Ch.427Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

“…So that technique you just used is a new skill you learned?”

“Yes.”

Camilla nodded firmly in affirmation.

“It’s a spell I learned recently.”

“When?”

“After returning to the empire.”

Immediately after the operation ended, Camilla returned straight to the Kiyen Empire. I remained on site for a month to monitor Asen and Sanya’s movements and assess the conflict’s progress before returning to Abas.

In other words,

“You mastered it in just a month?”

“That’s what I said.”

She’s saying she learned this new spell barely over a month ago.

I sat Camilla down and pondered deeply. Was it possible for someone with her magical knowledge to execute such a new technique so naturally and quickly?

“……”

In my opinion, that should be impossible.

It’s not that there are no cases of someone mastering new magic in a month. But that typically only applies to basic ceremonial magic that combat mages learn in training facilities.

And the magic she just demonstrated was clearly not from the Imperial Army’s repertoire.

If it had been Imperial ceremonial magic, I would have recognized it immediately.

After organizing my thoughts, I spoke.

“Who taught you?”

“The professor.”

“The Grand Duchess? Ah, that makes sense…”

If it’s the Grand Duchess’s magic, that’s definitely something beyond my knowledge. Probably no intelligence officer from the Military Intelligence Bureau would know about it either.

Her magic is something ordinary mages couldn’t even attempt to replicate.

Considering that ceremonial magic is promoted as “magic anyone can learn,” the Kiyen Defense Ministry would have no reason to distribute the Grand Duchess’s magic. Realistically, it would be impossible anyway.

Only then could I nod in understanding.

“I see. But you used such an important technique just to escape to a fountain?”

“……”

Camilla, who was about to say something, clamped her mouth shut.

Soaking wet, she glanced at me awkwardly before breaking into an uncomfortable smile.

“But wasn’t it awesome?”

“……”

“……”

“…You’re bragging.”

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

The place Camilla reached after using her new technique to escape from the scene (which wasn’t actually a crisis) was the garden fountain.

The mansion’s garden, rivaling any large public square in size, seemed endless, and naturally, the fountain was quite substantial. Camilla, who had plunged headfirst into its deep, refreshing waters, was rescued by a passing Imperial mage.

“My goodness, that was a close call. Head facing the ground? You’re lucky it was a fountain—you could have ended up in the emergency room.”

The mage who rushed out from the mansion after hearing the commotion said he belonged to the Imperial Palace. This meant he wasn’t affiliated with the Magic Ministry or Defense Ministry, but was an elite receiving his stipend directly from the Imperial Household.

The Imperial Palace mage wasn’t alone. Led by the one who pulled Camilla out, about a dozen mages were stationed at the mansion.

When I asked why these elites who should be at the Imperial Palace were here, they replied they had arrived several months ago on the Grand Duchess’s orders.

“It’s for the Hero’s education.”

“Education? But the Grand Duchess is handling that herself, isn’t she?”

“Her Grace teaches directly. We’re just here to assist.”

“I see.”

A palace mage is someone even the Minister of Magic can’t casually order around, as they answer to the monarch, who outranks any minister.

If that’s how things work in Abas, it must be at least as strict, if not more so, in Kiyen. Yet somehow the Grand Duchess had borrowed Imperial mages for months.

Is the Grand Duchess’s influence that great? Or is she truly serious about teaching Camilla? It seems to be both, considering how quickly they responded to this incident—less than ten minutes after it happened.

“I heard there was a commotion. What are you all doing here?”

“Your Grace, we were restoring the garden and assisting the Hero.”

The Imperial mages reported to the Grand Duchess who had suddenly appeared. People who had been standing stiffly with their heads held high were now bowing deeply at the waist.

Alexandra Petrova, who cut through the crowd of mages, immediately began looking for her disciple. Upon spotting the soaking wet Camilla among the crowd, the Grand Duchess smiled gently and seemed to relax.

“I heard you had an accident. You’re in quite a state. Did you try practicing magic again while I was away, unable to restrain yourself even for a moment?”

“Sniff…”

Meeting the kindly smiling Grand Duchess, Camilla began to sniffle.

While her emotions were certainly running high, from what I could see, she seemed to have caught a cold in that brief moment.

“Waaah… Professor!”

Camilla, wrapped in a magically heated blanket, rushed forward. She ran toward the Grand Duchess as if about to throw herself into her skirts, clinging to her like a commoner appealing to a magistrate after great hardship.

