episode_0064

Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.

The eldest daughter of the Blaze family, born between Arthur Elizabeth Blaze and Nadia Evangeline Blaze.

Also known as the next in line to the Elizabeth family, she was currently attending the Masquerade Ball of Princess Seraphine.

Escaping the crowded evening hall where numerous men and women mingled, she quietly leaned against the terrace, waiting for the tedious event to pass quickly.

“Sigh….”

She impatiently waited for this boring and meaningless birthday celebration to be over.

“Why do I have to participate in such a meaningless event like this….”

Instead of attending this tedious event that didn’t suit her at all, she could have been doing so many productive things during that time.

She could have been conducting research on creating new fire magic in her personal laboratory in Blaze territory, or she could have been reading a new magic book she acquired from the library yesterday to expand her knowledge.

She could have even spent her time hunting monsters near Blaze territory for magical practice, which would have been a much more productive use of her time.

Already furious at having wasted two whole days traveling from Blaze territory to the palace, Agnes felt a significant amount of discontent being forced to participate in this unproductive event.

If it weren’t for the pressure from her family threatening to cut off support if she didn’t attend this event and show her face, she would have left this ridiculous event long ago.

“We all already know each other, so why bother wearing masks, dancing, and doing such ridiculous things.”

Whoever came up with this foolish and strange party plan, she wondered.

Even the social events that were annoyingly held in honor of the third princess’s birthday, the high-ranking nobles who subtly revealed their identities to attract the attention of others, and the humans who tried to impress those nobles.

Every aspect of it did not sit well with Agnes.

There were nobles who were either planning to enroll in the Imperial Academy in 1-2 years or were already studying magic at the academy.

Why were they neglecting their duties as noble magicians and getting excited about such unproductive events?

Thinking these thoughts, she slipped away from the crowd and gazed at the scenery outside the palace on the terrace, lost in contemplation.

While doing so, she couldn’t help but feel quite proud of the cleverness of the transformation magic she had come up with today.

“It was a good idea to use transformation magic. If I had just worn a stupid mask without any role, those annoying people would have definitely recognized me.”

Even if she had tried to hide the Elizabeth family crest as much as possible in her attire and accessories, her bright red hair fluttering in the wind would have made it difficult to conceal her true identity.

If that had happened, just like at any other event, many annoying people would have flocked to her, hoping to bask in the glory of the Elizabeth family.

The Elizabeth family always competed among the branch families and then adopted the most suitable child as the successor.

Many people, including herself, were convinced that she would be the successor of this generation.

As a result, whenever she participated in events like this with children from other branch families, she always attracted unwanted attention to her side.

Just by changing her noticeable red hair to blue, she realized that no one recognized her, showing how superficial the people who had approached her before truly were.

“They probably couldn’t even imagine that I would be using transformation magic.”

Turning away from the noisy nobles laughing and dancing in the evening rose hall, Agnes shifted her gaze outside the terrace.

From behind, a voice that seemed to be calling her echoed.

In the direction she turned her head, a woman with a strange aura that seemed to radiate light was smiling at her.

“It seems like you’re not enjoying the party, Miss Nameless?”

Agnes, who had purposely avoided people and come out to the terrace, was approached by the woman.

Even though her eyes were partially covered by a mask, she was undeniably a beauty, shining with a radiant glow that made it clear she would be popular wherever she went.

Agnes couldn’t help but feel wary as the woman approached her, not choosing to attract attention inside the hall but coming out to the terrace to approach her.

“The weather is lovely, isn’t it? It’s already a dark night, but…”

“Do you find more joy in admiring the dark scenery outside than mingling at the masquerade ball with people?”

“People have different preferences, regardless of their status. It seems that the desire of someone who wishes for everyone to be happy is not well conveyed to you.”

“If you don’t mind, would you like to have a chat with me for a while?”

Despite Agnes’s deliberate attempt to ignore her and avoid eye contact, the blonde woman persistently engaged her in conversation.

When Agnes turned her head back towards the voice once again, the blonde woman was still smiling brightly, despite her rude attitude.

Feeling a pang of guilt at her appearance, Agnes turned her head back outside and expressed her reluctance to engage in a polite conversation.

“…There are plenty of people inside who would suit you better than wasting your time with me.”

“But I want to talk to you, not anyone else right now.”

“I have nothing to talk to you about.”

“Is that so? I thought we could have a deep conversation about magical etiquette.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, you’re hiding your true identity with transformation magic, aren’t you?”

