Chapter 15
“[The young lady…?]”
Thankfully, Medilliane’s reaction this time was somewhat positive.
As if Medilliane were standing right in front of her, Winter nodded vigorously.
“Of course! Naturally! I’ll definitely come see you.”
“[All right. I’ll wait.]”
At that calm response at last, Winter let out a sigh of relief.
It felt as though she had just barely crossed a dangerous threshold.
“[But how did you know I would awaken my magic?]”
“Huh? Uh—well, um…”
The crisis returned just as quickly.
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Winter’s eyes darted around. Then she blurted out whatever came to mind.
“T-the wizard! The wizard told me—!”
Unfortunately, Winter never finished her sentence.
The moment the words “the wizard” left her mouth, Aisel broke into a bright smile.
The instant Winter saw that face, a strange sense of foreboding crept over her.
That perpetually disgruntled person was smiling. Why?
“[I felt it last time too, but the wizard is truly amazing. She healed you, miss, and even made such a fascinating device.]”
“R-right? Hahaha.”
Winter laughed awkwardly and looked away.
Yet she could still feel Aisel’s persistently sparkling gaze beside her.
Thinking it would be dangerous to continue the conversation in front of him, Winter quickly called out to Medilliane.
“Um, Mei?”
“[Yes, miss.]”
“It’s time for me to take my medicine now. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”
“[All right, miss.]”
At that calm voice, Winter smiled softly.
She had been terribly worried after hearing he was a crybaby, but Medilliane seemed to be doing better than expected. It made her feel both relieved and proud.
“Okay. Don’t skip your meals, all right?”
“[You too, miss.]”
Soon, the light of the communication stone faded. Silence settled over Winter’s room.
“Hmmm.”
“H-ha ha.”
At some point, Aisel’s glittering gaze had drawn uncomfortably close.
“W-why are you staring at me like that?”
“What an incredible wizard, wouldn’t you say?”
“H-huh? What do you mean?”
“Predicting the exact moment of a magical awakening—something even the Grand Sage might miss—and knowing from the start who would awaken magic at all. Isn’t that remarkable?”
Winter clapped her hands in admiration.
She didn’t forget to put on the most childlike smile she could manage.
“Wow! You’re right! That’s really amazing!”
“Don’t play dumb, you little colt.”
“What do you mean, play dumb…? I was just worried about Mei, so I made up a convincing excuse—”
The more she spoke, the deeper it felt like she was sinking into quicksand.
With a soft chuckle, Aisel’s irritating smile widened, and Winter trailed off mid-sentence.
Aisel leaned back comfortably in her chair, her eyes darkening as though recalling a distant past.
“Do you know what the first thing my master said to me was when we first met?”
“What… was it?”
“‘I heard a promising mage had appeared, so I came to see—but it’s not black hair.’”
“….”
“She said it exactly like that.”
Back then, Aisel had been hailed as a once-in-a-century genius, the heir to the Grand Sage.
She was special beyond compare, extraordinary beyond measure. The whole world praised her.
Yet the so-called Grand Sage who appeared later merely muttered those words, sounding disappointed as she looked at Aisel.
Even at a young age, the blow to her pride had been deep. The discomfort lingered in her heart for years.
“The Grand Sage, Hercule Monestia, made seven prophecies. Some are known, others remain secret. She gave me one prophecy as well.”
Winter instinctively edged backward.
She wasn’t consciously calculating anything.
It was pure instinct—this was something dangerous to hear.
“One born with magic capable of devouring the world. A crow with golden eyes. That one is—”
Like a hellish gatekeeper smiling beneath the moonlight, Aisel beamed.
“‘The one who escapes the ending.’”
The words rang out like a divine sentence falling from the heavens, making Winter’s shoulders twitch.
The one who escapes the ending.
For some reason, the phrase felt eerily connected to what she was doing now.
Meanwhile, Aisel looked down at the small child crouched before her.
Large golden eyes filled with fear.
Jet-black hair steeped in darkness.
This child looked exactly like the crow from the Grand Sage’s prophecy. Why was she standing here, right before her? Why did her heart twist so strangely every time she looked at her?
Absurdly, she realized the emotion resembled jealousy.
