Chapter 6: Winter Forest Exploration (1)

“Let’s do it this way. I’ll make you an artifact that can detect a specific person within a range. If my calculations are correct, it should be able to cover about half of the capital with one high-grade mana stone.”

“I’d be grateful if you could! Actually, our mage is working on something similar, but they say it takes quite a long time. The mana stone efficiency isn’t that great either.”

Is he subtly asking me to make it quickly?

Chloe, who was suspicious for no reason, shrugged when she found no pressure on Kaishan’s bright face.

“If I refer to the related thesis, I can complete it within a week. Do you have any of the second Prince’s hair left in the capital?”

“We’ve already found it since the mage said it was needed. We didn’t use it all, so I’ll send it to you right away.”

“The sooner you send it, the better. I’m planning to explore the Winter Forest soon, and once I’m in, I can’t guarantee when I’ll return.”

“Ah, so you’re accompanying the Grand Duke this time. I wish you good fortune.”

Only then did Kaishan understand why the Grand Duke mentioned that a ‘mage of Senior-level’ rather than an ‘Senior mage’ would support the expedition team.

‘I wondered how he managed to persuade a Senior Mage.’

He chuckled inwardly and exited the underground with Chloe, engaging in light conversation. Seeing her agree to a request without conditions, when she usually rejected everything, made him feel that today’s expenditure was worth it.

“You know you’re supposed to make a formal request, right?”

“Haha, of course. I won’t forget this favor.”

As if he plans to settle it with what he gave today.

Chloe shook her head but said nothing more. After all, it was still a beneficial deal for her, so she intended to throw in a useful artifact and wash her hands of it.

“Thanks to you, I’ll be busy, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you for your time, Chloe. I hope to see you again.”

Nodding in acknowledgment to the smiling Crown Prince, the mage left the capital. With her already tight schedule, she couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

ⓡ*ⓘ*ⓝ*ⓖ

On the same day, Chloe received the second Prince’s hair from the Crown Prince and spent a full week completing the artifact. Rubbing her tired eyes, she realized her condition was a mess from cutting down on sleep to work quickly.

‘I need to rest…’

Passing by the empty jar of Mshuri essence, she returned to her private room and responded to the beeping communication device.

“Is it the Grand Duke?”

• Yes, Miss Chloe. I’d like to send a letter to your private room.

“Please send it.”

Activating the magic circle with a wave of her hand, Chloe pulled the letter towards her as it appeared. Sitting down on the sofa, she read the contents, seeing the Grand Duke’s consistent greeting.

[Chloe,

It’s now fully summer. The southern regions must be envious of the cool northern weather.

The recruitment and brief training of the expedition team are complete. We plan to gather at the Grand Duchy’s warp gate at noon on the 8th and depart together. I’ve prepared the necessary items for the Winter Forest exploration, so there’s no need to bring anything separately.

If you can move 50 people at once, may I ask you to operate the warp gate? Of course, I’ll pay the appropriate mana stones, but if you think it will affect the expedition, please don’t hesitate to refuse.

Counting the days to be with you.

Tehis Escalante]

“Hmm.”

Chloe waved the letter and fell into thought. Considering his concern about the impact on the expedition, there was only one intention she could think of for asking her to operate the warp.

‘He wants to clearly show that a high-level mage is accompanying them.’

It’s bothersome to attract attention, but it can’t be helped. Receiving mana stones would be beneficial too.

Chloe gestured for a writing tool and wrote a short reply.

[Tess,

I’ll take it as an advance payment.]

With one letter sent in response, and an artifact sent to the Crown Prince with only the recipient marked, the tired mage entered her bedroom, planning to rest thoroughly for the next two days.

The day to depart for the Winter Forest soon arrived.

* * *

Arriving at the Grand Duchy on time, Chloe blinked at the sight that greeted her as the warp gate’s light faded. Several dozen elite rangers and knights were lined up, waiting for her.

“Am I late?”

“No, Chloe. You arrived right on time.”

Approaching her and answering, Tehis was dressed in armor, unlike usual. The man, who felt cooler than when in uniform, politely extended a hand.

When she instinctively placed her hand on his, his action of bowing and kissing her fingers was completely unexpected for Chloe.

‘Huh.’

Is this man doing something he usually doesn’t?

Seeing the woman’s face with a raised eyebrow and upturned mouth, Tehis offered an explanation.

“I’ve missed seeing you for so long…”

The man’s neck visibly tensed as he awkwardly spoke. Chloe chuckled at his inability to finish the sentence, as if he had memorized it.

‘Is this the aide’s idea?’

