?”
“Well, I only ever saw you at banquets.”
“Oh, fair point…”
“Though back then you had the guts to slap people in public. Now you even know how to hide your claws.”
“What, you were there for that? And that was ages ago—and I had my reasons! Anyone hearing this will think I go around hitting people.”
She glanced at Noah, relieved to see he wasn’t shocked. Tyraine, however, kept a close eye on her.
“Or should we refuse? What do you think?”
“We could, but I doubt that would be the end of it.”
True enough. Judging by what had just happened, they seemed persistent—it might be better to face them quickly.
“I have a few traps that can resist magic. I’ll give them to you. For now, why don’t the two of you go?”
“You’re not coming?”
“The Duke knows my face. If he sees me, he’s sharp enough to realize this is a bigger deal than it seems.”
“You were that important?”
“Isn’t it a bit rude to say it so bluntly?”
Unbothered, Tyraine chuckled and told them,
“The risk of an ambush is low now, so rest up. I’ll be back soon.”
Before Noah could reply, he strode out—dragging Cordelia with him.
“Hey, why are you taking me?!”
Grumbling but following him to the alley outside the inn, Cordelia watched Tyraine check their surroundings. Satisfied that no one was around, he gripped her shoulders seriously.
“Miss, you didn’t do anything to our boy, did you?”
