Chapter 54

“Mom, are we going to see the Mage today?”

Rafaella, dressed in a cute yellow dress with her hair tied on both sides, asked as she climbed into the carriage.

“Yeah, Dorothea invited us to the Mage Tower.”

“The Mage Tower? That cool place where mages live?”

“Yes. It’s a cool place.”

“Hehe, sounds fun.”

“Raffy, since it’s where mages work, you can’t run around or shout loudly. Okay?”

“Okay!”

With Rafaella’s answer, the carriage began heading toward the Mage Tower on the outskirts of the Capital.

The previous day, when Lia told Johann that she would visit Dorothea with Rafaella, he readily lent her one of the carriages reserved for the direct line of the family.

‘He only lent it because Raffy was going too, but it really is nice.’

Lia touched the soft, spacious sofa that looked comfortable enough to sleep on.

While they chatted away, the carriage soon arrived at the entrance of the Mage Tower.

“Mom, is this the Mage Tower?”

As soon as Rafaella got out of the carriage, she spoke in a voice full of disappointment.

“…It seems so.”

Disappointment colored Lia’s voice as well.

“In the storybooks, it was really tall!”

“Yeah. In the books, it was shaped like a spire, but this is strange.”

Lia, like Rafaella, had only encountered ‘Mage Towers’ in books, so she was puzzled too.

This was just a slightly luxurious three-story ivory-colored building.

“…Did we come to the wrong place?”

Even though she knew the coachman wouldn’t have brought them to the wrong place, they both wanted to deny the reality before their eyes.

The Mage Tower in their imagination was nothing like this ordinary exterior.

“Lia! You came earlier than I expected?”

Just then, Dorothea came walking down from the building.

“Dorothea! Have you been well?”

“Yes. But why do you both look so serious?”

Dorothea tilted her head.

“Ah… it’s just that…”

Lia hesitated, then explained that she and Rafaella were flustered because the Mage Tower was so different from what they’d imagined.

“Hahaha. …Sorry for laughing, it’s just a bit cute.”

“Did you use magic to make it look ordinary? Huh?”

Rafaella, still not giving up hope, looked at Dorothea with sparkling eyes.

“Sorry to break your fantasy, Miss, but the only magic here is defensive and protective magic.”

“Then, is this really the Mage Tower? In the books, it was definitely shaped like a spire….”

Lia couldn’t hide her disappointment and muttered.

Aside from the joy of meeting Dorothea, she had also been excited to finally see a real ‘Mage Tower’ in person.

“That’s because about a hundred years ago, the Emperor ordered all the Mage Towers to be rebuilt as ordinary buildings, saying the spires ruined the cityscape and weren’t practical.”

“My goodness.”

“But the image of the Mage Tower as a spire is so strong that storybooks still depict it that way. It does look cooler, after all.”

“I see.”

Lia and Rafaella nodded at Dorothea’s explanation.

Leaving their disappointment behind, they went inside the Mage Tower with Dorothea.

“Tada! This is my room and laboratory.”

Lia and Rafaella were speechless in a different way after seeing Dorothea’s room.

The room, which included a bedroom, bathroom, small parlor, and laboratory, was so cluttered there was barely any space to stand.

Books, parchments, and experimental tools were scattered not only in the laboratory but also throughout the parlor and bedroom.

The only reason they could sit on the parlor sofa was that Dorothea had barely managed to tidy it up before they arrived.

“How is it, living in the Mage Tower?”

“It’s perfect! Honestly, I kept putting off coming to the Capital for various reasons, but now I wonder why I waited. This place has everything I could want.”

Dorothea replied in an excited voice.

“…It’s as good as, no, even better than the Imperial Mage Tower.”

“I’m really glad you like it.”

“Are you doing well too, Lia?”

“Yes. I’m… managing.”

Except for almost running into the Princess and the overwhelming experience of facing the Prince, things were all right.

“I’m doing fine.”

Lia skipped over the details and answered.

“What have you been up to lately, Miss?”

Dorothea smiled at Lia, then turned to Rafaella.

“I’ve been learning to ride a horse from Dad lately.”

Rafaella chatted excitedly.

“If you take after the Duke, you must be quite good.”

“Hehe, I think I’m getting a little better.”

Rafaella scratched her head shyly.

“Come to think of it, your mana might manifest soon.”

“Mana?”

Rafaella tilted her head.

“The Duke of Blumhart manifested mana at an unprecedentedly early age. I think he was six at the time….”

“Six years old?”

Lia asked in surprise.

“Yes. Normally, even the earliest is around eight or nine, but the Duke had so much mana it manifested at six. The entire Empire was in an uproar.”

