“Heehee...”
Felmenia was a fair beauty who was always dignified, but for the moment, that was superseded by her childish smile. When she realized she was giggling to herself, she panicked for a moment, but was unable to stop herself. She was grateful there was no one else around. Such a girlish laugh from a court mage like herself, who should always be stately and proud, was wholly inappropriate. She would have been devastated if someone had heard her.
The honor of teaching the hero magic had actually come rather unexpectedly to her. She was certain that in order to train a hero, the greatest masters of both sword and sorcery would have to be called in. In reality, she was stiff competition for that title, but that wasn’t the point.
As it turned out, the hero came from a world that had no magic whatsoever, so he needed to be taught the basics from the very beginning. On the day the summoning was carried out—the day that Reiji and his friends arrived in Castle Camellia—they witnessed magic for the first time. The surprise on their faces as they watched the great doors to the audience chamber open was etched into Felmenia’s memory. Just like when she had first witnessed magic, their eyes were sparkling.
When she later inquired how their civilization advanced despite not having magic, she was told that they used science instead of magic to develop technology and mechanisms that used steel and a controlled form of lightning. From what she heard of it, it sounded quite interesting. So—
“Is that... Suimei Yakagi?”
While Felmenia was pleasantly ruminating over the honor of her duty as she rushed to meet the hero, she caught a glimpse of one of the hero’s friends at the end of the corridor.
Suimei Yakagi was a good friend of Reiji’s, and an extremely commonplace man. Other than his neatly kept black hair and gentle eyes, he had no notable features. His appearance was unremarkable, and when he stood next to Reiji, he was completely drowned out by Reiji’s extraordinary aura.
Felmenia recognized him even from a distance because of her last run-in with him, and she was keenly aware she needed to keep her guard up around him.
No, that was...
That was wrong. At that time, she had been completely overcome by rage. But he never laughed at what she said, or at the complete embarrassment she’d made of herself. She knew he was a kind person beneath it all. She couldn’t bring herself to hurl insults at him for refusing to take part in the Demon Lord’s subjugation anymore. Moreover...
“Cute, huh...?”
She remembered the choice word Suimei used to describe her that day. Just how long had it been since somebody had called her cute? When she thought back on it, it was something that was only said about her when she was a small child. But when she recalled Suimei saying it, her cheeks burned.
“N-N-No, what am I thinking?! It’s not like I’m particularly happy about hearing that kind of... that kind of...”
She couldn’t actually say she wasn’t happy to hear it. The words and actions of that kind young man had truly touched her heart. And for that alone...
“I should at least apologize to him...”
If he was taking a stroll, then he was probably on his way to meet up with Reiji and Mizuki. Since she didn’t see him that often, she couldn’t pass up a chance encounter like this. It was only proper for her to apologize for getting carried away and saying too much last time. Even if they didn’t get along any better for it, she wanted to clear the air between them.
So with the intent to apologize, Felmenia marched straight down the hall towards him. Before she could catch up to him, however, Suimei vanished around a bend.
“Huh...?”
The direction he was heading was the opposite of where she was. Seeing him go that way surprised her, and she stopped to think for a moment. Why would he have taken that turn? He was headed to the north side of Royal Castle Camellia. Not the kitchen, the toilet, or even Reiji were in that direction. The only thing of any significance down that way would be the ritual chamber. He shouldn’t have any interest in that, so just what was he up to?
Actually, if I’m remembering right, people have been saying that Suimei-dono has been keeping himself confined to his room ever since the incident in the audience chamber...
Squinting her eyes, Felmenia’s expression turned serious. She hadn’t been involved with Suimei, so she didn’t know exactly what his circumstances were, but it was true she’d heard the rumors that he’d kept himself locked up in his room practically since he’d arrived. People said he only ever left to use the bathroom or go see Reiji and Mizuki, but just recently, Felmenia had run into him while he was out taking a stroll.
And the castle staff loved to talk about him. She’d heard all kinds of things. That he was locked in his room because he was terrified of being brought to an unfamiliar land, that he was sulking like a child because he couldn’t get what he wanted. It all seemed reasonable, really, yet everything she’d heard came from the mouths of the same people who all too readily ridiculed him as a coward and a churl. But either way...
“Just what...”
Just what was he doing here in the sparse north wing of the castle? The moment that question crossed her mind, Felmenia could no longer suppress her curiosity over such a mystery. She gave it a moment’s consideration.
It’s not like the hour for the hero’s magic lesson was precisely arranged beforehand. I still have some time before I need to be there, so let’s see where this leads for a bit...
And so Felmenia quickly made up her mind and followed after Suimei. And she wasn’t just motivated by curiosity or her desire to apologize. As a servant of the castle, this was her duty as a court mage. If by some chance he was out for revenge over the summoning and planning to do something dangerous, she was obligated to stop him. That said, Felmenia wanted to believe that wasn’t the case.
No...
