Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Elopement Rumor
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The next day, I simply walked into the classroom as usual, yet for some reason, all eyes were on me. Whispers rippled through the room at the same time.
“Yawnnnn……”
I had no idea why, but I was so exhausted I felt like I might die, so I decided not to think about it.
My body was already in rough shape from the <Ledacable> incident, and pushing myself because of Casena had caused my fatigue to explode.
I flopped right into my assigned seat, spread out a thick textbook like a pillow, and buried my face in it when the sound of haughty footsteps approached.
“Pulling an all-nighter studying? Hmph, aren't you overdoing it already, worried about getting caught by me in the finals?”
Christa Warden sat down with aristocratic arrogance in every motion and spoke up.
“It's only natural to be so desperate. After all, I'm Christa Warden, right here beside you.”
“……”
“It's still two months away, though. Isn't this a bit too eager? Well, go ahead and struggle all you want. The outcome's already set in stone.”
Christa, who had been chattering noisily, suddenly scanned the classroom atmosphere, then leaned in to whisper softly into Rain's ear.
“Hey, how's Pitch doing?”
“……”
“It's not like I miss Pitch or anything. If something happened to him while he was with me, I'd have to compensate you, that's all.”
Gertrude Fenton, who had to watch over her lady's foolish antics again today as her attendant, felt a headache pounding like her skull might split and pressed her forehead.
“Please, miss, just pick one—act tough or get friendly.”
“Tch, friendly? This guy's my rival! I was just asking out of curiosity!”
“Sigh…… Leave it be. She seemed really busy lately.”
“What? You know what she's up to?”
A mischievous smile flickered across Gertrude's lips.
“Oh my, you haven't heard? The rumors are all over the streets already. Of course, they're just rumors, so nothing's confirmed. That's why the classroom's so buzzing today.”
“What is it? Spit it out already.”
“A black-haired boy apparently tried to elope with the young lady of the Page family but got caught. Hohohoho.”
Elope? Elopement—that's the thing from novels, right? Where lovers run off together?
Christa's face flushed beet red in an instant, and she suddenly started pounding Rain's head from behind.
“You……! Dating in this sacred hall of learning?! Don't you know boys and girls shouldn't sit together after seven? If you lose to me pathetically because of some romance, I won't forgive you—I mean it!”
Even then, Rain didn't lift his head.
At that moment, a strange realization flashed through his mind, making his body stiffen.
‘The young lady of the Page family?’
Her name was Casena Page, wasn't it? He'd only seen her once, at age six…… She was lively and got along well with Sandra Kepel—that's what he remembered.
The problem was, after that, she'd never appeared at any public or private events, not even once.
‘Then what? Gertrude's just messing around again.’
There were even rumors she'd died, and Christa seemed to believe it halfway. If she were alive, she'd have enrolled in <Delaiten> this year.
‘Hmph, nothing to worry about.’
She herself wasn't sure why she'd instantly thought there was no need to worry.
* * *
“The revival of the great mage Lin?”
It took a full minute for Elin Ludwig's spinning head, lost in shocking confusion, to calm down.
“Isn't that a good thing? He accomplished the impossible during the chaos era. Wouldn't it be great if he came back?”
Who was the great mage Lin?
The man who wielded all eight elemental foundations of magic so freely he earned the moniker Elemental Master.
A genius among geniuses who devised dozens of practical formulas that turned mere armchair theories into real-world applications.
Just producing that boy elevated the mid-tier Osarius Academy to one of the Eight Great Academies.
If that boy had lived and returned, magic would surely have advanced several times over, and he himself would have reached the truth, becoming the third Sage.
“It's not that simple.”
Interrogator Biljiwin shook his head with a sigh. He added that everything he was about to say was classified.
“According to Lord Haraderiman's oracle, Lin's soul has already left that body.”
“……What?”
“The body trapped in ice will never awaken—that's what he said.”
The Light Dragon Haraderiman's epithet was ‘The Radiance That Caresses the Whole World,’ and it was said his divine light perceived everything happening in this world.
Elin Ludwig couldn't hide a strange sense of disappointment at those words.
Every mage dreamed of Lin's return while reading his heroic tales. They fantasized about meeting that legendary senior who'd achieved the overwhelming feats.
“That's…… well, a huge shame. But would someone like Tureina not know this? And isn't she already dead?”
A smirk crept across Yuliana's face.
“She's not the type to die so easily. There was once a perfect chance, but I let it slip due to my mistake.”
“You tried to kill your master…… that historical giant? Isn't she your teacher?!”
“It was the path for the world's sake. When do you think Tureina started researching black magic? It's not a short story.”
The shock of a disciple trying to kill her master was immense, and the revelation that Tureina was alive and delving into black magic was staggering.
If Elin weren't a genius but an ordinary person, her mind might have frozen for at least several dozen minutes.
Interrogator Biljiwin pressed his forehead wearily.
“The Abyss always tempts humans with longing for those they love. Even someone with Tureina's mana couldn't escape that desire.”
Yuliana gave a wry smile.
“She was never free of that desire, not once in her life…… That poor woman lived her entire life in longing.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Biljiwin cleared his throat and spoke again.
“……Anyway, what Tureina was promised is Lin's revival.”
