The court owned by the Bevel Family.
Someone walks down the broad corridor.
Click, clack.
Every time the appropriately high heels touch the marble, a cheerful sound resonates.
A sky-blue skirt that reaches her ankles.
The white ankles that briefly reveal themselves as she stretches draw attention.
But it’s not just about the ankles.
She attracts people’s gazes just by passing by.
Like a shooting star drawn to the ground, naturally.
That pull is closer to a natural phenomenon.
It happens regardless of gender or age, but especially strong among men.
If there’s a man who doesn’t look at her, he must consider two things seriously.
His eyesight or sexual orientation. Or both.
Her consistent lack of expression resembles a doll.
Beautiful but stiff.
A smile would suit her looks so well, yet she rarely smiles.
When she does smile, it’s an unusual smile.
Not one that lifts the mood.
There’s something chilling about her smile.
As if a knife is held to one’s neck.
Contrary to her cold and refined atmosphere, the red scarf around her neck is somewhat ragged.
The black cat doll she always has in her arms is almost cute.
She stopped, just before her coming-of-age ceremony.
Thick black hair swayed.
She looks ahead.
Someone has blocked her path.
She meets the gaze of furious red eyes.
The same color as her own. It’s unpleasant.
Hair tied in two braids contrasts sharply with her malignant expression.
The blonde woman speaks.
“Eliya…!”
Eliya, who stands opposite her, sighs as if it’s nothing.
“Sara, sister. What are you doing blocking the way? You’re obstructing traffic.”
Her tone suggests she’s talking to a naïve child.
The meaning contained is clear.
Don’t interfere; just move.
Sara has no intention of doing that.
“Return my mother!”
A one-dimensional expression.
Eliya understands Sara’s level.
The true youngest among Balak’s direct descendants, excluding herself, the bastard.
She grew up monopolizing all the love in the main house.
Every complaint was tolerated; no one restricted her.
Eliya finds it bothersome to have to treat her sister like a careless brat.
“If you want to dispute the verdict, you should appeal to the court, not the defendant.”
“Wha-what….”
She instantly falls silent at the complicated word.
Her eyes are spinning visibly.
But Sara doesn’t wilt.
Whenever she wants something, she must have it right then and there to calm her temper.
After all, it’s been five years.
For five years, Narcissi had to stay by the side of the deceitful bastard.
Yet, after the trial that lasted five years, the court declared Eliya not guilty.
As a result, Narcissi is still Eliya’s possession.
Now it has received legal recognition too.
“This is absurd! This makes no sense! It was originally a trial we were supposed to win!”
“Sure. You can convey all that dissatisfaction to the court.”
“W-wait, isn’t it suspicious that you did something strange?! Those old geezers of the presbytery must’ve rolled over in their sleep for this to happen!”
A horribly vulgar insult.
Having grown up well, she nonchalantly spits out vicious words.
Ria, who followed Eliya, flushed.
She couldn’t dare to insult someone of noble birth to their face.
However, Eliya remained indifferent.
There was no need to respond to childish insults typical of inadequate humans.
“You’re still hanging around that commoner named Judas, aren’t you? I heard you were sharing the same bed until recently! You really can’t break that habit….”
Sara, who had been shouting at the top of her lungs, suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
She briefly forgot to breathe.
Because Eliya smiled.
Her eyes narrowed gently.
Her lips formed a soft curve.
Sara felt a sudden sense of danger.
As if walking on the edge of a blade.
Eliya, who created that atmosphere, appeared calm.
“Sister.”
The vocabulary a person uses is influenced by their level of education, upbringing, intelligence, and the cultural environment they’ve been exposed to recently, as well as their social relationships.
She didn’t bother with the follow-up.
It’d be a waste of effort.
The other side wouldn’t understand either way.
She simply scanned Sara up and down.
Sara shuddered with chills.
“Could you stop stealing someone’s time and step aside?”
Eliya approached.
Click. Clack.
Looking down at the obstructing Sara, she spoke kindly.
“Unlike the beloved sister, I’m busy.”
Sara looked up at her and then sank down.
Her legs gave way.
Eliya brushed past her lightly.
“Oh my. It seems the young lady is struggling. Someone, please assist her to a safe spot.”
The one being addressed was the escort knight.
Many escort knights followed Sara.
They could say nothing in front of Eliya.
They froze like frogs before a snake.
“Oh, by the way.”
