Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Mage in the Forest (4)
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“What a shame. Truly a shame.”
On the way back in the carriage.
The Aubril Baron gazed out the window and let out a long sigh.
“For talent like that to be buried in a backwater place like this.”
The image of the mage girl he had just met, Lunaris Evermoon, still lingered vividly in his mind.
Overwhelming magic that didn't suit her small, frail frame!
He thought he'd seen plenty of mages while traveling around for public welfare projects, but this was the first time he'd encountered someone of her caliber.
“I was surprised too, my lord.”
The knight riding alongside him nodded.
“She's got every reason to be arrogant, yet she's humble to boot. She'll go far in the future.”
The baron nodded with a bitter smile.
“With talent like that, even the imperial court would welcome her with open arms.”
“Especially in this day and age when mages are so scarce.”
Mages had always played a crucial role as deterrents in warfare.
Magic was incredibly useful in everyday life to begin with.
There were endless applications, but skilled mages were few and far between, making each one precious.
“And Lady Lunaris isn't just any ordinary mage, is she?”
“An advanced mage, a master of both water and wind attributes, no less. And she's only just old enough to enroll in the academy.”
“She'd surely shine as an ace in the Imperial Mage Corps. She might even surpass the captain and become the first transcendent-grade mage since the founding of the empire.”
The knight finished speaking and clamped his mouth shut with an awkward expression.
Did I get too carried away?
But the baron was even more excited.
“Indeed. If only we could place a talent like that in a key position at the palace...!”
He lamented that he himself, having made the recommendation, would receive no small reward from the imperial court.
Regret dripped thickly from his voice.
“But Lady Lunaris is so stubborn. She didn't seem inclined to leave the forest at all.”
“Hm. That's just youthful whimsy because she doesn't know the wider world. Seeing that confirms she's definitely sixteen.”
The Aubril Baron would never imagine that Lunaris's refusal to leave her cabin was simply due to her laziness.
“She just needs a little motivation, that's all...”
At that moment, the knight seemed to recall something and made a suggestion to the baron.
“By the way, my lord. Didn't they say the imperial court is dispatching a mage to investigate this incident? What if we consult with him?”
The Aubril Baron's eyes lit up.
He nodded with a satisfied smile.
“That's a brilliant idea.”
Recently, I'd regained my life of sound sleep.
Today's bed was fluffy soft, and the blankets were delightfully puffy.
The village had returned to peace, and the forest seemed back to normal too.
And I'd cleanly fended off the lord who tried to drag me off to some strange place.
It was truly the perfect, blissful life of sloth.
Lately, I'd been whiling away the time researching herbs.
It wasn't like I was particularly worried about Lia's injured leg. Absolutely not.
This was just a way to kill time out of boredom from reading books all day. I'd simply found a new hobby.
As I lay sprawled on the bed, yawning lazily and stirring the bubbling cauldron...
“Luna~ Could you open the door for me, dear?”
Auntie's voice came from outside.
With a snap of my fingers, the door opened on its own.
“Come on in, Auntie.”
“How've you been? You're getting prettier by the day, Luna dear~”
“Ahaha...”
“What's your secret? Must be all that good sleep, right? Sigh~ I should get some rest too, but my husband's snoring wakes me up every night.”
Auntie entered the room carrying a heavy bundle.
It contained the usual groceries and daily necessities, plus the herbs I'd specially requested.
“Here, I brought the herbs you asked for too. It was tough finding any since everyone in the village is banged up~ Ho ho!”
I took a single gold coin from the pouch on the table and placed it in Auntie's hand.
“Oh my, gold? Don't you have silver? I don't have enough change.”
“It's fine, Auntie. You go through the trouble of coming all this way every time.”
“Really? Ohoho! How generous~ But this is too much, so let's call it payment in advance for the next groceries too.”
To be honest, I'd forgotten where I put the other coins.
I could search the room and find them, but it was too much hassle.
“By the way! Thank you so much for what happened last time. You saved the villagers' lives.”
“It was nothing. Just luck.”
I hadn't expected the gratitude, so I awkwardly fiddled with my hair.
“I don't know the details, but those ice chunks raining from the sky are still fresh in my mind. That was magic, right?”
“Yeah, well... something like that?”
“Goodness, I had no idea you were a mage. You spend all day lying in bed, after all. Honestly, I worried if you were really making a living.”
“Ahaha...”
“So that man who came to the village must be a mage too?”
...Huh?
“No~ Your coworker said he wanted to meet you, so he came along~”
“Coworker... what?”
What the heck is this now?
