IWRY 10

Chapter 10

“I apologize if I offended you, Lady Ariel.”

Ariel’s eyes widened slightly.

She hadn’t expected him to apologize. It was surprising—almost disorientingly so.

Who exactly was this man… for the duchess’s wife to lower her pride and apologize to her like this?

But her confusion lasted only a moment, and Ariel answered calmly.

“It’s fine. It’s true that I wasn’t invited to this party… I’ll take my leave here.”

She wanted to bring the situation to a clean close.

It wasn’t intentional, but rumors of her misconduct had already been suppressed… and there was nothing to gain from clashing further with the duchess’s wife.

However, the answer to her words came from an unexpected place.

“That sounds like a good idea. I was getting bored of this party anyway. Let’s leave together, my lady.”

Ariel blinked in surprise and turned to look at the man. It sounded as if he was suggesting they leave together.

And as if to confirm she hadn’t misheard, the man truly extended his hand to her.

“W–wait…”

Ariel hesitated and tried to step back, but the man leaned in and spoke quietly.

“If you leave with me, the social circle will create a new piece of gossip about House Blante.”

Ariel’s green eyes trembled at his low voice. He was right.

The disgraced former fiancée of the Grand Duke, leaving the party with a mysterious man who had confronted the Duchess of Biastes. It was exactly the kind of story the social world would devour.

Even the humiliating label of being “discarded by Kaillans” might fade a little.

So it would be advantageous to take his hand.

Ariel met his gaze steadily, then took his hand without hesitation. The murmuring of nobles rose around them.

“Yes. Very well.”

Ignoring the whispers, Ariel left the party with the man. It was as if she were the main character of the evening, drawing all attention.

The Duchess of Biastes, Siere, and the other nobles were left behind as if they no longer existed.

And so, the Blante young lady—once the Grand Duke’s fiancée—left the hall holding a stranger’s hand, while the nobles grew excited with new gossip. They speculated about who the mysterious gentleman was and what his relationship with Ariel might be.

As attention swelled around Ariel Blante as if she were the centerpiece of the party, the Duchess of Biastes quietly left the hall as well.

Her face was rigid.

Inside the Blante family carriage.

The carriage that had departed from the Biastes estate now carried one more passenger than before.

The mysterious man who had stirred up the party now sat across from Ariel, gazing down at his pocket watch with a deeply contemplative expression.

Ariel watched him with narrowed eyes, recalling what had happened earlier—specifically the moment they left the party together.

As soon as they had exited the hall, she had said:

“…Thank you for your help.”

It was sincere, regardless of his unknown identity. Without him, she would not have been able to leave the party unharmed.

Ariel was curious about who he was, but she did not press him. She felt he was hiding his identity, and refraining from questions seemed like the only repayment she could offer.

So she had intended to simply thank him and leave.

But the man had then said something strange with a cheerful laugh.

“Haha, no need for thanks. It was actually quite fun. It felt like I was the male lead in a romance novel or something… Anyway, you don’t need to be so formal. Especially you, Lady Blante. I owe you a great debt.”

“…A debt?”

Ariel hesitated, swallowing the rest of her question. Asking further would be the same as probing his identity.

Yet his words made her certain—her feeling that she had heard his voice before was not mistaken.

Who is he?

As her curiosity deepened, the man smiled faintly and changed the subject.

“More importantly, this pocket watch… it’s badly cracked. I can fix it. May I?”

Ariel looked at the watch in his hand with darkened eyes.

“I appreciate the offer, but this isn’t an ordinary watch. It can’t be repaired by a clockmaker. It has a magic circle engraved into it. I believe its fate ends here.”

At Ariel’s bitter smile, the man exhaled softly, tracing the crack with his fingers.

“Not if its fate isn’t over yet.”

“Pardon?”

“My lady, do you know what kind of magic circle is engraved in this watch?”

He asked with an intrigued smile.

Ariel answered slowly.

“I don’t know in detail… it’s quite old. I heard it was enchanted so that the hands would keep moving forever, even without clock oil.”

“Correct. But that’s not all.”

“Not all?”

“Yes. There is a far greater magic circle engraved in this watch—something you cannot even imagine. If it is left to ‘die’ here, it would be a tremendous loss to the magical world.”

“A tremendous loss…? You must be mistaken…”

The man cut her off with a firm gaze.

“My lady. Of all things, I never mistake or misunderstand magic. The price of failed magic is greater than you think.”

Ariel couldn’t respond.

For a moment, the man looked like a great predator.

A presence she could never defeat.

But just as quickly, he reined in his aura and smiled again.

“Anyway, I can fix it. If you allow me to repair it, I will tell you what the true magic circle is… and who I am.”

“You’re curious, aren’t you, my lady?”

He winked.

Ariel looked slightly reluctant, but accepted the proposal.

Just then, she noticed a figure leaving the party behind them and quickly boarded the carriage, bringing the man with her as well—thinking it would be better not to be seen together.

Only later did she realize she had essentially dragged him in herself.

And so the situation had reached this point.

Now, inside the carriage, Ariel reviewed everything.

The watch she had thought was ordinary was actually an ancient magical artifact… and the man claimed he could repair it.

In that case, he was a mage. Likely a high-ranking one.

Ordinary mages could not repair magic of this level.

Moreover, if he was a high-circle mage, the earlier reaction of the Duchess of Biastes made sense.

Once a mage awakened beyond the 2nd circle, most abandoned their country and registered with the Tower.

The Magic Tower—an independent institution not bound to any nation.

After the great wars of ancient times, mages had formed a pact with kings to prevent catastrophic magical warfare. In exchange for neutrality, the Tower provided protection, resources, and research support.

Thus, most high-ranking mages renounced nationality and joined the Tower.

Of course, this did not mean mages could behave rudely toward nobles.

Most still followed etiquette when dealing with nobles.

The only exception was high-circle mages.

Those of the 7th circle or higher.

Across the continent, there were fewer than twenty such individuals. Their services were in constant demand.

As a result, they naturally became arrogant in status—treated almost like royalty wherever they went.

And they were taught manners and dignity equivalent to imperial nobility.

When Ariel first saw the man, she had sensed it—the refined speech and ingrained poise that did not match his plain appearance.

So, in conclusion, he was likely a high-circle mage.

But one issue remained.

She had never been involved with 7th-circle mages.

And yet, this man claimed to know her—and even said he owed her a great debt.

Even if he had altered his face with magic, Ariel had never done anything that would cause a high mage to owe her such a debt.

Then… was he lying? Was he not a high-ranking mage at all, but a fraud trying to steal the watch?

But that didn’t align with the Duchess of Biastes’ reaction either.

“My lady. Of all things, I never mistake or misunderstand magic. The price of failed magic is greater than you think.”

Those eyes had shown no hesitation.

It didn’t feel like a lie.

A fraud… or a mage?

As Ariel narrowed her eyes, the man—who had been staring at the watch the entire time—suddenly lifted his gaze.