I wanted to get up and move immediately, but everyone insisted that I stay in bed for another day.

The person who helped me the most during that time was none other than the maid assigned to take care of me.

"Now, open wide. Ahhh."

"I can feed myself..."

"Shush. Open wide. Ahhh."

"…Ahhh."

"Good job."

She smiled and patted my head when I obediently complied. I looked at her with a confused expression, but it had no effect.

"You should’ve known better than to overdo it, right?"

"I didn’t overdo it..."

"Then try standing up and doing the first form of ceremonial swordsmanship. If you can’t, that means you pushed yourself too hard."

"What?"

Not even Aria or Lapiere could do the first form of ceremonial swordsmanship. Despite my incredulous expression, the maid kept smiling.

"Anyway, you’ll be leaving the city soon. Until then, rest."

She patted my head once more before taking the empty dishes and leaving the room. The room fell into silence again.

"Ugh..."

Now, with no one to talk to, not even for small talk, I groaned in frustration.

‘I’m so bored...’

And it was true—I had nothing to do except lie in bed. I really wanted to move around, but it seemed the exhaustion I experienced after such a long time had hit me hard.

Whenever I tried to get up and walk, my legs would immediately give out.

Going for a walk was out of the question. And when I tried to think of something I could do while sitting, I realized I’d spent the past few years doing nothing but researching magic, so nothing else came to mind.

‘If only I had just a little bit of mana...’

But the Ultimate Star-spear only activated once it had accumulated a certain amount of mana, so all I could do was wait patiently.

"Ugh... Master key, please save me..."

The master key and my pen were all stored away in the pocket dimension, so I couldn’t summon them. Even if I could, all my materials and magical tools were packed away, so I couldn’t even entertain myself with those.

In the end, all I could do was stare blankly out the window.

"…Come to think of it, didn’t the count say there was a festival today?"

I’d heard that Count Alphares was hosting a festival to honor the hero’s party and the soldiers who fought against the demons. Apparently, there would be additional rewards for those who had directly participated in the battle as well.

"Judging by appearances, it looks like it’ll be a festival of poverty and hardship..."

"That’s a bit unfortunate."

"Yikes!"

Startled by the sudden voice, I looked toward the door. To my dismay, the count himself was standing there with an awkward smile.

What was he doing here?

‘Well, I guess it is his house...’

"The maid told me you were awake, Louie. I came by because I had something I wanted to say."

"Ah, um, sorry..."

"No need to apologize. I understand."

Count Winer Alphares stroked his ample belly and his unkempt beard as he spoke.

"As the ruler of a city and the representative of my family, I should be mindful of my appearance. But to be fair, I’ve been too busy lately to worry about that."

For someone with so many servants, he must’ve been incredibly busy to let himself go like that.

"Between my responsibilities as a noble, managing politics and economics, and now this new issue with demons and monsters, I’ve had no time to spare."

"Ah."

"Even now, I’ve just gotten up from my desk after drafting a report about the fortress incident for His Majesty and reviewing documents to submit to the lower officials."

The fortress incident had ended the day before yesterday. Considering he’d been working non-stop since then, he had probably gone two days without sleep.

"…"

I felt genuinely sorry for him.

I, too, had stayed up countless nights working on my research. I remembered all too well the exhaustion I felt, barely able to keep going, pushing myself to the limit to finish my work.

But that was something I chose to do. Count Alphares, on the other hand, hadn’t wanted this burden at all...

"I’m really sorry..."

"No need to apologize. My wife and daughter have been worried about me, too. This is something I need to resolve myself."

Now that I thought about it, I remembered how beautiful Countess Alphares was. There was a reason for that. When someone is as kind-hearted and diligent as him, they naturally attract beautiful people!

"Anyway, I came to ask you one question, Louie."

"What is it?"

"Louie, who are you?"

"I’m sorry, but the moment I learned you had joined the hero’s party, I started investigating your past."

"…"

"But nothing came up. Not with magical tools, not even through the traditional methods using informants."

"Is that so."

Of course, it was.

I had rarely shown my face in public before. Ever since leaving my master’s nest, I had lived in near-anonymity, interacting with the outside world as little as possible. Very few people knew about me.

‘Though it’s not as if no one does.’

There were indeed people who knew who I was. Had Count Alphares dug deeper into those sources, he might have uncovered my past.

But even if he had, approaching those people directly would’ve been difficult. Because the ones who hold my information aren’t the type to deal with someone like a count.

"For the past year, the hero’s party consisted of four members. They faced no failures and continued to rise in prominence. I, too, placed my faith in them to guide the future of this city. However, when the hero’s party arrived in the city, there were five members."

An unknown mage had joined the party.

It was only natural for Count Alphares to be suspicious.

If I harbored any anti-imperial sentiments or if I was a demon in disguise, the city’s fate would be in peril.

"That’s why I looked into you. But no information came up, and any doubts about your abilities have been dispelled."

"…"

"I’m sorry. I’ve wronged a hero who saved the city."

