“So you’re the kid that Kaiquilia liked so much?”
The woman called Minerva stood up. The first thing that caught my eye was her tremendous height, rivaling that of Claudia.
Claudia was taller than most men, and Minerva was similar in stature. It was close enough that it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say they were the same height, give or take a finger’s width.
And that was all I could perceive.
Her long white hair cascading down to her ankles and the fact that she was female—and lastly, her vague facial features. The rest was clearly in front of me, yet it felt impossible to fully grasp.
“Could you stay still for just a moment?”
Minerva had approached me without me even knowing how, and started to observe me with a hmm sound escaping her lips.
“…Truly unusual. Mana and faith are harmonizing together. It should be impossible to coexist within a human body, or so they say…”
Minerva circled around me, muttering what seemed to be an endless stream of thoughts. From what I could gather, she found it quite astonishing that both mana and faith resided within me.
For me, it was just about allocating stats, which naturally raised my abilities, whereas people in this world likely had to undergo systematic training to boost their stats, so it made sense for her to be intrigued.
If you couldn’t attain faith after choosing mana first—or vice versa—then that would indeed be a problematic system. At least in the context of the Brightest Darkness series.
“Oh, I just remembered I should allocate my stats too.”
After giving rest to Lucia in the Abyss Dungeon and taking down the final boss of the DLC—the Creature Abandoned by God—I must have received a hefty amount of experience points.
No matter how minimal, it should be at least 20, or more. With that stat point, investing it all into power and then immediately ditching the Blood-Stained Sword for another weapon would be an appealing choice.
Soon, I would be able to enhance weapons in this city, so it seemed like the time to put down the Blood-Stained Sword was approaching.
“That’s done. There surely was a reason why Kaiquilia adored you so much.”
While I was lost in thought about distributing my stat points, Minerva seemed to have completed her observation and took a few steps back. I couldn’t quite read her expression, but it was definitely a rather excited tone.
With a contemplative look, Minerva suddenly turned to Iris.
“Iris, would it be alright if I asked you for a favor?”
“Yes, Minerva. What is your request?”
Iris replied in a tense voice. Minerva, unfazed by Iris’s reaction, casually walked over and linked her arm with mine.
“I’d like to borrow this kid for a while.”
“…Delta, you mean?”
Upon hearing that, the first reaction from the Knight Commanders was one of shock. Eyes of various colors widened in disbelief.
As the shock started to fade, the expressions of the Knight Commanders slowly morphed into, “What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?” They seemed to think I had pulled off something impressive without their knowledge.
But this time, I genuinely felt wronged. I hadn’t done anything to draw Minerva’s interest.
I hadn’t brought any magic books or even taken on the role of a sorcerer, so it was puzzling why Minerva was acting this way.
“Well, it’s not a problem for us, but that’s something you should really ask Delta directly, isn’t it?”
“Directly to that kid? Such an interesting thought! As a Knight Commander, isn’t it within my rights to issue a command for a New Knight to follow me?”
The faces of the Knight Commanders turned puzzled. Their expressions were questioning what kind of being I was in the midst of them.
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Iris, unusually hesitant, stuttered a bit. The reactions of the other three were similar.
They hadn’t really given me commands before; it had mostly been requests or suggestions, and often I had taken the lead in actions, so this situation seemed quite foreign to them.
Minerva watched our reactions with a chuckle before turning her head in my direction.
“Since Iris said that, I guess I have to ask you directly. What are your thoughts on this, my child?”
“I don’t mind. But, may I ask why?”
This wasn’t an encounter I sought out; rather, Minerva had sought me out, so it was merely a matter of something that was supposed to happen sooner rather than later.
It wouldn’t hurt to hear her out.
“Of course, that’s fine. You can choose to have me explain every single detail, or I could just give you the three most significant reasons. Pick whichever you prefer.”
“…I’d like the latter, please.”
I timidly chose the latter; I didn’t have the nerve to handle the fallout of choosing the former.
If she had a personality like that, the probability was high that she’d explain every tiny detail until she drained the life out of the person listening. This came entirely from my intuition.
“The first reason is that I realized why Kaiquilia took such an interest in you, the second is that the Pope personally brought you here after you did something significant in the Holy Kingdom, and the third is that personal curiosity arose from the first two reasons. Does that explain it?”
“Hold on a second, Minerva! The Pope brought the Knight Commanders here personally? For real?”
Aurora, who had been quietly sipping tea, abruptly jumped into the conversation with a shocked voice.
