Chapter 74

Philip advised Riv.

“Riv Sentoren, stop your magic.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Leave.”

Riv didn’t want to wage a war of nerves with Philip any longer.

She was overwhelmed just hearing news about Lionel.

Philip spoke to Riv as she turned her back.

“Riv Sentoren, if you want to live, you better follow my advice.”

Riv looked back at him blankly.

Philip looked at Riv’s mother’s pendant necklace hanging on her chest.

Then he stared at the magic ring that was merged with it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

He spoke in a low voice.

“The magic tools you have will not be able to contain all of your overflowing magic.”

“……”

Riv had a hard time understanding his words.

How could somebody have a body full of magic? There was never such a thing when she was in the Royal Capital.

“W-Wait.”

“There is no time. Gather magic tools.”

Riv’s curiosity grew. Philip’s sudden visit and cryptic words were all a mystery.

“Magic tools?”

“Take this.”

Philip sighed and threw an old leather pouch at her.

“What is this?”

“What you need.”

Riv opened the heavy pouch.

Inside were old and rusty objects.

They were tools that had weak magical capabilities. They were magic tools, but they did not hold power.

Philip added.

“This was once the land of wizards. Soon you will understand what I’m talking about. You can easily find tools like these at bargain prices in Elon. Fill them with your magic power.”

Riv looked up at Philip, puzzled.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You don’t need to know. This is all you can do right now.”

“Why?”

“If you want to correct your fate, do as I say.”

“Philip…”

“My advice ends here.”

Suddenly, his shadow took on the appearance of a reaper.

It was floating in the air, wearing a torn cloak and holding a giant sickle.

The moment Riv doubted her eyes, the shadow of the reaper evaporated in an instant.

“What is your true identity?”

It wasn’t just the shadow of the reaper that disappeared. Philip disappeared as if he had never been there.

“Why?”

Riv couldn’t feel any trace of his presence.

Only the old magic tools he had given her remained.

“Sigh.”

She had hundreds of questions, and no one to ask them to. Riv began to fill the empty tools with her magic.

As Philip said, this land was overflowing with old magic. It was easy to fill these tools with magic.

There was nothing to do, and magic was flowing all around. She was able to focus easily.

Repeating the process, Riv realized something.

“There must be a reason why he came here.”

Even if Philip was an illusion created by this land or by her, why did he appear?

Did he himself come to this land filled with magic?

“Is there any reason why I am here?”

Riv spoke to the barren land.

The wind began to whisper and the ground shook slightly.

It wanted to say something to Riv.

At the same time, the ring of the late Duchess began to glow red.

Riv grasped it in her palm, feeling its warmth.

“…it was no coincidence.”

Riv read the memories of the land.

This was where the ancestors of Lionel lived. They were wizards and witches, who defended the Duchy of Sentoren.

“You called me.”

Standing in the ruins of the Sentino castle, Riv listened to the words of the wind.

She heard the reason why she was revived by the ring of the late Duchess. Why she became involved with the Duke of Sentoren and saved him. And why she came to this land.

“There were no coincidences in my life.”

The spirits of the past Dukes still remained, and appeared before her.

“What do you want me to do?”

They began to speak.

Riv was told the past and shown the future.

She saw her original life that she did not spend with him.

However, both of their lives changed after she got involved with him.

That was also the reason she was here.

Riv smiled bitterly.

“You are cruel. You didn’t give me a second chance for my sake.”

Still, Riv couldn’t blame them.

She couldn’t run away because she loved Lionel.

“If that’s what you want.”

Riv’s smile grew more bitter.

***

News of Lionel’s dispatch reached the Sentino village a few days later.

The people of Sentino talked in twos or threes and worried about the future.

“Why did the Duke suddenly go to Ezul Plains ?”

“There are rumors that he may have committed treason.”

“The Duke of Sentoren? Didn’t he delay his trip to the South for a few months for his honeymoon?”

