“Ah, it’s time to go.”

“Where are you going?”

When Melissa tilted her head, he smiled brightly.

Blue magical power surged around them.

“On a date.”

Suddenly? What date?

Melissa was about to ask but couldn’t.

More precisely, she couldn’t ask because she felt disoriented by the light pouring over them like a massive wave. Her vision flashed white.

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut.

She opened them again after some time had passed, when she heard Edgar’s voice.

“It’s done, Melissa. You can open your eyes now.”

Melissa slowly lifted her eyelids.

Her eyes, accustomed to darkness, blinked several times before regaining full vision.

“This is……”

Melissa looked around.

The scenery had changed even though she had only closed her eyes for a moment. The stream that had been right in front of her was gone, replaced by a large tree. A somewhat cool breeze brushed against her cheeks.

She had wondered what he planned to do with his magic, but apparently he had teleported them somewhere else.

Usually mages experienced dizziness when teleporting, but she hadn’t felt that at all. His skill truly amazed her.

‘But this place looks unfamiliar.’

She had never been to this neighborhood before.

It couldn’t be the north, as Melissa knew every place there, and judging by the building styles and people’s clothing, it didn’t seem to be the capital either.

Melissa pondered for a moment.

But no matter how much she searched her memories, she couldn’t recall such scenery. This was definitely an unfamiliar region.

‘Where on earth are we?’

Melissa stared at Edgar.

Seeing her gaze asking for an explanation, he smiled slightly.

“The Kingdom of Esmira.”

“I see, the Kingdom of Esmira…… Wait, what did you say?”

Melissa, who had been nodding, opened her eyes wide.

Where did he just say?

“Say that again. What did you say?”

“The Kingdom of Esmira. The country at the northernmost point of the Speo continent where the Artzen Empire is located. It’s a place with generally lower temperatures compared to other countries, so it snows a lot, and ice magic is primarily developed here.”

“That’s not what I’m asking right now! Why are we in the Kingdom of Esmira?”

Not just another region of the Artzen Empire, but the Kingdom of Esmira?

Not even a neighboring country, but a country three times removed?

Melissa’s eyelids trembled.

She felt too shocked to speak properly.

Melissa had never left the Artzen Empire in her entire life.

That was true even throughout her past life. She never imagined she would set foot on the soil of such a distant foreign country like this.

And to arrive with no preparation.

Meanwhile, the person who had brought her here looked relaxed.

“I told you earlier, Melissa. We came for a date.”

Edgar whispered with curved eyes.

Melissa quietly looked at his clear face before turning away.

She turned around and started walking away.

“Where are you going, Melissa?”

“I’m going back right now.”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? We came without permission.”

Melissa blurted out without thinking, then quickly lowered her voice while checking their surroundings. Even though she had lived only in the Artzen Empire, she understood how serious this situation was.

For a mage to cross a border—that is, to enter another country—they needed permission from that country. This applied even for simple tourism or business matters, not just immigration.

This happened because no one could predict how mages might handle their dangerous abilities. Most countries identified and managed mages entering and leaving their territories in advance.

And now the future Tower Master had sneaked in secretly?

To exaggerate slightly, this could potentially start a war.

“This is illegal entry, Edgar.”

“Getting permission to enter takes too long. We didn’t have time to wait for that. Don’t worry. I’ll hide our magical power well so we won’t be discovered.”

“Is there a reason we need to be in the Kingdom of Esmira so badly? There are plenty of places to sightsee in the Artzen Empire too. There would be incomparably more, in fact.”

“No, it has to be here.”

Edgar shook his head firmly.

At his words, Melissa rolled her eyes and looked around.

They seemed to have arrived at some festival. Peeking from behind the tree, she could see quite a crowd gathered. Delicious smells wafted from various places, tantalizing her nose. Laughter that made her feel happy just hearing it filled the air.

There appeared to be plenty of entertainment, elaborate decorations, and it seemed like a fairly good event.

However, it didn’t look particularly different from festivals in the Artzen Empire. There was no need to come all the way to this distant country.

