As the cold liquid touched her skin, the swelling, scratches, and blisters disappeared as though they had been washed away. After carefully examining her foot and ankle, the physician explained.
“Your muscles seem to have been strained a little. For now, I have healed all the wounds and treated your ankle as well, but the affected areas may remain vulnerable for a while, so you will need to be a little careful.”
“Walking normally is fine, right?”
“Yes. Still, avoid wearing shoes for the time being. It would be best to wear soft shoes with low heels.”
After leaving Becky a few more pieces of advice, the physician withdrew. Rachel watched the closed door for a while before asking her personal maid,
“Becky, is there anywhere I can buy magic tools right now?”
Before her regression, Aisha Labelyn had already been a great mage and could freely barge into the marquis’s residence. But Rachel, an ordinary young lady, could not do the same.
If she wanted to sneak into somewhere, she would need to bring plenty of magical tools with her.
If there was somewhere she could buy them.
It seemed this was the perfect time.
There were no eyes watching the estate, Marquis Tauren was definitely away, and most importantly, war had not yet been declared.
In fact, there were probably magical tools in the family’s weapons storage as well.
But that place was under her parents’ supervision, and it would be troublesome if word of her visit reached them.
After thinking for a moment, Becky said,
“If it’s the magic district in the outer city, there should be a few shops that sell them. Most of their customers are mercenaries or merchant groups, so some of them stay open twenty-four hours…”
“Really?”
That was good news.
“Great. Have a carriage prepared for me. And I’d like you to bring a few things as well—”
Rachel asked Becky to prepare a black cloak, a veil to cover her face, soft shoes, and a plain dress without any patterns.
Quick-witted as always, Becky looked anxious.
“You’re taking me with you, right? Should I tell the escort knights to stand by as well?”
“Mm, yes.”
The security outside had probably been tightened by now, so it seemed best to continue acting like an ordinary noble young lady until she reached the Tauren estate.
“Understood, my lady.”
Without knowing what her mistress was really planning, Becky hurriedly prepared the requested items.
Rachel put on a dark navy dress without any patterns, draped a black cloak over it, and pulled the hood low over her head.
She covered her face with a veil and put on equally plain black shoes. When she raised her head, the mirror reflected an appearance in which only her sky-blue eyes were barely visible.
‘This should be enough.’
No one should be able to recognize her.
Just in case, she also took out a dagger she had tucked away deep inside a drawer.
Becky’s face turned pale.
“My lady…”
“The carriage?”
“It’s ready. The knights are ready as well.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
The estate, shrouded in night, was quiet.
Moreover, since her mother had Illya with her, there was little chance anyone would get in Rachel’s way.
As soon as they stepped outside, the escort knights were rendered speechless by her appearance.
Sir Hoffman, who was the first to regain his composure, approached her and asked,
“…Do you need any assistance?”
“Yes. I’m planning to act separately from you partway through. When that happens, could you quietly return, Sir? I want it to look as though I’m still riding in that carriage if anyone sees it.”
“……”
For a moment, he simply stared at her in stunned silence.
Then the escort captain, Sir Hoffman, barely swallowed whatever else he had been about to say and bowed his head.
“Understood.”
“Thank you.”
With that, there should be no trouble involving the people around her.
If she were simply the daughter of a marquis, that would be one thing, but knights and maids who became entangled in suspicious affairs like this were often the ones who ended up making sacrifices in someone else’s place.
Besides, Sir Hoffman would keep his mouth shut.
Rachel briefly glanced at the coachman. Sir Hoffman immediately caught the meaning behind her gaze and quietly nodded.
Reassured, Rachel climbed into the carriage.
“The destination is the magic district in the outer city. Please stop at any magic shop that’s still open.”
“Understood.”
As the carriage set off, Rachel handed Becky a list of the magical tools she needed to purchase.
“Get ones with concealment, alarm disabling, flight, and detection magic. The best ones you can find, and get plenty of them. Understood?”
“…Understood, my lady.”
