Theodore didn’t accept her hair tie.
“You don’t want it? Is the price too low?”
“No, no, it’s not enough. I just want to talk about something else.”
“Something else?”
He nodded.
“Does this mean that you won’t take a payment?”
Stunned at her cheekiness, Theodore froze then broke out in a mischievous laughter.
“Little kid, you are truly something interesting. The price for this will come after you have grown a little bigger.”
“A little bigger?”
Laiya glanced down at her hands.
Still small.
Well, that could work out, but wouldn’t that be in a traumatic time?
Theodore, as he had promised, will visit the BlackWinter estate once again. The problem was that they would no longer stand as allies.
He would be the companion of the main character of the novel, his disciple, and he will return to finally end the evil committed by BlackWinter.
“I don’t know how long that will be, Theo. Won’t it be too long? That’s got to be a good few years.”
“A good wandering wizard is known for their extreme patience.”
The wizard stroked his chin as though stroking a beard.
Had he still been using his old man appearance from before, which resembled his actual age, he would have been able to stroke an actual beard.
“So, I will meet you later, child, because I can see something quite interesting in your eyes.”
Laiya had long since wanted to know the meaning behind his statement.
Seeing the scroll held out in his hand, Laiya made a quick grab for it.
“My child, you have a gift for magic.”
“Ah yes.”
“…”
“Yes?!”
” That’s great talent! Excellent! If you can learn it well, then… You will first need a proper teacher.”
Teacher? A wizard!
From her knowledge of the novel, Laiya understood that the male lead was a swordsman.
As the male lead had a specific path he took to grow his strength, the novel was based mostly on the swordsmanship side of the world, but as an avid reader, she knew that that world consisted of many great magicians.
And I have that magician ability?!
“Really? I do, really?”
“What? Do you think I spend my time running around telling people lies?”
“Uhm, then… Maybe Grandpa Theo could teach me a little?”
Beginner wizards need to have a teacher, a wizard who will take them as his apprentice, but Theodore shook his head.
“I apologize but I cannot accept. I travel constantly.”
She shrugged, unconcerned as she withdrew her suggestion. She had already expected as much.
You are being pursued right now, yes?
The reason as to why Theodore wandered was firstly because he was trying to find a way to restore his body.
Secondly, he had been discovered by an outside faction. They began to search for him when they heard of his ability to create an ageless medicine.
His character setting in the novel was of a wandering wizard constantly on the move to avoid their pursuit, Laiya, who had always favored that character, remembered it now.
“It’s a pity, but not to worry child, when each BlackWinter member comes of age, the BlackWinter family will of course give them a wizard. Your needs will be taken care of in your family name, yes?”
“That-”
Laiya scratched her cheek nervously.
It most probably won’t end up that way.
“This place rejects anything that is not related to a sword.”
“I know that stubbornness, but if they are parents who care for their children, then at least once-”
She remained silent.
“Hmm, I guess it wasn’t a matter for me to meddle in, child.”
Theodore was puzzled, maybe the concept of unloving parents didn’t occur to him. Soon, a hand caressed the top of Laiya’s head.
It was the first head pat she had gotten ever since her birth.
“I wish you good luck.”
The little girl watched as the wizard’s outstretched hand left her forehead before she spoke.
“By the way, why have you come to our mansion?”
“Oh, I’ve come to see the ruins.”
“We have ruins?”
Perhaps due to his surrounding magic, but no matter how loud Theodore raised his voice, he remained unconcerned.
“Your family mansion has wonderful ruins. It has been assumed that the essence of ancient magic lies dormant there.”
“Huh? But our family is a family that works with swords only.”
“That’s what I’m curious about too. If I ask the head of the family, then he should know something.”
Theodore abruptly cut himself off. Laiya couldn’t understand what he did not want to say.
Even though he was clearly excited, he seemed to be trying to hide it. As if he was covering up a mistake.
That may be true, he might have let down his guard the longer he spoke to her. As they conversed, his voice had become softer and sweeter than before, like he was chatting to his actual granddaughter.
“I wondered if the head of the family’s health has improved like in the rumors. That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
10.
BlackWinter would periodically spread rumors regarding the family head’s health improving.
Honestly, it was the work of the vassals who followed the family members rather than worked well for the BlackWinter family.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
The wandering wizard handed over the scroll and unhesitantly rose to his feet.
“I had once received great grace from your grandfather, the head of the BlackWinter household. It was a fun time with him as my older brother.”
His face, immersed in the fragments of a time passed, was amused and yet bitter.
“Braham Gurasa also… No, nevermind.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll give you one scroll for free as you are the family head’s granddaughter, but I will come to collect the rest someday.”
A gust of wind blew against her eyelids.
Laiya rubbed away the slight itchy feeling and when she looked up once more, Theodore was no longer there.
Quickly searching around, the little girl found the back of his figure standing with the knights in the distance.
The wandering wizard, having returned to his old age appearance, caught her gaze only to secretly nod and wink at her.
It was like he had been possessed by a fairy.
Laiya squeezed the scrolls in her hand.
Okay, let’s ignore whatever that wizard said for now. Let’s focus on the plan, I’ll start with Brother Roy for now.
Luck had finally fallen into Laiya’s hands, she had to use it tonight.
***
Later that night.
Laiya awoke from her seat, the black night sky an avid background to the booth.
She speedily rummaged under the bed for the cloak previously hidden and put it on.
As she stepped outside of her room, she warily confirmed the lack of maids around.
As she walked down the darkened corridor, she stared down the patrolling knights and standing guards.
They flinched as they always did when they made eye contact with her, but the turned their heads away as if to clear their eyes from something dirty.
Laiya reached the end of the corridor before she stepped into a corner out of sight of the guards. Quickly, she tore the scroll she had recently bought.
Once torn, she opened the door at the end of the corridor once and closed it. That would give an illusion to the guards, making them think that she had entered the room and not suspect her.
With the echo in the hallway of the door closing accompanying her, the little girl made her way back around and up the staircase and to another room.
I’ve used the invisibility magic as well as the concealment magic so there should be no problems in my way. Just in case, let’s avoid any knights as much as possible.
Every time Laiya came across a knight as she made her way to the upper floor, she gave them a wide berth and carried on.
[T/N: Wide berth means to keep a considerable distance from an object or person.]
Her destination. Her father’s office.
Since its current owner was away, the place was drowned in silence.
Of course, the higher levels, the descendants and lords rooms and the treasury had strict guarding conditions.
Laiya knew that her father would be back the following day at the earliest, so this was the only chance she would have to get her hands on that textbook safely.
She opened the door to her father’s office and entered.
A massive space greeted her, but her time limit didn’t allow her to bother with it as she headed for the door situated behind the desk.
This is our BlackWinter family’s library.
She pushed the door open to reveal a room overflowing with books. If you read them one by one, they were filled with a never-ending knowledge of swordsmanship.
Okay, starting point. Let’s go to the corners where it’s hard to properly see the titles of the books.
All of the books there must have been able to fetch a rather grand price. Taking anything would prove helpful.
If possible, she was hoping that the important books would be hidden away in the corners so that others won’t easily find them.
It was when she crouched down, relying on the faint moonlight’s glow, she was able to grope about the bookshelf with her eyes.
‘The Will of the hero Rance.’
…Hey, now why is this here?
