Chapter 15

EP.15 Unexpected Encounter (4)

"The Order has obtained a means to counter Skewball."

Such rumors spread across the battlefield.

The Order, which had been trapped in Skewball's circuits, managed to dismantle the barrier and escape in less than ten minutes.

This unprecedented event led to rumors that the Ashen Mage Raniel had returned to the battlefield, but the rumors soon died down.

The former head of the Red Tower and

the current Magic Advisor of the Order, Libert.

It was because he was seen dismantling Skewball's barrier himself.

Of course, Libert did not dismantle the barrier by his own power alone. It was possible because ten mages under the Red Tower assisted him. However, that was not the important part.

He dismantled Skewball's barrier.

And he did it in less than ten minutes.

The significance of this fact is great.

It meant that the Order had obtained a means to counter the ancient lich. It meant that they no longer had to feel despair at the barrier.

The knights raised their shields. They lifted their spears.

Even if the ancient lich appeared on the battlefield, they would no longer retreat.

That day.

For the first time in a month of continuous retreats, the Order managed to hold out for a night.

They didn't advance, but they didn't retreat either.

As the morning sun rose, the knights could smile at the front they had defended.

2.

- Magic Advisor of the Order, Libert von Kriepika.

- To Princess Aila.

The seal of the Order and the seal of the Red Tower were both stamped on the letter.

Aila tore open the envelope.

The letter did not contain long sentences.

- Thank you, Princess.

- The Red Tower will not forget this favor.

A short note of gratitude.

Aila, who had already received a letter from Heinzel and knew the situation, smiled faintly.

'As expected, it was a good decision to send it.'

Her intuition to send the solution to the Order was correct.

Aila felt a sense of satisfaction.

'With this, my brother's situation will improve a bit.'

She finally felt a sigh of relief.

Of course, as the Fourth Princess, she had no reason to interfere so much in the battlefield. Even the king did not interfere with the front lines.

However, Aila knew her innate talent.

Knowing it, she had no intention of letting it go to waste.

A child loved by the stars.

An extremely developed, almost prophetic intuition.

This intuition sometimes identified traitors who sided with the demons and sometimes predicted the appearance of the Black Dragon.

"I'm glad it was helpful this time too."

Feeling fortunate to hear even a bit of good news, Aila leaned back in her chair.

Of course, not all the news was good.

There was no dramatic change either.

The situation on the battlefield was still desperate.

After the Ashen Mage left, many front lines wavered, and the Demon King's army became even more ferocious.

The front lines were still precarious, and the ancient lich Skewball remained a terrifying presence.

However...

'That fear is less than in the past.'

It was no longer an unresistable terror.

The Order had obtained a means to counter the barrier cast by the ancient lich.

'After Raniel left the battlefield and Skewball appeared, the front lines kept retreating...'

Now, it was time to have a little hope.

It might be difficult to replace the Ashen Mage, who was a deterrent by his mere presence, but this could at least fill some of the void.

"Hmm..."

Aila sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

With the situation now settled, the remaining question was one.

'What kind of person was she?'

The woman she met in the library that day.

A mage with distinctive features, reminiscent of someone with ash-colored hair and blue eyes.

Aila recalled the mysterious figure.

For some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity. She even felt a warmth as if meeting an old friend.

'Come to think of it, I must have caused her quite a bit of trouble.'

Even if forcing the solution was necessary, Aila had made one mistake.

"Without warning, I approached her."

Recalling the mistake, Aila smiled bitterly.

As she grew older, Aila received several blessings from the stars. Among them was a blessing that even mages greatly feared.

'Star's Restraint, loss of mana control.'

Within a certain radius centered on her, mages lost control of their mana unless she permitted it. It wasn't that their mana went out of control, but that they couldn't draw it up.

"It's like being bitten by a mana eater."

"Like a lock closing around the circle surrounding the heart..."

Aila remembered the pale expressions of the royal mages. They said it was a very unpleasant sensation, one they never wanted to feel again.

Loss of mana control.

Inability to draw up mana.

