Three Years Ago (2)
The evening in the Royal Capital saw smoke rising from chimneys in every household. Winter days were short. The clock had barely struck six, yet complete darkness had already swallowed the sky and the earth. The four-horse carriage carrying Theodora rattled across the evening streets. The ride was far from comfortable, and Theodora's brow furrowed. Sarah, the personal maid who had served Theodora at the main estate, sat across from her. She must have come to the Royal Capital following Count Benning. Sarah wore a broad smile, clearly delighted to see her mistress after so long.
“Is it uncomfortable, my lady?”
Theodora pressed her hand against the seat and nodded. “Just a little longer. Please bear with it.”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
Sarah shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to it. You spend your days riding on horseback, so why is this so bothersome?”
“It’s different from riding a horse.”
Sarah smiled faintly at Theodora’s reply. “What is it, Sarah?”
“Nothing. It just feels like you’ve changed a lot.”
At those words, Maxim immediately surfaced in Theodora’s mind. “Is it thanks to Young Master Maxim?”
Theodora blushed slightly and glared at Sarah. The only person before whom she could show her emotions so openly was Maxim—aside from Sarah. “Don’t bring that up at the villa.”
Sarah laughed and answered, “I know that very well.”
The carriage traveled for about twenty minutes before arriving at a mansion within the Royal Capital. Though not particularly large, it stood in a prime location near the Royal Palace. It was the villa Count Benning used whenever he traveled to and from the capital. Theodora stepped down from the carriage and gazed at the villa, its windows glowing with light. The coachman accepted the tip Sarah had prepared and drove away with a cheerful expression.
“This place always feels unpleasant,” Theodora muttered as she stood before the villa’s entrance. Sarah looked at her with concern, but Theodora offered a faint smile. “Don’t worry, Sarah.”
Theodora’s expression hardened, returning to its usual coldness. The villa’s main door opened. A neatly dressed servant emerged and bowed deeply toward her. “Welcome to the villa, Lady Theodora. I will escort you.”
Theodora gave the servant a brief glance. He straightened and led the way inside. “The Count is waiting for you.”
The drawing room was not far down the corridor. Theodora and Sarah stepped carefully across the soft rug into the room. Carefully—though that was hardly the word one would use for a daughter meeting her father. Not if it were any other family but the Bennings.
Theodora had lost her mother at a young age and had been raised by the family’s retainers in her mother’s stead. Her memories of her mother were faint; she could only recall them when standing before her portrait. Stories of her parents from that time came from the retainers and her nursemaid, but none of their accounts could be fully trusted. Her father was strict, though not unjust. She rarely saw him smile—perhaps only when she showed progress in her swordsmanship. Yet for some reason, even as a child, Theodora had felt fear whenever she saw that smile.
In the center of the drawing room sat Leon Benning. He had black hair and gray eyes like Theodora’s, but unlike her eyes—swirling like storm clouds—his were cold and inorganic, like carved ashen crystal. Those eyes met hers and creased into a wrinkled smile.
“I greet the head of the family.”
A fireplace burned here as well. Leon Benning tapped the armrest and spoke. “It’s been a while, daughter.”
Father. Leon Benning, the Count. He remained a figure of fear for Theodora. “Have you been well?”
Leon Benning sipped from a cup of tea. “Sit down first. Speak comfortably. This is your father’s presence, after all.”
“Yes, Father.”
Theodora hesitated before taking a seat on the sofa. Though the fabric was exceedingly soft, she found no comfort in its touch. She turned her head to look at the other person seated beside Leon Benning.
“It’s been a long time, my lady.”
“Baron Bourdin.”
For some reason, Emil Bourdin, head of the branch family, was seated in the Benning villa. Baron Bourdin offered a friendly smile and gave a slight nod. Theodora’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
“I summoned you because I have matters to discuss with Baron Bourdin. Pay it no mind.”
Leon Benning spoke in an even tone. “By the way, have you eaten?”
“Not yet…”
Theodora shook her head. Leon Benning nodded as if pleased. “Then let us talk over a meal.”
Leon Benning rose, hands on the armrests. Theodora followed him toward the villa’s dining room. As if anticipating that she had not eaten, a meal had already been prepared for her, steam still rising from the plates. Seated at the head of the table, Leon Benning speared a slice of meat with his fork. Bright red juices dripped from the meat onto the plate. “I hear the academy’s final exams are approaching.”
Leon Benning twirled his fork before bringing the meat to his mouth. He chewed and swallowed slowly. “Are you properly prepared?”
His eyes sharpened as he stared at Theodora. “As always, I’m preparing thoroughly.”
Theodora answered as if it were nothing. “Good. Theodora, I have no doubt you will do well.”
Leon Benning picked up another piece of meat. “But one can never be careless with academy exams. Especially the final one.”
His gaze grew meaningful. “The final exam will be quite difficult, Theodora. Far more than you imagine.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Leon Benning seemed to know something. Theodora had no intention of asking what. The conversation ended there. Aside from the occasional exchange between Leon Benning and Emil Bourdin about palace politics, the table remained silent. Theodora said nothing and quietly cleared her plate.
“Sarah.”
“Yes, my lord.”
After finishing his meal and wiping his mouth with a napkin, Leon Benning called to Sarah, who stood behind Theodora. “Bring that item I received today.”
