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Episode 6
No!
I couldn’t let all these people see Isaac’s hand snap off and fall to the floor.
What if the Crown Prince was among them?
That would mean instant execution.
If the Crown Prince got suspicious and started investigating, we’d be exposed in no time.
Isn’t there some way to stop this?!
If I were a more skilled dark mage, I could have strengthened Isaac even temporarily.
Right now, he was basically no different from my familiar.
But every time Rev nagged me to train dark magic, I just avoided it. Of course I had no idea how to use enhancement spells!
Rev… I guess not listening to you is coming back to bite me now.
I didn’t have time to dwell on that. I frantically reviewed my pathetic dark magic skills and picked out what I could do.
Yes. This could work!
I quickly clenched my fist tight. My nails dug into my palm, the pain sharp and clear.
There was no time to hesitate just because it hurt.
Just a little. Even a single drop is enough…!
Crunch.
My fingertips felt slightly damp. I carefully calmed the thing wriggling in my palm.
Good. That’s it. You can go break the light up there, right?
The thing in my hand thrashed as if it understood perfectly. When I quietly opened my palm, it slid down the leg of the chair and melted into the floor.
A dark mage’s blood is, in itself, like a familiar.
That’s why even someone as close to a beginner as me could draw a bit of blood and give it a simple command.
“Lady.”
“Yes?”
I tried my best not to look startled.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Ah… the duel?”
Tristan nodded calmly. His face was as cold as ever, but after years as a clerk, I could tell—he was genuinely interested in the duel.
“Normally, I’d say my brother Isaac would win. But as you know, his condition isn’t very good right now.”
“Sir Isaac’s strength is usually praised most, but watching this duel, that doesn’t seem to be his only advantage.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off Isaac as he spoke.
“His technique and sense are impressive. He’s using his opponent’s strengths against them, while barely breaking a sweat himself.”
That’s probably because he can’t sweat.
Instead of saying that, I smiled softly and nodded. Aside from his wrist hanging by a thread, the flow of the duel favoured Isaac.
Harold was drenched in sweat, fully focused on attacking, while Isaac calmly dismantled every move.
I glanced up at the ceiling.
My blood-familiar had already crawled up the wall and positioned itself near the light.
Just a little more…
Isaac’s wrist was at its limit. Somehow, faintly, I could feel his condition too.
“Tch. You keep dodging like a rat.”
Harold wiped the sweat from his face and reset his stance.
“Let’s end this.”
“No, wait.”
Isaac tried to stop him, but Harold didn’t listen.
“Then here I gooooo!”
As if it was his final blow, Harold raised his sword high and charged. If his posture collapsed even a little, it would backfire—but this was clearly his trump card.
No matter how Isaac dodged, it would put stress on his wrist.
“Raaaah!”
BOOOOM!
A deafening crash echoed as thick dust exploded into the air. This wasn’t a sandy arena—something like this almost never happens indoors.
“What—what was that?!”
“The floor broke! The floor shattered!”
“Who won? Sir Isaac? Or Sir Harold?”
The training hall was filled with chatter. As everyone tried to figure out the winner, I secretly let out a breath of relief.
That was close.
As the dust slowly settled, blurry shapes emerged.
The first person to appear was Harold—his face pale as death.
“It’s Harold!”
“Did Harold win?”
But then Isaac, still standing, came into view. The crowd fell silent.
Clink.
A piece of broken lighting rolled near Isaac’s feet with a soft sound.
Yes. The light.
Between Isaac and Harold lay the completely shattered ceiling light that had just fallen. The damaged floor was from that impact.
A light as big as a grown man’s torso had fallen from the ceiling. Someone could have been seriously injured.
“You…!”
Harold’s face twisted violently as he screamed.
“Why did you save me?!”
“Am I really that insignificant to you?!”
He shouted in rage. It wasn’t hard to guess why he was sitting next to the fallen light.
“Let’s go again. A proper, fair match!”
“That’s enough.”
Tristan stood up beside me.
The entire hall went silent. Harold looked like he still had more to say, but he shut his mouth, unable to defy the Crown Prince.
“There was an accident, and no one was hurt. That alone is a blessing. We’ll end things here today.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Sir Isaac. You’re alright, I presume?”
