Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Let's Go on a Trip
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I just stared at the two of them with cold, jaded eyes.
Perhaps feeling awkward, Jenia cleared her throat and got straight to the point.
"Veronica, want to come to my room for a bit? There's something I want to show you."
"Sure! Shall we head out now?"
Veronica agreed readily. As we walked, we filled her in on everything about Lumié.
The place we'd met, her fairy-like appearance, and even the thread connecting her to me.
Veronica pondered this for a moment before speaking up with a puzzled look.
"I'm not really sure just from the description. The church I grew up in only had the scriptures or cooking recipes for books... Nothing like that is mentioned in the holy texts, right?"
Normally, she'd have learned more by entering the church by now, but she was still just a girl our age.
Maybe seeing Lumié in person would reveal something.
We arrived at Jenia's room and opened the door.
Lumié was sprawled out on Jenia's bed, fast asleep with cookie crumbs around her mouth.
'What a charmed life...'
As I debated whether to wake her, Veronica spoke up with a confused expression.
"This is... I can faintly sense the light you saw on His Highness, but it's so weak. It feels like a stigmata wrapped in something."
Her words only deepened our confusion.
"You can feel the light from the stigmata you mentioned?"
"Yes, I'm certain. It's light woven like a rope from every color, yet they don't mix."
"So, it's definitely connected to a god?"
Veronica nodded at that.
"Yes, that much I'm sure of."
We'd need to investigate further.
For now, all we knew was that it was tied to a god.
The vaguest idea that came to mind was an angel.
Nothing concrete yet—just guesses. No immediate solutions.
As we puzzled over it, seeing Lumié so blissfully asleep irked me, so I pinched her nose lightly.
[Umm... Sleepy...]
Caught off guard, Lumié woke up with messy hair, grumbling in annoyance.
She puffed out her cheeks a bit and said,
[What... Master, too...]
Mid-sentence, Lumié blankly looked up at Veronica, then fluttered over and landed on her shoulder.
"Oh?"
[You're... warm too... Yawwn~]
Seeming to sense something from Veronica, Lumié was already snuggling up.
Veronica smiled endearingly and asked,
"What should I call you? Angel? Or fairy?"
Lumié, yawning with a drowsy face, mumbled,
[Lumié... I'm Lumié.]
With that, she drifted back to sleep.
Veronica felt the warmth on her shoulder and smiled softly.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Lumié."
Watching warmly, Jenia spoke up.
"Veronica, it's late. Stay in my room tonight."
"Oh, may I impose?"
"Of course!"
It was getting quite late, and everyone looked tired.
Fatigue hit me too, so I bid them goodnight and returned to my room, collapsing into bed.
'Alright, time to prepare...'
We'd depart for the marquisate in two days, so I planned to rest and regroup until then.
I surrendered to sleep as drowsiness overtook me.
Time passed, and now servants bustled around outside the palace, loading luggage onto carriages headed for the teleportation magic circle.
They probably avoided installing one inside the palace to prevent intrusions.
The past few days had been uneventful.
I trained, practiced a bit of magic with Lumié, and Veronica diligently followed Lily around, learning her duties.
Hearing that the captured heretics had already become beast food was disappointing, but we could always catch more.
Jenia swung her sword diligently through breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
No matter her talent, we couldn't throw a girl who'd held a sword for less than a week into real combat.
I didn't expect her to help right away, but I was bringing her along to test if capturing enemies alive and delivering them intact would yield experience points.
As for Lancelot...
'Huh? Never seen that face before?'
'Hello, friend of the Apostle!'
'Apostle? Who?'
'His Highness the First Prince!'
'Hey? Liam, where'd you pick up this weirdo and train him? Tsk tsk, knew you'd cause trouble.'
Just thinking about the insolent guy who raised my blood pressure made me realize he'd adapted surprisingly fast.
Then again, he wasn't normal either.
Lost in these trivial thoughts as I watched the carriages, my mother approached with the servants.
For now, I'd told her we were visiting the magic tower with friends.
Considering what we were actually up to, she'd faint from shock otherwise.
Still unaware of her son's audacious plans, she approached me with a gentle smile.
"We greet the Moon of the Empire."
"Your Majesty the Empress, what brings you here?"
"Hehe, to see my prince before his trip—without even stopping by to say goodbye."
Embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head, and she laughed, handing me a letter.
"Just kidding, Your Highness. Could you deliver this to Grandfather for me?"
A beautifully wrapped letter landed in my hand.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"Sa... Saintess, too..."
'Damn it!'
Turning around, I saw Veronica in her outing attire, staring at my mother with a look like she was three seconds from blurting it out.
Sensing the intense gaze, Mother glanced at Veronica behind me.
"Oh? Your Highness, who's this cute young lady? Where's Lady Jenia?"
"Saint..."
"Sorry for the late introduction, Mother! This is the new maid Lily brought along. She passed all the tests with flying colors—very diligent."
How could I say in front of Mother, 'Haha! She's a priestess excellent enough to revive me once even if my body's mangled!'
Mother seemed to accept my explanation.