“Why would I lie about something like this? It’s true. The Popes, who hadn’t shown their faces in recent years, suddenly used Sacred Spells to bring the children here.”
Aurora’s golden eyes turned towards me. Just like the Knight Commanders, her gaze seemed to be saying, “What kind of trouble have you caused?”
Without needing to hear the specifics, it seemed they assumed I was the cause.
And they were correct, so I had nothing to defend myself with. I averted my gaze slightly. My posture clearly indicated that I had something to feel guilty about, which only sharpened Aurora’s stare.
“Can I take the child now, Aurora? Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”
“…Why are you asking me that? You’ve already finished talking with Delta.”
“It’s been a while since we last met, and we haven’t had a proper chat yet. If I leave just like this, wouldn’t it bother my dear Aurora quite a bit?”
“……”
Aurora’s face turned bright red. The hand holding the teacup began to tremble.
“I’ll be right back, but don’t just sit there waiting aimlessly. Let the kids play for a bit.”
A blue magic circle formed beneath our feet. The moment I realized this, the patterns shone brightly, and my vision was suddenly engulfed in blue.
I felt the unique weightlessness of teleportation.
“……”
As I watched the places where Delta and Minerva had just been disappear, leaving only a blue glow as a remnant, the Knight Commanders stood frozen, dumbfounded.
Their minds simply couldn’t keep up with the situation.
In the Empire, Minerva, the Mage Tower Master, or the Eternal Magician Minerva, was known to hold a status and power second only to the Empress herself, or perhaps even rivaling her.
That person had unexpectedly appeared in Aurora’s Mansion and claimed she had taken personal interest in me. It was only natural for their jaws to drop in disbelief.
While the Knight Commanders were stuck in their shock, several maids rushed in to tidy up the desk, bringing out new teacups and arranging everything in order with impressive efficiency.
Swish, they poured the steaming green tea into each cup until the movement finally ceased.
“What are you all doing? Are you just going to stand there?”
Hearing Aurora’s words, the Knight Commanders snapped back to attention. Once they confirmed that all four of them had sat down on the sofas where the teacups were placed, Aurora crossed her legs.
“How was the Holy Kingdom? Why did the Popes call for you?”
“…There were quite a few incidents.”
“Because of Delta?”
Nodding, Iris confirmed. Aurora continued speaking as if she already knew.
“It’s fine, so explain everything. I already finished all my tasks. I have plenty of time.”
The emphasis she placed on the words “everything” had a notable weight.
The Knight Commanders exchanged glances with one another. Despite Aurora’s request to explain everything, there was one incident among them that felt slightly awkward to share.
Naturally, it was regarding Lize and Delta.
—The Lady said to explain everything, but can I mention what happened between you and Delta?
—Do you think that’s okay?
—What a shame. I’d think she’d be very intrigued.
Lize and Claudia were both acting as if they had a tremendous secret. It wasn’t so much that they were trying to hide it as it seemed they were trying to reveal it.
There was no way Aurora wouldn’t want to jump into such an intriguing conversation, and both Erika and Iris sighed heavily after confirming that curiosity sparked in Aurora’s golden eyes.
As soon as I closed my eyes and opened them, the surroundings had changed. I glanced around.
“This place is…”
“Welcome to the top floor of the Mage Tower. It serves as a bedroom.”
This was a space that wasn’t in my memory.
The Mage Tower I remembered was a place of twisted structures and malicious monster placements, a location that was enough to make profanities leap out due to the chaotic magic that struck out of nowhere.
Instead, it was a simple and peaceful space, featuring a plush bed, softly lit candles, a few sheets of parchment on a wooden desk, a wooden table, and curtains of a decent thickness.
Minerva returned to the table after taking out some snacks from the pantry. Slide, the chair moved back by itself, beckoning me to sit. I obediently took my seat.
Minerva, who sat across from me, placed the snacks on the table.
“I can bring something else if you want; just let me know. Or maybe something sweeter would suit your taste better?”
“I’m fine with this. So, what should I do now?”
“Before that, there’s something I need to tell you. Where there are gains, there shall also be losses, right?”
Minerva raised her right index finger.
“…Uh, I suppose so?”
“It’s an obvious truth, so don’t hesitate. As a reward for satisfying my curiosity, I will share two pieces of information with you.”
As she held up her index finger and middle finger, Minerva loosened her chin and gripped her raised index finger.
“One is why Kaiquilia saved Aurora’s father, and the other is the true nature of the restoration magic cast over the castle.”
