Ch.172Circle Magic #1

“Hah… How could such a mishap happen?”

Late at night after all schedules had concluded, Richard sighed heavily and slumped into his chair.

Across from him, Anderson—the very person who had reported the incident Richard called a mishap—nodded silently with a sigh.

Though things had gone well enough, he too felt the weight of a night where only sighs escaped.

“At least it was resolved well. Otherwise, we would have faced serious trouble under the pretext of an assassination attempt disguised as a friendly gesture.”

“Indeed. In that case, the Empire’s prestige and credibility would have been greatly damaged… Phew.”

Anderson seemed unable to continue, sealing his lips with a long sigh.

Though he was a viscount, he was essentially close to Richard and shared the greatest secrets with him, so it was acceptable for him to show a slightly relaxed demeanor.

However, in the current situation, no one could call Anderson disrespectful for sighing, regardless of how close they were.

Any imperial noble who knew the circumstances would likely behave the same way.

“So… how did you deal with that damned fellow?”

“Well. Since the Duke took matters into his own hands, and the content was rather cruel… I decided to simply expel him from my castle without further punishment.”

Anderson bowed his head, recalling the face of John—the damned fellow Richard mentioned—whose actions were due to Anderson’s own mistake. Though Anderson would have liked to punish the man who nearly caused a major disaster, he changed his mind after seeing him trembling pitifully.

“You mean it was so cruel that you decided not to impose additional punishment?”

“He was trembling all over to the point where I feared he might die, saying that from morning until night, he repeatedly felt his breath stop and start again.”

“My goodness, heavens!”

To think he endured that for the entire long journey from the kingdom to here.

Richard exclaimed with a shocked expression, thinking it was indeed justified.

He realized that while the man’s body might be intact, his mind was clearly severely damaged.

“I had heard rumors, but when the Duke’s madness erupts, it truly is unpredictable.”

“Yes. I’d heard he goes mad when his spouse is harmed or someone tries to flirt with them, and I wondered if it was true. But seeing that rumor confirmed before my eyes… it was terrifying. Even more frightening is that what I saw was apparently somewhat restrained.”

“…You’ve been through a lot, Viscount.”

To have shown vulnerability to someone who should never have seen it, and then to have endured the aftermath—Richard couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

Perhaps he was grateful to have avoided the shameful title of being the fastest emperor in imperial history to be removed from the throne.

Only Richard knew the answer to that, but for now, he was simply thankful that the matter had been resolved somehow.

.

The jewels quietly handed over by the Emperor’s side as an apology for the wine contract, business deals, and the money awarded by the King for this escort.

In terms of money, one could say he had earned quite a bit, but he never wanted to do something like this again.

There had been more instances than usual that reminded him of the saying “leaving home means suffering,” and the journey had been long.

Moreover, even after returning to the mansion, he was exhausted from trying to soothe Helena and Ellen, who were still on edge.

Because of this, he felt refreshed yet weary, to the point where his head was in a daze.

However, even in such a state, he couldn’t refuse the summons of his father-in-law and elder, Ise.

He had deliberately waited a few days considering the travel fatigue, and it would have been inappropriate to say he was still too tired to meet.

It would have seemed disrespectful too.

“…You’ve been through a lot. I heard Helena’s madness erupted, but it seems you managed well.”

“Thank you. However, I wondered if such punishment was necessary, even excluding the madness. In the end, I thought it was right, but…”

“Hmm. If this had happened during normal times, within this mansion, it might have been overlooked lightly. But even if it was a mistake, since the Empire was the one who caused the incident, it couldn’t be simply ignored.”

Ise said that although Helena had determined the punishment in a half-crazed state, it was essentially no different from a decision made with perfect calm.

It seemed somewhat like forcing a justification for the outcome, but I nodded quietly, thinking it could be so.

At least to my ears, it sounded reasonable.

“Anyway, you really went through a lot. The choice not to shed blood was good… now we just need to wait for the right time.”

“Time? By time, do you mean…?”

“My good man. I don’t know if you’re pretending not to know or truly don’t know… what else could it be but a child?”

Ah, a child. Come to think of it, Ise must be anxious since Helena’s time to bear a child has been greatly delayed.

With a final promise to bring good news next year, I left Ise’s office and headed toward my room.

I was truly exhausted from trying not to appear too disheveled.

“You’ve worked hard.”

But as soon as I entered the room, Eve, whom I hadn’t expected, greeted me with a smile.

While Helena and Ellen would know my situation since I told them I would rest in my room after meeting Ise, Eve, who had been confined to her room, wouldn’t have known.

“Yes… thank you. I appreciate it, but… is something the matter?”

“What? Oh, well…”

She wants to say something but can’t. That thought crossed my mind as I watched Eve hesitating.

I wasn’t sure why, but I suspected she was being considerate because I appeared tired.

“Is it urgent?”

“No. It’s not urgent… I just wanted to ask you something. But it doesn’t seem like the right time, so maybe I should come back later?”

“Well… to be honest, I am quite tired right now. I was thinking I should sleep first.”

“Oh… I see. Then I’ll come back later. It’s really not urgent. I apologize for the intrusion.”

Eve hurriedly bowed and quickened her pace to leave the room. She would have been long gone if I hadn’t grabbed her wrist.

“Grand Duke… sir?”

Though she was clearly surprised at having her wrist grabbed without warning, she didn’t seem to dislike it.