“I used the magic you taught me… but I ended up in the fountain…”

“Didn’t I warn you to be careful? You used magic carelessly again, didn’t you? Last time you charged into the kitchen hearth, and this time a fountain. At this rate, you’ll either shoot into the sky or burrow into the ground.”

“That’s not funny…!”

“There, there. Your hands and feet are cold. You need to take care of yourself, so dry those tears now.”

Despite coming from a Grand Mage whose words would be followed even if she claimed beans could make soybean paste, they had no effect on Camilla. Despite being told to stop crying, Camilla’s sniffling showed no signs of subsiding.

What’s more, the teary-eyed girl even went so far as to embrace the Grand Duchess. That alone was surprising enough, but what was truly astonishing was the Grand Duchess’s response.

“Oh my.”

Alexandra Petrova made no attempt to remove Camilla from her embrace. Instead, she smiled gently and even stroked her with a tender hand.

She looked like a grandmother meeting her granddaughter on a holiday. This wasn’t a metaphor—that’s genuinely how it appeared.

“……”

Wait, she’s not even her granddaughter. Why is she treating a grown woman like this?

I looked around in disbelief, but no one else seemed to find this strange.

Rather,

“Sniff, what a beautiful sight.”

“To think I’d live to see the Grand Duchess take on a disciple…”

The Imperial mages were getting emotional watching the Grand Duchess and Camilla. The atmosphere was such that they might burst into tears at any moment. Unable to bear it any longer, I approached them.

“Um, is she always like this…?”

“Not often, but occasionally. The Grand Duchess has no children of her own, you know. And the Hero is younger than her eldest grandson, plus she’s her disciple. It’s only natural she’d be especially fond of her.”

“……”

A mage with a bushy beard, who had been on the verge of tears, asked me a question.

“Isn’t it a beautiful sight?”

What’s beautiful about it, you pervert?

They say mages have certain mental peculiarities. It seems all mages are indeed mentally disturbed. As the only sane person in this asylum, I struggled to adapt to the scene before me.

Regardless of who was watching, the two showed no signs of separating. Camilla, who had been sobbing in the Grand Duchess’s embrace, finally pulled away slightly, sniffling, after quite some time had passed.

“Sniff…”

“Have you finished crying?”

“Yes…”

When the Grand Duchess asked with a smile, Camilla nodded in response. She wiped her eyes with her hands and lowered her head in a formal posture.

Well, at least she has some manners. She’s apologizing. The kid isn’t bad… just a bit, well, immature.

That’s what I was thinking when it happened.

Camilla, with her head bowed, began rummaging through the Grand Duchess’s pocket. She moved her hand around as if searching, pursed her lips in thought, and suddenly her expression brightened.

“Found it!”

Camilla raised her hand high and exclaimed. In her hand was a packet of snacks she had just taken from the Grand Duchess’s pocket.

Wait a minute.

Why did that come out of the Grand Duchess’s pocket?

“Ha!”

Camilla examined the snack packet with a beaming smile.

The face that had been brimming with tears moments ago was nowhere to be seen. After looking over the snacks from various angles, she wore a bright expression.

“It’s a new snack!”

“There are candies too. The palace chefs prepared them especially for you, so enjoy them to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you, Professor!”

Camilla, arms full of snacks and candies, beamed radiantly. The Grand Duchess began to smile along with her.

As the mages smiled at the sight of the two, I stood apart from the warm atmosphere, staring blankly at Camilla.

“……”

Whether it’s Camilla taking snacks from pockets without a word, or Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrova carrying them in her pocket, or the mages smiling contentedly…

There’s not a single normal person here, I swear.

I looked up at the empty air and sighed deeply. It was an involuntary sigh.

“…Haah.”

The magical society of the Empire.

Is it really okay for things to continue like this?

*

While this strange moment of a foreign spy worrying about an enemy nation’s future continued, the two finally returned to their senses after finishing their little comedy routine.

“I just heard you had arrived in the Empire. I understand you nearly encountered trouble on your way to the mansion?”

“I appreciate your concern, but the matter has been resolved.”

“I’m relieved to see you’re unharmed. My disciple’s companion could have been seriously injured.”

Alexandra Petrova’s expression was very bright as she greeted me. This was natural, as we were already acquainted and connected through Camilla.

By the time the Grand Duchess and I exchanged greetings, the situation had largely been resolved. After a struggle involving the Internal Army, police, and Imperial Guard, the heated atmosphere of the crowd surrounding the mansion had calmed down. The garden, which had been completely burned, was also being restored to its original state by the Imperial mages.

Of course, the same applied to Camilla.

