Chapter 10 (Part 4)

On her way back to the Marquisate, Amelia reflected on her conversation with Charlotte.  

[I haven’t received any reports. I haven’t seen Leo recently, either. But before my daughter left on her mission, she did say something about him.]  

Her daughter, Delia.  

A high-ranking Priestess who had absorbed even her mother’s Holy Power at birth—that was Amelia’s assessment of Delia.  

But that was merely her personal opinion. Charlotte, who loved Delia, wouldn’t think that way.  

[She told me that if Leonardo ever acts strangely or seems like a different person, to pretend not to notice for a while.]  

Amelia couldn’t help but think of Grace upon hearing those words. Specifically, her daughter, who collapsed every morning.  

[She said he might act odd. But I haven’t seen him since the last subjugation mission. He hasn’t been around the estate.]  

As she mulled over Charlotte’s words, Amelia wondered if Delia had met Leonardo before her mission and noticed something about him.  

The thought amused her.  

‘Can something as strange as temporarily losing one’s breath and waking up with someone else’s mana clinging to them be dismissed as merely odd?’  

Could such a condition truly be described as “odd”? Charlotte’s daughter certainly had a way with words.  

With her delicate appearance, as if she couldn’t harm a fly, Charlotte’s daughter was bold enough to take on any daring task.  

[She didn’t say anything else.]  

When Charlotte asked what was wrong, Amelia had replied that it was nothing, ending the conversation.  

Even without her Holy Power, Charlotte’s keen eyes were still sharp. If she hadn’t seen Leonardo herself, no words could hold much weight.  

As a mother, Amelia could only hope it wasn’t something serious.  

But the fact that Delia had specifically mentioned Leonardo before leaving made Amelia think this could be more serious than she initially thought.  

If Delia truly possessed Holy Power greater than Charlotte’s, as rumors suggested, she must have seen something significant.  

Amelia regretted not paying more attention to Delia in the past, dismissing her as someone who had taken Charlotte’s talent. She also found herself curious about Charlotte’s children.  

‘What kind of person is Lord Leonardo Fernandez?’  

As she recalled evaluations of Leonardo, Amelia couldn’t help but gape.  

He was described as blunt, efficient in his work, interested in various fields, and someone who lacked tact in his speech but was surprisingly sentimental.  

Of course, the last part was something Charlotte always added in defense of her son.  

Amelia also remembered something Becky, Grace’s personal maid, had said.  

[Sometimes, just sometimes, the Young Lady seems like a completely different person.]  

When asked what exactly was wrong, the child hesitated for a long time before finally answering.  

[Well, there are times when she doesn’t touch the food she usually enjoys, or when the way she addresses me is different from usual.]  

When Amelia replied that such things could happen occasionally, Becky hesitated for a long time before adding,  

[Her gait, the way she holds utensils, the order in which she eats… sometimes, those things are different. Really, only very occasionally, though.]  

Habits that have been ingrained for a long time don’t change easily. They’re almost automatic, like second nature.  

Amelia knew this better than anyone, having worked tirelessly to correct even the smallest habit when holding a sword.  

But Becky said that Grace’s ingrained habits had changed.  

And one more thing—the golden mana that clung to her daughter when she regained consciousness. There was no doubt that its owner was Leonardo Fernandez.  

It was the only color unique to the empire’s mages.  

‘I need to meet Young Lord Fernandez.’  

Amelia had already given Becky a communication crystal and instructed her to record her daughter’s every move.  

Grace would be furious and horrified if she found out, but Amelia needed to know her daughter’s exact condition.  

Only then could she prepare for what lay ahead.  

‘Things feel even more complicated now.’  

With a heavily exhausted expression, Amelia rested her head against the carriage wall.  

All she wanted was one thing—her daughter’s safety.  

***

Leonardo checked the time and furrowed his brow. The appointed time had already passed, yet the other party showed no sign of appearing.  

Still, since he was the one who needed something, he decided to wait a little longer and leaned back in his chair.  

‘They say sorcerers can be eccentric.’  

Of course, mages weren’t much better in that regard, but mages were also the type to throw away their pride in pursuit of academic research.  

In any case, the person he was waiting to meet was said to be unparalleled in the field of ancient sorcery circles.  

