Chapter 32
In the late-summer breeze that blew in, autumn—close on the heels of summer—left a single trace behind, settling by the handful on the leaves. Lionel swept back the bangs that fell over his eyes.
The sky was a clear, vivid blue. It felt so unreal compared to the crimson sky from just moments ago that it was almost deflating. Was it even reasonable to feel deflated at a time like this, when waves of joy were rippling among those who had narrowly escaped catastrophe? And yet, there was nothing else that could replace this feeling in his heart.
Only a few hours ago, he had been desperately calculating how long he could endure in hell. And yet the Empress, after lifting her gaze to the black calamity, spoke in a light voice that carried not a trace of gravity.
“A fourth-tier close to fifth-tier—no need to wait, then.”
Every word she had spoken rose vividly in his mind, as if carved into it.
He hurriedly caught hold of her when her slender body seemed about to lift away. The shoulder he felt beneath his palm was astonishingly thin and fragile, yet what pushed away his rough, calloused hand was a powerful surge of mana.
Lionel looked down at his palm. The intense sensation of mana still lingered there, leaving a tingling ache.
In Ehmont, mages were unknown beings—entities beyond the reach even of him, the Minister of National Defense. They hoarded information without revealing it to the outside world and moved in secrecy. In truth, this was the first time he had ever properly felt mana.
Over and over, Lionel replayed that scene. Charging forward with arms spread wide to try and catch the falling Empress had not been an action born of rational judgment.
Seen from below, the burning tower looked like a massive cylinder. The Empress descending through the collapsing tower came across as something even more overwhelming than the colossal calamity itself.
The brilliantly cascading flames—and eyes of gold that burned even more fiercely than those flames. Hair as black as night pouring down like a waterfall.
“In any case, I accept your kindness with thanks. And yesterday’s matter as well.”
That low voice, tinged with a smile, seemed to brush against his ear, making it itch. Lionel gave a small shake of his head.
“Young master!”
At the call of the butler who had come to meet him, Lionel finally broke free of his reverie. While lost in thought, he had already arrived at the entrance of the Valdr residence.
“Is my brother inside?”
“Yes. He has been waiting for you.”
Leaving the rest to the attendant, Lionel hurried toward Theseus’s office.
＊ ＊ ＊
Around that same time, Duke Despone flung open the door to the Mage Corps’ residence with hurried steps.
“Lennox!!!”
At the duke’s shout, Lennox Poitier came running out at once.
“Your Grace!”
Pulling Lennox into the commander’s office and slamming the door shut, Duke Despone spun around sharply and asked in a hushed, urgent voice,
“The Empress is a mage?”
His face revealed anxiety and unease he had failed to conceal, along with the irritation of confronting something wholly unexpected. Lennox nodded in response.
“Yes, she is.”
“And it’s true she destroyed the tower all by herself, without help from any other mage?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Duke Despone frowned and took a step back. Then, as though fiercely calculating something, he sank into a plush sofa, clasped his hands together, and fell silent.
How long had he sat there like that? Tilting his head slightly and knitting his brow, the duke let out a low “Hmm,” staring into empty space.
“The Empress is a mage?”
His languid tone rose slightly at the end, and Lennox averted his gaze, sighing inwardly.
The black calamity that descended through the red sky—a fourth-tier tower close to fifth-tier—was nothing to him. His plan had been to let a few of those arrogant knights get knocked flat before he made a dashing entrance and smashed it to pieces. Robe fluttering, he had been in excellent spirits as he headed toward the rose garden that would serve as his stage.
But before he even arrived, someone had already begun destroying the tower. When Lennox saw the flames spiraling up around it, his entire body froze as if struck by a killing frost.
They said it was the Empress.
“…The Empress?!”
It had never occurred to him that the Empress would be the one to destroy it. That the Empress—married off as if exiled from a distant land—was a mage, and a Striker at that?! Even the Emperor himself could not have foreseen that.
