Chapter 317
I never want to grow old.
Laura Elsink started thinking that way when her grandfather, Altman Elsink, was on his deathbed.
“Laura, say your final goodbye to your grandfather.”
“Yes…”
Amidst the gathering of the family elders, Laura saw her grandfather lying on the bed. His fingers, like the branches of an old tree, and his deeply sunken eye sockets made him look almost skeletal.
She couldn’t remember what they talked about at the time.
The only thing that remained in Laura’s mind was the image of her grandfather, old and dying.
Everyone grows old and dies someday.
Even Laura’s youthful, taut skin would one day become dry and wrinkled. Her vision and hearing would deteriorate over time, her movements would slow, and eventually, she would close her eyes in an ugly state when her body could no longer move.
Laura hated that more than anything.
She didn’t want her final appearance to be like that… At the time, that was as far as her thoughts went.
And then time passed.
Laura, who had blossomed into a magician of exceptional talent, grew to be considered a strong candidate for the next head of the Elsink Family.
She was even scouted as a Royal Court Magician, a dream job for any magician, giving her the opportunity to make her name known far and wide.
It was around that time she earned the nickname “Ice Witch.” Her overwhelming presence as she personally eradicated the monstrous beasts plaguing the Empire left nothing but ice in her wake.
But one morning, as she was brushing her hair, Laura was startled to see a single strand of white hair sticking out.
It could’ve just been a random white hair or a gray one.
Given her age, it didn’t make sense for her to already be getting white hair.
But Laura was suddenly reminded of her grandfather and felt a pang of fear.
What if this was the peak of her youth? Even though it was just one strand of white hair, it felt like a sign that her life was beginning to wither.
How could this life, where she had to wait for the day she would grow old and die in such an ugly way, not be absurd?
From that day on, Laura quit her position as a Royal Court Magician and began wandering. She didn’t know how to stop aging, but she was determined to at least find a way to slow it down.
However, after meeting with several renowned magicians, none of them knew the method she sought.
Perhaps it was only natural.
What Laura wanted was akin to stopping time—something closer to a curse or taboo rather than conventional magic. Everyone either avoided the topic or outright said it was impossible.
The only positive response Laura received was at the “Sage’s House.”
As the name suggested, it was the residence of the legendary first Sage, Myohail. Many magicians sought him out for guidance.
For some reason, Myohail, who had secluded himself from the world, had taken on disciples during the time Laura was wandering.
After a long wait, Laura finally met Myohail.
“Sage, I dream of eternity within this finite life.”
“Hoho… Laura, was it? Dreams are called dreams for a reason. You’re chasing a futile dream.”
“Then, Sage, are you living within a dream?”
“Hmm?”
Intrigued by the question, Myohail stroked his beard and looked at Laura. Though most magicians wouldn’t dare meet his gaze directly, Laura didn’t avert her eyes.
“I want to be like you.”
“Ah, child. What you seek goes against the natural order. You, as a magician, should know that such things are taboo.”
“But Sage, aren’t you living an eternal life?”
“Hohoho… I am cursed.”
“Cursed? Who could possibly curse you, the Sage? Could it be… a god?”
“No.”
Myohail smiled bitterly.
“I cursed myself.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t forgive myself. Living alone, without a single loved one, unable to die—that is the punishment I’ve inflicted upon myself. So, Laura, you need not become like me.”
Myohail was warning her.
She must not step into the eternal cycle of time.
“Go back. Eternity is fleeting. It’s best for humans to live according to the natural order.”
But contrary to Myohail’s wishes, Laura’s heart was set on learning from him.
His words implied that what she sought was possible. Above all, he was a living testament to an almost eternal life—a magician who had lived for countless years.
From that day on, Laura became Myohail’s disciple and began her studies.
As a Sage, Myohail was a genius in magic formulas. He taught her how to create new formulas by combining existing ones. But even for a Grand Magician, combining two or three formulas was no easy task. It was overwhelming even for Laura, who had been a Royal Court Magician.
