Chapter 29

The guidance at school ended before lunch, and after being led to a restaurant by the supervisor, Julius and the others had a meal together. Afterwards, Julius decided to act separately from Laila.

"Sorry, Laila. I'll come back as soon as I'm done, so can you wait with Helka until then?"

When Julius said this, Laila nodded and pointed towards the town.

"Of course. Helka and I will go shopping, so please be careful, Julius-sama."

"Okay, I'll be back soon."

With that, he hugged Laila tightly. Since they were in public, Laila panicked, and passersby stared at them, while Verneli and Helka gave them a disapproving glance. However, Julius didn't mind.

By doing this, the magic power that had been building up in his body seemed to be gently sucked away, and he felt lighter. Not only that, but when he inhaled Laila's sweet scent deeply, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

As Laila, holding Helka's hand, disappeared into the crowd, Julius turned around. Although Laila was a non-mage, Helka was with her, and he had secretly arranged for the Magic Army to provide her with a bodyguard. He hoped that Laila, who usually tended to stay in the mansion, would have some time to relax and enjoy herself.

Julius then proceeded to the town's exit, attracting attention along the way, accompanied by Verneli. After greeting the guards and moving to a spot behind the wall where no one could see them, he looked up to check the position of the sun.

"…North-east is that way, right?"

"Yes. Shall we go?"

"Sure, don't fall behind."

Immediately after saying this, Julius put on a serious face, pushed off the ground, and floated gently into the air. Then, he started flying at an incredible speed towards the north-east.

Without a doubt, he was faster than the carriage Verneli had operated. The scenery below him passed by in a blur, and he swiftly crossed a river that would take a boat several minutes to navigate.

Without looking back, Julius confirmed that Verneli was following a bit behind, and he continued flying. Since he was controlling his flight with magic, his hair and clothes barely moved. If anyone on the ground happened to see him, it would be just a fleeting moment, and they wouldn't even recognize that it was a person flying in the sky.

After flying over fields and rivers for a while, Julius slowed down and stopped in the air when he saw a much wider river than the ones he had crossed before, which flowed from the southern sea of the Rendia Kingdom.

With the hem of his jacket and the ends of his tied hair gently swaying, Julius crossed his arms and glared down at the scene below. It was a stern gaze he rarely showed at the mansion.

The vast river, with white waves here and there, marked the border with the neighboring country, Oruva.

"…What do you think of this, Verneli?"

When he asked Verneli, who had arrived about ten seconds later and was slightly out of breath, Verneli looked around and grunted.

"…It seems calmer than we expected from the Magic Army's reports."

"Let's check along the border. …Verneli, you take the south."

"…Understood."

Verneli hesitated for a moment, but then they split up, with Julius heading north and Verneli heading south, to check the surroundings along the river that separated Rendia and Oruva.

While flying north, Julius stared intently at the opposite bank in the distance. That was the Kingdom of Oruva.

A country that had always been in competition with the Kingdom of Rendia, always looking for an excuse to start a war. A country where mages were born at the same rate as in Rendia, but lacked the ability to properly train them.

Gripping the front of his jacket tightly, Julius gradually descended as the green grass below turned into a land of gravel and stones. He landed slowly, his boots kicking up the sand. The ground was barren, with no signs of life, and the vast river stretching out beyond the sand, leading to the territory of the Kingdom of Oruva, was met with a stern gaze from Julius.

This was the Miasis region. Fifteen years ago, it was where the invading Oruva army clashed with the Rendia Magic Army.

A place of deep significance to Julius.

"…"

He lowered his gaze and kicked the sand with his boot. The dry sand rose and slightly dirtied the hem of his pants. Julius used magic to clean the dirt and then closed his eyes, falling silent. He extended his magical senses around the area. His long hair rustled, and the invisible magic spread throughout the Miasis region.

After a while, Julius opened his eyes, pushed off the ground, and rose into the air again. He returned the way he came and soon saw Verneli floating in the air.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"…No abnormalities on this side. How about yours…?"

"Nothing in particular. I can only sense magic from the other side of the river."

"I see…"

Julius looked towards the river again.

"…I don't think Oruva will stay quiet forever. If I could, I'd go in and wipe them out…"

"Julius-sama."

"I know. …No matter the circumstances, it's not allowed for anyone from the castle, except the envoy, to cross the border. I don't intend to start a fight."

But, with a flame in his eyes and his arms crossed, Julius said in a low voice,

"If they come in, I won't show any mercy."

"…Understood."

"Understand, Verneli. I won't start a reckless fight. …I don't want to lose the chance to see Laila again."

At Julius's words, Verneli looked up. But Julius didn't meet his gaze and clenched his fists in front of his chest.

"Still… I don't want that tragedy to happen again. I can't let them create more 'weapons'…"

Julius and Verneli met up in the evening. Laila and Helka had been out exploring the town and had bought various items like sweets, clothes, and books, which they had loaded onto the carriage.

"Sorry! I'll carry all of this to my room myself!"

"Haha, it's fine, don't worry. Did you enjoy your town exploration?"

"Yes! …Ah, Julius-sama, your jacket is a bit dirty."

"Huh?"

There was a light sandy residue on the back of his jacket, which Julius couldn't see.

(Did he sit somewhere during his work?)

Thinking this, Laila took out a handkerchief, but Julius, looking startled, took off his jacket and patted it with his hands, leaving Laila's hand holding the handkerchief in mid-air.

"Really. …Ah, sorry. Thanks for the handkerchief."

"Oh, no problem…"

She put the handkerchief away and silently followed Julius as he led her to the carriage.

Laila didn't know where Julius and Verneli had gone earlier. She didn't intend to ask unless he told her.

But—when Julius was shaking the sand off his jacket, his gaze was so intense, as if the sand grains were his nemesis.

(Someday, if he decides to tell me… I hope he will…)

Helka was driving the carriage back, and Verneli was inside. But Laila yawned, and quickly covered her mouth with the handkerchief.

"Are you sleepy, Laila?"

"Um, well… I'm a bit tired from all the walking."

"Actually, I am too. …Let's sleep together until we get back to the mansion. Verneli, is that okay?"

"…Do as you please."

It felt more like he was giving up and letting them do as they pleased, but he did give his consent.

Julius took a large blanket from under the seat and gently spread it over himself and Laila.

"Whoa…"

"Move a bit closer. You can lean on my shoulder."

"But, won't that be uncomfortable for you, Julius-sama?"

"Not at all. I'll sleep soundly with you in my arms."

…From the opposite seat, Verneli's coughing could be heard, but ignoring it was the better choice.

In the end, Laila accepted Julius's kindness and leaned against his shoulder.

"…Am I too heavy?"

"The weight is just right. …Good night, Laila."

"Yes… Good night, Julius-sama…"

It would take about thirty minutes to get back to the mansion. Laila closed her eyes to rest for a while.

Perhaps because of the scent of sand from Julius's neck, in her dream, she saw a younger version of him standing in a vast, desolate land.