“I’m just wondering if he’s hurt. And knowing Ian’s personality, he’s probably blaming himself, thinking I got trapped because of him.”
“You’re right about one thing — that young duke’s talent for digging himself into holes is truly exceptional. He should quit being a knight captain and become a mole instead.”
“…Moles aren’t an occupation, though.”
Jeryl muttered dryly, but her words trailed off when she spotted a familiar brown-haired knight standing beside the corpse of the monster in the distance.
His face had grown noticeably pale in just a few hours. Worried, she kept watching him, until his bright green eyes briefly met hers.
‘Oh…’
But maybe it was her imagination, because he quickly looked away.
‘Guess he’s busy cleaning up after the monster.’
Now that she thought about it, she still had to investigate the strange blue marks that had appeared on the creature.
‘I should ask if I can take some samples before I go.’
Just then, a bright flame erupted where Ian was standing. He had poured oil over the monster’s carcass and set it on fire.
The creature was so massive that the crackling sound of burning flesh reached Jeryl’s position.
She couldn’t see clearly from afar, but she could’ve sworn something shimmered above Ian’s head.
How far could she turn things back?
Sitting on the sofa at the Marquis’s estate, Jeryl turned her hand this way and that.
‘That power that restored the collapsed cave…’
Lately, she’d been studying the Azure Magic in earnest.
‘Its range of application suddenly feels limitless.’
She could already revert small things — wounds, contamination, even damaged structures.
‘If I could push it further… maybe time? Or even life itself?’
She gave a short, humorless laugh.
‘If I tried that, I’d probably die before I succeeded.’
As she sat lost in thought, someone quietly approached from behind.
‘What’s something larger than a building but smaller than time itself?’
The incident with the blue marks suddenly came to mind — the mental confusion it caused. What if it hadn’t purified people’s minds, but instead restored them to their original state?
The idea seemed to click. Only one thing still bothered her.
“The madness of an Azure Mage…”
“Hello, Jeryl.”
“Ahhh!”
Jeryl leapt up with a shriek and spun around. As usual, Chelsea’s expression was blank.
“You again—”
“This time, I came in through the front door.”
“…Really?”
So it was her fault for being too distracted to notice. Jeryl accepted it quickly enough.
Chelsea — with her jet-black straight hair and scarlet eyes — sat down beside Jeryl. Her tailored suit, emblazoned with the crest of House Reveline, suited her perfectly.
‘If you think about it, she’s got that Northern Duke vibe too…’
Her overworked brain spat out random observations.
‘Though Carl’s from the central duchy, so…’
Snapping herself back to reality, Jeryl finally asked why Chelsea was here.
“So, why did you come?”
“Have you identified the Azure Mage’s madness yet?”
Ha! These dukes always act like my thoughts are their business.
Jeryl narrowed her eyes at the absurd question — but before she could reply, Leon, who had just returned from the knight order, chimed in.
“Huh? You having a relapse or something?”
Jeryl waved a hand.
“No, it’s just… It’s weird. I’m over twenty and still haven’t shown any signs.”
“Has anyone ever whispered to you out of nowhere? Or spoken directly into your head?”
Chelsea cut in before Leon could continue.
“Nope. Never.”
If the madness of a Crimson Mage grew with their power, it should’ve been the same for Azure Mages. With Jeryl’s recent surge in strength, there should’ve been some sign by now.
“What kind of madness would an Azure Mage even have?”
“Maybe… losing your temper?”
“Ugh, shut up.”
“Hey! It’s true! You totally snap sometimes!”
Jeryl hurled a tissue at Leon and shook her head.
“Well… I’m sure it’ll show up eventually.”
“And who’s supposed to calm you down when it does?”
“…Good question.”
She hadn’t thought about that. She mumbled, then quickly changed the topic.
“Anyway, Chelsea — what brings you here?”
“I’m here as an Imperial Investigator for the Chalmstern Cave Collapse Incident.”
“You’re investigating me?”
“No. I’m here to report what I’ve found.”
She shifted her posture, crossing her legs neatly before speaking again.