“Understood.”
Theodora watched Sarah’s retreating figure as she left the dining room on the Count’s errand. “An item?”
Theodora asked, but Leon Benning offered no reply, as if unwilling to elaborate. When Sarah returned, she carried a small bag that clinked softly, as though it contained glass bottles. Leon Benning opened the bag and placed it on the table, then withdrew its contents to show Theodora.
“This is…?”
As expected, it was a glass bottle. The slender-necked, plump vessel was filled with a crimson liquid like blood. Theodora recognized the object with difficulty. “Is this… a potion?”
Leon Benning nodded. “A very potent one. It could revive the dead, provided they aren’t truly gone.”
He gave the bottle a gentle shake. “Keep it. Use it if you find yourself in danger during the exam.”
Theodora accepted the glass bottle with a dazed expression. “Th… thank you.”
If the potion’s effects were as Leon Benning claimed, obtaining it was no easy feat. It would require connections to the Magic Tower—strong ones. It meant her father was paying close attention to her exam. Theodora ran her fingers over the bottle.
“Well then, we’ll be going, Emil. Theodora, feel free to stay as long as you like.”
Leon Benning rose with Emil Bourdin. Even after they left the dining room, Theodora sat staring blankly at the potion.
“You must use it well.”
Sarah smiled as she looked at the potion. Theodora clutched it tightly. With this, she now had one more means to protect Maxim during the final exam, where anything could happen.
In the villa’s second-floor study, Leon Benning stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window. The carriage carrying Theodora and Sarah disappeared into the dark streets.
The “potion” was now in Theodora’s hands. All that remained was to wait for the academy’s final exam to conclude as planned.
“I assume you’ve finished coordinating with the Magic Tower? They said preparations were complete?”
Emil Bourdin stood behind Leon Benning. “Of course. The dungeon serving as the exam site has been modified exactly as you requested. When Lady Theodora and that man enter together, the dungeon will change accordingly.”
“All this effort just to crush a single insect.”
Leon Benning clicked his tongue. Emil Bourdin spoke as if to console him. “This opportunity has also strengthened our ties with the Magic Tower.”
“The unnecessary expenses were considerable. I told Theodora time and again to focus only on her sword and not be distracted.”
Leon Benning sighed. “Tsk. Thanks to that, the introduction to the Second Prince will be delayed. I had only just dropped a hint.”
Leon Benning’s expression darkened. Silence filled the study.
“…My lord.”
“What is it, Emil?”
“But is it truly acceptable to set the dungeon’s final guardian to target only Lady Theodora and not that man?”
Emil Bourdin asked. “Of course. That Maxim fellow will surely try to protect Theodora to the very end.”
Leon Benning gave a thin smile. “Imagine the final guardian relentlessly pursuing Theodora’s lover instead of Theodora herself. She would undoubtedly throw herself into protecting him without regard for her own safety… In that case, the one needing the ‘potion’ would change, wouldn’t it?”
“It seems you trust the young lady.”
“Indeed. I never expected her to change this much.”
Leon Benning turned his gaze to the distant night sky. It was not a clear one.
“Remember only the grand design. The day we seize this kingdom is not far off.”
Leon Benning murmured to himself.
The final exams had begun. The contents of the graduation exam, finally revealed, caused quite a stir.
Practical Exam: Two-Person Teams, Underground Dungeon Conquest
“These days, people actually go looking for dungeons to buy?”
“If one appears, it needs to be subjugated, but… did knights ever do such things?”
“So this is what they meant by anything could happen.”
Though the graduating cadets found the exam contents strange, they generally accepted them. Among those who had taken the written exams, a peculiar sense of anticipation even began to circulate. It was an exam involving the conquest of a dungeon—something none of them had ever experienced, only heard of in adventure tales. It was only natural that the inexperienced cadets’ hearts fluttered with excitement.
“Attention, everyone!”
The bald instructor’s shout cut through the cadets’ restless excitement. The day was unusually cold for early winter. It seemed the true northern cold wave had finally arrived. Maxim focused on the instructor with a mix of excitement and worry. His neck felt bare; the scarf that had once wrapped around it was now around Theodora’s.
“As you’ve been notified, the practical final exam you will now take will be held in a dungeon provided by the Magic Tower.”
The instructor pointed his thumb over his shoulder. Beyond the shadows of the dense forest stood a massive cave, its entrance gaping like a black maw.
“Your goal is to descend through the dungeon, overcoming its various defenses, and defeat the guardian protecting the core on the lowest floor.”
The instructor glanced toward the dungeon. “That dungeon will test everything about you. Your ability to respond to situations, your instantaneous judgment, your strategies and tactics… And since recklessly swinging an Aura Blade could cause the dungeon to collapse, its use will be heavily restricted.”
The instructor ended with an encouraging shout to bolster the cadets’ courage. “Give it everything you have. Your score will be based on your methods and the time taken. If you find yourselves in danger, don’t forget to call for an instructor.”
Maxim looked toward Theodora, standing a short distance away. At that moment, their eyes met as she turned her head toward him. Theodora carefully mouthed the words.
Good luck today.
Maxim smiled back at her. If they were in the same team, it felt as though they could overcome anything. Truly, it felt that way.