Chapter 7.3

It was a day no different from any other.

On her way to work, still pondering how to resolve the debts Baron Lewin had dumped on her, Daphne only realized how noisy it was today when she arrived at the infirmary.

“Is something going on?”

She asked as she looked out the window, and Hailey, buried in a mountain of paperwork, lifted her head.

“They say the Mage Tower Master has returned.”

“The Mage Tower Master?”

“Yeah. After wandering for years, he’s just come back. But no one’s actually seen him, just a lot of talk. Is there really even a Mage Tower Master?”

“Isn’t the Mage Tower Master His Majesty the Emperor’s Master?”

At Daphne’s words, Hailey nodded.

“But since no one’s ever actually seen him, there are rumors he might not be real. Maybe this time, we’ll finally see what he looks like. I heard he’s lived for 200 years. Some even say he’s descended from elves. Not sure if it’s true, though.”

But does that matter to us right now? With so much work piling up. 

Hailey, dark circles under her eyes, let out a self-mocking laugh.

Daphne also had plenty to do, so she didn’t continue the conversation and sat down at her desk.

The Mage Tower Master…

Why was I thinking of that person now?

Even back then, she’d only seen his face a few times, so her memory was blurry. All she could recall was that he was quite tall, and his long hair shone silver.

His mood would swing from good to bad in an instant, and at night he would look up at the sky and mutter things she couldn’t understand, which sometimes made him seem eerie.

Still, he was a good person. He had taught her magic, after all.

Daphne briefly recalled the mage tucked away in her memory, then looked with dread at the still-unresolved pile of documents.

Ugh, I’m sick of this.

Until now, she’d never once thought she was tired of her work. It was something she had to do, and it suited her well enough. But maybe because of all the recent stress? The things she would usually do without a thought now felt tedious.

But that didn’t mean she was thinking of quitting. The most important thing in her life was stability.

She didn’t have the courage to quit a job that guaranteed her livelihood until death and walk an uncertain path. So, no matter how bored or tired she was, she had to quietly do what was given to her. But for some reason, it was especially hard to focus today.

No, you have to work. You have yourself to support.

* * *

“You little brats! Do you know who I am?!”

“Sir, you can’t do this here. This is the Imperial Palace, where His Majesty the Emperor resides.”

“What’s so great about the Emperor! If it’s come to this, tell him to get out here right now! I’m here, and he dares not show his face?!”

She was on her way to the incinerator with expired medicines. Since the incinerator was located away from the knight building, she had to go out the entrance, where she heard the sound of a guard arguing with someone.

A man in a filthy, tattered robe was wildly swinging a staff taller than himself, shouting at the top of his lungs. She thought he’d get himself arrested at this rate, but then she saw a surprisingly familiar face.

“Uncle Rezan?!”

“Huh? Kid, what are you doing here?”

Rezan—the mage who had helped Daphne when she’d run away from the Baron Lewin’s manor and was almost sold into slavery.

She was sure. Aside from the silver hair and violet eyes, that voice, always whining and making a fuss, was unforgettable.

But why was he here? 

She had a lot of questions, but if she wasn’t careful, she might get arrested for causing a scene.

Rather than complain about him leaving her behind, she thought it was better to help, so Daphne quickly walked over to him, carrying her heavy load.

She set her things down at her feet and glanced at the guard. Then, in a very small voice, she whispered to Rezan.

“And what about you, Uncle? You can’t just wander in here. You could get arrested.”

“Do you know this man?”

“Yes, well… I suppose you could say that?”

Daphne answered the guard’s question vaguely, shrugging her shoulders. At that, Rezan slammed his staff on the ground and shouted.

“Oh—you suppose you could say that? I fed and bathed this brat when she was little, and she doesn’t even know how to be grateful!”

“I fed and bathed myself. In fact, I supported you, Uncle. Don’t you remember burning the whole house down because you couldn’t even cook soup?”

“Ahem, ahem… Still, didn’t I put the house back together?”

“And also….”

Even if she spent all night talking, it wouldn’t be enough. She was grateful he’d saved her, but after that, she’d pretty much had to earn her own living. In fact, she’d struggled more fixing the furniture and house he’d broken. And since he was always getting into fights with the neighbors, it was always her job to apologize.

“Uh, uh-uh, that’s enough! No need to waste time with pointless stories from the past! Right now, I have to meet Withro!”

Sensing he was at a disadvantage, Rezan hurriedly changed the subject. Now that she thought about it, why was he here? All she knew was that he was a wandering mage of suspiciously high skill.

At Rezan’s words, the guard could no longer hold back and raised his sword to Rezan’s neck.

“How dare you speak His Majesty the Emperor’s name so carelessly!”

“Ehh? Little With has already become Emperor?”

Rezan’s brow twitched. He didn’t seem to care at all about the blade at his chin. The guard, frustrated by his incomprehensible attitude, turned to Daphne.

“Hey, you. What’s your relationship with this man?”

“I knew him when I was young. He’s not family.”

Ignoring Rezan’s glare, as if he wanted her to help but feared getting tangled in something strange, Daphne stepped back.

“Masterrrrrrrrrr!!!”

A voice she’d heard somewhere before echoed loudly.

“Haah, haah, M-Master, where is this place, huff….”

Behind the man who rushed in, dozens of people followed. Before Daphne could even process what was happening, Rezan struck the man’s head with his staff, hard enough to make a loud thud. The faces of those standing behind went pale.

“You’re still running around in a panic, just like always. I never taught you to act like this. You act like a fool because you never listened to me. I can’t die of shame before seeing Beth’s face!”

Rezan hit the man’s head with his staff again. Daphne struggled to understand the situation. The man was wearing a crimson robe only the Emperor could wear, so it was clear he was the Emperor who ruled this Empire.

But Rezan had just hit the Emperor on the head. And the Emperor accepted it as if it were perfectly natural. He even called him Master.

“You only taught me for three years before leaving!”

“Only three years? Do you know how hard it was for me to last those three years!”

“So why are you here now?”

“I came because I have something to say. Do I need a reason to come?”

After speaking, Rezan curled his lip and snorted. Daphne rolled her eyes, scanning the room. The guard who’d pointed his sword at Rezan still hadn’t lowered his weapon.

Seeing someone else as bewildered as she was gave her a strange sense of relief. Whether he noticed her thoughts or not, the Emperor finally regained his composure and spoke with a dignified expression.

“Ah, you’ve all seen something you shouldn’t have. Please forget everything that happened today.” 

How could anyone forget this….

If anything, the shock had cleared her mind, allowing Daphne to think more rationally.

Uncle Rezan had said ‘Little With had already become Emperor.’

Little With? Wait, could the Little With Uncle Rezan mentioned really be…?

Daphne stared at the Emperor, her face pale. She knew she shouldn’t look directly at his face, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

As far as she knew, Little With had been a wild, disobedient child with no talent for magic, and everyone said he was no fun to teach.

And Rezan always complained about how hard it was to teach him, since he’d burst into tears at the drop of a hat.

“This isn’t the place for this. Please come inside, Master. And you as well.”

“…Excuse me?”

Snapped out of her daze by Withro’s words, Daphne answered blankly, but he didn’t seem to care, looking only at Rezan.

As the Emperor and Rezan moved away, Daphne watched in a daze until a woman, presumably an attendant, approached and whispered quietly.

“Please, this way.”

She tried to insist she needed to go incinerate the waste, but the waste had already been taken by the servants. The attendant repeated in a firmer voice.

Please, this way.