Chapter 76

Weekend.

Lucian returned to the Vionne family home.

He had been coming back every weekend recently, but today he was a bit nervous.

He lounged on the sofa in the living room, touching the greenish-blue bracelet on his wrist.

This bracelet had changed color due to Lucian's magic. At the time, it had felt mysterious, like a simple pebble turning into a gem right before his eyes.

He felt a beautiful wave of energy. It was almost like a spirit stone.

As Lucian touched and gazed at the bracelet, his father was watching him.

Words slipped out naturally.

"Father, can you tell me about the person who gave me this bracelet?"

His father answered smoothly, as if he had prepared the answer.

"It was Lucian's mother."

The words were exactly what Lucian had expected. Sariel continued.

"She was my fiancée. I'll tell you everything.

It was a political marriage.

I made several mistakes regarding her.

I didn't particularly like or dislike her. It was a politically arranged engagement, common among nobles and royalty.

We didn't get along very well.

But I had a strong sense of envy towards her. She possessed many things I didn't have."

With that, his father gave a self-deprecating smile.

Lucian watched his father's unusual expression in silence, and Sariel continued.

"She was born with things I could never obtain, no matter how hard I tried.

Looking back, I had things she didn't have, like the ability to work hard and be patient.

We couldn't get along, but she was someone I admired.

I didn't want to admit it when I was young, but it's too late now.

She was subjected to severe harassment when she was pregnant with my child."

"Harassment?"

The word was familiar to Lucian, who had recently experienced harassment himself. He didn't want to be familiar with it, but it was common.

"I had the potential to become the crown prince, so there were other candidates for my fiancée.

As a result, I was cursed multiple times a day by that woman.

She was a very strong-willed person and always fought back.

So, people around us didn't take it seriously.

I should have cared more. I should have protected her.

One day, a terrible fight broke out.

She released a fire attack."

"Wh-what?"

Lucian looked at his father in disbelief.

His father didn't deny it. Lucian hadn't misheard.

"A woman died.

I was severely injured in the incident.

While I was bedridden after receiving healing, the trial had already ended.

I only saw the trial records later.

It was written that the parents of the deceased woman were the ones who had pushed her to the brink and tried to exclude her.

I believe that was the cause... no, a very direct cause.

This was clearly stated in the trial.

In any case, she was sent to the mines."

Lucian, recalling what Professor Seth Levania had said, listened to his father's matter-of-fact words.

"Mother... you mean the one who saved people and died?"

"Have you heard that story?"

Sariel furrowed his brow slightly.

"Not clearly, but...

I heard from a teacher who has a similar bracelet that it was given by someone who saved many people and died."

"...It's the same person.

She was pardoned. She's no longer a criminal.

She didn't make excuses.

She silently atoned for her sins. I couldn't do anything to help her.

I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing, Father?"

Lucian tilted his head.

"Because I caused you to lose your mother."

Sariel looked pained.

"But it's not your fault, right?

If she were here, it might have been fun. I don't really know.

I never had the chance to think about what it would be like to have a mother.

I was happy with Father, Heine, and the chickens."

Sariel smiled sadly and stroked Lucian's hair.

"I was happy to have Lucian too."

Lucian looked down at his father's words.

"Is this story a secret of our family?"

Lucian asked quietly. That's what he wanted to know.

"It's not a secret, but it's a personal matter of our family.

Every family has its own issues.

It's just the way it is.

Some might ask out of curiosity, but we don't have to tell them.

Zeraphi... Lucian's mother is named Zeraphi.

She lived a clumsy life.

She was someone who couldn't navigate life smoothly.

I don't want people who don't understand her to say things about her.

Or about you.

You should only tell those you trust.

It's not a secret, after all."

"I understand."

He thought it was a sad story, but he didn't feel the shock or pain he had expected.

Probably because he had been happy living without his mother.

Others around Lucian might have thoughts about it, but Lucian himself didn't know how to feel about someone who had never been there.

Moreover, his father had spoken about his mother in a very restrained and protective manner, but the fact that she had released a fire attack was undeniable.

According to Professor Seth Levania, she was a heroine who had defeated a group of vicious criminals.

If his mother had been there, she might have taught him how to fight. But it seemed like a life he couldn't even imagine.

It probably wouldn't have been a peaceful life like the one he had with his father and Heine. Jiet might have been roasted the moment he kicked someone.

Lucian was satisfied that the mystery had been solved.

◇◇◇

Odine smiled at Lucian in a good mood.

It was probably because she had obtained information about one of her fiancé candidates, Emile Luea.

The mysterious conversation had become a bit clearer.

