Chapter 105

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A villainess locked away in a desolate tower—I had possessed her body. Chapter 105 Though I arrived without delay thanks to my haste, the area near the Teleportation Magic Circle was remarkably deserted at this late hour.

"I shall activate the Teleportation Magic Circle."

At the words of the Administrator, who appeared to be in charge of the Teleportation Magic Circle, the Palace Mage began infusing mana into it. Now I need only step onto the magic circle and in an instant I would be transported to the Blaire Grand Duchy.... Pop!

"Oof!"

But the moment I was about to step onto the magic circle, Ian shoved me aside. It wasn't a forceful push, so I wasn't hurt, but suddenly finding myself in an awkward reunion with the floor, I looked up at him with a bewildered expression.

"I-Ian? What...."

My shock left me unable to form coherent words. Could this be...? 'Is Ian showing me that everything I just did was a delusion?' Was he teaching me a lesson about my princess complex through his actions? Was he... disciplining me? Though it seemed like a leap in logic, it was the only thought I could muster while being shoved to the ground. But his expression was far from ordinary.

"The Teleportation Magic Circle is malfunctioning."

"Pardon?"

At his words, I examined the magic circle I had been about to step into so carelessly just moments before. A floor of stone, and above it, a geometric pattern of the magic circle hovering like a hologram. Yet my eyes detected nothing amiss.

"I... I'm afraid I don't see anything wrong?"

"It's not something visible to the eye. The anomaly lies in the mana fluctuations forming the magic circle itself."

"Mana fluctuations?"

Then I would naturally have no way of knowing—I possessed no talent in such matters. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍⁠​‌‍‍‌‌⁠​‍‌‌​⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍​‌‌‍⁠‍‌⁠​⁠⁠‍​‍​⁠‍‍had heard that only mages, or perhaps sword users who wielded mana, could sense such mana fluctuations. Then Ian was... a sword user? 'I've heard that's an extraordinarily high level of attainment.' If not that, then perhaps he was one of those rare individuals blessed with an exceptional natural talent for sensing mana, or something of that nature. In any case... the magic circle appeared perfectly serene on the surface.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

The Palace Mage who had infused mana into the magic circle approached us, who had yet to use it, and asked. Ian regarded him for a moment, then answered with composure.

"No. I've just realized I left something behind, so there's been a slight complication."

"Ah, I see. But what shall we do? The Teleportation Magic Circle's usage time will expire soon."

At those words, Ian turned to me and made a suggestion.

"Young Lady, would it not be better to use the magic circle tomorrow instead?"

"Ah, yes! That would be better."

"Yes. Let's depart then."

He quickly pulled me outside the range of influence of the Teleportation Magic Circle. Stepping outside with an unsettled feeling, I cautiously asked him a question.

"Um, Ian, why didn't you tell the Mage that the Teleportation Magic Circle was acting strange?"

"The people who went before us were transported safely."

Ah, that's right. Indeed, while Ian and I were at the reception desk, a large family had urgently entered the Teleportation Magic Circle, saying they needed to return to their territory immediately. If something had gone wrong, it would have happened to them first. Which meant the Teleportation Magic Circle only began malfunctioning right before I stepped into it.

"The unstable mana fluctuations in the Teleportation Magic Circle could be mere coincidence, but we cannot dismiss the possibility that it was deliberately targeted at you. And in such cases..."

"Yes, there's no benefit in letting the perpetrator know that the target noticed something amiss."

Ah, now I understood why Ian had acted so nonchalantly. He was my escort knight, tasked with protecting me. Because of that responsibility, he had no choice but to consider various scenarios from a security standpoint.

"Hmm."

This was quite the predicament.

"So what do we do now? There's no guarantee this won't happen again tomorrow."

"Correct. Therefore, traveling by land would be the safest option for now."

"What? By land!?"

It was like a bolt from the blue! Of course, traveling by land wasn't entirely new to me. When I first came to the Imperial Capital, I had traveled by carriage through that strange village. But my concern lay elsewhere.

"But it will take forever! And how will we send word to the Grand Duchy?"

What on earth should I do? Time is precious! Just in case, I had already sent ahead the next installment of "Safety Protocols of the Goedam Duchy."