When Isaac didn’t answer, Tristan pointedly asked again.
“…Yes. Of course.”
Isaac forced a smile. Tristan couldn’t see it, but I could—there was already a crack running through his wrist.
After pushing Harold away, that wrist had clearly reached its limit.
“Good. Take both men to the infirmary. Sir Duke, you’ll oversee the cleanup.”
“Yes! Understood!”
A knight named Duke snapped to attention, suddenly assigned the task.
“Your Highness. May I request permission to leave early and return home? I’ll have my condition examined by my personal physician.”
Showing his body to the imperial doctors was out of the question. Tristan readily agreed.
“You look unwell. Go home and rest.”
“My thanks, Your Highness.”
Isaac hid his wrist and bowed. As he stepped back, he gave me a quick wink.
He’d realized the falling light was my doing.
Unbelievable…
Why did he have to pull something like that, at all times?
Still, I could guess the reason. Isaac only ever lost control when his family was insulted.
But the Walker family has one very symbolic flaw.
Me. Emily Walker.
You’d think he’d be used to it by now, but every time, Isaac acted like it was the first insult I’d ever faced.
“Haa…”
I sighed without realising it. Tristan, walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
Before I knew it, we were standing in a small garden of Juliet Palace, between the training hall and the office.
Was my sigh that loud?
Otherwise, why would the Crown Prince stop so suddenly? I swallowed as he turned to look at me.
“Lady.”
“Y-yes?”
“It seems you noticed as well.”
“…Pardon?”
He stroked his chin and lowered his gaze. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but standing among the blooming roses, even his eyes looked like rose petals.
“The Walker family has long been blessed by God. Nothing particularly surprising. Sir Isaac didn’t seem to notice, though…”
“…Excuse me?”
I could only respond dumbly.
“Yes. That’s the reason I placed the knight order on alert.”
“…I’m sorry, but I truly don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I understand not wanting to be deeply involved. However, if you possess the ability to sense remnants of dark magic…”
“What?”
I forgot my manners and stared at him, eyes wide. He had just said dark magic.
Have I been found out?
That thought rose instantly. Was that why he’d led me to this secluded garden?
I instinctively stepped back—and bumped into Werner behind me.
I was surrounded.
A chill ran down my spine. Werner laughed, clearly amused, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Your Highness, you’re scaring the lady. I’ve told you before—your gloomy face makes young ladies run away!”
“…I had no intention of frightening her.”
Tristan awkwardly stepped back instead. The mood between the two wasn’t hostile.
At the very least, it wasn’t how one would treat a dark mage—the public enemy of the continent.
I haven’t been exposed.
That realisation eased my heart.
“Lady, please don’t hide it. During the duel earlier—didn’t you already know the light would fall?”
“You looked up at the ceiling before it happened.”
That was it?!
I’d only glanced up to check if things were going well. Had he noticed that?
“Recently, we’ve begun suspecting that dark mages may be active again.”
That sent a chill straight through me.
Tension crept back into my body. How did they know? Had I left some trace?
“That’s why we’re investigating on our own, but there are limits. We use various tools to track dark magic residue, but they’re limited and mostly single-use.”
Werner spoke gently, like he was soothing a frightened child. He clearly thought I was scared of being cornered.
“That accident earlier—just in case, we used this detector. And it reacted to dark magic!”
Because I used it…
“It seems you were born with the ability to sense this kind of magical energy.”
Because I’m a dark mage…
“Would you cooperate with our investigation?”
Werner looked at me with sparkling eyes. When I turned, Tristan was also quietly watching my expression.
This is insane.
Did they even realise what they were saying? Asking a dark mage to help hunt dark mages?
Of course they don’t…
If they did, I’d already be dead.
Part of me wanted to refuse and pretend I knew nothing—but it wasn’t that simple.
Dark mage investigations had nothing to do with a clerk’s duties. This was like asking a clerk to do their boss’s kid’s homework!
But who protests unfair orders?
He was my superior. I’d be seeing him every day.
Keep your enemies close, right?
If they really knew something, staying close and monitoring the investigation might be safer.
“We’ll, of course, provide additional overtime pay.”
Tristan quickly added. And honestly, I didn’t have inheritance rights to the Walker fortune.
“…I’ll do it.”
I had no other choice.