Rather, there was even a faint expectation in her eyes.

Even though she was said to be the least greedy of the three women, she seemed to have expectations when faced with this situation.

However, unfortunately, I couldn’t fulfill what Eve was expecting.

I was simply too tired and just wanted to sleep together.

“Um… I’m sorry if you were expecting something, but I was wondering if you could just sleep with me…”

“Just… sleep?” “Yes. Just sleep.”

While wondering how many people would actually believe someone saying “just sleep” in this situation, I asked with complete sincerity.

Moreover, with my tired expression emphasizing that I really just wanted to sleep, there seemed to be no room for misinterpretation.

Perhaps because of this, Eve tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then smiled gently and nodded.

“Yes. It would be my honor.”

“Honor? That seems like excessive flattery, but… thank you for allowing it.”

It would have been nice if we could sleep on the floor, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible, so we had to sleep on the bed or sofa.

But since changing clothes would be necessary to get into bed, the sofa was the only option.

Perhaps with an ordinary sofa, I wouldn’t have thought two people could sleep on it due to its width, but fortunately, the sofa in the room was large enough.

“Mmm…”

A little later, after covering ourselves with a suitable blanket and embracing tightly on the sofa, Eve groaned as if in discomfort. I was about to loosen my arms and apologize when—

“No… it’s not that I feel constricted. Actually, please… hold me tighter.”

“Oh… alright. I’m glad you’re not uncomfortable.”

Since she said she wasn’t feeling constricted, I tightened my arms again before closing my eyes.

Until I fell completely asleep, a few low moans reached my ears, but seeing her burrow deeper into my embrace, it seemed she was fine.

If she had been uncomfortable, she would have tried to move away, not bury her face deeper.

“You want me to teach you mana meditation techniques?”

After resting my eyes for a few hours, Eve brought up that she wanted to learn mana meditation techniques. Even though I heard it with a clear mind after washing away my fatigue, it was such a non-sequitur that I couldn’t quite understand.

“Yes. Actually, I have something new I’d like to try… and I think learning mana meditation techniques would help. I know it’s very presumptuous of me to ask this, but…”

I wonder if there can be such a thing as presumption between people who have shared their bodies, but ultimately, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed between people.

And they say those lines don’t disappear no matter how close the relationship.

Perhaps Eve thought she had crossed that line, which is why she showed such fear as she sat on the sofa facing me.

Mana meditation techniques are secrets passed down within families or between masters and disciples, so it’s understandable.

However, I didn’t think Eve had crossed any line by asking to learn mana meditation techniques.

Considering everything I had done for her so far, I was more than willing to teach her mana meditation techniques.

Even if these techniques had been passed down in the Krauser ducal family and refined and improved by Helena.

Yet the reason I didn’t immediately agree was simply curiosity.

I wondered why Eve, a mage, was interested in mana meditation techniques used by knights.

“Presumptuous? I don’t think so. I can certainly teach you, unlike others. But I’m curious—do you want to become a knight? Or do you just want to move your body better…?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that. Thanks to your care, my body is healthy. I just want to create a new magic system, even if there’s almost no chance of success.”

“Create a new magic system?”

It sounded so abstract that I couldn’t help but tilt my head questioningly.

For a moment, an ominous feeling flashed through my mind, but fortunately, I wasn’t tormented by an incomprehensible theoretical exposition.

Eve must have realized that even if she explained the theory enthusiastically, I wouldn’t understand it properly.

This might seem like being subtly dismissed as unintelligent, but I couldn’t pretend to know better.

Not only was this not a relationship where I needed to protect such pride, but I might risk my head exploding if I tried to follow the conversation.

“As you know, Grand Duke, current magic consists of Tower magic, which has been meticulously systematized and developed by mages throughout history, and the elemental magic used by elves. The former creates various phenomena by assembling formulas into magic circles, and can also be applied to create objects with magical effects.”

“Yes, I know that. The kitchen alone has plenty of magic items you’ve made standing prominently.”

“Yes. But its disadvantage is that it lacks speed due to the extensive preparation required. On the other hand, elemental magic has limited versatility since the power to create phenomena is confined to the elements governed by each spirit… but it has the advantage of speed.”

Yes, I know that too. I nodded silently, focusing my gaze on Eve’s slowly opening lips.

It seems I was unconsciously concentrating because she was explaining in terms simple enough for even a magic novice like me to understand.

“So… I thought it might be possible to use Tower magic as quickly as elemental magic. If that could be done, it would be a great help.”

“Of course it would. But why do you need to learn mana meditation techniques for that?”

“Yes. Just as elemental magic exerts power through communion and consumes mental energy to do so… I thought it might be better to store mana in the body and use it for the new magic. As you know, Grand Duke… mana meditation techniques are designed to effectively store and circulate mana within the body.”

I nodded with an expression of understanding.

Mages can store mana in their bodies, but only slightly better than ordinary people—not enough to create an aura, let alone strengthen the body.

As Eve had said before, systematically established Tower magic uses mana floating in the air.

So I thought it was impressive that she focused on mana meditation techniques… though I’m not sure why I feel a strange sense of déjà vu. It’s probably nothing important.

“Alright. If that’s the case, I should help. It’s getting late today, and I need to speak with Helena to adjust the schedule… how about we start tomorrow?”

“Ah… yes! Thank you!”

Eve seemed pleased with my ready agreement, repeatedly bowing her head and expressing her gratitude.