Chapter 48

【Epilogue】

"――And then! When I touched Lady Emilia's necklace, my finger sparked a little! It turned out I could use magic!"

"…………"

This was two days after the incident at the knight party where the curse was activated.

Claudia, now dressed in a fluffy dress with her hair braided by Noah, answered with a smile.

The scholars gathered from all over the country looked troubled, surrounding her.

Draped in robes symbolizing their authority, they stroked their mustaches or rested their chins in their hands, frowning as they looked down at Claudia.

And King Volkhardt, seated on the throne before them, watched Claudia with an interested gaze.

"Your Majesty, we have no idea why Princess Claudia has developed magical power..."

"Even when we traced back to documents from five hundred years ago, there is no precedent. We are at a loss as to how to judge this."

"Princess Claudia is right. The only explanation is that the curse's interference caused the latent magical power she had from birth to finally manifest."

Volkhardt's expression turned almost mocking as he listened to the scholars' fearful explanations.

"Hah. 'First' manifestation of magic, you say."

"All five of us here agree...! So please, spare our lives..."

Their deep bows were almost like pleas for mercy. Volkhardt smiled and addressed Claudia.

"What do you think, Claudia? Magic is supposed to be constant from birth to death. But the scholars, who claim to be the most authoritative in the kingdom, say your magic was 'brought to the surface by the curse.'"

"H...Huh?"

"Daddy, it's weird!"

"Princess!"

Claudia blinked her cute eyes and tilted her head, looking up at her father.

"Daddy, you know Claudia couldn't use magic, right? When I touched the crystal, nothing happened, and you showed everyone, didn't you?"

"Hmm, yes, that's true."

"But now, Claudia has magic, right?"

Just a moment ago, Claudia had touched the crystal again to perform a divination.

The result confirmed that Claudia, who had been judged as 'no magic' a few days ago, now possessed magic.

However, she didn't show her full strength.

To avoid any inconvenience, she had carefully adjusted it.

She suppressed her magic to a level slightly less than her siblings but still quite powerful by general standards. The reversal of the previous result caused a commotion among the nobles, and scholars were summoned.

"Since Claudia, who had no magic, can now use magic, you guys must be really confused, right?"

"Princess...!"

Looking up at the scholars, Claudia smiled sweetly.

"None of you are wrong, right?"

"......!! Thank you, Princess...!!"

The scholars' eyes welled up, and they almost fell to their knees.

They looked at her as if she were their savior. Indeed, offending Volkhardt could lead to dire consequences.

However, Claudia wasn't particularly interested in the scholars. After smiling, she quickly changed the subject.

"Karlheinz, you think so too, right?"

Karlheinz, standing beside her father, nodded with a composed face.

"Yes, Princess. I believe it would be appropriate to adopt the scholars' view... Your Majesty."

"Elmira will be punished anyway. Whether Claudia had magic at birth or not is irrelevant now..."

Indeed, Volkhardt's goal was to use the pretense of Claudia's fake magic to expel Elmira.

(But, this incident is a much bigger crime than just faking magic.)

Elmira might have unconsciously sensed that Claudia actually had magic.

By absorbing Claudia's magic and transferring it to Emilia, she tried to make her lie a reality.

However, in doing so, she exposed not only the children of many noble families but also her own daughter, the princess, and the princes with higher succession rights to danger.

Elmira would have to take responsibility for her actions.

Emilia, who was forced to activate the curse, would also face consequences.

While thinking about this, Claudia glanced at Karlheinz.

She remembered yesterday.

"The Empress might have been influenced by some kind of curse."

"......!"

After recovering from the healing magic and waking up in her room, Claudia told Karlheinz this.

"It wasn't just a recent thing... For example, from six years ago when I was exiled. If her mind was polluted by a curse, she might not have realized that exiling me would eventually backfire."

"But, Princess, I did not sense any such influence from Empress Elmira."

"I know. But..."