He really is remarkable, that man….

‘To think I married and lived with someone so extraordinary.’

“Since Miss Rafaella is the Duke’s daughter, I think her mana will manifest within a year at most.”

“Can you tell just by looking?”

“It’s not so much seeing as feeling.”

Dorothea winked.

“But if mana manifests early, you have to be careful—there can be high fevers or even runaway mana. I heard the Duke suffered from a fever for several days.”

Hearing that, Lia looked at Rafaella with a serious expression.

“Maybe I scared you too much. It’s not always the case, and Miss Raffy might manifest later than expected, so don’t worry too much, Lia.”

“All right.”

“Now, let’s leave that topic! I’ll show you my laboratory.”

Dorothea lightened the mood and led them to the laboratory.

There were all sorts of experimental tools, ingredients, and Dorothea’s experiment logs. It was chaotic but fun to look around.

There were dangerous substances, so they had to be careful, of course.

After the tour, chatting and eating the snacks Dorothea had prepared, it was soon time to return.

“It looks like we have to go now.”

Lia checked the time and spoke.

“Oh? Is it that late already?”

“I’ll come visit again next time.”

“Please do. I’ll show you other places then.”

Dorothea looked regretful as she left the room with Lia and Rafaella.

“…Ah!”

On the way to the carriage, where the coachman was waiting, Lia suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.

‘I forgot to ask about my illness.’

“Dorothea, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, anything.”

“You mentioned you know a lot about healing as well as purification magic.”

“Yes, to some extent.”

“Then do you know of any illness with these symptoms?”

Lia described the symptoms she had experienced to Dorothea.

Dryness in the mouth and eyes, blurred vision, sometimes dropping things or failing to recognize people right in front of her. Then, as time passed, seizures and heart pain appeared, making daily life increasingly difficult.

“Hmm, you had all those symptoms?”

“Yes.”

Lia bit her lip, waiting for Dorothea’s answer.

“Of all the illnesses I know, I don’t think there’s one with those symptoms….”

Dorothea shook her head.

“…I have heard of similar symptoms, but that wasn’t an illness.”

She muttered quietly.

“I’ll ask another healing mage at the Mage Tower. But who’s suffering from those symptoms?”

“Oh, just someone I know in the village who hasn’t been getting better.”

“I see. I’ll ask around and let you know.”

“Thank you, Dorothea.”

Lia said goodbye to Dorothea and got into the carriage with Rafaella.

‘Sigh, if even Dorothea doesn’t know, it probably can’t be cured.’

Lia let out a small sigh.

* * *

That night, Lia couldn’t sleep and kept tossing and turning.

‘I told myself not to get my hopes up, but did I hope without realizing it?’

Thinking she truly couldn’t escape death made it impossible to sleep.

‘…I knew even my fate couldn’t be changed. How could anyone cure an illness no one knows?’

Dorothea said she’d ask another healing mage, but Lia felt sure that mage wouldn’t know either.

‘It’s not like mages know everything in the world.’

After tossing for dozens more minutes, she finally sat up in bed.

‘If I keep tossing, Raffy will wake up. I’ll just go for a walk.’

She left the mansion and wandered here and there, stopping in front of the training grounds.

“Huh?”

There, Johann was practicing swordsmanship alone.

‘Why is he training at this hour…?’

His movements were so sharp, it was as if a real enemy stood before him.

Even from a distance, it didn’t look like light exercise.

‘Is he unable to sleep again, just like last time?’

Last time he did push-ups like a madman.

Still, pushing his body like this every time he couldn’t sleep couldn’t be good.

‘If he keeps this up, his health will be ruined.’

Lia walked over toward the training grounds.

“…What brings you here at this hour?”

Noticing her approach, Johann lowered his sword.

“I had some things on my mind, so I went for a walk.”

“I see.”

“But are you unable to sleep again?”

“…I’ve never been a good sleeper.”

He answered, wiping sweat from his face with a towel.

‘He says he’s always been a poor sleeper? He wasn’t like that at the cabin….’

She was puzzled.

“Duke, as I said before, it’s not a good idea to push your body so hard just because you can’t sleep.”

Lia frowned slightly.

“Are you nagging me now?”

Johann frowned as well.

“It’s not nagging. It’s just that if you’re not healthy, Rafaella will be sad.”

You need to stay healthy so you can watch over Rafaella to the end.

“…That’s true. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Since it wasn’t wrong, Johann nodded slightly.

“But what on earth are you thinking about that you can’t sleep?”

Johann tilted his head and asked her.

“Ah, I….”

Lia hesitated.

“…Is it related to you leaving Rafaella?”