Chapter 100

‘It’s a shame these can’t be mass-produced.’

I was no expert in magic, so all I could say was that an astonishing amount of technology was packed into these tiny boots. I decided to think of it like the difficulty of reproducing even just the feet of a superhero suit.

Anyway, thanks to the power of the magic tools, our movement was smooth, and Gabbie, who had been sent to the castle gate, was periodically firing off small bursts of flame to hold back the enemy.

‘So far, so good. We need to escape while luck is still on our side.’

That’s what I was thinking—until Esadien, who was ahead of us, suddenly ducked down and raised his clenched fist.

As expected, the enemy forces were focused near the castle gate, and the cats had provided even more detailed information than we’d hoped, so up until now there hadn’t been much need for caution.

But then—

A chilling wind swept past behind me, and simultaneously: “Ugh.”

A short groan rang out. Startled, I turned around—only to see a gleaming blue blade pointed beneath Clidane’s throat.

‘Wait—what I felt wasn’t wind, it was a sword flying toward us?!’

It was pure luck that my feet weren’t touching the ground. Otherwise, I might’ve collapsed from the way my knees were trembling!

I’d faced threats before—even been stabbed once—yet I was still so terrified.

The reason became clear the moment my eyes followed the long blade upward and landed on the man’s face.

“Duke Lambert?”

The man said to be a swordsman on par with my sister Elga—the crown princess’s sword and her sword. But I’d heard they were currently separated.

“Who are you, sneaking around like rats?”

Excuse me. I know we’re dressed all in black, but so is he, looking more like an assassin than us.

But what’s the point of hiding your face like an assassin when your distinct lavender eyes, silver lashes, and the long scar beneath your brow are all clearly visible?

When we lowered our hoods, Duke Lambert looked shocked and sheathed his sword.

“Your Highness? And the young nobles of Karnian and Tregosnan—why are you here…?”

“Wouldn’t it be for the same reason as you, brother?”

At Esadien’s words, the Duke averted his eyes, looking slightly sheepish.

‘So the rumors were wrong… If he rushed in here alone to save his wife, maybe they’re not really estranged.’

And from how Esadien called him informally, not “Duke” or “brother-in-law,” the two of them must be quite close.

But the Duke didn’t respond to Esadien. Instead, he turned to me—clearly avoiding the topic.

“You brought Lady Karnian into the lion’s den? She must leave immediately. It’s far too dangerous.”

Excuse me, the person in question is standing right here in front of you.

I waved my hand, but he clearly didn’t see me.

‘Why is he making such a fuss?’

I grumbled to myself—until he spoke again, and I understood.

“If a single hair on her head is harmed, Elga won’t stay quiet. She might use it as an excuse to burn down the entire palace in an attempt to remove His Highness…”

Ah, sis… So you’ve been flaunting your overprotectiveness even behind my back.

Feeling awkward, I rubbed my brow and pulled my hood back on, replying as plainly as I could:

“I won’t be as much of a burden as you think.”

“No, Lady Karnian, I didn’t mean it that way—”

“Of course. But you don’t need to worry.”

All the Duke could see was the lower half of my face, but I smiled calmly.

He looked at me with concern, but Esadien and Theodore backed me up. At that, he gave in and said we should hurry before anyone got hurt.

“Wait, brother. That’s the wrong way.”

Esadien quickly stopped him.

“Do you know where she is?”

“I was planning to check the Crown Princess’s palace first.”

People get defensive when they realize they’re wrong. Duke Lambert was no different—his posture shifted slightly back as he answered slowly.

“I think that’s where my sister was attacked. From what I gather, she’s now confined in the abandoned palace.”

“And how do you know this, Your Highness?”

“We had help.”

Esadien smiled.

He was clearly thinking of the cats—who had relayed the information, tapped his forehead with their fluffy paws, and then disappeared like the wind.

Duke Lambert’s eyes widened as if he’d seen something incomprehensible.

He wasn’t rude, so he quickly masked his surprise, but I had seen it.

‘I’m already getting used to Esadien smiling.’

And I found myself thinking: his smile is as sweet as his words.

Flying along behind his back, a line of poetry came to me:

Love is cotton candy.

So very sweet.

But drunk on fleeting sweetness,

Like a raccoon that washed its treat,

I’m left hollow and bereft.