Noah was braiding her hair behind her. Leaning into the touch, Claudia looked at Karlheinz through the mirror.

"That's why it might be better to observe the Empress rather than exile her."

"......"

"The fact that a cursed tool was delivered to the Empress is undeniable. The merchant who brought it, who was he?"

Swinging her legs, Claudia continued.

"If the Empress was a victim of the curse and Lady Emilia was a further victim, this could be a harbinger of a larger incident."

"......Do you really think so?"

"Hehe. Why do you ask?"

Karlheinz sighed.

"I thought you might feel compassion for Empress Elmira and Lady Emilia..."

"Hehe, of course not!"

Claudia laughed, but Noah, who was braiding her hair, gave a look that seemed to agree with Karlheinz.

"Whatever happens to them, I don't care. I'm not angry or sympathetic."

"Princess..."

(But...)

When Emilia activated the curse, she said, "You are my sister," despite her dazed state.

Elmira, concerned for her daughter, was crying and screaming.

In the world of 'Adeleheit' five hundred years ago, there was no mother or sister.

Although her disciples were like family, she had always been curious about siblings and a mother, even while being respected and revered.

"But, I find curses unpleasant and want to eliminate them. So, I don't want Father to kill or exile Elmira."

Karlheinz accepted Claudia's wish.

Now, he addressed the king on Claudia's behalf.

"Your Majesty, I have some suggestions for the Empress's future. I would like to discuss them with you later."

"Hmm, fine. It's just a discussion about how to dispose of unnecessary items."

(We also need to deal with this father more seriously...)

Volkhardt's garnet-colored eyes looked down at Claudia. Claudia smiled and then pressed her stomach.

"Father, can Claudia go now? There's cake in my room, and I'm hungry!"

"Go ahead. You'll be staying in this castle for a while, so we'll have plenty of time to talk."

"Ugh, no way. Claudia is going back to the tower soon."

The scholars looked worried at Claudia's blunt words, but her father only laughed, seemingly amused.

"By the way, I heard from Wilhelm and Erenfried?"

"What is it, Father?"

Claudia, who was about to leave, turned back at her father's call.

"Your servant. That obsidian was quite impressive, wasn't it?"

"......"

"Even with your magical assistance, the curse's defeat was mostly due to him, right?"

During the battle, from the children's vantage point, it would have been impossible to tell which magic was Claudia's.

Claudia used this to claim that most of the spells she chanted were actually Noah's.

In reality, all the magic used there could be cast by Noah now. It wasn't a complete lie.

The children, who were terrified, were later led by Karlheinz to believe that the servant boy fought alone.

This was a common tactic Claudia used in the village near the tower, and Karlheinz and Noah acted accordingly while she was unconscious.

"Yes, Father."

Claudia smiled brightly and nodded.

"Noah is strong. And amazing."

"Indeed. Such a talented magician would be a waste to keep as just a servant."

"......"

"What do you think? Would you consider giving him to me?"

Volkhardt's expression was a mix of amusement and seriousness.

"Hmm..."

Karlheinz watched quietly.

Claudia, still smiling, firmly said:

"――――...No!"

"......"

Just like when her father suggested carrying her a few days ago, she clearly refused.

Volkhardt, after widening his eyes, laughed again.

"Noah is Claudia's. I thought about giving him to you a little, but..."

"Ha. So you've changed your mind."

"Yes! I won't give Noah to anyone."

At least, not as long as Noah wanted to stay with her.

"He's important to Claudia."

"......"

Claudia waved at Volkhardt.

"Bye, Father. I'll go back to the tower after eating cake, so goodbye."

"Hold on a moment. Before you go..."

Ignoring her father's voice, Claudia ran across the red carpet. She pushed open the double doors and waved at Karlheinz and the scholars before leaving.

"Hah, ha! The only one who doesn't stop when I tell her to is her."

"......Indeed."

Karlheinz smiled and bowed to Claudia.

After the doors closed, Claudia walked down the corridor where Noah was waiting.