---

My father seemed very angry at Joachim’s actions, but it didn’t seem like he intended to keep us in Sarham.

The day after that incident, my father ordered the Knights Order to reorganize and prepare the carriages. Despite cursing Joachim’s name, it appeared he wasn’t keen on sending us to Merohim. If we hadn’t departed, that Grand Mage Joachim Edelweiss would have teleported here to take us himself.

Still, holding a grudge, my father seemed to want us to leave as late as possible, as he insisted we depart on the second day, which was Joachim’s ultimate deadline, even though all preparations were complete.

In fact, my approval of this decision had nothing to do with my father’s feelings.

The distance from the south to the north being what it was, it would take us at least a few days of carriage travel to reach Merohim. Moreover, there were no mages in the Kraus family capable of opening a Warp Gate.

Just getting to the location where Joachim could open a Gate would take some time, and given that we’d been out and about these past few days, heading out right away would surely be a burden for Elena.

Just yesterday, when we walked through the city center of Sarham, it hadn’t been long, yet Elena fell asleep, leaning on me in exhaustion on our way back. So she definitely needed at least a day of rest.

The carriage we were going to use to go to Merohim wasn’t from our family, but rather the Edelweiss carriage that Elena had brought with her. I caught a glimpse of it as we passed, and unsurprisingly for a mage family, it was adorned with all sorts of magic, reminiscent of a modern armored vehicle.

According to Elena, it had magic that adjusted the internal temperature of the carriage to fit the surrounding environment and kept it at an optimal state. There were also higher-level protective spells to guard against external shocks.

Not to mention the spell that prevented the passengers from feeling the jolts caused by the carriage’s movement—it seemed any discomfort I imagined was all resolved by magic.

“They say if you have a dull head, your body suffers, but this magic really looks convenient.”

If I had known, I would have chosen to be a mage too. Why did I have to reincarnate as the child of a martial family?

While I might understand that the physical aspect has its own merits, the technology of magic seemed undeniably convenient for living in this world. Out of curiosity, I asked Elena if I had any talent for magic, but she said no. Actually, knights aren’t supposed to wield magic at all.

Though both knights and mages aim for the same ‘end,’ the routes they take are like parallel lines that can never meet, meaning knights can’t produce the miraculous feats that mages achieve, similarly, knights can’t replicate the miracles performed through magic.

Thinking back, even in the original work, though there were characters who used both Divine Power and Aura simultaneously, there had never been anyone who could wield both magic and Aura together.

This romantic fantasy seems a bit too rigid with its settings, though I do enjoy it that way.

In the end, I had to shelve my childhood dream of becoming a sword mage. Alphonse, who had quietly listened to our conversation, appeared to be deeply troubled by the idea that magic and knightly paths are mutually exclusive.

But honestly, no matter how much he thinks about it, his talent lies in being a knight, Alphonse.

In the original story, Alphonse was an outstanding knight, and indeed, he possessed an aptitude for swords like a true man of the Kraus family.

That said, if Alphonse genuinely wanted to learn magic, I wouldn’t stop him, but he quickly cast aside any lingering interest in it without needing to fret over it.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done absolutely nothing.”

Having always been active, today felt refreshing as I set aside training and studies for a much-deserved rest.

Since reincarnating as Damian, I hadn’t gone a single day without wielding a sword, but now laying it down felt liberating yet simultaneously filled me with an inexplicable emptiness.

While my body felt more comfortable than ever, my heart wasn’t as at ease.

Maybe it was better to be moving even a little. I thought about this as I left the room.

I wasn’t heading to the training grounds to swing my sword.

I just felt that sitting still would make my head dizzy with silly thoughts, so I walked to clear my mind.

A short walk around the main building of the Lord’s Castle was sufficient to empty my thoughts. As I was about to head back to my room, a bright white light caught my eye.

Looking up to find the light that resembled starlight, I saw Elena on the terrace, gazing up at the night sky. Her pure white hair sparkled as if it emitted its own light against the dark night.

I had heard she planned to go to bed early for tomorrow, so was she awake from her sleep? She stood there in her light nightgown. Perhaps it was because of her clothing, but seeing Elena look a bit defenseless made it hard for me to pull my gaze away from her.

“Elena…”

I started to call her name, but I stopped.

Her gaze was fixed on the sky, looking like a star far away from my world.

I feared that if I spoke, I might ruin this moment for her, so I turned to leave quietly.

Yet, contrary to my expectations, it was her voice calling my name that stopped my retreat.

“Why are you just staring at me without saying anything? Damian.”

How was I supposed to respond to Elena’s probing question? My mouth fell silent; I could hardly admit anything from my feelings at that moment.

However, Elena seemed to think my words didn’t reach her because of the distance. She began to climb over the railing to come down. I was startled and quickly summoned my energy to rush over to her.

I knew all too well that she was an exceptional mage. At only sixteen, she reached tier 5, making her one of the only two genius mages in the history of the magical world alongside Richard Ertuven.

For someone like Elena, jumping from the third-floor railing would surely have been as easy as pie, but whether it was her attire or Elena’s unique aura that triggered my uneasiness, as soon as I thought about it, my body moved before my mind could catch up.

With a single leap, I reached the railing where Elena stood and hurriedly wrapped my arms around her, bringing her down from the terrace.

