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~CHAPTER 85~
Sylvia spoke with a dark expression.
“Anyway, it was fine until now, but I’ve started running low on mana.”
“Why?”
“It started after the Tower Master began his magic experiments.”
“Didn’t the Magic Tower always run experiments?”
“Yes, it did.”
Sylvia answered with a sigh and turned her head toward the window.
It was too dark outside to see anything, but in the direction she looked stood the Magic Tower.
“But these weren’t ordinary experiments. I couldn’t even approach the area, so I don’t know the details… But the important part isn’t what the experiment is about, it’s the materials.”
In the dimly lit carriage, Sylvia’s eyes flickered.
I already knew the answer.
And it seemed Vincent had some idea as well.
“I did hear that people from the Magic Tower often visit the auction house after the slave auctions end.”
“Yes, they… used the slaves as materials for magic experiments! And they even extracted mana from people to use it!”
“You can extract mana from a person?”
This was new to me, so I asked.
Sylvia sniffled but still answered.
“Yes. Every person has their own unique mana. Knights store it and use it as aura, and mages mix their own mana with external mana to cast spells.”
It was the first time I’d heard such a technical explanation, and I found it quite fascinating.
“I see. Anyway, that’s why you came here—to rescue the slaves, right?”
“Yes. I knew today was the auction day. But… it was reckless and foolish of me. I thought I could handle it with magic, but I relied too much on my staff. I’ll have to start training my magic again from the beginning.”
When she clenched her small fist, it looked so cute that I couldn’t help but smile a little.
At that moment, the carriage jolted violently as if it had hit a rock.
*Thud!*
Startled, I looked around and grabbed the handle tightly.
Across from me, Vincent reached out his hand.
“Amelia, sit over here.”
“Huh? It’s fine—”
“Come on.”
His tone was more like a command than an offer.
As I turned to glance at Sylvia, I suddenly saw what was about to happen.
It was Sylvia’s near future—ours, to be exact.
I grabbed his hand tightly.
“Your Highness, we need to stop the carriage.”
Vincent’s emerald eyes turned toward me.
I spoke again, firmer this time.
“We have to stop now. Right now. Otherwise…”
I was trying to think of what to say to convince him, when he opened the carriage window.
“Stop the carriage.”
At his command, the coachman pulled the reins hard.
*Neighhh—!*
The horses whinnied sharply, and the carriage came to a sudden halt.
“Phew.”
I let out a small sigh of relief—but then realized another problem.
Vincent and Sylvia were both staring at me with curiosity.
“Why did you tell us to stop?”
I appreciated that Vincent followed my words without question, but I hesitated to answer.
“Ah, that’s…”
“Lady Amelia, what’s happening to this bracelet?”
Sylvia pointed to the bracelet on my wrist.
The red mana stone embedded in it was flashing rapidly.
“Huh?”
The stone reacted to mana—usually when a mage was casting a spell.
But Sylvia wasn’t using any magic right now.
The vision I’d seen earlier of Sylvia’s future, and now the flashing mana stone…
Outside, Derek’s voice shouted urgently.
“Your Highness, it’s a landslide!”
*Rumble—!*
A thunderous roar echoed from the cliffside.
I had foreseen it, but not that it would happen so suddenly.
The noise was deafening, the vibrations strong enough to make my whole body tense.
“Ahhh!”
The coachman quickly jumped off and ran for safety.
“It’s the Tower Master!”
Sylvia shouted in panic.
As the rumbling of rocks grew louder, I instinctively pulled Sylvia close.
Then I felt another arm wrap around us.
Vincent.
*Crash! Bang! Thud!*
Rocks rained down on the carriage.
Then, lightning split the sky.
I didn’t see this part coming.
Even though I hadn’t seen it, I knew what would happen next and squeezed my eyes shut.
*Rumble! Crack!*
A lightning bolt struck the carriage directly.
Even with my eyes closed, everything flashed white.
The wooden frame began to burn, and the smell of smoke filled the air.
It was pure terror.
The carriage shook violently, and I lost my grip on Sylvia.
But the arms around me only held tighter.
*Boom!*
That moment felt endlessly long.
When the noise finally faded, everything went still.
I turned slightly.
The rocks and lightning had left behind clouds of dust and smoke.
In front of me was Vincent’s face.
He was lying over me, shielding me.
Even in the dark, I could make out his sharp features.
“Amelia, are you all right?”
“Y-yes. Oh…!”
I froze.
The carriage was completely crushed, and Vincent had used his body to block the debris.
“Your Highness, are you okay? How did you—”
He didn’t answer.
Then I heard Derek’s hurried footsteps.
“Your Highness!”
“Are you all right? Oh, heavens!”
Derek and the coachman started clearing away the wreckage, and thankfully Sylvia seemed unharmed.
Feather-like motes floated around us—likely a defensive spell she’d cast in haste.
Since all the carriage lights were shattered, Sylvia used a faint Lightning spell to brighten the area.
When enough debris had been cleared, Vincent stood up.
His body looked surprisingly unscathed.
Lightning and landslide magic are both attacks, so the divine blessing must’ve protected him. Still…
The fact that he had shielded me with his body—it was touching.
Vincent looked down at me, still dazed on the ground.
“Amelia, are you hurt anywhere? I tried to block it.”
He lowered himself again to check on me.
Derek, hearing his voice, came closer too.
Am I hurt?
I moved my hands and feet. They were sore, but functional.
“Amelia.”
“I-I’m fine!”
When I tried to sit up, Vincent supported my back and helped me rise.
His touch was so natural that my face grew warm.
“Th-thank you.”
Vincent nodded casually and climbed up on the wreckage to assess the situation.
I stood there, watching him.
What was he thinking…
When he shielded me like that?
Could that kind of reaction really be just manners? Or…
No. That’s ridiculous.
I shook my head to push the thought away.
Whatever the reason, he had saved me.
I’d have to thank him properly later.
Just then, I heard light footsteps approaching.
“Lady Amelia.”
“Ah, Miss Sylvia. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. And it looks like everyone else is too—even the horses.”
“Oh.”
The coachman was checking on the two horses standing off to the side, their reins loose.
“That’s a relief.”
Only then did I take in our surroundings.
The wrecked carriage pieces were scattered everywhere, surrounded by piles of fallen rocks.
But the thing that stood out most was the massive boulder lying ahead of us—larger than the carriage itself, right in the middle of the road.
Sylvia spoke quietly beside me.
“If you hadn’t stopped the carriage, we would’ve crashed into that boulder.”
I looked at the rock, and a chill ran through my chest.