Eliya, passing by, remarked.
“I’ll send my regards to the Duchess.”
The Duchess likely wouldn’t give a damn about the other child, anyway.
She swallowed the follow-up.
Ultimately, Sara burst into tears.
Eliya left the court with a lively stride.
*
Five years.
The time Eliya spent in court over the incident of kidnapping Narcissi.
She lost the first trial.
After repeating appeals, it took a whole five years.
In the end, she emerged victorious.
The verdict was not guilty.
The trial was conducted according to the internal regulations of the Bevel Family.
The court was composed entirely of the Bevel Family’s presbytery.
There was no room for outside influence in this trial.
And over those five years, Eliya swayed the majority of the presbytery to her side.
If someone holds the majority in any group, they can control the whole group.
The method wasn’t difficult.
Her talent as a wizard exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Some even claimed that the founder of the Bevel Family had returned.
In society, it was referred to as the reincarnation of the mythological era.
The time when only transcendent beings akin to gods lived on this land.
Eliya’s magic was that powerful.
The natural persuasion that comes with the growth of power.
Crucially, the victim, Narcissi, supported Eliya.
It couldn’t be helped.
To temporarily escape the torment of eternal hellfire, she had to please Eliya.
‘Now that the trial is over, she’ll likely resort to other methods.’
The trial was a mild approach.
Both Eliya and the Bevel Family aimed to lose as little as possible.
The other side probably wished to win without bloodshed, if possible.
But Eliya was the winner.
The other side wouldn’t take this result lying down.
‘I expected that.’
She had grown her power for five years.
Reorganizing her troops.
Her strength as a wizard was incomparable.
Even without experience, she felt confident enough to face Balak head-on.
Eliya would not retreat.
‘By the way, there’s still no progress on the taboo news this week….’
A type of magic that can interfere with the mind.
Because it was dangerous, it was sealed in collaboration with the royal palace and the magic tower.
Eliya had been searching for that magic since five years ago.
She wanted to peek into Judas’s memories.
There would likely be important information in his mind regarding the Molsin Church.
Without that reason, there would be no need to manipulate memories.
But it wasn’t just that.
She also wanted to help rediscover Judas’s childhood memories.
‘I’ve been looking into other avenues, but….’
The child Angra brought out from Judeca.
While chasing records prior to Judeca, she obtained proof that he had grown up in a care facility of the Molsin Church.
It wasn’t an ordinary facility.
It was a kind of training ground to raise holy knights.
Judas had also stayed there for several weeks.
And it wasn’t just Judas.
The assassin from the Molsin Church who tried to kill her on her birthday five years ago.
Traditor Heis.
He also came from the same facility as Judas.
‘In other words, it served not only to raise holy knights but also to train useful assassins for the Molsin Church.’
And Judas was the one who had entered that training school before Traditor.
There were circumstances suggesting he received special training.
He came from the same facility as Traditor and approached her in a similar manner.
‘There’s a theoretical possibility that Judas is an assassin prepared for me.’
But saying it exists in theory is almost equivalent to saying it’s practically impossible in reality.
As Judas speculates, Eliya remains rationally curious and desensitized to sexual matters.
She merely acknowledges the existence of such concepts in the world.
She has never experienced them.
In her view, the feelings Judas has towards her are rather special.
A truly extraordinary loyalty.
Thus, stating that Judas could be her assassin is not an unreasonable judgment.
‘If I investigate the past further, things could change….’
She’s also tracking records prior to that care facility.
As a result of her investigations, those earlier records are found near the demon realm.
No matter how much Eliya is, it is hard to gain information near the demon realm.
The number of residents is scarce, and they either die quickly or vanish somewhere.
‘It’d be easier if I could find the taboo sooner….’
Years ago, the magic tower proposed a collaboration, and Eliya agreed.
She then requested the magic tower to investigate or research the taboo.
Neither side has reported back yet.
‘I suspected it would take long, but it’s frustrating that there’s still no progress.’
Though she could approach the imperial family, it feels precarious.
Five years ago.
Someone suspected to be an informant of the imperial family infiltrated her training camp for escort candidates.
Eliya still hasn’t uncovered the reason for that.
‘I’ll find out soon enough.’
The royal family. The taboo. The Molsin Church.
She has cast bait in multiple directions.
It’s about time she gets a nibble.
In particular, she’s already pinpointed the location of Angra, who is fleeing on the pretext of a pilgrimage.
