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Chapter: 23
“For a family with as much power as Hexwood, they have almost no political enemies.”
Most people would probably chalk that up to Hexwood’s prestige, but Felion—who had taken one step closer to the family’s ugly truth—thought differently.
“But what if that’s not the reason at all? What if they quietly disposed of their enemies without leaving a trace?”
If those enemies had been erased from the world by a colorless, odorless poison, then wasn’t that a cowardly and filthy way to maintain power?
If the end result of exploiting a single person under the excuse of “for the good of the family” was nothing more than that kind of authority, could it really be called right?
“It’s not right. It’s wrong.”
Letting out a long sigh filled with tangled emotions, he clenched his jaw.
One thing’s certain. I can never send Ophelia to Hexwood.
He could not allow another tragedy like Lilia’s to happen.
My brother doesn’t seem willing to give up Ophelia.
If the Duke of Hexwood were to find out that Ophelia was staying at the Mage Tower, and if he were to assert his claim as her biological father and step forward as her guardian, Felion would have no way to stop him.
That cannot happen.
Even if he could not give her parental affection, he had to find a way to properly protect her from the outside world.
If I didn’t know, that’d be one thing—but knowing everything and doing nothing? I can’t.
Maybe it was because the eyes looking up at him reminded him of the late Lilia. Or perhaps it was the guilt of failing to protect his sister.
Either way, Felion could not turn his back on this troublesome niece.
And so he made a vow.
That he would protect this niece—who might be the only one he would ever have.
Because Rachel was among the Mage Tower members who rushed in, I was able to leave the scene quickly and return safely to my room.
It had only been one day, but the comfort of my familiar space felt overwhelmingly welcome.
Rachel kept apologizing, feeling guilty that she hadn’t been there to help with what had happened while she was away.
As both a patient and a victim who had been swept up in the Mage Tower Master’s deranged research, I received attentive care from all sides.
“Don’t move from your room. Focus on recovering.”
With Felion’s firm instruction—and because both my body and mind were utterly exhausted—I spent my time quietly reading the books Rachel brought me.
That was when an unexpected visitor arrived.
“You seriously look like a crazy person.”
It was Leonar.
“If I’d told the Deputy Tower Master even a little later, you’d have been in real trouble. You know that, right?”
“I know.”
That night, Leonar had immediately contacted Felion, but couldn’t reach him.
Then, as soon as the next day dawned, he heard that I had left the Mage Tower and rushed to the station. He couldn’t find me there either, and when he asked the station staff, he learned that I’d bought a ticket—but never boarded the train.
“Thanks to that, I almost lost my mind.”
His skin looked rough, like someone who had gone through a great deal of emotional strain.
“Did you come to visit me because you were worried?”
At my question, he snorted.
“Me? Worried? Don’t be ridiculous. Rachel kept nagging me to keep you company, so I had no choice. I won’t be coming again, so if you’re bored, just look at this.”
He shoved an unfamiliar notebook into my hands. I accepted it, assuming it was a get-well gift, when I suddenly noticed a familiar envelope tucked against it.
“That is…?”
I already knew, but I asked deliberately to change the subject.
“Oh. I ordered two lunchboxes and forgot to cancel them.”
“Why did you order two?”
“Well, why do you think? I figured you’d be starving—”
He stopped mid-sentence, clearly realizing his mistake, and snapped his mouth shut.
But I had already pieced things together, and before I could stop myself, I closed my eyes and let out a soft laugh.
So you were the one leaving lunchboxes behind all this time.
“You… it was you?”
“Ah, damn it!”
Flustered, he suddenly jumped to his feet.
“Didn’t you hate me? Then why help me?”
“The Tower Master asked me to. I had no choice.”
Seeing him poised to bolt at any second, I hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.
“W–What are you doing?!”
As he jumped like a startled cat, I finally asked the question I’d been holding back.
“So when are you going to tell me your name?”
“What?”
“You still haven’t told me. At least let me know the name of the person who helped me.”
At my words, his face turned bright red.
When I threatened not to let go until he told me, he squeezed his eyes shut and shouted,
“Leonar! Call me Leonar!”
“Leonar.”
The moment I said his name, he recoiled with a horrified expression, hastily stepping back with his face still flushed.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“Seriously, you’re so weird!”
He yelled all the way out, slamming the door behind him.
He made such a fuss, insisting I wasn’t Felion’s daughter.
I never imagined he’d be helping me behind the scenes like this.
That made me a little curious.
Then why do you grow up to become someone cruel enough to hand me poison?
Maybe realizing the quiet kindness Leonar had shown softened the hatred that had been boiling inside me.
I let out a deep sigh.
Still, that doesn’t erase what you did—giving me poison.
Even if it hadn’t happened yet, the wounds and pain I carried were still very real.
“This is complicated.”
My thoughts went in circles, reaching no conclusion.
To give my head a rest, I opened the lunchbox he’d left behind.
As I bit into a sandwich stuffed with perfectly grilled bacon and fresh vegetables, I opened the notebook he had given me.
“What is this?”
Reading the neat handwriting slowly, I set the sandwich down, lifted the notebook with both hands, and buried my face in it.
“Oh my goodness!”
It was filled with incredibly detailed notes on magical theory.
From the history of magic to its origins and sources of power, everything essential was organized clearly—easy to read and easy to understand.
T-This… this thoughtful?
Ever since awakening my mana, I’d wanted to start learning magic as soon as possible, so it was a gift that thrilled me beyond words.
The section that caught my attention most was how to form a mana circuit.
“So once you awaken mana, a mana circuit forms inside your body?”
The explanation said that if you closed your eyes and focused on your heart, you could sense a strange, unfamiliar power. I immediately closed my eyes.
Is it similar to that tingling feeling I had when my mana awakened?
Recalling that sensation, I slowly focused on my heart.
My chest rose and fell, and the steady thump-thump of my heartbeat echoed through my body.
That familiar, itchy sensation from before began to bloom along with the pulse.
Now I gather this power into one, and that creates my mana circuit.
I pulled the thin strands of power together, as if grasping them in my fist. Imagining myself rolling them into a ball of yarn, I felt the energy truly begin to gather.
The yarn-like mana circuit kept growing larger.
Sweat dripped down my forehead, but I didn’t dare wipe it away. I focused entirely on the circuit until—
“Phew!”
At the same moment I sensed a yarn ball large enough to cover my heart, my eyes flew open.
“Wow, I did it!”
Excited, I flipped to the next section of the notebook.
“And if you repeat this process for about one year, you can reduce the mana circuit to about the size of a marble…?”
“Wait…”
Murmuring to myself, I placed a hand over my left chest.
Even without closing my eyes, I could feel the mana circuit inside my body.
And its size—it felt bigger than my heart.
“…Do I actually have talent for this?”
Panicked, I hurriedly read on.
“Typically, mages who have accumulated mana over many years have mana circuits about half the size of an adult fist. In the case of Ceris, the first Mage Tower Master, it is said that her circuit exceeded the size of her heart.”
I dove onto the bed and clamped the blanket over my mouth.
It seemed I really did have talent.
Overwhelmed with joy, my heart began pounding uncontrollably fast.
The sensation was uncomfortable—almost irritating—but realizing it was caused by excitement and happiness made it feel welcome instead.
I want to learn magic as soon as possible.
Unlike the nights I spent plagued by nightmares, this one felt like it would be sleepless with anticipation and excitement.
