“Roland, the knights seemed really surprised, didn’t they?”
While watching the knights busily moving around, Martina spoke up, and Roland, still staring blankly at the knights, opened his mouth.
“Yeah… I’m just surprised that they didn’t openly show disgust as much as I expected.”
“Perhaps the main reason they were scared or creeped out was because they didn’t understand it. For those who are knowledgeable about magic, there might not be much more of a surprise than it being rare.”
“That might be true…”
“By the way, Roland, you’ve always kept your dark magic hidden, haven’t you? Where did you learn magic?”
Martina asked this with a sudden thought in mind, and Roland squinted his eyes, as if recalling the past.
“My parents… Lord and Lady LaForet, were afraid that I might accidentally activate dark magic and reveal my affinity. So, I was given a lot of books about magic and how to use dark magic, but I’m not sure where they came from. I studied those, and before I knew it, I had gotten really good at using it.”
Hearing Roland’s words, spoken in a somewhat dark tone, Martina didn’t say anything, and Roland felt as though he had made things too heavy. He forced a smile and turned to Martina.
What Roland saw was Martina, her eyes sparkling, trying to hold back a smile, and her face contorted as she struggled to suppress her rising excitement.
“…Martina?”
“Ah, s-sorry… I shouldn’t be smiling after hearing about your painful past.”
Martina pressed her cheeks with both hands and took a deep breath. Roland suddenly had a thought and narrowed his eyes, gazing directly at Martina.
“Could it be that you’ve never read any books about how to use dark magic?”
At Roland’s words, Martina, having given up on hiding it, looked at him with shining eyes.
“I haven’t…! But I’ve been wanting to read them.”
After hearing Martina’s honest words, Roland let out a big sigh, and slowly his expression softened into a natural smile. Then he burst out laughing.
“Haha, you… you really never change. Those books should still be in the LaForet estate.”
“Could you show them to me…?!”
“Well, now that my affinity is out in the open, I suppose it’s fine. I’ll bring them next time, maybe during the next holiday.”
“Thank you…!”
Martina smiled widely, then bowed deeply to Roland. Roland, seeing her, smiled wryly, and there was no longer any sad atmosphere between them.
After that, the two of them made their way to the outer gate where a carriage was waiting to take them back to the palace.
When the carriage carrying Martina and Roland arrived at the palace, Nadia, Sylvan, and Lambert were there to greet them.
Since Nadia and Sylvan were the first to report Martina’s absence, as soon as the news of her discovery reached them, they immediately passed on the information. Lambert had also received word through the knights and rushed here.
“Martina…! I’m so glad you’re safe!”
The first to rush to Martina as she got out of the carriage was Nadia, her eyes brimming with tears.
“I’m so sorry, I was tricked by people from the Ghazal Kingdom, and I was so worried that something terrible might have happened to you because of me…”
Nadia, who had indirectly been involved in Martina’s kidnapping, looked like she was blaming herself, her lips pressed together in a stern expression. Seeing her, Martina shook her head and smiled as usual.
“It’s not your fault. I was the one who asked you to deal with the people from the Ghazal Kingdom, and you were just doing your job. The people from Ghazal are the only ones to blame.”
Hearing those words, Nadia’s eyes overflowed with tears, and she hugged Martina tightly.
“Thank you. I’m really so glad you’re safe… And thank you, Roland, for saving Martina. I truly appreciate it.”
“Ah, saving her was the least I could do.”
“However, Roland, going alone to save her is not something to be praised. It worked out this time, but there could have been a situation where both of you disappeared. In the future, before going to rescue someone, at least contact me, your comrade…”
Sylvan, unusually talkative with worry, caused both Roland and Martina, as well as Nadia, to smile.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Following Roland’s words, Sylvan, perhaps feeling embarrassed, turned his face away, and then Lambert spoke up.
“Roland, the knights also thank you. This incident happened because of the knights’ failure in securing the palace. I apologize.”
“No, this situation couldn’t have been predicted. It’s not something we could have foreseen, like the teleportation magic circle.”
“Teleportation magic circle… When I first heard the report, I was really surprised. It’s strange, though, that such a useful thing was developed, yet the magic circle technique itself has faded away.”
Lambert murmured in curiosity, and Martina, taking the magic circle out from her inner pocket, spoke up.
“It doesn’t seem all that useful. This is the magic circle in question… But I think it would be very difficult to draw such a large magic circle perfectly and make it function properly. Even if you manage to draw it, the only place you can teleport to is between two magic circles, and the distance is barely enough to leave the city. Also, according to what the people from Ghazal Kingdom said, the book that came with the magic circle mentioned that it has a limited number of uses. Apparently, if used multiple times, the magic circle will break down.”
When Martina explained what she had heard from the people of Ghazal Kingdom on their journey through the forest, Lambert nodded several times as if understanding.
“Indeed, it doesn’t seem like something very usable.”
“Yes. It’s an amazing technique, but… By the way, would it be alright if I leave this magic circle with you, Lambert? I think it could serve as evidence.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take responsibility for it. —Both of you, you’ll be meeting the king tomorrow morning, so make sure to rest well today.”
“Understood.”
At Lambert’s words, the group disbanded, and Martina and Roland, along with Nadia and Sylvan, returned to the bachelor’s quarters of the officials.
As the four of them walked together down the hallway, their closeness and friendly atmosphere were clear to anyone who saw them.
