CH 118

“Magic is like a constellation drawn in the sky.”

In my room, Rex and I were enjoying hot tea while gazing out the window at the starry night sky. We haven’t spent much time together recently.

I had a sudden thought as I stared at the shiny crumbs dotting the night sky.

The magic spell’s symbols resemble constellations.

Hearing my words, Rex, who was sitting across from me and drinking his tea, lifted his head to look at the night sky.

“Constellation?”

“Yeah, if certain stars are connected together, they can form shapes like a fish or an archer,” I explained.

“……You’re making things up.”

Where is the good Rex who believes me when I say an apple can turn into wine?

I did my best to locate the constellations I was familiar with in order to win Rex’s trust, but suddenly my confidence was shaken.

Is the sky I’m looking at right now the sky I know?

“Anyway, that’s what people used to believe.”

Even if the two skies I knew were the same, I was not confident that I would be able to convince him that the group of stars connected in a certain way is Pisces and that it’s a fish. Even if I find a Pisces, it is not shaped like a fish.

I thus took a sip of the tea in my hand. Carol made me a cup of tea that was sweetened with a lot of honey. My body responded to the sweetness in a pleasant way.

Rex looked at the night sky in an effort to discern the outline of a fish because he was curious about the constellation I was mentioning. He didn’t seem to believe me at all, but it was quite cute to see him trying to find it hard.

“No matter how hard I look, I can’t find it.”

“Actually, I don’t know either.”

Rex’s voice changed to a noticeably dejected tone as he expressed his disappointment at not being able to locate the constellations I had mentioned.

I should learn a bit about the constellations. When I used to look at the constellations, all I could think about was horoscopes; I don’t recall ever actually looking for stars in the night sky.

“I really wanted to see the archer.”

“Archer? Does Rex enjoy archery?”

I didn’t know because whenever I did archery practice, I never noticed any indication that he wanted to shoot a bow.

Rex replied with a shy face while scratching his cheek when I inquired in a perplexed tone.

“No, I was just curious because you’re an archer.”

Wow, really?

The words Rex spoke overwhelmed me. How are you able to speak so beautifully?

Although he probably said it without much thought, I was still touched. Enough to erase all of Rex’s previous misdeeds.

“And there’s a saying that when someone dies, they become a star; since the Grand Duchess was an excellent archer, perhaps she became a star in that constellation…”

I adjusted my shawl as I felt goosebumps all over my body as a result of Rex’s words.

When someone dies, they become a star.

If so, I’m hoping that this sky and the sky I’m familiar with are identical. I can see both my mother and my grandmother if I look at the night sky in this way.

“Should I ask Carol for more tea?”

When my mood dipped, Rex panicked and attempted to change the subject. Knowing him well, I declined, explaining that I don’t like drinking too much tea because I might need to use the restroom while sleeping.

We looked at the stars in the night sky in peace once more, perhaps relieved by my joking refusal, and Rex also regained a comfortable smile.

Rex then began to speak as if something had just occurred to him.

“You previously said that constellations resemble magical symbols.”

“Yes, it appears strangely geometric.”

“Then perhaps there’s a magical spell in the night sky right now?”

Oh, that story is quite interesting.

Is it possible to draw a magic spell in the night sky?

If I tell Lausanne later, she might think it’s a good story idea. I was smiling thinking about that when I heard Rex talking about Logan next to me.

“Mr. Logan would probably just laugh it off.”

“Mr. Logan?”

Rex’s reaction was the same as if I had said I was making wine out of apples. Are we referring to the same person, Rex and I? By Logan Rayleigh.

But Rex’s gaze towards me was so pure.

Logan does indeed judge people.

***

Recently, there have been a lot of accidents on the road that separates the Larvian Empire and the Britina Empire. Some wagons carrying supplies, in particular, were damaged. The imperial family now controls the section’s periphery, which was once the domain of a small noble family before it was destroyed by gambling.

The imperial family allegedly manufactured the family’s dissolution in order to build a national thoroughfare for easy imports and exports. But as of right now, it is just a rumor.

It was appropriate for the imperial army to respond because it occurred on a road that belonged to the imperial family. The Grand Duchy of Conler, however, was given a command as though it were a natural occurrence.

Lucas cried foul. The appearance of monsters had already kept them busy. They now have to protect the imperial family road as well. Naturally, he was merely disregarded.

“Oh look at this thing that’s attached to it.”

Estin was looking at the mountains next to the road when he noticed a very odd scene. Black creatures were clinging to a large tree and making an effort to climb it.

Despite the revolting and grotesque nature of the scene, Estin swung the sword once without altering his expression. With a thud, the black creatures vanished.

‘Did they attack the carriage?’

The black creatures that had just vanished as a result of Estin were like a curse. They were initially small, but as they gathered in groups, they could enlarge. They were a nuisance, but not enough to compel Estin’s knights to come all the way here.

After all, curses have targets; there was no reason to attack a large number of ambiguous individuals.

Come to think of it, was it the top of this mountain?

Where Mary’s orphanage was located.

“I think we need to stay here for a few more days.”

Hestia hurried over to Estin and gave him an urgent report. Estin concurred with Hestia’s recommendation because he also believed they should continue to keep an eye on the location for a few more days. He was concerned about the kids in the castle, though. Aiden and Theodore would go to the academy, so it would be okay, but Gilbert, Mary, and Rex… Although Gilbert was now an adult and resembled himself a lot, he was still a worrisome child to Estin.

“Oh, and the Knight Commander has reportedly returned to the Grand Duchy, according to a letter.”

“Cheroke?”

It was unexpected, but welcome news. After discovering the unusual nature of the situation in the empire, Estin discouraged Cheroke from going back. It wasn’t even a difficult situation to call Cheroke, who had been exhausted after fighting monsters on the front lines.

Even so, Cheroke’s presence at the Grand Duchy where he was absent would have been a very significant force. Gilbert will learn a lot from him.

Hestia, who reported to Estin, appeared to be extremely happy as the corners of her mouth began to rise. His return would have been the best possible news for Hestia, who had endured a great deal while serving as a junior knight commander.

Estin thought that Hestia must have had a hard time saying that they needed to stay here for a few more days. She probably wanted to meet Cheroke right away and dash to the castle.

“Shall I ask Cheroke to come here?”

“What? Wouldn’t it be better for the Knight Commander to protect the Grand Duchy?”

“I’m not serious.”

Hestia’s face flushed when she realized Estin was teasing her. He often wore a deadpan expression, making it difficult to tell whether he was playing a joke or not. She felt stupid for taking it so seriously.

“But maybe he can come here.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

Estin said that to Hestia as he fixed his gaze elsewhere.

He wasn’t sure, but there was a very obtrusive presence on this mountain. Was that person responsible? Was it even worthwhile to get involved in this situation? The presence of magic waves was subtle, as if the person was doing nothing, but Estin could tell they were quite powerful.

It’s possible that he was familiar with the sensation because of previous events involving Mary. If he was right, then that individual was…

Estin’s gaze was drawn to the source of the presence.

___

Estin is a man who never lowers his guard. He murmured to himself inwardly. He knew Conler had learned how to cast protective magic. He is a strong man. Therefore, the manifestation of the curse shouldn’t take place during Estin’s reign. His predecessor, who fled and abdicated his Lordship, most likely did not pass away gracefully.

He did not anticipate that the cursed would flock to such a location. Although he had specifically intended to destroy them, Estin would likely take care of them even if he didn’t get involved.

“You seem to be in a hurry. It seems you’ve done something unnecessary.”

The man’s voice sounded unpleasant. His violet eyes shone icily.