Agnes relaxed her guard at the blonde woman’s words and began to show a slight interest in her.

The blonde lady looked at Agnes with a mysterious gaze and naturally steered the conversation.

“Even at a masquerade ball, using transformation magic to conceal your identity, are you not fond of meeting people? Or does it mean you won’t talk unless the other person is capable of uncovering your transformation magic?”

“Both.”

“I almost didn’t recognize your transformation magic at first because it feels a bit different from what I know. Normally, transformation magic stands out because you can feel the magic caster and recipient’s magic power, right? But in your magic, that’s hardly noticeable…I was a bit surprised.”

“Of course. This is something I directly used on myself, so it’s natural that the flow of magic power would feel different.”

“I thought you had a twin sister with a similar magic power capacity, but you cast it on yourself?”

“I don’t have siblings. And not to brag, but I’ve never met anyone my age with a similar magic power capacity.”

“Hmm…”

The blonde lady looked at Agnes with a strange gaze in response to her words.

Agnes, unaware of the meaning behind the gaze she received, quietly tilted her head.

From then on, the blonde lady and Agnes leaned against the terrace railing, enjoying various conversations.

Agnes shared stories about various magical knowledge and culture, including flame magic, which could be considered her specialty.

“…So, you should never use a straight line in the circuit of flame magic. Unless it’s a composite magic with other types.”

“That’s right. Flame magic is irregular, so if you want to increase its power, you can reduce the curvature to the limit, but a straight line won’t work.”

“Exactly. It’s the complete opposite of natural magic. That side is full of straight lines, with magic circuits filled with edges…”

Agnes, who appeared to be looking down on people who were distracted by interacting with others, actually harbored a desire to socialize deep within her heart.

She simply hadn’t felt the need to socialize because she hadn’t found anyone who resonated with her until now.

Even Agnes, who had been reserved, opened up as soon as she could discuss her favorite subject in depth.

Watching her, the blonde Seraphim quietly smiled to herself.

“It seems like there’s no one left who can’t enjoy the banquet now.”

She wandered around the ballroom, engaging in conversations with those who felt excluded or isolated.

Since she had personally planned and hosted the banquet, she couldn’t tolerate anyone feeling left out or isolated.

Having had a thorough conversation with Agnes on the beautiful moonlit terrace, the blonde lady was considering revealing her true identity and concluding the masked ball event.

“…?”

For some reason, the final sequence of the banquet that she had envisioned did not proceed as planned.

“…The transformation magic I use also relies heavily on visualization. For a mage, imagining the parts they can’t see is the most crucial part…”

“Wait, Agnes.”

“Why? Is it because you’re not interested in transformation magic?”

“No, Agnes, could you please look over there near the lake…?”

“Near the lake…?”

As Agnes’s gaze slowly followed the finger of the blonde lady who interrupted her with a serious tone, they both noticed unusual movements near Lake Verdan.

It didn’t take them long to realize that the creatures emerging from the lake were monsters.

Soon, the door to the evening rose hall opened, and the royal guards rushed onto the terrace.

“Princess! An abnormal increase in monsters has been reported at Lake Verdan!”

“Yes, I just confirmed it.”

The monsters from Lake Verdan, located north of the royal palace, were approaching the palace.

Having witnessed the scene with her own eyes, she nodded in response to the soldier’s report.

Agnes, momentarily taken aback by the guard’s words and the attitude of the Seraphim, made a foolish expression.

“…Princess?”

Naturally turning to the blonde Seraphim beside her, Agnes muttered in confusion.

The blonde lady looked back at her with a slightly apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Agnes. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I just thought you might feel uncomfortable once you knew my true identity.”

With her apology, the Seraphim princess leaped over the terrace railing.

For a moment, Agnes was captivated by her graceful figure.

Smiling at the guards who had come to escort her, the princess replied, “You don’t need to worry about me. Please evacuate the lady over there first.”

“No, Princess! You must preserve your safety…”

“It’s okay. It’s a full moon tonight, and it’s not my ‘destined day’ to die here.”

“Princess!”

-Confirmed!

Dodging the hands of the approaching security guard, Seraphine leaped into the air.

With the sound of her footsteps hitting the railing, she spun mid-air outside the third-floor terrace.

Silhouetted against the full moon, Seraphine’s figure was truly fitting of her nickname, the ‘Moonshadow Princess’.