74 – Episode 74
# 74
“If that’s an act…”
Ian thought as he looked at the sobbing Kira.
Although the possibility was low, that behavior could have been just an act to evoke sympathy from Ian.
But if Ian had thought that someone who looked so pitiful would weaken his heart…!
That’s right. He is that kind of person.
Among the reasons why Ian forgave Kira, sympathy was also included.
If that’s an act, Kira’s ability is impressive.
Since he was caught by someone with abilities, could he let it slide as payment for admission?
“A slave? I won’t do anything.”
“… What?”
Kira looked at Ian with swollen red eyes, her expression showing concern in case there was any trickery.
But Ian had no thoughts at all.
If the other wizards in this world had seen Kira, they might have punished her. They would have accused her of tarnishing the name of wizards and betraying the trust of the nobles.
But Ian had no particular feelings towards Kira.
It wasn’t like she was caught plotting something in wizard cosplay. She was just unlucky and happened to get caught by Ian, who happened to be good at acting.
Honestly, Ian found Kira fascinating.
What kind of talent did she have to deceive the nobles and pretend to be a wizard in cosplay all this time?
“And… it doesn’t seem completely fake.”
Kira herself didn’t know, but Ian had definitely seen it when she summoned the Maronius Aero Flame.
The way the flames responded to her will.
Whether it was a mere coincidence or there was something Ian didn’t know, he couldn’t tell.
But it was true that Kira communicated with fire and conveyed her will.
She hadn’t studied properly, yet she managed to achieve mystery and communication with just a few words?
It was an interesting talent worth watching.
“I’m not doing anything.”
“…?”
“Stay as long as you want, leave when you want. Oh, but give me some fireworks before you go. By the way, where do you get fireworks?”
“Um, can I really… do as I please?”
Ian chuckled and patted Kira’s shoulder.
“Speak freely. Do you think anything will change for me just because you’re involved? Your fireworks look fun, but they’re not important to me.”
Unlike Kira, Ian was a real wizard.
Kira asked him several times if he was really a wizard, and Ian patiently answered that he was.
Kira, who realized that Ian had no intention of abandoning her, opened her mouth wide.
“Why… why is that? Do you… expect something from me?”
“No.”
“Then why…?”
Ian shrugged.
“Just because.”
…
On the street, Ian had briefly heard Kira’s past story.
She had lived as an orphan and a wanderer, and her adoptive parents, who were like real parents to her, were killed by thieves.
She was a unfortunate woman.
She had simply stumbled upon the path of ease and uncertainty.
Even if Ian were to punish Kira, what would change for him?
Fate had brought them together by chance, so it was only natural that they would part ways when the path came to an end.
“Ah…”
Kira bowed her head deeply and sobbed.
Tears fell drop by drop onto her neatly clasped hands.
“Thank… you… Thank you so much…”
Ian fell silent.
He had neither expected nor been deeply moved by gratitude.
However, it was true that Ian had saved Kira’s life.
Whether socially or physically, Ian ensured that Kira could stay alive.
Ian waited until Kira calmed down before speaking.
“Ah, stop pretending to be a magician now. You’re starting to become dangerous.”
“Ah, yes. I guess rumors about me are spreading among the nobles…”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Ian took out Anorisil and infused it with his will.
Imagine exploding flames, and small sparks leapt from the blade.
Kira was startled by Ian’s use of magic.
“Mommy!”
The sparks crawled across Kira’s thigh and slowly disappeared.
As Kira stood there in a daze, Ian spoke.
“Don’t you understand?”
“What…?”
“The sparks. Are those normal sparks?”
“…Ah.”
Kira realized belatedly.
Normal sparks ignite and vanish quickly. That is the nature of fire.
However, sparks imbued with the will of flames defy even the laws of nature. People call them magical sparks.
The sparks that passed by Kira, even for a moment, became magical sparks.
It meant that regardless of Kira’s will, the mysteries of fire were observing her.
“The mystery is concerned about you.”
“…”
In the past, during Ian’s training in magic.
In a dark underground cave, Ian was practicing listening to the voice of the earth.
At that time, Ian heard the voice of the lingering darkness in the cave, against his own will.
