Chapter 166

CHAPTER 8 Those Beginning to Act Monica returned to Emanuel’s cabin with Ray, Raul, Cyril, and Glenn just as Louis and Bradford came back outside. The two of them had been destroying all of the Gem Mage’s remaining magical items. From what Monica could see past the door, the house was now a miserable wreck. And the two men—one tall and unshaven, the other carrying an ax—looked for all the world like burglars. “I guess…the Gem Mage ran away, huh?” muttered Ray. Louis nodded. “Capturing him was never the goal. Let him do as he pleases.” He glanced at Monica, who noted a hint of irritation in his gaze. Raul had made Cyril and Glenn promise not to speak a word about how she’d saved the ice spirit. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Monica, who was still undercover at Serendia, had voluntarily gotten involved with the two boys as the Silent Witch. Louis nudged his monocle up with a fingertip and flashed her a classy smile, but his eyes were cold. “I see you were concerned about my apprentice… How very kind of you.” H-h-he’s definitely angryyy! Monica shrank back, frightened. Bradford stretched. “Starseer’s waitin’ outside the forest, right? Let’s get the heck outta here. This ain’t the kind of place a person should hang around in.” He waved the party on. “C’mon, get walking.” Monica hid herself behind Bradford, then started off toward the edge of the woods. Louis frightened her, of course, but she couldn’t spend too much time around Cyril and Glenn, either, lest they recognize her. Thankfully, a smiling Raul was keeping them occupied with conversation. She listened to him enthusiastically explain the best ways to prepare seasonal vegetables as she plodded along, her eyes on the ground. Now that they’d destroyed Galanis, all her exhaustion, both physical and mental, had come crashing down on her. I can’t wait to get back to my attic room and crawl into bed… So much had happened since the end of winter break that she’d barely gotten any rest. Albert, the third prince, and Robert, her former opponent in the chess tournament, had both transferred into Serendia. Huberd, a former upperclassman from her days at Minerva’s, was there, too, and he’d just caused a bunch of trouble by challenging her friends to a duel. To make matters worse, the second prince seems to know that the Silent Witch is somewhere at the academy… During the break, a cursed dragon had hurt her left hand, and now Felix was searching for a female student at their school with the same injury. I feel like it hasn’t been healing very well, either… Monica’s hand had started to sting again, though she wasn’t sure if it was due to exhaustion or the way she’d had to use it to keep her balance while moving through the forest. At least there aren’t any classes tomorrow, so I can get some rest… Yes… Eventually, as the oranges and reds of evening drifted into the far western sky, the party made it out of the forest. Two magnificent carriages were parked at the edge where they’d entered. In front of them stood a beautiful woman wearing a fur coat over a dress—Mary Harvey, the Starseer Witch. “Fine work, everyone,” she said. “How did things turn out in the end?” Louis’s response was flat. “We retrieved what we came for. The owner fled. All the magical items in his possession have been destroyed.” He didn’t mention the ancient magical item or the Gem Mage’s name in front of Cyril and Glenn. After this announcement, he walked over to Mary. Then, for some reason, he looked back at Monica and beckoned her over. She nervously approached, and Louis lowered his voice so that only she and Mary could hear. “I have considered the possibility of using mental interference magecraft to wipe the witnesses’ memories.” Monica felt her blood run cold. Nobody had to tell her which “witnesses” he was referring to. He meant Cyril and Glenn, of course. She paled. Louis continued. “You can use it without chanting, can’t you, my fellow Sage? You could cast it without them even noticing.” Monica looked up at him, face white, and mumbled, “A spell like that can have lingering effects…” “But you would never make such a mistake, would you?” “I, um…” She curled her small hands into fists and tried her best to stammer out a reply. But before she could, Louis fixed her with a cold stare. “You can do this, can’t you?” Monica started to panic. She couldn’t tell what Louis was after. Mental interference magecraft was mostly forbidden—not something to be used so brazenly. And Glenn was Louis’s apprentice. How could he suggest