TUSM 14

Chapter 14

The weather was really nice.

The sky was blue, the sunlight warm.

It would have been even better if I weren’t walking in this weather with an unfilial bastard who looked ugly no matter how you looked at him.

“…Do we really have to go check it out in person like this?”

“How much do you think I trust you?”

What was there to say?

He’d probably trust a passing shepherd boy more.

“There’s nothing wrong with building the walls in advance. What’s the point of building them after an accident happens? All fortresses are meant to prepare for disasters and invasions.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m going to check the site in person—together with you.”

Caius shot back shamelessly.

He was annoyingly smug, and since I had nothing to say in response, I clamped my mouth shut.

“Mage! Your Grace the Grand Duke is here too!”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice came from the opposite direction. The orchard man was running toward us, waving his straw hat.

“Uncle Charles!”

I waved back.

“How’s the farming these days?”

“Oh, it’s going great. The crops grow like crazy the moment we plant them—almost too well.”

“That’s a relief. No inconveniences?”

“No, thanks to you, everything feels secure.”

He beamed.

“And this isn’t much, but I brought it for you to enjoy.”

“Oh, you really didn’t have to.”

The basket was filled to the brim with tomatoes and oranges.

Normally, I should have politely refused at least once, but a grin crept onto my face before I could stop it.

“When I think of all the kindness you two have shown us, even ten baskets wouldn’t be enough. Your Grace, how did you manage to bring someone like this here?”

See that?

I puffed up proudly and glanced at Caius.

“If anything ever feels off, just let me know. Making potions isn’t hard.”

“Ah, just hearing that is enough, thank you.”

Chuckling, Uncle Charles said he had to get back to work and jogged off the way he came.

I waved after him, then picked up a tomato from the basket and bit into it.

Fruit is always good, no matter when you eat it.

“Would you like one?”

“You eat as much as you want.”

“Yes! Thank you.”

Then I won’t hold back and eat them all. I was hungry anyway—perfect timing.

“You’ve already won over the people of the territory, I see.”

“Well, you could call it my talent. Everyone gets persuaded by these innocent eyes.”

Caius snorted, as if he didn’t even feel the need to respond, and walked ahead with lazy strides.

“Hey, I’m serious.”

Stop.

Caius suddenly halted and turned around. He strode back toward me and bent down.

At a distance of less than a hand’s span, he examined me closely. My reflection was clearly visible in his golden eyes. Without realizing it, I leaned back.

“W-What is it?”

What’s with suddenly getting in my face?

So embarrassing.

After a few seconds, Caius straightened up, folding his long eyes into a mild curve.

“You don’t look very innocent after all.”

He scoffed lightly and turned away.

“Hurry up.”

…Rude bastard.

“Still, you can’t deny that I’m being helpful to the territory.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Is that why you went out of your way to prepare a seat for me in the office?”

“Good thing you’re quick to understand.”

Somehow, the more I talked, the more I felt like I was being led around, so I shut up and focused on chewing my tomatoes.

When I’d emptied about half the basket, I felt a gaze on me and turned my head. Caius was staring, looking astonished.

“…All of that fits in you?”

“Mages have big stomachs, you know. All this mana comes from eating well. And since my mana capacity is larger than most mages’, I have no choice but to eat more.”

I could still eat a full meal after this, honestly. Fruit is just a snack.

“So that’s why there was such a clause in the contract.”

“If I ate the same portions as the other servants, I’d probably starve to death.”

Caius, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly asked,

“Who taught you magic?”

“You’re curious about that too?”

“There was no record of you having a mentor.”

He’s not even trying to hide the background check anymore.

It was expected, and it wasn’t really a secret, so I wiped an orange on my skirt and answered.

“I first started using magic by pure accident. I was on the verge of starving to death on the streets. The first thing I ever did was summon a loaf of bread from a stall. You might not believe me.”

Charlotte didn’t know who her biological mother was. Like many children in the slums, she had been abandoned at birth.

If her mother had known that Charlotte possessed exceptional magical power, she might not have abandoned her—but unfortunately, her mother was an uneducated commoner who had no way of realizing that.

“You mastered all those complex spells on your own?”

“Not all of them—just survival-type magic. Things like warming spells or summoning don’t require knowing letters or equations.”

Caius’s gaze settled on me.

“But that’s probably not what you’re really curious about.”

I had already grasped the intent of his question. He wasn’t asking about magic in general, but about how I came to use dark magic.

“I didn’t learn dark magic from anyone either. To be precise, I learned it because I needed it.”

“Because you needed it?”

“I had to become useful.”

Charlotte was adopted purely out of necessity.

“Why do you think a noble would adopt a young mage with no connections? To use them as a stepping stone to success.”

Unfortunately, Charlotte’s survival-type magic was far from enough to satisfy the count’s ambitions.

Whenever he was displeased, the count would lash out at Charlotte with cruel words. To Charlotte, who regarded the count as her ‘family,’ those words cut deeply.

“When I used survival white magic, Count Schmidt barely cared. But when I used dark magic to punish nobles who annoyed him, he was thrilled.”

“So you started researching dark magic alone at fifteen, just for that?”

“Back then, I thought that if I proved I was useful, I could become their family.”

Caius’s gaze lingered on me.

Even without meeting his eyes, I could tell what kind of look it was, so I quickly added,

“Actually, I managed it because I’m a genius. Do you have any idea how impressive it is for a kid to research dark magic alone, without a mentor?”

After finishing, I suddenly looked up at him. Caius, who had been silently watching me, spread his hand and smacked my face.

“Ow!”

“That’s truly impressive.”

Damn it.

Rubbing my stinging face, I glared at him.

“I told you before—dark magic isn’t inherently bad. The problem is that the people using it now have bad intentions. If you look at dark magic by itself, it’s actually more practical than white magic. Even its origins show that.”

“And you can say that after seeing the damage dark mages have done to my territory?”

That’s because you confiscated their land and beat them up the moment they stood out…

“So what I’m saying is, just like not all swordsmen are the same, there are good dark mages and bad dark mages.”

“And you’re a good dark mage?”

“Well… if you think about it? You’re benefiting from my dark magic right now, Your Highness.”

I grinned.

Naturally, he ignored me.

By then, we had reached the outskirts of the territory, and the conversation naturally came to an end.

“This is the place.”

Just like on the map, there were no walls near the mountains. Beyond a few houses, a conifer forest stretched out, and a tall mountain rising nearby took the place of a wall.

“So this area has been without walls for eight years?”

“Instead, the security captain is stationed here.”

“Security captain?”

“Sir Robert Gale. He should be listed in the personnel documents you reviewed.”

“Ah.”

I had a feeling—and sure enough, it was that guy.

He’s got plenty of issues too.

Setting that aside for now, I answered,

“We really should build walls here. Even if we only build them up to where the forest ends, it’ll greatly reduce the damage landslides could do to the houses.”

I’m being genuinely generous here.

At this point, this is basically spoilers for you.

Caius, who had been staring at the houses in thought, nodded.

“Yes, your argument has merit.”

What’s gotten into him?

Before I could even react to his easy agreement, he turned around.

A bright smile was directed at me.

“Then let’s build the walls.”