IWMHWD 38

<Chapter 38> Maximilian
2023.12.08

Fortunately, it seemed the worst had passed. The scowl that had been plastered on Leonard’s face eased slightly. Just as Cordelia let out a quiet sigh of relief, Baron appeared.

“Lady Cordelia, you’ve returned.”

“Baron. Haa… I honestly thought I was going to die today. Loti, I missed you!”

“Heh heh. Did something happen?”

At the sight of Baron, Cordelia couldn’t hold back her bottled-up frustration. As if a dam had broken, her emotions came pouring out. Stroking Loti’s back, she began recounting everything that had happened.

She told him about being ignored at the entrance because she didn’t understand what a seal was, being dragged away by Seiriuses like Menufio, and how she ended up at Maximilian’s lab where she was nearly poisoned with lamb meat.

“Oh my goodness. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m okay. Maximilian… he killed his own student instead.”

“That bastard hasn’t changed a bit.”

“I survived thanks to Master. If it weren’t for the peanut spell, I would’ve eaten it without a second thought.”

“It wasn’t a peanut spell—it was identification magic… well, either way, my harsh training finally paid off.”

Leonard spoke, arms crossed.

For once, Cordelia nodded earnestly at her master’s words. Had it not been for him, she might really have died.

“But when he saw my seal, he immediately realized it hadn’t been engraved long ago. Then he started asking where my master was, saying you must still be alive.”

“Tsk.”

Baron’s expression immediately turned grave.

“Can someone really tell when a seal was made just by looking at it?”

“It’s possible. But how would Maximilian know that? It’s Acheron’s seal.”

“What if he follows me? What if he finds out you’re alive, Master…?”

Cordelia anxiously stomped her feet. Knowing him, he could have had someone tail her. She began to worry they should leave Willas immediately.

“What’s done is done. If someone’s tailing you, we’ll just get rid of them. Did you check the lab? Did you get everything?”

“Oh, right. Yes. I brought everything you asked for.”

Leonard didn’t seem too concerned, which helped calm Cordelia a bit.

She hurriedly pulled out the carefully kept pouch and handed it to him. Leonard peeked inside, then let out a short smile.

“Well done. And how’s Cyclops doing?”

“Cyclops? Ah, you mean Sir Candias? He’s doing well. He also believes you’re still alive.”

“Of course he does. Candias and I are contracted, so—wait a minute. That bracelet… where have I seen that before?”

Leonard’s gaze fell on Cordelia’s left wrist.

Cordelia quickly hid her left hand behind her back and decided to play innocent.

“What? This? I, uh, just bought it at the market nearby.”

“Show me again. It looks weirdly familiar. I swear I’ve seen that somewhere.”

“There’s nothing to see. It’s just a common bracelet.”

“Come on. Just let me see your hand real quick.”

While Cordelia and Leonard were bickering, Veluce entered the inn.

He observed the two for a moment, then strode over and grabbed Cordelia’s left wrist, twisting it forward.

“Ah!”

The problem was that the direction he twisted it was unnatural. Cordelia screamed and staggered. The pain in her reversed wrist was so intense she could hardly breathe.

Meanwhile, Veluce looked emotionless as if he had just caught an ant. He dragged her wrist over and presented it to Leonard.

“Veluce!”

“This is it. The treasure of Evrad. The bracelet you’ve been searching for over a year.”

“Let go of her hand.”

“You said once this bracelet is worn, it can’t be removed unless the recognized owner dies. Should I just cut her wrist off to be sure?”

Veluce pulled out a dagger from his cloak with his free hand. Leonard immediately snatched Cordelia away from him.

Cordelia was in such pain that tears were streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.

“It hurts… it really hurts.”

“Endure it.”

Leonard muttered a short incantation over her wrist, causing a white light to flicker briefly before fading.

The pain subsided considerably, though not completely. Baron gently touched her wrist and sighed.

“Luckily, it’s not broken, but the muscles are quite shocked.”

“This woman touched Master’s possession without permission. And not just anything—Evrad’s treasure.”

“So what?”

Leonard helped Cordelia into a chair, then glared sharply at Veluce.

“Cordelia is my disciple. Do you still not understand what that means?”

“Master, you only accepted her as your disciple because—”

“Veluce.”

This time, Baron cut him off, stepping between them. He calmly addressed Veluce.

“That’s enough. You should go rest.”

“Rest? No. Apologize to Cordelia properly.”

“To a thief? You expect me to bow to her?”