It didn’t seem like the Grand Duke would plan something like this himself. If he was going to do it, he should have done it properly; what’s with the awkwardness?

She didn’t hold back her laughter, her eyes curving as she hugged his neck.

“Darling, why don’t you kiss me on the lips?”

The sound of people around them sharply inhaling and the man’s body tensing up amused her greatly.

‘It’s obvious even without looking.’

Since she had promised to perform as much as she received the advance payment, she thought it would help boost morale if they showed his relationship with the mage clearly. Or it could be a declaration to the Imperial Family, who might be watching, not to covet her.

Either way, it didn’t matter to her, so Chloe teased Tehis with a smiling face.

“My darling is so shy. You don’t like it in public places?”

“That’s not… but considering the upcoming task—?!”

Smooch.

Pulling the Grand Duke’s cheek and kissing next to his lips, Chloe noticed his widened eyes. Watching the deep blue sea roil briefly, she let go, and he lowered his head, covering his mouth.

She had intentionally covered the contact area with her hand to make it look like a real kiss.

She hadn’t expected Tehis himself to react like that.

‘Did my lips brush against his?’

The indifferent mage blankly stared at him, while the Grand Duke felt frustrated inside. Something like heat was rising, and he didn’t even know why.

The soft lips openly branding him in front of others felt so ticklish.

He knew it was for show, but when they engaged in unnecessary displays of affection, he truly felt loved.

“Chloe…”

“Yes, Tess. Was I too much?”

The Grand Duke felt warmth in the actions of the mage, who was so self-centered, unpredictable, and capricious, as she checked on him.

He knew it wasn’t a word that suited her. And she wasn’t really his ideal type either.

But realizing that the tender gaze and orange eyes were similar to what was once described…

“No. It’s just…”

Tehis swallowed dryly. The heat rising inside made it difficult to choose his words.

His eyes, wandering with a slightly reddened face, hesitated for a long time before meeting Chloe’s.

“…It’s warm. It seems summer has indeed arrived.”

The mage laughed at the Grand Duke’s words.

The summer had come to the North, where she had arrived.

* * *

‘He’s cute, really.’

Chloe chuckled and teased Tehis a bit more before stopping at the indescribable expressions of the people around them.

Even so, she had to maintain the Grand Duke’s dignity. Realizing this belatedly, she asked casually.

“When should we depart?”

“We can go right now. They’ll be waiting on the other side.”

As they transitioned into official matters, Tehis answered in a calm voice. Since they had said they would go at noon, any further delay here could cause unnecessary concern.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, Chloe. Everyone here is accounted for.”

“Alright, then…”

Chloe took a deep breath and stepped back to look at the warp gate.

The structure of the warp gates set up in major cities wasn’t like the personal space transfer she had done last time. The default setting was to instantly transport everything on the magic circle to the designated coordinates.

For ordinary people, they use it by turning the handle connected to the gate to specify the city name and then attaching a mana stone. In contrast, mages can directly inject mana and temporarily reconstruct it by overlaying certain parts with new mana paths.

Warp gates, designed to allow dynamic adjustment of coordinates and range, are truly the essence of magic circle studies.

And Chloe was knowledgeable enough in this field to be in charge of regular inspections of the Grand Duchy’s lands.

‘The first priority is control magic, though.’

Focusing her mind, she began to resonate with the surrounding mana, spreading her control range widely. Having received a generous advance, she planned to show an unnecessarily flashy performance.

Mana, invisible to the n*ked eye, revealed its presence by emitting a mysterious light like an aurora. As Chloe lowered her hand, the gathered mana surged into the magic circle.

“…!”

“Wow…”

As soon as it hit the ground, the spread of light extended under the feet of the expedition team, instantly extending the magic circle. Most of the people, seeing the mage’s mana manipulation for the first time, let out exclamations here and there.

They were merely amazed by the beauty and awe, but Verdi, who was observing the scene from afar with an artifact, felt chills all over.

‘Crazy…!’

Drawing a magic circle with natural mana? Is such mana control even possible?

From the start, the range of resonance was overwhelming. Just by seeing the colorful mana undulating far away, one could tell.

‘And she’s manipulating it freely without a single chant?’

Knowing as much as he did, the pale apprentice mage wiped his sweat with trembling hands.

He had come to see how great a Senior-level participant in the Winter Forest exploration was.

‘This is absolutely untouchable. Even observing more is a loss.’

Unaware of the spy retreating with great caution, Chloe turned to Tehis.

“Close your eyes.”

The Grand Duke and a few expedition members who instinctively obeyed her words immediately understood the reason for the warning.

As soon as the remaining mana was absorbed into a specific area, a bright light engulfed them with a ‘flash—’.