"Oh? Lily picked her by face? How adorable. Come here, dear."
Snapping to, Veronica flinched but stepped forward before Mother.
Mother smiled and spoke.
"Hehe, you can look up. It's fine."
Veronica raised her head to meet Mother's eyes.
"So, you showed excellent skill? What's your name?"
"Th-this servant is Veronica, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Impressive for someone so young. Take good care of His Highness from now on."
"Yes! I will!"
Seeing them chat amiably, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Mother was kind, but if Veronica grabbed her hand and called her 'the great mother who bore the Apostle,' even I'd be in trouble.
As they talked, Jenia descended, dressed prettily in a gown.
"We greet the Moon of the Empire. Your Majesty, I hope you've been well."
"Lovely to see you, Lady Jenia. Dressed like that, I'm worried His Highness might lose his mind. Hehe."
As they conversed, a servant announced the carriage was ready.
"Your Majesty, we should be off."
"Yes, Your Highness. Have fun."
Her words about having fun pricked my conscience, but sometimes lies are sweeter.
We boarded the carriage, where Lancelot was already sprawled out snoring.
Fast sleeper.
"Alright, let's go! I've got so much to experiment with there."
-Zzz! Snort snort- Snore!
"To think I'll see the magic tower so soon!"
-Rrrumble.. Hack!........... Pffft!
I considered tossing out Lancelot, who made noises like a snoring grandpa, but since no one minded, I ignored it too.
I used magic to block his sounds.
And so, we set off for the marquisate.
In the emperor's office, a space meant to be quiet buzzed with an uninvited guest.
"Those kids, safe travels! Come back stronger!"
Maxim shouted from the window behind the emperor, watching the departing carriage. The emperor winced, head throbbing.
"If you're bored, do some work. Don't make a racket."
"You, man, at least glance at your kids leaving."
The emperor sighed at the remark revealing where Lancelot's insolence came from.
"He's a fool of a son. He'll manage."
Maxim glanced at his father and said,
"Then give him work. He goes off finding trouble because you leave him be. Come to think of it, didn't you run from the palace around this age, causing chaos?"
Irritated, the emperor furrowed his brow deeply.
"I fled to survive. The prince is heading into danger."
"Similar enough~ You two are spitting images! Haha!"
Maxim laughed heartily before turning somber.
"Those kids... aren't they too strong for their age? Like preparing for war..."
"Don't talk nonsense."
The father cut off Maxim's ominous words.
But he vaguely knew too.
Suspiciously, great talents always sprouted like weeds before major crises.
Both sets of parents could only worry deeper.
We arrived at the marquisate via the teleportation circle.
A slight jolt accompanied our transfer with the carriage.
"Wow! Real teleportation! The real magic tower!"
Jenia exclaimed in awe; it was her first time.
Makes sense—surviving took all her effort before.
Even so, the Marquisate of Florence was close, so it was cheap mana-wise.
The farther the distance, the more mana it guzzled—too far, and the imperial mages would've collapsed.
After praising the exhausted mages, we stepped out.
Grandfather waited with a grin that threatened to split his face.
"Your Highness! Haha, impressive every time! I read the letter, but scaling another wall already. You'll catch up to me soon!"
"Thank you for greeting us despite your busy schedule, Grandfather. How are the tower mages?"
"They're red-eyed, searching for you."
Apparently, after I helped as a mana viewer in exchanges, they fought over me, eyes bloodshot.
-This morning, I'm serving His Highness!
-I've waited since last night—move!
-Your Highness! In the report on 'New Considerations for Light Magic via Medium'...
'Oh boy.'
Just imagining it made me busy already.
I didn't mind the mages, but urgent matters came first.
"Grandfather, send the carriage to the marquisate. We'll head straight to the tower."
After switching carriages, I introduced my companions.
"Grandfather, this is Lady Jenia Ardell, Duke's daughter and my future fiancée."
Jenia curtsied gracefully.
"An honor to meet you, Marquis of Florence."
Grandfather watched warmly, then frowned and asked her directly,
"Pleased to meet you, Lady Jenia. Sorry on our first meeting, but I'm worried. Any heart issues?"
Jenia flinched, trembling pupils turning to me.
Grandfather's eyes saw through her.
I nodded reassuringly.
"As expected, Grandfather. Jenia, it's fine—show him."
As Jenia pushed away surrounding mana, Grandfather's eyes widened in shock.
"Lady, did you just repel mana? Astonishing. What ability is that?"
He'd sensed it immediately.
"It's my innate ability. I can push mana away from my heart."
"Heavens, if true, no mage could touch you. Still, be cautious—blocks physical magic output, but not guaranteed against all."
"I'll heed your advice."
Still concerned, more questions followed.
"No issues gathering mana?"
"Actually... slight trouble with breathing techniques."
"Makes sense. His Highness can help there. Enjoy your fiancé's perks."
"Pardon?"
Grandfather nodded knowingly, but Jenia looked lost.
It meant direct mana infusion from me.
Hand-to-hand transfer would work fine.
Probably...