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~CHAPTER 86~
I was worrying again about how to explain that I knew beforehand when Sylvia pointed at the bracelet on my wrist.
“So you noticed from that.”
“I only realized after we arrived. Only the Master of the Mage Tower could cast magic of this degree.”
I avoided answering directly and instead asked Sylvia a question naturally.
“Can a single wizard produce magic of that magnitude?”
Sylvia answered cheerfully as if amused.
“No, if one wizard could wield that power alone, they would already rule the world.”
She had a point.
If someone could call lightning from the sky and roll boulders of that size alone, that wizard would either ignore the emperor or seize the throne themselves.
Of course, the current Master of the Mage Tower doesn’t exactly obey the emperor, but formally he is still an imperial subject.
“Then how was it done?”
Sylvia frowned slightly and, after a moment’s thought, pointed at the Mage Tower.
“The tower itself is a massive magical tool. They used the mana gathered in the tower. It’s normally used in extreme droughts to bring rain.”
Sylvia’s face twisted a little.
“But why now?”
Before I could even finish the question, Vincent strode over across the carriage wreckage.
Even in the dark his steps looked steady.
Anyway, Vincent answered my question for me.
“Consider it a rather grand greeting.”
“…A greeting?”
I looked at the spire in disbelief.
It was, in a way, the kind of entrance you’d expect from a final villain in a novel, but to call that a greeting… who would have thought.
Sylvia muttered under her breath with a gloomy expression.
“Maybe it was because they realized I escaped.”
That might be true.
In the story, the real confrontation between Sylvia and Vincent, the Master of the Mage Tower, and Duke Wentworth was just beginning… and I, Amelia, was stuck wondering what to do next.
But thinking too far ahead wasn’t helpful; the immediate priority was to get away from here.
The carriage was wrecked and the road was blocked by that enormous boulder.
At that moment Derek, who had been standing on the rock looking beyond it, ran up to us.
“I sent word; they’ll send a new carriage. If we climb over this rock and follow the road beyond, we should meet them.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
Even so, the rock was enormous and I hesitated.
Derek and Vincent scrambled up it with ease.
I checked my legs; they were not weak, but I hadn’t exercised, and that height looked impossible.
Then Sylvia mumbled to herself while looking at her feet, as if she had a trick.
When I looked, Sylvia gave an embarrassed smile.
“This spell is single-use.”
“Oh.”
I felt a little awkward but wanted to try, so I approached the rock, and Vincent called me from behind.
“Amelia.”
I turned and saw Vincent reach out his hand.
“Yes?”
“Over here.”
I stared at his hand for a moment, then absentmindedly reached out.
He gripped my hand firmly and lifted me in an instant.
“Ah…!”
A gust of wind tousled my hair and before I knew it Vincent was carrying me as he strode up the rock.
The warmth of his body and his heavy scent brushed my face, and my heart raced so fast I could not speak.
I felt my hand tremble slightly in his arm.
Vincent kept stepping without a care, holding me tight.
Just when I thought we had reached the top, Vincent jumped down to the other side.
“Hah.”
The sudden drop made me instinctively cling to his neck.
When we finally landed on firm ground, he carefully set me down.
My feet touching solid earth brought an odd pang of disappointment, as if the dream had ended.
Vincent met my eyes, then slowly glanced back.
Behind me, Sylvia—helped a little by Derek—was climbing the rock.
“……”
Seeing Sylvia made my chest tighten again.
Was this really all right?
What could Vincent be thinking now?
What would become of Vincent, Sylvia, and me?
While my future and the coming events swirled in confusion, Derek spoke up.
“Let’s go. If we walk a little further down the road, you’ll see the carriage.”
Derek checked I was okay as he passed and then walked ahead.
Vincent and Sylvia were silent and seemed lost in thought as we walked.
My own thoughts were tangled and I walked in silence.
After a while we saw the lights of a new carriage.
Derek approached the driver and spoke briefly, and Vincent opened the carriage door and made a small gesture for me to get in.
I took his hand and climbed into the carriage.
Sylvia seemed to be helped on as well, and Vincent finally took a seat.
Across from him, our eyes met briefly, but I feigned sleep and closed my eyes.
Thoughts of Vincent, Sylvia, myself, and the sudden, powerful villain—the Master of the Mage Tower—tangled in my head like a skein of thread.
***
In the emperor’s study the next day, the emperor read the report Oscar had prepared and Vincent had brought about last night’s events with a grave face.
Vincent stood calmly and watched the emperor read.
When the emperor finished he removed his monocle and sighed.
“I heard a great commotion last night even inside the palace. Fortunately no one seems to be hurt. Is Duchess Wentworth safe?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. No one was injured.”
The emperor nodded but could not hide his displeasure.
“Layton Ascard. That man is clearly overstepping.”
“The problem is we only have strong suspicions, not proof. The uproar yesterday and the claim that the Mage Tower used slaves as tools in magical experiments.”
“Yes. Was the slave auction thoroughly shut down?”
“Yes, we apprehended those involved. The issue is which laws to apply.”
If the people who kidnapped and sold slaves to run an auction were prosecuted, the penalties would likely be severe.
Running an auction was illegal, and the murders, threats, confinement, and abductions that occurred there could easily warrant capital punishment.
The difficulty lay with their patrons and owners—the nobles.
The Marquess of Moulton’s house was already ruined and could be toppled with little effort, but the main remaining target was Duke Wentworth.
The emperor looked troubled as he read the report.
“Duke Wentworth likely harbors resentment toward the crown over last year’s tax reform. If we pursue him on this, he may turn completely against us.”
The emperor’s tone was weak and cautious.
Even though he knew the duke’s crimes were grave, he worried about the consequences of punishing him.
Vincent did not argue; instead he spoke in a measured voice.
“If this were any other matter I might hesitate, but the crown has long forbidden slavery. If we let this pass, we set a precedent that undermines suppression of the slave system.”
Vincent’s words were undeniable, and the emperor slowly nodded with a heavy sigh.
“Then… what do you propose? The Duke is also your fiancée’s father.”
Fiancée’s father.
Because of that relationship Vincent had intended to bring the duke down completely, but he hesitated for reasons he could not fully voice.
Vincent glanced at his fingertips.
The sensation he felt when he lifted Amelia last night was still vivid in his mind.
