Chapter 6

“No!”

I couldn’t let all these people witness Isaac’s hand getting sliced off and falling to the ground. Especially not when the Crown Prince was among them.

That would mean immediate execution!

If the Crown Prince found anything suspicious and started investigating, we’d be exposed in no time.

‘Isn’t there anything I can do?!’

If I were a more skilled necromancer, I could have temporarily enhanced Isaac. He was practically my familiar at this point.

But every time Rev nagged me to practice necromancy, I avoided it. Naturally, I had no idea how to use enhancements!

‘Rev… I guess this is what I get for not listening to you.’

But there was no time for regrets. I racked my brain, reviewing my pitiful necromancy skills and picking out anything I could do.

‘Right. This might work!’

I quickly clenched my fist. Pain shot through my palm as my nails dug into the flesh.

There was no time to hesitate just because it hurt.

‘Just a little… Even one drop will do…!’

Crack!

My fingertips felt damp. I barely managed to calm the thing squirming inside my palm.

‘Good. That’s it. You can go up there and smash the lights for me, can’t you?’

The thing in my hand quivered as if saying ‘of course.’ Quietly, I opened my palm, and it slithered down the leg of the chair, seeping into the floor.

A necromancer’s blood is a familiar in itself.

So even a beginner like me could draw blood and issue a simple command.

“Young Lady.”

“Yes?”

I tried hard not to show I was startled.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Ah… the sparring match?”

Tristan nodded calmly. His expression was still cold as ever, but my long years as a scribe helped me sense that he was finding the match quite intriguing.

“Well, normally I’d bet on my brother Isaac, but as you know, he’s not in the best condition right now.”

“Sir Isaac is usually praised for his brute strength, but this match shows that’s not all he’s got.”

He spoke without taking his eyes off Isaac.

“His technique and sense are impressive. He’s turning his opponent’s strength against him and hasn’t even broken a sweat.”

‘That’s probably because he can’t sweat.’

Instead of saying that out loud, I smiled sweetly and nodded. Other than Isaac’s wrist looking dangerously close to giving out, the duel seemed to be leaning in his favor.

Harold was starting to sweat as he focused all his effort on attacking, while Isaac calmly neutralized every move.

I glanced up at the ceiling.

My blood-bound familiar had already climbed the wall and was now positioned near the light.

‘Just a little… more…!’

Isaac’s wrist was at its limit. I couldn’t tell exactly, but I could feel it—his body was hanging by a thread.

“Ha, all you do is dodge like a rat.”

Harold wiped the sweat from his face and reset his stance.

“Let’s finish this.”

“Wait, hold on—”

Isaac tried to stop him, but Harold wasn’t listening.

“Here I come!”

As if this were the final blow, Harold raised his sword high and charged forward. His stance was unstable, which made it a risky but desperate move.

No matter how Isaac avoided it, the strain on his wrist would be unavoidable.

“Haaah!”

BOOOOM!

A thunderous crash shook the room, followed by a cloud of dust. Not something you’d normally see on an indoor training ground, much less on a solid floor.

“Wh-What the hell?!”

“The floor’s busted! That dust is from the floor tiles!”

“Who won? Was it Sir Isaac? Or Sir Harold?”

The murmuring filled the training grounds. While everyone was busy guessing who had won, I quietly let out a sigh of relief.

‘That was way too close.’

As the dust slowly settled, blurry silhouettes began to emerge.

The first to come into view was Harold, his face pale as a ghost.

“It’s Harold!”

“Did Harold win?”

But then Isaac appeared as well, still standing in place. The crowd fell into silence.

Clink.

A shard of the shattered light fixture rolled by Isaac’s feet, making a faint noise.

Right. The lights.

Between Isaac and Harold, the large overhead lamp had fallen and smashed to pieces. That was what had damaged the floor.

The light fixture was as big as a grown man’s torso. It had dropped from the ceiling above—someone could’ve been seriously hurt.

“You…”

Harold suddenly twisted his face into a scowl and shouted.

“Why did you save me?!”

“……”

“You’re saying someone like me isn’t even a threat to you, is that it?!”

He screamed, clearly consumed with frustration. I could guess why he was slumped on the ground next to the shattered light.

“Let’s go again. A fair rematch—!”

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, Tristan rose from beside me and spoke.

Silence fell instantly across the training grounds. Harold opened his mouth like he still had more to say, but he quickly closed it again. He couldn’t exactly defy the Crown Prince’s order.

“It’s a miracle no one was injured in that accident. Let’s end things here for today. Everyone, return to your duties.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Sir Isaac, are you all right?”

When Isaac didn’t respond, Tristan addressed him directly.

“…Yes, of course.”

Isaac forced a smile. Tristan might not have noticed, but I could see it clearly. A faint fracture had formed across his wrist.

Pushing Harold back earlier must have finally pushed it past its limit.