“To summarize — it seems the Saintess, with aid from the Holy Empire, tried to addict the monster to madness pollen.”
That matched Jeryl’s own theory. But still, something about it didn’t sit right.
“For one of the Saintess’s schemes, it feels… sloppy, doesn’t it? The monster went berserk, yes, but didn’t lose complete control. And if she really meant to cause a massacre, why release it in Chalmstern Park on the outskirts, instead of in the capital center? Like the ballroom incident.”
Leon, who’d been silent, spoke up.
“What if the monster she meant to drug wasn’t that one?”
“What?”
“Luxos travel in mated pairs. You fought the female.”
“So she targeted the male, but accidentally caught the female instead?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Chelsea seemed to recall something.
“When we inspected the cave walls, they were covered in claw marks.”
“Claw marks?”
“Signs of a desperate struggle — as if something was dragged away.”
A monster that always moved as a pair.
Marks of resistance.
A female that hadn’t completely lost its mind.
“So only the female escaped midway?”
“Meaning the Saintess didn’t expect that.”
It all fit together.
But that led to another question, the one they all thought of at once.
“Then… where’s the male now?”
“Shall I investigate?”
“Yeah. And also check the records of people recently crossing from the Holy Empire.”
“Yes. I’ll send a report once I find anything.”
Having said her piece, Chelsea slumped lazily against the couch. Her posture made it clear she’d switched out of work mode.
“Alright, you handle the monster part. I’ll dig into the madness pollen.”
“How, when we have no samples left? The only one we had, I… erm…”
Her crimson eyes darted guiltily — like a cat caught doing something bad.
“You burned it, huh… It’s fine. I start work at the palace tomorrow. I’ll find something.”
“Oh? So you finally got yourself a job in the Knight Order?”
Chelsea’s mildly disapproving tone made Leon sit up straight in surprise.
“What? Which order?”
“You haven’t told him? You two are going to be coworkers.”
“Coworkers? Don’t tell me—you’re joining the First Knight Order?”
“See? This is why I didn’t tell you.”
Leon groaned loudly, running his hands through his wavy hair until it stood on end.
“Ugh! I already see you at home — now I have to see you at work too?”
“Then you can move out. Congratulations on your independence.”
“Yeah right, why don’t you move out!”
Thus began another one of the Rubian siblings’ childish arguments.
“You move.”
“No, you move.”
“Did you just say you to your older sister?”
“Oh please, we’re only a year apart!”
Chelsea unfolded a newspaper that had been lying on the table. After seven years of watching their bickering, she knew they’d go at it for at least an hour.
“If you’re so upset, you should’ve been born earlier.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? What if I had been born earlier — would you call me ‘oppa’ then?”
“Ew.”
Jeryl rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose. Leon grimaced at her pale expression.
“...Am I really that disgusting?”
“You can never be older than me. But I’m already older than you.”
“Good for you, grandma.”
Jeryl’s lashes twitched violently. She snatched the newspaper from Chelsea, rolled it up, and—whack!—smacked it across Leon’s head.
“Ow! Don’t hit me with paper!”
“Oh, come on. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“It’s the principle of it! It feels gross!”
“Whatever! From now on, you call me noona, got it, you pink demon?”
“Get lost, you blue monster.”
Chelsea sighed as she watched the two of them growl at each other.
Unrolling the newspaper, she wedged it between them — and finally, the room went quiet.
“Chelsea, we’re not animals, you know.”
“You’re being unfair, Lady Jeryl.”
Their grumbling voices echoed from either side of the paper, but at least peace had been restored.
Jeryl poked her head over the gray newspaper. Her sea-blue eyes glimmered with irritation.
“Now that we’re civilized again, let’s get back to the Knight Order. You curious about something?”
“Yes. Didn’t Duke Lefert vow to block your entry into the Order no matter what? How did you manage to get past that cold-blooded man?”
“Oh, that…”
She recalled the exhausting series of events — too awkward to explain in detail.
“We… reached a peaceful agreement.”
But the very next day, she realized there had been no such agreement at all.