Coworker? As if I could have one.
I don't even have a job!
“Ho ho, what a fine view and fresh air you have here.”
At that moment, my so-called 'coworker' according to Auntie appeared.
He was a man exuding a mature aura, with streaks of gray in his hair.
“The mana is rich too. Truly a splendid place.”
Of course, this was our first meeting.
“...Who are you?”
“Who else? I'm Lady Lunaris's coworker.”
“???”
“Well, more precisely, a prospective coworker?”
“???!!”
What the actual hell?
“Lovely lady, thank you for guiding the way. Thanks to you, we didn't get lost in the forest.”
“Oh, you~ Don't say such silly things, ho ho!”
This guy must have terrible eyesight.
No other explanation for mistaking me for a coworker.
“Well then, Luna, see you next time.”
“Wait a minute. You're leaving this weirdo here and...”
“Huh? But he's your coworker, isn't he?”
...And you believe that?
“Doesn't that sound ridiculous to you?”
“What nonsense is this? A fine gentleman like that wouldn't lie.”
My head was starting to heat up, just a little.
“Come down to the village sometime. I'll slaughter a chicken and stew it up nice and tasty for you.”
...Am I the one about to get slaughtered here?
But Auntie ignored my silent plea and left just like that.
-Creak, thud.
Now, only I and the stranger remained in the cabin.
-Bubble bubble.
In the silence, only the sound of boiling water echoed.
“Then, allow me to reintroduce myself.”
He slowly opened his mouth with his usual affable smile.
“I am Albert Marselin, Vice-Captain of the Imperial Mage Corps.”
“...!”
I flinched involuntarily.
And for good reason—it was an extremely familiar name.
The contents of Academy's Tenacious Mage scrolled through my mind like a feed.
It had been seven years since I started living in this world.
This was the first time I'd encountered a 'named' character from the novel in the flesh.
But... the Albert I remembered was definitely...
“Vice-Captain...? Not the Captain?”
“Hm? Yes, that's right.”
My mind was in turmoil.
It seemed this was 'before' Albert became captain—in the past.
The main story of the novel...
Hadn't even begun yet.
I'd barely fended off the lord when an even bigger fish showed up.
Not just one or two ranks higher—this guy was practically from the top echelon, dropping in unannounced.
My instincts screamed a warning.
Get tangled with this man, and I'd be dragged into something exhausting.
In front of me, brimming with wariness,
the Vice-Captain leisurely surveyed the room.
He spotted the cauldron bubbling with herbs in one corner and spoke with interest.
“Brewing herbs, I see. I hope I'm not interrupting.”
“You're interrupting big time.”
At my deadpan tone, the Vice-Captain burst into laughter—haha.
“My apologies. But I have a truly important proposal that I must deliver to you, Miss Lunaris.”
“Proposal...?”
“The Imperial Mage Corps desperately seeks talents like you, Miss Lunaris.”
I could guess the rest without hearing it.
“Have you ever considered coming to the capital?”
“The Imperial Mage Corps? That's way above my league.”
The answer shot out without a moment's hesitation.
“I'm still sorely lacking.”
My expression dripped with reluctance.
But the Vice-Captain ignored my poor attitude and laughed again.
“Haha! As humble as ever. But if you were truly lacking, our former Captain Evermoon wouldn't have taken you as his granddaughter.”
...What? What's this now?
“Former Captain?”
“No way! Did Grandfather never mention me or the Imperial Mage Corps even once?”
“...You know my grandfather?”
I furrowed my brow and asked again, and the Vice-Captain nodded with a smile.
“Of course. Back when I was a lowly member, I learned a great deal from former Captain Evermoon.”
His words stunned me properly.
“He scolded me often, but thanks to that, I'm now Vice-Captain, leading others.”
It was a bit of a shock.
I'd thought the 'Captain' bit was an absurd lie, but it seemed to be true.
And why not? The Grandfather I remembered was just an imperial mage lackey who gaslit me daily.
I'd assumed he had some inferiority complex or something.
No... even so, being Captain of the Imperial Mage Corps would put him at the pinnacle of imperial power.
Why would someone like that live in a rundown cabin like this?
Did he get caught up in something shady and go into hiding...?
“Um... Vice-Captain, what kind of man was my grandfather?”
“A man who devoted his life to magical research and the empire's welfare.”
Fortunately, Grandfather hadn't committed any clan-exterminating crimes.
“Even on the day he retired, he returned all his wealth to the crown, asking that it be used for the advancement of imperial magic.”
Instead, he was a fool who'd earn resentment from his own kin.