Chapter 30
‘Even setting Ramande aside—he said that after looking at what I’m wearing?’
In this era, clothes were as good as a name tag. I wasn’t dressed to dazzle at a royal banquet, sure, but the fabric alone made it clear I wasn’t a commoner.
He must’ve never been near a noble in his life—so clueless it wasn’t even worth getting angry anymore.
I just told myself I was doing this for Palos’s sake and began filling in the blank spaces quickly.
That’s when a long shadow fell across the desk.
“Well, well. I didn’t know Yugatis had such a grown-up daughter. You’re the spitting image of your mother.”
‘Who is this man, throwing my mother’s name around like that?’
I looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a kind face standing there.
Despite the mutton chops that blended into his beard, he actually looked quite refined.
“I’m the youngest daughter of Duchess Karnian. And you are…?”
“Oh-ho, the youngest, is it? My, how time flies. Just a passing mage, don’t mind me… Now, let’s take a look.”
As he glanced over the form, I glanced toward the reception counter.
The clerk who had just been so rude was now standing stiff as a board.
’So much for ‘just a passing mage.’ Probably a professor, then.’
“Hm. Young Palos—I remember him from the exam. He caught my eye. Thought he might not get in, being a commoner and all… But I see you’re sponsoring him. That’s wonderful.”
Thanks to the mage’s offhand comment, the staffer stopped grumbling and accepted the documents without another word.
‘I really hope the rest of the faculty aren’t like this,’ I thought.
It had been a sudden decision, but now that I’d agreed to sponsor Palos, I was starting to care about how this school operated.
‘If anyone dares to mistreat him, I swear I’ll bring down a bigger storm than they can imagine.’
Right after making that very dramatic vow, another thought crossed my mind.
‘Yikes. That sounded… very villainous, didn’t it?’
No, no—bad thoughts, go away!
Only kind thoughts, only good thoughts!
“What’s with you, Minuelle?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
I shook my head quickly and hurried after Ramande, who was already at the front gate.
“You’ve been spacing out for a while now. Your ankle’s really okay?”
“I said I’m fine! Let’s just go home!”
I stepped out onto the ground beyond the school gates with extra vigor to reassure him—
And then—
CRACK!
A sharp, splintering sound rang through the air, like ice cracking on a frozen lake.
In the next instant, the atmosphere around us changed.
“Minuelle.”
Ramande grabbed my arm. The tension in his grip made it clear how alert he was.
We’d been through enough together that I could tell exactly what he was about to say just by looking at his face—but I cut him off right away.
“Don’t even think about saying ‘stay behind me.’”
He wasn’t even a Holy Knight—just a regular priest. What good would hiding behind him do?
Still, when I looked around carefully, all I saw was our carriage. No one leaped out brandishing a sword.
Everything looked… normal.
“Maybe it’s just in our heads?”
I said it hopefully, but Ramande shook his head at once.
“No. I felt it too.”
Fair enough.
I nodded and tapped my signal device to summon the guards.
They should’ve been nearby, but strangely, no one showed up.
Come to think of it, there were very few people around.
Too few, given the time of day.
“Let’s just get back home. Quickly.”
“R-Right.”
Ramande opened the carriage door and motioned for me to hurry in. I was about to follow when—
Someone stopped us.
Someone who hadn’t been there a second ago. Someone who appeared poof, out of nowhere.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t get in that carriage.”
“…The ‘passing mage’?”
“Hohoho. My name is Brassidas,” said the brown-bearded mage at last, giving us his name.
Then, without warning, he struck his long staff against the ground.
Thunk. Thunk.
Two heavy thuds echoed—
SLAM!
The carriage door slammed shut with unnatural force.
Then it began to move.
“…Huh?”
Clip, clop…
The cheerful sound of hooves quickly shifted into the pounding rhythm of a gallop. And then—
From nowhere, a dark corridor appeared in front of the carriage, swallowed it whole, and vanished.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘What was that, the afterlife express?’
My legs trembled. I wasn’t even in line for the throne, and yet something this dangerous had slipped right past my guard.
While I was still trying to steady my breathing, the heavy, stifling air that had pressed down on us began to lift.
I heard the panicked voices of our knights behind us.
“Lady Minuelle!”
“Sir Ramande!”
Our real carriage—and our real knights—were right behind us.
The whole thing felt like some ghostly illusion.
“You weren’t responding no matter how loudly we called,” said one knight, visibly shaken.
“It was like something was blocking us from reaching you. But then the mage appeared and…”
Finally regaining my composure, I turned to the mage and offered my thanks.
“Thank you, Master Brassidas. Would you come back with us to our home? My mother would be glad to welcome you.”
“Heh. That won’t be necessary.”
“But I owe you—”
“You just helped enroll a child I’ve long wished to take under my wing. That’s thanks enough.”
His deep green eyes—usually curved with amusement—were suddenly sharp and piercing.
“The spark is growing. You must be more careful now, young patron.”
“…!”
Could he see it? The thing that dwelled inside me?
