Chapter 10

“A magic stone mine accident?”

“The dwarves went on strike, and the mine owner tried to force mining, causing a magic explosion that destroyed all the stones in the tunnel.”

“My goodness. Was anyone hurt?”

“Fortunately, it seems no one died.”

“Still, it’s surprising that you accepted a commission from the Imperial Family…”

He always shuddered at the thought of the Imperial Family treating mages like servants, so how was he supplying artifacts for them?

Muttering in surprise at the unexpected situation, Prselro slowly shook his head in reply.

“There was too much money to refuse.”

With a shameless face, he dismissed Elina’s doubts. She had seen his belief in the power of gold since their Academy days, so she quickly nodded in understanding.

She’d heard that he’d taken a professorship at the Magic Academy because of a generous salary negotiation. As their conversation reminded him of his contract with the Imperial Family, he buried his face in his palms, more distressed.

“I boasted to those Imperial bastards… If I miss the deadline, they’ll laugh at me! My great achievements will be tarnished by my own hand. I, Prselro Skiben, never imagined I’d fall like this. Sob…”

He seemed to be suffering more because of his pride. Elina opened her mouth, wanting to comfort him somehow.

“It’ll take some time to resume mining, but couldn’t you ask them to deliver just the needed amount quickly?”

If it was urgent, they’d have to pay extra for fast delivery.

But Prselro waved his hand, as if that wasn’t the problem.

“All the mages who transported the stones were injured in the explosion. There’s no one left to bring the stones! All the unattributed mages are stuck there, so how can I… Wait.”

He sighed deeply, lamenting, then suddenly raised his head. Prselro’s eyes widened so much the wrinkles around them stretched, and he sprang up, spreading his arms toward Elina.

“My lovely disciple!”

“Yes?”

Elina’s eyes widened just as much. Seeing Prselro about to embrace her, she leaned back against her seat, watching him with a suspicious gaze.

Prselro, embarrassed, sat back down and clasped his hands, his eyes sparkling at Elina.

“An unattributed mage walked in here herself. Magic must be watching over me.”

“What do you mean?”

“For your aging master, could you fetch some magic stones left in the mine? I’ll pay you handsomely. Please, disciple. Do it for your master.”

To transport magic stones, the help of an unattributed mage was essential.

Due to the nature of magic stones, which react sensitively to magic, if a mage with a specific attribute (like fire or water) handled them for too long, the stones’ properties would change and become unusable for their intended purpose.

Therefore, it was an unspoken rule that only unattributed mages, who didn’t possess a specific element, should handle and transport magic stones.

But unattributed mages were extremely rare, so there was always a shortage of people to transport the stones.

Only then did Elina realize why her master’s eyes sparkled at her. The magic stone mine was at the Southern end, and even at her fastest, it would take ten days for a round trip.

Moreover, she knew that while moving the stones, she’d have to frequently infuse them with magic to prevent deterioration, making it a job requiring constant attention…

But seeing Prselro’s desperate face made it hard for her to refuse. After all, she’d come here intending to ask him for a job.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

“Really?”

“But, when I return, you must grant me one request.”

“Of course! I promise in the name of Prselro Skiben.”

He nodded eagerly, not even knowing what her request would be. As the saying goes, ‘Strike while the iron is hot,’ Elina decided to set out immediately.

She’d packed lightly before leaving on leave, and realized going South to put distance between herself and Terence would help her sort out her feelings.

For at least a week, she’d be busy transporting the stones, unable to return to the Grand Ducal castle even if she missed him, and her mind would be less cluttered.

“I’ll leave right away. Oh, but I should contact my parents…”

Her parents would surely be disappointed if their daughter, who’d taken leave, didn’t show up at the their house. The Grand Ducal castle had magical messenger birds for easy communication, but she’d left in a hurry and planned to go home straight from the Mage Tower, so she hadn’t sent word ahead.

The Mage Tower mainly used crystal orbs for communication, so she wasn’t sure if they had magical messenger birds. Hesitating, Elina turned to Prselro, who waved his hand as if it was no problem.

“Just write a brief letter and leave it. I’ll send it to Viscount Harris’s house.”

“Would you? Thank you!”

“But is it really okay for you to be away so long? Did you get kicked out of the Grand Ducal castle?”