What reason could there possibly be?

It made absolutely no sense.

‘What is all this fuss about.’

Melissa let out a small sigh.

Not having brought a watch, she looked up at the sky to gauge the time. Fortunately, it seemed not much time had passed since they arrived.

“Edgar. Let’s stop this joke and go back. I don’t have time to be out like this. I need to be in the north.”

People constantly came looking for her to perform precognition.

When monsters appeared, they asked for her help in dealing with them, and when no monsters appeared, they came to ask if any were currently near the wall.

They only returned to their posts after Melissa confirmed there was no danger. This routine repeated day and night.

People would surely panic if Melissa wasn’t in her place.

“People might be looking for me.”

Melissa answered softly.

Edgar leaned against the tree, quietly listening to her words.

Though she couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking, he clearly felt unhappy. Recently, Edgar always wore that expression whenever something came up that might raise his voice.

A face that looked as if his throat was being strangled.

“So, you’re saying you’ll go back and do precognition for them now?”

“If necessary, yes. That’s why they come looking for me.”

“Melissa.”

Edgar called her with a light sigh.

Seeming frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair.

“How long will you keep doing that?”

“Well, as long as I have the power of precognition……”

“Even if you leave the north?”

Edgar’s voice grew slightly louder.

“Will you live in the north forever? You won’t. Someday you might go somewhere else. Even then, will you go whenever those people call you? Anytime?”

Melissa closed her mouth.

She had never thought about this issue before.

She assumed her current daily life was natural.

Hiding in the north, searching for ways to break the magic contract, helping people who needed assistance. A life where she would wake up even from sleep if people asked her for precognition.

Somewhere along the way, doing these things had become natural.

She believed this wasn’t like the coercion she experienced at the Shortiras ducal residence but something she chose to do willingly. In reality, she forced herself to endure difficulties while being conscious of people’s expectations.

Melissa slowly touched the corner of her eye with her finger.

‘When was the last time I slept peacefully?’

She couldn’t remember well.

Perhaps such a day had never existed.

“Not everyone can know the future. The people of the north need to live in the ‘present.'”

“……”

“If you keep watching over them like that, those people will never grow. They’ll continue living dependent on others.”

“……I suppose so.”

Melissa murmured quietly.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

Perhaps all this time, she had taken for granted a life of giving something of herself simply because she possessed the power of precognition.

Her shoulders slumped slightly.

She would have continued that way if not for what came next.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll help you.”

A confident voice reached her.

Enough to naturally draw Melissa’s gaze upward.

“Before coming, I installed magic alarms near the wall. If anything happens, I’ll receive a signal. We can teleport there without delay.”

“……”

“What I’m saying is that you don’t have to rely solely on your power of precognition, Melissa.”

Melissa took a sharp breath.

In some ways, this could have been an offensive statement.

It could have been interpreted to mean that Melissa wasn’t necessary. But she knew Edgar didn’t mean it that way.

You don’t have to rely on yourself.

Those words gave her an indescribable sense of liberation.

Incomparably greater than when she left the Shortiras ducal residence.

“Shall we go then?”

Edgar approached Melissa with those brief words.

A hand wearing a black glove extended before her.

“Here you can act more freely than within the Artzen Empire. Information about our appearances probably isn’t well known.”

“……”

“No one will probably know. That I’m Edgar Shortiras, or that you’re Melissa Lucid.”

Melissa’s gaze turned once more toward the people around them.

Everyone went about their business, completely unconcerned with whatever conversation she and Edgar were having. There were no expectant looks, no gestures demanding anything.

Perhaps that’s why she suddenly felt that way.

Like she had become a completely ordinary person.

That pleasant illusion.

“……Alright.”

After hesitating, Melissa took Edgar’s hand.

He gripped what was given to him tightly, as if he had been waiting.

“Hold on tight and don’t let go. I’ll do the same.”

After finishing his words, Edgar moved first.

Melissa followed, taking a step.

Soon the two blended into the crowd.