“I greet the Sun of the Empire. I heard you had something to ask me.”
“Welcome, Archmage of the Magic Tower. Today, I sent an imperial mage at the request of the acting Marquis Ingrave, but I received some unexpected news.”
“Oh? What might that be?”
At the Emperor’s gesture, Hailon, the deputy commander, stepped forward.
“From what I examined, there was something wrong with the central barrier. Spells that continuously consumed supernatural power were woven throughout the entire magic circle. However, when I asked the acting Marquis Ingrave, she said she had never requested such magic.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. I felt bad for carrying out the request a little late, so I secretly added another spell as a favor. Periodic consumption of supernatural power helps its circulation and training. In particular, I heard from Aisha that the acting Marquis Ingrave has powerful supernatural abilities and played a major role in a recent incident, so I prepared it as a gift. I don’t quite understand why that would be a problem.”
Sein Marcus smiled kindly. The deputy commander, who had seemed momentarily lost for words, continued speaking.
“……That is true in general, but consuming supernatural power without limits can lead to the target’s death. Surely you must have known that, Archmage.”
“Hmm, really? I made the amount of supernatural power consumed so tiny that I thought it would be fine, but I suppose that wasn’t the case. I’m sorry, Acting Marquis Ingrave. I’ll return right away and remove the spell. As an apology, if there’s somewhere you’d like me to cast magic, I’ll do that for you. It was my mistake.”
“…….”
A strange silence fell over the hall. What was with this calm reaction?
However, he had already apologized and readily admitted that it was a mistake. Besides, no direct harm had occurred yet, and although his opponent was the acting marquis, he was an Archmage of the Magic Tower.
Sein raised his head and smiled at Rachel.
“Aisha’s supernatural power is like an endless spring. It never runs dry. I’d heard rumors that the acting Marquis Ingrave had very powerful abilities, so I treated her the same way I treated Aisha. I suppose I was wrong. Will you forgive my mistake, Acting Marquis?”
“……Archmage. Are you trying to belittle the acting marquis?”
“Of course not. I’m simply explaining how I made such a mistake, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor stared at Sein Marcus in disbelief before turning to look at Rachel.
What will you do?
There was less hostility in his gaze as he asked. Perhaps even the Emperor thought it looked like a mistake.
Rachel smiled like a picture-perfect portrait.
“Since you say it was a mistake, I suppose there’s nothing I can do. However, I’ll ask someone else to remove the magic. I trust you’ll understand, Archmage.”
“……Ah.”
Sein Marcus hesitated before nodding.
“Well, after a mistake like this, I suppose that’s understandable. I do feel sorry that it seems you suspect me, but I’ll accept your decision.”
“Thank you. Also, since there was a problem with the commission, I’d like you to return the payment I gave you. Could you also destroy the confirmation document here? I’ll send a separate notice to the Magic Tower explaining why the commission was canceled.”
“……Very well.”
With a snap of his fingers, Sein Marcus took the payment Rachel had given him and the commission confirmation document out of his subspace.
He handed the money to an approaching attendant, then tore up and burned the confirmation document on the spot. Sein smiled gently.
“Is that enough?”
“Yes.”
Rachel blinked at the Emperor, who nodded in response.
“Well, even if it was a mistake, you nearly endangered the acting marquis’s life. You must be more careful from now on, Archmage. If something like this happens again, it will no longer be a mistake but an intentional act. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sein Marcus bowed politely and left the hall under the guidance of Deputy Commander Hailon. Only then did the Emperor relax his expression and let out a breath.
“This is unbelievable. Well, it’s fortunate that he claims he had no bad intentions, but be careful just in case. He doesn’t give me a good feeling. Ah, I’ll assign Deputy Commander Hailon to you, so have him remove that magic circle.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”
But Rachel knew, even if no one else did.
This was intentional.
Sein Marcus often acted on impulse, but he never made a move carelessly. If something had gone wrong, then he must have done it on purpose.
And yet, he had been smiling so kindly.
“…….”
For some reason, every time their eyes met, a chill ran down her spine.
Just then, the Emperor’s voice rang in her ears.
“By the way, you said your supernatural ability had manifested, didn’t you? You should get examined before you leave, just in case. You stayed there for even a short while, so you never know.”
“……!”
She stopped breathing for a moment.
Then Rachel naturally lowered her gaze and bowed her head.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine, Your Majesty. I was only there for a very short time. You went there with me, too, and you didn’t notice anything unusual, did you?”
“Hmm, that’s true, but—”
“If you don’t mind, may I leave now? I’m worried about my estate. I’d like to have the barrier removed as soon as possible, Your Majesty.”
After watching her for a moment, the Emperor turned his gaze forward again.
“Very well. Do as you wish. And remember what I told you.”
“……Yes, Your Majesty.”
She had ended up digging herself into a deeper hole, but this was still the better choice. It was better to earn the Emperor’s displeasure than to let him discover her <Regression> ability.
Rachel bowed once more before stepping away from the throne. Outside the hall, Hailon had returned after seeing Sein Marcus off.
“I was informed by an attendant. His Majesty told me to help remove the barrier placed on your estate, my lady.”
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
At least things had ended well. He hadn’t asked as much about her supernatural ability as she had feared.
The problem was Sein Marcus.
“…….”
What more could one say about a madman?
Rachel decided to look for mana stabilizers or defensive magic tools that might even work against an Archmage. For now, all she could do was prepare as much as possible and remain on guard.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes.”
Rachel headed to the Easton estate with Hailon. She had tried to act as though nothing was wrong, but she couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
***
Meanwhile, Nathan heard the news sometime in the afternoon.
“So, there was a magic circle secretly placed at the Easton estate that forcibly consumed supernatural power.”
“Yes. Apparently, the Archmage of the Magic Tower made a mistake. He said the amount of supernatural power consumed was extremely small, and since Lady Aisha Labelyn had no problems with it, he thought it would help train the ability.”
“…….”
At the report from Count Carlisle, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Inspections, Nathan quietly buried his face in his hands. That Archmage had already had a rather unusual history.
Of course, someone of the Archmage’s standing in the Magic Tower had politely apologized and claimed it was the first time something like this had happened and that he had done it as a favor. The Emperor might be willing to let it go this once.
“……Your Grace?”
“…….”
He had tried not to get involved.
Why was she always getting caught up in so many incidents and accidents?
Nathan took a short, deep breath and raised his head.
“It’s nothing. Did this come from the Intelligence Department?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
But just as he had done before, Nathan intended to let it pass. He had already heard that the Emperor had assigned the deputy commander of the Imperial Mage Corps to help remove the barrier.
More importantly, he had no reason to get involved.
At least, that was what he had thought.
“……Ha.”
Late that evening.
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Nathan stood in front of the Easton estate. Behind him stood his bewildered adjutant and several escort knights.
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