“Nom nom nom.”

Camilla, who had not only been at the center of the commotion but had actually caused it, was now completely absorbed in her snacks. Given that they were provided by the Grand Duchess, they were surely not ordinary store-bought items, but even accounting for their premium quality…

As I watched Camilla carefully selecting and eating the sugar-dusted premium snacks, I absently asked a question.

“Are you really eating that right now?”

“Yes.”

“……”

It was an immediate answer without the slightest hesitation.

I’m the fool for asking. Sigh.

I looked at Camilla devouring her snacks with a half-disgusted expression, but the eyes of the teacher watching her disciple were infinitely warm.

“Child, do they suit your taste?”

“Yes!”

“I’m so glad. If you want more, I can have more brought, so take your time.”

“Wow! Thank you, Professor!”

“Yes. Have some tea as well.”

Alexandra Petrova pushed a teacup toward Camilla.

When did they get so close? Is this really a normal teacher-student relationship? This isn’t a master and disciple—it’s a grandmother and granddaughter.

With Camilla munching on snacks and the Grand Duchess continuously providing food, I could only stare blankly at the two, alternating my gaze between them as one snack was replaced by two in a Möbius strip-like phenomenon.

“……”

Camilla’s face, filling her stomach with snacks, looked supremely happy. Seeing that smile, I gave up on scolding her.

Well… at least she seems to be doing well.

What does it matter if she eats a lot of snacks? As long as it doesn’t cause health problems. The Grand Duchess enjoys it in her own way, and Camilla is satisfied, so there’s no need to spoil the mood.

After a while of continuously providing food to Camilla, the Grand Duchess finally turned her attention to me as Camilla, her stomach now full, smiled brightly.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting. That was rude of me.”

“Not at all.”

“I’ve heard the rumors circulating in the Foreign Ministry recently. There are considerable concerns about the mansion’s security. I understand the Imperial Foreign Ministry contacted the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry—I assume that’s why you’re here?”

“That’s correct.”

Her mysterious silver hair bobbed up and down slightly.

“There’s no need to worry. This place is protected by barriers equivalent to those at the Imperial Palace. If anyone tries to infiltrate the mansion, the mages will detect it.”

“……”

I’m familiar with the Imperial Household’s barriers.

An ironclad protective magic that shields the Emperor from assassins. It’s said to easily repel enemy mages, special forces, and even artillery and tank fire.

There’s even a rumor that even if war broke out and all of Petrograd were reduced to ashes, the Imperial Palace would remain unscathed. To be precise, that’s the assessment made by Abas intelligence agencies.

“I’ve heard about the Imperial Palace’s protective magic. It was created during the war with the Order when Grand Mages pooled their wisdom.”

“So you know about it too.”

“How could I not? It’s the greatest legacy boasted by the Guardian School of the Magic Tower.”

If such magic is protecting the mansion, I can rest easy. What mage would dare breach magic that even the Defense Ministry and intelligence agencies couldn’t penetrate with their most thorough preparations?

Moreover, the mansion’s owner wasn’t just any mage, but a Grand Mage. I’d sooner believe Pope Raphael’s hair suddenly became luxuriant overnight than accept that Alexandra Petrova could be defeated in magic.

Having received the Grand Duchess’s assurance, I finally felt somewhat relieved. After taking a sip of tea and reaching to take away the plate from Camilla, who was crunching on snacks, Alexandra Petrova suddenly spoke.

“By the way, what do you plan to do now? Will you return to Abas now that you’ve confirmed my disciple’s safety?”

“Ah, about that…”

I trailed off ambiguously.

I did come looking for Camilla after receiving the embassy’s message, but honestly, I hadn’t thought about what to do after confirming her safety.

“I’m not sure. I originally planned to stay in Petrograd for a few days to monitor the situation… but with the mansion’s defenses being so robust, there doesn’t seem to be much for me to observe.”

“In that case, why not rest here for a while?”

Alexandra Petrova continued.

“While you could leave without issue, wouldn’t it be better to observe my disciple’s condition over time to make an accurate assessment? It would also be contrary to proper etiquette to send a guest away immediately. If you’re not in a hurry, you’re welcome to stay and rest.”

*

It was an unexpected offer.

I stroked my chin, deep in thought.

I still have plenty of vacation time left and nothing particularly pressing to do. Of course, I need to prepare for the Moritani continent, but that’s being discussed separately at the government level.