‘Oh… I might actually have a talent for poetry.’

I was about to try writing a second verse when Gabbie’s grumbling interrupted:

– I think my brain just got polluted. Never take up literature. Ever.

‘Rude. How are things on your end?’

– Not good. We’re not here for a full-on battle, and we’re outnumbered. Can you wrap this up already?”

‘Request reinforcements.’

– That ‘deputy’ guy already did.”

‘Alright. Just a bit longer… protect the others.’

Any trace of poetry vanished from my mind.

I didn’t want to pin black mourning ribbons on my knights—I wanted to give them medals.

“We need to hurry. The gate is holding, but it won’t last forever.”

Everyone increased their speed without question.

But the clueless Duke, running beside us, exclaimed in disbelief:

“Don’t tell me—were those knights at the north gate from House Karnian? You’ll be branded as traitors!”

“I’ll explain later!”

I knew it was rude, but urgency made me push his back with both hands.

As we got closer to the abandoned palace, the guards grew denser.

“So they really did lock her up here. How dare they…”

Duke Lambert ground his teeth in fury.

A few generations ago, an empress suspected of infidelity had been confined here.

After her death, rumors spread of her vengeful ghost, and even now, most royal family members avoided the area.

Even I, who wasn’t close to high society, had heard the stories many times.

There were soldiers stationed at every corner of the once-deserted palace.

‘Originally, I was going to use the second item my sister gave me—a cloak of invisibility—to sneak in…’

But things weren’t going as smoothly as a spy film. I set aside the plan and asked:

“Are those soldiers part of the palace guard?”

“No, they don’t bear the royal insignia.”

“Then they must have entered before the gates were sealed.”

There was no room for hesitation.

I narrowed my eyes and snapped my fingers.

Snap!

With a small sound, threads of heat magic—so fine and subtle even Austin wouldn’t have noticed—shot toward the soldiers.

Moments later, they began to sway. Then, one by one, they started collapsing.

Soon after, I heard the clatter of dropped spears and swords.

“Whew.”

I let out a small sigh of relief. I hadn’t been sure it would work—it had been a spur-of-the-moment idea. But it worked even better than expected.

“M-Minuelle, that was… your doing?”

Esadien, eyes narrowed as he watched the scene, turned to me. His tone was almost certain—not a question.

“This is why I don’t like perceptive kids(?)…”

Grumbling inwardly, I nodded. I knew he had stopped himself from calling me ‘Master’ in front of the Duke.

“Yes.”

“But… there was no spark, no flame…”

I smiled faintly.

Heat is measured in degrees. Human body temperature averages around 36.5°C.

The brain regulates it to stay consistent—but once it rises past 39°C, physical function deteriorates rapidly.

So I just… raised their body temperatures.

It worked so fast, even I was shocked.

“…There are ways besides just setting things on fire.”

Esadien, Theodore, and Clidane had all heard Ramande say there had been “progress” at the gates.

So they naturally assumed this was some spirit-related power.

But Duke Lambert was different.

“Wait… Lady Karnian, did you become a mage without us knowing?”

“It’s urgent. I’ll explain later—…Oh?”

I was just giving the same reply as before, when I froze.

My eyes had gone to the soldiers on the ground, groaning in pain.

‘Did I…?’

It hit me like lightning.

I had knocked down multiple people without hesitation.

Sure, I’d defended myself before—but that was always in self-defense.

‘I did it to protect my knights.’

The thought flickered through me. But the moral code I’d held since my previous life didn’t let up.

‘You think harming others guarantees your people’s safety? Even if that’s true, what gives you the right to control others’ lives?’

In the middle of that spiral, I even heard Gabbie laughing in my mind:

– That’s the spirit! If you wield fire, you’ve got to know how to burn through obstacles! Ha ha ha!”

It felt like I was back at my coming-of-age ceremony—dizzy and disoriented.

The voices of those nearby sounded far away…

“Minuelle.”

A firm grip seized my arm, snapping the spinning world back to normal.

“…Esadien.”

My voice came out hoarse.

With a serious expression, Esadien lifted me into his arms and began to run.

“……!”

I was too dazed to protest, just wide-eyed.

He whispered quietly: “You did well. And it was necessary.”