“Are we conducting the voluntary escort training today?”
Eliya asked as she got into the carriage.
She almost memorized Judas’s training schedule.
Ria, sitting opposite her, replied.
“Yes, my lady.”
“Since we have some time, I should go watch.”
Eliya is busy.
Amid her busy schedule, visiting Judas has been added now and then.
Every time she visits, his startled and astonished face is so amusing.
The carriage begins to move.
Eliya leans against the backrest, hugging her doll.
A gentle smile spreads.
It’s a smile rarely seen by the people of the world, devoid of shadows.
‘Since I’m tired, I should hug him right away upon arrival.’
Ria gazed at her with complicated feelings and then lowered her gaze.
*
“Eliya Miss has arrived!”
The carriage pulls in.
An ivory carriage adorned with a golden sun emblem.
The door opens.
Though it’s a door others should help open, Eliya always opens it herself.
Her long legs extend.
The white ankles briefly revealed beneath her skirt.
The sky-blue heels step on the grass.
Looking up, there’s a white blouse.
Softly flowing black hair.
Her red eyes, inscrutable in depth.
Eliya has grown up just as I remember her as an adult.
She looks just like before, but there are subtle differences.
There are no scars on her face, and she’s less thin.
The reason for her having the proper amount of flesh is probably due to me.
I tried to kneel down like others, but couldn’t do so.
Boom.
Something leans against me.
It’s Eliya.
She instantly teleports close to me.
“Ah, my lady, people….”
“Shush.”
“……”
It’s always like this.
The one being targeted never thinks.
Several candidates, kneeling nearby, timidly averted their gazes.
Among them, Richard looked at me with a satisfied smile.
‘Please get rid of that uncle-like smile right away.’
It’s no use saying so with just my eyes.
He nods his head with a smile as if he understands.
‘Oh….’
I sighed lightly while looking down at Eliya.
Then Eliya suddenly lifts her head.
There was a time when our heights were similar, but before I knew it, the difference had grown.
Pushing her hair back behind her ear, she speaks with apparent dissatisfaction.
“Why are you sighing?”
I stealthily avoided her gaze.
For some reason, I find it hard to look Eliya in the face lately.
“Do you dislike me coming?”
“…Not at all.”
“Then?”
She takes a step back and crosses her arms.
The cat doll rests beneath her chest… Not.
“…It’s not that I dislike it.”
“Then what’s with the sigh?”
“Uh, um… it’s because I’m flustered.”
“Hmm. So, you’re saying you don’t dislike it?”
“Yes….”
“Well, that’s good.”
Eliya smiles brightly and returns to her place.
This is quite troublesome.
Eliya’s curiosity and interest towards me when I first entered the camp.
What I thought would be short-lived has continued for five years.
‘…It’s my karma, but hmm.’
Richard, who approached side by side, poked my side.
“Are you enjoying this? It’s making everyone ticklish just to watch.”
“……”
I responded with a contemptuous glare.
Richard laughed heartily without a care.
“C’mon, you can’t pretend not to notice. The lady’s voice is different when she speaks to us and when she speaks to you.”
“……”
While throwing silent glares at him, the training instructor interjected.
“Ahem! As previously announced, it’s an honor that the lady has bestowed upon us today to observe the training.”
…But there’s nothing to see in this training?
What are we here to watch?
“The difference today is that it’s not merely an observation.”
…?
“The lady has expressed her intention to directly participate in the ‘voluntary escort training’ as a designated ‘protection subject’.”
…….
“In order to conduct this with joy.”
This training, which could scarcely even be called a training, is more like etiquette training.
Manners and etiquette, things observed among nobles.
It resembles a role-playing exercise.
First, the instructor gets into the carriage.
At this point, the instructor plays the role of the owner that the candidates are to serve.
The candidates either drive the carriage or ride horses alongside.
It varies from time to time.
How faithfully they carry out the owner’s commands and how polite their conduct is.
The instructor evaluates this.
‘It’d be better to have a free sparring session during that time….’
Being the type to do well when given a role, I’ve been diligent with my efforts.
That’s why I rank second at the camp.
‘But today, the role of the subject to protect… is actually being performed by the one true master, Eliya?’
In the past few years, it’s clear that Eliya has been researching new types of abuse.
Just from how suddenly she appears to torment me.
When our eyes meet, she mischievously smiles.
‘You cunning little….’
