Chapter 53
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Chapter 53
Mages who wield magic possess a mystical force called mana flowing through their bodies.
By channeling their innate mana outward according to their abilities, they transform it into spells.
The Schultz Family had been born with exceptional mana across generations, producing countless mages and establishing themselves as a prestigious house.
Yet mages harbored a fatal weakness.
The more mana one expended, the greater the toll upon the body.
Just as salt remains when seawater evaporates, the residual essence left behind after using mana does not vanish—it accumulates within the body.
This is why the first lesson taught to mages at the Magic Tower was: "Do not squander your mana recklessly, regardless of your strength."
Fortunately, mages were indolent by nature.
Unless vast projects were undertaken or war erupted, they rarely exerted themselves so strenuously with magic, and thus most lived their entire lives without serious complications.
However, as one ascended to higher ranks of magical prowess, the mana grew more potent and residue accumulated more heavily, resulting in frequent ailments.
A time bomb within the body, growing ever larger.
Thus, one had to periodically detoxify the accumulated poisons within, and originally, House of Hexagon supplied that special substance.
But when the current Emperor seized victory and House of Hexagon lost its influence, Hexagon cut off support to the Magic Tower.
After all, House of Schultz had been a steadfast ally of the Emperor.
It was an inevitable outcome I hadn't foreseen, and I vaguely assumed House of Schultz must have prepared for this. But they hadn't?
No. That couldn't be. Then...
"The development failed?"
"Your deduction is swift."
Casion did not deny it, offering a faint smile instead.
"But failure at the Magic Tower? Such a thing doesn't exist. It's all process and experience."
"It's a failure, though."
"...."
"The Magic Tower acknowledges no mistakes."
In other words, they were terribly proud.
Casion pretended ignorance and opened his mouth again.
"Mana detoxification requires an essence extracted from Cerestella flowers."
"Extraordinarily rare."
"House of Hexagon monopolizes it."
Casion laughed ambiguously.
"At that time, the Temple System said they possessed the same thing. They claimed to have refined it into something of superior quality and told us to see for ourselves."
"And when you saw it?"
"According to my father, it appeared similar. Perhaps because he was already ill, he couldn't distinguish the difference."
"Then you just need to obtain it, don't you?"
"The storage shed where it was kept burned down overnight. As a result, we couldn't produce the medicine."
There was one detail that nagged at me precisely.
The House of Hexagon must have interfered. Casion seemed to share my suspicions.
"So, since the next target is the Marquis, we need to prepare for him, correct?"
Casion let out an affirmative sound, his expression clouded with something like melancholy.
"That's why I came to ask whether your family possesses Cerestelah herbs."
"A lie."
I flatly refuted Casion's words.
"Half true, but you came to test me as well. The Marquis appears straightforward on the surface, but he has a cunning side."
"...Are you calling me a liar over a matter of such grave importance—one where someone's life hangs in the balance?"
Displeased, Casion's response turned glacial. He narrowed his eyes to slits, and the air itself grew heavy.
"You're quite rude for someone of your station."
"First of all."
I pointed directly at Casion.
"Ever since The Emperor ascended the throne, Cerestelah has become a specially designated herb of The Empire. The Temple System, being extraterritorial to The Empire, is exempt, but if a citizen of The Empire possesses it privately, that becomes a problem. It would be seized for the national treasury immediately, and I'd be dragged to the Imperial Palace."
I exhaled sharply and extended another finger alongside the one I'd been pointing with.
"And second."
The reason I'd nearly overlooked this.
"House of Schultz, together with our family, is called one of the two moons supporting the sun—a house of such standing. If the herbs existed, The Emperor would naturally have granted them to you."
"..."
"Which means no one anywhere in The Empire possesses such herbs. The Emperor would never have cast aside House of Schultz. And finally, the third reason."
Casion was indeed someone I couldn't let my guard down around.
Suspicious as he was, I'd simply dismissed him as someone interested in Dale—but the Master of the Magic Tower is still the Master of the Magic Tower.
"Even so, if the Lockhart Family does possess the herbs, then the first scenario."
I stared directly at Casion.
"You'd be grateful and quickly take them to make the medicine."
"Naturally, that wouldn't be the case, would it?"
"Right. That doesn't seem to be it, so the second scenario!"
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes.
"You came to subtly confirm whether our family is hiding something from The Emperor—to test our loyalty."
"Confirm?"
"Even if we said no, you could learn of some uncomfortable secret the House of Schultz is concealing, gain leverage over them, and begin relations with our family—through me."
House of Schultz and my family weren't adversaries, but for colleagues of The Emperor's right hand, we were rather distant.
House of Hexagon, which had been our common enemy, had vanished.
But now that the house arrest period was ending, I needed to prepare.
It would have been important to make the first move.
Either the Lockhart Family would request relations, or House of Schultz would extend their hand first.
Our family didn't particularly need the aid of the Magic Tower family, but Schultz needed us.
But mages are usually—remove their pride, and they're corpses.
"If that's not it, then explain yourself."
"I find this offensive."
Casion immediately countered. He sighed and shook his head with evident displeasure.
"Really, Miss Adeline, to think of me that way. ...How perceptive of you."
At the same time, he burst into laughter.
He looked at me with genuine surprise written across his face, laughing heartily. Ha ha ha—he was actually laughing.
Casion gazed at me with an expression of something like admiration.
"Were we perhaps friends before? You understand me remarkably well. Only someone like Dale should be able to see through me, yet a lady we've met merely three times has managed it. How amusing."
For some reason, I sensed that Casion was reassessing me in his mind.
His ruby-like eyes glimmered...but there was something mad about it.
"There's almost no information known about Miss Adeline, so we couldn't gather any intelligence either. ...Did you perhaps intend to disappear entirely?"
That wasn't it—it was a choice made to avoid the original Emperor.
"Of course."
But since he was viewing me favorably, there was no need to downplay it. I brazenly tilted my chin up, as if everything had been intentional.
"It seems Miss Adeline is not someone to be underestimated after all."
"Were you trying to underestimate me?"
"...In any case."
He definitely just changed the subject, didn't he?
Something about this felt oddly unpleasant.
"I'm relieved that Dale's wife is someone like you."
Casion spoke as if acknowledging the bond between Dale and me. But this—this was.
"You know you're talking like a supporting character gracefully stepping aside for the heroine?"
"I genuinely care for the Lady. Please don't misunderstand and think I harbor romantic feelings for Dale. The one with dark intentions toward Dale is you, ...Miss Adeline."
"You almost got irritated just now, didn't you?"
"I'm not that kind of person."
Casion rose from his seat and surveyed our house thoroughly.
He examined the medicinal herbs scattered throughout with keen interest.
"So it seems Miss Adeline doesn't possess Kerestella herbs either. What a shame. In any case, since you do need them, I can only say that your answer is comprehensively appropriate."
"I never said I didn't have them."
At that moment, Casion, who had been fingering a plant stem, slowly turned to look at me.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"Possessing the herb is illegal, but the seeds aren't."
I opened the door to my collection bag.
"Welcome, honored guest!"
Whoooosh—
Inside lay dozens of rare seeds, frozen solid.
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