Chapter 40
“Baron Louicon is dead. And the Imperial Family has sent a letter to the Duke’s House.”
Upon hearing the news, Duke Kablos stopped twirling his pen and spoke.
“A foolish thing to do. Did he really think that would earn back my trust?”
Unfolding the letter from the Imperial Family, the Duke clicked his tongue as if annoyed to be involved in such troublesome affairs.
Baron Louicon had completely fallen out of the Duke’s favor due to an incident at the Troy Orphanage he managed, where several children had escaped.
“He wasn’t the type to act on his own without reporting to me…”
With a small grunt, the Duke began spinning his pen again.
“So, Lady Rayes has awakened as a healing mage, huh?”
“Yes, everyone present witnessed the Mark of the Sun. At the same time, she has officially registered with the Magic Tower as a mage.”
Having completed her registration, Raberia was now a legitimate healing mage.
“As expected, the young lady also possesses healing-type mana like Senia.”
“Pardon…?”
“Ah, a slip of the tongue.”
Even before the Duke’s words had fully left his mouth, a shadow knight who had been hiding in the wall instantly killed the servant who had delivered the message.
Though it had been the Duke’s mistake, the ears that unintentionally heard it bore greater guilt—at least in the Duke’s eyes.
The Duke then addressed his shadow.
“The young lady may prove useful again. Keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As the shadow vanished, the Duke turned to Enoch Kablos, who was seated across from him.
“You must be sad. Baron Louicon was someone you admired since childhood.”
As Enoch calmly sipped his coffee, the Duke spoke with a smile.
“Human life is like a glass bead. Even a slight grip, and it shatters. The only reason you’re still alive is because of the Kablos family. Don’t forget that.”
A glint of madness flashed in the Duke’s eyes.
When Raberia was three years old and destined to die after outliving her usefulness, it was the then-seven-year-old Enoch who secretly rescued her and sent her to the orphanage.
And it had been Baron Louicon who allowed such an act.
His reports always included updates on the crown prince but never mentioned that Lady Rayes was alive and residing in the orphanage.
It was hard to guess the Baron’s exact reason for suddenly attempting to kill the princess.
Perhaps, if his real target was Raberia…
Coincidentally, hadn’t the Duke just discovered that it was Enoch who had saved Raberia?
Since the Baron was Enoch’s teacher and a father figure, perhaps he had offered up Raberia as a scapegoat to cover Enoch’s sins.
The black mage who died alongside the Baron was no amateur.
Entrusting such a high-risk mission to someone likely unhinged was bold.
The Duke concluded that Raberia had been the intended target.
That idiotic black mage must have mistaken her for the princess and launched the attack.
‘What a tenacious life she leads.’
Even if she had the makings of a healing mage, had the curse taken full effect, she would’ve died helplessly.
“All of this is your fault. Count Menders’ death, and now Baron Louicon’s. Must I kill you with my own hands next?”
The Duke’s eyes gleamed with cold threat.
In the silence, Enoch finally spoke.
“I made a mistake in my youth. Father, please forgive me—”
Thwack!
With a dull thud, the Duke’s fist struck Enoch’s face.
“There won’t be a second time. When the time comes, you’ll deal with the young lady yourself.”
“As… you command.”
Outside, darkness covered the sky.
I tied up my hair tightly and put on my fencing uniform.
Dressed like this, I was reminded of the time I used to attend the training hall, even if the style was a bit different.
It had already been two weeks since the debutante ball.
Since then, I’d probably been to the Imperial Palace more than five times.
It had practically become my second home.
I went to check on Rachel, went back when I was invited to the Empress’s banquet, again to play games with Luca, to meet with the royal mage, and most recently, just two days ago, because I suddenly had a craving for Chef Gaori’s soufflé.
The Rachel incident was reviewed thoroughly through Luca’s aides and was ultimately concluded to have been the work of Baron Louicon acting alone.
Even though Duke Kablos had to appear at the royal capital several times, there was no trace of him having met with the Baron.
It was confirmed that their relationship had broken down after the collapse of the orphanage, and with his noble title on the verge of being revoked, the Baron had made a desperate move.
