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Chapter 3
“Are you alright now?”
Without turning her head away from the photograph, Del replied,
“Well… I can’t spend the rest of my life clinging to my late master forever.”
Del recalled the funeral held four years ago.
Though it had been according to her master’s wishes, the funeral of the great mage who once ruled the continent had been surprisingly modest.
She still remembered that day vividly.
How shocked she had been when Theo—no, Theodore—appeared at the funeral.
‘It’s been a long time, Del.’
The formal speech that didn’t suit him, the distant attitude that seemed to draw a line between them…
More than anything, the gentle smile on his face had felt unfamiliar, and instead of happiness, disappointment had struck first.
‘Who are you? I don’t know anyone like you.’
When she answered coldly, the man’s eyes curved faintly before he let out a low laugh.
Even that reaction had felt painfully foreign.
Thinking about everything that happened afterward still made her emotions feel strange.
Contract or not, she had never imagined marriage would ever have anything to do with her life.
Even if the reward had been worth it, why exactly had she accepted?
Why did she need to help such a heartless bastard?
“Oh, speaking of which, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“That Theo became the king of Veritas.”
Since she had been thinking about him that very moment, Del flinched internally, but she immediately put on her usual shameless expression and answered casually.
“Oh, really? I’ve been in seclusion, so I haven’t paid attention to worldly affairs.”
As if.
In reality, during the past three years she had become intimately familiar with political schemes and power struggles, to the point where she knew the political landscape of every nation inside and out.
Still, Del pretended ignorance.
‘You’re surprisingly talented at doing vicious things.’
‘That’s a compliment, right?’
‘Haha.’
Ugh. Another irritating memory surfaced.
She had punched him in the stomach for laughing like that, only for her own hand to hurt more than him, which had infuriated her even further.
That idiot had laughed endlessly until she threatened to blow the roof off the royal palace.
Still, the expression he wore back then had been much closer to the Theodore she remembered.
“Engie attended the coronation and said he’s grown into a remarkably dignified young man. Perhaps Rain can finally stop worrying so much.”
Del’s gaze naturally drifted toward the brown-haired woman standing at the far right of the photograph.
Rain de Veritas.
A common-born hero and genius swordswoman who shocked the continent.
The tale of how she earned the royal surname after achieving legendary military accomplishments during the world war nearly forty years ago remained immensely popular in Veritas even now.
The once ordinary surname “Rain” became a name admired by children across the continent because of her.
“Who knows. I’m not sure she worries about him that much.”
Despite Del’s oddly cold response, Sorel answered gently.
“You still don’t like the late king and queen very much.”
“They dumped an eight-year-old child onto complete strangers and never once came to see him. I understand why you like them, Headmaster, but I still can’t understand it.”
Speaking coldly, Del turned her head away—only to pause slightly when she saw the warm smile on Sorel’s face.
“Headmaster, why are you making that expression?”
“Oh, I was just thinking Theodore would be surprised if he heard you say that. Really, it feels like only yesterday you two were constantly fighting…”
“That was over ten years ago!”
At Del’s outburst, Sorel merely nodded as though he already knew everything.
“Back then, I wondered when you two would ever grow up. Yet now you’ve become the future of our Academy.”
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly either.”
Instead of acting modest, Del proudly straightened her shoulders.
As if used to her behavior, Sorel covered his mouth and chuckled softly.
“Well then, I suppose that settles work-related matters.”
His voice lowered noticeably.
“Engie mentioned that the council seems intent on monitoring your activities.”
“Ugh, again? Those people are unbelievably persistent.”
Sorel fully understood Del’s irritation.
Using a more casual tone, he tried to soothe her.
“Prozan already announced his retirement, and Ten has clearly declared her allegiance. But you’re still young and haven’t aligned yourself with anyone.”
“Obviously. My affiliation is right here—the Academy. I told them I have no intention of getting involved in politics. I just want to quietly conduct research and live peacefully, so why do they keep poking at me? They harassed my master endlessly too, and they still haven’t given up?”
“They’re probably worried you might leave for another country. After all, someone with your value can practically name any price.”
Five years ago, after Yevgeniya Ten left the Kingdom of Onze and transferred to Hohenheim, the council had become even more obsessive.
Though after Melody Jodiana’s death they finally regained a bit of conscience and calmed down somewhat…
But with my return, that’ll probably change again.
