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CHAPTER 09
“Edith, are you serious?”
Behind the woman fastening her cloak over armor woven from Weydin leather, Zephyr blinked nervously. Edith, already fully prepared and lifting her own pack, turned back to him.
“Don’t ask such obvious things, Zephyr.”
“If you leave your post at a time like this, you’ll definitely draw suspicion.”
“You worry too much. Isn’t that exactly why I’m going to make myself disappear in style?”
A royal inspection was scheduled soon, but after receiving intelligence about an assassination attempt, the king had only sent Edith Leportne, his escort knight, along with a few others to the site in order to catch the conspirators in one sweep. Most of the knights who responded to the ambush returned alive—but Edith Leportne alone would suffer a fatal injury and go missing.
—That was the scenario. For now.
“But think about it. What loyal subject would just sit still with no news of His Majesty?”
The inspection itself and the assassination plot were both real. The only variable was that the king, who was supposed to accompany them, had been out of contact for three days.
“…Isn’t it just that you were bored staying in the palace?”
“Well, that too.”
The rose-pink hair tied high swayed lightly. Unlike Edith’s grin, Zephyr repeatedly wiped his face dry before speaking calmly.
“Don’t worry about the palace.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Still, are you sure about going alone?” Mera, the head maid standing beside Zephyr, asked worriedly.
Edith tapped her chest confidently with her fist, as if to say not to worry.
“Don’t worry, Head Maid. I don’t have that short a lifespan.”
And neither does my lord.
“Then I’ll be going. Please take care of the palace.”
With their send-off, Edith strode out confidently.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s class.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
The sound of books closing rang out cheerfully as students packed up their things. Del, having finished his final lecture of the day, glanced at the students leaving while tidying the books on his lectern.
The backs of the rushing students looked rather cute. I used to be like that… or did I? Come to think of it, no one really even talked to me.
By the time he graduated, he realized it was because of his master’s reputation—and the fact that from the very first class, he had used magic as naturally as breathing.
He had transferred into the academy in his fourth year of the six-year program, and after just one semester, the school seemed to realize the gap in level and assigned him almost entirely advanced upper-year application courses.
“Professor, I have a question about this part.”
Three students approached Del—two girls and one boy. Dana Elos, Adela Brent, and Aiden Hayes, if he remembered correctly.
A freckled girl with red hair held out her notebook, eyes sparkling.
Since there was still time before his next appointment, Del kindly finished explaining. Perhaps because he tried to simplify it as much as possible, the students’ eyes lit up with understanding.
“Professor, I came to this school because I admire you!”
“Oh, really?”
Dana, putting her notebook away, chirped like a bird. Del smiled faintly and added,
“I’d be glad if you don’t end up disappointed. I don’t really have much of a connection with admiration.”
“Anyone in the Republic would admire a magician like you!”
At the word “magician,” Del chuckled. Not professor—but magician. It really hit him that these were new students.
“Alright, do your best. Your next class is…”
“‘Healthy Body and Magic,’” Dana answered.
“Oh. Then you should hurry. If you’re late, you’ll be running five laps around the field.”
Aiden frowned in dissatisfaction.
“We came to the academy to become mages. Why do we have to train physically?”
“Hmm, because magic isn’t all-powerful?”
Del answered calmly, recalling a memory of his master.
“Magicians who rely only on magic often end up in danger when they can’t use it. For example, if an opponent uses a mana-sealing tool, or in sacred grounds where mana flow is restricted, their power drops significantly.”
At the time, Del had replied flatly.
“I see.”
“Of course, there are ways to cover those weaknesses. You can just become physically strong!”
That’s how he had been dragged through so-called “physical training disguised as exercise” when he was young.
Even now, remembering those days made him grit his teeth—but objectively, it wasn’t entirely bad. Mages were usually perceived as physically weak, so it was useful to surprise opponents.
Still, when he thought of competing with Theodore, it felt a bit unfair. That guy had trained at the same intensity since childhood and could even carry a tired Del on his back.
“If it’s heavy, I can put you down.”
“You always insist on strange things. I’m supposed to say you’re as light as a feather for you to behave?”
“…Am I really that light?”
“No way. Ugh, you’re heavy, my whole body hurts.”
Even while complaining, the arms holding him were steady. As expected, his words and actions never matched. Del buried his face lightly against his shoulder.
Thinking about it now, it was embarrassingly childish. He didn’t even behave like that with his master.
Del shook the memory away and spoke to the students.
