Chapter 30
“Ah, I’m sorry. I ordered without even introducing myself first.”
I gave a bright smile to Mariné, who was staring at me with a bewildered look on her face.
“I’m Edel, a magician of the Magic Tower.”
Mariné’s face was filled with confusion and surprise. It was understandable. First came the sudden letter, then this sudden meeting, and now a tiny little girl claiming she was a magician of the Magic Tower.
‘Should I change my appearance to look a little more adult?’
It would’ve been possible if I used Zen’s illusion magic, but it didn’t feel necessary. In fact, this kind of appearance was probably more effective at lowering her guard. At the very least, it wasn’t a face that could intimidate anyone.
“You’re… the one who said you’d help me?”
Her bright sky-blue eyes were brimming with doubt. So, I might not look threatening, but I didn’t exactly look reliable either. I nodded with understanding and answered.
“Yes, that’s right! I’m the one who sent that letter saying I’d help you.”
“How did you manage to use Baron Rayden’s name?”
“There were eyes watching over you. I thought it would be troublesome for them if one of your acquaintances came to meet you, so I just borrowed it. Of course, Lady Rayden doesn’t know anything about this.”
“I see…”
Mariné nodded bitterly. As she probably expected, all the servants in the mansion where she stayed were people planted there to keep her from escaping. They were probably tailing her carriage even today.
‘If not for Zen’s illusion magic, things could’ve gotten really troublesome. I might have had to infiltrate that mansion myself.’
The illusions of a high-ranking magician were astounding. The servants trailing Mariné’s carriage would be absolutely convinced she had obediently entered a high-class salon to spend time with Lady Rayden.
“Your iced tea.”
The café owner set down a glass filled with ice in front of me. His voice was indifferent, but his movements were careful. I gave him a small smile as I lifted the glass.
“Ah, thank you.”
Then I gulped it down at once. I’d been thirsty ever since rushing out and passing through the Imperial Gate. Taking a carriage could’ve drawn too much attention, so I chose to sneak out on foot instead.
Thankfully, Zen had openly visited the prince’s palace, so I was able to use that as a plausible excuse for going out. Still, I remembered Relia’s worried face as she told me to return as quickly as possible.
But that wasn’t the important thing now. Today, I had a very, very important purpose.
“Shall we get to the main topic now? I’m sure you have many questions.”
I didn’t need her to say it out loud—I already knew what Mariné was thinking. Why had I called her here? How did I know about her circumstances? And could I really help her?
I cleared my throat lightly and began.
“Ahem. Lady Mariné, as you may have guessed from my letter, I know quite a lot about what has happened to you.”
“Quite a lot…?”
“That you were given an absurd request and came to the capital to do something dangerous.”
“S-so it is dangerous?!”
In truth, even calling it dangerous was an understatement. It wasn’t just her life at risk—her entire family, the prestigious House of Bastieu, could be ruined completely.
Mariné’s face grew pale. She must have already suspected as much. The whole thing was far too suspicious to be just a request from a family that was upset over being excluded from an imperial banquet.
Her father couldn’t even explain what the box contained, and yet they promised to pay off a massive debt with this one task. None of it made sense.
So I explained it to her step by step—what exactly was inside the box she carried, what purpose it served, and what would happen if she actually delivered it. By the time I finished, Mariné’s expression was utterly ashen.
“You said you knew everything about my circumstances.”
Clasping her trembling hands together, she lowered her head. Then, as if unable to hold it back any longer, words poured from her mouth.
“Father… he said that if House Bastieu collapsed, it would all be my fault for failing such a simple task. He didn’t even explain it properly to me. He doesn’t even realize how dangerous this is…”
Tears, which she had been holding back for so long, welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip hard, trying not to cry—but in the end, the tears began to fall.
‘Ugh, she’s really been suffering.’
What kind of monsters force this onto a child?! My hands trembled with anger. And knowing the novel’s ending made it even worse. They’d forced her out like this, terrified, only for her to die in the end.
And the most ridiculous part? Mariné was sacrificed, while the Count survived with just a sentence of forced labor.
‘His daughter died because of him, and he still lived? He was the real culprit in the first place!’
And the Empress had the gall to “tidy up loose ends” by arranging Mariné’s death in prison, staged as a suicide. Suddenly, all those “disposable villains” in romance-fantasy novels who were used and thrown away felt pitiful.
“Here, use this. I don’t have a handkerchief.”
I pushed the tissue box on the table toward her. Keeping her head down, Mariné reached out and pulled a few sheets to wipe her tears.
“This is embarrassing… crying like this in front of someone I just met…”
I waited patiently until she calmed down. After a moment, Mariné lifted her head again.
“Could you tell me exactly what’s going on?”
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but her gaze was steady. The anxiety and fear that had clouded her earlier were gone. It was surprising—she already looked like someone ready to accept whatever truth I told her.
“You’re more composed than I expected.”
Oops—my thoughts slipped out loud. Flustered, I stammered, and Mariné gave me a faint smile.
“You’re an honest one, Magician.”
“Ah, s-sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“I already knew Father was past the point of resolving his debts through proper means. Even if things have come to this, as a descendant of House Bastieu, I was taught to face any situation with composure.”
Ah, so this was the dignity of an old noble house. I couldn’t help but nod in quiet admiration. It really was a shame she was meant to die in just one chapter of the novel.
Luckily, since she was responding so calmly, I felt reassured enough to begin explaining my plan—one that would save Mariné’s life, protect Licht, and most importantly, keep me safe too.
‘I racked my brain to come up with this. It better work.’
If not, then worst-case scenario, I’d just have to fake a divine revelation from Licht and pretend I was delivering a prophecy. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
I met her eyes squarely.
“I don’t want to resolve this with Count Bastieu—I want to resolve it with you, Lady Mariné.”
I began with a simple suggestion, one that was both useless and impossible: that she should cut ties with her father. From my perspective, he was a lost cause. But for her, he was still blood family, and I knew this wouldn’t be easy for her to accept.
‘But there’s no way I’ll let you go back with him.’
If there had been even a single scene in the novel of the Count trying to protect Mariné, I wouldn’t be able to say this. But as far as I remembered, there was nothing like that. Perhaps he never even had the intention.
“More precisely, what I mean is: in the deal I’m about to propose, the contracting party cannot be the Count. It has to be you, Lady Mariné Bastieu. If you can’t agree to that, I won’t be able to help you.”
I emphasized my words more firmly this time.
“…Alright.”
After a moment of silence, Mariné nodded.
“Whatever it is, I, Mariné Bastieu, will take responsibility and make the contract myself.”
There was a new strength in her voice—like someone who had just made a firm decision.
“Excellent!”
And at just the right timing, the café owner returned, carrying a set of papers. The contract I had prepared in advance. I slid it across the table toward her.
At first glance, it looked like just an ordinary sheet of paper, but it was inscribed with powerful magic. The contents written on it would be bound and enforced by magic itself, unalterable without the caster’s intervention.
“Please, read it carefully.”
Nervousness flickered across her face again. No wonder—she had just said she would make a contract, and now a literal contract appeared. But she quickly composed herself and began to read attentively.
After a while, her brows furrowed as she stared at the contract.
“A… gold mine?”
“That’s right. What I want… is the ownership of that gold mine.”