such a thing? Was keeping all this secret really that important? He’s right. If I wiped their memories, it would lower the chances of my identity being revealed, but… Monica could sense from Louis’s chilly gaze that this was some kind of test. And he was testing her. Would she use mental interference magecraft on her friends from the academy for the sake of her mission? At that point, Mary gently interrupted. “Oh, you needn’t go that far.” Louis opened his mouth to retort, but Mary cut him off with a finger to her lips. She looked at the others present, then raised her voice so that everyone could hear. “Much has happened in the forest, but you mustn’t speak a word of it to anyone… Do you understand?” Her final warning was directed at Cyril and Glenn. They looked back at her stiffly, and she met them with an equally gentle smile. “Spirits kidnapped you, and we came to your rescue… That is how we will explain this to the academy. Now, come, onto the carriages.” Both boys appeared confused and unconvinced. Cyril grasped his broach. “And the flutist?” he said in a hard voice. “The one controlling the spirits…” “That matter has been resolved. I’m sorry—I can’t say anything more.” Mary’s tone and demeanor were gentle, but they held a quiet pressure that would brook no objection. As the two of them fell silent in frustration, Mary placed a hand on her chest. “From now on,” she declared sincerely, “I shall do my best to make sure this forest is properly taken care of. I swear it on the name of Mary Harvey, the Starseer Witch.” She put particular emphasis on the last bit, then offered an ephemeral smile. “I do hope you can trust me.” How many could refuse such insistence from a Sage? And not only was she the oldest of the seven, she was also the foremost prophet in Ridill. Cyril, hand still clasping his broach, bowed deeply. “Then please, ma’am…I ask that you take care of the spirits here.” Mary nodded kindly. Louis shrugged and sighed. His attitude was cynical in the extreme, but he didn’t press the issue. “Then I think it’s time we released the spirits we sealed on our way here,” he said, taking a few gems out of his pocket. These were the ones from inside the magical armored soldiers. That jogged Monica’s memory, and she took the gems out of her pocket as well. Spirits were sealed inside them. She couldn’t forget about them—she had to set them free. Louis held up the gems in his hand and chanted. Monica lifted hers and wordlessly dispelled their seals. The gems in both their hands gave off a faint glow from within. The lights then floated out and into the air. As they did, a peculiar atmosphere surrounded Monica and the others. The spirits’ hostility was palpable; it almost physically stung. “Not surprised they hate us,” said Bradford breezily. “From the spirits’ perspective, we’re no different from Gem.” “This is why I hate dealing with spirits…,” Ray groaned, scowling. The feeling of hostility seemed to grow, tingling against their skin. As if in response, Kelielinden Forest began to sway and rustle. The other spirits among the trees could feel the anger and hatred of their freed brethren. Monica prepared to put up a defensive barrier, and Louis began chanting. Ray had already gone to hide behind one of the carriages. Cyril and Glenn stood, unable to move, frightened by the change in the forest. Raul looked up at the trees as if he’d just noticed something. “Oh.” He was gazing at a wolf staring out at them from the forest. It was as big as a boar, with orange eyes. It had to be a spirit. The wolf cocked its head and let out a strange howl. It sounded somehow different from that of a normal wolf. Monica knew spiritspeak, so she knew what the howl had meant: “Be calm. Do not attack.” As the howl continued to vibrate the air, the spirits malice-filled buzz began to die down. The wolf didn’t seem like a high spirit, so Monica figured it was a powerful mid-level one. But why had it helped them? The whole thing puzzled her. Cyril grasped his broach. “Sezhdio! Ice Spirit is—” The wolf howled again. For some reason, its sunset eyes were focused on Monica. “I will not thank you,” it said. With that, the wolf disappeared back into the forest along with a group of low spirits. Cyril and Glenn likely didn’t understand spiritspeak. Nevertheless, Cyril lowered his head reverently toward the wolf. Then he turned his back to the forest and climbed into one of the carriages. Glenn opened his mouth as though he had something to say, then pursed his lips and followed suit. Once both boys had