Chapter 24
I had a bad feeling as I quickly opened the carriage door and stepped outside.
In the foggy, dark night, a major accident had occurred at the crossroads, involving four carriages that collided. The scene outside was utter chaos, filled with painful cries and desperate sobbing from all around. Two of the carriages were shattered, and the horses pulling them had collapsed, likely injured. The horse that had been hitched to our carriage had broken free and disappeared into the darkness.
It was pandemonium.
I checked on the condition of our coachman first. He was unconscious, with blood trickling down from his head. I looked around for help, but the other three carriages had suffered even more severe damage, so no one seemed able to assist.
I found the wound on Tommy’s head. I felt terribly guilty, thinking this accident happened because he was driving late at night for my sake.
“Tommy, Tommy. Please wake up.”
I was terrified as he continued to remain unconscious.
‘Please, be okay. Let there be no harm,’ I kept repeating in my mind, wishing desperately. And then, suddenly, a bright light burst from my body, like an explosion.
I was momentarily stunned by the unexpected light, and before I knew it, he opened his eyes.
“Tommy!”
“Miss?”
Tommy, now conscious, sprang up, and I quickly stopped him.
“Tommy! You shouldn’t get up like that. Lie back down. You’ve been in an accident and were badly injured. Your head was bleeding, so moving around like that is dangerous.”
“Huh? I feel lighter than ever… You’re saying I was hurt?”
With a puzzled look, he touched his head and examined himself.
“I’m fine, though?”
“What? That’s impossible…”
I reached out to show him where the wound had been, but when I parted his hair, there was no sign of injury.
“Huh? What is going on?”
A moment ago, I had been so panicked that I hadn’t thought deeply about the light—but, that light?
‘Could it have been… divine power?’
Wondering if my necklace had broken, I felt around my neck, but it was still there, resting securely.
‘That’s strange. This necklace is supposed to suppress my divine power…’
While I was lost in thought, a man crawled over from the most severely damaged carriage.
“Please, please help us.”
“Yes?”
“I saw you heal this man, my lady.”
“No, no, that was just by chance…”
“Please, I beg of you. My wife and baby are dying.”
Hearing the word “baby,” I immediately stepped forward, with Tommy supporting the man as we followed.
The inside of their carriage was horrific. The mother, holding the baby, was already unconscious, while the baby was crying frantically. The mother was in a dire condition from trying to protect her child, and if left as she was, she would likely lose her life.
The power that healed Tommy had indeed been divine power.
‘Could it be strong enough to save someone’s life? Should I really reveal this power?’
Honestly, the thought of exposing my divine power terrified me.
‘But I can’t just pretend not to see. It’s dark, so it should be alright. But I only just escaped the temple—can I really risk this?’
In a short time, endless turmoil arose in my heart. However, I couldn’t just do nothing. There were no ambulances or doctors around to perform surgery. If I let go of my efforts, it was clear that both the baby and the mother would lose their lives.
Without hesitating any longer, I pulled on the necklace and broke it. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to do it while suppressing my divine power. I then took the hands of the baby and the mother and infused them with my divine power, hoping desperately for their survival.
“Please let them live.”
In that moment, a white light exploded from my body like a bomb. Afterward, I collapsed onto the ground, feeling drained. The sudden exertion made me dizzy, and I closed my eyes. As I rested for a moment, I began to notice the murmurs around me growing louder and clearer.
When I opened my eyes and looked around, I was shocked to see that a crowd of people had gathered. Despite the late hour, so many people had come out due to the severity of the accident. They were bustling about, helping to manage the accident scene and rushing off to call for doctors.
I felt that I couldn’t stay there any longer and gestured to Tommy.
“I need to leave first. I’ll meet with Madame Hyacinth to discuss compensation for the accident in person. Please let her know I will be visiting.”
“Uh? Are you alright, Miss? I can escort you.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Miss, thank you for saving us.”
“I’m sorry, but please stay and help with the accident management.”
“Yes. I will handle it well.”
I hurriedly made my way out of the chaotic scene of the accident.
When I finally arrived home, I collapsed into bed without even taking a shower, falling into a deep sleep as if I had fainted.
* * *
“Adeline! Adeline!”
Sarah burst in through the door, calling my name with excitement. My whole body ached as if I had been beaten.
I pulled the blanket over my head and said, “Just a little longer. Tell them I’ll be open for business starting in the afternoon. Give the morning visitors meal vouchers…”
“Adeline, this is not the time to be sleeping.”
She yanked my blanket away, and irritation welled up inside me.
“Sleeping is sleeping; does it matter when? Give me my blanket back.”
“Adeline, did you use divine power yesterday?”
“Huh?”