But even if we departed immediately, it was uncertain when we would arrive at the Grand Duchy, located at the far edge of the Northern Region. Moreover, it was now winter, when road conditions deteriorated further.

"I will find a separate way to send word to the Grand Duchy."

"Ah, I understand. So we're leaving tomorrow?"

As I asked with sudden anxiety, Ian immediately shook his head.

"No, we'll depart from the Imperial Capital right away today."

"...Right now?"

"If the malfunction of the Teleportation Magic Circle wasn't coincidence but was indeed targeted at you..."

His voice turned cold and grave in an instant.

"Then remaining in the Imperial Capital would be more dangerous when we cannot determine who is behind it."

Part of me wondered who would target me enough to sabotage a magic circle, but faced with his serious demeanor, I had nothing to say. And even during my time in Salt, while there was no particular reason for anyone to target me, it was not uncommon for nobles to send assassins after one another and end up in trials.... Though I had come to some understanding, something still bothered me.

"Oh, we do have time to change clothes, right?" ...The problem was that I was still wearing the dress from the tea party. * * *

I had never learned to ride a horse. Yet I was well aware that for a beginner to mount a galloping steed was tantamount to suicide. Of course, clinging desperately to Ian's firm abdomen with both arms wrapped around him wasn't an entirely unpleasant prospect in theory.... 'By later, I would surely have begged him to just tie me down with rope.' With limbs so frail they'd never known a day of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍⁠​‌‍‍‌‌⁠​‍‌‌​⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍​‌‌‍⁠‍‌⁠​⁠⁠‍​‍​⁠‍‍strength training, I would have lost my grip and tumbled from the saddle in moments. And since both he and I understood this truth well, he chose the path of safety over speed. Which meant... we would travel by carriage. Of course, the Blaire Grand Duke's villa possessed carriages—ornate, exorbitantly expensive ones at that. In monetary terms, they were worth hundreds of millions, crafted from premium materials with exceptional ride quality. And the horses that drew such carriages were all robust specimens of distinguished breeding.

"It's far too conspicuous. I believe we should purchase a new carriage instead."

Ian flatly rejected my suggestion to travel in one of the finer carriages. A bitter laugh escaped me. Only then did I grasp the harsh reality of being a fugitive. Moreover, such a carriage, while suited for the well-maintained roads of the Imperial Capital, was wholly inappropriate for the treacherous terrain beyond it. And those glittering ornaments adorning it everywhere practically screamed an invitation to bandits to rob us. So what was our situation now, you ask? On the first day, we slept in a dilapidated inn in a village just outside the Imperial Capital, and from the second day onward, we drove the carriage as swiftly as possible. Now, on the fourth day, my only thought was.... 'I want to lie down.' Nothing else occupied my mind. Most pressingly, my lower back had begun to ache. Unlike the carriage I'd ridden in before with the Blaire Grand Duke—smooth as glass—this newly purchased one possessed the remarkable feature of launching my body skyward every time it hit a pothole. And just then, the carriage lurched violently once more.

"Ugh!"

My already stiff back was being pummeled, and when the impact struck like we'd just cleared a speed bump at full throttle, a cry tore from my lips involuntarily. Ah, what a cursed fate. 'Memories of my kidnapping are flooding back....' My entire body had ached then as well. Though to be fair, I'd been trapped under some foul-smelling sack back then, so this was marginally better. In any case... I was struggling to find a more comfortable position when a low voice reached my ears.

"Rest your head this way."

"...Pardon?"

Apparently he'd been watching me for some time, for he rose and gestured toward the spot where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍⁠​‌‍‍‌‌⁠​‍‌‌​⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍​‌‌‍⁠‍‌⁠​⁠⁠‍​‍​⁠‍‍he'd been sitting. More precisely, where he'd padded the hard seat with his own clothing. Had he prepared this so my head wouldn't be jostled while I slept?

"Ah...."

Suddenly overwhelmed, I found myself covering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍⁠​‌‍‍‌‌⁠​‍‌‌​⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍​‌‌‍⁠‍‌⁠​⁠⁠‍​‍​⁠‍‍my mouth.

"...Ian."

What is this.... Why does he have to be so masculine.... Why is he so incredibly attractive! Making my heart race like this!

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