fully boarded, Mary looked at the remaining Sages. “That brings this matter to an end.” Her words sounded like a warning directed specifically at Louis. Mary, the mediator of the Sages, had called an end to this business. She would permit no further punishment of the Gem Mage, nor any use of mental interference magecraft on the student witnesses. She bowed elegantly. “I will bring those two back to Serendia Academy now. Feel free to use the other carriage as you wish.” Mary turned to look at the carriage Cyril and Glenn had boarded, her fur coat flapping behind her. “…Ah, if only they were five years younger,” she mumbled. The other Sages were all aware of Mary Harvey’s penchant for having young boys in shorts wait on her. “Ugh, Starseer…” “Oh-ho-ho. Well, then I bid you all good day.” After replying to Bradford with a laugh, she climbed into the carriage. That left Monica, Louis, Bradford, Ray, and Raul. Bradford looked at the other carriage. “I’ll be using the other carriage to head back to the capital. What about the rest of you?” “I have something to take care of… You may leave without me,” Louis said immediately. Then he looked at Monica. “Oh, yes, my fellow Sage, would you mind staying behind for a moment? There’s something I want you to check on regarding the seal on the flute. I can have Ryn take you home.” Monica knew what Louis was actually saying. Checking on the seal was a lie—he just wanted to have Ryn take her back to Serendia Academy. And after he’d just tried to make her use mental interference magecraft on her schoolmates… As she began to feel sick, Raul patted her on the shoulder, and she turned to look at him. The tall man bent low, removed a letter from his jacket, and stealthily dropped it into the pocket of Monica’s robe. “Wait until later to read it,” he said. “I figured there wouldn’t be much time to trade secrets, so I wrote a letter for you in advance.” Something he doesn’t want the other Sages to know about…? “And keep it a secret from the others.” Raul winked, then went to join Bradford and Ray in the carriage. Once inside, he leaned out the window and waved at her energetically. “Let’s all have a veggie party next time!” “Oh, um, right…” Monica awkwardly returned the wave with her right hand. Eventually, they got on their way and faded into the distance. That left only Monica and Louis. “Now then,” said Louis simply, causing Monica to grow tense and straighten up. “You will continue your mission to protect the second prince.” Behind her veil, Monica bit her lip and thought. There’s a lot I haven’t told Mister Louis about. Like how she’d slipped out one night in Corlapton to walk around with the very prince she was guarding. Or how she was investigating Duke Clockford to learn more about the truth behind her father’s death. And how she’d recruited Bartholomeus to help her. Or how Raul had found out about her top-secret mission. Should I tell him about the Witch of Thorns? I don’t know… Monica fingered the envelope Raul had just dropped into her pocket. Maybe I should go back to school first and see what the letter says before deciding. She watched as Louis took a ring out of his jacket pocket. It was fitted with an emerald—his stone of contract with Ryn. He held it aloft and chanted. “Rynzbelfeid, spirit of wind, in accordance with the contract, be swift to my side!” A powerful gust of wind blew in from above as a beautiful woman in a maid uniform appeared, riding on the wind…and spinning around at top speed. Louis immediately jumped back from her landing point as she, still revolving, divebombed them, only to stop just before hitting the ground. “That was my Tornado Kick Landing Method, Version Two. How did you like it?” Ryn was once again making headache-inducing remarks. Clearly, she was out of Galanis’s control and back to normal. “…Hello, idiot maid,” said Louis. “I will choose not to interrogate you about how you just attacked me. We’re both exhausted. Use your power to take the Silent Witch back to Serendia Academy, then take me back to the capital.” Ryn straightened up at the order. “I cannot do that,” she said clearly. “……You can’t?” Louis repeated, his voice dangerous. He was glaring at her. But his intimidation tactics never frightened Ryn. “I cannot,” she said, “as I have just used all the mana I would need for such a flight on my Tornado Kick Landing Method, Version Two.” Ryn’s form gradually thinned, turning into particles of yellow-green light. Once about half her body was transparent, she gave a perfect curtsey. “Hence, I