Only now did Prselro seem concerned about Elina’s situation, interrogating her.

“You insisted on working at the Grand Ducal house, so you wouldn’t leave on your own. If you weren’t kicked out… you wouldn’t take such a long leave when you’d rather stick close to Grand Duke Callium.”

Muttering, he tried to gauge her feelings. Elina hurriedly scribbled her letter home and stood up with a weary expression.

“If you keep asking, I won’t go.”

“All right. I won’t ask. You’re leaving right now, right?”

At her firmness, he immediately closed his mouth, tossed her letter onto the table, and stood up to see her off. He explained how much magic stone was needed and urged her to hurry.

* * *

As soon as Terence heard Elina had left, he rode for hours to Viscount Harris’s house.

The sudden appearance of the Grand Duke threw the household into chaos. Viscount Harris, who had been pulling weeds in the garden, rushed out with dirt on his hands, puzzled by the Grand Duke’s urgent questioning.

“Elina, you say? I haven’t heard she took leave… She usually lets us know in advance.”

“She’s not here?”

A sense of emptiness and helplessness surged up. Seeing Terence’s hardened face, Viscount Harris’s eyes filled with concern.

“That’s right, Your Grace. Has something happened to Elina?”

“No, nothing like that. I just heard she took leave, so I thought she might come here.”

Somewhat reassured by the reply, Viscount Harris wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. With a kindly smile, he tried to comfort Terence.

“She’ll contact us soon, wherever she goes. She’s never left without a word. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear from her.”

“…Please do.”

Terence’s desperate tone left Viscount Harris’s mind spinning.

What could be happening for the Grand Duke to search for his daughter like this? The Grand Duke seemed oddly distracted… Elina wasn’t the type to cause trouble, so he couldn’t make sense of it.

Lost in thought thanks to the Grand Duke’s sudden visit, the Viscount was about to leave when he saw Terence, who seemed to be departing, turn back.

“Viscount Harris.”

“Is there anything else?”

“I’ll be sending a marriage proposal soon. Please be prepared.”

With only those words, Terence turned and strode away. The Viscount stood dumbfounded, watching the Grand Duke mount his horse and ride off into the distance before finally snapping out of it.

“A marriage proposal?”

His mind, already tangled, grew even more confused. Distracted by the thought of a proposal, he wiped his face with dirty hands, not even caring about the dirt.

“Is this a lovers’ quarrel?”

Did Elina reject the Grand Duke and run away? Is that why he’s searching for her? If not, what else could explain it?

He decided to tell the Viscountess the news as soon as she returned from her tea party, and stood in front of the gate for a long while.

Meanwhile, Terence, who hadn’t found Elina anywhere, felt like he was losing his mind. After returning to the Grand Ducal castle, he searched everywhere she might go, but no one had seen even a strand of her hair.

He contacted her close colleagues and even the Eastern villa where the previous Grand Ducal couple spent their retirement, but all he got was that she hadn’t visited any of them.

Having eaten nothing while chasing after Elina’s whereabouts, his complexion darkened, and he spent several sleepless nights staring out the window at the dark sky.

“D*mn. Elina, where did you go?”

It had already been four days since she disappeared. Where could she have gone? She vanished without a trace overnight, leaving his heart restless and aching.

If only he had some news, he could wait patiently, but with nothing, his anxiety and worry only grew.

If she truly left him forever, he didn’t think he could bear it.

That day, too, he stayed up all night, and early in the morning, he sat at his desk, tackling the work he’d put off. Signing documents with nervous haste, he paused at the sound of his aide Jerome’s knock.

Jerome’s eyes reflected concern at Terence’s noticeably gaunt face.

“Your Grace. I found one more place Miss Harris might have gone.”

At Jerome’s words, Terence’s dark expression briefly brightened. His mysterious violet eyes flashed as he straightened and urged Jerome to speak.

“Tell me.”

“Her fellow mages from the Academy say Miss Elina was very close with Professor Prselro there—almost like his protégé. Maybe she went to see him?”

“Contact the Mage Tower immediately—no, I’ll go myself.”

Before Jerome finished speaking, Terence jumped up, ignoring his aide’s attempts to stop him, and hurried to the stables.