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There’s a saying that when something happens globally, it’s usually the UK’s fault.

The land where the sun never sets.

A country that boasts the world’s largest collection of stolen goods, widely known as the ‘British Empire Museum,’ where Egypt wails and India sobs while African nations gasp in disbelief.

There’s this notion that if something bizarre exists—be it food, history, politics, philosophy, novels, films, or dramas—it all comes from the UK.

Even if it’s an internet meme, it somewhat makes sense.

Having traveled through Afghanistan, Syria, India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and countless weary African nations, I’d say the UK is a real piece of work that even the mightiest countries would regard with caution.

It’s undeniable that the UK is a developed nation with top-notch information agencies.

But in my heart, the UK ranks among the world’s most ridiculous nations, right alongside the US, Russia, China, France, and Israel.

For the record, the undisputed number one in sheer absurdity lives north of the ceasefire line.

Anyway.

Whenever a historical event occurs, just blame the UK, and if something absurd pops up, suspect the UK first.

It’s the same even now.

No matter what kind of proposal the Duke makes, it won’t hold much significance for Camila.

Whether Alexandra Petrovna is the Duke of the Kien Empire or the Archmage of the Magic Tower, it doesn’t matter because she was born and raised in a world without magic.

In other words, Camila is someone who doesn’t abide by the local logic.

And she hails from one of the most absurd nations on Earth.

The Duke didn’t realize that.

“Oh, child. What do you mean…?”

“I don’t care about anything else. If I can’t learn transformation magic, there’s no reason for me to learn magic at all.”

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Episode 14 – One Religion, One Belief, Two Saints

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Camila’s reaction to the Duke’s outrageous proposal was beyond imagination.

“Thanks for the offer, but I have no intention of learning magic. I have no reason to do so.”

That was a clear rejection.

The first person to be taken aback by Camila’s absolute refusal was Francesca.

“No, what is this…?”

For a magician, the teachings of an Archmage are an incredible opportunity.

Just like entrepreneurs pay exorbitant amounts for lunch with billionaires, magicians might risk their lives to have a word with an Archmage.

Francesca understood this better than anyone. Countless magicians had come to her, desperate to quench their thirst for knowledge.

Some wanted to inspect ancestral books left in the Ranieri family’s archives, while others eyed the artifacts unearthed by Ranieri scholars. Some even wished to research alongside Francesca.

The name ‘Archmage’ carried immense weight in the magical community.

It was the legacy left by the ancestors that allowed mere descendants of Archmages to flaunt their power, and every magician strove to grab a piece of that legacy.

Yet here was an Archmage offering direct teachings, and she was turning it down!

Francesca couldn’t make sense of the situation.

But right here and now, someone else was in deeper shock.

“What…?”

Alexandra Petrovna stared blankly into space.

Her pupils were dilated, and her lips were half-open.

She looked like she was about to drool juice any second now, utterly devoid of any noble composure or an Archmage’s dignity.

It seemed the shock was pretty severe.

The Duke, managing to compose himself, fumbled over his words.

“W-What do you mean? You have no desire to learn magic…?”

“You said you can’t teach transformation magic, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes, that’s true, but. Child. There are so many kinds of magic in the world that you don’t know about.”

“But what I want to learn is transformation magic!”

Camila retorted with a pout.

“I wanted to learn that, but since there’s no way to do it, I see no point in wasting time learning other magics.”

The Duke was left speechless.

A curt girl, a flabbergasted old man, and a shocked girl all watching the ebbing conversation.

As this nonsensical dialogue unfolded, I was intently observing Camila and the Duke’s expressions.

I couldn’t tell what the Duke saw in Camila, but the situation was ridiculously entertaining.

A renowned sage who commanded the respect of all magicians squabbling with a girl from another world? You wouldn’t see this spectacle anywhere else, even if you paid for it.

Setting aside the fact that I’m an Information Officer for Abas, I didn’t care whether Camila became the Duke’s apprentice; this was an utterly fascinating scenario.

So, I made myself comfortable on a sofa while snacking on some treats from a corner of the table.

At that moment, the Duke spoke up.

“Is it really just because of transformation magic that you refuse to learn magic…?”

As she muttered in a voice filled with disbelief, dark clouds began to gather on her face. The Duke looked at Camila, confused.

But Camila’s attitude was resolute.

“Yes!”

“…….”

The Duke’s reaction to that short and powerful answer was akin to a child ready to throw a tantrum.

“Hee….”

Her eyes rolled around, her lips fidgeted, and as she gulped down emotions ready to spill out, she merely exhaled a long sigh toward the ceiling—she looked like a daycare teacher trying to scold a particularly stubborn brat.

It was enough to drive anyone mad.

“Child. Why would you say that? You have plenty of talent to blossom. Isn’t it such a waste?”

“I’m not sure about talent, but I do want to learn magic! Especially transformation magic!”

