Chapter 09

That Bastard Came Looking Again (7)

“Huh? I only heard from Betty today that he was my brother’s friend.”

“Marsen, that’s unlike you. How could I possibly have met the little sister you guard like a priceless treasure?”

“Ordinarily, perhaps not. But the Young Marquis of Belmore is an extraordinary mage.”

“There may be methods that ordinary people don’t know about.”

Marey joined the conversation with a dissatisfied expression.

As if pretending the exchange between Mariela and Hereis moments earlier had never happened, he addressed him formally as “Young Marquis.”

Normally, Marsen would have immediately scolded his younger brother for such behavior.

This time, however, he simply watched in silence.

“You doting fools.”

Hereis sighed and shook his head dramatically.

Thanks to the exaggerated gesture, the atmosphere in the dining room lightened considerably.

Once everyone seemed to have finished exchanging greetings, the servants hurriedly began serving the meal.

There was mushroom soup made from premium ingredients, fresh tomato salad topped with fragrant cheese, grilled trout, steak accompanied by elegant garnishes, and finally the chef’s masterpieces—crème brûlée and chocolate cake.

It was obvious that the kitchen had gone to extraordinary lengths because such an important guest had arrived.

That damned dragon’s taste is ridiculously picky anyway.

Why not just throw him some bread and jam?

Mariela mourned the tragic reality that House Esteban’s precious food was being wasted on a worthless lizard while she took a spoonful of soup.

“Speaking of which.”

Hereis, who had only eaten a few bites for appearance’s sake, suddenly spoke as though something had occurred to him.

“I feel as though this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the young lady.”

“What do you mean…?”

Marsen and Marey’s eyes widened.

Did he see me in the street that day? Damn it. Whether he did or didn’t, just keep your mouth shut!

Mariela had a pretty good idea what he was referring to, but she merely blinked innocently and tilted her head.

As though mocking her act, Hereis smiled brightly.

“A few days ago, I stopped by the Magic Tower nearby and happened to see someone who looked very similar to you. Three days ago, I believe.”

You stalking lizard!

Seeing her on the street wasn’t enough?

He had concealed his presence and followed her all the way to the Magic Tower?

And now he was bringing it up in front of her brothers just to make things difficult for her.

Wow. My instincts have really dulled.

If she had still been Shyloi, she would have noticed immediately and dealt with the problem.

“Mari, did you go to the Magic Tower that day?”

No amount of complaining would restore the body she had lost in her previous life.

Mariela hurriedly thought of an explanation.

Convincing Marsen and Marey was a far more urgent problem.

“Ah, yes. I saw advertisements for various magic potions in the newspaper and became curious. Lately, I’ve also developed an interest in magic…”

“Really? Then perhaps I should contact the Magic Tower later and ask whether they can teach you.”

Brother, have you lost your mind?!

Mariela nearly screamed.

The Magic Tower never taught magic for free.

Nobles were charged enormous fees disguised as donations.

Commoners who couldn’t pay were forced to serve the Tower for twenty years in exchange for their education.

When we’re already short on money…

And he wants to donate to the Magic Tower?

On top of that, the magical knowledge already inside her head was greater than the combined intelligence of a hundred of those fools.

What could be a bigger waste of money?

Buying new summer bedding for the entire Esteban family would be a far better investment.

“N-No! I haven’t seriously considered becoming a mage or anything. It’s just a recent interest. If you could perhaps increase my allowance so I can buy a few magic books…”

“How can educational expenses be counted as allowance? I’ll speak to the butler about it.”

“Thank you so much, big brother!”

She hadn’t wanted to burden Marsen.

Still, increasing his beloved little sister’s allowance was surely less troublesome than negotiating pointlessly with the Magic Tower.

“Now that I think about it, big brother, how did you become friends with Young Master Belmore? The two of you seem completely opposite in personality.”

Even if she hadn’t known Hereis’s true identity as the White Dragon, anyone would wonder the same thing.

Just look at Marey.

He was clearly curious too.

“Hmm…”

Apparently their first meeting had not been particularly pleasant, because Marsen hesitated.

Hereis answered instead.

“At the time, he wasn’t the Duke yet—just the heir. I became interested in our young heir’s upright character and attached myself to him. He wasn’t a mage, but there was something rather unique about his aura.”

