CHAPTER 27:…………………………………………
A Beautiful Night
“It wasn’t hard-to-get information.”
The woman standing before him continued in a dry, emotionless tone, even as shards of glass rolled across the floor.
“I traced a rumor in the black market that certain items were sold only to influential people. When I followed the source, I found that bottles containing magic were being circulated. Tracing the point of sale led me to the House of Highstein.”
Each word struck Lowell like a dagger.
“…It might not be Princess Highstein’s magic. He must have known that extracting and selling magic is a grave crime. Would the House of Highstein really risk that?”
Struggling to find the right words, Lowell spoke at last. Even then, he had to squeeze his eyes shut to block out the rapid, recurring visions flooding his mind.
How much had Zion coveted Aria’s magic in past loops? In one timeline, Zion had even coerced Aria into letting him extract her magic.
But the extraction, which drew magic as if drawing blood, caused immense pain to the magic bearer. Zion, unable to restrain Aria when she resisted violently, had to extract her magic at intervals.
Moreover, selling magic was a serious crime. Concerned that exposure would tarnish his reputation, Zion had used Aria’s magic only when personally necessary.
At least… that had been the case—until now.
“Well, perhaps he didn’t think it was risky.”
The woman spoke dryly as she looked down at Lowell’s slightly trembling shoulders.
“Excuse me?”
“Forcibly extracting and selling magic is a crime, but if the princess voluntarily shared it, there’s no problem. If a servant secretly sold it on the black market, the House of Highstein wouldn’t face any repercussions.”
“Voluntarily shared it? That… doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s unlikely, yes, but if they weren’t hiding it and even advertised it, there must be a reason.”
At that, Lowell’s anxious gaze fell to the floor. Time passed silently as he tried to organize his thoughts while the woman stood quietly before him.
“Then I will take my leave.”
When he saw a servant running toward the garden to fetch a broom for the broken glass, the woman broke her silence.
Thud!
But her steps stopped immediately.
“C-Could I… also be taken to that seller?”
Lowell grabbed the woman’s arm and spoke desperately.
“…….”
Surprised, the woman raised her eyebrows.
“I want to see for myself.”
Lowell spoke, unable to hide the tremor in his eyes, but his voice carried determination.
Still, it was his pitiful, imploring gaze that allowed Lowell to follow the woman toward the black market.
It’s not possible.
Wrapped in a red cloak, Lowell bit his lips, thinking. The anxiety made a dark red scar form on his lips.
“Lowell… please, help me…”
He remembered vividly the first time he discovered Aria being forced to have her magic extracted. Her agonized moans remained a deep scar in his memory.
“So… where are you from?”
A man with a long beard interrupted his thoughts. He scrutinized Lowell, who was hooded in his cloak, and then sat down.
“…I can’t reveal my affiliation. But—”
Clang.
Instead of answering, Lowell placed a package on the table. Through the slightly open top, gold coins were visible.
“This should be enough to get what you’re selling.”
“Hmm.”
The man opened the package slightly with a finger; the coins jangled.
“Hmm, you must be from a fairly wealthy household, right?”
He mumbled while stroking his beard. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
“Sorry, what we’re selling is quite rare, so we can’t just sell it like that. There are rules even in your world.”
“What?”
“Even if the wealthiest person of the empire comes, if they don’t reveal their affiliation, it’s hard to make a deal. Trust is crucial in this line of work.”
“…….”
“Well, if you add a little extra…”
Clatter!
“Grab that guy!”
A commotion outside interrupted him. At the same time, the tent behind Lowell was pushed aside, and he got up to see what was happening.
Outside, a man in tattered clothes was running away with a small bottle.
Clink!
But a pursuing group tackled him, and the bottle he carried shattered.
“How dare you impersonate a noble to try to get our goods!”
“Please! My son is dying at home!”
The man yelled desperately.
At that moment, the scent from the broken bottle reached Lowell’s nose: fresh, forest-like, invigorating.
It was Aria’s magic.
“Well, that was a bit of a fuss. Now, let’s continue our previous conversation…”
The merchant, who had been speaking with Lowell, clicked his tongue, then looked back—but Lowell had already disappeared.
“What? Already gone? Huh… I was going to sell it…”
He muttered in disappointment as he reentered the tent.
“Why would the young duke risk that? He can’t even use the extracted magic himself, and he’s about to inherit the dukedom.”
That night, when Lowell returned to the mansion, Leon muttered in disbelief.
“His goal is to prevent the princess from using her magic properly. He wants to stop her from gaining merit in the upcoming war. Or… maybe the pain of extraction itself is the goal.”
Lowell’s dry voice responded as he looked out the darkened window.
“This happened in a previous loop too. But back then, only a small amount was extracted as a warning…”
He trailed off, gaze falling.
“So this is the first time magic was extracted and distributed.”
“Yes. It’s never gone this badly before. Did he find some weakness?”
Lowell touched his lips, biting the edge while thinking. From the demons’ approach to Zion’s extraction and distribution, everything seemed pushed to the extreme.
“Did… I leaving the princess cause this? Did my absence affect this timeline badly…?”
Shk.
His words stopped abruptly as Leon gently placed his hand on Lowell’s lips.
“Don’t.”
Leon held Lowell’s wrist softly and stared at him, saying:
“You left to protect the princess. It’s not your fault.”
Leon’s blue eyes locked onto Lowell, and in that gaze, Lowell felt his breath steady again.
“R-Really…?”
“Yes.”
Leon moved his hand to rest on Lowell’s knee and slowly let go.
After a brief silence, Leon spoke first.
“Let’s deal with the urgent matter first. At sunrise, we need to report the young duke to the guard so he can’t exploit the princess any further.”
In Leon’s mind, the punishments for illegally distributing magic in the empire flashed quickly.
“No.”
“…What?”
“We tried reporting the same way in the previous loop. But someone about to inherit the dukedom can easily make things disappear. They could hide and exploit the princess even more.”
Lowell stared at Leon, tension in his voice.
“Then what should we do? Should we tell Duke Highstein himself? He’d confront his son if it involved his daughter.”
Leon looked down at Lowell, now right in front of him.
“No. The duke has no interest in the princess either. If he hears about this, he’ll just give a simple warning and that’s it.”
Silence followed.
“Leon’s right.”
After a long breath, Lowell spoke. Leon’s gaze returned to him.
“I left to protect the princess. So I’ll face the problem myself tomorrow.”
“Face it yourself?”
“Yes. Only by seeing it directly can I know the best way to resolve it.”
Lowell’s eyes, once heavy, now shone with the determination Leon had seen before.
“Can you at least tip off the guard tomorrow? That magic is circulating in the black market. That way, the dukedom will at least be cautious for a while.”
“And then?”
“Then… I’ll meet the princess myself and solve the problem.”
Clenching his fist, Lowell approached the window where moonlight poured in.
“I promised her I’d protect this beautiful night. So I’ll keep that promise.”
He smiled at Leon.
“…….”
In the moonlight, his black hair and pale skin shone against the dark night sky.
“…Alright.”
Leon observed him for a moment before replying. Perhaps Lowell’s light had reached him too. Seeing Lowell’s smile, Leon momentarily wished she could protect her own beautiful night as well—a strange, bittersweet thought he couldn’t name.
