After finishing the meeting with Heike, Acella returned to the Moonlight Palace and stepped out into the backyard.
“Clear the area.”
Dismissed all the attendants and knights, Acella stood alone, wanting to focus on the task at hand. She did not want any distractions.
Magic.
She was planning to experiment with the payment method she learned from Seymour.
It wasn’t something she could show to anyone.
A cool breeze swooshed through the grass.
Refreshing. Her mind, tired from the long meeting, felt clear.
Holding a wand in her hand, Acella closed her eyes as if meditating.
‘It’s going as planned.’
Preparations for the martial arts conference to be held in a few months were going smoothly. The image that had only been a silhouette was becoming clearer for Acella.
This martial arts conference was important to her. The new issue for the succession war, the Demon King subjugation. This was like a preliminary battle.
Many powerful figures from countless nations belonging to the alliance would participate. The complex web of interests was so vast that even Acella couldn’t grasp the full picture.
There were also limited spots for the empire to participate. Compromise with Heike was essential. Though Lau had already declared he wouldn’t intervene, the returned George was certainly waiting for an opportunity.
The command of the allied forces and the glory of subjugating the Demon King would be monopolized by the empire. How much of the resulting profits could be seized along the way?
Recently, the Emperor had been transferring state affairs to his children one by one. The martial arts conference was essentially the last chance to appeal to him before his death.
‘Even Lars is being proactive.’
Acella found that quite surprising, though.
Thinking back, he had never been an ordinary physician to begin with. Occasionally, he showcased his strategic prowess and political acumen.
If he had always been interested in ideals for the world, Acella thought it was a reasonable characteristic.
He was already considering strategic formations for the hero party.
Thanks to that, she had also secured specific directions to appeal at the martial arts conference.
‘Huh.’
Suddenly, Acella tilted her head, realizing she didn’t actually know much about Lars’s interests or preferences.
Her flowing blonde hair drifted down her cheek as she pondered about him deeply.
“Hahaha, Your Highness, stop complaining. There’s no more bubble tea. Who else would know the recipe besides me?”
How annoying.
Lars knew everything she liked and exploited that as her weakness.
With no means to counterattack, Acella pouted in annoyance.
Having lived her entire life as a princess, she never felt the need to understand others’ interests, so it was a natural attitude.
She was the one who deserved attention. Her bloodline was different.
In the aftermath of her swirling thoughts, Acella arrived at a certain conclusion.
She idly twirled the blonde hair that had slipped down her shoulder around her finger.
‘…Could it be that Lars dislikes blondes?’
They say ignorance breeds fear.
Thinking she didn’t know Lars’s preferences made Acella feel a sudden fright.
What about the height of the woman he likes? The shape of her face? The color of her eyes?
No, of course, I’m… beautiful.
Absolutely breathtaking, worthy of everyone’s admiration.
Sure, everyone says northern beef is delicious, but I never found it appealing.
To begin with, I don’t like meat at all.
What if Lars might feel the same way?
Ah, peculiar tastes…
…Like preferring some rustic country girl?
No way.
Shaking her head vigorously, Acella took a deep breath.
Her focus was scattered. She had come out to practice important magic, yet here she was, thinking only about Lars.
“Lars’s preferences don’t matter.”
Even though there was nobody to persuade around, Acella snapped her eyes open and concluded on her own.
“I am Acella von Württemberg. Even if there are aspects that aren’t to his liking, I just have to make him like me.”
If there’s no bread, eat grass.
If you don’t want to eat it, then learn to like grass.
Such was a notion befitting a tyrant. It was also the source of Acella’s initiative.
“There’s suitable magic…”
Confirming once again that she was alone, Acella sneakily took out her magic book.
In fact, she had prepared for this beforehand.
Charm Magic.
A form of mind-control magic created by analyzing the principles by which the demon succubus enchants human men.
Messing with someone else’s mind is inherently a very challenging task. It was fundamentally a high-difficulty magic of fourth tier.
‘As the tier rises, it becomes dangerously close to actual mind control…’
But, the effect of charm itself was just to make the target feel rational attraction to the caster, making its practical use almost nonexistent.
It was foundational magic that wouldn’t catch one’s eye unless one intended to research mind control magic for a lifetime.
‘Even this much feels unmanageable for my current condition.’
Having lost one talent, Acella could no longer use her specialty, fifth-tier Clairvoyance.
‘There was a sequence in the method taught by my master.’
The process of sacrificing one’s lifespan, as explained by Seymour, came at the very end.
Acella wanted to test whether everything was functioning smoothly up until that previous stage.
The fourth-tier magic she hadn’t tried was a perfect test.
“Let’s give it a go.”
Acella steadied her breath and adjusted her posture.
She gently held her wand with both hands and channeled mana into it.
“Reverse the order. Start with the second spell.”
Acella gracefully drew the second, third, and fourth stages of the charm magic.
On the outskirts, she scribbled the enticing incantations that had yet to be compressed.
…It was fortunate she was alone.
If Lars had read this, he would certainly have wanted to bite his tongue off and die.
“Now for the basic first stage.”
Suddenly, Acella struck a peculiar pose, precariously holding the tip of her wand.
Then, she brought it lightly to her heart and tapped it.
