Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Eccentric Teacher
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"...What?"
Elbadin crossed his arms and looked at Noa as if he were pathetic, but Noa paid him no mind and continued speaking.
"Golden hair and golden eyes, traits only the imperial family possesses! Isn't the Empress rounding up and killing all the women favored by the Emperor? An illegitimate child could have been born in the midst of all that!"
Riat, standing beside him, chimed in.
"So you're saying a spell might have been cast to hide the hair and eye color—the signature traits of the imperial family?"
"Exactly!"
*That's my Riat! So smart!* Noa gave Riat a thumbs-up in praise before continuing.
"To protect the child born to a woman he favored, it's entirely possible, isn't it?"
*Hmm.* Riat nodded, finding the theory plausible.
At that, Elbadin, who had been listening in silence, leaned against the windowsill and pressed his fingers firmly to the bridge of his nose.
"Refrain from such nonsense. If one of the Empress's attendants were to overhear, they would insist on dragging the child away."
Noa scoffed at his words.
"Grand Duke. Ninety percent of what I say is nonsense. Telling me to stop is like telling me to sew my mouth shut."
"Noa."
Elbadin said his name again, a faint warning lacing his voice.
Only then did Noa shrug and reply.
"Alright, alright. But."
Noa leaned his upper body sideways against the armrest of the sofa.
"That kid... her mana purity is incredibly high. And the amount of mana she has is astonishing for her age."
*She has that kind of power, and there's even a spell on her to hide her identity?*
"She's no ordinary child, is she?"
"That's still under investigation. Something should come to light soon. Until then, focus on her training."
"I will. After all, she's a child with rare mana."
Noa flopped down on the sofa. He laced his hands behind his head, stared at the ceiling, and chuckled softly.
"With the right teaching, no mage will be able to match her after her coming-of-age ceremony."
*Well, well, this is going to be fun to teach.*
The corners of Noa's mouth lifted into a mischievous grin. Riat asked cautiously.
"...Is she really that remarkable?"
Noa nodded.
"Yep. The old man at the Magic Tower might even have to watch his back."
At Noa's words, Elbadin's brow furrowed slightly.
"That sounds like a perfect recipe for a mana overload."
At Elbadin's comment, Noa hummed, rubbing his chin.
"You're not wrong. The probability is high."
"..."
"..."
The mention of a mana overload cast a heavy silence over the office.
*Sigh.* With a sigh, Noa shot up from the sofa.
"This is no time for me to be lounging around."
He walked over to his robe hanging on the wall, took it down, and draped it over himself before turning back to Elbadin.
"Anyway, I'll teach her well. Who knows? Maybe I've finally found the disciple I've been searching for."
Noa walked to the door, raising an arm to wave.
"I'm off, Grand Duke. See you, Riat."
"Take care."
"Yep."
Noa kicked the door open and swiftly left the office with a light step.
Feeling a wave of fatigue, Elbadin rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips and turned his gaze back to the window.
Just then, he saw Serdian heading toward the east annex.
*'Looks like he stopped by the training grounds.'*
The cold north wind gently tossed Serdian's black hair.
*'Not everyone with the Emperor's blood is born with golden hair, Noa.'*
Elbadin watched the boy's back until he disappeared from sight.
***
At the same time.
Lucillea, having returned to her bedroom with Mei, sat blankly on the sofa, gazing out the window.
In truth, while her head and eyes were turned toward the view outside, her focus drifted somewhere in the empty air.
After the commotion in Elbadin's office, Lucillea found herself deep in thought about the spell cast on her.
*'Who cast this spell on me?'*
The question had been circling her mind, one thought leading to another, ever since she was in Mille Village.
Who? Why? For what purpose was this spell cast?
*'Could it really be a spell cast by the mother who gave birth to me, just as I suspected?'*
Of course, it was a question with no answer key. It was just a high probability.
*'If that's true, then my mother might have been a mage.'*
Elbadin possessed aura, so it was unlikely to be related to the mana Lucillea had.
Which meant her birth mother must have had mana.
But that, too, was just speculation.
*'Goodness... Nothing is clear.'*
It was frustrating. She knew the plot of the original story, so she knew a great deal about the main characters' narratives and the events to come.
*'But when it comes to my own story, I know nothing.'*
And it wasn't as if she could just go and ask Elbadin.
All she could do was piece together the scattered clues like a puzzle.
*'It's okay. I can figure things out bit by bit while living at the grand duke's estate.'*
There was no need to be impatient or rush. She had only just arrived.
*'Still, it's a relief that the spell on me can't be broken.'*
*My identity should be safe for a while, right?*
Was it because of that reassuring thought?
*Yaaawn—!*
Bathed in the soft, sunset-tinted light, Lucillea, who had been pondering deeply on the sofa, let out a big yawn.
The fading sunlight was exceptionally warm, and the sofa felt incredibly cozy against her back and bottom.
Perhaps because she was in a child's body, whenever she got a little tense or thought too much, sleep would inevitably wash over her.
Mei hurried over.
"You must be tired. Would you like to take a nap?"
Lucillea rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head.
"Nuh-uh, no. If I sleep now, I won't be able to sleep at night."
"Yes, that's a good point. Then, would you like to go for a walk? The sunset from the glass garden is absolutely beautiful, you know."
Mei smiled, pointing to the sunset outside the window.
"Hmm..."
After a moment's thought, Lucillea shook her head again.
"But, Mei."
"Yes, Lady Lucillea."
Lucillea leaned back against the sofa and said listlessly.
"I'm starting lessons tomorrow."
At that, the corners of Mei's mouth curved up gently.
"Yes, I've already heard from Sir Noa."
"Already?"
As Lucillea stared with wide eyes, Mei nodded.
"We spoke for a moment before he went into the office."
"Oh."
*I see.* Lucillea nodded slowly. Mei then leaned forward slightly and asked.
"What was he like? He's going to be your teacher from now on, after all."
"He was weird."
"Pardon?"
Lucillea's answer was without a hint of hesitation.
"He was talking informally to His Highness the Grand Duke, getting annoyed, and even grumbling. Is that allowed? For a mage employed by the grand ducal family?"
Lucillea crossed her arms, swinging her legs slightly as she furrowed her brow. Mei gave a faint smile.
"It's because he's a mage from the Magic Tower."
Lucillea tilted her head, looking even more confused by Mei's answer.
"Mages from the Magic Tower are allowed to do that?"
"Most mages belong to the Magic Tower, just as we are citizens belonging to the Seraphium Empire."
"Oh, so it's like another country, then?"
Lucillea spread her fingers above her head, making the shape of a crown.
"Then is Teacher Noa something like a prince from a magic kingdom?"
"Exactly! My goodness, how are you so clever?"
"Ahaha..."
Lucillea blinked rapidly, laughing awkwardly.
Mei gently straightened a few stray strands of hair over Lucillea's shoulder.
"Sir Noa is staying at the estate to find a disciple. And what better place to find one than our grand ducal estate?"
*True, many children are brought here after being chosen by the Elite Corps.*
Lucillea nodded as if she understood.
"So he's not a bad person?"
"No. In fact..."
"In fact, what?"
"Umm."
After a moment of thought, Mei put a finger to her chin, tilted her head, and said.
"An idiot?"
"...Huh?"
*An... idiot...?*
As Lucillea stared at her with a blank expression, *Shh!* Mei brought a finger to her lips and smiled brightly.
"It's a secret just between us, okay?"