The impact of this on mages was evident from the countless pale faces of mages.

However, what about that woman?

'...She didn't seem affected at all.'

Aila tried to withdraw the blessing, but the woman broke the Star's Restraint first.

One breath.

A few blinks.

She broke the Star's Restraint with just that.

No one among the royal mages could break it.

"Hmm..."

Aila rested her chin in her hand and tapped her finger on her lips.

The mage was clearly an extraordinary person. She broke the Star's Restraint instantly and even provided the solution to Skewball's barrier.

"Put her in a position of authority."

"Keep her close to the royal family."

That's what Heinzel added.

The wind cannot be caught.

Trying to bind the wind is foolish.

That's what the stars whispered in her ear.

"Hmm."

After a moment of thought, Aila raised her hand and called her bodyguard.

"Havel, are you there?"

"Yes, Princess."

The door opened, and a knight entered.

Aila handed the knight a portrait she had drawn earlier. The portrait depicted the woman she remembered.

"Can you identify the person in this portrait?"

Even if she's not by my side, it wouldn't hurt to know who she is.

Thinking this, Aila spoke.

"About ten days ago, I met..."

"Ah, I know her."

"Really?"

However, before Aila could finish her explanation, Havel nodded, as if he recognized her.

"You know her?"

"Yes, I've seen her with Sir Roselle before. She's probably his adopted daughter."

If she's Sir Roselle's adopted daughter...

"Rania von Trias?"

"Yes, I heard she's been appointed as an assistant professor at the Aphria Academy."

"..."

Aila fell silent for a moment.

The silence didn't last long.

"Hmm."

Aila narrowed her eyes and looked at her finger. The tingling pain that accompanied the star's prophecy a few days ago. Recalling the prophecy, Aila laughed involuntarily.

'You said it was a meeting I was looking forward to.'

"...So that's what you meant."

"Yes?"

"No, but Havel?"

Aila took out a document and signed it.

"Can you deliver this to Sir Roselle and his student?"

"This is..."

Seeing Havel's surprised reaction as he read the document, Aila smiled.

"You think it's an excessive gift, don't you?"

"..."

"It's not excessive at all. If anything, it's insufficient as a reward for her contributions."

"Is... that so?"

Havel looked a bit uneasy but soon left the office with the document. Aila, left alone, tapped the table.

'I feel a bit disappointed.'

Havel, who didn't know the full story, thought it was an excessive gift, but Aila felt even more disappointed.

In fact, she wanted to promise something better.

She wanted to recognize her contributions, announce them, and place her in a position of authority. She wanted to keep her close.

A person with such talent is rare.

She is someone who cannot be lost.

Even the talent Aila encountered might only be a fraction of what the mage possessed. After all, it was someone who called the problem the Order had struggled with for years 'simple.'

'If only I could call her to the royal family immediately...'

However, Aila knew.

It was greed, and it was something she shouldn't do.

'Raniel didn't refuse the royal position for no reason.'

This place is not yet a good position.

Even though she is a desirable talent, bringing her in is a story for another time. It's better than rushing and ruining everything.

'I don't want to involve her in the bloody power struggles of the royal family.'

Even the stars told her not to.

Not to try to catch the wind that cannot be caught. The stars have their reasons for saying so.

'Besides, Aphria Academy is not bad...'

It's not bad. It might even provide a natural point of contact as a student.

"Hmm..."

Gathering her thoughts, Aila looked out the window.

Winter had passed, and spring had come.

Warm sunlight shone down. The breeze was warm.

Winter had passed, and spring had come.

In this season of beginnings, Aila left the suffocating royal family for a while and entered Aphria.

Feeling that the day was not far off, Aila brushed her hair back in the wind.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Especially to meeting that mage, Rania.

3.

"…Do I really have to wear this?"

"It's a gift from the princess herself. Especially since she'll be at the opening ceremony, what would it do to her dignity if you didn't wear it?"

"…That's true."

I reluctantly put on the robe.

It's not a short robe. It's not particularly fancy. It's