The commotion from the previous day was known to everyone in the manor.
Percus Manor was not particularly large. It was spacious, as it was the residence of nobility, but it could not compare to the castles of higher-ranking nobles.
The noise that erupted from my bedroom reached as far as the courtyard.
Dozens of people had gathered for the banquet. It was not surprising that the nosy residents of Perkus Territory, known for their curiosity, would swarm in.
Especially since my family was at the forefront.
Senior Elsi would have been furious had commoners dared to step into a noble’s manor, but unfortunately, no one at Percus Manor raised the issue.
It was only a matter of time before the events of the day became known.
Before Senior Elsi could point this out, she had to explain the whole situation, starting with how she was holding a kitchen knife. It seemed she had rushed to the kitchen in her excitement, but I couldn’t fathom why she chose a weapon.
Senior Elsi’s excuse was as follows.
“Because, if I used magic, the master could get hurt…”
In other words, she wanted to stab only the Lady Virgin Saint.
The Lady Virgin Saint reacted with disbelief, but as a member of the Heavenly Deity Sect, she had her dignity to uphold. Once she had regained some composure from the ongoing incidents, she began to feign innocence.
The Lady Virgin Saint, without even moistening her lips, spun a lie.
“I was having a private conversation with Brother I-an regarding a few pieces of advice on the doctrine, but it seems that Sister Elsi misunderstood. Emmanuel.”
Who could doubt the Lady Virgin Saint, who was emanating divine power that glowed white?
Only our mother, deeply pious, murmured a remark while drawing the shape of a cross.
“Emmanuel.”
Of course, not everyone averted their suspicious gazes.
In particular, the looks in Ceria’s and Celin’s eyes were dangerous. I almost felt relieved that Senior Elsi was the one who discovered it.
If Ceria had come at me with a kitchen knife, a great disaster would have ensued that day.
My younger sister also seemed extremely annoyed.
The disheveled bed, the hot air in the bedroom, and the scene of the two women in a tussle were suspicious to anyone who looked.
However, my younger sister could not carelessly interrogate me about it.
It was a matter involving the Lady Virgin Saint and the daughter of the Rainelle Clan. It could easily escalate into a bigger issue. It was best to leave it as it was.
Nonetheless, my sister left me with a warning.
“…See you tomorrow, brother.”
It was as if she was saying she’d be keeping an eye on me.
The moment my plan to head to the ‘slums’ the very next day was jeopardized.
It seemed I wouldn’t be able to head to the slums until I endured my sister’s barrage of irritation in the morning.
It was only after the uproar had settled that I regained my calm solitude.
A half-finished drink remained, and I continued to tilt the cup. As the effects of the alcohol stirred my mind, my thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
What on earth was the Dark Cult plotting here?
The ‘me’ from the future had warned Lady Airen to keep her eyes on my sister. Surely, there could come a day when my sister would be in danger.
Moreover, the gathered forces in the territory exceeded my imagination.
Even if it was the Dark Cult, it would not be easy to conquer a rural territory fortified with the thousand private soldiers of the Yuridina Clan, the magic troops of the Rainelle Clan, and numerous experts stationed there.
Was it still the case that “what must be abandoned must be abandoned”?
The more I drank and the more muddled my consciousness grew, the more the dreams I had approached.
It was now a familiar sensation as I crossed the dim boundary.
Once again, I dreamt of someone else’s dream.
“If you understand the flow, you can understand everything.”
It was the kind of remark a second-rate swindler might make.
To say that knowing one thing allows you to know everything felt like sheer nonsense.
Unless, of course, the one saying it was my teacher.
The woman with black hair, looking to be in her mid-teens, surprisingly possessed a decadent beauty. It was such that one might think that even a pipe she held would suit her.
Though her actions were no different from that of a child.
The Archmage lightly tapped a droplet that floated in front of her. Then, as the droplet slithered through a narrow gap, it splashed and drenched my body.
With a thud, I was chopping wood and replied in an irritated voice.
“…What does water gun play have to do with this?”
“You little brat, do you not see the deep meaning in this teacher’s teachings? Once you comprehend the flow, you can produce dozens of times the strength by fitting that flow into a narrow gap.”
As she spoke, the Archmage tapped the droplet with her slender finger several times.
Every time she did, a splash hit my clothes. Since I was already soaking wet with sweat, I felt fortunate to be cooling off with the cold water.
I decided to ignore the Archmage with a deep sigh.
It was well known that she was someone who had a lot of loneliness. I had watched her for years, and countless students had left during that time.
It was because of the endless, exhausting training.
Understanding that, I could see why the Archmage clung to one of the few remaining students. The problem was that I still had work to do.
I couldn’t straightforwardly disregard my teacher, so my frustration slipped out.
“I’m currently chopping wood, you know… The apprentice will be here soon, and if I don’t have the wood ready, I’ll clearly get in trouble again.”
“Hmph, after falling into love play, is the apprentice now more important than your teacher?”
“…It’s really not like that.”
“We’ll see about that.”
With a sneer, my teacher galloped away.
Before long, a shrill scream echoed in the air. Given the irritated tone of that voice, it seemed she couldn’t hold herself and had gone to bother the apprentice.