The intelligence operation is in a similar state. The conflict between Asen and Sanya has entered a lull, and for the time being, it’s fine to maintain regular contact with Hassan and monitor the situation. If anything does happen, the Royal Intelligence Department’s operation team, deployed as my replacement, will handle it.

After organizing my thoughts, I spoke.

“If it’s not an imposition, I’ll accept your offer.”

“A wise decision. If you need anything, just ask. If discussions about the deployment are necessary, I can invite not only my disciple but also the Saint and Ranieri’s descendant.”

I said I would consider it.

With that, the conversation began to flow. Alexandra Petrova started to mention the region where we would soon be deployed.

“The Moritani continent is a wonderful place. The birthplace of primitive sorcery and astrology is there. Many mages fled there centuries ago to escape the Inquisitors’ eyes, so it will surely be a valuable experience for my disciple and Ranieri’s child.”

“Oh! I know about that! There’s a place called the Ivory Tower there, right? I’d love to visit.”

The Grand Duchess smiled gently at Camilla’s response.

“The Ivory Tower is where the legacy of my colleague Suleiman resides. It’s also where the alchemists of the Red Desert gather, so you can gain special knowledge and unique experiences there. Ah, and if time permits, you should visit my friend.”

“Your friend, Professor?”

“Yes.”

Camilla, who had been munching on snacks, said she would definitely visit.

Gulp—she swallowed her food and reached for another snack. However, the space where the bowl should have been was empty.

“…Huh?”

Camilla, who had been groping the table instead of finding the snack bowl, was startled. She looked around with intense eyes and, upon seeing the bowl placed far away on the opposite side, immediately shot me a sharp glance.

“What?”

“…Did you move my snacks?”

“Yes.”

“……”

I met Camilla’s gaze and wiggled my eyebrows.

What are you going to do about it? What can you do?

“Tch…”

“Stop eating so many snacks. You’ll really get fat.”

“I won’t get fat!”

“Yeah, right.”

“Stop quarreling, you two. By the way…”

Alexandra Petrova, wearing a benevolent smile, interjected. Then she posed a question to me.

“The Archbishop General mentioned that fragments of the prophecy have been interpreted. I hear you’ve found clues about another companion. Do you happen to know where this new companion is?”

A new companion. She was asking if we had found Camilla’s fourth companion.

I sighed lightly and shook my head.

“No, not yet.”

“You still haven’t found them?”

“We haven’t pinpointed their exact location.”

After the Inquisition shared their intelligence, various national intelligence agencies began searching for Camilla’s new companion—a man believed to be somewhere on the Moritani continent.

However, despite five months of searching by more than a dozen intelligence agencies, the operation to find the new companion had made little progress. The Moritani continent was too dangerous and too vast.

Still, there had been some results.

“According to intelligence officials, they found the last trace in the Paraanga Mountains. From physical appearance to gender, distinctive tattoos covering the entire body, and special abilities—everything matches the description.”

“The Paraanga Mountains…”

Her eyelids lowered, concealing her mysterious blue eyes.

“A place no mage could fail to recognize. Until 60 years ago, it was where a dragon made its nest. The Great Chieftain of the Plains shattered the dragon’s scales with his fists at the mountain’s peak and tore out its neck. Then, covered in the dragon’s blood, he gained immense power and an immortal body.”

“……”

“Since the dragon was slain, monsters have infested the void it left behind. Even the sorcerers operating from the Ivory Tower and the Port of the Dead Whale avoid that place. And you’re saying my disciple’s companion is in such a dangerous location?”

“Yes. It’s still at the estimation stage, but that’s what we believe.”

A sigh escaped from the Grand Mage’s lips—a sigh of concern for her disciple.

With her arms crossed, Alexandra Petrova began to gaze intently at Camilla. That look was like an adult watching a child left by the water’s edge.

“My disciple will need to work hard too. You must devote yourself to training, if only to avoid getting hurt.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Seemingly pleased with that answer, the Grand Duchess nodded with a satisfied smile.

“It’s a joyous occasion to welcome a new companion. Having someone to trust and rely on is a good thing. But I’m curious about something.”

The blue eyes turned toward me. Meeting my gaze, the Grand Duchess moved her lips.

“Have you found the culprit who brought demons to the north?”

North, demons, culprit. My brain began to race at this familiar combination of words.

Last year’s terrorist attack at a department store in Abas. The terrorist attack involving black magic was attributed to stateless individuals from no-man’s-land. However, behind these stateless individuals was another terrorist.