“Lies.”
“It's from Lord Haraderiman's oracle. Honestly, linking it to Lin makes sense of how Tureina became the head of the Black Church.”
The three FakeWarriors—humanity's strongest soldiers—were already scattered across the continent on missions to investigate and eradicate the Black Church.
The FakeWarrior roster was originally twelve, but training even one required immense manpower and funds, so they operated with just two or three in peacetime.
“Something big is coming soon. Even Haraderiman can't see it perfectly. That's why things are so tense.”
As Elin listened, her body grew languid, her consciousness slowly slipping away.
‘Huh……?’
She realized too late it was the effect of the hallucinogen mixed into Yuliana's cigarette smoke.
As Elin slumped over the desk, Yuliana placed a hand on her head, closed her eyes, and murmured a dragon tongue incantation.
A simplified version of the runes witches used—the chant-type altigma dragon tongue—that commanded the spirits drifting in the atmosphere, just like dragons.
Soon, white mist seeped from between Yuliana's fingers gripping Elin's head, and fragments of Elin's memories flashed beneath Yuliana's closed eyelids.
“How is it?”
“This woman didn't borrow it.”
It was her nephew who'd borrowed it…… And she was just covering for him. Finally, Yuliana removed her hand from Elin.
“We got the wrong person. It's not her. It's her nephew.”
“If it's Elin Ludwig's nephew, that would be Rain Ludwig.”
“Oh? A famous one?”
Interrogator Biljiwin shrugged lightly and wrote ‘no suspicion’ on the investigation report.
“He's under surveillance by the Magic Blind Special Forces. They tried to interrogate him over <Ledacable>, but Special Forces blocked it.”
“The black market at his age?”
“Apparently. A peculiar talent. No need to worry. If anything seems off, Doran Slade—that flawless guy—will handle it right away.”
Unlike the interrogator, Yuliana eyed the name Rain Ludwig suspiciously.
‘He went to the black market searching for Tureina's book…… Interesting……’
* * *
“You caused quite the spectacle yesterday, Rain Ludwig. Trying to run off with my darling daughter? I nearly fell over in shock.”
Lunchtime had just started (he'd been planning to nap), but he'd been summoned to the chancellor's office and was hearing this from Madelia Page.
Yesterday's events had spread like wildfire across the city. Thanks to her distinctive hair color and the peerless beauty inherited from her mother, the rumors had wings.
Above all, the Page heir, whose whereabouts had been mysterious, had reappeared in public…… It had nearly caused a massive stir in the entire magic world.
“I'm sorry, Your Excellency. It wasn't an elopement—it was just a strategy…… I got too hasty.”
In truth, it wasn't much of a strategy; he'd just fallen for Casena's provocation. But he couldn't say that.
“Really?”
A smile crept onto Madelia Page's lips.
“I'm truly grateful you got hasty.”
“Pardon?”
“Last night, I had a real conversation with my daughter for the first time in nearly ten years. Her eyes were sparkling as she talked. She said she wants to learn magic. Learn it so she can walk again.”
He'd expected a scolding, so this response left him a bit flustered.
“That's encouraging.”
“Yes, you've given me a debt I can never repay.”
Seeing Madelia bow to him—a subordinate—with a smile mixing sorrow and joy stirred his emotions. He had to wave his hands hurriedly.
“I haven't done anything yet. It's just the beginning.”
“But how exactly do you plan to make her walk?”
“Electrical signals. Sending currents through the nervous system with magic.”
At those words, Madelia Page's eyes lit with realization as she paced slowly toward the window of the chancellor's office.
“Such a method…… No, but could Casena even use it?”
“The magic involved is beginner-level, 1-star to 2-star.”
“2-star is beginner? Hmm, setting aside the magic level—it's not about that. Applying current to your own body could cause massive internal damage with even a slight mistake.”
Her eyes said: You're able to do it easily because you awakened Bell Sidias at your age and can read your internal mana circuits.
“I think it depends on her own effort.”
Madelia hesitated briefly at that, then shook her head firmly.
“No, I can't allow it. Her body's already ruined. Attempting something so unrefined in her state would only damage it more.”
“……”
“But what you achieved is truly remarkable. She said it herself—she wants to learn magic?”
“To be precise, she said she wants to learn magic to walk again with her own strength.”
“That's secondary! The important thing is she's interested in magic. Learning it will open new possibilities and futures for her!”
Madelia spread her arms wide with immense optimism…… But was this truly the path Casena wanted?
“Wouldn't that be lying to her, Your Excellency?”
Casena didn't want to learn magic. She wanted to walk.
Magic was merely the means, a tool to walk again on her own power.
Madelia sighed, as if admitting it was her own selfish desire, and collapsed onto the reception sofa.
“But we have no other options, do we? Tell her to learn magic and wait—someday it might work.”
She said that, but Rain couldn't fully disagree with Madelia.
The burden on Casena's broken body…… It was definitely too focused on his own perspective.
But what was magic?
「Those who seek will find, those who search will discover, and those who knock will have the door opened.」
Magic was the path to hope, the path to the gods' mark gifted to humanity by the Black Sun Karenden. There had to be another way.
“Could you give us some time? I'll look for a detour.”