Chapter 94

 

***

 

 

“I will stake everything I am as Magician Baldwin to nurture this child’s talent to the highest degree. So.”

Jeremiah unlocked all the locks on the cell door with magic and opened it.

The woman stepped back a bit more but soon stopped in her tracks and stared intently at Jeremiah.

Arriving in front of the woman, Jeremiah knelt down and held out the baby to her.

“Give this child the most beautiful first memory.”

Perhaps because the woman gave no response, Jeremiah extended the child towards her again, pleading.

“Please, do so…”

Mom.

The last word, unvoiced and formed only by the shape of his lips, was understood clearly by the woman.

“…You.”

In that moment, the woman realized many things, including the reason behind the young magician boy’s tears.

And then it dawned on her.

The magicians had taken turns guarding her side, and this boy had been among them.

They did not speak to each other, but it was evident from their gazes alone that the magicians found her to be a nuisance and beneath them.

It was natural to think so, as to the magicians who wielded great power freely, a Physis was an utterly insignificant being.

However, among them, this young boy showed no such disdain.

He simply absorbed the mana filled within her calmly, and watched over her condition meticulously.

Back then, she thought of him as just a mature child.

‘You were thinking of someone else through me.’

Someone so precious that he couldn’t hide his tears.

Only now did she realize the profound hurt she had been causing the young magician.

I’m sorry.

She thought of offering an apology, but refrained.

Instead, she took the child from the boy’s hands. Perhaps it was the joy of holding a child after so long that made her fingertips tingle.

Bowing her head and embracing the child deeply, a familiar sensation and scent permeated deep within her.

The crying ceased immediately, and small hands gripped her clothes tightly.

This sensation.

“…I have never stopped loving you.”

She whispered so into the little child’s ear, hoping this would be kept as an eternal memory for him to recall at any moment.

What she could do for him now was only this much.

“It’s true.”

She lifted her tear-streaked face, feeling a lump in her throat and her lips trembling, barely moving.

Yet, she did her best to move her lips, as the boy needed consolation.

She wasn’t sure if it was her place to speak on behalf of the boy’s beloved, but… she wanted to tell him nonetheless.

“For a lifetime…”

The words “I have loved” were swallowed by her sobs, unable to fully escape.

Did the message get through?

She faintly saw the boy’s smile.

 

***

 

The execution process under the Duke’s command was straightforward.

Normally, a criminal who caused a great disturbance would be dragged to the square and made to kneel at the guillotine, but her case was a bit different.

Given her innate nature, exposing her in front of many people could lead to a major incident.

Thus, she met a quiet end in the jail where she had been staying for the last few days.

Five maids brought the potion in front of the Physis woman.

The liquid was purple, with the same fragrance and texture for all.

However, one or more contained a component that would take a human’s life.

No one knew which one had the poison, not even the maids who brought them.

The woman bowed to everyone surrounding the jail, expressing her gratitude.

Then, she drank all five doses at once, astonishingly quickly.

“…”

Death did not come immediately, so she lifted her head for a moment.

As requested, Jeremiah and the baby were not present now.

She looked at her palms. The scent and warmth of the baby were still there.

It was so soft.

She smiled, reminiscing, and then felt a bit dizzy. Her vision spun.

Though she couldn’t feel it as her senses dulled, she probably collapsed to the floor. The garden beyond the jail bars and the gray winter sky came into view.

Had the baby been wearing winter clothes? He should be kept warm.

While she worried, she saw a slight green light twinkling at the edge of the trees in the garden.

It was the same light that Jeremiah had cast on the baby’s body, and the woman quickly understood what that signal meant.

“Don’t worry.”

Now her vision began to darken. The woman, until the very end, strained her eyes to look at the light Jeremiah produced, praying.

Hoping the child’s first encounter with winter wouldn’t be too cold.

She faced death without closing her eyes.

 

***

 

After all the procedures were completed and the Duke stepped outside the prison, Jeremiah approached him.

“Father.”

“Jeremiah.”

The Duke couldn’t bring himself to ask if he was okay, instead, he just closely observed the child’s face.

“It’s okay. Fortunately, the child is asleep in the room… I mean, is there.”

Jeremiah corrected his speech, seemingly trying to adjust his words on the fly.

“The child’s presence probably had a significant impact on the situation. The power is drawn to a child with abilities, making it difficult for the Physis to withstand.”

Jeremiah offered a calm explanation and attempted a smile, prompting the Duke to stroke his head.

“…You’ve done well.”

“No, training juniors is a natural part of being a magician.”

Just as other magicians had treated Jeremiah with care.