But that wasn’t the only thing on her mind. Suimei knew of her arrangement with the hero, including their schedule. That meant that he had to have known that he likely wouldn’t encounter her if he went sneaking around at this hour.
That’s right. When we went to greet them on the day they arrived, Suimei-dono was most certainly...
He had been trying to use some sort of magic. When they opened the door to the special room constructed in the secluded north wing of the castle explicitly for the purpose of the hero summoning, they’d walked in on him preparing to utilize a spell. Felmenia was the only one who had noticed. The princess possessed great talent as a mage, but not even she had picked up on it.
He’d released the spell on sight, however, and had conducted himself like nothing had happened at all since then. But there was no mistaking it. Felmenia was quite sure of what she’d seen and sensed. It wasn’t her imagination. Without a doubt, the young man known as Suimei Yakagi was a mage.
But Reiji and Mizuki had said that there was no magic in their world. They had described the world they were from in great detail, including science and its countless milestones and achievements. They had structures many times the size of even Royal Castle Camellia that could illuminate the darkness of the night like it was daytime. They had devices to allow men to fly into the sky and beyond to the moon. Overall, their quality of life thanks to science was so high that this world hardly held a candle to it.
And it certainly didn’t seem like Reiji was lying. His straightforward gaze belied no falsehood, and there wasn’t a hint of dishonesty in his character or behavior. So how was it that Suimei could use magic? Did even his close friends not realize he could?
Pondering those questions as she walked along, Felmenia caught sight of Suimei once more. She’d finally caught up to him, but it seemed Suimei had yet to notice her. He was walking forward at a regular gait and without looking back. He had no idea anyone was following him. She watched as he disappeared around another corner. She hurried along after him, but when she took the same turn...
“Oops!”
“Kyah!”
Felmenia reacted instinctive
ly when she heard a yelp. Just as she was about to collide with somebody, she took an evasive step to the side. When she composed herself and looked back, she saw one of the castle maids was standing there in a fluster. She must have been the one who yelped.
“My apologies. Are you alright?”
“N-No, I should be the one to apologize! Stingray-sama, is your face injured?”
“Huh? No, why? Does it look like it?”
“Th-Then are you hurt somewhere else?! Aaah! What do I do?!”
“No, I’m completely unharmed. Since I moved out of the way, I have not even a single speck of dust on me to show for it all.”
What was the big deal? They had narrowly avoided each other, but the maid was making an exaggerated fuss like she had personally offended Felmenia somehow. There wasn’t a soul in the castle who would punish her over such a minor blunder. Felmenia tried to reassure her with a gentle smile. Seeing that, the maid took a deep breath and looked a little relieved.
“Really...? I’m so glad...”
“Sorry for the fuss.”
“N-Not at all!”
“Very well.”
Felmenia gave a dignified nod. It was polite, but not in the austere fashion that court manners sometimes called for. It was gesture that emulated the behavior of the sage who had been her mentor. She believed that carrying herself that way, even though she was young, would convey her dignity without being too imposing with formality.
In response, the maid simply beheld her with an entranced gaze. It took her a few seconds to realize she was staring, and when she did, she embarrassedly bowed her head.
“M-My apologies!”
“No, that’s quite alright.”
After telling her not to worry, and after the maid bowed one more time, Felmenia was about to take her leave when she realized something.
“Sorry, but could I trouble you over something?”
“Oh? Ah, of course. Is something the matter?”
“Just before we bumped into each other, you should have passed by a young man. Did you happen to see where he went?”
“...No? I’m afraid until I ran into you just now, Stingray-sama, I haven’t seen anyone here...”
“What?!”
Quite out of character for herself, Felmenia raised her voice. She simply couldn’t believe what the maid had just said.
“U-Um, did something bad...?”
“I shall ask you once more: did you truly not meet anyone in this hall?”
“T-Truly.”
“You’re not lying?”
“No. I swear by the Goddess Alshuna. I would never lie to you, Stingray-sama.”
Shrinking under Felmenia’s intimidating stare, the maid swore in the name of the sole deity that the Church of Salvation worshipped, Alshuna, that she was telling the truth. But that couldn’t be right. There was no way that the two of them hadn’t crossed paths. While that was spinning around in Felmenia’s head, she began questioning the maid again.
“It’s simply impossible that you didn’t see him. Just before I turned this corner, Suimei-dono, a friend of the hero, should have come around it.”
“One of the hero’s friends? But I didn’t...”
The bewildered maid’s eyes darted around frantically like she was looking for the right answer. Seeing her genuine confusion only confused Felmenia more.
“Just what does this...”
“U-Um, Stingray-sama, I’m expected in the south wing, so... um...”
“A-Ah, sorry. My apologies for holding you up over such a strange matter.”
“Think nothing of it. If you’ll excuse me...”
The maid took her leave after shyly bowing to Felmenia.
Then...
Felmenia saw the maid off, but her eyes narrowed as she turned this bizarre situation over in her head. Just what had happened? It seemed that right after she saw him last, Suimei had simply disappeared.