"You were the only one spared."

"You were supposed to be suspended too."

"You haven't atoned for your sins."

"Your sins are ongoing."

"Your engagement to Miss Jinet is impossible."

That was all the content. Without hearing the actual voices, the tone was unknown, but the content alone felt ominous.

There were only two incidents of suspension when Emile was in elementary school, so it was easy to figure out.

The relevant incident involved four students assaulting one student and causing injuries.

Emile might have been involved in the fight. The victim refused to make the incident public, so the school suspended the four students without giving a reason. The victim came from a family of high-ranking knights and didn't want the public to know he had lost a fight, so it became a "mysterious suspension."

However, it wasn't entirely clear.

It would be faster to ask Emile directly about the reason for his involvement. Jinet was involved in the cause of the fight. She was apparently very popular. Emile's name was initially on the list of fiancé candidates but was removed because of this.

But Odine said, "Just being involved... I don't want a weak heir who can't even stand up for himself," and rejected Emile. Given Odine's personality, everyone understood, but Lucian, who didn't dislike the kind Emile, felt a bit conflicted. Besides, Lucian knew from the magic herbs that Jinet was indeed a "slut," with extensive male experience but skilled at pretending to be pure. Being drawn into a fight by such a person, being cursed, and not being able to say anything back—how would that look for the heir of a ducal family? The Luea family might face many challenges.

In any case, to deter the empire, discussions with the Lager family were underway for a temporary engagement with Lionel.

The Lager family seemed to be in a mourning-like atmosphere.

The identities of Lionel's multiple partners were mostly known.

A first-year baroness was his lover. He had also been involved with a beautiful maid and occasionally visited brothels.

Surprisingly, all three scenarios that Caron had speculated about were correct.

The marquis apparently hadn't noticed.

Lionel's incompetent servants had been fired.

Lionel's womanizing was well hidden, making him appear to be a good match. That's why he was chosen as a temporary fiancé. Regardless of the reality, Lionel looked like a refreshing and good young man.

Odine had started saying she wanted to join the royal research institute or the knight corps' mage division.

Despite being the princess, she had no intention of becoming a quiet noble lady.

Odine was more combative than she appeared.

◇◇

—This ink is really troublesome.

Lucian was struggling with the task of drawing magic circles with special ink.

The students who had chosen summoning magic were drawing magic circles to summon spirits today. This was the third basic summoning magic circle.

One student asked Teacher Sylia Curius, "Can't we use pre-made magic circles?"

Sylia simply replied,

"In summoning magic, you can't activate a magic circle you can't draw."

Whether the student asked out of curiosity or laziness, the task of drawing a magic circle while evenly distributing a small amount of magic was quite difficult.

Still, the summoning magic class was more interesting than he had expected.

The class started with theory, followed by ancient language practice, magic circle drawing, and, if time allowed, practical summoning.

The class was quite complex. Activating a magic circle was also difficult.

Once a student's drawn magic circle was approved by Teacher Curius, they would proceed to activate it.

The large classroom was used for the summoning magic class to allow students to practice at a distance.

The basic magic circle was not dangerous and required minimal magic, so students could practice activation individually at a safe distance.

While chanting in ancient language, they infused magic into the magic circle.

This method was said to be ancient.

There were ancient languages for activating magic circles, from basic to super-advanced.

First, they learned the simplest magic circle and ancient language to summon a lower spirit.

It was the most basic of the basics.

It was easy to memorize and activate.

However, if successful, the summoned spirit was so weak that it was barely noticeable.

"The sign of success is that the magic circle's power is consumed each time a summoning occurs. After about three times, the magic circle will fade and become unusable."

But the summoned spirit was so small and faint that it was almost invisible.

When Lucian first heard the explanation, he felt deflated.

Teacher Sylia Curius showed a sample. The magic circle she drew was clear and distinct, and her chanting was short but impressive. A faint blink of a spirit was visible in the magic circle.

"Twelve spirits came here," Sylia pointed to the faint blinks, which quickly disappeared.

"Oh, they scattered."

Sylia smiled.

Even a lower spirit, when twelve gathered, was slightly visible.

But it was impossible for inexperienced students to gather twelve.

Only a skilled spirit handler could summon a few weak and faint spirits and notice them.

In other words, it was just for practice.

It was frustrating not to know if they were succeeding or failing.

Everyone seemed to feel the same way, with the same expression on their faces.

—Huh?

Lucian noticed something in the corner of his eye.

When he focused his gaze, there was no one there.

—...No one was in the magic circle, right.

What's going on?

Thank you for reading.

From now on, it's a fun and intense school life (^^).