It was evidence that Ian had an affinity for darkness.
Mysteries reach out to humans with talents first.
It was a blessing, but also a curse.
“Mysteries are fickle beings. They may show favor now, but you never know when they will change and become angry.”
In a way, it was a natural thing to say.
Let’s say you found someone you liked. Naturally, you would want to approach them first.
Whether it’s their appearance, personality, or background. If you feel a liking towards that person and approach them first, but they pretend not to notice, what would you think?
Well, you could think that it’s possible and move on.
But you could also think that you were being ignored and get angry.
This was exactly the case when mysteries feel curiosity towards humans.
“Hmph. I liked you alone anyway. I’ll cheer you on from afar~” There are certainly cases where they pass it off with kindness…
“But if you trample on my affection like that, then I’ll become a gangster!” There are also mysteries that truly transform into gangsters, saying such things.
The heart is something that you can’t even predict a person’s reaction to. How can you predict how a mystery will react?
Kira herself didn’t know, but she was in a very dangerous state right now.
It was because of her mischief.
It’s okay not to understand the mystery. Whether you like it or not, the mystery will just observe from afar.
But the problem is…
Every time Kira cosplays as a magician, Maronius always conjures up a fire spell!
Kira was the one who called out, “Hey, Flame!” and came running.
But when the flame asks, “Why did you call me?” Kira goes completely silent, in a crazy situation.
Fortunately, the mystery of the flame is friendly towards Kira, calmly circling around her and saying, “Ah, you must be busy right now. I’ll call you again later, okay?”
Even if I got angry and burned Kira, I wouldn’t have anything to say.
It was actually more surprising that I hadn’t burned Kira until now.
You send a message first, and when you get a reply, you ignore it. Is that really something a human would do?
But the mystery of the flame was indulging Kira.
It couldn’t be anything other than a sweet flame.
“If you don’t want to burn, stop pretending to be a magician.”
Kira nodded vigorously with a pale face. She must have noticed that the power of the mystery surrounding her was getting stronger and stronger.
“Um… Magician.”
“Just call me by my name.”
“Well then… Ian.”
She always called him Ian, so she didn’t know why she suddenly hesitated.
Kira looked at Ian with pleading eyes and said,
“Thank you for taking care of me… Th-Thank you… No one has ever worried about me until now…”
Ian smiled. It was only natural.
Who would worry about a woman who pretends to be a mischievous magician?
“Thank you so much! I’ll do everything I can until we part ways!”
“Everything you can?”
“Yes! Anything!”
Oh, this is going well.
In truth, Ian had wanted to ask Kira to do something ever since he first saw her.
“Well then… show me how to bring out fireworks.”
“Oh. This?”
Pop.
As Kira snapped her fingers, a small firework appeared between her fingers.
Ian’s eyes popped out in surprise.
Wow! What is this? How did you do it?
Could it be that you’re a spatial magician?!
From Noble mtl dot com
“No, where did you get it from? You don’t have a pocket!”
“Pfft, hahahahaha!”
As if relieved from tension, Kira burst into a hearty laughter.
In front of Ian, she repeatedly brought out and made disappear fireworks, putting on a splendid magic show.
Even though Ian saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.
Wow. This is magic, what on earth is magic!
And yet, here I am, pretending to be a magician! I’m so embarrassed!
Ian opened his eyes wide, trying to figure out Kira’s cosplay secret and observing her hand skills.
However, even after several hours had passed, Ian couldn’t find out anything.
Ian deeply suspected that Kira might not be a mage.
#
As Ian emerged from the cabin, he locked eyes with Belenka, who had been facing the wind.
She stared at Ian with a strangely plump expression.
“Yeah. It was quite enjoyable to meet another magician, wasn’t it?”
“It was fun.”
“Did you smile like that in front of Viscount Talien too?”
Their laughter echoed in the air.
Ian shrugged. Luci was a noblewoman, and Kira was a clown, an actress, and a magician. Wasn’t the quality of pure amusement different?
Although it was only for a short time, Ian had definitely realized.
There was no room for boredom when he was with Kira.
She had exceptional looks and overflowing talent. If she were born in the real world, wouldn’t she have become a genius celebrity who dominated the entertainment industry?