After the unprecedented debutante ball, Luca drew renewed attention from the public.
Several foreign delegations had been present and, through them, Luca’s presence had spread far beyond the empire.
There had never been a person who could use sword energy to tear space itself.
Luca had revealed his power both to suppress the unexpectedly strong faction of Lady Jeria and to expand his influence in front of the high-ranking nobles.
And alongside that…
‘Healing mage? Seriously?’
That was my first thought. What kind of game character nonsense was that? A healer?
In games, I always chose the sword class.
The power once called “holy force” had, over time, transformed into healing magic.
During the war 700 years ago, when black magic was sealed, the holy force also vanished. But gradually, mages with strange new powers began to appear.
Their numbers were so few that even their existence could greatly boost a nation’s strength. These healing mages were under the absolute protection of both the Imperial Family and the Magic Tower.
They were treated almost like national treasures.
Currently, the only healing mages in the entire Grefin Empire were Senia and me.
Healing mages were traditionally born with elven blood from the Rayes family, but Senia’s case was a rare exception.
There had been a marriage between Kablos and Rayes generations ago, and perhaps that blood had manifested in Senia.
Healing mages could cure not only physical injuries but also inner wounds caused by curses or black magic. Records even claim that, during wars and pandemics, they could save armies of a million.
‘Even in games, overpowered healers are annoying.’
Imagine killing off an enemy army, only for a single healer to resurrect them all at full HP. It’s horrifying.
Due to their potential, healing mages were seen as national threats in times of war.
After my awakening, some claimed it proved I was truly born of the Rayes family.
Of course, there were still those who whispered I was a witch of the dark forest or a monster’s puppet.
But I couldn’t ignore one thing: the more I used this power, the more my body might not endure it.
Just as I was beginning to wonder if the recent chain of events had been nothing but a dream, the Mark of the Sun again appeared before my eyes with an overwhelming presence.
When I checked, the rash on my stomach had completely vanished—like it was never there.
Last time, I’d felt that the mark had been forming into a specific shape, and now I realized it resembled the symbol on my hand.
‘Did it… move?’
Speechless, I stared at my palm.
Still, if it was healing magic, it wasn’t such a bad thing.
It was the only power that could potentially break the terrible curse etched into Luca’s body.
While lifting the curse was a task for Senia, who was a far more powerful healer than me, I could still help—if only a little.
‘At least to ease the pain.’
Meanwhile, this incident made me feel I needed to dig deeper into the Kablos Duke’s family.
Uncovering the secrets of someone who ruled over the domain of darkness wouldn’t be easy, but if the original story was anything to go by, there was someone who could help me.
I didn’t have enough to approach them yet, but I’d need to meet them soon.
As I was lost in thought, Garnet and Sister Serin entered my room.
“Shall we go, milady?”
Sunlight streamed brightly through the thick trees.
Through the fairytale-like, peaceful forest…
“Hup! Haaa!”
“Graaaah!”
…was the training ground.
Sweaty knights with toned bodies shouted their battle cries so loudly that we all covered our ears in unison.
“Milady, are you sure about this…?”
“No, I have to do this.”
Last time, I’d declared to Captain Hute of the Rayes Knights that I would seriously start learning swordsmanship. But because of the debutante ball—and then being swamped afterward—I’d kept delaying it until today.
I even had this uniform custom-made at the Raberia shop for this day, and Luca had gifted me a sword, so there was no backing out now.
Still, it was hard not to instinctively step back from the beast-like energy of the scene before me.
Just then, Ion, who was sparring in the distance, spotted me.
He waved vigorously, beaming, making sure everyone knew I was there.
“Oh, Lady Raberia! You’re here!”
He was always the first to notice me, sharp as ever.
I awkwardly waved back.
Then a familiar voice spoke behind me.
“Ria, so you came today.”
It was Miller. As he always joined the morning drills, he wore light training clothes and had a wooden sword on his back.
“I’m still a bit worried, but… if it’s you, Ria, I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Apparently, he hadn’t heard that I had already defeated Ion, the newest member of the knight order.
