Chapter 11

During the time when the existence of mages was nothing more than a rumor, and 300 years ago when monsters occupied more than half of the continent, Felix’s presence was far more than that of a mere leader.

He was everyone’s guide, everyone’s master… and everyone’s hope.

After his death, no one could replace him.

Not even Kanis Riventi.

Kanna blinked, staring at the moonlight streaming through the curtains.

Then, she glanced over her shoulder.

Michael was leaning back on the sofa, sitting in a relaxed posture as he flipped through documents.

“Go to sleep. I’ll stay here by your side.”

“…Do you think I’m some kid scared of the dark?”

In the dim light, Kanna could vaguely see Michael’s lips curve into a faint smile.

She thought, half-jokingly, that someone should just show up and kick Michael hard in the shin. With that thought, she closed her eyes.

The problem was, if no one did it soon, Kanna might have to do it herself.

***

“Will you marry me?”

Kanis spat out the water she had been drinking right onto Michael’s face.

Michael calmly pulled a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his jacket and wiped his face.

He seemed to take it all in stride, as if he had expected this reaction.

The lively atmosphere of the banquet hall instantly froze.

Everyone stared at them with their mouths half-open.

The servant carrying drinks, the young noble throwing a tantrum about wanting to go home, the drunken old Earl causing a scene—every single one of them.

Thanks to being seated at the same high table as the Emperor, everyone witnessed Kanis Riventi’s dumbfounded expression.

Kanis Riventi, who was usually expressionless or cold, now furrowed her brow as if doubting her ears. She hadn’t even wiped the water from her lips as she muttered:

“…I didn’t quite catch that.”

Still wiping his face, Michael repeated himself firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

“Please become my partner, Master of the Mage Tower.”

Kanis slowly alternated her gaze between the ring Michael held out and his handsome face. She finally wiped her lips and asked:

“Who are you?”

It was a deliberately provocative question, but also an honest one.

However, Michael didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow as he replied:

“I am Michael Clobern. Surely you know the Imperial surname. This year, I became the Crown Prince. I am twenty-five years old. And I am the one who just proposed to you.”

“……”

“If you forget again, I’ll remind you anytime.”

After a long pause, Kanis asked:

“…Why?”

At that time, Michael had responded with a question of his own:

“Why do you think?”

***

In the end, she dreamed about it. That day.

The moment Kanna woke up, she let out a deep sigh from her core.

It’s already been two years since that happened.

‘Why do you think?’

Seriously? He could’ve just answered the question instead of throwing it back at her and confusing her even more.

After that, the Emperor had clutched the back of his neck, let out a yell that sounded like, “What nonsense is this!” and collapsed, abruptly ending the banquet.

A few days later, Michael had shown up at the Mage Tower with a ring…

In any case, Michael hadn’t come to his senses since then.

While Kanna found it unfortunate, it was undoubtedly an even greater misfortune for the Imperial Family.

She could somewhat understand why the Emperor acted so prickly.

As she stirred and got out of bed, Kanna realized she couldn’t hear the usual sounds of the servant waiting outside her room.

Had I slept longer than usual?

Feeling groggy, she glanced at the sunlight streaming beneath the curtain.

“Did you sleep well?”

It was Michael.

Still seated on the same sofa she had seen before falling asleep, Michael stretched his long arms and got up.

“…Yes, I slept well.”

Michael sat on the edge of the bed, turned her face this way and that as if checking her condition, then began tidying up the blanket naturally.

“Then go wash up, and let’s have breakfast.”

“…Okay.”

Michael smiled faintly at her sleepy reply.

His hair was disheveled, and his face was rough, as if he had only dozed off briefly on the sofa.

Kanna thought absentmindedly, 

He really stayed. All night. Until I woke up.

***

If one walked past the bookshelves of the Imperial Library and ventured deeper inside, they would come across a door guarded by soldiers.

Behind that door lay the relics of the first Emperor.

At some point, Kanis’s hands have touched those items.

Now, however, accessing them required Imperial permission.

Only members of the Imperial Family or those with an Imperial permit could enter.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come in?”

“I told you, it’s fine.”

“How will you reach the books on the higher shelves?”

“I’m only looking at the ones on the lower shelves.”

Leaving Michael, who had been unusually clingy since the day before, outside, Kanna firmly shut the door.

By now, she was getting used to door handles being above her head.

Once the door was securely closed, Kanna began scanning the forbidden section.

Why bother taking the books out?

Even with the tiny amount of mana she had left, this much was no problem.

The Mage Tower also had a massive archive, practically a cavern, and after accidentally toppling a pile of books once, Kanis had given up on handling books manually.

As Kanna’s eyes glowed with blue flames, faint trails extended behind her as she moved her head.

In response, every book in the forbidden section began to rattle and stir.

“Shh, shh.”

Murmuring as if playing a prank, Kanna raised one hand. For a moment, a blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and a light breeze swept through the room.

The books settled down again as if nothing had happened.

When the breeze that had brushed past her skirt died down, two books fell into Kanna’s arms.

The weight of the books was as expected, but Kanna still ended up falling backward onto her bottom.

She corrected herself: 

This body was impossible to get used to.

Groaning, she sat up and opened the thinner book first.

The pages flipped rapidly before stopping at a specific section.

“Let’s see… The possibility of mana depletion… Even for those reborn as mages under the blessing of the World Tree, mana is not an infinite resource… When the mana within the body can no longer recover, the mage dies… Hmm, this doesn’t apply.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the pages began flipping again.

“On the credibility of the rumor that mages do not age… While mana slows aging, most mages’ actual lifespans are similar to ordinary people’s… Theoretically, those with immense mana may age much more slowly… This isn’t relevant either.”

Pushing the first book aside, Kanna pulled the second one closer.

Once again, the pages turned on their own.

“If mana doesn’t recover, the mage inevitably dies… Wait, isn’t this the same passage from the first book? What is this? Is that thin book just a summary of this one?”

Clicking her tongue, Kanna stood up.

If she remembered correctly, her Master Felix had written more books than this.

Why did it feel like there weren’t many useful ones?

Come to think of it, parts of the bookshelves were empty.

Who would take these documents, which only mages would bother with?

There were no mages in the Imperial Family. She had heard there were several mages affiliated with the Imperial Court, but…

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the far end of the library.

Startled, Kanna quickly closed the book and stopped using her mana.

The blue glow in her eyes vanished without a trace.

She had let her guard down. She hadn’t expected anyone to be in the forbidden section.

Kanna cautiously walked toward the source of the sound.

What if someone had been secretly watching me?

But she hadn’t sensed any gazes.

When she checked behind the last bookshelf, Kanna felt both relieved and incredulous.

A scrawny young man, looking malnourished, was drooling and sleeping face-down on the floor.

It seemed he had bumped into the bookshelf earlier, causing a book to fall.

As she debated whether to report him or wake him up and escort him out, commotion erupted outside, and the door swung open.

Kanna found herself face-to-face with a middle-aged woman.

“Why are you searching the forbidden section for a runaway servant?”

Michael entered after her, walking toward Kanna.

“Why else? I sent him to fetch a book five hours ago, and he still hasn’t returned.”

As Nadia stepped forward, tapping the floor with her cane, the young man lying in front of Kanna gasped awake, as if the house had collapsed.

Startled awake by the mere sound of her cane, the young man looked at Nadia as if she were the Grim Reaper.

Kanna, catching on, lowered her voice and asked:

“Who is that?”

“My aunt.”