Chapter 86: The Teacher from the Magic Tower (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: The Teacher from the Magic Tower (2)
“Shall we stand up and try our greetings again?”
“Yes!”
Melissa asked in a cheerful tone, clapping her hands together. I quickly scrambled to my feet.
“My Little Lady, do you know how to greet an adult who is older than you?”
“Um, I gweet Your Majesty?”
“Yes, that’s right! You’re so smart.”
“Hehe.”
Melissa praised me while stroking my hair. I simply gave her a bright, innocent smile like a true child.
“The titles differ for each adult, but I’ll teach you those slowly.”
“Okay.”
“Then, do you know what you should do while saying that?”
“Um, like this?”
I performed an awkward curtsy, mimicking what I had seen from Veronica out of the corner of my eye. Melissa burst into applause.
“You did wonderfully, Little Lady!”
“Hehe.”
“But when you curtsy, hold your dress like this… yes, yes, just like that. Perfect.”
Melissa taught me with great skill. She was meticulous without being overbearing or getting annoyed, despite me being a child. Thanks to her, I was able to master the curtsy in no time.
“I gweet my teacher.”
“Wow, you did it perfectly!”
Melissa cried out in delight. I puffed out my chest with pride.
[It feels like watching someone teach a three-year-old.]
Be quiet.
[Hmph.]
Desmond turned his head away as if he were losing interest. It seemed he had been hoping for a truly wicked person to show up so the demons could punish them.
Contrary to the demons’ wishes, however, the teacher assigned to me was a very kind person. Come to think of it, since Veronica and Dantalion were the ones meticulously looking into everything related to me, it was unlikely they would let anyone strange near me.
“Dia, have you been learning well?”
“Mama!”
Veronica entered the room. I ran over and threw myself into her arms.
“I greet the Ducal Lady.”
“Thank you for coming, Miss Melissa.”
Veronica gave a gentle smile as she watched Melissa perform a perfect curtsy, befitting an etiquette teacher.
“It was your summons, My Lady. Of course I had to come,” Melissa replied with a bright face. It seemed the two of them had known each other for a long time.
Wait, Melissa Renid?
That name sounded familiar. I tilted my head, lost in thought, as I tried to recall details from the original novel that I had forgotten.
Renid? No way… The Madwoman of the Magic Tower, Renid?
My jaw dropped in shock.
Renid wasn't a character who appeared directly in the original story. The Magic Tower was a highly secretive organization that rarely showed itself, especially since it was at odds with the Temple.
Renid was a mage of the Magic Tower, a hell-raiser so wild she earned the nickname 'Madwoman.' In the original plot, she joined forces with Dantalion to help oust the Empress Dowager and Cedric.
The scene where the Capital Temple collapsed due to a magical tool Renid created was truly a spectacle. Since she was mostly referred to by her surname in the novel, I had been slow to realize who she was.
“It’s late, but congratulations on your marriage. As I thought, you suit being the Empress much better than a Marchioness!”
“Fufu, thank you.”
Veronica chuckled at Melissa’s upbeat exclamation.
The Madwoman… They called her the Madwoman of the Magic Tower…
It seemed Melissa, like Dantalion, had also turned to the dark side after Veronica’s death in the original story. Looking at her bright expression now, which showed not a single trace of a 'madwoman,' I clicked my tongue inwardly.
But why did a mage from the Magic Tower come here as an etiquette teacher?
It was strange. Of course, mages from the Magic Tower often hid their identities in public, so she could easily sneak into the Imperial Palace by pretending to be an ordinary teacher. However, I couldn't imagine that Veronica or Dantalion were unaware of Melissa’s true identity.
I looked back and forth between Veronica and Melissa with suspicion.
“Dia, Mommy is going to talk with the teacher for a moment. Can you play quietly here?”
“Uh-huh.”
Furthermore, Veronica left the room to talk with Melissa, leaving me behind. It was suspicious beyond belief. I narrowed my eyes, then approached the pile of toys as if nothing were wrong.