“There are also rumors that the Duchess is missing.”

“What? Why?”

Everyone who heard the news expressed their doubts.

Rumors began to spread like a snowball.

Riv decided to stay in the Sentino Villa to assess the situation.

If she moved prematurely and was exposed, it wouldn’t be good for Lionel or the Duchy.

There was still a long way for her to go to be able to change Lionel’s fate.

Or Riv’s.

“I have to survive.”

She had to survive at least until the date of her first death.

Time passed quickly.

***

The sweltering Southern summer passed in an instant.

Riv quickly adapted to her life here.

Once or twice a week, she journeyed to Elon City to get clothes and the necessities she needed.

She also began to collect old magic tools.

On the days she didn’t go out, she had the same routine.

After breakfast, she helped clean and do laundry, went for a walk for an hour or two, and then ate lunch, sewed, and cooked.

As she worked, her skin, which had been pale white, had become tan.

Her well-groomed hair was frizzy, and her hands, which had become soft, were rough again.

Anna brought her a towel, and watched Riv as she stared at herself in the mirror.

“Madame, why are you looking in the mirror?”

“I’m starting to look like a native, I realized.”

“You are much more beautiful than before.”

The compliments from Anna’s lips didn’t reach her ears.

In fact, Anna grumbled as she pointed at her own face.

“We got tan because it’s the summer, there’s no helping it.”

It was then that Anna remembered her purpose for coming.

“Oh, come down for lunch.”

After lunch, they did their chores.

Anna folded laundry, and Riv caught up on the sewing she had been neglecting.

At three o’clock in the afternoon, Riv checked the time and stood up.

“I want to go for a walk, Anna.”

“Is it time already?”

Riv’s had a set time for her walks.

Anna saw Riv off, making sure she brought a bonnet and shawl.

Aiden, who had been Riv’s escort for several months now, arrived in time for her walk.

An unnamed dog Riv had rescued during the summer also accompanied her on her walks.

“It’s less windy today, so it’s good to take a walk.”

Aiden followed her at an appropriate distance with the dog.

As usual, Riv walked the entire length of the walls surrounding the villa.

She even looked down at the peaceful village below.

The sky was clear and sunny, and the wind was moderately cool.

It was a refreshing and nice day.

“But Lionel isn’t here.”

Riv looked down at the village for a long time, and then she walked through the desolate ruins of Sentino Castle.

The moment Aiden and the dog disappeared behind the castle wall, Philip appeared silently in front of Riv.

Their second encounter was at an antique store in Elon, and this was their third.

His shadow seemed oddly long.

Riv decided not to question whether he was real or fake. There was a reason for his visit.

“You appeared all of a sudden, Philip.”

“It is a coincidence.”

“Is that so?”

Philip’s eyes narrowed.

He looked at Riv and measured the power in Riv’s body.

“You seem to have gathered quite a few magical tools. If you want to live even one day longer, you’d better stock up.”

Riv was suspicious of his identity, but rather than pressing him, she was more curious about the purpose of his visit.

Obviously, it would be strange if he was created by the power of this land.

Phillip was not created by magic. He wasn’t even an illusion of his own creation.

So why was he here now?

He could have contacted her while she was in the royal capital, but he didn’t.

“Besides, how do these magic tools help me?”

“Do you not want to live long?”

“The Bishops’ Church won’t be happy about it. You could file a complaint with the church right now.”

“…… I don’t want you to die.”

There was no truth to Philip’s words.

His face always looked dark and gloomy, and she couldn’t read any emotions.

He raised his head and looked up at the clear sky.

“It is said that magic that reverses time requires a tremendous amount of power. You’re probably maintaining that magic.”

“…!”

Riv was startled and tried to say something, but nothing came to mind.

Philip knew too much.

“Y-You.”

But no words came out of her mouth.

“Riv Sentoren, you will regret having used that spell.”

***