Chapter 23
Not long ago, Alice had realized that Aiden always called her “Miss.”
Though he was nominally her guardian, perhaps he had found some enjoyment in the role. Hearing such a familiar term, which had long become second nature, leave Aiden’s lips felt somehow strange.
Meanwhile, Aiden finished saying goodbye to the children.
“Well, it can’t be helped… protecting you is important work. I’ll make sure to watch over you properly, Miss.”
By then, Amy had changed the way she addressed Alice, perhaps because she had been scolded by her parents.
The small change was cute, and Alice smiled faintly. Amy continued speaking.
“And come visit our village again! Let’s play ball again then.”
“Me too! Me too!”
Other children swarmed over at Amy’s words, chattering excitedly. Aiden’s pupils dilated slightly.
But unfortunately, contrary to the children’s wishes, he would not be returning to the village.
Alice would soon leave for the southern lands, and as soon as she found the sword there, he would have to return to the demon world. That was the contract they had made.
‘Right. This time won’t last forever.’
Alice, once again, remembered the nature of her relationship with Aiden.
She knew well that he was a demon who had to leave the human world, but she had grown so accustomed to his presence that she had somehow forgotten this fact.
“…Yeah.”
Perhaps Aiden had realized it too, because he smiled bitterly as he hooked his fingers into Amy’s hand.
Even though it was a promise he could not keep, it seemed he did not want to disappoint the children.
“Aiden, let’s go now.”
Alice climbed onto the horse before his mood sank further. Aiden nodded and followed her.
“Emma, wait.”
Before leaving the village, Alice called out to Emma and handed her a folded piece of paper.
“When the knights sent from the cathedral arrive, give this paper to them. It contains important information about the recent incident.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Though she could not meet the paladins directly, she had to pass on all the information she had learned.
She wanted to protect herself, not sow chaos in the empire.
“I’ll go then.”
Alice bid farewell to the villagers and set off. The villagers waved energetically at the two leaving Ciel Village.
“Goodbye, brother!”
“Come visit again!”
Alice and Aiden waved back and spurred their horses, heading swiftly toward the Erden estate.
In a dark room where the curtains blocked out the sunlight, a man sat at a desk, hands clasped together, staring at the man before him. His eyes glimmered like snakes.
“So… you failed?”
“…I’m sorry.”
The man reporting avoided his gaze, bowing his head. The other man gritted his teeth.
“You idiot!”
He threw an ashtray that had been on the desk at the man. It missed, hitting the wall and falling to the floor.
The man flinched, staring at the broken ashtray in shock. His eyes trembled.
The other man sighed deeply, continuing to speak.
“Do you even realize how much time and resources we poured into making this succeed?”
“….”
“If we had just waited a little longer, it could have succeeded! Just a little longer!”
“…But instead, you fled, leaving only evidence behind. And you couldn’t even kill that obstacle of a girl.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue, extending a hand into the air. From the shadows, someone placed a pipe into his palm.
The man inhaled deeply from the pipe, exhaling smoke in irritation.
“I thought that even if we failed, we could at least hold back that damned family’s progress.”
That damn duke’s family was the problem. They represented the northern empire, and from the start, he had disliked them—but now they even interfered with his plans.
He should have inflicted injuries on that girl that would have immobilized her for months, yet the weakling ran off after a few attacks, even losing the paper he had been given.
If it fell into her hands…
‘No, even the most renowned mages wouldn’t know exactly what kind of magic circle this is.’
Even if she was hailed as a genius, she would not know the details of a dark magic circle.
No matter how many magic books he searched in the empire, the specifics of this magic circle wouldn’t be found.
“Still, she shouldn’t have lost it.”
The man muttered, exhaling deeply. Even after smoking the pipe, he did not calm down; anger surged.
The figure hidden in the shadows whispered into his ear.
“It’s fine. We still have opportunities left.”
“Opportunities? Hah. The northern plan is completely ruined.”
The man’s frown deepened upon hearing that.
“Still, the threads aren’t completely severed, are they?”
The shadowed figure’s words seemed to carry a subtle meaning. The man clicked his tongue.
“…You’re still unreliable.”
“But it will be hard to notice our actions. The lamp is darkest under the candlestick, after all.”
“Fine. If I am given power, there’s nothing I can’t do. That girl is ambitious beyond her rank.”
“Um… uh…”
Suddenly, a voice interjected. The man’s eyes snapped open, glaring at the nervous figure before him.
“What is it?”
The figure trembled, stammering.
“I… I have one more thing to report…”
He approached and whispered to the man. The man’s eyes flashed sharply upon hearing the words.
The figure in the shadows murmured, golden eyes gleaming.
“This… is an interesting development.”
The man nodded in agreement. He gestured toward the figure before him.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Eliminate that girl. With the information you’ve been given, I think it’s possible.”
The man receiving the final order knelt, replying:
“Understood.”
The man smiled broadly. Unexpectedly acquiring new information… he was looking forward to what would come next.
“Yes. There have been monster sightings in the Saint Mountains.”
Upon returning to the Erden estate, Alice immediately went to the duke’s study to report. Liam muttered with a serious expression.
“This situation is worse than I expected.”
The reality in the Saint Mountains that Alice described was far more serious than he had anticipated.
Unfamiliar monsters appearing, sudden disappearances, and one of the suspects transforming into a monster—it was all incomprehensible.
Liam tapped his desk, deep in thought, then spoke to Alice.
“Good work. From now on, it’s better if I handle it myself. I’ll also report this to the cathedral.”
Alice nodded. There was no guarantee that incidents like those in Ciel Village would remain isolated to a single village. As lord of the estate, he had to patrol the entire domain himself.
Alice hesitated, reluctant to leave his side. Fidgeting, she handed him a piece of paper.
“Also, Father, an assassin dropped this paper and left it behind.”
Alice had struggled with whether to reveal the existence of the dark magic circle, but she decided to tell him everything.
It was something he needed to know as lord, and above all, if she had not summoned demons or monsters, she wouldn’t have faced this dilemma.
She could not omit any details in order to protect herself.
Watching Liam accept the paper, she continued.
“I’ve never seen a magic circle like this. I suspect it might be a dark magic circle.”
Alice deliberately left out that Aiden had told her about dark magic.
Fortunately, Liam accepted her words without suspicion.
“Reasonable. Such a grim and chaotic magic circle.”
He clicked his tongue at the untidy form of the circle. Alice nodded, then added:
“Yes, but because there is so little material on dark magic, I cannot be certain exactly what type of magic it is.”
Although she had a rough understanding of the circle’s purpose from Aiden, Alice did not reveal this. She wanted to prevent suspicion about how she had come to know this.
Liam observed Alice quietly, then spoke unexpectedly.
“There is one book. On dark magic.”
