Duke Bermund stared at Rachel’s departing carriage.

The smile that had graced his face before she left had completely vanished. Things had become more complicated than expected.

Rachel choosing to regress time of her own accord would have been the most moderate and reasonable approach. Duke Bermund wouldn’t have had to get blood on his hands, and Rachel could have obtained information about the Tears of Licorice that Creon’s contractor needed to find.

But his plan had gone spectacularly awry.

With an expressionless face, Duke Bermund turned and began striding with his long legs toward his office. Upon arrival, he sat in his chair and drummed his fingers on the desk—a habit that emerged when he was deep in thought.

“What do you plan to do now?” Butler Ronheim asked the Duke.

Only then did he stop his fingers and turn to look out the window.

“It would have been best if she chose to die on her own, but if she won’t, we have no choice.”

From the moment she rejected his proposal, she became nothing but an obstacle to him.

The problem was Rachel’s exceptional magical abilities. Duke Bermund didn’t believe she had used only three spells to kill the witch. He had guessed that even Edward Hestein, the Magic Tower Master candidate, would have struggled greatly had he joined the monster subjugation team.

Yet Rachel had killed Witch Sara with superior skill, without sustaining any injuries or wounds. This meant she was hiding her true abilities. Perhaps she was skilled enough to memorize four spells, or even more.

If that assumption was true, he couldn’t attack her rashly. It would be troublesome if she came to recognize Duke Bermund as an enemy.

Therefore, targeting Rachel’s weakness seemed more appropriate.

Duke Bermund began to consider why Rachel would have needed to contract with Creon in the first place. First, Rachel had only begun to stand out after the monster subjugation team incident. So it would be correct to assume that an important event occurred for her around that time.

There weren’t many things worth sacrificing one’s life for. If her purpose wasn’t to kill Witch Sara, then it must have been to save someone.

It wasn’t difficult to find someone close to Rachel among those who participated in the monster subjugation team.

Tervan Sanchez.

It was well-known in social circles that Tervan, Rachel, and Viola had attended the academy together and remained close friends even after graduation.

Duke Bermund stroked his chin. It was merely his speculation, but it seemed reasonable that Tervan had met his death during the monster subjugation mission, and Rachel had contracted with Creon to prevent this.

‘She probably failed repeatedly.’

Rachel must have decided to become stronger after repeated failures. That would explain why she had suddenly distinguished herself despite showing no prior signs of exceptional ability.

If his speculation was correct, Tervan was currently Rachel’s greatest weakness.

However, Tervan was the eldest son of the Sanchez ducal family and a knight of the Imperial Guard, so he couldn’t be touched carelessly.

Would it be better to target someone else in Rachel’s circle?

Duke Bermund fell into deep contemplation. If he made a mistake, everything could go completely wrong. He felt the need to exercise extreme caution.

* * *

When Rachel returned to the Pluret mansion, she learned that Tervan and Edward had come to visit her. She immediately headed to the reception room where the two were waiting.

“You’re here?” Edward was the first to stand and greet her as Rachel entered the reception room. Tervan also rose from his seat, glancing briefly at Edward.

“What brings you two here so suddenly? Without any notice,” Rachel asked as she sat down across from them. Tervan answered first.

“You didn’t come to the imperial palace today, so I wondered if you might be sick. But it looks like you’ve been out somewhere.”

“Yes. I had some business to attend to today, so I didn’t go. I’m not sick.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried,” Tervan said with relief.

Rachel consciously smiled at him before turning to Edward.

“And you, Edward?”

“I brought some books that might help you.”

“Books…?”

“Materials about magical beasts and the Tears of Licorice. There’s still little known about them, but I thought they might be helpful.”

Edward spoke plainly. Surprised by his words, Rachel’s eyes widened.

“You did this again?”

“Yes. When I started paying attention and looking for books, I found more materials than I expected.”

At Edward’s gesture, a waiting servant carefully placed the prepared books in front of Rachel. Seven books were set on the table.

Rachel was grateful that Edward had read books for her and brought them. She had been feeling down after rejecting Duke Bermund’s proposal. Though Creon had said it was fine because they had plenty of time, she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.

So when Edward offered his help, she felt grateful to him.

“Thank you so much, Edward. I didn’t expect you to go to such lengths for me.”

“It’s nothing. This is the least I could do for you.”

“I’ll definitely repay you someday.”

“No, you don’t need to. I did it because I wanted to,” Edward replied with a gentle smile.

Tervan looked back and forth between them. He felt awkward, like he was forcibly inserting himself between the two who were getting along so well.

Thinking he should somehow join their conversation, Tervan mulled over what they had been discussing.

“By the way, Rachel, are you researching magical beasts?”

When Tervan spoke up, both turned their attention to him.

“No, what Rachel is looking for isn’t a magical beast but a jewel called the Tears of Licorice.”

Though the question was directed at Rachel, Edward answered first. Tervan looked at Edward, bothered by this. Edward shrugged his shoulders, looking surprised that Tervan didn’t know.

“Edward is right. I’m gathering information about a jewel called the Tears of Licorice. I’ve been having trouble finding relevant materials at both the Magic Tower and the Imperial Library, so Edward has been helping me.”

“Me too.”

“Hmm?”

As soon as Rachel finished explaining, Tervan immediately spoke up.

“I’ll look into it too.”

“You, Tervan?” Rachel asked in surprise, and he nodded.

“You said the information is hard to find. For something like that, wouldn’t it be better to have as many people as possible working together to get the information you want more quickly?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“So I’ll look into it too.”

Rachel stared at him for a moment, impressed by his proactive attitude. Certainly, as Tervan said, the more people who could gather information, the better.

“Alright. Will you help me then?”

“Of course. Anytime.”

Tervan answered Rachel with a faint smile.

“What exactly should I be looking for? The Tears of Licorice?”

“Yes. Any information about the Tears of Licorice would be great. If you find anything, could you let me know?”

“I’ll do that.”

“Are you leaving now?”

Rachel’s eyes widened as she watched Tervan preparing to stand up. He seemed eager to start searching for information about the Tears of Licorice right away.

“I’m free today, so I want to figure out where to start looking. I only came today because I was worried about you anyway. Now that I see you’re fine, I’m good to go.”

Rachel nodded at Tervan’s words and stood up with him. Edward did the same.

“Don’t see me out. I’ll go ahead first.”

“Okay. Take care.”

Tervan left the reception room first, leaving only Rachel and Edward behind.

“Tervan seems enthusiastic.”

“He does.”

Rachel turned to Edward with a small laugh.

Unlike his usual self, Edward was looking at Rachel with a worried expression.

“Edward?”

Rachel called his name, puzzled by his unfamiliar expression.

Edward let out a small sigh.

“Rachel, I wish you would be honest with me.”

“…About what?”

“While searching for information about magical beasts and the Tears of Licorice, I’ve learned a few things.”

Rachel realized what Edward was about to say. It was a natural progression, just like with Ryan.

To confirm her suspicion, Edward asked the question.

“That necklace you’re wearing, is it possibly the necklace sealing Creon, the Time Demon?”