Chapter 128

 

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“I came to see Brother Jeremiah.”

Loretta said this to any magician she could grab at the entrance of the mage tower.

In fact, Loretta harbored the naive thought that ‘since our brother is a genius and a candidate for the future Tower Master, I should be able to meet him by asking anyone like this.’

However, contrary to her expectations, the mage tower had no proper system in place for receiving guests.

Moreover, the magicians, busy with their own work, did not show kindness to a young girl suddenly blocking their path.

“What?”

“Brother Jeremiah. Don’t you know where he is?”

“I don’t know, ask over there.”

“Over there?”

Loretta looked in the direction pointed by the magician, but there was nothing there.

“There’s nobody there.”

By the time she questioned this, the magician had already walked far away.

It seemed he had answered carelessly and left because he couldn’t be bothered to respond.

“What the heck.”

Loretta clenched her fists and stamped her feet in frustration.

The last time she came, there was no trouble because Jeremiah and his apprentice Evan had guided her.

“Hmph, do they think I can’t find my way without a guide?”

Recalling the path they had shown her before, Loretta started walking along it.

If no one would guide her, she decided she would find Jeremiah herself.

“Passing the stairs full of cats.”

Today too, Loretta carefully climbed up the stairs of the mage tower, which were strewn with cats.

Several times, other magicians passed by her, but they didn’t pay her any mind.

“What, it’s fine to come and go as one pleases.”

Loretta grumbled for no reason.

“Why did Father say it’s not allowed.”

The more she thought about it, the less she understood her father.

If it was such a dangerous place, shouldn’t they have not even entrusted a young Jeremiah to it in the first place?

“It’s definitely unfair.”

The girl nodded to herself as she said this.

Then, an old magician coming down the stairs started approaching Loretta with a startle, making an intrigued noise.

“Oho.”

“Little lady, you’ve never taken a magic lesson before, have you?!”

The old magician’s eyes sparkled with an unpleasant gleam. Loretta was a bit scared but held her head high.

“How did you know?”

“Because I can’t see the mark of a master on you.”

Though she didn’t understand what that meant, Loretta nodded anyway. She had never learned magic. She had never even had the chance to get close to it.

Above all, she disliked the idea of having to leave the mansion to live in the mage tower to learn magic.

Because then she wouldn’t be able to be with Melody.

“Good. This is a very good sign.”

The old magician nodded and then suddenly pulled out a small glass bead from his pocket.

“Little lady. Would you like to help with an experiment?”

“An experiment?”

“It’s very simple. Easy work. Even the cat lying there could do it. Just slightly lift your palm here over this magic-ignorant bead!”

The moment he exclaimed with enthusiasm, a yellow light briefly flashed through the transparent bead like lightning.

“That seems… ominous.”

“Ominous? What if a curse attaches to it!”

He frantically rubbed the bead with his palm as if slightly angered.

“It’s a simple thing! What’s so great about placing your hand on a bead! Especially for a little kid who doesn’t know a single spell!”

“If you ask for help like that from someone who doesn’t use magic, no one would respond to your request!”

“Such terrifying words again!”

He yelled and forcefully grabbed Loretta’s wrist.

“Let go!”

She struggled, but it was futile against the rude grip.

“Oh, the vessel is empty. Good, very good.”

“Let me go, I said!”

The magician ignored Loretta’s shouting and brought the small bead to her palm.

“No!”

When she screamed out loud.

A spell of dense green light swiftly flew and intercepted the transparent bead.

“Ah, my bead!”

The surprised magician quickly looked in that direction, still holding onto Loretta’s wrist.

The bead, caught by the spell, stopped on the back of a boy’s hand on the stairs above.

The green light enveloping the bead dispersed and seeped into the boy’s jet-black hair.

“…Apprentice Evan!”

Soon, the old magician shouted towards the boy.

The boy’s face, which had been expressionless, immediately turned pale as if frightened.

But he quickly straightened up and opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“Ah, please let the lady go.”

“What kind of magician would let go of a hard-brought test subject?”

Evan shook his head.

“She is the precious sister of my master. So, if you lie and call her… a test subject… that’s not right.”

The young boy, though his voice became increasingly timid, bravely finished his explanation to the end.

“Ugh, Baldwin?”

