Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Rift (3)
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Clop-clop— clop-clop—
Lian focused all his attention on the horse's swaying gait.
"It's our tradition that you learn swordsmanship from others, but horsemanship only from your parents. We've taken it so for granted that I assumed everyone else did the same."
Albero, leading the way, explained the Madella Island nobility's tradition as he urged his horse forward.
Horses were the primary means of transport connecting the vast island's far-flung corners.
Thus, they had become symbols of familial bonds.
Passing down riding skills from parent to child also signified carrying on those bonds.
"Then Lord Leon must not have received proper riding lessons from Francis."
"Pfft...!"
Albero's shoulders shook violently.
He seemed to fancy this sort of humor.
"It's a secluded forest path anyway, with no eyes on us. Feel free to laugh."
"Oh, no! I didn't even hear what joke you made...! Carlota, you too!"
Lian looked down at the crown of the girl's head riding in front of him.
She was so focused on guiding the horse that her hands gripped the reins tightly in tense stiffness.
"Hey, Carlota?"
"Lord Albero. Your daughter seems unable to hear anything around her right now."
"What...? Yes? S-sorry. What did you say? I was concentrating..."
"Look at this."
"Haha. No need to be so tense. We won't be picking up speed today, so relax."
"Ah. Yes."
Albero's eldest daughter, Carlota, bowed her flushed face slightly.
It had been Albero's idea for Lian to ride with her.
He figured she'd get the hang of it quickly if he held the reins from behind and guided together.
Of course, he wasn't hoping for any romantic sparks between them.
Lian was a married man, newlywed at that.
And in Albero's eyes, his pubescent daughter was still just a child.
"I could have come another day. I'm not causing inconvenience to Miss Carlota, am I?"
"She's enjoying it, so it's fine! I mean, riding the horse...!"
Carlota, meanwhile, had been fantasizing in her head about growing old happily with Lian and naming their grandchildren.
"Still, thanks to this, I'm starting to get the knack. I'll always remember today's favor."
She'd just added great-grandchildren to the fantasy.
About forty minutes after setting off at a trot.
Lian and the father-daughter duo arrived at the Delico farm without incident.
"Lian. What do you think?"
"Looks problem-free. Seems Lord Leon handled it properly."
All that met the eye as they surveyed the surroundings was vast greenery.
Not even a single wildflower remained; it had all been neatly cleared.
"Phew...! Finding headless corpses while tidying the flower beds left a bad taste. Glad it's sorted!"
"Ah. Those guys..."
Lian gave a wry smile, recalling what guard Pablo had told him about the human traffickers' end.
They'd probably been used as human mulch after death.
"Still, just to be sure, let's circle the whole plot."
Human work is never perfect.
Especially since the farm's grounds were so expansive.
After about an hour of prowling around.
"...It's quiet."
"Hm. Well, nothing's here now."
It was too clean. Impossibly clean.
Not a speck of magical residue lingered.
Lian sensed something off about that.
The court magician's magic and Delico Matron's were similar in texture, but distinctly different.
Yet they'd cleaned it up this thoroughly, as if fully comprehending her magic?
Of course, it might be a hasty judgment without fully grasping magic...
"Let's check that cabin over there last before heading back."
Lian finally inspected the cabin where Delico Matron and the children had stayed.
Like the flower beds, it was cleared of everything, not a scrap left behind.
Even the girl's corpse, rooted like a tree, was gone.
"Oh, we can use this as the nursery you mentioned!"
"But the interior needs some repairs."
"Whoa! What a mess in here...!"
Traces of that day's fierce battle remained intact, though.
"This is what happens when trouble strikes? Did a bear bust in or something?"
"Worse than a bear. Never want to tangle with it again, in any case."
"Well said! So the legend of the magic hunter begins here!"
Albero's eyes sparkled as he examined the ominous scars on the floor and walls.
This was definitely...
Going to make big money someday!
"Hey, Lian! Why not turn this into a memorial hall...!"
"It's for the children, so please repair it cleanly."
"Huh! Wouldn't that be a waste? It could be a fine attraction."
"Repairs. Please."
Slump—
For a fleeting moment, the family man had dreamed of a future tourist spot, but his shoulders drooped dejectedly.
After one more sweep of what was now little more than a plain meadow.
Lian returned to the Faro family mansion.
Looking up at the sky, the sun had already tilted well toward the west.
"Returning now would make it quite late. Why not stay the night?"
"If you'll have me, I'll gladly impose."
It was a distance that took a good three or four hours even by carriage.
He'd already anticipated a day trip might be tough and gotten Isabel's permission in advance.
"Rest easy in this room, then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Ah, could you prepare a water basin?"
"Water basin?"
"Yes. Something about the size of a large plate."
"Hm. Alright."
As he rested in the guest room he'd been shown to.
A short while later, a knock came, and a servant brought a suitably sized silver tray and water pitcher.
"Will this do?"
"Thanks. Perfect size."
Once the servant left.
Lian drew the curtains over the window, poured water into the tray, and concentrated.
Ripples soon spread amid the chatter of a nosy busybody.