“Shouldn’t all magicians be able to do this? Hoho…”
That was the general vibe of Myohail’s teachings.
It was as if he was teaching high-level magic to beginners, assuming they already knew the basics. Most couldn’t keep up.
It made Laura realize just how far above her Myohail was.
One by one, Myohail’s disciples left his house, feeling defeated and hitting walls in their progress.
Most of them were just there to catch a glimpse of the Sage anyway.
Eventually, only a handful of disciples remained… and among them was someone Laura knew.
“Huh? Mondri?”
“Ah? Laura, the Ice Witch?!”
“Hey! Who told you to call me by that nickname here?!”
“Ah, sorry…”
There, she reunited with Mondri Cremont, a fellow Royal Court Magician.
“I wondered what you were up to after quitting the Royal Court… So you’re here?”
“Well… What about you, Mondri? Didn’t you say being a Royal Court Magician suited you? I thought you’d stay there forever.”
“Ah, I didn’t quit. I come here whenever I have time to study. If I want to become a Sage, I need to study whenever I can and give it a shot.”
“Oh…”
Mondri’s ambitions were as grand as Laura’s.
Becoming a Sage was a feat achieved by perhaps one magician in a generation. He was aiming for something that difficult.
“I’ll cheer you on. You might just become a Sage.”
“Thanks. Well, it’s a relief. Master Myohail is from our family…”
“Hey! You brat!”
“M-Master?”
“Don’t spout nonsense.”
“Huh? Ah! Right!”
“Tsk tsk… How can someone aiming to be a Sage have such a loose tongue…”
“S-Sorry…”
Now, it’s just a faded memory.
*
Laura, lost in thought, opened her eyes to see the ice crystal in front of her faintly resonating.
Noticing the golden crest of the Cremont Family glowing within the crystal, Laura placed her finger on it and channeled her magic power.
“Hey, Mondri. What’s up?”
“Were you asleep?”
“Not asleep… Just reminiscing a bit.”
“You can’t escape age, huh? Even with that appearance…”
“Shut up. Just tell me why you called.”
“Tsk tsk. What else would I call you for?”
“Huh? Then…?”
“His Majesty has responded.”
“Finally?!”
Laura shot up from her seat.
She had asked Mondri to inform the Emperor about Tristan’s actions. And now, the response had come.
“What did His Majesty say? That an alliance with demons is absurd, right? Did he order the Count’s arrest?”
“No.”
“Then? What? Just tell me!”
“His Majesty expressed support for the alliance with the demons.”
“What…?”
For a moment, Laura thought she misheard. But Mondri confirmed it.
“His Majesty supports the Count’s decision. He even said he hopes the alliance goes well.”
“What?? You’re lying. Mondri. His Majesty would never say that.”
It was common knowledge that Tristan was the greatest threat to the Emperor.
From what Laura knew, the Emperor had always been openly hostile toward Tristan.
For him to support an alliance, let alone Tristan’s decision, was unthinkable.
“It’s not a lie, Laura. What reason would I have to lie to you? Especially by impersonating His Majesty…”
“That’s…”
Mondri wasn’t the type to lie.
So, did His Majesty really say that?
“This can’t be… His Majesty actually…?”
Laura couldn’t hide her confusion.
She had expected the Emperor to be furious, but instead, he supported Tristan and wished for the alliance to succeed?
Something strange was happening.
Laura had a gut feeling that something was wrong in the capital.
If nothing had happened to the Emperor, this wouldn’t make sense.
‘Could it be…?’
A possibility suddenly crossed Laura’s mind.
“Mondri.”
“Hmm?”
“Did you hear this directly from His Majesty?”
“Of course.”
“No. I mean, did you hear it directly from His Majesty in person?”
“Uh… No.”
“Then??”
“Well…”
Mondri scratched his cheek through the ice crystal.
“I received it through a messenger bird. Cough… Laura, you know His Majesty is busy, so he often uses messenger birds. Right?”
