Chapter 123
Although it had been formally decided that Tsetsilia would extend her stay in the Kingdom of Ridill, they couldn't keep one of the Seven Sages—the kingdom's highest-ranking mages—tied up for long.
The guard assignment had been largely ceremonial from the start, so Monica's duty ended on its originally scheduled date.
From then on, the Royal Guard and the Royal Magic Corps would likely work together to handle security.
Ever since the day Tsetsilia decided to marry Lionel as the Saint, she had seemed busy every day.
With the extension of her stay and the announcement of her engagement to Lionel, she needed to greet people in various circles, and she was receiving more invitations to tea parties and balls.
Monica worried that Tsetsilia might be pushing herself too hard, but Tsetsilia no longer clutched her stomach after balls.
That was surely because Lionel was by Tsetsilia's side.
Tsetsilia had always known how to conduct herself at balls, but now Monica sensed a strong inner resolve in her that hadn't been there before.
She was gentle, graceful, and delicate... but she wasn't simply letting herself be swept along. Tsetsilia now had the strength of someone looking toward the future.
(Princess Tsetsilia must have received strength from Prince Lionel... from the person she loves.)
Somehow, that made Monica happy too.
＊ ＊ ＊
On the final day of her guard assignment, Monica went to say goodbye to Tsetsilia, who was still in the middle of changing.
After waiting outside the room for a while, Monica saw someone approaching from the other end of the hall. He stopped when he noticed her.
It was Kaspar Hütter, the 〈Dream Mage〉.
“E-Excuse me!”
Monica hurriedly called out to Hütter as he looked away from her and tried to pass by.
Hütter stopped and turned his head to look at Monica. Then he immediately looked away. For some reason, he never seemed willing to look her in the eye.
Perhaps he found it deeply unpleasant that a young girl like her held the position of one of the Seven Sages. Or perhaps her poor manners were too much for him to bear.
Monica wasn't particularly eager to get closer to him either, but there was something she absolutely had to tell him before her guard assignment ended.
“Do you need something from me?”
Hütter murmured without even looking at Monica. His entire manner made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.
Even so, Monica checked that no one was nearby before opening her mouth.
“Princess Tsetsilia isn't at fault!”
Hütter's shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
That night, when they had discussed Tsetsilia's circumstances and what would happen next, Tsetsilia had told Hütter something.
She would allow him to take his revenge when she died. She had asked him to show her the most terrible nightmare imaginable.
Tsetsilia had said that this would be Hütter's reward, but Monica just couldn't accept it.
“It wasn't Princess Tsetsilia's fault that the mirror rejected her. And... given her position, it was only natural that she couldn't tell anyone about it. I don't think it was something she decided on her own, either. So, um...”
Tsetsilia said Hütter's anger was justified, and that he had the right to seek revenge.
But Hütter's anger was misplaced. He was lashing out at Tsetsilia simply because there was no one else he could take it out on.
Tsetsilia must have understood that, too. That was why she had asked Lionel to leave them alone that night.
Monica was the only one who knew about the cruel pact between Tsetsilia and the 〈Dream Mage〉.
That was why she felt she had to say something.
“It's wrong to blame only Princess Tsetsilia... So... that promise...”
“Do you understand that illusion magic and mental-interference magic are two different things?”
Hütter spoke in a low voice, cutting Monica off.
Though confused, Monica answered his question.
“Illusion magic creates an intangible illusion that everyone present can see, while mental-interference magic directly affects the mind of its target.”
“The spell I used to put you to sleep was the latter. It forcibly puts its target to sleep and reflects only a small part of their wishes in a dream. In my country, it's used to grant a peaceful death to critically ill patients who have no hope of recovery.”
“...?”
The Kingdom of Ridill and the Empire had different regulations regarding mental-interference magic.
In the Kingdom of Ridill, its use was permitted only in specific circumstances, such as interrogating criminals, but the Empire's restrictions were more lenient.
Permission to use mental-interference magic on critically ill patients was probably part of that policy.
“That's the only mental-interference magic I can use.”
“............Huh?”
