Chapter 58

"What are you doing there?"

The voice that questioned came from a tall man dressed in red. As he approached, he towered over them, exuding an intimidating presence.

"W-What are you suddenly doing here?"

Francois seemed to feel the pressure and was backing away. He didn't let go of the veil but took a step back. Cordelia, like Francois, was distracted by the tall man.

"Alright, here we go."

"What?!"

At the shout, Francois turned to look. A young man was holding the veil and smiling. He had a slightly faded red hair, reminiscent of copper.

"What are you doing?!"

"Ha, too slow, too slow."

Slipping past Francois, the young man stood next to the tall man. Francois tried to chase after him but was intimidated by the tall man's presence.

"Are you the imperial soldiers stationed in this country?!"

"Correct. Nice to meet you, I guess?"

Despite Francois's stern gaze, the young man continued to smile brightly.

(These are soldiers of the Ringlarde Empire.)

The red and black military uniform was unmistakably from the Ringlarde Empire, a nation that had gained significant momentum in recent years. The meritocratic Ringlarde Empire did not get along with the Etruria Kingdom, which upheld a system of heredity. The tense relationship between the two countries was symbolized by the confrontation between Francois and the young men.

"But you're so simple. Just because a tall, intimidating person approached, you let your guard down so easily. That's not very soldier-like, is it?"

"Ugh, you!!"

Teased, Francois bristled. He seemed ready to retaliate but hesitated in the face of the wall-like tall man.

(Even if he can use magic, he's at a disadvantage at this close range.)

Magic required incantations. While high-level mages could shorten their incantations, they were still vulnerable at close range. Francois seemed to understand this and was unable to act. His retreating figure in front of the tall man resembled a small dog putting on a brave front.

"Damn!! You can't use magic, yet you're using your big body to get in the way!!"

"Hmm? Then, would you back down if I were a mage?"

"Sure. Most of you imperial soldiers can't use magic anyway."

"You really know how to talk."

The young man, still smiling, handed the veil to the tall man. He clasped his hands and began to chant.

"What? What incantation is that? What kind of magic are you—?!"

As the young man spread his hands, a flower appeared. Seeing the vivid blue petals, Francois was taken aback.

"Y-You created a plant with just that incantation?!"

"Amazing...!"

Not only Francois but Cordelia was also surprised. While magic was good at creating temporary phenomena like wind or fire, it was difficult to create something with a defined shape. Creating a flower should have required a high-level spell.

"How about it? Are you still going to attack us?"

The young man pointed the flower at Francois as if it were a sword. Francois was sweating and his face was contorted.

"Ugh... Damn!! Remember this!!"

He threw a parting shot and fled with his subordinates.

"Quite the performance, huh?"

"...I agree."

Cordelia couldn't help but nod at the young man's words. He noticed and smiled at her.

His slightly faded red hair swayed, covering his amber eyes. He seemed a few years older than Leonhardt. As she observed, he suddenly offered her the flower.

"A beautiful flower for a beautiful person. Will you accept it?"

"Um..."

"Is this the first time you've seen a flower created by magic? Don't worry, it won't move or bite."

"No, that's not it..."

"Then what?"

"It's not magic, is it?"

When Cordelia pointed this out, the young man tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you. Before you pretended to chant, when you were holding the veil, you were doing something with your hands, hiding it with the veil, right?"

"Hmm?"

Impressed, the young man held the stem of the flower and rotated it once.

"You're very observant. I'm impressed."

"It's my veil, so I couldn't take my eyes off it."

Cordelia smiled faintly. The veil was a gift from the royal family, ultimately funded by the people's taxes.

The veil was worth as much as several dresses. She was so worried about it that she noticed the young man's actions.

"I couldn't figure out the exact mechanism for making the flower appear, but it's not magic, right? It's more like a magic trick or sleight of hand, isn't it?"

Cordelia reached out to the flower and observed it for a while. It looked like a normal blue flower. There were no signs of any tricks, and she was curious about the method.

"How did you get the flower into your hands?"

"Ha, that's a secret. A magician revealing his tricks is the most disappointing thing, isn't it?"

"Indeed, that's true—wait?!"

As Cordelia examined the flower closely, the veil blocked her view. When the veil was removed from her head, the young man and the tall man were already gone. They had quickly left while she was covered by the veil.

"...I wonder what they wanted."

It was helpful that they drove Francois away and returned the veil, but she never learned their names or their purpose.

(I'm curious, but there's no time before the welcoming ceremony.)

She had left with plenty of time, but she had been delayed. Cordelia handed the flower to a maid and headed to the throne room for the ceremony.