Damn it.

Translated into a single sentence, Hereis’s explanation meant:

He interested me.

The hereditary witch’s curse carried by House Esteban.

Hereis had sensed it and developed a one-sided fascination, eventually pursuing a friendship because of it.

Of course.

There’s no way my brother would willingly be friends with someone whose personality is that rotten otherwise.

Mariela felt only half relieved.

It was good to know her brother wasn’t secretly insane.

The problem was that she saw no way to escape Hereis’s attention.

A reincarnated witch who had been adopted into the very family she had once cursed.

From the perspective of a twisted dragon, what could possibly be more entertaining?

At this rate, that bastard is going to keep hanging around House Esteban until the day I die.

And if he discovered she still remembered her past life?

He would torment her ten times worse.

For the sake of both House Esteban and her own mental health, Mariela resolved never to reveal that she retained memories of her previous life.

With that determination, she somehow survived the uncomfortable dinner.

That night, as expected, Mariela found it impossible to sleep.

What exactly do I need to do for him to lose interest in me and the Esteban family?

House Esteban’s revival had been pushed aside by this far more immediate concern.

If his personality were merely difficult, I could probably manipulate him somehow.

But that guy…

Anyone other than Shyloi would never be able to handle him.

Frowning, she rolled around in bed.

Completely unaware that something shadow-like was slowly crawling through her window.

Once inside the room, it moved from the curtains’ shadows to the shadows beneath a table, gradually approaching her bed.

“Damn it, stupid Hereis!”

“It saddens me to hear such harsh words coming from a beautiful young lady.”

“Eek!”

The moment a smooth voice answered her irritated muttering—

Mariela’s heart nearly stopped.

“H-How did you get in here…?”

A man stood beside her bed.

The silver-haired man who had been dining with them only hours ago.

Although she asked the question, Mariela already knew the answer.

The person before her was a White Dragon whose magical mastery was only slightly inferior to Shyloi’s.

He used detection or tracking magic to locate my room, concealed himself with stealth magic, then teleported in.

The knowledge remained.

Unfortunately, her current body lacked the abilities to match it.

That was why she kept getting caught off guard.

Mariela shot upright and gritted her teeth.

“Entering a lady’s bedroom in the middle of the night without permission. How incredibly rude, Young Marquis. I thought you were a gentleman among gentlemen. Was I mistaken?”

A frightened noble lady surprised by an unexpected intruder.

That was the role she needed to play.

As long as he intends to continue his dragon pastime of living among humans, he can’t be completely unreasonable… right?

“…You truly didn’t notice my presence?”

Tilting his head, Hereis seemed puzzled.

Then realization crossed his face.

“I see. Your body is different from before, so your senses have deteriorated considerably. Interesting.”

Mariela felt a chill run down her spine.

This insane dragon understood the situation far too well.

“I’ll give you one chance. Leave quietly right now, and I’ll pretend none of this happened.”

She glared at him and spoke clearly.

A slow smile spread across Hereis’s lips.

“But something has already happened. How can we pretend otherwise?”

Moonlight streamed through the window, making his golden eyes appear even more mysterious.

Within them danced amusement, mockery, and the sharp observation of a predator.

Mariela felt as though she had stepped into the opening chapter of a horror novel.

Without realizing it, she swallowed nervously.

Then Hereis casually pointed toward the corner of the room.

“For someone who’s supposedly only mildly interested in magic, you’ve been training quite diligently.”

A few small stones sat on the floor, lightly dusted with white powder.

They looked insignificant.

Even Betty, who entered the room regularly, had never paid them much attention.

Yet Hereis immediately identified them.

Any proper witch or mage would have.

The arrangement was a mana-concentration device designed to gather ambient mana and make training easier for beginners.

To a non-mage, it looked like a childish game.

To a practitioner, its purpose was obvious.

A mage failing to recognize a mana-gathering array would be absurd.

“…I want to improve myself and help my family! Is it wrong to work hard?”

“Of course not.”

Hereis smiled crookedly.

“I simply find it fascinating. How does a young lady who supposedly only recently began studying magic happen to know such an ancient mana-training method?”

Ah.

Shit.