After the allied nations’ conference concluded, a wind of change swept through the Cardion Imperial Palace.
Some of it was a powerful gale, while other parts were merely a gentle breeze.
First and foremost, Erich completely overhauled the barriers within the imperial palace. There wasn't a single corner, from the city gates to the very heart of the palace, that didn't feel his touch.
Consequently, with the Emperor constantly on the move, Dante Renard, who guarded his side, had to spend his time trekking all over the palace as well.
It wasn't until the Imperial Magic Research Department knelt and begged, "Please, just leave it to us," that Erich finally delegated the remaining tasks to them.
Of course, his actions didn't end there.
Once the barrier overhaul was mostly complete, Erich immediately began placing mana-authentication Artifacts throughout the palace.
From the palace entrances to the prison, the library, the temple, the medical wing, and the entrance to the knights’ barracks.
In conjunction with the newly reorganized barrier magic, any mana not registered in the Artifacts would immediately trigger a report to the Emperor and the Commander of the Magic Knight Order.
It was a measure to manage every mage or potential mage within the palace, excluding ordinary soldiers, ladies-in-waiting, and administrative officials who possessed no mana.
Erich had personally crafted the necessary mana-authentication Artifacts, and the mages of the Magic Research Department, who suddenly found their workload dumped onto the Emperor, shed tears of blood.
All of this happened less than a week after the allied nations’ conference ended.
While many other things, both big and small, had changed, if there was one thing that was the most subtle yet undeniably different, it was this…….
“As expected of someone under the patronage of Dante Renard.”
“To pick out the culprit and catch them among that many people? She’s no ordinary person.”
“How did she even know that person was the culprit in the first place?”
“That’s why they call her a genius.”
The reputation of ‘Lucy Forte’ had been completely turned around.
“Lucy was amazing from the start, so I don’t know why everyone is making such a fuss now.”
Gabriel grumbled, frowning at the chatter coming from behind them. Riel Justina, standing beside him, opened her eyes wide and spoke up.
“That’s only natural.”
“Why?”
“Because we saw it with our own eyes.”
Not only did she easily subdue the culprit—someone even the many mages present hadn't noticed—but she also managed to reassure everyone with an indifferent, relaxed attitude.
“I even heard people saying she’s cooler than our Captain.”
Honestly, I think so too.
Riel muttered with a look of enchantment. Gabriel immediately narrowed his brows.
“That’s a given, but Riel, didn’t you not like Lucy very much?”
“Me? Lucy? Why?”
“You said she was so blunt that you couldn’t tell what she was thinking…….”
“That’s Lucy’s charm.”
Riel tilted her head as if asking why he would even bring up such an obvious point. Gabriel let out a long sigh.
So that’s why her reaction was so strange even after seeing the spectacle at the Shillan Plains; she hadn't seen Lucy use magic with her own eyes, so it hadn't felt real.
Even though she had used even more incredible magic back then than at the banquet.
“As an aside, Richard has been depressed lately. He’s been the youngest in the knight order for the past few years. He finally got a rookie to boss around, but now he’s saying he’s already in tears because Lucy is likely to get a major promotion after this incident.”
Not that Richard ever bossed Lucy around in the first place.
Whether she knew what Gabriel was thinking or not, Riel continued to speak with an excited face.
How much time has passed since then?
It was the moment Riel was listing about ten of Lucy Forte’s charms.
“Who on earth are you praising so passionately?”
Suddenly, soft platinum-blonde hair brushed over Riel’s head. Riel immediately looked up to see the man who had bowed his head.
“Captain!”
“If you’re talking about my cool performance, I’m a bit embarrassed.”
“Oh, come on, be reasonable.”
“I sometimes deeply regret that I’ve been too lenient with you all…….”
Dante stepped back and muttered in a voice of genuine lament.
Although he said that, Dante could easily guess who the protagonist of the conversation was.
It was obviously about ‘Lucy Forte.’ She was a celebrity in the imperial palace these days.
And if it were revealed who she actually was, wouldn't she become the talk of the entire continent, let alone the imperial palace?
‘Though, she’s already almost at that level now.’
To trample a culprit in front of everyone.
Elisha herself probably did it without a second thought, but it must have been quite impressive to others.
“And this is just a joke, a story that came up for fun.”
Riel opened her mouth, her golden eyes sparkling. Dante lifted his chin with a listless expression.
It was a gesture telling her to speak if she had something to say.
“If Lucy and the Captain were to fight…….”
“I’d lose.”
“You’d answer that immediately?”
