Chapter 46
When Luca was fifteen, starting with the Great Nobles’ Assembly, and until he returned from the battlefield at eighteen, there was a persistent controversy that followed him everywhere.
It was the scandal that Marquis Gassen ambitiously brought up at the Great Nobles’ Assembly — the issue of adultery between the Empress and the late Grand Duke Gruben.
In reality, the two had been childhood friends since they were young.
Seeing the Empress growing increasingly withered and lonely in the palace without anyone to rely on, Grand Duke Gruben often visited her to keep her company.
Especially after Luca was born, the Empress suffered from severe depression, and Grand Duke Gruben became her sole support by visiting her daily.
Around that time, strange rumors began to circulate.
Whispers that the Empress and Grand Duke Gruben were secretly meeting in private.
Some even suggested that the prince in her womb might be the Duke’s child.
Though such rumors would be scolded if heard by the wrong people, they were mostly treated as low-class gossip heard only at the laundry place.
However, the Emperor, who had been indifferent whenever the Empress struggled, took it differently.
Having grown up constantly compared to the outstanding Gruben since childhood, the Emperor deeply disliked his younger brother.
Therefore, even if the two were close friends, he could not look favorably upon Gruben daring to approach the Empress.
Moreover, the nobles, who disliked Gruben’s steadfast advocacy for policies favoring the commoners, whispered into the Emperor’s ear:
[Grand Duke Gruben harbors feelings for Her Majesty the Empress and is plotting rebellion.]
[A rebellion…? Ha! That guy?]
The Empress insisted it was not true, begging that he was only comforting her when she was troubled.
But the Emperor and the nobles, whose interests aligned, chose to bury the truth and executed Gruben on charges of treason.
And the Empress was left deeply traumatized, believing it was all her fault.
Now Marquis Gassen was attempting to reopen a controversy that had already erupted once.
This time, his targets were the Empress and Luca.
“There is someone who witnessed Grand Duke Gruben and Her Majesty the Empress conspiring,” Miller, who was pressed close to the wall beside me, said with a stunned look.
“A madman,” I muttered.
At first, those hearing it would react like that, but as Marquis Gassen summoned more and more people to the assembly — from one to ten or more — suspicion would inevitably arise.
Soon, the witnesses appearing at the assembly would include the Empress’s former maid, Grand Duke Gruben’s carriage driver, and the castle’s gardener — all credible individuals.
These trustworthy people would give credible testimonies.
In truth, Gruben had only accompanied the ailing Empress on walks and served as her companion, but to the servants, it looked different.
As the saying goes, what you believe shapes what you see, and the conviction with which they spoke made the lies feel like the truth.
“We can’t let that happen.”
I wondered where they were gathered.
They would soon be summoned to the assembly, so they must be nearby.
“Taro, transform again.”
At my command, Taro quickly changed from a wolf pup into a magnificent bird.
“W-What?! You can transform too?!”
Surprised Miller said, and Taro sniffed dismissively, calling him “uncultured” as he looked at me.
“There are about a dozen people gathered somewhere in this castle. They are the witnesses who will soon testify against that nonsense. Fly and scout through the windows to find them.”
Taro nodded and flew out the window.
“Witnesses?”
“There’s someone who saw it, right? They must have been summoned here to testify.”
I grabbed Miller’s shoulder and pressed my ear against the wall again, observing the scene on the other side.
“The Marquis knows what his words imply, right?”
Luca asked coldly, his eyes gleaming sharply.
Marquis Gassen felt a chill run down his spine but was somewhat prepared.
“I myself verified this hundreds of times before speaking. The witnesses will soon appear.”
Duke Rayes asked,
“Witnesses?”
“They are all former servants of Her Majesty the Empress and the traitorous Grand Duke Gruben — trustworthy people.”
Luca smiled cruelly but gently.
“Marquis, are you prepared to take responsibility for your words? You’ll be risking your life.”
Gassen swallowed hard, overwhelmed by fear.
‘Was it really worth risking my life? Did I get in over my head?’
A dozen thoughts clouded his mind, but he looked again to his lifeline: Lady Jeria, whose excited gaze was fixed on him.
If he satisfied her, he could enjoy any wealth and glory. For now, that was all he thought about.
[Master, found them. Ten humans gathered in a room on the third floor, discussing what they will testify.]
“Good. This time, transform into a bigger bird. Can you do that?”
[Just so you know, the reason I look short and stubby is because it’s a trend.]
I walked to the window.
Then, climbing onto Taro’s back—now transformed into a bird large enough to carry me—I flew inside.
“Brother, wait a moment.”
With those words, I clung tightly as Taro soared high and stepped into a third-floor room.
They hadn’t noticed me yet.
The knights guarding the witnesses seemed to be outside the door.
[Step carefully, Master. If you fall here, it’s goodbye.]
Taro’s warning made me even more cautious as I carefully stepped into the window frame…
Thump—
I accidentally nudged a nearby flowerpot.