‘I knew it!’
Hearing Mondri’s answer, Laura was convinced.
The Emperor was likely being held hostage.
With the capital empty due to the expedition, Tristan must have taken advantage of the situation to imprison the Emperor and seize power.
That’s why His Majesty had no choice but to give such a response upon hearing Mondri’s report.
“Laura, His Majesty also told you not to act rashly. Given the timing of the alliance between the two races, he ordered you to stay calm and wait. And I, too, support the Count’s decision. Perhaps we’ve been too biased against him all this time. Aside from the Ruelberta Family and his somewhat prickly personality, he’s not a bad guy…”
But Laura wasn’t listening.
The suspicion in her heart had turned into certainty.
Should she return to the capital immediately?
No… If she returned first, it would only raise Tristan’s suspicions. Of course, he wouldn’t let her go easily. She was effectively trapped here.
‘To target His Majesty while the Seven Stars are away? Despicable…’
In reality, the capital wasn’t completely defenseless, as Mondri and the Chancellor, Odell, were still there. But Laura’s bias against Tristan had reached its peak, and she couldn’t think of such details.
“Hey. Laura. Are you listening?”
Right. In that case, she had to settle things with Tristan here.
“Got it, Mondri. I understand what you’re saying.”
“Huh?”
Laura stood up. Then, she took the ice crystal displaying Mondri’s image and dropped it to the floor.
*Crash!*
The crystal shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.
“Count… If that’s how you want to play, I won’t just sit back.”
*
“This is strange…”
“……”
“Something’s off…”
Helga had been buzzing around me like a mosquito, muttering to herself.
It was impossible to ignore, so I finally spoke up.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a smell…”
“A smell?”
I had definitely showered this morning. What smell could she be talking about?
Helga sniffed the air, then closed her eyes as if savoring the scent and muttered.
“Yes… How should I put it? It’s like the sweet and tangy smell of a first kiss?”
I got goosebumps.
This wasn’t just a dog’s nose—it was like a fortune teller’s.
“……Why are you flustered, Count?”
I thought Helga had caught my subtle reaction, but… I had hidden my emotional turmoil with “Patience.”
In other words, she was just trying to probe me with her intuition.
But she picked the wrong person to mess with.
“Flustered?”
“Yes. You were just caught off guard, weren’t you?”
“I don’t recall doing anything to be caught off guard. If anything, it’s you who should be worried.”
“Ugh?! T-That’s…”
Helga still hadn’t made up for her mistake during the meeting.
That alone put me in a superior position.
“Do you have any good ideas on how I should apologize to Laura? Can you tell me how I, despite my position, should apologize to her?”
“Ugh… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Helga shrunk and bowed her head.
Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to tease her like this instead of punishing her. Lately, I’d been spoiling Helga too much, so she needed some discipline…
“Count, there you are.”
Blanshe approached from the other side, looking pleased.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah.”
And behind Blanshe, as expected, stood the silver-haired princess, Bella.
Our eyes met.
Her silver hair, shimmering in the sunlight, and her blue eyes, reminiscent of a winter lake, made it hard to look away.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
I had definitely shared something akin to a kiss with Bella before. Back then, it was just a little thrilling, but now, I couldn’t understand why my heart was racing so much.
It was just lips touching lips, right?
Besides, I was completely out of it, so I didn’t even know how she kissed me…
No, maybe it’s because I didn’t know that my imagination was running wild.
Without realizing it, my gaze lingered on her lips.
And it seemed Bella was the same.
As soon as we realized we were staring at each other’s lips, we both averted our gazes as if by some unspoken agreement.
“Miss?”
“……”
“Count?”
“……”
Ugh… I wish I hadn’t noticed…
The subtle tension between us was soon picked up by others.
“Aha… So that’s the smell I’ve been sensing…”
Helga said with a face that looked like it was about to crack.
“That’s the smell, isn’t it?”