shall take a rest inside our stone of contract. Good night.” The light particles disappeared into the emerald ring as if being sucked into it. Louis’s hand, where he wore the ring, trembled. “That imbecile… What kind of maid goes to sleep before her master…?” Monica knew that Louis had been flying all over the place since the day before with scarcely any sleep or rest. When a contracted spirit was worn out, her master could share his mana to help her recover. But Louis had used so much of his own mana that such an option was no longer available to him. “Um, it’s my fault, Mister Louis. I hurt her pretty badly. I’m sorry…” “…No, you don’t need to worry about it. I was the one who gave you permission to beat her into the dirt,” he said, his gaze hollow. Not only had he been swinging an ax around all day, but he’d let loose a series of complex barriers during his battle with the Gem Mage. At this point, he’d burned through whatever mana he’d recovered. There was no way he could use flight magecraft on his own. “My fellow Sage, you can get back yourself with flight magecraft, I’m sure?” “Oh, um, yes, I think I can… But, um, what about you…?” Louis snorted and grinned. Then he looked up at the sky. His long braid dangled limply. “…I will walk to the nearest carriage.” “Oh. Um, okay. Bye…” In the carriage heading to Serendia Academy, Cyril leaned back in his seat and stared out the window. His hand unconsciously grasped his broach, where the ice spirit Romalia now slept. Not because he’d formed a contract with Cyril—the spirit was simply resting there. There was no telling how long it would take for him to recover enough to regain consciousness and move around on his own. “VP?” said Glenn from the seat next to him. Cyril cast him a sidelong glance. “What?” “I trained so much during winter break, you know. I thought I’d be able to do a lot more.” Glenn squeezed out the words as he stared at his feet. “But I couldn’t do anything. Not in yesterday’s duel and not in the forest today… I feel so useless.” “…Me too.” Cyril had sworn to win the duel against Huberd Dee and had lost miserably. In the forest, those spirits had asked for his help. He’d promised he would give it. And yet, he’d accomplished nothing. It hadn’t even been Cyril who saved Romalia. He’d been useless. The Seven Sages had swooped in and rescued him, and now he was on his way home. How ignorant and powerless he was. He was pathetic, and that angered him. I need to learn more… He was part of the Lineage of the Wise. One day, he would inherit the March of Highown. He couldn’t let things stay like this. As Cyril and Glenn wallowed in their frustration, the Starseer Witch sat across from them, watching over them with a gentle smile. Then she turned her gaze from the two boys to the window. …At last, they begin to act. The Silent Witch, and the one who holds the star of loss, always twinkling near her. And not far away, Mary saw another small star—that of one who had quietly lain in wait for the right time to come. After parting ways with Louis just outside of Kelielinden Forest, Monica picked up a branch of suitable length, then mounted it and cast a flight spell. Her flying was still unstable, but if she had something to straddle like her staff or a broom, it made things easier. Even then, though, she couldn’t carry someone else along with her, so she’d had no choice but to leave Louis behind. Yesterday’s duel and this business with the ancient magical item today… So much has been happening… Too much, in fact. For a moment, she was worried she’d forgotten about something, but the feeling faded as her exhaustion grew. …And so, she didn’t remember the man of love and passion she’d left in the forest. She’d forgotten Bartholomeus Baal. I’ve been away from my attic room since last night. But it should be fine. One day isn’t long enough for anyone to notice… The forest was about three or four hours away from the academy by horse, but flight magecraft was quicker. Monica arrived at Serendia a little before sunset, as red began to tint the sky. The wind was cold, and wintry air came in through the gaps in her robe, chilling her to her core. I wonder if Nero’s still hibernating. I think the first thing I’ll do is have a nice hot cup of coffee… She made sure nobody was around the student dorm, then landed on the window frame of her attic room. After climbing in and tossing the branch she’d used in place of a broom outside, she shut the window with cold-numbed hands. When she removed the veil from her mouth and let out a deep