Chapter 2​42: Intertwining Intentions 3

​After moving his personal belongings into the Director's office and finally feeling at ease, Ben Draco was wearing a troubled expression in front of Petra Muirulainen, who had arrived without warning.

​"That's bad."

​"Yeah, I think so too. I want to analyze it without anyone knowing, but given the location, it's quite difficult."

​Petra also had a complex expression.

​Normally, neither Ben nor Petra showed much emotion. It wasn't because they’d been educated like high-ranking nobles, but simply a matter of personality. However, this time, they couldn't afford to keep up appearances and had grim expressions.

​"Since few sorcerers have business in the Director's and Vice-Director's offices, I'll have to come up with some reason to ban entry."

​Ben muttered to himself after thinking for a while. Petra nodded.

​What Petra had told Ben was about the curse circle on the wall of the corridor leading to their offices. Belasta had discovered it when he visited Petra the other day, and Petra had later checked the circle when no one was looking.

​"I think that's for the best. The circle itself had a trick that made it invisible to most people, so it's better if it stays unnoticed."

​"And the definition for that?"

​"A being with less than a certain amount of mana."

​Ben's eyes widened slightly. It was true that Belasta, Ben, and Petra had a lot of mana. Even compared to the sorcerers in the Ministry of Magic, they had more. But Petra’s expression didn't brighten. To Ben’s questioning gaze, Petra continued flatly.

​"Actually, it seems I would have originally been classified as someone on the 'invisible' side. I could only catch a glimpse of it because the circle itself had become unstable—but I couldn't analyze it, so I had to use a mana stone."

​"So you made the circle hallucinate the amount of mana with a stone?"

​"Right."

​As Petra nodded simply, Ben said, "I see."

​"Muirulainen, you know more about curse circles, but in terms of pure mana quantity, I have more. Let's go analyze it together at the same time. During the time we ban entry... how about during the Ministry of Magic's entrance exam?"

​"Yeah, I think that's good."

​The entrance exam for the Ministry of Magic was coming up soon. At that time, many sorcerers working at the Ministry would take time off. Only those involved in the entrance exam or those with a lot of work would show up. Therefore, banning entry to part of the Ministry shouldn't be a problem. And even if something went wrong with the curse circle, the damage would be minimized if there weren't many people around.

​"So," Ben asked Petra casually. He had no intention of heading into the analysis without any prior knowledge.

​Above all, Ben hadn't even recognized the existence of the curse circle that Belasta had found and Petra had tried to analyze. For there to be a circle within the Ministry of Magic building that Ben, the former Vice-Director and current Director, didn't know about was an emergency in itself. Moreover, the circle was said to be 'only recognizable by those with a certain amount of mana,' which was suspicious beyond belief. To be honest, it was a stroke of luck that Petra, who had gone to analyze it alone, was safe.

​"Did you find out anything else?"

​"Not much. At least I found that the curse circle itself was made with a very old formula. Also, that it requires an abnormal amount of mana to operate."

​"Meaning, if it starts moving, it could cause immense damage."

​Ben muttered with a sigh. Basically, the more mana a magic or curse circle required, the greater its effect when activated.

​And there was one more thing that bothered Ben.

​"A very old formula means analysis and dispelling will be difficult."

​"I think there's a high possibility of that. Honestly, I know it's old, but I'm not confident I can actually analyze it."

​Petra, hearing Ben’s mutter, answered bitterly, though she prefaced it with 'I won't know for sure until I take a good look.' Ben thought further.

​The person in the Slibegrad Kingdom most knowledgeable about sorcery was Petra. If she couldn't analyze it, no one else could. In the first place, recognizing the curse circle required a vast amount of mana. Since Petra could only barely perceive it, Ben was likely in a similar state. Belasta seemed to have found it easily, but it was unclear how unstable the circle had been when he found it. While Belasta certainly had more mana than Ben or Petra, it was only 'slightly' more.

​"Muirulainen, I just thought of something."

​"What?"

​Petra tilted her head and looked at Ben. Before her watchful gaze, Ben wore a look of intense dissatisfaction. He must have thought of an option that, while a possibility, was something he wanted to avoid as much as possible.

​Though he’d started, Ben fell silent again. Petra waited without a word. Eventually, Ben spoke with some difficulty.

​"......There's someone we know whose mana is greater than ours, who can keep a secret, and who is somewhat familiar with sorcery, right?"

​'She might be able to help,' Ben said implicitly. Petra’s eyes widened. She stared at Ben as if she couldn't believe it. Even without a specific name, she immediately knew who Ben was suggesting.

​—Liliana Alexandra Clark.

​Ben seemed serious, as his expression didn't change. His eyes reflected the responsibility of the Director of the Ministry of Magic, rather than Ben Draco. Petra understood he was caught between his personal feelings and his duty as Director. But that didn't mean she could immediately agree.

