Chapter 64…………………………….
“Miss?”
“Hm?”
“What are you thinking about?”
Just as Aria was thinking about how pitiful Leon seemed, Lowell suddenly leaned forward and asked. Lowell’s sly-looking face slipped into Aria’s line of sight, which had been fixed on Leon’s back.
“Oh, sorry. I was distracted for a moment. What did you say?”
“I found some materials that might be a clue.”
Lowell smiled as she drew Aria’s attention.
“Until now, we’ve been investigating with the focus on why you were set as the time axis. We assumed it must have something to do with you directly, so that’s why you became the axis of time.”
After saying that much, Lowell pointed to the section written at the end of the page titled ‘Family Magic Power.’
“But maybe that’s not the case.”
[Uniqueness of Magical Bloodlines: The power possessed by those with magic is influenced by the power of the first person in their bloodline to obtain magic, and their magic is essentially identical to that of their ancestor.]
“Why is that?”
“Maybe the ruler of the demon race didn’t set you as the time axis, but instead fixed the time axis to the magic of your family—the Heinstein family.”
“To our family?”
“Yes. There might be someone they’re looking for among those who have the same type of magic as you, and they’re turning back time to find them. That’s why it appears as though you—who currently have the most similar kind of magic—have become the axis of time.”
“The same magic…”
Aria remembered the demon man she met at the cliff who prevented her from dying. Maybe that theory was right. If she died, they wouldn’t be able to trace her family’s magic to turn back time.
“But who would it be? It’s true our family produced renowned magic knights, but aside from a few known figures, no one else had magic. Before I was born, my great-aunt was the last one with magical power.”
“Well… that’s…”
“Besides, I heard that my grandaunt had a weak body, so she refrained from using magic as much as possible. After becoming an adult, she stayed at the southern villa to recuperate.”
As Aria added questions to what Lowell had discovered, she realized again that this problem was truly complicated and difficult. A headache began creeping in.
“…Miss! But now that we’ve figured out this much, doesn’t it feel like we at least have a sense of which direction to go next? That’s why I feel strangely energized.”
Lowell suddenly smiled brightly and met Aria’s eyes. She had done so because she noticed the shadow on Aria’s face, and since Aria understood that, she smiled back.
“By the way, Lowell, did you research all of this by yourself?”
Aria, who had regained her earlier energy, turned her gaze toward the books on the table.
“Huh? Oh, actually, when we moved into this mansion, I brought as many books as possible from the Imperial Library. I slipped them in among the items His Majesty gave us as gifts.”
Looking at the various notes stuck between the pages, Aria could tell just how hard Lowell had worked in such a short time gathering information.
“It must have been hard doing it alone…”
Aria said softly while fiddling with one of the crumpled notes.
“Miss, I—”
“That won’t do! I’ll stay and investigate with you today!”
Aria grabbed Lowell’s hand and shouted energetically.
“Huh? But you said you had dinner plans…”
“It’s fine. It’s not that important anyway, and since you worked this hard, I can’t just sit back as the person involved!”
A fiery determination began to glow in Aria’s eyes.
After that, Aria and Lowell spent quite a while talking about regression, the time axis, magic, and families. Their conversation only ended when the sun began to fade from the sky.
“Ugh.”
“Wow, it’s already this late. Lowell, you should go inside and rest. I should be heading off now.”
Aria said with a smile as she looked down at Lowell, who had sunk deeply into the sofa.
Afterward, although Aria declined several times, Lowell insisted on seeing her off. Eventually, Aria let herself be guided as they walked together to the stairs leading to the garden.
Oh, right. I promised to tell her once things were sorted out.
When they were halfway down the stairs, Aria remembered that promise—to tell Lowell about Libanen Wise.
“Hey, Lowell…”
Aria stopped the Lowell walking ahead and opened her mouth to tell the story she’d been holding onto.
“Lowell, are you going to keep looking at me like that?”
When they had just reached the bottom of the stairs, Aria said that while looking at Lowell.
“But… but it’s such a romantic story. I want to meet that knight named Libanen too.”