Pretending to play, I concentrated my mind. Perhaps because my body had grown a bit, I was now able to eavesdrop on conversations even without the demons’ help. It was even easier since the drawing room where Veronica and Melissa were talking was nearby.
As I focused my mind on Veronica, their voices soon echoed in my head.
*
“Was the long journey difficult?”
“Not at all. It was fine since I used a portal.”
Melissa smiled as she sipped her tea. Veronica watched her carefully while sitting across from her. The woman before her was no mere etiquette teacher. She was a high-ranking mage holding one of the highest positions within the Magic Tower. That was the woman sitting right in front of her—Melissa.
“I came back to keep my promise, but it seems I’m not needed anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?”
At Veronica’s question, Melissa stroked her chin with a finger, looking troubled. It was a habit she had whenever she was deep in thought.
“I previously diagnosed the Little Lady’s illness as a pre-symptom of a mana rampage, didn’t I?”
“…Yes, you did.”
Veronica nodded with a dark expression. Gloomy memories of the past instantly flooded her mind.
Claudia had been frail since birth. However, ordinary doctors claimed the child’s body was no different from anyone else’s. It wasn't a physical ailment, but an internal one. While searching for someone who could cure her child, Veronica remembered a mage from the Magic Tower she had a connection with during her time at the Imperial Palace. That was Melissa.
“The Little Lady, possessing the power of both you and Marquis Lionel, was in a dangerous state from the moment she was born. She had so much mana that it felt like she could go into a rampage at any moment.”
Melissa murmured, seemingly recalling the past as well. Upon seeing the infant Claudia, Melissa had immediately recognized the symptoms of a mana rampage and returned to the Magic Tower to find a cure.
The Magic Tower was already conducting research to cure children like Claudia, and Melissa was part of that research. However, Claudia’s mana was far more vast than other children’s, making it impossible to treat her with existing methods. Melissa had returned to the tower, leaving behind a promise that she would find a way.
In the midst of the recent chaos, Veronica hadn't had the chance to reach out, but Melissa had contacted her first. She said she wanted to see Claudia again before starting the full-scale treatment.
“But she’s strangely calm now. There’s no way she could already be controlling her mana at this age.”
“Then what should we do?” Veronica asked worriedly.
Melissa, who had been staring down at her teacup with a serious face, looked up. Her expression quickly shifted back to a cheerful one.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be staying by the Little Lady’s side to keep an eye on her for the time being. Since I’m here as a teacher anyway, shall I teach her some magic while I’m at it?”
“Fufu, you haven’t changed.”
Veronica’s worries eased slightly at Melissa’s lively tone. Seeing Melissa act this way suggested that the situation wasn't truly dire.
Come to think of it, she started getting strangely healthy around that time.
That day when she had been so ill that Veronica feared she might actually lose her. After Claudia woke up and told her to divorce Cedric, the child regained her health as if the days of suffering were a thing of the past.
Still, just in case, it was a relief to have Melissa watch over her for a while. Veronica smiled warmly and spoke.
“Thank you so much, Miss Melissa. For helping me and my child, both then and now.”
“Oh, please. I’m doing this because it helps my research, so don’t feel burdened.”
Melissa gave a playful wink. Though she spoke that way, Veronica knew better than anyone how loyal Melissa was.
“I’ll be in your care.”
“Yes, My Lady. Or should I say, Berry?”
“Yes, Mel.”
They let out mischievous laughs, whispering the nicknames they had used for each other when they were young.
*
So that’s how it was.
Listening to their conversation, I finally understood what had happened. Claudia had died from a mana rampage. I wore a bitter smile for a moment.
[Master, are you going to learn magic?]
Huh?
[Human magic is crude, but it’ll still be quite helpful if you learn it.]
Magic?
My ears perked up. Melissa was a mage from the Magic Tower. Moreover, she was well-disposed toward me thanks to Veronica. Even if she realized I was healthy now, if I clung to her and acted spoiled, she might actually teach me magic.
Oho.
My eyes sparkled with immense interest.