EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 137

Chapter 137

 

The capital of Belus, Rone, was buzzing with lively energy.

Pink flower petals fluttered through the sky, children wearing adorable animal masks ran through the streets laughing, and people danced to the cheerful music that filled every corner, while others watched with delighted smiles.

All of this was thanks to the summer festival celebrating the Grand Princess’s birthday, now in its ninth year.

The docks, plazas, and streets were packed with tourists, the excitement reaching its peak.

Amidst the bustling festival, a girl wearing a pink rabbit mask that covered half her face dashed swiftly through the crowd.

The pink gemstone decoration on the edge of her mask and her loosely braided, light brown hair bounced up and down as she ran.

After purchasing skewers from a street vendor and a generously stuffed meat-filled bun, the girl made her way toward the coastline, far from the bustling docks where large ships were moored.

Upon reaching a shaded area, she stepped onto the soft sand and quickly glanced around before making a small motion with her hand.

With a flicker of magic, a red-and-white checkered cloth spread out over the clean sand, and a picnic basket appeared.

Smiling, the girl sat down and began laying out the food she had bought.

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind, filled with strong magical energy, swept through the area, making her hair and clothes flutter before the air stilled once more.

“Lia!”

A strikingly handsome young man appeared, striding forward with the sunlight at his back.

“Ah! My eyes!”

“Are you okay?”

Kneeling down immediately, the man removed the girl’s cute rabbit mask and examined her eyes.

At the same time, the spell wore off, and Lia’s hair instantly changed to a soft pink hue.

Lia, who had been covering her eyes, slowly lowered her hands and smiled.

“Oppa, I told you to wear glasses during the day! Are you trying to blind everyone?”

“What? You’re teasing me again!”

Despite his words, Ascart’s face turned slightly red, as if embarrassed by his sister’s remark.

Then, he quickly hardened his expression and spoke sternly.

“No matter how cute you are, I won’t let this slide. How could you sneak out of the castle alone after shaking off your guards? Do you know how worried everyone is?”

“I left a note. And I even wore a mask and changed my hair color so no one would recognize me.”

“Still…”

“Pfft, as if you weren’t tracking my location the whole time.”

Pouting, Lia fiddled with the earring she always wore.

The Duchy of Belus had once developed magical artifacts capable of tracking mana traces, making their location-tracking magic far more advanced than in other regions.

Lia, knowing how anxious her family was, had voluntarily worn an enchanted earring that allowed them to find her at any time.

Ascart who was fully aware of this, opened his mouth as if to argue, but Lia waved her sleeve dismissively.

“Just sit down. I knew you’d come, so I prepared food for you in advance.”

Seeing the delicious sandwiches, skewers, and even chilled drinks and fresh fruit from the castle, Ascart sighed and sat down as if he had no choice.

“So, princess, why did you sneak out?”

Forgetting his earlier determination to scold her, he naturally began peeling fruit and placed a piece in Lia’s mouth.

“Don’t tell me you fought with Mother again? I already told you I don’t agree with you on this…”

As Lia chewed, unable to answer immediately, Ascart continued.

“I already worry about you being near the training grounds, where sharp weapons are everywhere, and now you want to learn swordsmanship?”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“I understand that you want to learn from Mother, but it’s not happening.”

“You’re so mean, Brother…”

Lia’s sudden complaint made Ascart’s eyes waver slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

After finding Lia, the Grand Duchess had recovered her health so rapidly that it was hard to believe she had ever been sick.

And as the former mentor of Bianca, she had resumed overseeing the knights’ swordsmanship training.

That was when Lia’s long-standing insistence began.

⟨W-Wait, did Mother really teach Lady Bianca swordsmanship? And even Duke Elard?⟩

The usually composed girl had been so shocked that she stuttered. Then, as if making a grand resolution, she appeared at the training grounds the very next day, declaring her intention to learn the sword.

Of course, the Grand Duchess had refused. She had no intention of putting Lia—who had already endured so much—through grueling training.

Upon hearing the reasons for her mother’s refusal, Lia was at a loss for words and turned away.

But the situation changed the following year when Marquis Diapel visited.

⟨Who dares to stop my granddaughter from learning the Diapel family’s swordsmanship?!⟩

It turned out that Lia had written a long, heartfelt letter to the marquis, persuading him to support her cause.

But the ‘strong ally’ she had counted on turned out to be…

⟨W-W-Wait! My dear! Put that sword down, it’s dangerous! Quickly!⟩

The moment he saw Lia holding a sword at the training grounds, he nearly fainted, becoming the strongest opponent to her wishes.