“Well… she was quite the remarkable talent. It seems the Dowager Empress of Gottrop neglected to mention something important.”
Duke Despone muttered darkly as he swept back his long platinum-blond hair. At the subtle tone in his voice, a chill ran down Lennox’s spine, cold sweat seeping out thickly as his whole body grew icy. He had a bad feeling about this.
＊ ＊ ＊
As soon as the duke left, Lennox ran straight to the Ivory Palace. The palace was in chaos as the servants who had evacuated were returning. The moment Lennox stepped inside, he grabbed a maid and pressed her urgently.
“Where is the lady of the palace?!”
“She is in her office.”
Before the maid had even finished speaking, Lennox strode up to the second floor where the office was located. Though he moved with the easy familiarity of the owner, no one in the Ivory Palace dared to stop him.
Bang!
Lennox flung the door open rudely without knocking. Dian, who had been seated at her desk, opened her mouth in irritation.
“Please, just—!”
“You, get out.”
Before she could finish, Lennox ordered Lorraine, who was standing by. Lorraine blinked and looked at Dian, and Dian sighed and nodded. Once Lorraine had left the office, Lennox stepped right up to Dian and fixed his gaze on her abdomen.
“You still haven’t gotten pregnant, have you?”
At those words, Dian reacted as if seized by a fit.
“For heaven’s sake, stop saying that! Do you think getting pregnant is something that happens just because I want it to?!!”
“So what are you going to do now?!”
“What am I supposed to do!!!”
“The Empress is a mage.”
“…!”
As Dian stood there with eyes wide in shock, Lennox closed in on her, growling, as though blaming all of this on his sister.
“The Empress is a damn Striker.”
“…The Empress is a Striker?”
“Yes.”
At that, her pale sky-blue eyes trembled. Lennox’s heavy unease seemed to transfer to her in an instant. Dian shook her head roughly, then turned to look out the window, forcing herself to calm her breathing.
“Then… the one who destroyed the tower…”
“It was the Empress.”
The answer came before she could even finish speaking, and Dian squeezed her eyes shut. It was unexpected, awkward, and irritating. A perfectly intact doll would have been enough. She had needed nothing more than a scarecrow who would breathe and keep her seat warm. A damn mage, of all things!! Her mind was in turmoil.
“Duke Despone said she’s an incredible talent! What if he decides I’m no longer useful?”
At her brother’s anxious words as he stamped his feet, Dian scoffed.
“If you were useless, he wouldn’t have brought us here in the first place.”
“Don’t say things like that—look at me.”
The siblings stared at each other, wrapped in uneasy silence.
Meeting her brother’s eyes, Dian forced her heart to cool. At times like this, she needed to keep a clear head. She tensed her abdomen firmly.
“The Empress is a mage?”
“Yes.”
“So?”
“What?”
“So?”
“…Are you crazy?”
“You’re frantic. Stop whining already. Whining doesn’t make anything appear out of thin air. Just stop it.”
Shaking her head as if exhausted, Dian walked past Lennox toward the sofa. Sitting down while Lennox stared at her blankly, she said,
“Aren’t you a mage too, brother? And the strongest Striker in all of Ehmont.”
“That’s true.”
“Then get a grip. Keep your eyes open and just do your job protecting the Mage Corps. I’ll take care of His Majesty. Nothing has changed. It’s not as though Ehmont never had mages before. Everyone will be shocked, sure—but that’s all. Don’t let yourself be shaken. Understood?”
“……”
Dian’s expression had settled into calm. At her words, spoken with such certainty, Lennox’s anxiety gradually began to subside.
“Right, that’s true, isn’t it? Even if you haven’t gotten pregnant, His Majesty is still gathered beneath your skirts, isn’t he?”
“For the love of—stop saying that!!! If you’re not the one getting pregnant, then shut your mouth!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful. I really will.”
Dian stared fixedly at her brother as he continued to press her, then slowly nodded.