“Everyone has their own innate talent. But not everyone can achieve their dreams…”

“Isn’t that just ridiculous? Moreover, aren’t you a magician who handles flames?”

Every magician has their own field of interest, but not every magician can achieve their desires. Each excels in different areas.

I wanted to pursue the Department of Korean Language and Literature, but much like a fisherman heading to the sea, most magicians find themselves working in fields that don’t align with their aspirations.

A student dreaming of becoming an elemental magician practices sorcery, while another studying astrology at the academy ends up joining the necromancy faction.

This leads countless academy teachers to pull their hair out during career counseling sessions, trying to persuade students whose aptitude and interests don’t match the magical majors. Of course, other ordinary fields are hardly any different.

However, among all those students, there are always stubborn ones who refuse to yield, no matter how earnestly convinced.

And Camila was the most outstanding stubborn one I knew.

“But I’m a magician. Transmutation spells are still magic, after all.”

Camila would never bend her will.

Perhaps if she were to stop learning magic, one might understand. But it was because she had decided not to waste her time on a field she had no genuine interest in.

After all, who could persuade someone who, despite her parents urging her to graduate from the London School of Economics and become a normal person like her siblings, stubbornly gained admission to Cambridge and even interned at an intelligence agency?

It would be absurd for an old man, whom she had just met today, to break the stubbornness that even her parents could not.

“Child. Think it over once more. There are thousands of magics in this world. Have you ever been to the royal archives? The Imperial Ministry of Magic? Or perhaps the grand library of the Ivory Tower?”

“I haven’t been to any of those.”

“My dear friend oversees the grand library of the Ivory Tower. If you visit that place, where mystical primordial sorcery and Eastern magic converge, you’re sure to find magic that piques your interest…”

“Oh, I won’t learn.”

Camila pushed the Duke away as if chasing off a peddler.

Seeing Camila stubbornly refuse to listen while the Duke clung to her, Francesca turned her head in disbelief.

“Is he always like this?”

“A little? He’s always had a peculiar interest in young children.”

“Why? Does he have a unique preference or something?”

“Not really. He just genuinely likes children.”

Francesca shrugged and added, “You know, our grandmother has no blood relatives.”

The Duke had no children. To put it precisely, he had relatives but no offspring.

Alexandra Petrovna is unmarried.

From the start, the number of nobles who could mingle with her due to the royal blood was quite limited. After ascending to the rank of Archmage, no one, except the Emperor, could dare to even consider the Duke.

Naturally, she had no children since she was unmarried.

“Typically, who do magicians pass their inheritance to? I mean, aside from wealth, what about knowledge or research materials?”

“Generally, it’s inherited by children or spouses. If there are no dependents, the magic goes to the disciple.”

“What if there’s no disciple?”

“Well, in that case, it would probably go one of three ways: donated to the affiliated society, passed on to a distant relative, or returned to the state. Since your grandmother is the Duke of the Empire, the royal family or the Imperial Ministry of Magic would probably inherit it. Well, in the end, it’s all the same, isn’t it?”

So that’s how it is.

I stroked my chin and pondered.

If Alexandra Petrovna were to die just like this, her legacy would go to the royal family or the Ministry of Magic. She’s a Duke, after all, and a part of the Smirnov royal family.

Considering that everything in the empire is effectively the Emperor’s property, saying the Duke’s legacy goes to the Ministry of Magic is essentially the same as saying it goes to the royal family. Therefore, if the Duke dies without an heir or disciple, it ultimately benefits only the royal family.

What choice should a true information officer make here?

The second-best option would be to block the Duke’s legacy from going to the royal family. The best option would be to set things up so that Abas could snatch that legacy.

With a business proposition like this, there’s a high likelihood that not only the Military Intelligence Agency but also the Royal Intelligence Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense would get involved. The Abas government would benefit from snatching the Archmage’s legacy, and I would get to produce results. It would be mutually beneficial for both me and my sister.

But is this truly the best option?

“…Hmm.”

At this juncture, I whispered something into Francesca’s ear. The moment she nodded, I quietly called Camila aside.

Still fixated on transmutation magic, she was throwing a tantrum about not learning magic unless someone taught her transmutation spells. I left the Duke to Francesca and discreetly pulled only Camila out.

“Camila. Can you spare a moment to hear me out?”

“Why? I said I’m not planning to learn magic!”

“No, just calm down a bit.”

I stole a glance at Francesca calming the Duke from afar, then leaned over and whispered into Camila’s ear.

“I’ve come up with a good idea.”

Camila asked back, “What idea?”

“Camila, do you know what the British excel at?”

“I don’t know. Creating classic literature or plays?”

I shook my head.

“Nope.”

“Then what? Is there some kind of British specialty I’m not aware of?”

“Pillaging.”

The British secret: pillaging.

Cultural relics, wealth, resources. Anything passes through British hands will vanish in the blink of an eye.

Magic is no exception.

I turned back to the Duke and proposed to the British girl.

“Camila, let’s work on something together.”

 

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