“I’ll escort the lady in the order previously determined.”
I’m number at the back.
I seem to be forced to wait.
*
As the training progresses, a question arose.
‘Why is she isolating me?’
Normally, after your turn ends, you’d wait with other candidates.
Yet, they prevent the returning candidates from mixing with the others.
They don’t let anyone approach.
“What’s going on?”
Richard asked, and I shrugged.
I don’t know either.
Time passed, and eventually my turn came.
Eliya, cradling her cat doll, looked at me with a smile.
“Please take care of me.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
She then extends her hand to me.
When I blankly stared at her, Eliya also stared back intently.
As if to ask what I was doing.
“Aren’t you supposed to escort me?”
This is also something I learned.
When the one being served is a woman, you should help her by holding her hand when she gets on or off something.
In this training, that was a point everyone had agreed to omit after a serious discussion with the instructor.
Everyone was on the same page.
‘Why the hell…?’
It wasn’t just hesitation.
Eliya hadn’t held anyone else’s hand in the turns prior.
I raised my hand.
Showing my palm.
“I didn’t bring gloves.”
Wearing gloves while holding hands is also part of etiquette.
“It doesn’t matter.”
However, Eliya doesn’t care.
She always has been like that.
While she pays heed to her dignity as a noble, she doesn’t act entirely like one.
She doesn’t bind herself to the rules that must be adhered to as a noble.
She doesn’t force others to comply with her.
There’s always a casualness in her tone.
Thus, ironically, she’s more noble than anyone.
Left with no choice, I relinquished my hand.
Due to frequent training, my hands were roughened with small scars and callouses.
Eliya’s hand covered mine.
Compared to mine, it was too small and soft.
Both of us had grown since then, but the gap had widened even more.
Holding hands, we board the carriage.
The weight of her body was light.
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head to smiling Eliya and closed the door.
As I turned around, every other candidate was staring at me with wide eyes.
“……”
This preferential treatment should have become something to get used to, yet I find it impossible.
Neither the watchers nor the one being watched can get used to it.
Somehow, my face heats up every time this happens.
Richard catches my gaze and smirks.
I hurriedly hopped onto the driver’s seat.
I drove the carriage as if fleeing.
*
Knock, knock.
While driving the carriage, Eliya signaled to me.
There’s a small sliding window between the carriage’s interior and the driver’s seat.
It blocks noise and serves as a means to communicate when necessary.
When I opened the window, clear and sparkling red eyes awaited me.
“…What is it?”
“I’d like to see some flowers.”
“Flowers?”
…This wasn’t something covered in training.
“It’s not yet the season for flowers to bloom, and I doubt there are any blooming spots around here….”
“There should be a few winter wildflowers. Just get me two of any.”
When the owner asks, I guess I have to do as instructed.
“Understood.”
Reluctantly, I dismounted from the driver’s seat.
Though leaving Eliya alone is worrisome, I couldn’t refuse.
‘Who’s worried about whom?’
To speak plainly, Eliya doesn’t need security at the moment.
It’s far more likely that those escort knights need her protection.
Compared to five years ago, her abilities as a wizard have grown tremendously.
‘What could possibly happen? It’s unlikely anything would happen.’
*
I found two yellow flowers.
I don’t know their names.
I must have walked quite a distance, so I hurried back.
“I’ve brought them.”
I knocked twice on the door.
There was no response.
‘…Did she fall asleep?’
I knocked again but received silence.
“My lady?”
I pressed my ear against the door.
Silence.
Not even a breath could be heard.
My face hardened.
Unease trickled down my spine.
I quickly flung the door wide open.
“My lady?!”
Nobody was inside.
A faint warmth lingered.
She couldn’t have left long ago.
I swiftly activated [Hunter’s Senses].
Distinct tracks were visible on the floor.
The footprints I had returned with.
The indication of the carriage wheels having rolled over.
Among them, there was something out of place.
A distinct mark veering off the path into the woods.
A long dragging mark.
As if dragging away an unconscious person.
Combining the clues was instantaneous.
‘Abduction…?’
The legendary wizard Eliya.
But no matter how powerful she is as a wizard, there is one unavoidable weakness.
Using that can make abduction possible.
My heart dropped at that instant.
Panic was short-lived.
I immediately drew up my strength and, chasing the trail, ran at full speed.
[Energetic Release(Lv.45)]
‘Eliya…!’
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