I am Edith Pale-Man, the royal court mage of Chenkaslar.
The other day, I attended a magical conference with the head of Renant’s merchant guild and two female artisans in the Norsarnus EmpireI . Thanks to the information we obtained on the military state of Tranchinel, securing an increase in imported magical potions, and arranging future meetings, my standing within the royal court has slightly improved!
Yesterday, however, an extraordinary explosion occurred near the mountain by the defensive city of Zadol-Toshe.
A castle at the edge of Chenkaslar’s territory vanished in an instant, leaving a massive crater. The nearby forest was flattened, creating an alarming scene. What sort of magic was used? Was this an enemy attack? And why target an abandoned old castle? Amidst the confusion, I unexpectedly received a message from Renant’s garrison commander.
According to him:
“The court mage of the Egdualum Kingdom, who was supposed to be in custody, escaped and attempted to summon a demon in an abandoned castle within our nation’s borders. The demon’s wrath annihilated the surroundings, and the mage perished. The demon has already been banished. The Egdualum Kingdom takes full responsibility for the incident and will compensate for the damages. Moreover, two representatives—Sebirino Osa Arlens, a court mage, and Ekvar Kroas Karlsroa, a member of the Crown Prince’s elite guard—have entered Chenkaslar to explain the situation, apologize, and negotiate compensation.”
The royal court was abuzz with this news.
This was a major scandal, yet the involvement of these two individuals made it intriguing.
Sebirino Osa Arlens is a renowned figure among mages in this region—someone of such caliber visiting Chenkaslar, which lags behind neighboring nations in magical advancements, is unheard of! I even own one of his magical tomes… I must meet him and have a conversation!
As for the other name, I hadn’t heard of it before, but Egdualum’s elite guard is famed for its strength. Being dispatched for such a serious incident suggests he might be one of the Crown Prince’s “Five Aides,” the trusted inner circle!
To have such formidable individuals arrive—this is an opportunity to establish a good relationship instead of focusing solely on reparations!
When the two entered the castle, they exuded an aura befitting envoys from a great power.
They knelt before His Majesty the King and bowed deeply.
“We deeply apologize for the tremendous trouble caused by our nation’s blunder,” they said courteously.
I had heard that Egdualum’s nobility was arrogant, but their demeanor was exceedingly polite, leaving the court bewildered.
Sebirino Osa Arlens then picked up a box he had placed at his side and presented it.
“First, please accept this,” he said.
A nearby military officer took the box, passing it to the chancellor. When the chancellor opened it and inspected the contents, he immediately called for the royal court mage to confirm its nature. The court mage swallowed nervously and nodded gravely.
“This contains five elixirs and five high-mana potions of my own making,” explained Arlens.
The room erupted into cheers.
Such high-grade items, handed over so suddenly—it was overwhelming!
“Oh… Our nation lags behind others in crafting magical and recovery items. This alone is invaluable!” His Majesty exclaimed joyfully.
Stockpiling such items is always beneficial, but they are notoriously difficult to obtain. Please, Your Majesty, invest more in research already!
“Now, I shall explain the detailed circumstances,” the elite guard member said, stepping forward gracefully with a hand on his chest before beginning his report.
An accident had revealed various scandals involving the court mage, who was then detained after a thorough investigation. However, he escaped through bribery and manipulation. What followed aligned with our observations—the rest of the details were glossed over as a matter of national shame.
Honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested.
“As for compensation, we would like to discuss your preferences. Do you have any specific requests?”
Their humility is surprising for such a powerful nation. Then again, given the destructive power of that demon, it could have obliterated entire countries. Apologies were inevitable.
“Instead of money, could we request technological assistance?” the chancellor proposed.
The elite guard member smiled.
“Of course, we will spare no effort to assist. What do you think, Sebirino ?”
“I would be happy to offer my help,” Arlens replied.
Wait—this man outranks Arlens? He seems young, doesn’t he? And isn’t Egdualum a nation where mages hold higher status? Also, why does the elite guard member seem to have a slightly wicked expression when looking at Arlens?
To my astonishment, Arlens agreed to teach us magic and potion-making! This is incredible!
Meanwhile, the elite guard member accepted a challenge from our knight commander for a duel and agreed readily. I wonder just how skilled he is—surely, he’s exceptionally strong!
Egdualum is surprisingly approachable.
Arlens began by teaching a spell from his next magical tome: one that pulverizes stone into powder. This spell, he explained, was developed with his mentor for crafting items. The genius of Egdualum strikes again! I’m curious about his mentor—what kind of person could they be?
His mana control is extraordinary; even with high-potion crafting, he never fails. He meticulously instructed us on infusing mana and altering attributes while observing our crafting process. His insight is unparalleled—it’s as though nothing magical can be hidden from him. Even our court mage secretly asked him questions!
On the other hand, the elite guard member sparred with the knight commander under the watchful eyes of an audience. It seemed evenly matched to me, and I watched in suspense.
Afterward, however, the knight commander admitted with a wry smile, “I stood no chance. He deliberately let me shine.”
Chenkaslar prides itself on its rigorous military training to compensate for its magical deficiencies, yet Egdualum’s military strength, bolstered by profits from magical item exports, is on another level.
As I stood in a corridor overlooking the training grounds, lost in thought, the elite guard member approached me!
With his navy-blue hair tied loosely behind him and a finely embroidered shirt, he greeted me with a hand to his chest.
“Ah, Lady Pale-Man, it has been a while,” he said, bowing.
“W-wait, you know me? How…?”
I don’t remember meeting him. Where could we have crossed paths?
“Oh? Have you forgotten? How unfortunate—it seems I didn’t leave much of an impression,” he teased.
Huh? This playful tone feels familiar…
Leaning close, he whispered into my ear:
“I hear you’re eager to speak with Sebirino . Visit Miss Ilya’s house—he’s staying there for now. Wait a little, though; he’s entertaining a guest. Farewell, Lady Edith.”
What!? Ilya—the artisan who accompanied me to the magical conference? How does he know her?
As he walked away, waving without turning back, realization struck me: Ekvar Kroas Karlsroa.
Ekvar! He was that frivolous, unserious man from the magical conference!
“What!? No way!”
At my shout, he chuckled and hunched his shoulders slightly as though amused by my realization.
Unbelievable! But no matter—I’ll focus on tomorrow’s lesson with Arlens. I’ll finally get to talk to him!
Though we offered them guest rooms, they declined, heading instead to another town where they apparently have acquaintances.
…That means it really is Ilya’s place! Maybe I should pay her a surprise visit once things settle down!
