#111. Duke Errington
The next day, upon hearing the news that Duke Errington had arrived at the imperial palace, Belia hurried to Khalid’s office.
Sitting across from Khalid was a handsome man with long red hair—Duke Errington himself.
At first glance, he looked impossibly young, so much so that it was hard to guess his age. Belia had heard he was the emperor’s brother, but he appeared closer in age to Khalid rather than an older sibling.
Old texts mentioned that those who had reached a high level of enlightenment in truth would not age and would retain a youthful appearance.
Belia had always thought that was impossible—she considered both magicians and sword-wielding knights in those stories to be mere legends.
But now, standing face-to-face with Duke Errington, she could only believe that the accounts in those ancient books were entirely true.
‘Incredible.’
She had so many questions. She wanted to see him use magic.
But this wasn’t the place to indulge her curiosity.
Suppressing the urge to peek, Belia composed herself and greeted him politely.
“Pleased to meet you, Duke Errington. I am Belia Ronica.”
“Oh, indeed,” Duke Errington said, clearly impressed as he looked at her. Then he smiled warmly and returned the greeting.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Huey Errington. I oversee a small northern territory.”
“Please, speak freely. As Khalid’s uncle and the emperor’s brother, there’s no need to speak so formally to me.”
“Hmm. Then I shall be casual. Despite appearances, I am quite old, you know,” he said, laughing heartily.
In fact, he was older than Belia’s father, King Ronica, so he wasn’t joking.
“More importantly, it’s a relief that this place feels safe.”
“Is that so?”
“I heard that the Chancellor visited recently. It seems some kind of device was set up here using divine power?”
Belia’s eyes widened in surprise.
So he’s a magician, but can he also sense divine energy? She had thought no one could notice it, yet here was someone who realized it immediately.
Seeing Belia’s astonishment, Duke Errington chuckled lightly and explained.
“The air carries an unusual energy, so I pieced it together. You needn’t worry. With this kind of energy, it can only be divine power.”
As he spoke, Duke Errington waved his hand through the air. His fingers moved lightly, as if confirming something. Then he nodded and said,
“Hm. Indeed, a force worthy of being called a Chancellor. If something truly dangerous were to occur at the palace, this would be the safest place.”
His voice was filled with admiration.
“Can magicians detect everything, like you do, Your Grace?” Belia asked.
“To some extent. But that applies to magicians like me, who control the elements. Those stuck in the magic tower, only producing things mechanically, would never notice.”
Belia let out a small sigh of relief. She had assumed that the barrier set up by the Chancellor and the priestess would be strong, but seeing Duke Errington notice it so quickly made her heart skip a beat.
If anyone else discovered the defensive barrier around the Second Prince’s residence, it could be dangerous—they might not be able to provide help when truly needed.
“Is it true, then, that he possesses memories of a past life?”
“You believe the claim that he has returned from the past, Duke?”
“No one knows about the time magic I’m researching. So naturally, when someone claims to have returned to the past as a result of that magic, I can only believe it.”
Duke Errington’s expression was excited.
“Moreover, even if the theory is perfect, I never imagined I could see actual results. The Princess of the Second Prince has no idea what an honor this is for me.”
His face was lit with childlike excitement.
“Tell me, then. What did it feel like returning to the past? Did you feel nauseous or dizzy? How were your memories stored? Did they come back one by one, or did they suddenly flood in, like the Second Prince’s memories?”
He asked eagerly, eyes sparkling, seemingly interested only in the magical results. Belia felt a little relieved.
Khalid, standing nearby, nodded slightly at her, signaling it was okay to answer.
Recalling the experience, Belia began to speak.
“I thought I was dead. It was a situation I couldn’t survive. I closed my eyes, expecting time to stop, and then suddenly, I felt fresh air. The crisp air and warm sunlight—things a dead person couldn’t experience. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Ronica.”
“Oh!”
“At first, I wondered what had happened… but realizing I had returned to the past, I thought it was an opportunity.”
A faint smile appeared on Belia’s face.
“So, there were no side effects?”
Duke Errington seemed uninterested in her personal feelings and quickly asked what he wanted to know.
“Nothing significant,” she replied.
“Did you get headaches when recalling memories?”
“No. I was fine.”
“Oh! I see, very well!”