"Show me the Delico farm when the flowers were removed."
The water calmed, reflecting a green landscape.
But it wouldn't come into focus.
Like a rain-streaked window, everything was foggy and blurred.
"Huh. What's wrong...?"
Lian decided to try a different command.
"Show me where Delico Matron is now."
But the same issue.
It was as if something interfered, preventing a clear image.
Come to think of it, during Leon's succession ceremony, asking to see the wine glass closely had failed the same way.
"Wait... Is it affected by other magic?"
Like radio waves on similar frequencies interfering.
It couldn't properly reflect magic-related things.
"Only one try left. What to ask for..."
As Lian pondered, ripples urged him for the final command.
The previous two had been fruitless.
Stopping here meant no more magic until morning, so he had to choose carefully.
Tap-tap—
Then.
Something knocked on the window, breaking his focus.
Lian tried ignoring it at first, but the sound persisted, impossible to tune out.
A familiar frantic chirping.
It was the court magician's magic.
"Perfect timing. Asking the water tray is less reliable than that."
The water surface rippled more violently in protest.
Lian parted the curtains and opened the window.
A small bird flew in urgently with frantic wingbeats, as if waiting.
"Huh? How did you know I'd be staying here tonight?"
It must have been watching from a distance beyond Lian's detection.
Animal senses were fearsome indeed.
"Well, anyway, good timing. I had something to ask..."
Lian examined the bird controlled by the court magician.
Unfortunately, not a parrot type that could mimic speech, so real-time Q&A was out.
"Hey, Court Magician. Can you nod or shake for yes/no?"
But the bird just tilted its head blankly, staring at Lian as if baffled.
"Court Magician?"
Only then did Lian notice the magic felt different from usual.
The whispers sounded oddly monotonous, so faint he'd missed it before the tapping.
The bird felt lightly enchanted somehow.
Gurgle—
Suddenly, the bird gaped its beak wide, shuddered violently, and vomited a small metal tube.
Flutter-flutter—
Then it flew wildly, bumping into walls and furniture.
"Whoa! What the...!"
Mission accomplished and magic released? Even the faint whispers vanished.
Thoroughly bewildering.
"Shoo, shoo!"
Still, Lian calmly lured the bird outside.
Thank goodness his skills from chasing birds in fields hadn't rusted.
"This grumpy old coot... Finishes his business and pulls this stunt."
Grousing at the court magician's inconsiderate act, Lian examined the metal tube the bird had regurgitated.
A small note was rolled inside.
[The young pearl has replanted the old flower in the back garden.]
A cryptic short sentence.
But deciphering it wasn't hard.
The Monteir family's symbol was a pearl oyster, so young pearl meant Leon.
Old flower was...
"...That crazy bastard."
It seemed his worries had come true.
Under the bright full moon.
Isabel sat on the terrace, tilting her teacup.
"Lian must be coming back tomorrow after all."
"Riding in a carriage for hours is no small feat. Still, he should be back by lunch tomorrow."
"Honestly, is he married to me or to his work?"
Being the merchant house head and griping about such things was quite the luxury.
But thinking of spending the night alone after so long felt a bit lonely.
"Clear this away now."
Time for bed?"
"No. Planning to read a bit first."
As Isabel set down her cup and rose.
Knock-knock—
Someone knocked on her door, despite the late hour.
"Master Lian has returned."
"What? Already?"
The guard's report from beyond the door.
Instead of waiting in her room, Isabel headed straight to the entrance.
Lian, looking slightly weary, was walking down the hallway toward his room.
"Lian!"
"Ah, Isabel. I'm ho—"
"Are you in your right mind?"
"Pardon?"
"It's not the city, and driving a carriage outside at night is dangerous! What if you veer off a cliff!"
This wasn't idle nagging.
Luckily tonight's moonlight was bright.
But clouds could obscure the moon, leading to crashes into trees or overturned carriages.
"Huh? Are you worrying about me?"
"Of course. How long married and you try making me a widow again?"
"Sorry. But I was in a hurry."
Isabel's cheeks flushed faintly.
The reason Lian had rushed back despite the strain.
Must be he missed his wife.
"One night wouldn't kill you, you fool."
The maid watching the couple smiled warmly.
Who'd have thought the usually sharp-tongued mistress would show such a girlish expression.
The power of love!
"But I need to take a ship north to the port first thing tomorrow morning."
"What...?"
"It'll take days round trip, so business to handle ahead. Can't just lounge there."
"Oh. I see."
Isabel's face, warmed by love's glow, cooled sharply.
"If you're that busy, go handle it."
"Uh... Isabel?"
Turning icy, she shoved Lian's shoulder and stormed back to her room.
The maid glared at Lian just as coldly.
"Sigh. This time, Master Lian is definitely in the wrong."
"No... She wasn't like this before, honestly?"
"That's what makes it love!"
Under the maid's scolding, Lian gave an awkward wry smile.
Isabel had indeed been changing bit by bit since marriage.
He'd been treating her by old standards.
"What are you doing? Go make up with her!"
He'd have to schedule a special lecture from Albero someday on maintaining a harmonious home.