The old magician said this and then suddenly let go of Loretta’s hand. Evan also returned the bead to him.

The old magician glared at Evan for a moment and then started to descend the stairs, grumbling, “It’s troublesome to go all the way to the village to find a test subject.”

Once it was clear that he had completely retreated, Evan hurried down the stairs to check on Loretta’s condition.

“Are you alright, Miss?!”

The moment he exclaimed, Loretta suddenly embraced the boy, who was slightly smaller than her.

“Ah, Miss? Miss?!”

The surprised boy tried to escape from Loretta’s embrace, but he dared not push her away and ended up flailing his arms in the air.

“If you do this, I, I will get scolded by my master… really scolded.”

Loretta’s calm voice reached the fretting boy.

“Thank you, I owe my life to you.”

Evan, unaccustomed to receiving thanks, quickly shook his head.

“Ah, no… For someone like me to be of any help…”

As Evan was responding, a question suddenly occurred to him. Loretta was wandering around the mage tower without a guide.

Perhaps a letter announcing her visit had gotten lost somewhere.

The mage tower was notorious for important letters going missing unless they were truly important.

“If I had known you were coming to the mage tower, I would have properly come to meet you… I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s okay.”

Loretta took a step back from him and, placing a finger over her lips, smiled.

“I came in secret.”

“What?”

“I mean, I came without telling anyone.”

“You shouldn’t do such things, Miss!”

Evan inadvertently raised his voice but then blushed and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. For me to speak so casually to my master’s sister…”

Moreover, she was the sole daughter of a grand ducal family.

Evan, having grown up in the mage tower, had little knowledge of the societal hierarchies, but he vaguely understood the magnitude of Loretta’s status.

Thus, offering advice was presumptuous on his part, no matter how concerned he was for her.

“I know, I’ve noticed. It seems not all magicians are prince-like, like my brother or Evan.”

“What?”

“What about my brother?”

Caught off-guard by the ticklish remark about being prince-like, Evan barely had time to collect himself before Loretta swiftly moved on to the main topic.

He shook his head, his cheeks flushed.

“Ah, he’s not here. He’s away.”

“When will he be back?”

“I don’t know with my foolish mind. Only that he went to where the Tower Master is… so it might take a while…”

“Ah.”

Loretta placed a finger near her lips, lost in thought.

From what she heard, the emperor had personally gone down to the provinces because the Tower Master had discovered something.

That means…

“Brother Jeremiah is in the same place as Father.”

Loretta clapped her hands slightly and laughed cheerfully.

“Brother likes Father very much, so he will be there with him for at least a month.”

“…That, that might be the case.”

“Of course it is!”

Loretta said this and then quickly grabbed Evan’s hand, starting to climb the stairs energetically.

“Miss?! The exit is downstairs?!”

“I know.”

“Then why are you going up? Where are you going?”

As he asked, Loretta turned back, her hair tied cutely on both sides fluttering, and looked at Evan. When their eyes met, she answered with a very pretty smile.

“I’m going to create a splendid secret.”

 

* * *

 

After it was revealed that the lover and mother of the male protagonist, who was also a maid of Prince Samuel, was executed by the emperor.

One worry arose in the ducal family.

Surprisingly, it was about Claude.

Since graduating from the academy, he had been actively participating in external activities.

Such behavior might seem like a young gentleman enjoying only parties and leisure at first glance, but in fact, his outings always had a purpose.

To efficiently handle the estate work entrusted by the duke with the cooperation of other families or to smoothly continue his individual business in jewelry/metal processing.

But recently.

That is, exactly since the duke followed the emperor to the provinces, he had been cooped up in his room.

The first day or two, everyone in the mansion didn’t think much of it.

Even someone as healthy as Claude could get tired from overexerting himself, so they thought he was resting.

But that period extended longer than expected. When he didn’t show up anywhere in the social circles, letters from outside asking about his well-being soon arrived.

Soon, the mansion was filled with gifts and flowers sent by people worried about Claude.

There were even several letters offering to lend him an entire vacation home.

Amidst everyone’s concern, Claude did not move from his room, so the voices of concern within the mansion gradually grew louder.

Wondering if something had happened to the young master.

“Then, let’s ask.”

One servant suggested.

“Let’s go into the young master’s room and ask why he’s only staying there.”