​"You're going to bring that girl to a place like this?"

​"Not right away. We'll try analyzing it once ourselves, and then we'll consider it if it seems necessary."

​Ben’s words, spoken bitterly, were firm. Realizing there was no room for compromise, Petra reluctantly nodded.

​If the curse circle Belasta found was placed there with the intent to harm the Ministry or the Kingdom, they had to dispel and neutralize it no matter what. If recognizing the circle required a vast amount of mana, there was certainly no better candidate than Liliana.

​Seeing Petra express her dissatisfaction with her whole face, Ben let out a bitter smile.

​"Don't look like that. I don't want to do it either."

​"I know."

​For both Petra and Ben, the Ministry of Magic was by no means a comfortable place. Even now, after the sorcerers who had been cold to Ben and Petra, led by Nicolas Bergson, had been purged, the discomfort remained. There was no way they wanted to bring Liliana to such a place.

​Of course, Liliana herself wouldn't mind at all. She wouldn't feel uncomfortable about the place itself, nor would she feel offended that Petra and Ben were trying to use her. Since they’d known each other a long time, it was easy to imagine. Liliana would surely put on her usual smile and move exactly as Ben and Petra wanted, as if nothing had happened. For her, the reason 'because it's necessary' would be enough. As a result, she wouldn't even mind if her own life was in danger.

​Of course, that had saved them many times. The biggest incident was undoubtedly the stampede that occurred near the royal capital. If Liliana hadn't teleported there herself, neither Petra, Belasta, nor Tania would have been safe. Petra would have almost certainly lost her life, or even if she’d survived, she wouldn't have been in one piece.

​And the fact that the largest-scale stampede was suppressed so quickly was also due to Liliana’s brave actions.

​However, if the suppression of the stampede had failed—Liliana would surely have vanished from this world.

​Ben Draco, who heard the story later, had been speechless before he could feel happy, and Petra, who had regained consciousness, had been angry even while thanking Liliana. Since time had passed without a chance to speak slowly with Liliana, she still hadn't been able to complain, but even now she felt she might get angry if she had the chance.

​Still, Liliana would surely give her usual smile and nod to Petra and the others as they told her to 'cherish yourself more,' and in the end, she would probably do the same thing again.

​"—I hate how she seems like she'd die so easily if something happened," Petra muttered bitterly. Ben nodded slightly in agreement.

​"She said she didn't want to die, but it's true that if she weighed various things and decided 'this is the best course,' she seems like she'd easily sacrifice herself."

​"So," Ben added, unconsciously lowering his voice. "Calling her is the last resort."

​Petra nodded clearly this time. Even so, in the end, they would probably end up calling Liliana—Petra couldn't help but feel that way.

​◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

​On a clear afternoon, Liliana was heading for the royal palace. Her purpose, of course, was to see Riley. She had met him regularly since she was a candidate for his fiancée, but the frequency had increased since they were officially engaged. And the number of meetings had increased even more after the 'Investiture Ceremony.'

​It wasn't that Liliana wanted it that way. Ever since she remembered her past life, she had tried her best to avoid the love interests, including the Crown Prince, but reality didn't go as planned.

​(And he’s become even more enthusiastic ever since I almost had a mana rampage and collapsed.)

​Liliana reflected.

​Until then, Riley had cared about Liliana to some extent, but he had basically respected her wishes. However, ever since Liliana’s health had faltered, he seemed to want her where he could see her as much as possible, and even if Liliana refused, he had begun to force his opinion through. Because of his status as the Crown Prince, it was difficult, but if he could, he seemed ready to barge into the mansion where Liliana lived.

​However, this time, it was unusually Liliana who had requested a meeting. Liliana had in her hand the letter Obsidian had obtained, sent from Earl Koepke of the neighboring country to Marquess Shaun Tanner of the Kingdom. Liliana intended to entrust that letter to Riley.

​(At first, I started the investigation because Gild asked me to, but after that, I was asked to cooperate by Will.)

​A major incident involving a noble of a neighboring country and a powerful noble of her own country was too much for Liliana to handle. All Liliana could do was have Obsidian look into who Earl Koepke was entrusting the immigrants from the North to. The results of that wouldn't come out immediately.

​Jolted by the carriage, she entered the royal palace grounds, greeted the guards she knew, and headed for Riley’s office. Gild followed behind her. Since he started coming to the royal palace with Liliana, he had shown a displeased air the moment the palace came into view. But he was used to it now, and he had reached a point where he would exchange a silent nod with those he knew.

​Reaching Riley’s office, Liliana asked the attendant to announce her. Since she had said she would visit in advance, she was shown in without much of a wait. Riley was at his desk, but he stood up with a smile when he saw Liliana.

​"Sasha, I'm glad you came."

​"I am honored that you have made time for me today."