At that, I was wide awake, springing up like a jack-in-the-box.
‘What? What do you mean? How does Sarah know that?’
“How do I know? News has spread everywhere! They say you saved a mother and her child who almost died yesterday.”
I had somewhat prepared for this, but I didn’t expect the news to spread so quickly.
“Sarah.”
“Yes?”
“Do many people know?”
“Of course! The news spread all over the district. I even heard it while I was out buying bread. By the way, Adeline, do you really have enough divine power to save a dying person?”
She looked at me with envious eyes. I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.
‘What am I going to do about this?’
But I didn’t feel like I had done anything wrong. Even if the same situation arose again, I would still save a person like I did last night. For now, I tried to think calmly about how to respond to the unfolding situation.
I hurriedly prepared to head to work. As I calmed down and made my way to the shop, I realized that this wouldn’t easily settle down.
All the way to the store, warm and soft gazes from people were directed at me. Friends offered me flowers, accessories, and food. Even strangers didn’t let me pass without shouting words of support and praise.
‘I didn’t ask for this…’
While I was truly grateful for the warmth of the people, I felt a growing worry that things were spiraling out of control.
‘I’ve left the church, and the saintess has already been determined, so it should be fine, right? Everything is over now, so it should be okay.’
I tried to suppress the overwhelming fear and entered the shop.
‘For now, I’ll focus on work. I’ll worry about the aftermath when it comes.’
“Sarah, let the first customer in.”
“Yes, Adeline.”
As the first customer sat in front of me, worries flooded back in.
“Lady Adeline, good morning.”
Paulian looked at me with a smile more dazzling than summer roses.
“You accomplished something remarkable overnight.”
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“A divine power strong enough to save a life. The church will be in turmoil over this. The thought of the church suffering makes me quite happy.”
“Are you curious about the church’s reaction?”
“The fact that the church didn’t know about such divine power must mean they deliberately kept it hidden, right?”
I looked at him, confused.
“You mean you intentionally hid your divine power?”
“Did you come here to waste your precious time and money? You should be asking your clients about their curiosities, not me.”
His overly bright and almost mischievous smile irritated me.
“If you have no questions, then please leave.”
“I came for a consultation.”
I shot a cold glance at him, and his red lips slowly moved.
“I need the wisdom of Lady Adeline.”
I frowned slightly, puzzled by what he meant.
“Alimony lawsuit; it’s your work, isn’t it?”
At his words, I involuntarily flinched but quickly composed myself.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know that the empire’s first property division application was from someone who resigned as the first saintess.”
“You must be mistaken. I had no part in that trial.”
“The Mage Tower’s intelligence is the strongest on the continent.”
I swallowed nervously without realizing it.
“I didn’t come to threaten you about that matter. I came to seek your advice on how to handle it.”
“What kind of advice?”
He smiled at me, prompting me to correct myself primly.
“Of course, I have nothing to do with that trial. I’m only asking because you said you needed my help.”
“There are many issues regarding the ownership of magic. This has been a long-standing, chronic problem—a plague, really.”
Paulian began to explain the situation seriously.
As I listened, I realized how important an original signature magic was in the magical world.
The painstakingly developed and crafted magic that one has spent years researching. Once revealed at a presentation, it can be copied or sold to places that create magical items, making it difficult for the original creator.
It frequently happens that one person’s years of hard work can be wiped away in an instant, leading to a decline in the number of mages developing and researching new magic.
For this reason, the heads of the Mage Towers from the four directions had recently convened a meeting, indicating the severity of the issue and seeking help.
As I listened, I felt like I had heard about this problem before.
It was akin to the copyright issues that always arise in the content industry.
“Why not establish copyright regulations within the Mage Tower Alliance?”
“Copyright? What’s that?”
“It can be thought of as an exclusive right given to the owner of the magic.”
“Magic is difficult to use exclusively.”
“I understand. The idea is to give a portion of the economic benefits gained from using the magic to the owner. If researchers were to receive money for their research, there would be no reason for them not to conduct it, right? The more widely used the magic is, the more money it would bring in. And the Mage Tower could punish mages who don’t pay royalties. By creating a copyright department within the Mage Tower, this process could be managed transparently.”
His eyes sparkled as he formed a picture-perfect smile.
“Thank you for your insightful opinion, Lady Adeline.”
“I hope you’ll show your gratitude through action, not just words.”
I smiled as I pointed to the tip jar, and he stood up, laughing.
“Hahaha! You’re far more wise and certain than I expected.”
He pocketed not just a few gold coins but a whole bag of them before he left. I wondered how much was actually inside that bag.
‘He’s generous; perhaps he’s better than I thought.’