‘I thought they’d be interested.’  

They had sounded as though they’d come running immediately, yet they stood him up.  

In any case, Leonardo wasn’t limiting his search for help to just the empire, so he was already considering other options.  

“Should I contact the Eastern Continent?”  

Muttering softly, Leonardo stood up.  

He didn’t know any sorcerers from the Eastern Continent, but he had heard that one of Caleb’s relatives lived there.  

Since Caleb was already aware of the situation, there was no reason to hesitate.  

Just as he was about to leave,  

“W-wait a moment!”  

Someone suddenly burst out from a corner.  

A man with a scruffy beard, thick glasses that obscured his eyes, and a hunched posture flapped his long robe as he hurried over.  

“Wh-why are you contacting the Eastern Continent?”  

Leonardo immediately realized that the man speaking to him wasn’t the person he had been waiting for.  

However, the man’s peculiar appearance piqued his mage-like curiosity, so Leonardo replied curtly on purpose.  

“This is none of your concern, Sorcerer.”  

At that, the man approached as if to cling to him, grabbing the hem of his robe.  

Despite his unkempt appearance, which suggested he hadn’t bathed in a long time, the man exuded a strong scent of herbs.  

When Leonardo glanced at the hand clutching his robe, the man stammered again.  

“Th-there are m-more skilled sorcerers in the empire than in the Eastern Continent!”  

Leonardo responded with a cynical smile.  

“I’ve heard that more academic papers come from the Eastern Continent.”  

At that, the man visibly flinched.  

He opened and closed his mouth as if searching for a rebuttal, but eventually, he shouted as if throwing a tantrum.  

“Y-you’re right! It’s true! The Eastern Continent is b-better than the empire in terms of sorcery! B-but the empire will catch up s-soon!”  

Leonardo frowned slightly at the man’s words.  

This was the first time he had encountered a sorcerer who so readily admitted that the Eastern Continent’s sorcery was more advanced.  

Typically, the empire’s sorcerers were busy disparaging Eastern sorcery without accomplishing much themselves.  

‘The stammering seems like a habit.’  

None of the sorcerers he had researched had this particular characteristic.  

While the man could be an insignificant sorcerer, Leonardo had a hunch that he might be an unexpected wildcard.  

“Isn’t that just your personal opinion, Sorcerer?”  

At Leonardo’s remark, the man straightened up abruptly, standing tall for the first time.  

Now that he was standing properly, the tall man declared,  

“If sorcerers actively exchange knowledge, it’s possible.”  

When he spoke with conviction, he didn’t stammer at all, which amused Leonardo.  

Although gambling on Grace’s situation was risky, Leonardo couldn’t shake the feeling that this man might be capable.  

He pulled out papers containing sketches of a sorcery circle and handed them to the man.  

“Then, could you tell me what this is?”  

The man snatched the papers and flipped through them quickly. Then, he suddenly grabbed Leonardo by the collar and demanded,  

“Where did you get this?”  

“—Let go first, and then we can talk.”  

At Leonardo’s calm instruction, the man hurriedly released his grip.  

Behind his thick glasses, his eyes sparkled, resembling Leonardo’s own expression when faced with a challenging formula.  

Leonardo asked,  

“Do you know what this is?”  

“What do you take me for? This is an ancient sorcery circle! It’s not something just anyone can find—how did you get it?”  

Watching the man stomp his feet in excitement, Leonardo snapped his fingers.  

The papers in the man’s hands instantly vanished and reappeared in Leonardo’s hand, prompting the man to glare sharply.  

Leonardo extended a hand toward him.  

“Shall we introduce ourselves? I am Leonardo Fernandez of the 1st Knight Order.”  

The man grabbed Leonardo’s hand and shook it vigorously.  

“I-I’m Hymen Roxburgh.”  

Hymen Roxburgh.  

Only then did Leonardo realize who he was.  

The heretic of the sorcery world, a runaway carriage without brakes, a walking corpse—and,  

“…The man obsessed with forbidden sorcery.”  

When Leonardo muttered the last part involuntarily, Hymen tilted his head.  

“You know me?”  

Then this will be quick.

Hymen thought with a grin.