But in this medieval fantasy world, she was living as a swindler by the name of a charlatan.
“Ian, this may not be something I should say, but… do you know that you give off a charming husband vibe?”
“I’ve never thought about it.”
“If you don’t know, let me tell you now. Many women would want to get involved with you. Some of them might even approach you aggressively.”
“Aggressively?”
“They might come at you, trying to overpower you.”
“…”
Is she a puma? Well, a zombie?
Ian was perplexed, but he understood the meaning behind the words.
Ian had already received several marriage proposals. It started with Emily, a prostitute he met on the street, then the cousin or something of Lord Kaltz in Riverbille, and even Lady Lucy in Talien.
It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
The marriageable age is between 18 and 30. In modern times, it’s common for people to get married after turning 30, but here, once you pass 25, you’re categorized as an old bachelor or spinster.
But a young bachelor like Ian… he’s like a walking treasure goblin.
The one who attacks first (?) is the master.
From polite marriage proposals to extreme pregnancy attacks.
In the empire, there are countless women who would go to any lengths to get involved with Ian.
But to Belenka, Ian seemed, honestly, overly defenseless…
Even setting aside why he thinks he won’t be attacked.
Isn’t it a bit strange to become close with just any woman?
“If you plan on having a meal with Lord Talien, it’s better to be careful with your manners. Having too many wives will become a nuisance when it comes to succession.”
“No, what are you talking about manners…”
“Mage Kira, well, she’s also a mage, so I suppose. It’s better to be cautious with unfamiliar women.”
Ian asked Belenka out of pure curiosity.
“Thank you, but what’s the reason for giving me advice?”
“Right now, you are the master I serve. Ian. It’s only natural as a loyal subject.”
It was a valid point.
If there were land and people to rule, Ian would have become a ruler, but that wasn’t the case. He was simply an employer.
Still, a master is a master. Belenka advised him to fulfill his duty as a knight.
“Yes, be careful.”
Belenka didn’t bring up the idea of being cautious about women for no reason.
It had been some time since she had given the warning when Galladin started the engine.
“Ahem. Magician Ian. The eldest daughter of the first master is an extraordinary beauty.”
“…”
Even though the master of the house was dying, was it appropriate for him to act as a mediator?
No. Rather, it might have been the perfect time to attempt mediation. It was to lure a magician with a woman and bind him to the territory.
“I was thinking of meeting her once…”
But Galladin’s plan was crushed by the knight, Ian.
“Oh ho. An extraordinary beauty? Is she better than me?”
“Ah…”
As Belenka intervened, Galladin immediately broke down.
This was a life-or-death situation.
Saying that the daughter of the Marquis was prettier than Belenka or denying it could make Ian lose interest.
“Why don’t you say it? Have you forgotten how to speak?”
“No… Lady Belenka. It’s not that…”
Is it me? Is it that woman?
As Belenka stared at Galladin with a gaze that only women could give, he couldn’t hold on and crumbled.
“Ahem! This isn’t a situation where we can have a private conversation!”
No. Did you just realize that now?
As they chatted, the Duke’s castle came into view. The castle was situated in the middle of a river, an island between the rivers, just like Yeouido.
They sailed past the fishing boats and Ian’s group arrived at the dock.
Upon hearing the news of Galladin’s arrival, the members of the castle rushed over to greet the visitors.
The first person to greet them was a lovely-faced young lady.
“You must have had a long journey. Thank you for coming, Secretary.”
Next, they greeted a sharp-eyed lady.
“You’ve arrived. Since rumors have been circulating, we should take our time listening to the stories.”
Galladin called Ian and spoke.
“Allow me to introduce. This is the first lady of the Duke, Serena. And this is the second lady, Catherine.”
“… Pardon?”
A bewildered Ian called Galladin over.
“What did you say?”
“That’s Serena. And that’s Catherine…”
“No way. Serena is the Duke’s wife?”
That young lady?
Galladin tilted his head as if asking what the problem was.
“Well, yes?”
Ian was astonished.
In order for a woman of that age to become a first wife, how quickly does she have to get married?
She’s like a crazy lolicon!
Wkwkwk