He looked extremely perplexed. His honest face clearly showed his inner thoughts: “How should I say this?”
Alessia, who had been quietly watching Kaon, lowered her head. It seemed it had indeed been a futile hope.
“Never mind.”
Alessia, who was accustomed to hiding her disappointment, lifted her head and withdrew her hand, pretending nothing was wrong. The small flame, the size of a fingernail, quickly extinguished.
“I understand what you mean, so there’s no need to say it. I get it, and I was prepared for this, so it’s fine.”
She looked at Kaon resolutely.
If she showed no signs of distress, it would surely be a lie. She would probably never let go of the hope that the magic that had vanished might return one day, even though she knew it was foolish.
But she couldn’t cling to something that wouldn’t happen forever. Being crushed by helplessness and swallowing cries that no one would acknowledge wouldn’t help her at all. She knew this better than anyone else in the world.
So, she had to let go of her regrets and focus on what she could do right now. First, she needed to clear her mind and get healthy…
“Hey, that’s not it. I know what you’re misunderstanding. I didn’t see it wrong. I saw it clearly.”
…she needed to, but…
“There’s definitely magical energy flowing through your body. It’s not the ring’s magic, it’s yours.”
His words kept giving her false hope. The young lord of Ferdinand, who was speaking such nonsense so seriously, was making her feel this way.
“But this is… damn it. How should I say this? I can see it, I really can see something, but…”
“…Are you messing with me right now?”
“I know it’s magical energy, but it’s so faint. It’s even more indistinct than a heat haze.”
Kaon finally revealed the truth. The reason he hesitated was that Alessia’s magical energy was extremely weak. The energy was so thin that it was barely visible unless he focused intently.
Of course, the spell Alessia cast was a minor one, so it made sense that it used only a small amount of magic. But that wasn’t the only issue.
“Why is the magical energy so unstable?”
The magic flowing through Alessia was not continuous; it was interrupted in places. It was like water trickling out in spurts from a partially blocked water pouch.
However, the magical energy he saw at dawn had enveloped her entire body without any gaps. If such a vast amount of energy had been unstable, Kaon would have noticed immediately.
It hadn’t even been a day, yet Kaon couldn’t easily understand how the same person’s magical energy could differ so drastically.
“Just before you collapsed, there was definitely an overwhelming amount of magical energy flowing through you, incomparable to now. That’s why I thought it was strange.”
Kaon glanced at Alessia out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at the ring with a face that betrayed no thoughts, clearly confused.
“Anyway, it’s certain that you have magical energy. Even if you can’t feel it, it’s flowing through your body.”
He decided to set aside the problem he couldn’t solve immediately. The important fact was that Alessia might actually be a real mage, not a fake.
Ferdinand needed a mage, and Alessia had been fulfilling that role as a fake mage. If she, who was diligent and capable of working well with the knights, became a real mage, she would be a great asset to Ferdinand.
It was still too early to be certain, but Kaon was determined to help as much as he could. It was for Ferdinand and also for himself.
“Once you’re feeling a bit better, we’ll properly verify it at the training ground… Hey!”
Kaon, who had been speaking earnestly, raised his voice as a blanket suddenly flew at his face. He had just informed her that she had magical energy, and she repaid his kindness with hostility.
“I get it.”
“You…”
Kaon, irritated, was about to throw off the blanket that covered his face when he froze. A heavy voice, as if suppressing something, stopped him in his tracks.
“Just stay like that for a moment.”
Ignoring the dampness in her words, Kaon waited silently under the blanket for a while.
***
It took another week for Alessia to fully recover and get back on her feet. Even though the doctor recommended more rest, Alessia immediately got up once she could move freely.
“I’m really sorry, my lady!”
As soon as she appeared in the training ground, Lewick, who had been standing there in a daze, deeply bowed. If left unchecked, he might even kneel.
“Lewick, please don’t do this. I’m fine.”
“No, my lady. If you hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t be standing here in this training ground right now. One must never let their guard down on the battlefield, even for a moment. I was careless and caused trouble. I sincerely apologize and want to express my infinite gratitude.”
Lewick’s back remained bowed. It was an excessive display of politeness, but his guilty conscience was evident.
