Boy and the Winter Island (02) 019: The World of Mental Images
Mages yearned for a more beautiful, more enchanting mental image. Every mage prayed for one. But as the word "prayed" implied, a mental image wasn't something you could obtain just by wanting it. Some called it the gods' choice. Others said it came from fulfilling some yet-unknown condition. Amid all the rumors, those who awakened a mental image were invariably treated like treasures.
If a young lady who hadn't even undergone her coming-of-age ceremony awakened one, the entire empire would turn upside down.
And what Kalen beheld was unmistakably a mental image. A landscape like a painting. A surging flood of mana. Above all, his own profile etched into the stunning vista.
"...When did this become possible for you, my lady?"
It didn't seem like Eliana had deliberately revealed her mental image. Until recently, she'd been wandering on the brink of death. She hadn't even grasped the basics of magic, let alone awakened a mental image. That was why Duke Everchan Rakatus had hurriedly prepared magic lessons for her.
"When I was alone at night... I thought I wanted to see it one more time, and then it appeared..."
Kalen swept his hand through the mental image depicting his profile. If Eliana's words were true, not only had she awakened a mental image, but she'd intuitively figured out how to open it without anyone teaching her.
Had her talent blossomed after surviving a near-death ordeal? Yet the landscape felt too familiar for that.
Blamia's teachings had naturally covered mental images. No one knew exactly when or how they formed, but there were established facts. A mental image reflected the bearer's ideal paradise. It was mere conjecture without causal proof, but everyone with a mental image said the same thing upon gazing at their landscape: If I have a dream paradise, this must be it.
However, no one else's mental image contained a person like Eliana's did. Cases where the subject was oneself were exceedingly rare. And one depicting another person? Unheard of.
There might be people who kept their mental images hidden, but given the immense benefits, it was safe to assume there weren't.
Who would pass up the chance to rise from commoner to noble, or noble to high noble?
Nor was it certain that the landscapes stemmed from personal experience. An ideal paradise was, by definition, a dream. No one had ever visited such a perfect place.
That was why Kalen couldn't comprehend Eliana's mental image. A profoundly personal space called Winter Island. And himself—a total outsider—drawn into it.
It was so unprecedented that he couldn't make sense of it.
But one thing was crystal clear. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Everyone prayed for a more beautiful, more enchanting mental image, didn't they? If so, then Eliana had received the world's greatest gift in exchange for nearly losing her life.
"Ha..."
Kalen couldn't help but let out an incredulous chuckle. The expression on Eliana's face, as reflected in his eyes, was simple: she didn't care about mental images or anything like that. She just wanted to know what he thought.
Was she mad? Or purely innocent?
The youngest lady of House Rakatus didn't even realize the magnitude of what she'd done.
"It's a mental image, just as you said."
"I learned from you, sir."
"Yes, of course you did."
In the family head's study, Duke Everchan didn't bother hiding his astonishment as he continued.
"At first, I thought you were some freakish outlier. When I learned you could stay by my daughter's side, I was overjoyed. Hearing you'd cured that cursed disease? Unbelievable. But..."
Everchan chose his words carefully. No longer a disciple or a servant—the boy before him had earned the right to transcend such labels.
"Now you're even creating mental images for her."
"I didn't create it."
"Everything changed after you arrived. Including Eliana awakening her mental image. Especially the trust she places in you—it's downright frightening."
"In time..."
"Time? Hah, don't talk like a dreamer. Are you going to lecture me on betrayal through waiting?"
"My apologies for the slip."
"Yes, quite the slip. Her mental image's landscape, the figure etched there—it's all centered on you. Do you know how she answers when asked about it?"
"..."
Everchan wasn't angry. It stemmed from pure curiosity.
"'Kalen. Thanks to Kalen. Kalen is...' Every sentence starts and ends with your name. I guarantee you, right now, you're the only thing in that girl's head."