I still have time. Let’s look around some more.
Felmenia proceeded further into the north wing. But just as the maid had said, there didn’t appear to be anyone else around. Finally, she arrived at the last room in the north wing, the ritual chamber. And she was in for quite a surprise.
Wha—?!
What she was seeing should be impossible. She had to look twice to believe her own eyes, but the door to the ritual chamber, which nobody could open except in an emergency when the leader of the court mages commanded it, was ajar.
Not only was it a directive that the door never be opened unless required, it should have been sealed with special magic to keep it shut. Unless someone knew how to dispel that, no one should ever be able to enter. But sure enough, the door was open even though only the king and the court mages should have the ability to do that.
But if neither the king nor any court mages were present aside from Felmenia, then who exactly had done this? She gulped and suppressed her presence as she approached. Rather than muscles, bone, and skin, it was pure tension that was keeping her together right now.
Who could possibly be inside the room? She could hazard a guess based on the string of events that had brought her here, but she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding. When she peered through the slight gap in the door, she could see a pure white notebook—a true rarity in Astel—as well as a long, narrow glass cylinder, and Suimei Yakagi, who was holding both objects while scowling over the summoning circle. It seemed he was grumbling to himself and concentrating quite intently on the notebook and thin cylinder.
As I suspected...
Just what kind of magic and wiles had he used to open the door? Felmenia was surprised, but she couldn’t deny what was right in front of her. She now had irrefutable proof that Suimei was a mage.
But... what do I do? Should I reveal myself?
Felmenia was torn between the mystery before her eyes and the laws of the land as she racked her brain over the matter. This was a restricted area. Normally she would immediately barge in to stop him. That was what her duty as a court mage demanded. But this young man was the hero’s friend. Not only that, but he was a mage.
Certainly, even if her opponent was also a mage, Felmenia had full confidence that she could still subdue him. Her main concern was his status as the hero’s friend. If there was another scene involving Suimei, the hero might get involved. And Felmenia couldn’t risk doing anything that might ultimately lead to the hero changing his mind about subjugating the Demon Lord. That would be a serious crisis for both Astel and the world.
But this man... What is he doing? He’s likely analyzing the summoning circle, but...
Looking at it from the perspective of a mage, his actions were completely baffling. He appeared to be investigating the summoning circle, but in the most amateur way possible. He was just randomly walking in circles with a notebook and cylinder in hand. It was difficult to even call it analyzing.
To analyze a spell, a second magic circle had to be drawn around the original. From there, you would use that to expose the spell and read it. That was standard practice when it came to analyzing magic, but it wasn’t anything close to what Suimei was doing. To Felmenia, he looked less like a mage and more like a normal person who knew nothing of magic and was arbitrarily grasping at straws through trial and error.
At any rate, this summoning circle was something that had been passed down without knowledge of the laws behind the spell itself. No one had ever truly been able to analyze and comprehend it, but...
In the end, Felmenia couldn’t make a move or call out to him. She did nothing but observe Suimei’s mysterious actions until it was time for her to go meet the hero.
★
Later that evening, a visitor had come to Felmenia’s private quarters in Royal Castle Camellia.
“What...? Is that truly the case?”
Felmenia questioned the court mage who’d come to deliver information to her. She received an affirmative but unconvincing answer.
“Yes. It is just as I said.”
�
�...”
Hearing her colleague’s tone, Felmenia narrowed her eyes and ruminated over what she had just been told. This fellow court mage had come to see Felmenia privately, saying it was an urgent and important matter. While she wondered what had happened for him to arrange such a meeting, it seemed that for the last few days, Suimei Yakagi had been spotted walking in and out of all sorts of places around the castle.
Gripped with anxiety that he was plotting some kind of mischief, yet unable to do anything for fear of Suimei’s status as a friend of the hero, this court mage hadn’t gotten anywhere on the matter and had decided to come to another court mage to discuss it. Her apparent disbelief made him worry that she thought he was lying to her.
“Do you not believe me?”
“I do. In truth, I have also caught a glimpse of him walking around.”
“Truly? Are you certain?”
“Yes. It was just today, in fact.”
“Then there can be no doubt. By any chance, if Suimei-dono is plotting something...”
When it sounded like her colleague was starting to imply that Felmenia might know what Suimei was up to, she shook her head.
“No, we cannot be sure. It’s far too hasty to decide he is plotting something before we even investigate, is it not?”
It was certain that Suimei’s actions were suspicious, but from what Felmenia had witnessed to date, all he had done was go in and out of the ritual chamber. That in of itself was worth a reprimand, but not a witch hunt. The court mage visiting Felmenia seemed to come around quite quickly.
“You’re right. Your wisdom never fails, White Flame.”
“Ah, no...”
Felmenia was glad he was on her side, but she was slightly conscious of his flattery.
“I am in full agreement. I will begin an investigation on my end.”
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 1 Page 9