But before I could even figure out what to ask, Brassidas patted my shoulder twice and began to walk away.
“We’ll meet again.”
‘Again?’
Oh—he must mean the entrance ceremony.
I hadn’t planned to show my face at something like that, but now I was reconsidering.
‘I need to talk to him properly.’
So much for my plan to be the “cool godmother.”
Feeling sheepish, I scratched my cheek as I climbed into the carriage. That’s when Ramande, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke.
“…Sorry, Minuelle.”
“Hm? What for?”
“If that man hadn’t been there… you would’ve gotten into that carriage.”
No wonder he’d been so quiet.
Ramande’s face had gone pale, and his clenched fists on his knees were trembling ever so slightly.
“I was the one who said we should get in… What if something strange had happened because of me…?”
Ramande bit his lip hard, unable to finish the sentence. So hard the thin skin lost its color.
It had been a while since I’d seen him this shaken.
Honestly, I was scared too—but I didn’t want him to blame himself.
“Hey, don’t get so upset over something that didn’t even happen.”
I mean… I did actually set a trap for Esadien once, so… yeah.
“Ramande.”
I scooted closer and poked his cheek, trying to lighten the mood. But his expression stayed grave.
I grinned and coaxed him playfully.
“If you really feel bad, then do me a favor—don’t tell my family about today.”
“What about the knights?”
“Well, it’s not like anything major happened. If they ask, I’ll just say I hit the alert by mistake.”
“You’re making this sound way too casual.”
Ugh. Harsh.
“Ramande.”
I took his hand and let out a quiet sigh.
“Trust me. No one’s taking this more seriously than I am.”
The only ones who would pull something like this were that masked man and his assassins.
The more I thought about it, the more Esadien’s warning echoed in my ears—
that I could be the one in danger. That chilling possibility felt closer than ever.
Still, part of me worried more about whether he was okay.
“…Alright. I won’t say anything.”
Ramande finally nodded, staring into my face, now devoid of any trace of a smile.
“Good.”
I immediately rolled down the window and called out to the nearby knight.
“We’re heading to the Third Prince’s palace. Leave only a minimal guard and send the rest back.”
“…Understood, my Lady.”
The knight, though puzzled, obeyed at once. But Ramande, of course, was not as compliant.
“At this hour?”
The sky was already turning lavender.
“Exactly why we’re going.”
No matter how busy Esadien was, he’d return home by dinner.
“This has to do with the Prince too. That’s why.”
I didn’t say out loud that part of me was also going to confront him.
About why he’d been with Lapheche. About what they were doing together.
At this point, showing up twice in one day was the least of my concerns.
‘I’ve held back long enough.’
After witnessing what I had earlier—
Esadien should be grateful I wasn’t already living at the palace.
* * *
The northern Magic Quarter was a gloomier place than its southern counterpart.
Things you couldn’t buy in the south were often found here—if you knew the right sellers, that is.
As always, Esadien trailed behind Lapheche in a black hood.
Lapheche flitted from one shop to another, looking for someone or questioning shopkeepers, but came up with nothing.
‘Maybe His Majesty’s suspicions were unfounded this time.’
Esadien swallowed a sigh and rubbed his furrowed brow, weariness creeping in.
No matter how he tried to push the thought aside, the image of Minuelle beside Ramande kept surfacing.
No priest robes. No formality. Just the two of them leaning on each other like lovers.
‘I’m on a secret mission from His Majesty, and here I am…’
Clicking his tongue, he looked up.
Just then, Lapheche was tucking a fist-sized pouch into her clothes after receiving it from a shopkeeper.
Their eyes met.
Gasp.
“…”
“Ah, th-that. Let’s… move on to the next shop, shall we?”
Lapheche brushed past him in a fluster and marched off.
‘Is she deliberately acting suspicious just to throw me off?’
‘Dating is all about push and pull. Don’t message first.’
‘See each other every day and you’ll get sick of it. A little mystery’s good.’
‘I heard Minuelle even sleeps with gloves on. Your Highness, do you know why?’
‘I’m jealous you both have old friends. You have Sir Tregosnan, and she has that handsome priest.’
Whenever people gossiped about Minuelle, their tongues oiled themselves with ease.
Now, that same Lapheche seemed desperate not to show her own nerves—
which only made her behavior more suspicious.
‘I’ll watch a little longer before making my report.’
Esadien discreetly checked what Lapheche had bought and followed her again.
That was when it happened.
A sudden shift in atmosphere.
Storekeepers streamed out in unison, all turning in the same direction.
“That mana…”
“So it’s true? The Archmage entered Roquate?”
As hushed murmurs spread, Esadien remained in the dark.
But Lapheche darted forward, slipping between the shopkeepers.
“This is the Archmage’s mana?”
“That’s right. Tch… Better keep a low profile for a while.”
The shopkeeper turned and disappeared into his store.
Lapheche, on the other hand, was practically trembling with excitement.
“He was nearby… He was really nearby!”
‘She can sense mana?’
Just like always, Esadien said nothing.
He simply watched over her in silence.