Becky, who had received an entire pouch of gold coins, nodded with a somewhat troubled expression.
The carriage, its magic lamps illuminating the dark streets, headed straight for the inner-city gates.
And the person following the carriage from a considerable distance wore a troubled expression.
He was Lu, a former executive of the Red Hawk Mercenary Group who had now become a knight of the Valencia family. Since he still had not received orders to withdraw, he was continuing to monitor Rachel.
“Where is she going?”
Even as he wondered, he summoned a messenger hawk and sent a report first.
「The target has begun moving. She is currently heading toward the outer city.」
The last time he had delayed reporting the suspicious aspects of Rachel Ingrave, he had been put through such a merciless training session on the practice grounds that even thinking about it still made his knees weak.
Now that he had sent his report, Lu concealed his presence and began secretly following the carriage.
Earlier, when the commander—no, his lord—had brought Rachel Ingrave home and there had been a strange atmosphere between them, he had wondered if something had changed.
Perhaps this would finally determine what his lord intended to do with that woman.
***
Meanwhile, Nathan was watching the emergency court council with a somewhat complicated expression.
The imperial crest embossed across the entire ceiling.
The white marble floor, the chandelier hanging above, the glass table, and even the sculptures.
The grand council chamber was nothing short of magnificent and beautiful.
But—
Bang!
“We must declare war immediately!”
“……”
Strangely enough, the situation inside was similar to when he used to preside over meetings with the mercenaries.
Nathan stared at Marquis Tauren, the Minister of Intelligence, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs with the veins in his neck bulging for some time now.
“What more is there to consider? The Borza Kingdom dared to enter the Imperial Palace under the guise of a diplomatic delegation and attempt to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor! They have forgotten all the favors our Empire has shown them and dared to—!”
“I agree! We should begin preparing for the campaign immediately! First, cut off the heads of the delegation and the assassins and hang them in the square. Then we should prepare for war—”
“They must have already begun preparing for war the moment they planned the assassination. So we should make sufficient preparations first, and then—”
“What are you talking about? At a time when even advancing with the resolve to wipe the Borza Kingdom off the map would not be enough!”
For the most part, nearly all the nobles, including Marquis Tauren, were demanding an immediate declaration of war.
While a few cautious nobles argued that they should first determine exactly what had happened, the Emperor, Terrius Rogdan di Olsher, turned his gaze toward Nathan.
“Duke Valencia. What is your opinion?”
“……”
The room fell silent in an instant.
Nathan Valencia’s standing was completely different from when he had first appeared in the capital.
From a lowborn Mercenary King to the true biological son of the former Duke of Valencia.
From a young master with an inadequate upbringing to a direct descendant who had manifested the powerful ability, one that rivaled the first Duke of Valencia.
And now, to the man who had saved the Emperor’s life.
Of course, Rachel Ingrave had been the first to notice that something was wrong and had found the Emperor.
But the one who had actually saved the Emperor’s life was Nathan Valencia.
Nathan looked up at the Emperor silently, then reluctantly voiced his opinion.
“I think it would be best to observe the situation for a little while.”
“Why is that, Your Grace?”
Marquis Tauren immediately asked.
“There was something strange during the process of subduing the assassins. We’ve kept them alive for now, so we could interrogate them—”
“What? Th-they’re alive?”
“They are.”
“……!”
Nathan stared at Marquis Tauren, whose eyes had widened in surprise, before turning his gaze back to the Emperor.
“And on my way back after escorting the young lady home, I discovered traces of a great mage’s intervention on the city wall. The traces themselves had been erased, but such a tremendous amount of mana was poured out to neutralize the barrier surrounding the Imperial Capital that faint remnants remained.”
“……!”
The nobles drew short, startled breaths.
A great mage.
The reason the nobles were so readily calling for war right now was because the Borza Kingdom had neither a great mage nor a swordsman who had reached the realm.
But if there was a great mage…
…then it meant Borza could counter Olsher with large-scale magic as well.
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