Swoosh—
The room was covered in pitch-black darkness.
Unlike the inner chamber, which had been strangely spotless, the bedroom was a complete mess. Torn curtains. Shattered vases. Broken jewelry, along with furniture and carpets that had been ripped and torn apart.
At the center stood a bed that was still mostly intact. As Sein stepped inside, he slowly began to laugh.
“Oh, Aisha.”
She was the first person with whom he had ever felt a sense of kinship.
Her twisted personality. The mask that hid her true self. The strange bond they shared, instinctively sensing that something was odd about each other without even having to say a word.
However, unlike him, whose soul had already turned black, Aisha had a soul that was completely pure, without a single blemish.
That was why he had even wanted to try eliminating the emperor, the person she desired.
He had wanted to see her soul turn black, but he had also wanted to see her remain pure.
“I didn’t want you to end up half-baked, though.”
A black glint appeared over his green eyes. His <Insight> ability reflected Aisha exactly as she was: someone whose soul had been clumsily blackened on one side, making her seem no different from the countless ordinary humans around them.
He clicked his tongue briefly.
At last, Aisha lifted her head from beneath the blanket and bit her lip hard.
“That’s what you have to say after showing up so late?”
“Hmm, well, it can’t be helped. Your uniqueness has disappeared. Or should I say, if I turn you completely black even now, perhaps—”
“Shut your mouth, Sein!”
Bang!
A burst of magic struck the air. Sein, who had naturally formed a defensive barrier, twisted his lips.
Her face was a mess, stained with tears.
And yet, she had once been someone precious to him.
Although he felt a little less moved by her now, he still wasn’t particularly pleased to see her like this. Besides, her soul might turn completely black and become similar to his.
Sein approached the bed and sat down as if he were doing her a favor. Ominous magic still swirled around Aisha.
But so what? He was an Archmage, too. In fact, unlike Aisha, he was a real Archmage who could freely control his magic.
Sein asked gently,
“Sorry. I was surprised to see you crying. So, who upset you? The emperor? Or someone else?”
“And what? You think you can fix it if I tell you?”
“To some extent? I am an Archmage, after all. Archmages have their own ways of doing things. Though you can’t even imagine them yet.”
“…….”
He had spoken in his usual irritating way, but Aisha Labelyn didn’t immediately tell him to get out, as she normally would have.
Huh?
She bit her lip slightly before uttering a name.
“Rachel Ingrave. The woman who stole His Majesty the Emperor’s attention from me.”
“Hmmm.”
“Because of that woman, His Majesty even refuses to see me! What am I supposed to do now?!”
Bang!
As another burst of pink magic erupted, Sein swept it aside with his hand and brushed his fingers over the corner of his mouth.
It was surprising enough that Aisha was asking him for help, but the name she had mentioned was unexpected, too.
Rachel Ingrave.
He had heard that name before. The person who bothered him the most was Nathan Valencia, but Rachel Ingrave had also interfered with his attempt to assassinate the emperor of Olsher.
By then, Sisi, Aisha’s personal maid, had entered the bedroom and handed him a document containing details of the current situation and a background investigation into Rachel Ingrave.
Sein looked through its contents. Now that Aisha had been ruined in a different way, he no longer cared what happened to the emperor of Olsher.
But those two had certainly interfered with his plans, so he intended to make them pay someday.
He hadn’t expected to end up doing it at Aisha’s request like this, though.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Sein glanced down at Aisha and smiled kindly.
“Of course. Anyway, since they upset my dear student, I’ll give them a little punishment myself. How does that sound?”
“……How are you going to punish her?”
The woman who might have been his kindred spirit looked up at him with both hope and distrust. Seeing her like this, he felt his interest fading a little more, since she was behaving no differently from the other toys he had played with until now.
“…….”
If her pure soul had begun turning black, then perhaps she could become as dark as his.
Sein snapped his fingers. A letter appeared alongside a green magic circle.
