💫
The jousting tournament was one of the most anticipated events in Britain, held once a year.
The spectator seats surrounding the long, narrow rectangular arena were packed even before the competition began, with crowds jostling to secure their spots.
People often remarked that the arena resembled a list of participants, so they called it the ‘List.’
The highest tier was reserved for the nobility, while the lowest tier was open to anyone from the Kingdom of Britain to stand and watch.
Occasionally, spooked horses would veer toward the spectators, so the temple had sent priests to prepare for emergencies.
In one corner, merchants bustled about selling beer and snacks, while some spectators placed bets on who would win.
The palace was noticeably busier than usual, with servants hurrying through the corridors to prepare for the tournament.
The excited chatter of maids, brimming with anticipation ahead of the matches, could be heard.
“I heard Sir Lancelot isn’t participating this time. I’ve been waiting for this day just to see him…”
“That’s why so many people are aiming for the championship this time, right?”
“That just feels so underwhelming. It’s like taking advantage of an empty house.”
“Don’t say that. Lately, the Princess’s maids have been scolding anyone who even mentions such things as they pass by.”
Morgana and Sobella, maids from the Princess’s palace who were passing by, exchanged glances.
As soon as they entered the palace entrance, Sobella spoke up as if she had been waiting to say something.
“I almost said something back there.”
It seemed that the time spent in confinement had left her feeling rather sensitive.
Sobella took a deep breath in and out as if trying to calm herself.
Despite her words, she seemed visibly excited by the unusually lively atmosphere of the palace, different from before.
“Do you think the Princess will receive the most flowers again this time?”
“Probably, right?”
Morgana, who was carrying a parasol to take to the jousting tournament, suddenly stopped in her tracks upon seeing a painting hung on the wall.
“What’s wrong?”
Sobella, who had been walking ahead without a care, turned around and called out to her, but Morgana couldn’t answer right away.
“The painting…”
The painting was back. The forged work by the painter Alex, which she thought had been taken down, had boldly reappeared in the Princess’s palace just before the tournament.
Several large paintings had been hung, yet no one had seen them being put up.
Morgana handed the parasol to Sobella and said, “Sobella, sorry! Can you go ahead without me? Something urgent just came up!”
“Do you need help? I can stay if you’re short on hands.”
“No, it’s just something I need to check!”
“Let me know if you need anything. I can handle anything except treason!”
Which, ironically, might have been somewhat close to what this was about.
Instead of answering, Morgana smiled and nodded.
All three paintings in the Princess’s palace had been rehung in the exact same spots.
Morgana slipped out through the back door and headed straight for the Prince’s palace.
With the tournament just around the corner, people were coming and going from other palaces, so no one paid much attention to Morgana as she entered.
The Prince’s palace, which she had only ever seen from a distance, had a distinctly different atmosphere from the others.
‘It’s so… bare here.’
It was neat and devoid of any excess. It became clear why the maids often said that working in the prince’s palace was easy.
‘The prince is usually at the academy, so there’s not much to do here. This place really is a cushy job.’
Even in such a sparse place, the grand painting forgery was boldly hung.
However, Morgana wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right painting. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
“Is this… the right one?”
The painting hanging there had a metaphysical quality to it.
At least, it didn’t seem to be an optical illusion. There was no sensation of the painting spinning or any strange phenomena.
The paintings in the Princess’s palace at least had recognizable subjects.
People, actions, objects—everything was clear. While the previous paintings had meaningful props, backgrounds, and actions, the one before her now was just plain bizarre.
“What is this? Did someone stretch the canvas too much? Or did the materials melt?”
The form itself was indiscernible.
Wondering if it was meant to represent something abstract, she stared at it, tilted her head, and even turned around to look, but it was just… strange.
“Is this really it? How can anyone tell this is Alex’s style?”
Morgana hovered around the large painting.
Only when she pressed herself close to the wall to examine it did something remarkable happen.
Suddenly, the image became clear. It was only visible from a specific angle. The moment she shifted even slightly, it became unrecognizable again.
A little girl running around a narrow mansion chasing butterflies, and a shabby carpet.
Morgana, who had been focusing with one eye closed, noticed a familiar pattern.
‘The pattern on the carpet… Is that a summoning circle?’
Feeling a strange sensation, Morgana searched for another painting in the prince’s palace.
It depicted a boy attending a banquet that seemed to have been cut in half.
Morgana stopped a passing maid and asked, “Do you happen to have a mirror I could borrow?”
“If a hand mirror is alright…”
Receiving a square hand mirror from her pocket, Morgana placed it vertically against the painting, aligning it with the half-cut goblet.
