Chapter 67

67

Jen paused for a moment before answering.

“Well—hmm, I’m not quite sure. But from what I know, if the wizard who made the magic detector is of a higher rank than the wizard who made the magical artifact… the chances of it being detected are higher, I’ve heard.”

“……”

I took out the one-time-use transformation artifact Jen had given me and examined whose name was engraved on it.

Usually, wizards engrave their names on the artifacts they create. It’s a kind of label.

People who purchase and use an artifact they find satisfactory remember the wizard’s name engraved on it and buy more artifacts from that wizard later. For this reason, most artifacts have the name of the creator engraved on them.

Of course, there are cases where no name is engraved. This happens when a wizard is reluctant to reveal themselves. For example, the artifact Owen gave me had no name engraved on it.

But since this artifact is one-time-use… the creator must have considered marketing. Therefore, it’s highly likely that a name is engraved on it.

‘Where is it? Usually, it’s around here…’

After a thorough examination, I soon found the wizard’s name and hesitated.

Benjamin Works… It was an unfamiliar name, meaning he wasn’t a particularly famous wizard.

In that case… naturally, the chances of being detected by the magic detector are higher. Theodore wouldn’t use a detector made by an incompetent wizard.

‘What should I do…’

I pondered, but there was no clear answer. Eventually, the moment of inspection arrived, and now I could only rely on luck.

Theodore, with his arms crossed, stood behind the knights conducting the inspection, staring at us with a sharp gaze. His piercing eyes made my shoulders tremble slightly, but I tried to act nonchalant.

If I get caught here, it’s really over. I’m sorry to Theodore, but… for him, it’s a matter of family honor, and for me, it’s a matter of life and death.

If I’m dragged back and divorced by him, I’ll be confined to Everett again. In that case, I’ll have to endure my father’s abuse, enraged by my midnight escape, and the relentless torment from Owen and Hessen.

Can I really endure that hell again?

After seeing "The Lamp in the Darkness" at Jen’s cabin, I no longer wanted to abandon myself. I wanted to live a happy life, even if it’s a short one.

So, I hope to avoid taking my own life. I no longer wish for such an unhappy death.

If there is a god, please, just this once…

“Next!”

Finally, it was my turn. Jen, who wasn’t subject to inspection, was already on the ship, looking down at me with anxious eyes, and Charlotte was standing right behind me.

I clenched my fists and slowly approached the knight holding the magic detector. I was currently disguised as a brown-haired maid. There should be no trace of Lily Everett in this appearance. Definitely…

“……”

But for some reason, I felt that Theodore was watching me more intently than he did others.

‘…It’s just my imagination. Stay calm.’

I was afraid of being exposed to him, which was why I felt this way. I repeated this to myself to calm my nerves. The knight, with a blank expression, brought the magic detector to my arm.

I felt a sensation as if cold water was being poured over me as the magic power swept through my body from head to toe—

“……”

The knight, who had been staring at the detector’s result, slowly opened his mouth.

“Pass.”

“……!”

At that moment, I almost let out a big sigh of relief. Such an action would draw Theodore’s attention. I tried to act as if nothing had happened, as if I had expected this result, and moved away from the spot.

Or, I tried to.

“Wait.”

If Theodore hadn’t suddenly called me to a stop.

The moment I heard his voice, my heart started racing wildly. Fortunately, my hands and feet didn’t tremble, so I turned around, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

Theodore stood still, staring at me intently. I quickly lowered my head, avoiding eye contact. Don’t tremble, it’s nothing, stay calm. I repeated this in my mind, waiting for the inspection to end.

And after a while.

“…Go on.”

Finally, Theodore let me go.

I was so tense that I almost stumbled as I took my first step. I tried to calm myself and walked carefully. Although he let me go easily, Theodore’s gaze was still fixed on me, as if he would grab me at the slightest suspicion.

“Next!”

When Charlotte, who was right behind me, also passed safely, I finally felt relieved. …But I wasn’t completely at ease yet. I would remain tense until we boarded the ship to the Eastern Continent in Dornac’s port city.

I couldn’t let my guard down until we left this continent, where the Kingdom of Francis is located.

* * *

Two days later.

The ship that had been navigating the Herman Canal finally arrived at Dornac’s port city.

The name of this port city is Fallos. The merchants from the Eastern Continent seemed to call it by another name, which apparently means “Blue City” in their language.

“The ship to the Eastern Continent departs in two days. We only need to board three hours before departure, so we have plenty of time.”

“Yeah….”

I agreed with Charlotte, but I wasn’t really at ease.

I wanted to leave this country as soon as possible, rather than stay even a little longer.

“By the way, Harriet said to be careful, didn’t she? She said this city is… what was it, oh, a Shadow Guild’s territory.”

“……”

I nodded silently.

The Shadow Guild, as the name suggests, is a group that mainly engages in illegal activities in the shadows.

I suddenly recalled the conversation I had with Harriet.

“Our guild, Forest Wind, also does errands, but we don’t harm or kill people. But the Shadow Guild is different. Most of them are former criminals, and they do things like human trafficking, kidnapping, and assassination.”

“…So this city is a territory of such dangerous people?”

“More accurately, it’s one of their territories. As you know, Dornac is the wealthiest region in the kingdom. The stronger the light, the deeper the shadow. There are more places for criminals to hide. Especially in this city, where trade is active, many people come and go, and the market is large. There are many prey for them to target.”

Up to this point, it was just a thought that “such guilds exist in the world.” But what followed surprised me greatly.

“But there’s a rumor that the Shadow Guild is in league with the Albinis family.”

“…?”

I was taken aback when Albinis’s name was mentioned out of the blue. If she had said Everett, I would have understood. In fact, the Everett family secretly uses criminals to commit heinous acts.

But Albinis? Why would a closed-off family of wizards collaborate with a criminal organization? I suspected it might just be a rumor.

“I don’t know the details, but… it’s best to be careful. Especially, there are many rumors about the Albinis princess.”

‘The Albinis princess’ must refer to Adeline. I had always thought of Adeline as someone with a different public and private face, but she didn’t seem like someone who would get involved in crime…

‘…But you never know. Harriet is right. I should be careful while moving around this city for the next two days.’

Still, the transformation magic’s duration had about four more days left, so I didn’t need to worry too much while exploring the city. No one would recognize me.

“Right, Miss! Let’s go see the sea! You said you’ve never seen the sea before, right? We can dip our feet in the seawater and collect pretty shells! It will definitely be fun!”

Charlotte said excitedly, her round eyes sparkling. I smiled and nodded readily.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Charlotte cheered at my agreement. The usually composed Charlotte looked adorably like a child. …I felt a bit wistful. If I had gone out to play with Charlotte more often, I could have seen her so happy more frequently.

‘From now on, let’s go out to play more often. So I don’t regret it later…’

Charlotte and I held hands and walked side by side to the beach. We stood silently for a moment, speechless with admiration. The scenery before us was like another world.

The golden sand and the sparkling blue sea. It was full of life, far more vibrant than any painting I had ever seen.