A Father Is Coming
Louise spoke with aristocratic disdain toward the Tower Lord. “An impudent, shameless old fool.”
Isabel Confino had been staying at Danier Castle for three full days now. She had given every excuse imaginable not to leave. The first day it rained, the second her head ached, and today she had overslept.
Louise could not understand why the supreme leader of the Magic Tower had chosen to vacation in someone else’s territory. Of course she suspected Isabel of hidden motives. She had no doubt the Tower Lord was using this stay for some greater purpose.
She sent a servant to her husband to report the situation. That same afternoon she received both the king’s approval and a command to find out Isabel’s true intentions. Raymond returned to the estate at once.
“The Guardian of the Tower has arrived. The castle feels far brighter than usual.”
To ease the wife whose stress had reached breaking point, Raymond sat down to dinner with Isabel herself. He knew she was the Tower Lord and had come for rest, yet he had no idea what she truly wanted. He had already received the king’s orders to investigate. His heart was heavy, but he smiled all the same.
“One of your children visited the main tower, did he not?”
“Yes. Thanks to a fine teacher, the child received the title of Blessing.”
“Blessing? Who?”
Isabel, still eating beside him, asked. He answered carefully. “The ice mage Bertrand Danier. Seventeen this year.”
“Hmph.” Isabel snorted. “Seventeen years old and already Blessed? The world really is at their feet.”
At seventeen, one should either lack a title or be barely ready for standard mage status. Reaching just below Eternal rank was astonishing. Isabel’s face looked rather sour. Raymond, however, glowed with pride.
“It is thanks to the Guardian. Does the meal please you?”
“...It will do.”
The words “it will do” were too soft. Isabel was devouring the food with relish, glancing around. She asked, “Why is your wife not eating with us? Is she from a humble family?”
The question was clear: “Even though you have a guest of higher status and still pretend we are too poor to serve her properly, your wife refuses to appear. Does that mean the Saint-Clair blood is not what it claims to be?”
Raymond smiled the same gentle smile he always wore. Only the servants noticed the change in his mood and lowered their eyes at once. “Louise is a true member of the Saint-Clair house. As you know, it is the family that gave birth to the royal line of Anglier.”
The Saint-Clair Count had used marriage to gain enormous territories, then warred against the Anglier king and seized the throne through lawful means. After the king’s death, he was crowned king by proper succession. “Arthur the Third,” Raymond muttered. “That young upstart who had been king for less than ten years.”
At the time, the king had been nervous. He claimed to host a coming-of-age feast for the daughter of one of his ministers as an excuse to summon every vassal for a loyalty test. Raymond still tasted bitterness when he remembered being used. After that event he endured mockery as the king’s dog for some time. “Precisely. The king who pushed my marriage is the king of Anglier.”
Of course, at the time he had only been Count Saint-Clair and still a vassal of Morihan. The title remained Morihan’s. Now he was king of Anglier, but Louise was still a Saint-Clair. Since she had married him, she had taken the name Danier Countess.
“Half royal blood. Admirable.” Isabel laughed bitterly, her wrinkled hands already scooping dessert. Raymond clicked his tongue inwardly. The Tower Lord was so absorbed in food she had forgotten the way. He poured more wine and asked, “Where do you intend to go?”
He had expected refusal, yet Isabel answered readily. “The Mount of Light.”
A premonition almost like revelation struck him. No matter why Isabel went there, his daughter had to be at the end of that path! He had no idea how deeply Arian was involved, yet he knew the connection could not be mere coincidence. The daughter who had caught the eyes of the Serpine Count—the one whose praise the count had showered on Arian nonstop, declaring he would marry his second son to her at any cost—had been seen by Raymond. That very night he had sent a letter to Lid. The next dawn, the king’s reply arrived: simply “Understood,” with the royal seal. It was enough.
The next morning, while Isabel finished breakfast and rose to mount the carriage, Raymond offered the unexpected invitation. “Would you like to accompany me to the Mount of Light?”
Isabel narrowed her eyes. “Do you have business there?”
“My daughter receives lessons at the summit.”
“Ah, those ‘lessons.’” To the Tower Lord, lessons meant the realm of scholarship. Calling the petty skills noble girls practiced to raise their value “lessons” was beneath contempt. Yet Isabel could not refuse the offer. Danier Castle’s food was delicious and the grounds spotless. How was this possible? Danier and the Magic Tower sat in the same northern region. The tower enjoyed far greater wealth, yet Isabel had never eaten such fare or lived in such cleanliness. She wanted to maintain this luxury upon returning. For that she needed Danier’s people and their lord’s goodwill. Besides, they had not even left the north when bandits appeared four times. Something was wrong. Her party felt no unease. But if anyone could see it, it was Raymond Danier. Perhaps the journey would become smoother. “The king’s chamberlain’s offer is hard to decline. Very well. But remember—I have granted you a favor.”
Danier Castle was managed by Louise with absolute precision. Servants who had received thorough education never took guests’ words lightly. Every detail reached their superiors. Isabel’s disciples, who had encountered bandits four times in a short span, discussed the matter among themselves. If they spoke before their master, she would call them useless. Her two disciples killed during the rescue had received no compensation. If they were discarded, their standing in the tower would shrink. Yet at fifty, they had nowhere else to go. So they whispered in secret, “Why four bandits in just two days?” They found no answer. They never thought of servants as people. Their target was only Isabel Confino. Everything they said reached Louise through the servants, and she relayed it to her husband. Therefore Raymond already knew Isabel would accept the escort. Isabel was not foolish. She surely sensed something was amiss. Raymond also knew the answer to the question his party had been circling like an unsolved riddle: “Why?”
After breakfast, as Isabel prepared to leave, she saw the fully armed knight escort and frowned. “Why drag an entire knightly company when my one disciple is more skilled? Do you mock me?”
Raymond answered with a kind smile. “Without a strong guard, bandits and beggars will harass us constantly. If we kill them all, the tower’s honor suffers. If we fight one by one, we will not reach Hamilcar until next year.”
Isabel’s eyes widened. She clicked her tongue. “My party is becoming too troublesome.” Then she entered the carriage. Her two disciples finally understood and followed with relief. When Raymond mounted his horse, the knights followed. Among them was Jacques Bochel, who looked gloomy. “Oh no... something feels off. Going to the Mount of Light with the Tower Lord and a young lady? The premonition is terrible. No escape.”