The world began to shake chaotically.

As everything swirled before Riley’s eyes, her stomach churned, and eventually, dizziness and headaches set in. Riley closed her eyes and covered her neck. Then, struggling to resume breathing somehow, she wheezed.

At that moment, Ban gently cupped Riley’s face with both hands.

“Look at me.”

“…….”

“Calm down, and follow my lead, breathe slowly. Like this.”

Hoo, ha. Ban gestured for Riley to imitate him, slowly and deeply inhaling and exhaling. Perplexed, Riley started to follow Ban, breathing slowly.

About a minute passed like that. Riley’s breathing returned to normal, her heartbeat regained a regular pace, and the dizziness disappeared.

When Riley calmed down a bit, Ban wiped the sweat off her forehead and sighed softly.

“How are you feeling?”

“…I feel calmer now.”

“Thank goodness.”

Has she ever been this shocked by seeing a carriage?

Riley found this situation incredibly bewildering. Although she lost her father in a carriage accident, she thought the trauma from that incident wouldn’t be significant.

She used to see carriages on the road without feeling anything, and she even rode carriages quite frequently.

This was the first time she had such an abnormal reaction upon seeing a carriage.

“If a carriage is about to run into you, either dodge it or use magic. Why stand still foolishly?”

“…For a moment, my body stiffened, and I couldn’t move.”

“Why does this keep happening to you every time you see something? Are you reckless, or are you naturally unlucky?”

“I’m sorry. This is the first time something like this has happened to me…”

Ban sighed and led Riley by the hand to a nearby cafe. After ordering a refreshing drink, he handed Riley a fruit juice with plenty of ice.

“Drink this and calm down.”

“Thank you, I always feel indebted to you.”

“Yeah, by this point, I’m starting to wonder if it’s not intentional.”

“…It’s not like that. But how did we end up here…?”

At Riley’s question, Ban flinched and then snapped at her.

“Why, what’s wrong with me being here?”

“I didn’t mean it like that… I just find it fascinating that we happened to meet at this moment.”

“…Do I often come here? It’s not like you rented the place. It’s a coincidence, just a coincidence.”

“Yeah, okay.”
Riley, who had been sipping juice through a straw, suddenly remembered something she had momentarily forgotten and jolted with surprise.

“My wallet!”

She had been chasing a thief just before the carriage incident could have occurred! She had completely forgotten in her shock.

As Riley rushed to leave, Ban grabbed her hand and tossed something towards her.

“Here, your wallet.”

“How did you…?”

“I saw it when you were chasing the thief, caught it then.”

“Oh… Thank goodness, I’m really grateful.”

As Riley expressed her gratitude repeatedly, Ban responded gruffly.

“The security here is better than in other areas, but it’s not completely crime-free. Especially for naive folks like you, be careful, as you might become an easy target.”

“Yes.”

“No, in the first place, incidents like these should be handled by the Shadows; this is practically negligence of duty. I won’t intervene unless it’s something really dangerous and not intentional.”

Ban grimaced, as if fed up.

“Well, who would think that a mage from Horizon could be crushed to death by a carriage?”

“…What do you mean? Do you think it’s impossible for a mage from Horizon to be crushed by a carriage? Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? When a mage is in danger, using magic is an instinctive reaction. Unconsciously activating magic to protect oneself is a basic instinct.”

“…….”

“Unless you’re someone who can freely activate magic at will, like you can’t, there’s almost no chance for mages to die from ordinary trauma without being attacked by stronger beings.”

“My father was an exceptional mage… but he passed away after being hit by a carriage.”

“That’s quite a peculiar case.”

“Peculiar?”

“Protective magic that absorbs external impact is one of the most basic spells. Honestly, any mage can use it. To die in a carriage accident? Either he was unable to use magic at that moment, or there were some other circumstances. Anyway, it’s not a common occurrence.”

Is that really the case?

Thinking about it, it did seem strange. Gibnen once blocked bullets aimed at his head with magic. Whether it was intentional magic or an unconscious spell to protect his body, her father wasn’t just a mage but someone known as a Grand Mage, right?

If Ban’s words were true, then it was hard to believe that her father, who was of Grand Mage caliber, would meet his end under the wheels of a carriage.

However, her father did die before her eyes, crushed by a carriage. The memory of that moment was still vivid…

“You, with such immense magical power, why can’t you use magic properly?”

“…….”

“I’ve always thought it was strange. There have been several situations where using magic to protect yourself would have been appropriate, but you didn’t do it.”

“How do you know that I can’t use magic properly?”