Despite his youthful appearance, Duke Errington’s hearty laughter felt remarkably warm. He seemed to organize his thoughts briefly in his mind, then smiled kindly and asked Belia,
“Do you have any questions for me? Since you’ve shared such valuable information, I can tell you something too. Anything you like!”
“Well…” Belia hesitated, then spoke seriously.
Duke Errington and Khalid both looked at her, curious.
Belia wondered briefly if it was appropriate to ask, but her curiosity won out. Seeing a true magician in front of her ignited her scholarly excitement.
“When you came from the north, did you really shoot fire from your hands?”
“What? Ahahaha!”
Duke Errington laughed uproariously at her innocent question. His laughter continued for a long time.
Belia felt a little annoyed; she had asked sincerely, yet he laughed so freely in front of her.
Eventually, he turned on the sofa, burying his face in his hands, laughing so hard he was almost crying. He wiped his eyes and composed himself.
“Yes, that’s right. I did shoot fire. Like this.”
He extended his palm forward. Sparks gathered instantly on his hand, forming into a ball of flames.
Belia’s eyes sparkled.
No incantation had been spoken, yet magic unfolded in his hand. How was this possible? She had thought magicians always needed chants.
Seeing her amazement, Duke Errington explained as if reading her mind:
“I calculate and manipulate the elements dispersed in nature. Incantations are just to make casting easier. I use chants for large-scale magic, but creating small sparks like this is possible through calculation alone.”
“Wow…!”
Belia couldn’t help but exclaim.
Duke Errington regarded her warmly, almost like a grandfather, and asked gently,
“Are you interested in magic?”
“Of course!”
“I hadn’t planned to teach anyone magic, but you are special, Princess. If you have the talent, I could teach you something simple.”
Belia nodded eagerly, excited at the thought of learning magic.
Duke Errington gently placed his hand over hers, channeling his mana. After a moment, he pouted and said regretfully,
“Unfortunately, learning magic will be difficult. Your body is saturated with divine power, so absorbing magical energy will be hard.”
“Ah…”
He meant that Belia could not learn magic after all.
“Haha. I overlooked the fact that you are greatly blessed by the gods. You are the granddaughter of the Chancellor and daughter of the priestess.”
Belia felt disappointed. She had hoped to learn magic.
Then Duke Errington’s expression shifted as if he had realized something.
“Don’t be so disappointed. If you weren’t loved by the gods, returning to the past would have been impossible.”
“What do you mean…?”
Belia asked, confused, but he didn’t answer, merely closing his eyes for a moment in deep thought.
“Being with you, Princess, seems like it will be full of fun. I had thought I would never return to the palace in my lifetime…”
His face was lit with sheer joy.
“I will honor all the promises my future self made to the Second Prince. From now on, the north will officially support Prince Khalid.”
Khalid bowed in gratitude. Duke Errington grinned playfully and said,
“I’ve sent the price to the Princess. Now we shall fulfill our contract.”
Price? Contract…? Belia didn’t understand.
“It will all become clear in due time, so don’t be impatient,” Duke Errington said with a gentle smile.
Urgent news began arriving from the northeast of the empire.
The emperor declared a state of emergency and held meetings throughout the day.
Although the royal family had prepared contingency plans, the situation was far more serious than anticipated.
Dozens of villages were cut off by snow, completely isolated.
“Has there been any contact from Lisetten?” Belia asked.
Rachel shook her head.
“…The last letter was sent several days ago. Since then, no contact.”
Belia pressed her palm to her forehead in despair.
Even though they had established clinics and prepared for winter in previously affected areas, could humans really withstand natural disasters?
Despite all their prior preparations…! Belia bit her lip tightly.
“At least around the capital, things are slightly better than a few days ago. Other areas should gradually get in touch as well,” Rachel said, hoping it would be true. Belia silently prayed that the empire’s citizens could endure.
Regions where magical communication was impossible required messengers, but many roads were still impassable, so lost contact was not unexpected.
Road maintenance was gradually expanding outward from the capital. They began rescue operations to reach isolated residents.
With the help of the mages from the magic tower, snow was quickly melted, and soldiers spread sand over it.
The biting wind and harsh air made the work exhausting, yet everyone did their best for those stranded.
‘It would be much easier if Duke Errington could help…’
Belia quickly shook her head.
Only she and Khalid knew of his magical abilities. This had to be reserved as a last resort.
“I’ll need to fetch more magical tools. I must go to the magic tower,” Belia said, rising from her seat.