Known as “the Merchant.” A terrorist suspect referred to by this nickname by the captured terrorists. The one who provided the terrorists with black magic barriers that even mages from the Defense and Magic Ministries, as well as clerics from the Inquisition, couldn’t penetrate.

According to recent investigations, this individual appears to have been involved in the northern conflict as well.

To be precise—

“Are you referring to the suspect who brought the corpse spiders?”

“Yes.”

The monsters that attacked the northern rift. “The Merchant” who spread black magic in the capital of Abas also sent monsters to the north of Kiyen.

The Imperial Protection Agency and other imperial counterintelligence agencies discovered his involvement while tracing the origin of the corpse spiders. Abas counterintelligence agencies shared their investigation materials from the department store attack with the Empire, and cross-referencing with the northern data confirmed his involvement in the rift attack incident.

We don’t know why he attacked both Abas and Kiyen.

But what’s certain is that he is definitely not human.

“…No matter how much magic one cultivates, no human can maintain the same age appearance for decades. It’s impossible unless one is a long-lived race like elves or demons.”

“Indeed. Even the finest mages of the Magic Tower and Ivory Tower cannot escape the flow of time.”

Yet he had the appearance of an ordinary human. And had maintained it for decades.

Biologically impossible, but unfortunately, we recently discovered that there are cases of people maintaining the same age appearance for decades.

A possessed person.

Someone possessed by a demon.

“……”

Recalling the news circulating among intelligence agencies, I carefully opened my mouth. Camilla would hear, but at least it would be quiet enough that the people around us wouldn’t.

“It appears to be the work of a possessed person.”

“…You’re saying it’s a demon’s doing?”

“Yes, that’s currently the most plausible hypothesis being discussed in our Defense Ministry.”

The Grand Duchess frowned subtly at the mention of demons again.

The north had suffered greatly due to demons, and she was the ruler of the north. So there could be no positive feelings there.

“Is there a way to find him?”

“The Order is searching everywhere. We’re helping too, of course.”

“It would be best to find him carefully but quickly. We don’t know what schemes he might be plotting elsewhere.”

Alexandra Petrova urged with a solemn voice. To minimize damage, it would be best to find him quickly.

I said I understood.

-Whoosh!

Just then, flames erupted from a chair.

Sparks flew and a human figure dispersed into flames and smoke.

While I was momentarily confused by the sudden appearance of magic, I heard the sound of a bowl scraping across the table right beside me.

There was no need to check whose doing it was.

“Nice!”

Amidst the flying sparks, Camilla had one fist clenched tight. One hand was tightly gripped, while the other clutched the snack bowl.

It didn’t take long to understand the situation. Flying sparks, Camilla disappearing before my eyes, and her reappearance from a blind spot.

She had used magic again.

“……”

She learned magic from a Grand Mage—magic that even a member of the Magic Tower Oracle Committee couldn’t learn for all the money in the world—and all she uses it for is to snatch a snack bowl when I’m distracted?

Is this right?

Don’t you manage your disciple? As I was about to look at the Grand Duchess with that meaning in my eyes—

“…Hmm.”

Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrova, with her arms crossed, began in a solemn voice.

“Your speed is too slow. In battle, speed is life. This is true even in fights between mages, let alone on a battlefield where bullets are flying. How can you move so sluggishly?”

“What? Wasn’t I fast enough, Professor?”

“Others might see it differently, but to my eyes, you look like a slow-moving beetle.”

“……”

Wait, is that really the important issue here?

I just blinked dumbly, alternating my gaze between the two, but neither Camilla nor Alexandra Petrova budged.

“Well, you seem to like the snacks. How many times have you used magic today?”

“I used it twice earlier, and hmm… three times in total so far!”

“Oh my. Until recently, consecutive use of magic would leave you exhausted, but now your breathing isn’t even disturbed. Well done indeed.”

“Hehe.”

“Eat more.”

“……”

The future of the Empire—is it really okay like this? Practicing magic is good, but if Camilla stays here, she’ll likely gain a lot of weight.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have sent her to the Grand Duchess. The atmosphere is such that if Camilla said she was hungry, the Grand Duchess would probably pull out a mansion pillar to set the table.

While I was inwardly sighing deeply amidst the two laughing people, the Grand Duchess, who had been feeding snacks to Camilla, suddenly began to make a suggestion.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since you last saw my disciple?”

A month.

I was about to say that, but caught myself and changed my answer.

“About 7 months.”

“Is that so? Then you probably don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

As I was about to ask what she meant, not understanding—

The Grand Mage smiled and continued.

“Since you’re here, how about seeing how much my disciple’s magic has grown?”