“To be honest, I half-expected Theo to try recruiting you long ago. I ran into him a few times, and every single time he subtly asked about you.”
“What? That’s the first I’m hearing of this.”
“Well, I only saw him again around five years ago myself. Then your master’s death happened before I could say anything.”
He actually did recruit her.
On a three-year contract basis.
Resting her chin atop her folded hands, Del sank into thought.
Honestly, the proposal itself had been unexpected.
The Theo she remembered had no interest in power.
No—despised it, if anything.
She had wanted to remain indifferent, but seeing him ask for help had made her unable to stop herself from asking:
‘Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in power?’
‘There is a reason I absolutely must become king.’
‘Enough to ask even a foreign mage for help?’
‘You’re not exactly an ordinary mage.’
‘What exactly are you plotting?’
‘I’m thinking of putting on a bit of a show.’
Truthfully, she had intended to refuse until the very end.
But then that idiot revealed his trump card at the worst possible moment, and she got dragged in.
If it was that magic, then three years was absolutely worth the price.
Still, there were things she didn’t understand.
Del swallowed down the words she could never bring herself to ask, her pride refusing to let them escape.
Why did you leave without saying anything, Theo?
After catching up with old acquaintances and preparing for next week’s conference and her return to the Academy, Del finally returned home around sunset.
“Welcome back, Master!”
“Yeah, I’m back.”
As Nike greeted her, Del carefully surveyed the apartment after stepping inside.
…He’s gone.
“Looks like that guy finally left.”
“Yes! He headed out right away.”
“Really?”
Good. At least he isn’t clingy.
Definitely a good thing.
Though she told herself she was relieved, Del still wore a deep frown as she changed clothes and sat at the dining table.
Perhaps still inexperienced at controlling her power, fluffy ears and a tail occasionally flickered into view around Nike’s head and waist.
Should divine beasts really be allowed to look this adorable?
Resting her chin on one hand with a small grin, Del asked expectantly,
“So, what’s for dinner today?”
“Well, um…”
Ding dong.
The doorbell interrupted their conversation.
Del exchanged puzzled looks with Nike, who stood frozen while holding a frying pan.
Gesturing that she would handle it herself, Del rose from her seat and walked to the entrance, casually opening the door without much thought.
And immediately came face-to-face with the man standing there.
“So, did the assassin finally talk?”
In the spacious living room, where a large circular magic array covered the floor, the man leaning against the wall glanced down at the watch fastened around his wrist.
The watch, crafted through special magical processing, functioned as a communication device capable of transmitting messages over vast distances using only minimal mana.
Unlike ordinary communication devices, however, its greatest advantage was that it could bypass magical barriers entirely.
Naturally, it was absurdly expensive.
“Yes, for now. We’re trying to clean up the people backing them as quickly as possible.”
“As expected, you’re competent. It’s reassuring having you around.”
“But is that really the issue right now? I did suggest it might be safer for you to leave the palace for a while, but the Rosa Republic?!”
A grumbling voice emerged from the watch, but Theodore accepted the complaints calmly.
“I’ll return every three days, so don’t worry. That’s why I installed the magic circle. Report only the matters that require my direct presence, and handle urgent business yourself otherwise, Zephyr.”
A king devastated by the queen’s death, shutting himself away and leaving state affairs entirely to his chancellor.
That was the role Theodore was currently playing.
Zephyr was capable enough that things would function fine without Theodore personally stepping in.
“…Why are you going this far?”
“Don’t worry. I’m still taking care of my responsibilities.”
“You could’ve simply sent subordinates instead.”
“It reduces assassination risks too. Isn’t that convenient?”
To his loyal retainer’s resigned sigh, Theodore responded lazily.
Even without seeing his face, Zephyr could clearly imagine the expression his lord wore.
In a low voice, he whispered,
“Edith seems rather dissatisfied. She doesn’t like you moving around alone so recklessly.”
“I’m not acting as king at the moment anyway. Besides, it’s not like I’m weak.”
“That’s true, but troublesome situations could still arise.”
“I’ll handle things myself, so don’t worry. I even prepared a fake identity, so things should be fine for a while.”
“…Why do you sound happy?”
“Because I am.”
Theodore answered readily, his lips curving into a soft smile.
Warmth untainted by pretense lingered in his forest-colored eyes.
“After all, I’m finally getting the chance to experience something called romance. It’d be harder not to feel excited.”
