Final Chapter 2:
Alice
LONG AGO, I USED TO BE IN AN ORPHANAGE. I didn’t really know why I was there, and I wasn’t interested in why either. All I knew was that it didn’t have a wide selection of books and wasn’t a good place to be. Left with no other choice, I reread the same books numerous times and read the diaries and letters of the nuns to pass the time.
I always wanted to read something. I wanted to learn more. That was all that mattered to me. I required nothing else. My life changed the year I turned ten. Lady Serena visited the orphanage. I was very interested in her. She looked to be the same age as me, and yet her words and demeanor set her apart from everyone else.
“Alice, are you interested in studying magic?” she asked.
“I am,” I replied.
I loved studying. It allowed me to read books for as long as I wished. I had heard that magic was the most time-consuming field of study and required many expensive books, but she was graciously allowing me to study the art. I had no reason to decline Lady Serena’s invitation.
✦ ✦ ✦
I was brought to the duke’s manor. It was a splendid place. There were countless books lining the shelves, and I was allowed to read them as much as I wished. In fact, I was ordered to read. I had never felt such happiness in my life. I owed Lady Serena everything, and I decided to treat her as my master for the rest of my life.
Squire training was tough, but it was nothing compared to the joy I felt when I got to read books. My talent was swiftly recognized—I would live my life as a mage. I then fought monsters alongside Lady Serena. I attended the academy with her. After graduation, I did more research on magic as I served her.
My days were fulfilling, and I was content. Once, I’d had nothing, but thanks to Lady Serena, I was given a reason to live and a role in the world. I couldn’t have hoped for a better life.
But I had a secret—some might say that I had committed a crime.
During our third year at Rosewood Academy, Lady Serena decided to visit the manor of Viscount Ravenwood. At first, I was puzzled and couldn’t understand the purpose of the trip, but there was another thing that caught my eye. Lady Serena carried a book that I didn’t recognize. I had read every book within the duke’s manor, and I finished any newly purchased books by the end of the day. In fact, I had even snuck around and read some highly confidential documents within the manor.
However, I had never before seen the book atop Lady Serena’s lap as she left House Ravenwood. In the carriage, Isabel sat across from my lady, and Emma sat beside her. Neither seemed interested in the book, and they closed their eyes so as not to hinder Lady Serena’s time. Their actions were proper for squires. I sat diagonally across from her and pretended to read my book. However, I kept hers in my peripheral vision. I could tell that her book was affected by some sort of spell and didn’t seem like a normal grimoire. The tome itself was very special.
I doubt that she’d allow me to read that, I thought.
My intuition told me as much. Whenever Lady Serena got her hands on a new book, she would generally have me read it first and then summarize the important points for her. She didn’t read most of the books. Yet, this time around, she didn’t hand her book over to me; instead, she personally perused the pages. There was a very low chance that the book would reach my hands.
I really want to read it.
I was overcome with an overwhelming urge that I couldn’t control. It was a bad habit that I’d had since I was a child. If I wanted to read something, I couldn’t hold myself back. I couldn’t tell if I was lucky or unlucky, but my opportunity to read the book came eventually.
We squires took turns to watch and guard Lady Serena at night. On that fateful evening, it was my turn. In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, I stationed myself in front of Lady Serena’s room. I used magic so that I wouldn’t make a sound and snuck into her room; I even gave myself enhanced night vision. My lady was fast asleep. The book I was after was inside the drawer of her desk. It was locked, but I could easily undo it with a simple spell. I’d learned all these spells as soon as I could so that I could have access to all kinds of books.
The passage in the book was short but extremely intriguing. Thanks to a mage called Marius, Lady Serena had been allowed a second chance at life. This was likely why she seemed surprisingly mature for her age when I first met her. That had always puzzled me.
Apparently, Lady Serena had behaved poorly in her first life, and that had resulted in her execution. But this information didn’t make my loyalty waver, and I suspected that the other squires would agree with me. Besides, it wasn’t as though Lady Serena’s behavior in this world was any better. In fact, since she had learned to maintain appearances and wielded even greater power, there was a good chance that she was worse than ever before.
I memorized the contents of the book, quietly returned it to its original place, and made sure to lock the drawer once more. I returned to my post and continued to stand on guard, though my mind was elsewhere. If I were to draw my own conclusions, I assumed that Lady Serena wanted to restore Marius to this world; she must also have known that a human offering was vital for the ritual.
There was an extremely high chance that Lady Serena would offer herself. Perhaps if we’d been with the Lady Serena who we’d first met all those years ago, she might have selected one of us squires without hesitation. But she had changed greatly throughout the years. My current master, who had just read this book, wouldn’t allow anyone else to sacrifice themselves. But I couldn’t just sit back and watch her offer herself for this ritual. I didn’t want to lose Lady Serena.