Kalen had nothing to say. Not out of guilt, but because no suitable response came to mind.
Everchan wasn't seeking an apology either.
"What are you, exactly? You resolve what we—I—were ready to die attempting, as if it were nothing. And all you want is to serve the old man?"
"Yes. That's the promise I remember from the start."
"...Hah. Haha."
Everchan slumped back in his chair, deflated.
"That was the original deal."
Kalen picked up the thread.
"But now I have a request."
"What is it?"
Everchan welcomed it, almost eagerly. He'd been frustrated at only receiving without giving—it wasn't his style.
"I'd like your research papers and related records."
"Why?"
"They're connected to treating the lady's illness."
"..."
Not piles of gold filling the estate. Not the empire's famed beauties.
Nothing like that. Everchan, deflated once more, simply agreed. He was an outlier, indeed.
The conversation seemed to be wrapping up.
"I'm planning to debut Eliana in high society."
"Understood."
"She won't go without you, I imagine."
"My bodyguard duties are complete."
"That'll break her heart."
It had been nearly three months since Kalen arrived at House Rakatus. A third of that was the journey north, of course. But he couldn't stay rooted forever.
"...It's awkward coming from me, but there's someone else who treasures me as much as the lady does."
"Is there a way?"
What flashed through Kalen's mind was the garden stroll from before. Everchan seemed to have a vague inkling.
"Yes."
"Good. Then she'll go alone to society. That girl who won't even leave her room without you."
"..."
"If the illness flares up again, there's nothing we can do. We'll all die together."
The intent was obvious. Kalen had already been dragged around plenty and wanted to refuse, but invoking Eliana left him no choice. By now, he'd grown quite fond of her too.
"You've changed somehow."
"Me? Not sure."
Kalen nodded as if he understood and left the study. As the door clicked shut, the faint smile on Everchan's face began to soften. The boy's bold words lingered in his mind.
Still, the outcome was good. With Eliana awakening her mental image, House Rakatus's position would solidify further. The fragile balance among the four great houses was due for a crack.
Having realized his love for his daughter, it was time to shoulder his duties as family head once more. Fortunately, as long as Kalen stayed by her side, that strange obsession seemed manageable. All in all, a relief.
But feelings were tricky things. And judging by his instincts, the boy wasn't one to be tied down anywhere.
He'd made excuses and thrown tantrums because Eliana begged so earnestly. But how long could they keep him here?
"...You'll suffer quite a bit, won't you, my daughter."
Pfft. Another silly mutter slipped out.
The Claire Empire's power structure had a peculiar trait. The four great houses—ranked just below the imperial family—were all removed from the capital.
This stemmed from one house's downfall.
House Dranus. Once a monstrous force that overshadowed even the imperial family. The ruins of that house formed the heart of the Claire Empire's capital, Mlrand.
Those who underwent their coming-of-age ceremony gathered in Mlrand to enter high society. It was practically a rule.
And now, a carriage more splendid than any other, framed in ornate gold, raced toward Mlrand. A large Rakatus crest adorned the right corner of its window.
"...Isn't this too soon?"
"Social debuts usually come after the coming-of-age ceremony."
"Yeah..."
"Still, you've mastered 1st Hierarchy magic quickly, and you have a mental image. No issues there, my lady."
It was beyond "no issues." Just having a mental image meant even those older or from superior houses had to defer to her initially. That was its weight in high society.
Moreover, Eliana's was indescribably beautiful.
What worried Kalen was her introverted nature. He'd try to keep his distance, but knowing it wouldn't be easy, that concerned him too. Scandalous rumors could derail marriage prospects.
There would be women-only gatherings where he couldn't stick by her anyway. Kalen wasn't oblivious to Everchan's intentions, but this still felt premature. She needed time to overcome her shyness, at least.
But what could he do? She refused to go without him.
All he felt was dread at the approaching farewell.
Thus, the carriage arrived in Mlrand.