And so Aisel laughed even harder—mocking herself more than anything.
“I think that crow from the prophecy might be you.”
“H-ha ha ha. N-no way… that can’t be…”
“Then, as promised, I’ll do my utmost to keep you alive, little one. Go on—struggle as much as you like.”
At those words, Winter’s eyes widened.
The flustered look vanished in an instant, replaced by a flat, unimpressed expression as she stared at Aisel.
“No thanks. Not necessary.”
She had been terrified by talk of crows and escaping endings.
But in the end, all Aisel meant was I’ll save you.
Caught off guard, Aisel looked genuinely startled.
“What? You—don’t you want to live?”
Winter answered with a sigh.
“Of course I’d like to live. But I know it’s beyond your power, Wizard.”
Winter Vladimire would die once her magical awakening was complete.
She was changing Medilliane’s life—and actively doing so—but she never expected her own fate to change.
If only there had been some clue in the novel where she survived.
But the Grand Sage’s prophecy, and talk of “escaping the ending,” all felt like empty words.
Especially when it came to Aisel—who, in the original story, had long since given up on treating her and disappeared.
Winter didn’t want to cling to false hope now.
“I just don’t want to be in pain.”
Eight more years would be enough. And if they weren’t, she would make them enough.
“…Because even without me, that child will do just fine.”
* * *
Perhaps her words about trying her best weren’t entirely empty.
After that, Aisel brewed enormous quantities of medicine and devoted herself to research.
Meanwhile, Winter—almost confined to her room—continued thinking of every possible way to help Medilliane.
The first person to confront Winter directly was none other than Duke Vladimire.
“No.”
“Mother!”
Winter begged—not to meet Medilliane, but simply to allow him to return to the main castle.
The Duke refused without hesitation.
“We don’t even have to meet. I swear I won’t see him. Please?”
“No matter what you say, what can’t be done can’t be done.”
“Why not? Why can’t it be done?”
“Because there’s nothing to gain from keeping a child like that close.”
Winter’s gaze sharpened.
If the Duke thought Medilliane was merely the insignificant son of a stablehand, she would never have said such a thing.
If—if the Duke had realized Medilliane was a prince, then Medilliane wouldn’t be allowed to remain in this castle for long.
The Vladimire family had stood in opposition to the imperial family for generations.
The Iron-Blooded Duke who represented the nobility. The ruthless villain who clashed with the Emperor at every turn.
That was Ophelia Vladimire, the head of this ducal house.
That was why Winter had already made contact with the Jenima Merchant Guild, preparing for the moment her mother learned the truth.
But plans changed.
As long as she was trapped within the ducal household, she had to use not only the Jenima Guild—but also the full power of the Vladimire family.
After a brief hesitation, Winter revealed her hand first.
“I know he’s a prince too.”
“You…!”
The Duke’s eyes widened, completely caught off guard.
“I won’t ask for anything else. Just let him stay here. Until he grows up—until he can take responsibility for himself.”
Even after Winter’s death, Medilliane would need a strong fence to protect him.
Faced with her daughter’s desperate gaze, the Duke’s heart wavered helplessly.
After a long silence, the Duke let out a deep sigh.
Winter’s face brightened instantly.
When her mother sighed like that, it usually meant—
“…You won’t complain no matter how I use him?”
Permission.
Seeing her daughter already smiling ear to ear, the Duke scolded her sternly.
“I don’t raise freeloaders who can’t even earn their keep.”
“Of course! As long as Mei agrees, anything’s fine!”
Winter didn’t mind at all.
There was no man in this world more capable than Medilliane.
“He’ll earn his keep far better than you think, Mother.”
She nodded enthusiastically, as if it were her own accomplishment.
Watching her, the Duke’s expression softened with pity.
“You brat… when did you grow up so much?”
For a ten-year-old child, Winter’s words and actions were far too mature.
All thanks to memories of her past life—but the Duke had no way of knowing that.
Meeting her mother’s gaze, Winter smiled sweetly and offered a convincing lie.
“The wizard said she’ll find a way to save me soon. So I won’t die, Mother. Don’t worry.”
Comforted by her gentle daughter’s words, the Duke swallowed back her tears and nodded.
“Very well. I believe you.”