Only when my feet met the solid floor did my racing heart finally start to settle. The urge to scold her about what she was thinking climbing over the railing also began to fade from my mind.

I started to ponder if my actions were unnecessary, my face warming slightly, but I told myself it was no need to feel embarrassed as my concern for her was genuine, forcing my blush to subside.

“Damian…”

A small murmuring sound came from her. It was not the stammering voice of Elena I was used to. Her breath was long and even, and the smile on her face seemed more tranquil than any Elena I had seen before.

I tried to set her down, but she clung tightly to my clothes, leaving me no choice but to hold her until she decided to let go.

Held in my arms, she felt incredibly light, as if she might float away, causing me to unconsciously tighten my grip. Minutes passed, and as soon as Elena relaxed her grip on me, I slowly set her down.

Now we could finally meet each other’s gaze. She looked at me and awaited my answer.

“Why did you try to leave without saying anything?”

I realized I couldn’t avoid this question.

“I thought you were focused on watching the stars, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

With my answer, she no longer pressed me for more. Instead, she moved closer to me and sat down beside me on the railing.

To anyone looking, it might seem dangerous, but a mage like Elena could surely use floating magic to cushion herself in case of a fall. There was no real need for me to have gone up there.

Nonetheless, despite knowing this, I wrapped an arm around her waist, ensuring she didn’t tip over.

I couldn’t shake off the thought that she could still fall and hurt herself. It seemed Elena enjoyed leaning against my arm, playfully teasing me as she slightly swayed back, pretending to lose her balance.

“It’s dangerous, Elena. What will you do if I let go of you?”

“Hehe… You would never do that, right?”

Well, yes, but your actions might be shortening my lifespan right now.

Indeed, Elena seemed a bit different than usual. She hadn’t changed as a person, but she appeared more relaxed, acting completely according to her feelings. Hence, the distance between us felt closer than normal.

Leaning against my arm, Elena looked back up to the sky, capturing the starlight in her eyes before she spoke to me.

“Damian, did you know? The night sky of Merohim and Sarham glows with the same stars, yet there’s something slightly different about them.”

I understood that there were subtle differences based on our standing location due to the curvature of the earth.

However, Elena’s words made it sound as if she missed the sky of Merohim, and I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at the stars floating above.

But that thought washed away with what Elena said next.

“Once we reach Merohim, I’ll show you everything you need to know about it. Just like how you shared everything with me while we were here.”

With that, Elena stepped down from the railing, turning her back to me as she headed inside.

“Then, I guess I should go in too, to prepare for tomorrow. Goodnight, Damian.”

Though the distance between us had shrunk significantly, Elena seemed a bit shy about what she just said, and my keen eyes caught a hint of her flushed cheeks in the dim light.

I waved gently at her as she lay on the bed, then left the room, closing the window behind me.

As soon as I returned to my room, I laid down on the bed and caught sight of the full-length mirror across from me. Bathed in the moonlight that streamed in through the window, the mirror sparkled; the positioning made it so my own reflection was perfectly framed in the mirror.

After glancing at the face reflected back at me, I turned away and pulled the blanket over my head.

The boy’s face I saw in the mirror had turned just as red as Elena’s had mere moments ago.

*

The next morning.

Outside the Kraus family Lord’s Castle, a man was descending from the sky. Who else could act so brazenly in the territory of Kraus, yet he was observing the Count with a calm demeanor as he mumbled to himself.

“I knew you would set off on this day.”

“You… you brat!!”

“Given your character, I figured you wouldn’t send them off even a moment earlier. Truly, you never cease to surprise me.”

“Hey! Joachim!! If you’re coming, at least give me a heads-up!!”

“Quiet. Arthur. I appreciate you preparing the Knights Order, but I thought it best to take them myself. Are you upset?”

“Weren’t you trying to get me into trouble?”

“Seems you’ve figured it out.”

He landed atop a carriage emblazoned with the crest of the Edelweiss family and lightly tapped the staff he held against the carriage, triggering a complex spell that was beyond a mere commoner’s comprehension.

The ongoing magic was a teleportation spell that moved objects to designated coordinates.

Though Arthur, having transcended, could sense the tension of this space and could easily break the spell even though he wasn’t a mage, he knew the carriage wouldn’t come out unscathed if he did, so he kept his sword sheathed.

And Joachim could only pull this off because he was aware Arthur wouldn’t draw his sword in this situation. Thus, Joachim intentionally sought to bother Arthur.

“Well, I’ll get in touch later. Take care.”

With the white light enveloping the carriage, Joachim vanished without a trace as if he had never been there. He had taken only the Edelweiss carriage from here.

Once Joachim’s magical energy fully dispersed into the air, Arthur couldn’t help but laugh wholeheartedly, calling for his son.

“I told you, didn’t I? That guy would definitely show up unexpectedly and vanish like this. I win the bet, son.”

With Arthur’s comment, the castle gates opened, revealing Damian and Elena, who logically should not have been there.

“I should have suspected from the moment he mentioned his friend’s father… Hmm, Elena, you don’t need to be embarrassed. Just think of him as a person exactly like my father.”

At Damian’s words, Elena shyly pointed to her face, now turning red for a different reason than before.

 

---