With a loud thud, Veluce was sent flying. The chair and table behind him crashed to the floor. Cordelia was so startled that her tears stopped instantly.

Leonard’s face was as cold as ice. Without a word, he gestured to Cordelia with his chin.

Veluce wiped the blood pooling in his mouth with his sleeve and calmly stood up. He approached Cordelia and bowed with noticeable sincerity.

“I apologize for laying hands on you.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

Cordelia also gave a half-bow in return. Veluce bowed deeply to Leonard, then went upstairs to his room.

Baron fetched some medicine from somewhere and carefully applied it to Cordelia’s wrist.

“Try not to use your wrist for a few days.”

“Okay. Thank you, Baron.”

Cordelia glanced at Leonard nervously and then hesitantly spoke.

“Master… Actually… I really was going to just try it on for a second and take it off. But it shrank so quickly—”

“Forget it. I didn’t really need it anyway.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched it.”

Cordelia hung her head, speaking in a small, dejected voice. Leonard let out a brief sigh.

“It’s no big deal. Forget it. Go get some rest. We leave early tomorrow morning.”

The fact that he let it go so lightly made her feel even more guilty. Cordelia got up awkwardly, bowed, and quietly returned to her room.

The next day, the group left the inn just as the sun rose. They were usually quiet, but today was especially silent. Cordelia wondered if it was because of yesterday and kept even more to herself. Loti followed at her heels.

The territory of Diloana could only be reached by taking a ship south from the Willas archipelago.

Which meant they would be leaving the Northern Continent entirely.

The Southern Continent used different currency, language, and culture altogether. Cordelia felt both nervous and excited.

Thankfully, she knew how to speak Bedos, the language commonly used in the South.

“You speak Bedos?”

Baron looked surprised when he heard this. Cordelia responded casually.

“Yeah. My nanny was from Yeratcus. A devout follower of the Leman faith. She taught me a lot—things like religious doctrine and etiquette.”

“That’s fascinating. Baskes is in the far north of Ersche. A Yeratcus native making it that far north is rare.”

“Apparently, she used to be a high-ranking priestess in Lemanism, but lost a power struggle and ended up wandering until she reached Baskes.”

“I guess even a country devoted to God has its political dramas.”

While chatting lightly with Baron, they reached the harbor. Veluce had been silently carrying luggage but suddenly stopped in his tracks and sharply scanned the surroundings.

“What is it, Veluce?”

“I don’t know… something feels off. Like someone’s watching us.”

“You think we’re being followed?”

“I don’t think it’s that, but…”

Veluce trailed off, still keeping a close eye on the surroundings. It was still dawn, so the docks were nearly empty.

“Maybe I’m imagining it.”

Cordelia watched him cautiously as she carried her own luggage.

“Once we get to Angsen, we’ll buy new clothes, a carriage, and supplies, and then head further south.”

“Even clothes?”

“Never been to the Southern Continent, huh? It’s going to be twice as hot as here. You’ll understand when we arrive.”

Baron’s warning felt ominously real. Cordelia, who already found Willas unbearably hot, couldn’t imagine how she’d survive double the heat.

She decided to throw out her winter coat and buy some light clothes.

As she was sorting through what to keep and what to toss in the cabin, someone knocked on the door.

When she opened it, the last person she expected was standing there.

“They said to come up for a meal.”

“Oh, uh… thanks, Veluce.”

With one arm still recovering, she hadn’t finished unpacking. She hesitated at the entrance, unsure if she should go now, when Veluce frowned.

“What are you doing? Move.”

“I-I’m coming.”

Prompted by his glare, Cordelia quickly shut the door and followed behind him.

“Um, about yesterday…”

“…”

“I wasn’t trying to steal the bracelet. I just thought it was pretty and wanted to try it on once. I didn’t know it wouldn’t come off.”

“I don’t care. If you die, I’ll just retrieve it from your corpse.”

“…Wow. So you’re definitely attending my funeral, huh.”

Cordelia tried to reconcile, but soon gave up. No matter what she did, Veluce was never friendly to anyone but Leonard.

“Don’t get cocky just because Master treats you special.”

“When did I ever act cocky?”

“Once we reach Diloana’s territory, it’ll all be over anyway.”

Cordelia trudged along behind him, but her ears perked up at that remark. Over? That word stuck with her.

“Over? What do you mean?”

“…”

“Tell me. What do you mean by that?”

“It’s none of your business.”

He abruptly turned away and quickened his pace. Cordelia ran ahead of him to block his path.