He had constantly inquired about her well-being while she was unconscious, so he must have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
“You’ve been through a lot, my lady.”
“The Ferdinand Knights will never forget this kindness.”
“That’s right! You saved my life, and if I forget that, I wouldn’t be human! I, Maurice, will keep a close eye on these guys with my eyes wide open!”
Other knights also expressed their gratitude to her, one after another. Not a single one was missing.
Alessia bit her lip, feeling an inexplicable emotion. She hadn’t saved Lewick purely out of a desire to rescue him. She had simply chosen the easiest way to stay comfortably in Ferdinand.
So, seeing them so grateful made her feel a bit ashamed. It was a similar feeling to when she saw Kaon and others crying for her. It was a ticklish sensation she had never felt in Ingelos. Alessia just moved her lips silently.
“Yvonne! The lady is here!”
At that moment, a knight shouted behind Alessia. Reacting instinctively to the name, Alessia turned around to see Yvonne entering the training ground.
“Ah, Lady Leroy. How have you been…!”
Alessia, awkwardly greeting her, widened her eyes. Yvonne, upon meeting her gaze, immediately dropped to her knees.
“Lady Leroy, what is this…?”
“I don’t think my knees or my apology are worth much. But please allow me to express my shame.”
Alessia was greatly startled by the sudden turn of events. Yvonne, as she knew, was incredibly proud and never easily bent her opinions.
Moreover, Yvonne was the knight who had been most hostile towards her. She had heard that Yvonne treated all mages this way, not just her. The pain of losing comrades due to the absence of a mage had made her this way.
As a result, Alessia had never had a proper conversation with Yvonne for over a year. Any interaction was just receiving one-sided warnings, followed by formal apologies that were obviously insincere. It was too embarrassing to even call it a conversation. If she greeted her, she was ignored, and if she talked with other knights, she received cold stares—this was Yvonne.
“I have committed unspeakable rudeness to you all this time. Without any excuse, it was my arrogance and wrong judgment. I believe my childish rebellion must have been exhausting for you. I want to apologize. I’m sorry.”
Now, Yvonne was publicly kneeling and confessing her wrongs in front of the other knights. The unexpected situation brought a silence over the training ground.
“My loyalty is entirely to Ferdinand, so I cannot make another vow to you, but I will never forget the grace you have shown and will repay it throughout my life.”
Yvonne, who continued speaking calmly, bowed deeply. Watching her solemn demeanor, Alessia helped her to her feet. Though Yvonne’s body, as solid as a knight’s, flinched, she soon followed Alessia’s lead.
“I think even saying that I understand your feelings might hurt you. I haven’t had the same experiences as you, nor was I there. I don’t want to say that other mages are blameless either because I don’t know all of them.”
Alessia took Yvonne’s calloused hand in hers. Yvonne’s dark blue eyes trembled endlessly as she discovered Alessia’s stiff left arm.
“But I do know that you just wanted to protect your comrades. I know you didn’t want them to be hurt again. I understand how painful it is to get your hopes up only to be disappointed.”
Yvonne had indeed made things difficult for her, but ironically, that wasn’t enough to truly trouble Alessia. Because of this, Alessia could see her objectively. Yvonne, who faced others with her guard up, was a typical example of someone who had been hurt. Alessia couldn’t help but recognize it, having gone through a brief period in her childhood when she believed that rebelling would change something.
“My lady.”
“So, it’s alright. Everything is fine.”
Yvonne eventually lowered her head. Listening from outside, Kaon let out a sigh.
Finally, everything was starting to fall into place.
***
Alessia made her way to a small training ground on the upper floor. It was a space set aside for her to practice magic privately.
“You’re here?”
As she opened the door and stepped inside, Kaon, who had been leaning against the wall, smiled at her. Alessia nodded slowly.
“If it gets even a little tough, stop immediately. Pushing yourself too hard and ending up bedridden again would be worse.”
“I know.”
“A kid who knows… never mind.”
Kaon shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how stubborn she was. Though she was annoyed at being treated like a disobedient child, Alessia let it slide. Kaon had offered to help her regain her sense of magic.
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