Frowning slightly at the unpleasant sensation.
It was invisible from the outside.
Only Acella knew what was happening now.
Along the surface of her heart, the foundational first stage was being sketched.
“Phew.”
As she completed the stage writing and activated the spell, the discomfort and tension surrounding Acella disappeared in an instant.
An odd feeling of her body floating emerged, and she found herself smiling involuntarily.
“Wow.”
It was as if the magic circle had become part of her body; she could feel the flow of mana throughout her.
This was the payment method Seymour had taught her.
The preparation process.
Synchronizing the spell with her life force.
Acella was confident.
If she proceeded with the casting now, this charm spell would have a more intense effect than any magic she had ever used.
“…Should I try it?”
Fourth-tier was already within Acella’s grasp.
No additional cost was needed to open the door, the final process of sacrificing her lifespan, as Seymour had said, was only necessary to reach a level above one’s limits.
Focusing her mana energetically, Acella’s magic circle gleamed with a fresh golden light.
Whoosh!
Without a target, the charm evaporated rapidly.
But Acella was convinced. This magic had definitely been a massive success with astonishing effects.
“…Ohoho.”
Acella chuckled more contently than ever.
She felt a bit lightheaded, as if she might faint, but it was too good of a feeling.
Magic, magic.
She had regained the magic she thought she had lost.
No, perhaps it was even stronger than before. Judging by the way her magic circuits were working overtime, consuming vast amounts of mana.
Acella retrieved the beverage Lars had given her.
“Sour.”
When she took a sip, she couldn’t help but scrunch up her face.
But it felt as if her energy was surging back instantly.
Without Seymour, she might never have crossed paths with Lars.
Now she didn’t even need to confirm how necessary he was for her.
Replenished by the drink and refueled with mana, Acella once again lifted her wand, contemplating whether to try the next stage.
Of course, it was a return to challenging the wall of fifth-tier magic that had been blocked up until now.
‘From here on… I need to sacrifice my lifespan.’
She thought she had already made peace with that, but now that she was about to move into actual practice, she felt a bit scared.
Was it a sign of her still being an inexperienced wizard?
Contemplating for a while with her wand in hand, Acella ultimately decided to test the charm magic one more time today.
“I guess I need to test the effectiveness of what I cast on the target directly, right?”
After all, the effect lasts at most for about an hour.
Imagining the amusing antics Lars might display, Acella chuckled devilishly.
Acella instructed the head maid to send Lars to her once he returned.
“Your Highness.”
Before long, Lars, returned from the inner palace, came to find her.
“Come here and stand.”
“I heard you skipped a meal and were practicing magic. While your focus is admirable, breaking routines is not good for you.”
“Come on, stop the nagging already.”
“I’m your attending physician, you know.”
“You came late yourself. You’ve missed your leaving time long ago.”
“I was a bit busy.”
Lars had been dealing with Ambrosia and various matters and came back with a promise for the future.
“If you don’t mind, we could have an afternoon consultation before you sleep…”
“Just stand still.”
Acella pointed her wand at Lars.
Lars jumped with a reaction begging for his life, raising both hands above his head.
Unable to hold back a laugh at his frog-like pose, Acella cast the charm magic just as she had practiced earlier.
Fwoosh!
The spell was cleared and executed.
Acella lowered her wand, certain that this time too, the result was perfect, if not more.
“How do you feel?”
Acella asked with a bright smile.
Lars stood rigidly, barely managing a sigh.
“Your Highness, next time you decide to cast magic on me, please at least give me a heads-up. I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“I understand. But how do you feel now?”
“Well… I was a bit annoyed with work at the inner palace, then I finally returned to the Moonlight Palace and felt relaxed, but then Your Highness aimed a wand at me and I felt the terror of the abyss.”
“Not that, I mean your feelings…”
I can’t take this anymore. Acella repressed a sigh, bowing her head deeply.
“Haha, I suppose you wanted to gauge the effect of the magic you used, huh?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s right.”
All of a sudden, Lars was quite perceptive.
Was he pretending not to know he had been struck by the charm magic?
It couldn’t be a tolerable level controlled by will.
“Even when testing medication, we measure the patient’s condition precisely before administering it. A considerable number of control groups are needed. We need to know if there’s any significant change.”
“What do you mean?”
“For example, if a patient’s blood sugar is already normal and they get medication to normalize blood sugar, we can’t tell if it had any effect.”
“So what? Are you saying that since I was your only target and you didn’t check my previous condition, you couldn’t determine if there was any change?”
“Exactly.”
“Ha…”
Acella felt she had failed when faced with Lars’s impenetrable response.
Was the charm magic a fake? That thought crossed her mind.
‘Wait a minute.’
If she used the magic meant to make him like her and found no change…
…Doesn’t that mean he already likes me?
“Your Highness? Why are you turning your head? If your message is done, shall we proceed with the examination?”
“I’m not going. Go in.”
“I have to finish my work before leaving too.”
“I said go in.”
Lars noticed that she was hiding something, sensing her hesitation, and leaned closer to meet her gaze.
“What’s wrong? What’s up?”
“Ah, seriously.”
Acella, keeping her expression hidden from Lars until the end, quickly exited the backyard.
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