The reflected pattern of the goblet revealed the same summoning circle.
As if realizing something, Morgana finally stepped back to look up at the painting.
It was a style she had never seen before in the paintings hung in the Princess’s palace.
She tilted her head, resting her hand on her hip, and muttered, “So, this is how it was hidden.”
💫
“Did the Mage Tower send a mage?”
Kellive asked, rolling a red magic stone in his hand lightly.
Raves lowered his head and replied with a faint, almost tearful expression.
“You put me through hellish negotiations, and now you ask so casually.”
“Anyway, the details would have been exchanged through letters, right?”
“I did send letters. The problem is that they sent them back using some strange magic.”
It was a common occurrence for letters to suddenly fall out of thin air or for newsletters to keep appearing no matter how many you opened, especially when it came to replies from the Mage Tower.
Every time that happened, Raves would get nosebleeds, and from his perspective, it was no different from being cursed by those who wished him dead.
Despite such hardships and suffering, he managed to complete the negotiations successfully.
“They said they’re sending one mage as a gift for the new king’s coronation.”
“I made sure to exclude the person you mentioned before.”
The mage from Britain on Raon’s list was specifically excluded.
At the time, he had said they were acquaintances, but in truth, they were complete strangers who had never met.
However, since he had confirmed this person was also on the list of Avalon mages, he was certain they held dual citizenship.
Raves let out a frustrated sigh.
“Britain already has a scarce number of mages, and now you’re filtering them even further. What’s left?”
“Mages will remain.”
At Kellive’s relaxed reply, Raves smiled with resignation.
“Yes… Anyway, someone from the Mage Tower volunteered to go, someone capable of breaking summoning circles.”
To break a summoning circle, one needed to possess far greater magical power than the caster.
Kellive was an exception. There was no magic circle that couldn’t be broken by the cursed sword, Tyrfing.
But he was the King of Avalon.
“Britain really has no redeeming qualities, does it?”
Ironically, he couldn’t even set foot in any event hosted by the British royal family.
💫
“Is it you?”
“Not me!”
On the way back to retrieve the parasol and return to Guinevere, a man in a robe suddenly blocked the path, standing askew.
I wasn’t sure what the question was getting at, but I had learned to always deny when encountering someone I didn’t know.
The casual tone made me think he might be a noble’s son here to watch the jousting tournament.
Morgana pointed towards the distant arena with the tip of the folded parasol and guided him.
“The tournament grounds are over there. Can you see?”
“Oh, I see! Thank you!”
The man, shielding his eyes with one hand, nodded obediently and smiled brightly.
“So, if I remove the summoning circle over there, will it be done?”
A few of his canines stood out, making him seem almost shark-like.
It gave him a more mischievous impression.
Morgana blinked for a moment, processing his words, then realized belatedly and opened her mouth.
“Ah, you must be the mage sent by the Duke! I’m Morgana!”
“The Duke…?”
At a glance, his hair, which seemed silver but had a subtle purple hue, swayed as he tilted his head.
His hair was slightly long, with no bangs, and his eyes were red.
Somehow, watching his free-spirited behavior made me feel the hardships of Raon deep in my bones.
He seemed innocent, but not someone to be taken lightly.
“I’m Aide. Who’s the Duke?”
“Uh… the person who sent you here, oh Mage!”
“I came here through a portal from the Magic Tower.”
‘I see…’
When Morgana smiled at him, a question appeared in his eyes.
Aide tilted his head again and continued in an innocent tone.
“Shall I remove the summoning circle?”
“Sure, let’s get straight to the point then!”
Short on time, Morgana rummaged through her pocket and handed him a well-worn map that she had memorized by now.
“Here are the locations of the summoning circles. You can ignore the Princess’s palace.”
“Can I go now?”
He tried to move before even finishing the explanation.
‘Why is he so obsessed with removing it…?’
He’s here to help anyway.
Morgana smiled as warmly as she could and explained kindly.
“We have a specific timing and moment for this, you see!”
“Wasn’t it just something you do? That’s what I heard.”
He pouted his lips, seemingly disappointed.
I’m not sure how Kellive explained it, but I smoothly redirected the conversation.
“Yes, before we proceed with the removal as you wish, do you happen to know how to get rid of the summoning circle drawn in the painting?”
He smiled brightly, his eyes nearly closing.
“Just break it!”
“Ah… so it just breaks if you break it?”
“That’s what I do.”
Aide’s straightforward tone was pure, without any hint of boasting or falsehood.
Comments (0)