“Very well. Have both of them taken to the infirmary, and Sir Dyuke—see that this place is cleaned up properly.”

“Y-Yes, understood!”

Dyuke, one of the knights who had just been ordered by the Crown Prince, responded sharply, caught off guard but standing at full attention.

“Your Highness, may I be permitted to return home early? I’ll have my condition reviewed by the family physician.”

There was no way we could let the imperial medical team examine him. When Isaac requested it, Tristan granted it without hesitation.

“You don’t look well. Go get some proper rest.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Highness.”

Isaac carefully hid his wrist as he bowed and gave his thanks. As he left, he shot me a cheeky wink.

He must’ve figured out I was the one behind the sudden light fixture drop.

‘Unbelievable… seriously.’

Honestly, why pull such a stunt that’s so unlike him? Of course, I had a rough idea of the reason. Isaac only ever lost control like that when someone insulted his family.

‘And the Duke of Walker’s house has a very symbolic flaw.’

That would be me. Emily Walker.

You’d think he’d be used to it by now. But Isaac always acted like it was the first time I’d ever been insulted.

“Haaah…”

I let out a sigh without realizing it, and just then, Tristan—who had been walking ahead—came to a sudden stop. Lost in thought, I hadn’t even noticed we’d reached the small garden of Juliet Palace, nestled between the training ground and the office hall.

‘Was my sigh too loud?’

Otherwise, why would the Crown Prince suddenly stop walking? I swallowed hard as he turned and looked straight at me.

“Young Lady.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You noticed it too, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

He stroked his chin and lowered his gaze. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but standing there among the blooming roses, even his eyes looked like they belonged to a flower.

“The Duke of Walker’s bloodline has always been blessed by the gods. It’s not so surprising. Though Sir Walker didn’t seem to notice…”

“Sorry, what…?”

All I could do was echo him like an idiot.

“Yes. That’s why I ordered the knights to stay on alert.”

“…I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I can understand your hesitation to get involved. But if you possess the ability to sense traces of necromancy…”

“Excuse me?”

I completely forgot my place and stared at him, wide-eyed. Understandably so—he had just said necromancy.

‘Did he find out?’

The thought rose unbidden. Had he lured me into this secluded garden for that very reason?

I instinctively took a step back—only to bump into Werner standing behind me.

“!”

I was surrounded.

That realization sent a chill down my spine. Werner, finding my reaction amusing, chuckled and casually rested a hand on my shoulder.

“Your Highness, you’re scaring the lady. I told you before—your grim expressions are why all the young noblewomen keep running away!”

“…I wasn’t trying to scare her.”

Tristan awkwardly took a step back. The tension between the two didn’t feel threatening.

At least, it wasn’t the kind of hostility you’d expect when dealing with a necromancer—the public enemy of the continent.

‘I’m not exposed.’

That thought alone brought me a wave of relief.

“Young Lady, please don’t hide it. During the sparring match—you already knew the light fixture would fall, didn’t you?”

“……”

“You looked up at the ceiling before it fell, didn’t you?”

That moment!

I had only glanced up to check if things were going according to plan—but he’d noticed.

“Truth is… we’ve recently begun to suspect that necromancers may be active again.”

A chilling statement.

I tensed up all over again. How could they know? Had I left some kind of trace? My mind raced.

“We’re conducting our own investigation, but there are limits. We’re using several tools to detect remnants of necromancy, but they’re mostly one-time use and not very reliable.”

Werner’s tone was oddly gentle, like coaxing a frightened child. He was clearly convinced I was just scared from being stuck between two grown men.

“That incident just now, too—we used a detector on a hunch, and sure enough, it picked up necromantic energy!”

‘Because I used it…’

“Young Lady, I believe you were born with the ability to sense such magic.”

‘Well, that’s because I am a necromancer…’

“Would you be willing to assist us in our investigation?”

Werner looked at me with hopeful, sparkling eyes. When I turned my head slightly, I saw Tristan pretending not to stare while watching me closely.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’

Do they even know what they’re saying? They’re asking a necromancer to help track down necromancers.

‘Well… they don’t know.’

And if they did, that’d be an even bigger problem.

Part of me wanted to outright refuse, to pretend I knew nothing—but it wasn’t that simple.

Obviously, hunting necromancers had nothing to do with a court scribe’s job description. This was like asking your child’s homeroom teacher to file military reports.

But how many subordinates actually push back against unreasonable orders?

He was my superior. And someone I’d have to keep seeing regularly.

‘Keep your enemies close, right?’

If they really did suspect something, it might be safer to stay close and monitor the investigation myself.

“Of course, you’ll receive overtime compensation,” Tristan added quickly.

Now he says that—but for the record, I didn’t have any inheritance rights to the Walker family’s fortune anyway.

“…All right. I’ll do it.”

I didn’t really have a choice.