“So, when facing a mage, close combat is usually preferred. After all, battles are decided by who lands the first hit, wouldn’t you agree?”
As he spoke politely, he suddenly wondered if his mannerisms were similar to Theodore’s. The thought he had buried surged back to the surface.
He hadn’t heard from Theodore in three days since they parted like that. What on earth was he doing after saying they’d meet at home?
“Also, there are many ways to counter magic. There are even beings completely immune to it, so having countermeasures is never a bad thing.”
Dana, who had been diligently taking notes, rolled her eyes and suddenly asked,
“Then, Professor! Are you not in a relationship?”
“Hm?”
Where did that come from?
“I saw it! Chairman Brent came to give you a bouquet of flowers!”
The students’ eyes sparkled even brighter than before, and Del felt slightly awkward. It wasn’t anything so romantic.
If anything… more like a fisherman waving bait in front of a fish he was trying to catch.
“It’s just a bit of acquaintance. Nothing more.”
“But he gave you a bouquet of pink roses!”
“Curiosity that seeks what lies beneath surface appearances is admirable for a mage, Elos, but there really is nothing like that.”
“But my uncle seems quite interested in you.”
Adela, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke.
Del asked in confusion.
“Your uncle?”
“The one you just mentioned.”
Del mentally pinched his brow. Adela Brent. The surname had already felt ominous—but was she really related to Emil Brent?
Ridiculous. How common could the name Brent even be? Out of all people, why did one of his students have to be his relative?
“It is an honor to receive attention from such a fine gentleman, but I have no interest in anything beyond research. Does that answer your question?”
With that, Del quickly ushered the three students out of the classroom. Once he was finally alone, he wiped his brow.
“Honestly… do newspapers really have nothing better to report? Printing things like that.”
Muttering under his breath, Del looked around to confirm no one was there, then snapped his fingers.
At that moment, a magic circle appeared beneath him, and his body was drawn downward.
In an instant, he arrived at another location and changed into a blue dress hanging nearby. He could have worn a robe, but… there was no need to reveal his identity.
With a light touch to his hair, his pure white strands quickly turned pink. His eyes shifted to green, makeup subtly altered his face, and he placed a wide-brimmed hat decorated with flowers on his head, carrying a small handbag.
Good. That should do it.
With another snap of his fingers, Del arrived in a rather luxurious reception room. Emil Brent, sitting on the sofa, paused mid-motion as he saw her sudden appearance.
“You arrived quickly.”
Del tilted her head at his stunned expression.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so surprised?”
“For a moment, I thought you were someone else.”
“Oh, I changed my appearance a bit. I tend to stand out.”
Few people knew Del’s face, as she disliked being photographed.
Of course, her violet-silver hair alone was far from ordinary, so some disguise was necessary. She would pass inspection at the entrance anyway—and she was confident she wouldn’t be caught.
“Do all magicians enjoy popping up everywhere like this?”
Emil crossed his arms after pulling his hand from his pocket. Del shrugged her exposed shoulders.
“Better than being noticeable.”
“You really do dislike attention.”
“If I could live quietly, I would. Do you understand my sincerity?”
“I understand, but you don’t seriously think that’s possible, do you?”
Instead of answering, Del confidently held out her hand.
“Shall we go?”
“Good evening. It’s been a while, Councilor Brent.”
“Yes, it has been a while, Mr. Layton.”
At the top floor of the Polonell Hotel in the central district of the capital, a large number of well-dressed guests gathered in the grand banquet hall.
The man who shook Emil’s hand glanced at the short-haired woman standing beside him and blinked.
“And who might this lovely lady be?”
“Hello, whoever you are. It’s nice to meet you.”
A fluent foreign language cut through the conversation. Layton looked confused and turned to Emil.
“She is a guest from abroad. Our families are acquainted, and she expressed interest in the event.”
Emil improvised smoothly. After the middle-aged man left, he turned to Del with an exasperated expression as she blinked innocently.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Pretending to be a foreigner. Pretty convincing, isn’t it?”
“Could you at least consult me first? Do you know how startled I was?”
“I didn’t think you’d have trouble with Desend language.”
“I can speak it, yes… You’re more capable than I expected.”
Del chuckled behind her hand. Unlike her usual sharp demeanor, her playful smile momentarily stole Emil’s attention.
Before long, the surrounding lights dimmed. A spotlight illuminated the stage.
“At last, the long-awaited product announcement will begin.”