breath, she noticed something move in the shadows in her periphery. She thought at first Nero had woken up, but he was still in the form of a cat, curled up in his basket. Huh? A quiet voice called out to her from inside the room. “Monica Norton.” Monica sucked in a breath and shuddered. Someone had been lurking in the darkness, just outside of view. They slowly walked up to her. It was a gorgeous young woman with lustrous blond hair—Bridget Greyham, one of the student council’s secretaries. There were no classes that day, but she was still wearing her school uniform. She narrowed her amber eyes at Monica and asked, “Who are you?” After escaping from the south of Kelielinden Forest, the Gem Mage Emanuel Darwin staggered along the road, his legs shaking. Now what…? What do I do…? The thing that had made him irreplaceable—Galanis, the Flute of the False King—had been destroyed. He could no longer use his magical armored soldiers or Pauloshmer’s Mirror of Execution. He needed Galanis to manipulate the spirits that powered them. Without it, he couldn’t manage such fine control. And if…if Duke Clockford gets word of any of this… The other Sages would want to cover up the incident, so he doubted any of them would tell the duke about it. But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t find out. And what about the civilians caught in the crossfire? The spirits of Kelielinden Forest had kidnapped those Serendia Academy students and dragged them into the middle of things. Why did it have to be students from the Duke’s school?! Now there was a chance the incident would be leaked by someone at the academy. Anxiety roiled in Emanuel’s gut. The duke’s backing was the only reason he’d become a Sage and could afford such a large magical item workshop. If the duke cut him off… No, that cruel man wouldn’t just “cut him off.” …He’ll dispose of me. Emanuel kept walking, his breath growing ragged. For now, he needed to get somewhere with other people. Walking alone like this made even his own shadow seem like a terrifying monster. If he left the main road and walked until night, he’d reach a nearby town called Verda. Verda was home to a branch office of the workshop Emanuel managed. He could go there, get travel expenses, and stay the night. I’m so tired… Soon, I will be able to rest… Though clouds had marred the daytime sky, they’d cleared up now as the sun set. The heavens were a vivid, unsettling red. Suddenly, Emanuel saw a figure in the distance—a tall young man with his back turned, wearing a cloak. His silky blond hair glowed orange in the evening light. The figure turned back to look at him. Behind his wind-ruffled bangs, his blue eyes, framed by long lashes, narrowed. “Good day, Lord Darwin.” The young man offered him a charming smile beneath the crimson sky. His perfectly sculpted features were not easily forgotten. Emanuel knew who he was—Felix Arc Ridill, the second prince. What would Prince Felix be doing here? Unless… Has Duke Clockford already learned of what I’ve done…?! The second prince was essentially the duke’s puppet. Which meant this beautiful young man had come to condemn him for his crimes. Emanuel paled and began to tremble as Felix spoke again, his tone gentle. “If the duke were to hear of this, I’ve no doubt he would quickly abandon you.” The prince’s words were like a faint ray of hope. “…You mean to say he doesn’t know?” “Well, I don’t intend to tell him, at least. I can keep the faculty at Serendia Academy quiet as well. The headmaster wouldn’t want the disappearance of two of his students to reach the duke. It would be a scandal.” Emanuel was grateful, but at the same time, something bothered him about this conversation. Why would the second prince go to all this trouble for him? Didn’t he always do whatever the duke commanded? And more importantly… Emanuel gulped and put on a thin smile, trying to project what little confidence he could muster. “And what brings you here without a guard, sir?” “I was waiting for you.” “But how did you know…?” “How? Well, long story short…” Felix casually crossed his arms and looked off toward Kelielinden Forest. “You couldn’t stay in that forest—not now that you’ve angered the spirits. You’ve been calling a carriage here regularly in the past, but there’s no carriage for you now, so you had to flee on foot. You can’t use flight magecraft, which means there are four towns you might choose. Of them, only Verda, which is south along this road, contains a branch of your workshop. You wanted to go there for help, yes?”