“Didn’t you see her eyes? She could make me kneel with just a look.”
Of course, if you added her actual skills, she wouldn't just make him kneel; she’d shove his head into the dirt.
Dante finished his sentence and shuddered.
“Captain, it seems you really don’t care about honor or anything like that.”
“All I need is money and vacation time.”
“Actually, you’re only patronizing Lucy because you’re planning to take a big cut if she succeeds later, right?”
“What do you take me for? I’m just doing it out of the goodness of my heart…….”
Goodness…… of my heart……?
Dante began to open and close his mouth, unable to continue.
Why am I acting like this all of a sudden? Has my brain broken?
If not that.
“……It doesn’t seem like it’s out of the goodness of my heart. Actually, I’m being blackmailed.”
Now that he thought about it, goodness of his heart, my foot—there wasn't a single shred of ‘goodness’ in this pact.
Having reached a clear conclusion, Dante spoke with a sense of relief. Riel Justina and Gabriel smiled faintly and nodded.
It seemed the Captain had been having a very hard time because of the allied nations’ conference.
If Lucy had been by his side, she would have stared at Dante with eyes that said, ‘Stop talking nonsense.’
“Now that I think of it, I don’t see Lucy today either.”
Gabriel said, tilting his head at the sudden thought. Dante pouted but answered her honestly.
“She’s probably in the library by now.”
* * *
“Please let me know if you need anything.”
A slightly trembling voice seeped into Elisha’s ears.
Instead of turning her head, she gave a slight nod to answer the librarian.
Librarians rarely frequented the second-tier reading area, so it was a mystery why they kept hovering around her.
Fortunately, they went back to their business without saying anything else.
As soon as the librarian left, Elisha rummaged through the pile of books she had stacked up and frowned slightly. Aside from the books scattered about, she already had various others in her arms.
‘Magic that can summon monsters, or a person with such abilities.’
After investigating the culprit of the banquet incident, Elisha realized that he was a completely different person from the man she had encountered before.
What he had used in the imperial palace was a simple cognitive manipulation magic to deceive the Dexion delegation and monster summoning magic.
Since both were new types of magic she had never heard of, Elisha decided to research them separately later. In any case, Erich would likely be conducting his own research on that matter.
Besides that, the parts she needed to pay attention to were…….
‘Is it a new organization? Or was this incident the culprit’s solo act?’
Elisha finished her thoughts and let out a long breath.
In fact, the answer to that question was already as good as given.
‘If it’s them, it’s possible.’
Primavera had referred to the culprit of this incident as ‘them.’ So, it wouldn't be a solo act.
If so, how did they come to be able to control monsters, and what on earth was their purpose in carrying out this series of events?
‘The two Shillan Plains incidents, and now this banquet affair.’
She had already read enough books on monsters at Dante Renard’s old residence to be sick of them, and she had reread the continental history books several times.
Yet, Elisha’s questions showed no signs of being resolved anywhere.
‘This won’t do.’
She could stop them with her own power for now, but she couldn't be certain that would always be the case.
They already knew how to use magic she didn't know, and one of them even had a track record of dodging all of her attacks.
If he, or they, decided to come at her with full intent…….
“So this is where you were.”
At that moment, a low, profound voice echoed from nearby.
Elisha turned her head to look at the owner of the voice.
“I believe this is our first time meeting like this. I am Müllen Cassus.”
Müllen then bowed slightly toward Elisha to greet her.
Elisha followed suit, bowing her head slightly to return the greeting.
“……I am Lucy Forte.”
“I heard that not only did you protect His Majesty at the banquet, but you also caught the culprit yourself. Thank you for your hard work.”
Müllen bowed his waist politely once more. A small smile played on his lips.
The sight reminded her a little of Bernhard, so Elisha opened her mouth slowly, her attitude softened compared to before.
“I only did what I had to do.”
“It wasn't a task meant for a new member who had just entered the order.”
“…….”
“I don’t mean to criticize Miss Forte’s actions. It’s just that someone came to mind for a moment…….”
For a fleeting second, Müllen’s gray eyes stared into the distance.
Then, he blinked a few times and let out a small laugh, as if he had come to his senses.
“The older I get, the more my thoughts wander. It’s not a good habit for handling pending work.”
“…….”
“Especially now, when His Majesty is bedridden, I need to be even more alert.”
Having finished his sentence, Müllen lowered his eyebrows as if troubled.
For a moment, Elisha could not hide her expression and furrowed her brow.
Erich is bedridden?
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