Joseph was a private magic tutor hired by Duke and Duchess Hugo for Arasila.

As a wizard belonging to the magic tower, he mentioned her a few times to Philip when he noticed the noble young lady he was teaching showed extraordinary talent.

Intrigued by this, Philip came to meet Arasila when he had business at the academy.

‘Ho ho ho, I’d like to see your talent. Would that be possible?’

‘Then what’s in it for me?’

‘You could enter the magic tower.’

Arasila’s eyes sparkled. She was already aiming to enter the magic tower after graduating from the academy.

If she could impress Philip here and get scouted for the magic tower, it would be an unbeatable gain.

‘Born with a large amount of magical power, possessing magical sensitivity, and above all, being able to freely handle your own magic at such a young age. You’re amazing, just as Joseph said.’

‘Did Joseph praise me a lot?’

‘Yes, he told me you’d enter the magic tower someday. Though he probably didn’t know that someday would come so soon.’

Philip was genuinely impressed by Arasila’s talent that exceeded his expectations. To the point where he wanted to personally nurture this child, beyond simply bringing her into the magic tower.

Before becoming the head of the magic tower, he especially focused on training disciples. He found it very enjoyable and fun to teach someone and cultivate their talent.

But after becoming the leader of the magic tower, he had too much to do, and it became burdensome to keep only a few wizards as direct disciples under him, so he refrained from doing so.

Now that he was old enough to look towards retirement, wouldn’t it be alright to take Arasila as his last disciple?

‘I’d like to make you my disciple. Ho ho, what do you think?’

‘Okay, I’m going to be the head of the magic tower later.’

Arasila replied boldly. Philip liked her even more for that response.

As she grew older, her dream became more specific. To become the first female head of the magic tower.

In fact, the reason she came to dream of becoming the head of the magic tower was simple. Because it’s the highest position a wizard can reach in the empire.

The desire to be the most successful in the world doing what you love is something everyone has.

After becoming Philip’s disciple, Arasila underwent intensive training. Since Joseph had only taught her basic and non-dangerous magic, this was her first time receiving proper instruction.

‘Arasila, isn’t it hard?’

‘I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion, Master.’

‘Ho ho, what a weak thing to say. How could I use you if you’re struggling with just this much?’

‘No, then why did you ask if it’s hard?’

As Arasila, who had collapsed on the floor with all her energy drained, grumbled, Philip quietly laughed and answered.

‘In case you wanted to give up.’

‘I don’t do things like giving up. I’ve been chasing my dream since I was little. And I’ll endure even to show those who looked down on me.’

She clearly remembered the reactions of people who scoffed when she declared she would become the head of the magic tower beyond just being an excellent wizard.

Arasila wanted to show them. How she achieves her dream.

She also wanted to repay the people around her who cheered and supported her. Those small acts of faith firmly supported Arasila’s footsteps.

But…

There were more people in the world who didn’t believe in her than those who did. Even those who had believed in her turned their backs on her after this incident.

‘Was I really dreaming an impossible dream?’

When she was unexpectedly cast out from the magic tower, a fundamental sense of doubt crept in. That she had dedicated her life to a futile dream.

She even began to doubt if she might have been an inadequate person to break through the prejudices of the magic tower and become its first female head.

A huge hole formed in her chest that had been full of will and hope for her dream. As her belief in herself wavered, she couldn’t find her center.

‘Maybe this path wasn’t meant for me after all.’

Through the cracks in Arasila’s psyche, which had lived with high self-esteem and pride, self-deprecating thoughts kept flowing in and eroding her.

Faced with emotions she had never experienced before, she was helplessly corroded, unable to even properly defend herself.

‘In the end, maybe this was my limit…’

Unable to escape the doubts she had aimed at herself, Arasila locked herself in her room as if locking the doors of her heart.

She couldn’t even gauge how many days she had been like this already.

Just lying on the bed staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes today as well, there was a knock knock sound from outside.

“Audrey, I have a lot on my mind, so could you come back later?”

Arasila moved her lips weakly and spoke in a subdued voice.

The only one who regularly visited her room was Audrey, so she naturally assumed it was her who had come.

Knock knock knock.

“…?”

But it was strange. Normally, Audrey would have answered that she understood, but her voice wasn’t heard.

Instead, there was one more knock sound, and then the sound of footsteps leaving was heard.

Puzzled, Arasila stared blankly at the doorway and then struggled to raise her dry body. She realized that the two knocks meant to open the door and check.

Creak. Through the slightly opened door, a small box appeared. What’s this? Arasila picked up the box with a dazed face.

Opening the box elegantly wrapped with a blue ribbon, a sword-shaped necklace decorated with diamonds appeared.

“This is…”

Arasila immediately recognized the shape of the sword. It looked exactly like Demian’s sword. It must have been modeled after his.

Below the necklace was a folded letter card. She took out the card and unfolded it. The writing on the palm-sized paper was brief.

“You are the first wizard I have acknowledged.”

No more, no less, just that one line was written in Demian’s characteristically neat handwriting.

An unexpected gift with an unexpected letter. Arasila unconsciously let out a small laugh and muttered.

“Really, so you’re telling me to have pride, or what…”

Unlike her grumbling tone, her voice trembled faintly at the end.

She knew what it meant for a knight to gift a sword to someone.

That they trust that person completely, enough to give them a sword as precious as their life.

Demian had given that trust to Arasila the wizard. He could have given it to his wife, it would have been more convenient and better for him…

Arasila’s hand holding the card tightened. Demian knew. That the Arasila who needed faith and support right now was the wizard, not the wife.

Demian filled the hole that seemed impossible to fill. That fact instantly pulled Arasila up from her deep depression.

