Chapter 18
“And I only learned the full truth last month, on the day I first performed the dark magic ritual.”
I explained about my out-of-body experience, adding in a few details I had originally known from reading the novel.
It was the perfect excuse for knowing things I shouldn’t possibly know.
An ordinary person probably wouldn’t have believed in something supernatural, but as a mage, Ishtar accepted it more easily than expected.
“So the backlash from the dark magic temporarily separated your body and soul… Considering how you look, your soul must be surprisingly strong.”
“Huh?”
A strong soul?
It was such an unfamiliar phrase that I froze in confusion, but Ishtar continued before I could ask further.
“Well, I figured you weren’t ordinary the moment I saw this familiar of yours.”
“What exactly do you mean by—”
“Wait! Where did you get that brooch?”
Just as I was about to ask her to explain what she meant about Lira, Ishtar suddenly noticed the brooch. She grabbed my shoulders in alarm, cutting me off.
Come to think of it, I was originally planning to use the brooch as leverage to negotiate with Ishtar.
But judging by the atmosphere, it felt like she would have helped me even without it.
As expected of the heroine who could never ignore injustice!
Internally admiring her character, I answered her question.
“This brooch was a birthday gift from my father. I heard it’s a magical tool made from an ancient relic.”
“An ancient relic? Wait, can I take a closer look?”
“Of course.”
Without hesitation, I handed it over. Ishtar carefully examined the brooch from every angle while muttering to herself.
“Who in the world carved this thing like this? Ridiculous…”
I had thought its rough appearance meant it had simply been left in its original form after excavation, but apparently someone had actually cut and polished it like a gemstone.
“They barely refined the surface, but whoever handled this mana crystal was highly skilled. I’d like to meet them someday.”
Um… your thoughts are slipping out loud again.
Ishtar’s the type who talks to herself a lot.
In the novel, it hadn’t seemed strange because it was written narration, but seeing it in person was different. She openly muttered things no one else could possibly understand.
Ah, this isn’t the time for that.
As Ishtar continued inspecting the brooch with the concentration of a researcher, I brought the conversation back to the main topic.
“If you want this brooch, I’ll give it to you right now. In return, please grant my request.”
“What? You’d hand it over just like that? What if I lie, take it, and pretend none of this ever happened?”
“I trust you, Lady Ishtar. Besides, the fact that you warned me at all already means you’re worried about me.”
“You’re incredibly naï— no, I mean… positive.”
She corrected herself quickly, but I had already heard it.
Did she almost call me airheaded? That’s so rude.
From Ishtar’s perspective, I probably did look like some foolish girl with flowers in her head, but I had confidence in my judgment!
“Hah… fine. I can’t just leave a dark mage running around anyway. I’ll help you.”
“Really? Then could you also help me obtain sleeping medicine and a one-time transformation potion?”
“Sleeping medicine aside, why the transformation potion?”
“Even if the Tower Master agrees to take my younger sibling as a disciple, my father may refuse to send them. I plan to disguise myself as the dark mage my father trusts and persuade him personally.”
“You barely planned your own escape route, but you put this much effort into rescuing your sibling?”
Though she sounded dumbfounded, she didn’t reject the idea.
“But even then, the deception will be exposed quickly.”
Rather than objecting, she simply considered the likelihood of success.
Since she wasn’t wrong, I admitted it readily and continued.
“You’re right. Even if we drug the dark mage and lock him away somewhere, the moment he wakes up and speaks to Father, my entire plan will be exposed. That means we have to get my sibling to the Mage Tower before that happens.”
“That’s an absurdly short timeframe… Hmm.”
Having fully understood my plan, Ishtar stroked her chin thoughtfully.
Then suddenly she clapped her hands and exclaimed loudly.
“I’ve got it! A better way to rescue both you and your sibling safely.”
“What is it?”
“Well, first, Osiri— hm. I’d like to explain the details, but it seems more time has passed than I realized, so shouldn’t we head back for now?”
Ishtar’s eyes sparkled as she began speaking, only to abruptly trail off and change the subject.
I knew exactly why she had stopped, so I didn’t press her.
She almost mentioned Osiris by name.
Besides, she was right that we had already been talking for quite a while.
Still, not knowing what’s going on makes me anxious…
Sensing my unease, Ishtar smiled mischievously.
“You said earlier that you trusted me. So stop worrying and try believing in me.”
“…Understood.”
In the end, I had no choice but to agree.