Standing there with an even more excited expression than Aria’s, Lowell looked as though she had completely absorbed Aria’s excitement. Seeing that excitement made Aria let out a small laugh.
“Hm? Where are those things being moved?”
Just then, a group of servants carrying several pieces of furniture caught Aria’s eye. One chair with a simple pattern stood out.
“Oh, those are going to my bedroom. I said it didn’t need decorating, but everyone said it couldn’t just stay like that. So they’re bringing furniture over from the annex.”
Lowell followed Aria’s gaze toward the servants and answered casually.
“Your bedroom…? Not the couple’s bedroom?”
At that strange wording, Aria’s eyes snapped toward Lowell’s face.
“Yes. We decided to sleep separately—”
“Why?”
Aria asked immediately before Lowell could even finish speaking. And because of that, she noticed it right away—the calmness in Lowell’s eyes trembling for the first time.
I knew something felt strange. After everything that happened, she’s been unusually cheerful today.
Aria thought that in a fleeting instant as she carefully studied Lowell’s face.
“…You know, Lowell. It’s not really my place to interfere, but… aren’t you deliberately putting up a wall?”
“……”
From Lowell, who still couldn’t answer, Aria sensed an old anxiety that seemed to reach even her.
“I wish you’d be a little more honest about your feelings.”
“……”
The sun had completely disappeared. The winter wind suddenly felt colder. The sour scent of grass drifted in from the garden.
Or perhaps it was Aria’s last words.
When Lowell merely flinched and failed to give an appropriate reply, it was surely because of all those elements combined in that moment.
“Has the young lady left?”
As soon as Lowell returned to her room, she couldn’t help but flinch in surprise. For some reason, Leon was standing on the terrace waiting for her.
“Ah… yes.”
Watching the wind ruffle Leon’s bangs, Lowell lowered her voice as she answered. There was an inexplicably cold aura about him as he stood there in only a thin shirt.
“Um…”
At that moment, Lowell stepped onto the terrace because she wanted to ask if something had happened to Leon. It was almost nighttime, and it was nearly time to go to bed.
Thud.
But before Lowell’s foot could reach the entrance to the terrace, Leon had already closed the door and stepped inside.
“……”
Leon leaned against the inner terrace door, while Lowell stood blankly before him. Their gazes overlapped beneath the faint moonlight entering the room.
“I have something to tell you.”
After a moment of silence, Leon spoke first.
“A messenger from the Imperial Palace arrived this evening.”
“The Imperial Palace?”
“Yes. They said they will officially issue and carry out the order to have you temporarily join the Knights.”
“Ah… that was faster than I expected.”
Lowell paused for a moment at Leon’s words but spoke as if she wasn’t too surprised. After meeting the emperor, she had already been expecting it.
“You’ll be assigned to the Third Knight Order and start training from the basics.”
“The Third Knight Order…?”
“I requested that you be placed in my order.”
His voice was flat and emotionless. Lowell’s eyelids blinked quickly.
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you to train under me?”
When Lowell continued looking confused, Leon suddenly bent forward and locked eyes with her.
“Th-that’s true.”
“Right.”
Because of that sudden movement, the distance between them shrank, and Lowell instinctively avoided his gaze.
She hoped her reaction didn’t look awkward, but seeing Leon let out a baffled sigh made it seem like her wish hadn’t come true.
“Um… anyway, thank you. You handled the messenger from the palace today so I wouldn’t have to meet him directly, right? If I had gone myself, he probably would’ve pressured me.”
Still unable to meet his eyes, Lowell hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
Since the messenger came from the Imperial Palace, it was obvious he would have tried to lecture and pressure Lowell if he met her personally.
“It’s nothing special.”
Leon’s reply was just as monotone as before.
“Still…”
Just as Lowell lifted her head, she met Leon’s blue eyes scanning over her face. Silence settled between their gazes, and Lowell forgot what she had been about to say.
“…Then I’ll get going.”
At the moment Leon’s eyes finally drifted down to Lowell’s lips during their gaze, he stepped back from her and immediately left the room.
“……”
That night, Lowell stood there for a long time, staring at the door Leon had left open, lost in an inexplicable, distant feeling.