“This arrived at the Magic Tower recently. I heard the emperor became interested in Rachel Ingrave because of her information-related ability. If something happens to her, or if she disappears, won’t the emperor naturally lose interest in her?”
“……!”
“And then he might return to you.”
Those final words hit the mark. After reading the letter Rachel Ingrave had sent to the Magic Tower, requesting a barrier for her new residence, Aisha’s orange eyes regained their life and began to shine brightly once more.
The very edge of Aisha’s soul turned a little blacker.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll go there tomorrow. Ah, but I’ve been sleeping outdoors too much lately, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to cast the magic you want properly. I’m exhausted.”
“That won’t do. I’ll prepare a room for you, so get plenty of rest today. Eat well and sleep well, then go to the Easton residence tomorrow and put up the barrier properly. Understand?”
“Sure.”
As he deactivated <Insight>, Sein smiled as well. Would Aisha Labelyn really be able to turn completely black, just like him?
In any case, it was something worth watching. She was no longer as interesting as she had been before, but he wasn’t ready to lose interest in her entirely just yet.
The next day, Sein set out for the Easton residence late in the morning. It was the estate where Rachel Ingrave, acting marchioness and Baroness Easton, was staying.
***
About two weeks had passed since Rachel left the palace. During that time, she had settled into the Easton residence and spent her days renovating the estate, inspecting her territory, putting the Ingrave family in order, and reshaping the power structure around Illya.
She also had court meetings to attend as acting marchioness. Of course, she sent an aide to accompany Illya each time. She had also tried to keep her distance from social events, so it had been a very peaceful period, at least emotionally.
There was only one problem.
“My lady.”
When Rachel looked up, Becky was standing there with a letter.
A golden crown surrounded by a pair of wings was stamped into the red wax.
The imperial crest. She no longer needed to check the sender to know who it was.
Terrius Rogdan di Olsher
“…….”
She opened the letter and found the same sort of casual, insignificant sentences as always.
He asked how she was doing.
He hinted that he hoped she would visit from time to time.
And he let a little disappointment show.
P.S. How about attending a court meeting at least once? It would be a good experience for you.
Rachel quietly wrote a reply. She asked after his well-being as well, and her response was just a little gentler than before.
I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I still have matters within the family to settle. Besides, I think it would be better for Illya, who will soon become the actual marquis, to gain experience at court meetings early on rather than me.
The emperor had been so patient with her.
She couldn’t know what might happen if she kept refusing him outright, so she had little choice. Besides, it bothered her that the emperor was still refusing Aisha Labelyn’s requests for an audience.
“……I wonder if everything is all right.”
At this rate, she might really have to reject the emperor’s advances, just as she had once thought.
She had a vague feeling that things would be fine.
‘But I’m still not sure.’
Rachel was carefully sealing the letter and stamping it with her seal when—
Knock, knock.
A small knock sounded, and Anne, the maid who entered, announced,
“My lady, a guest has arrived. He says he is an Archmage from the Magic Tower, here regarding your request for a barrier.”
“An Archmage?”
“Yes. The butler has taken him to the reception room.”
An Archmage.
There were only three beings known as Archmages in the entire Magic Tower. And among them—
“What is the Archmage’s name?”
“He says his name is Sein Marcus.”
“…….”
Rachel had risen from her seat without realizing it. She swallowed nervously. Recently, as she had begun organizing her <Records>, the people who still made her most uncomfortable emotionally were the emperor, Nathan Valencia, Aisha Labelyn, and other high-ranking nobles.
But if she had to choose the one person she absolutely must not get involved with, objectively speaking, there was only one.
Sein Marcus.
A certain entry in her <Records> related to him came to mind without difficulty.
Her teacher asked in a trembling voice,
“Was it you who reduced the House of Marcus to ashes?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Sein Marcus smiled. Then he approached his teacher, whose face had gone pale, and raised his hand.
“How unfortunate, Master. If you had been just a little less perceptive, you wouldn’t have died.”
……He was a madman.
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