​"I'll make as much time as you want if you say you want to see me."

​Riley answered cheerfully and invited Liliana to the sofa. Liliana sat down obediently, keeping a slight distance from Riley, who sat next to her. Riley didn't seem to mind and took a sip of the tea the attendant had prepared. There were tea cakes in front of Liliana.

​"My, what unusual sweets."

​Liliana couldn't help but widen her eyes. The tea cakes were something she hadn't seen in the Slibegrad Kingdom. However, Liliana originally had no interest in food. Therefore, there was a possibility that they were widely eaten and she just didn't know it. But her impression seemed to be correct. Riley nodded, his eyes softening.

​"That's right. The Duchess of Blomberg sent them to me. Apparently, they can't normally be preserved, but they can be kept for a long time if a magic tool is used."

​"A magic tool?"

​Liliana tilted her head. Riley nodded, stood up, and took a small bag from a drawer in his desk. Returning to the sofa, he offered the bag. Watching Liliana take it and open it, Riley said happily.

​"I thought you'd surely like it, Sasha. I kept it because I wanted to show you."

​"I see. Thank you very much."

​After saying her thanks, Liliana took a small magic tool from the bag. The magic tool was a thin, small disk. It was about the size of her palm, with a mana stone embedded in the center. The mana stone had no mana in it now and was just a stone.

​"Try putting some mana into the mana stone."

​At Riley's words, Liliana poured just a tiny bit of mana into the stone. It was a very small amount for Liliana, but enough for a normal person. And the moment power was put into the stone, Liliana’s eyes widened slightly at the change that occurred.

​"—It's cold."

​"Right. Apparently, it's a magic tool for cooling things."

​Riley laughed happily.

​While her face was one of surprise, Liliana felt complex. If she compared it to her knowledge from her past life, this was a cold pack. In a world without magic, highly advanced scientific technology would be needed to make a cold pack that could keep food fresh for several days. Even if it were necessary, there would be no way to make it. But in a world where magic existed, there was no need to wait for scientific technology to develop like in Liliana’s past life. The range of what could be made with magic would develop even without waiting for the Industrial Revolution.

​Recovering herself, Liliana put the magic tool back in the bag. Then she returned the bag to Riley and spoke.

​"Once this magic tool can be mass-produced, it will be useful in many situations."

​"I think so too. The food situation will change, and it might be useful in blacksmith shops. You could find many other uses for it."

​Riley, who took the bag from Liliana, said happily as he put it back in the desk drawer and returned to Liliana. Then he sat on the sofa and encouraged her to eat the tea cakes. Liliana obediently ate the cakes. They weren't too sweet and were easy to eat.

​Riley's aunt, Duchess Henrietta Blomberg, had been sending gifts from time to time, and the cakes she chose were always to Riley's and Liliana's liking.

​"Is it good?"

​"Yes."

​Liliana nodded simply to Riley's question. Seeing that, Riley broke into a happy smile and said, "I'm glad you like it." Then he eagerly ate a cake himself. Looking at his slightly loosened cheeks, Riley also seemed to like the tea cakes that had been sent.

​"Depending on the price, this would surely be accepted in the Kingdom as well."

​"Yeah, apparently my aunt is thinking of exporting it to our country too."

​"—Is it a specialty of the Duchy of Blomberg?"

​"Not quite a specialty, but apparently my aunt came up with it."

​It seemed the House of Blomberg had a monopoly on the selling rights. In that case, Liliana understood that if Riley and Liliana asked, they would surely prioritize sending the goods to the Kingdom.

​Ever since they greeted each other at the 'Investiture Ceremony,' the Duke and Duchess of Blomberg had been doting on not only Riley but Liliana as well. From time to time, letters had started coming to Liliana as well.

​Seeing Liliana unable to hide her confusion, Riley had laughed and told her, "There's no ulterior motive, so don't worry." Liliana couldn't say she truly believed him, but since then she had been careful not to worry too much, yet not to be rude.

​"So, Sasha," Riley said after finishing his cakes and taking a breath. "You said in your letter that you had urgent business. What happened?"

​Riley directed a probing look toward Liliana. Receiving his clear gaze that seemed to see through everything head-on, Liliana smiled serenely.

​"I have brought good news for us."

​"—For us?"

​The subtle phrasing seemed to bother Riley, as his brow twitched. Liliana nodded slightly and turned to Gild. As if he’d been waiting, Gild, who had been standing by the wall with his presence hidden, immediately approached Liliana. Then he offered a single letter to her.

​Taking the letter from Gild, Liliana handed it to Riley. Frown lines appeared on Riley's brow as he saw the addressee.

​"—Marquess Tanner?"

​"Yes, and the sender is on the back."

​Following Liliana’s words and looking at the back, Riley gasped.

​It was the letter from Earl Koepke that Obsidian had brought back.

—-

Toc

Chapter 243