"It’s fine. I would have done the same."

And I meant it. I felt no anger at all over the fact that he had investigated me.

‘Honestly, he seemed so good-natured and upright that it felt like something was missing.’

Now, at last, I was seeing the count act like a proper noble. Though even now, he was still on the nicer end of the noble spectrum.

"The hero’s party receives the emperor’s blessing, and naturally, they attract trouble. With great responsibility comes great scrutiny."

"Thank you."

"So, are you curious about my true identity?"

If he wanted to know, I could tell him a little. But Count Alphares shook his head.

"No, Louie. Since you saved the city, it doesn’t matter to me. But..."

"But?"

"Do you know the titles Mage of the Fortress and White Smith?"

Those were familiar names.

"The mysterious grand mage said to protect the imperial family, and the anonymous mage who continues to astound the world by creating remarkable magical tools."

"I’m very familiar with them."

"I hope you’re not either of those people, Louie."

"Why?"

"Because that would mean another star has risen to protect the empire."

"I see."

"That’s all I wanted to say. Please rest well."

With that, Count Alphares left the room. As I lay in the now-silent room, I continued to mull over his words.

"…Sorry, but your wish won’t come true."

Because I am the White Smith.

Before joining the hero’s party, I had used that alias to sell the magical tools I created. The reason I chose that name was simple.

I had white hair, and I made magical tools like a blacksmith would.

‘I didn’t expect Count Alphares to know about the White Smith, though.’

The White Smith only dealt with the highest-quality magical tools. The prototype versions or downgraded versions of those tools were all sold under different names, so the White Smith’s reputation had grown significantly.

Still, I hadn’t thought anyone would recognize it unless they had the wealth and connections to purchase those top-tier tools.

"Now that I think about it, someone like Count Alphares would have enough resources."

In any case, I wouldn’t be able to grant his wish.

As for the Mage of the Fortress...

"…That’s not me."

The face of a woman flashed through my mind. Her shameless smile, despite being older than me by just a few years, came to the forefront of my thoughts, making me slightly irritated.

"Well, I’m sure she’s doing fine."

No matter what, she wouldn’t forget her duties just because I wasn’t there.

Having sent off my unexpected guest, I once again looked out the window to pass the time.

"Huh?"

"Hehe. Bored, aren’t you?"

To my surprise, a familiar elf appeared beyond the window. It was Lapiere.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might be bored, so I came to visit."

Really?

If that’s the case, I’m genuinely touched.

"Heh, from the look on your face, I guess I came at the right time?"

"Who said I was crying?"

"Dunno. But your hair sure looks white."

"Ugh."

"Hahaha! Anyway, come here. Look down there."

"Down there?"

"Louie~!"

"Louie, how are you feeling?"

"Aria, Serlin."

Three heroines had come to visit me, worried about my health. Of course, they had each come separately yesterday and today, but the fact that they all came together now moved me even more.

"Where’s the hero?"

"Aswell? He said he’s having a meal with some high-ranking officials, so he didn’t come."

The elf replied in a slightly annoyed tone. It seemed the hero had declined their impromptu visit, and judging by her mood, he had probably annoyed her by doing so.

"So today, it’s just us girls hanging out. There’s a festival, after all."

"Sounds fun."

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the energy to join them for the festival.

"So, let me ask you this—if you move, will you die?"

"Uh?"

Her ridiculous question left me stunned, and I gave a deflated response.

"Of course not..."

"Good. Then get on my back."

"…??"

"Let’s go see the festival."

"W-wait. Ah!"

Without waiting for my response, Lapiere made a gesture, and suddenly, a gust of wind carried me toward her.

"Thanks, everyone!"

Everyone? Did she mean the spirits?

With no choice but to comply, I allowed Lapiere to carry me, jumping down from the window while I, now without even a robe, found myself helplessly slung over her back.

"You look cuter than usual when you’re sitting still like that."

"I know, right? Hehe."

"Don’t tease me."

"Where should we go?"

"I think it’s only fair for our hero to decide."

"I agree. Louie, you should pick our destination!"

"Uh, well, I was thinking of that magic materials—"

"No magic material shops. No magical tool shops. No magic-related anything!"

"..."

We had a slight disagreement, but overall, it wasn’t a bad experience. With Serlin and Lapiere taking turns carrying me, the four of us enjoyed the festival together.

‘This is fun.’

Thanks to them, nothing else occupied my thoughts during that time.

Not memories of my past life, not the story’s plot, not even magic.

The only thing that occasionally crossed my mind was the one party member who wasn’t there.

‘Next time, the hero should join us too.’

And so, we enjoyed a day at the festival, and the next morning came.

"I can move now."

"Such a shame..."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Now, let’s try standing up slowly with my help."

"No, I can do it on my own... Actually, I’ll take your hand."

Thanks to the maid’s help, I slowly started walking again. Gradually, I increased the time I spent moving, and two days later, we were ready to leave the Alphares estate.