The dice had already been cast, and I had done everything I possibly could.
All that remained was to trust Ishtar and Osiris.
Well, in the worst-case scenario, I can dump a bunch of Cromlin fruit into the food everyone in the marquis household eats, give them all stomachaches, sneak Ansharielle out through the infirmary, and escape through the back gate.
It was a plan I could put into action immediately, but I had reserved it as a last resort because life after escaping would become far more difficult.
Avoiding the marquis’s pursuit after he recovered would be hard enough, but even if we escaped safely, it wouldn’t be easy for two young children to survive alone.
I could still flee to the Mage Tower using that method, but as long as the marquis remained alive, Ansharielle and I would have to hide forever without leaving so much as a strand of hair in sight. That was why I wanted to remove Ansharielle from the marquis household through proper means if possible.
As I was lost in thought, Ishtar suddenly returned the brooch to me.
“And I’ll accept the brooch after I’ve safely rescued you and your sibling.”
The confidence in her tone made it sound as though success were guaranteed.
Strangely, it didn’t come across as arrogance. Instead, it reassured me.
While I fastened the brooch back onto myself, Ishtar turned away and spoke.
“If we return together, the nobles might find it suspicious, so I’ll go first. And you— we’ll talk again later.”
Then she briefly glanced toward Enrillcian before disappearing into the dense trees.
Only then did I remember his existence.
I completely forgot about Enrillcian!
At first, I had included him in the conversation, but at some point I became so focused on Ishtar that I entirely forgot he was standing there.
I immediately bowed my head deeply toward him.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Enrillcian asked, genuinely puzzled.
There’s no way I can say it out loud.
That I had unintentionally treated him like background scenery and thoroughly ruined the heroine and hero’s first meeting.
Of course, I couldn’t confess that honestly, so after briefly gathering my thoughts, I answered carefully.
“I interrupted your conversation.”
“You didn’t interrupt anything.”
Enrillcian replied casually.
At that, I could only squeeze my eyes shut.
It was obvious he answered that way because he still didn’t realize how important Ishtar would become to him.
My conscience hurts.
It wasn’t just guilt over ruining the fateful first meeting between the heroine and hero of a romance novel.
Ishtar was Enrillcian’s lifeline.
Not metaphorically, but literally. Without Ishtar’s help, Enrillcian would die.
From mana overload.
Even Ishtar, a great mage herself, had been shocked by the immense amount of mana sleeping inside him. Today’s conversation was supposed to be the moment he learned the truth.
Everything I had overheard upon arriving here had been related to that issue.
In the original story, after his nanny died and he was left alone in the world, he rejected her offer, saying there was no point in living anymore.
Even so, Ishtar couldn’t abandon him and continued helping him under various pretexts.
Eventually, after learning that the empress had been involved in his nanny’s death, Enrillcian chose revenge as his goal. He stayed with the ducal family to grow stronger, and naturally, love blossomed between them.
And I completely got in the way of all that.
I had intended to involve myself in Ishtar and Enrillcian’s first meeting from the start, but I never meant to interfere this badly.
Originally, I had planned to reveal myself after their conversation had progressed somewhat. But Enrillcian spotted me hiding behind the tree almost immediately, ruining my timing.
I couldn’t help it—I was trying to survive too.
But at the same time, I worried that things might go wrong for Enrillcian because of me.
Still, before leaving, Ishtar told Enrillcian they’d talk again later, so maybe I haven’t completely ruined everything?
At that moment, Enrillcian muttered something toward me.
“…Give.”
Lost in thought, I hadn’t heard him properly. I leaned my face closer and asked again.
“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
Perhaps startled by the sudden decrease in distance, he flinched and took a step back.
Not wanting to frighten him, I also stepped back instinctively, but then he grabbed the end of my left sleeve tightly.
As though telling me not to move farther away.
Caught in that awkward distance, I didn’t know what to do. Then, as if summoning all his courage, Enrillcian furrowed his brows and finally forced the words out.
“…Tell me your name.”
Only after hearing the question did I realize I had never introduced myself.
Well, last time things were chaotic because of his nanny.
Though it felt embarrassingly late, I lifted the hem of my dress slightly with the hand not holding Lira and introduced myself.
“My name is Tiamia Serentia.”
He repeated my name several times under his breath, and color slowly returned to his face.
I noticed it before too, but Enrillcian’s personality feels different from how he was described in the novel…