As Monica's eyes widened, Hütter began walking away. His back seemed to reject her words.
“What does that mean? I mean... um...!”
Kaspar Hütter, the 〈Dream Mage〉, was a master illusionist.
He could drive people to the brink by showing them horrifying illusions, but illusions didn't work on unconscious people. Only mental-interference magic could affect someone who was unconscious.
Which spell would he use at the saint's final moment?
Monica still didn't know the answer, but Hütter's retreating figure, looking as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, felt like an answer in itself.
＊ ＊ ＊
After saying goodbye to Tsetsilia, Monica was walking through the garden of Auserhorn Palace. Somehow, she had a feeling she might find the person she was looking for here.
Her hunch proved right almost at once.
In a sunny spot by a flower bed filled with spring blooms, a maid with her black hair tied in a bun—Karina—was using a large stone as a seat while sketching something.
“Karina.”
Monica called out, but Karina must have been deeply absorbed in her sketch.
After about three seconds, she stopped moving her charcoal and looked up with a start, like a startled cat.
“Wah! Monica-chan! Sorry, sorry, I didn't notice you at all. Have you been here for a while?”
“No, I just called out.”
“Oh, good. I get so absorbed in my work that sometimes I don't even notice when people call me. It's not unusual for me to miss someone calling me dozens of times.”
Monica felt a kinship with Karina.
Monica often did the same when she got absorbed in the worlds of numbers and magic.
When that happened, she would keep calculating single-mindedly until she ran out of energy or Nero kneaded her cheek with his paw pads.
“Listen, Karina. My work ends today... and I'm going back to Sutherland. So, um, I wanted to say goodbye...”
As she spoke, Monica lifted her luggage bag. The wooden cat Karina had given her bobbed from it.
“Thank you for this. It made me really happy...”
When Monica shyly thanked her, Karina's face softened like a cat being given its favorite fish.
“This kind of thing makes me happy. You're the first person outside my family I've ever made something for and given as a personal present, not for work.”
Karina grinned, showing her white teeth. It was a friendly, unpretentious smile.
“I never really cared what happened to the things I made... but, yeah, it really is nice to know someone likes them.”
“Um, Karina, are you staying in this country?”
Monica had heard that some of the Empire's delegation would be returning home now that Princess Tsetsilia's stay had been extended.
Karina had said she didn't have much work to do, so Monica had been a little sad, thinking she might go home. To her surprise, Karina shook her head.
“No, I'm staying a little longer. One of the bigwigs told me to go see things and learn.”
“I-I come to the capital for work sometimes, too... so, um... then...”
Monica fidgeted with her fingers as she tried to think of what to say.
(At times like this, should I say, “Let's hang out”? But what do you even do when you hang out? I'm not familiar enough with the capital to show her around... How should I put it...?)
Once she started worrying, thoughts like what if she bothered Karina or offended her began to creep in, and Monica's back hunched more and more.
Karina laughed cheerfully and spoke to Monica.
“Let's meet again! Next time, let's explore the capital together! And then eat something delicious together! Oh, right, there's an art museum in the capital, isn't there? I want to see it!”
At Karina's words, Monica nodded vigorously.
In the end, the words she wanted to say were simple.
“Yeah! Let's meet again, okay!”
＊ ＊ ＊
Monica Everett, the 〈Silent Witch〉, left the castle with a slightly firmer step than when she had arrived.
This incident had made Monica realize something all over again.
(I have to keep trying harder.)
Melissa had helped her at the ball, and if Louis hadn't rushed to her aid during the guard assignment, she wouldn't have been able to save Tsetsilia.
There was a lot Monica could learn from the way Lionel and Tsetsilia carried themselves, too.
After climbing into the carriage, Monica took a small piece of paper from her luggage bag. It was her “List of Things to Do When I Get Back to Sutherland,” which she had carefully thought up the night before.
She read it over once more and gave a little huff through her nose.
Lately, she had been painfully aware of her own shortcomings, but she couldn't afford to get discouraged.
Once she returned to Sutherland, there was something she needed to do right away.
(Because I'm Ike's teacher... the 〈Silent Witch〉.)