“Ha, really… There’s no helping it. Since the great Red Fox Knights Commander says I’m the first wizard he’s acknowledged.”

A gleam returned to the empty blue eyes. The plump lips curved into a smooth arc, and the body that had been limp straightened up with a straight back.

Yes, I can’t give up like this.

No matter what others say, I’ll decide my own path, and whatever the end may be, I’ll walk towards it.

Arasila took the necklace out of the box and put it on. Then she rang the bell to call someone.

As the bell sound rang from her room after a long time, the sound of someone rushing over was heard. Soon, Audrey appeared, out of breath.

“My, My lady! Did you call?!”

“Yes, Audrey. Could you prepare a meal? One needs strength to use their brain, you know.”

Arasila said with a bright smile. With eyes sparkling like stars and an aura full of vitality. Audrey covered her mouth and nodded.

Our lady is back!

An endless echo of joy reverberated in her mouth.

The first thing Arasila did after getting up was to gather information related to the scandal.

She had already heard through Audrey that Demian was taking care of the lamp incident. Then she needed to uncover the truth behind the scandal that tarnished her reputation.

Which bastard spread such rumors.

First, she needed to know the process and cause of how the scandal broke out. She had been close with Frederick for a long time, so there must be a reason why the scandal erupted now.

Feeling it would be difficult to dig into that fact alone, Arasila decided to ask her family for help.

“Mom, Dad, Sister. Can you help me? I want to know how I ended up in a scandal with Frederick.”

“Oh my, of course. Your mom and dad were always ready to step up for our daughter.”

“Me too, Ari. I’ll definitely catch whoever tarnished your honor.”

They welcomed Arasila’s request for help and jumped in wholeheartedly. In fact, they had already finished some preparations before her contact came.

Iris was in the process of collecting rumors circulating in high society to find the original source, and Duke and Duchess Hugo had uncovered the weaknesses of the newspaper president who first reported the scandal.

Arasila visited the newspaper company with the president’s weakness that her parents had given her.

“We’re not close enough to exchange greetings, so I’ll cut to the chase. I hear rumors that your son has recently been involved with illegally distributed drugs. Should I report it to the authorities?”

At that, the newspaper president’s face turned pale blue.

He had raised his only son with all sorts of care, but his child-rearing had completely failed.

If it became known that he had been involved with legally prohibited drugs, his son would receive a prison sentence, and the whole family would suffer public condemnation.

For the sake of his son’s and his own future, as well as that of the whole family, he had to prevent that at all costs.

“No, Lady Vandermir! Please have mercy. I’ll do anything you want!”

He prostrated himself on the ground and pleaded, his head half-bald. Arasila gestured for him to get up.

She quietly watched as he sat down across from her hesitantly, then asked.

“Why did you publish the scandal about Frederick and me?”

“Well… We received a tip that you two were in that kind of relationship.”

“Who tipped you off?”

The newspaper president didn’t answer right away. After hesitating for a long time, as Arasila shook her head and made a gesture as if she was about to get up, he spat out the name of the informant.

“White! It was someone from the White Marquis family!”

“…Ha.”

Arasila let out a laugh of disbelief as soon as that tiresome name popped out.

The daughter of that house had already tried to frame her once before and faced backlash. Yet they didn’t get tired and pulled another trick.

Later, the same name flowed from Iris, who had traced the source of the high society rumors.

“The instigator was Lady White. It seems she’s still going around inciting people to keep interest and curiosity about the scandal alive.”

“So her claim of reflecting on her actions was a lie after all.”

But I didn’t expect her to try to stab me like this as soon as I returned. And boldly enough to even drag the crown prince into it.

Arasila sank into serious thought alone. She had found out the scandal informant and the instigator of the rumors, but something still felt unsettling.

‘No matter how much she wants me to fall, I don’t think she’d think of implicating Frederick unless she’s gone mad…’

It was on a whole different level from when she had tried to attack Arasila by entangling the noble young master before. If she made a mistake, she could be punished for insulting the royal family.

It didn’t make sense that the whole family would risk their lives to also implicate the crown prince just because of ill feelings towards her.

‘I don’t understand why the White Marquis couple would join in their daughter’s immature desire for revenge instead of stopping it. Unless there’s someone backing them, it’s really strange behavior.’

They don’t have great power like the three duke families, so there must be something they’re relying on to pull such a reckless act.

For example, royalty or nobles who want to keep Frederick in check.

‘But I’m not in a position to dig into those people one by one right now…’

Arasila, who had come up with the fastest way to find those in league with the White Marquis family, curled her lips up crookedly.

These days, Nora’s daily routine was simple.

Attending one to three parties a day and making statements stirring up Arasila’s scandal.

She mostly met with families closely connected to her own family or the Lester Duke family, but occasionally young ladies who weren’t close to Nora would invite her too.

They wanted to hear something interesting from her, who had a hostile relationship with Arasila, who was recently at the center of controversy.

‘Well, the more people who like to gossip, the better for me.’

Thinking this, Nora was checking the invitation that had arrived for her when she noticed something and paused for a moment.

An expression of surprise appeared on her face, which had been indifferent until then.

‘…Lady Harriet invited me?’

Lady Harriet could be considered the representative of young ladies who followed the Duchess of Kiston. And she had sent an invitation to Nora.

She was someone with quite wide connections and influence among her peers, so it wouldn’t hurt to build a relationship with her.

The problem was that Arasila was also in the Duchess’s circle that she belonged to.

Nora, who clearly remembered how Arasila had driven her out with the Duchess’s backing, hesitated to accept the invitation.

After much deliberation, she sent a reply declining, but another letter came. With completely unexpected contents.

“I want to know Lady Vandermir’s true face too. I think I could have a sincere conversation with Lady White, so please do come.”