It was a very slight sound, but I wondered if they heard it, so I looked up to check the witnesses…
Several pairs of eyes met mine directly.
Staring in shock, they looked at me, and I smiled sweetly, saying,
“Excuse me, where is the restroom? I’ve been looking everywhere but can’t find it…”
“I’ll call the knights outside!”
“Ah, please don’t…”
Just as a man was about to jump up, Taro triggered a massive magic circle on the floor beside me.
One by one, starting with a woman, the people froze in place as if stopped in time.
Even the man who looked like he would summon the knights immediately was immobilized.
The summoned creatures each had unique magical powers, and Taro’s was ‘freeze.’
It sounded like an incredibly overpowered ability and, in truth, it consumed enormous amounts of mana, so it couldn’t be sustained long.
Also, it was ineffective against exceptional magicians or swordsmen, but fortunately, none here qualified.
“How long can you hold it?”
[Two minutes, maximum three.]
Given the very short time, I stepped forward decisively.
“Healing” doesn’t just mean completely curing bleeding wounds but also eliminating the wounds tormenting the heart.
I recall reading this phrase in the book “How Did I Become a Mage?” by Princess New, Zen’s master.
And I’ve seen the kind of ‘healing’ she described in the original story.
When Luca, devastated by the Empress’s death, was healed by Senia through a spell that erased his memories of her.
It was a bit of a disturbing cure, but as a result, Luca was no longer tormented by guilt and regret over the Empress.
The memory-erasing spell is a unique technique of healing mages, and I am the only one in the Empire who awakened as a healing mage alongside Senia.
The target of the spell must fully entrust both body and mind to the healing mage…
‘Well, I guess they did.’
If Taro’s spell had been triggered even slightly late, my magic might not have worked.
Healing magic doesn’t work if even a trace of distrust exists toward the caster.
These people were surprised to see me enter through the window asking for the restroom, and before their surprise turned into distrust, Taro’s spell took effect.
[Healing mages must not abuse memory-erasing magic beyond treatment purposes! It’s a matter of ethics…]
That’s what the book clearly stated.
I could almost hear Princess New’s scolding echoing in my ears, but as long as these witnesses live, Luca’s legitimacy would be questioned endlessly.
‘But I can’t just kill them. I’m trying to resolve this as peacefully as possible, Princess New.’
I closed my eyes and stretched my hands toward the people.
Opening my hands, bearing the symbol of the sun, I closed my eyes and focused on the warm sensation.
Just like fish instinctively know how to breathe in water from birth, I too instinctively knew how to use magic.
[You blew your promise with the blue-haired mage, huh.]
Taro’s words stung, but I decided not to use that magic again after today.
Memories flowed like a panorama inside my head.
Among them, I found familiar faces.
The Empress was still very beautiful, but back then, her appearance was truly crazy.
In the servants’ memories, the Empress was always kind, smiling gently even to those beneath her.
Some had improved their lives thanks to her financial aid and were able to send their children to the academy.
‘Ungrateful.’
Despite knowing what would happen to the Empress if they gossiped, they still came forward.
I frowned.
The Empress’s appearance grew more haggard with each passing day in the servants’ memories.
She seemed dangerously fragile, as if something terrible might happen.
The only person she could rely on was Grand Duke Gruben.
If they were truly close friends, the Empress eagerly awaited his visits.
But the last memory was…
“No! Please believe me! Gruben never looked at me like that, Your Majesty!”
The Empress crying out was the last memory I erased in an instant.
Of course, they were despicable, but after seeing a maid’s memory, I understood a little why the rumors spread so wildly.
“If you want, I will run away with you. From everything that troubles you.”
I shut my eyes tight. The maid who overheard these words secretly went to the Emperor and reported it.
The maid’s next memory was the Empress crying bitterly after Grand Duke Gruben’s execution.
Their relationship felt much like that of Ria and Luca in the original story —
Ending with one sacrificed and the other full of guilt.
‘It’s a miracle the Empress didn’t go mad.’
The memories I touched and erased left a lingering pain in my heart.
The more recent memory was that Marquis Gassen gathered all of them to coordinate their testimonies.
The meticulously planned scenario was really convincing.
Now that I erased it all, they probably don’t even know why they were summoned here.
As I finished erasing the memory of the moment they met me, Taro’s urgent voice rang out.
[Someone’s coming, Master. The magic is almost gone.]
“Got it. Let’s go out the window.”
I quickly moved away from the witnesses, who were starting to stir.
Bang—
“The time has come.”
I heard the sound of knights in uniform opening the door and entering.
The pillar in front of the window hid me from view, so there was no risk of being caught.
‘Go ahead and interrogate these fools to your heart’s content.’
Just before slipping out the window, I felt someone’s gaze on me and turned sharply, but all I saw were the witnesses, dazed and confused, not knowing where they were.
[What’s wrong, Master?]
“Nothing, let’s go.”