However, the ‘hardship’ the Duke referred to seemed to be about something else, given where the conversation led.

“It’s not that, it’s that for a very long time you’ve been on your own…”

It seems the Duke had noticed the wounds Jeremiah had been carrying for a long time because of what happened earlier.

“I was foolish.”

Jeremiah shook his head.

He had been caught up in fragmentary memories, believing himself to be a despised son.

“Not everything that is visible is the truth.”

Just as the Physis woman had tried to turn away from the child, his mother must have given up on raising Jeremiah with a heart bleeding in agony.

This was something Jeremiah had vaguely realized within Loretta’s consciousness.

But having witnessed a similar situation with his own eyes, he could understand that pain more vividly.

“It’s not your fault. If only I had explained things better…”

The Duke had comforted himself by saying that lying was for the children’s sake, but that wasn’t true.

He had fled to beautiful lies because they were more comfortable to utter than painful truths.

“I was wrong.”

The Duke knelt down on one knee and bowed deeply.

Jeremiah started to say it wasn’t necessary but then stopped.

To be honest, his father’s lies were still one of the things that saddened him deeply, even though he understood they were inevitable.

So, he nodded to accept his father’s apology.

“I’ll forgive you, Father.”

“Thank you.”

“And I’m sorry for pretending not to know for so long.”

“You had the right to do so.”

Jeremiah shook his head.

“Still, I want to ask for forgiveness.”

“In that case… I forgive you too.”

After saying this, the Duke seemed about to say something else but then turned away, keeping silent.

“…?”

When Jeremiah looked at him questioningly, the Duke sighed and quickly apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”

The boy smiled wryly.

“Father, you need to understand that I’m different from ordinary children. I already have duties and rights. That means I’m treated as an adult in this society.”

Of course, he knew. Jeremiah, now a magician, even paid taxes under his own name; it went without saying.

“I was just worried that you were hurt by that woman’s choice…”

“Of course, it hurt, but actually,”

Jeremiah straightened his slightly slipped robe and looked straight into his father’s eyes as he answered.

“I think that choice was the right one.”

Considering the social position of the Physis and the future of the child, it was probably the best option.

“It was just that there happened to be variables like you and me present.”

Otherwise, the suggestion to call a priest from the temple or the concern about the child’s first memory wouldn’t have arisen.

The child might have been left unidentified at the temple or ended up being taken to a mage tower by another magician.

“The conclusion to prioritize the child was excellent. I truly believe that.”

Jeremiah smiled comfortably, his face showing not a hint of falsehood.

 

***

 

“If Miss Melody plans to stay as she is now, then I believe so.”

Melody often reflected on the meaning behind his words, even during times like this when she was walking alone in the garden.

‘Actually, it’s not that I’m staying in the present because I want to,’ Melody thought to herself. She had no path forward. There was no way for her to step into the sparkling world that Loretta belonged to…

This was a problem that couldn’t be overcome by effort alone, unless someone reached out to help her.

“I’ll become a knight quickly, so that no one can ever bully you again.” Isaiah had said. At the time, Melody had only laughed it off.

Then, hearing the sound of a carriage in the distance, Melody lifted her head. It was the Duke’s carriage, apparently returning from the central prison.

After some deliberation, Melody made her way to the entrance, recalling a promise they had shared.

“It’s not efficient to fret alone, so if you ever need help, feel free to ask me,” the Duke had told her.

Melody arrived at the entrance almost at the same time as the carriage.

After getting off, the Duke handed his hat and gloves to Higgins and gave him a few instructions.

Melody stood by his side, her hands neatly joined together.

After finishing his urgent orders, the Duke finally turned to her.

“Melody.”

“Duke.”

After calling each other’s names, they somehow ended up smiling at each other.

Both smiles were slightly awkward.

“Thank you for coming out to greet me.”

“No, I happened to be taking a walk in the garden.”

“That’s important. How is Loretta?”

“She fell asleep for the first time in a while. She must have been tired from going out frequently lately.”

An awkward silence followed for a bit. But then, at the same moment.

“Umm.”

“Well.”

Both spoke at the same time, and a surprised Melody quickly covered her mouth, but the Duke gestured for her to go first.

“It’s nothing significant.”

Melody clasped her hands together, lacking the courage to speak.

“Could I possibly receive assistance from the Duke…?”

At the end of her question, which was nearly a whisper, Melody noticed the Duke extending his hand towards her.

“…?!”

With surprised eyes, she looked back and forth between his hand and him, and the Duke offered his response.

“I also had matters on which I needed to inquire about your intentions.”