With even the Marquis, the Grand Duke, and Ascart refusing to allow it, Lia was left feeling utterly disappointed.

At that moment, Ascart recalled his grandfather’s words about how Lia’s stubbornness was exactly like her mother’s.

“You let me practice all kinds of magic freely. If you think about it, fire and lightning magic are even more dangerous…”

“That’s exactly why you should be satisfied with that.”

Ascart spoke with a hint of bitterness.

In truth, neither the Grand Duke nor Ascart had ever intended to teach Lia such offensive magic.

Of course, in order to perfectly control the unsealed mana without causing any outbursts, it was necessary for her to learn how to manage her magic.

However, they had planned to focus on defensive and healing magic instead…

⟨L-Lia? How did you do that?⟩

⟨I didn’t even see you draw the magic circle… No, wait!⟩

Their ambitious plan to teach Lia only safe magic had been completely shattered on the very first day.

Lia was a genius.

Even the great mage Kale Belus, who had been called a prodigy all his life, and his son Ascart Belus were left in awe of her talent.

Leaving aside the vast amount of mana she possessed, which seemed limitless, her sensitivity to mana and her ability to apply it in different ways were beyond their understanding.

At some point, Lia had even started casting spells without chanting any incantations.

She tried to explain her method, but no matter how much she elaborated, neither her family nor the many mages of the Magic Tower could replicate it.

Now, it had reached the point where Lia was the one teaching others—leading the development of magical tools, scrolls, and potions.

In fact, the only reason Ascart had been able to find her so quickly after she left the castle was thanks to a teleportation scroll she had created.

But no matter how extraordinary her abilities were, in Ascart’s eyes, Lia was still a small and fragile child.

With her delicate face still carrying traces of youth, her sharp nose, and her deep pink eyes wide like a rabbit’s, it was hard to believe that she would become an adult tomorrow.

“Aderiana, I don’t want you to be in danger. I don’t want you to suffer.”

“…”

“You can use magic, and Mother and I will always be here to protect you, so why do you insist on learning something so dangerous?”

Ascart had inherited not only his father’s looks but also his personality. He had neither talent nor interest in swordsmanship, making it even harder for him to understand Lia’s determination.

Feeling frustrated, Lia retorted,

“‘Always’? How can you be sure? The more power I have to protect myself, the better!”

Then, realizing what she had just said, she suddenly froze.

⟨Lia, do you want to survive? Then strengthen your ability to protect yourself. As much as possible.⟩

Even though so much time had passed, the words of her master still echoed clearly in her mind.

Naturally, the rest of the conversation followed in her memory.

⟨But at this rate… you’ll die soon.⟩

Following the cold tone of her master’s voice in her head, Lia let out a bitter smile.

Perhaps it was because so much time had passed, or maybe because she had grown up surrounded by kind and loving people, but that once painful memory no longer hurt.

“…”

Yet, somewhere deep inside, she felt a heavy weight, like she was standing before an insurmountable wall.

“…Lia?”

Seeing her expression darken, Ascart let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. I’ll talk to Mother. You’ll probably never have to use a sword, but… just in case. And we should also make sure you can actually use your magic properly in an emergency.”

“Really?”

Lia’s eyes widened in shock. She had merely been lost in thought, reminiscing about someone, but now, out of nowhere, she had gained an unexpected ally.

When Ascart nodded in confirmation, Lia’s face lit up with the brightest smile.

Seeing that, Ascart forgot all about regretting his words. Instead, he took in a sharp breath, overwhelmed.

“Haaah!”

“You’re the best, Oppa— Hm? What’s wrong?”

Lia tilted her head in confusion as Ascart suddenly began checking her shoulders and back in a frenzy.

Clutching his chest with one hand, Ascart dramatically declared,

“I’m checking for wings. You must be an angel!”

 

***

 

Barely managing to endure Ascart’s endless dramatic flattery, I finally returned to the castle using the teleportation scroll.

The teleportation scroll was something I had poured my heart into developing. It allowed travel from the capital of Belus to the farthest village at the duchy’s borders, a truly remarkable creation.

‘If I can increase the mana capacity even further, I might even be able to make a scroll that can take me directly to the Empire…’

Of course, just like during the development phase, my family would never allow me to test it myself.

Still, I planned to modify the magic circle again and suggest that the mages conduct further experiments in the future.

Just as I took a step forward, lost in thought…