Sure enough, moments later, a delightful-looking girl appeared, grumbling.
Her brown hair was thoroughly soaked. Her blue eyes were filled with annoyance, making it clear to anyone that she was in a bad mood.
As soon as the apprentice stood in front of me, she screamed.
“Ugh, seriously! That old hag is driving me crazy!”
As she vigorously shook her head, droplets flew everywhere.
Her attitude showed no trace of respect for the teacher. I sighed and shook my head.
“Apprentice, what kind of language is that to use towards the teacher?”
“A teacher who sprays water guns at her student is hardly a teacher… And also, I’m not an apprentice!”
With a sharp chop, the hand axe split the wood once more.
As the apprentice pointed at me, raising her voice, she then let out a huff and bore a peculiar smile.
With her hand on her hip, she looked mischievous. Old habits seemed to be resurfacing.
“…So? Why can’t you meet the gaze of this older sister today?”
Her intuition was nothing short of amazing.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried to ignore the apprentice’s words. But she approached me, deliberately brushing against me.
I could hear her giggling.
“Why, did you feel some desire looking at your drenched older sister?”
I wanted to deny it, but it was difficult to do so.
In the sweltering heat of the Great Forest, the apprentice always tied her outer garment around her waist while working. It made one think that she could simply take it off, but I suppose there was a pride to being a mage.
Instead, she always wore a thin white short-sleeved shirt inside. And now that her outer clothes were completely soaked, it was natural that her undergarments would show.
The apprentice beamed proudly and poked me with her finger.
“You little brat, you’re a man too, aren’t you? Come on, no matter how much you pretend to be indifferent, it’s all obvious! Are you excited? Are you? Huh?”
“…Please, stop it. Seriously!”
“Ah! The randy junior is trying to pounce on the senior!”
After teasing me for a while, the apprentice tiptoed and whispered in my ear.
“…Hey, but if you’re going to get excited, make sure it’s just for me, okay?”
“Is that even possible?”
“If not, I’ll report you for sexual harassment.”
What a ridiculous thing to say; how could someone who isn’t the victim report it?
After a while of indulging the apprentice’s playful banter, I could finally discuss something more serious.
The apprentice puffed air through her lips to ignite the fire.
It felt like just the other day when she had complained about why a lightning mage like her had to do such things, and now she was mastering it with skill.
I asked her as I was preparing the tableware.
“So, why did the teacher suddenly get obsessed with water guns?”
“Who knows? I don’t know… Maybe it’s that fateful intuition or something. I heard there are opponents that can’t be dealt with unless you understand the flow?”
Hmph, the apprentice chuckled as if she found it funny.
“While I don’t know if such opponents exist for this Archmage!”
The apprentice had been acting like this since she had achieved some recent results.
Of course, if she was happy, I was happy too. After some time with a distant smile, I cautiously asked,
“Why are you still here?”
“…Huh? What nonsense is that?”
Looking confused, the apprentice tilted her head.
Seeing her like that made a bitter smile creep onto my lips again.
“Now that you’ve leveled up and learned what you needed, it wouldn’t matter if you quit, right? Just spending each day complaining about the teacher.”
Honestly, there might have been a little anxiety in my heart.
If even the apprentice left, I would have no idea how to spend the remaining time.
Whether she realized it or not, the apprentice only fanned the fire in silence for a moment.
And after a while.
“…There was someone I swore to protect.”
The girl casually brought up a story she had buried deep within herself, as if it were nothing unusual.
“But I couldn’t keep my promise; it was my younger brother… Do you remember the return trip ritual? He died then.”
The return trip ritual.
An incident where the eyes of the Imperial Princess were gouged out, and many students died and were injured during the attack by the Dark Cult.
Many lives were lost that day.
The talents that would have driven the future of the continent disappeared like a handful of blood. Among them was apparently the apprentice’s younger brother.
The apprentice tried to act strong.
“After wandering for several years, it was only then that I resolved myself. I wished I had the power to protect my people.”
“…But now there’s no one left to protect, is there?”
“No, I found someone recently. Someone precious to me.”
As she spoke, the apprentice’s blue eyes formed a captivating curve.
“…Who do you think it is?”
I was momentarily breathless at how beautiful she looked.
“Well, who is it?”
“…You don’t need to know, you brat!”
Watching the apprentice chuckle and pat my back, I thought.
I hope I can protect this person.
It was still a time when the world still had its colors.
As I gasped for breath, I opened my eyes to find a sword in my hand.
Emotions I could not name flowed out. My head throbbed painfully. I fumbled around for a canteen and gulped down water.
Yet still, the sword remained tight in my grip.
I felt an inexplicable anxiety choking me. After several deep breaths, I managed to calm my mind.
Suddenly, I noticed a piece of stationery.
The fourth love letter from the future.
On the back of it, another phrase had been hastily scribbled.
‘A swindler in the slums’
It was precisely the information I had been looking for.
The date was the same, and I began to feel that my hypothesis was falling into place as a faint smile crept onto my face.
As I raised the sword vertically, I felt its chilly edge.
It was time to start.
Today was the day the young master of the Percus family would visit the slums.
