Chapter 92
“Have you packed everything? Then come out quickly.”
“Yes.”
Despite the duke’s urging, Elizia walked slowly toward the door. Once outside, she saw the duke waiting in front of the carriage. Elizia bowed her head.
“Um… Goodbye?”
“Elizia Semperion!”
Her farewell didn’t seem to sit well with him, and the duke’s face showed clear displeasure. Dora, who was standing nearby, whispered frantically.
“My lady, are you never coming back? You should say you’ll be back!”
“Ah, right.”
Elizia bowed again.
“I’ll be off, then. Please stay well until I return.”
“…Ha, fine. Get in.”
Was that not it either?
Even after correcting her farewell, the duke heaved a deep sigh, making it clear she still hadn’t said the right thing.
Well, I should get on first.
She looked for Seolpyo, who had left the mansion ahead of her, but he was nowhere in sight. It turned out the carriage had a separate compartment in the back for him. Confirming that the beast was fast asleep, Elizia climbed aboard last. Yet, even after she had boarded, the door didn’t close.
“…Father?”
She blinked, expecting the duke to close the door for her, but instead—
“I can go by myself, you know?”
“I know.”
The duke, after checking that she was inside, climbed into the carriage himself.
…He’s escorting me?
But it didn’t look like he was doing so out of kindness. His expression was far too heavy.
As the carriage rolled forward, silence settled between them, heavy and awkward. After staring out the window for a long, uncomfortable stretch, the duke finally spoke.
“You must have some explaining to do.”
“…”
Elizia looked away.
Here it comes.
It was a natural question. Ever since she had chosen the Magic Tower at the imperial palace, they hadn’t had a proper conversation.
On the way home, he’d said nothing—perhaps wary of other ears. At home, with Howell and the servants present, the only talk had been about how she’d pack or whether she should take Seolpyo with her. The atmosphere hadn’t seemed too bad, so she’d assumed his anger had subsided. Apparently not.
He had been waiting until they were alone, just like now, to interrogate her properly.
“I…”
She stopped mid-sentence. Where should she even begin? She had suddenly been accused of stealing a holy relic, and now people suspected she was the relic.
And that wasn’t all. She had to explain where she’d gone that night, why her hair had been found in the temple building… There were too many things.
“I… I didn’t steal it.”
At the very least, that part was true. She hadn’t stolen anything. She had only received something disguised as a gift. She had clearly fallen into someone’s trap, though she couldn’t even guess who or why.
Will he believe me?
Would the duke trust a simple “I didn’t do it”? The circumstances certainly made her look guilty.
Anxiously swallowing a sigh, Elizia stole a glance at him. His sharp eyes caught hers, as though he’d been watching her all along. After a pause, he spoke.
“I see.”
“…!”
Does that mean he believes me?
Relief swept through her.
“Then who do you think stole it?”
“Huh?”
The sudden question made her flinch.
Who was the real culprit?
“Well… I don’t really know.”
She had her suspicions, but without proof, she couldn’t say. From the moment the “gift” left the temple, too many people could have interfered—the saintess herself, countless priests, even servants at the duke’s mansion who inspected incoming letters.
“But I do think it was a trap.”
“…Is that so.”
The duke fell silent, as if mulling over her words. Elizia looked at him, puzzled that he seemed inclined to believe her.
Come to think of it, Howell and the others had also reacted in a similar way—more like “there’s no way you did that” rather than genuine suspicion. Howell had even asked if she’d simply found the relic somewhere.
Was it because the case was too big for her to be capable of such a thing? Or did they truly trust her?
As Elizia pondered, the duke’s next question came.
“…Then you have no idea why the relic’s tracking magic points to you?”
“…”
The relic’s light had singled her out. And this time, she knew why.
…Because it’s still in my inventory.
But she couldn’t possibly say that. Who knew what disaster would follow if she did?
I’ll just have to handle this myself somehow.
It was a heavy burden. The constant scrutiny from the temple, the risk of being tracked… Still, she had some ideas for handling it. But explaining would mean revealing her greatest secret.
How could I ever admit I have an “inventory”!
If they found out, she’d be dragged away for experiments, accused of being inhuman!
“I… don’t really know.”
She lowered her head with a sigh. His displeased silence returned, the sound of the rattling carriage filling the void.
Soon, the spire of the Magic Tower loomed in sight.
“As you know, Howell will be staying there as well.”
“Yes.”
She’d already been told. She nodded, then he added:
“And I also visit the temple from time to time to pray.”
“…What?”
She reflexively blurted out her surprise. Was the duke always that devout? In the game, this detail had never come up.
What’s he implying? That I should talk to him if I need to, when he’s there? Or is it just another excuse to keep watch over me?
She scrutinized his face for clues.
“Of course, you know there are many ears listening in that place. Even if we meet, you must always be cautious with your words.”
So then I can’t say anything at all…
Still, at least that meant he’d understand if she didn’t approach him.
While she was thinking this, the carriage jolted to a halt. Elizia cautiously peered out the window.
It looked like there were more people than before gathered near the Tower.
Wait—they’re not mages?
Looking closer, most were in noble attire, not robes. Visitors, perhaps. But the way they were staring at her…
The rumors have already spread?
That she’d been accused of stealing the relic—it must have gotten out. It was too important a matter for the temple to keep contained, and noble families had their own ways of getting information.
The nobles outside lingered with curious eyes. Elizia sighed. Would she have to endure absurd rumors again, like at the last banquet? Maybe not. After all, these were just NPCs—perhaps she wouldn’t care as much. She turned to the duke.
“I’ll get off alone. You don’t have to come with me.”
He must already be angry enough about everything. No need for him to face this humiliation too. But—
“Alone? Are you ignoring etiquette again?”
Ah, right.
Last time, Howell had scolded her for not accepting an escort. The duke must have thought the same.
Before she could stop him, the door swung open.
“…!”
As soon as the Duke of Semperion stepped down, the nobles’ eyes darted away.
“It’s the Duke of Semperion…!”
“He brought her himself…”
“Well, of course. Let’s get out of here quickly!”
Some nobles hurried away, afraid of getting caught in the fallout. Others shuffled off toward the registration mage, pretending they had unrelated business.
“Um, I came to… make a donation to the Tower, so I was planning to visit…”
“In that case, you’ll need to come back another day.”
A new voice cut in—belonging to a hooded mage who had just emerged from the Tower.
“Today we cannot accept ordinary visitors. There is important internal research underway. Please leave.”
“But I’m offering money! Why—”
“Continue, and you may find yourself banned from the Tower entirely.”
“…Hmph.”
The nobles had no choice but to retreat before the mage’s unwavering attitude. After sending them away, the hooded mage approached Elizia and bowed politely.
“My apologies for not arranging this sooner.”
“Hm…”
The duke frowned at him.
“What kind of research? It isn’t about my daughter, is it?”
“Oh, no, it has nothing to do with Lady Semperion.”
Though the answer was respectful and firm, the duke’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. He glanced at the luggage on the carriage and added:
“I wonder if she’s brought too much. I’ve heard the Tower is focused on research, not hospitality.”
“That’s not entirely true,” the hooded mage replied, shaking his head.
“There are always exceptions.”
…Huh?
Elizia frowned. Something didn’t feel right. She distinctly remembered what the Tower representatives had said before:
“The Tower is a place of research. We may not be well prepared to host someone like the saintess. The palace or the temple would be more fitting. Of course, if it’s just a visit, we’d be honored.”
The implication had been that they lacked proper accommodations for important guests. That must have been why the duke mentioned it now.
But this time, they say it’s an exception? Did they build something new in the meantime…?
