Count Ermeints smiled bitterly as he looked at his noticeably gaunt face. Despite taking all kinds of medicinal herbs said to be good for the body, his condition only worsened.

His illness had deteriorated to the point where it was now difficult to even leave the sickbed.

He didn’t even have the energy left to vent his anger at Givnen Lianster and Riley Eadalin for causing all this. He might pass away this year, perhaps sooner rather than later. Just a month ago, he couldn’t have imagined being in this situation today or tomorrow.

He had thought he was still in good health for his age…

“You must calm your mind and body at all costs. The current deterioration of your health is more due to mental illness than physical problems. There’s so much anger inside you, we need to release this anger quickly.”

Easier said than done.

The only way to release the pent-up anger inside is to take revenge on Givnen Lianster and Riley Eadalin. This anger will not be released unless those wretches disappear from his sight, no, from this world entirely.

Count Ermeints cursed Givnen Lianster and Riley Eadalin every day. Since he couldn’t kill them, he wished they would be the most miserable in the world. That they would suffer so terribly that they would want to die.

As he spent his days ruminating on these curses, unexpected news arrived.

“My lord, the investigation into Riley Eadalin is complete.”

“Report.”

“Baron Eadalin had an elder brother. His name was Cain Eadalin. There was hardly any known information about this man, so it took quite some time to track him down. Upon investigation, it was revealed that Cain Eadalin was Ryston, one of the grand mages of Mage Tower Horizon.”

“Ha!”

Count Ermeints sat up abruptly in surprise.

“Ryston, you say! Is this information certain?”

“Yes, it’s certain. Ryston was the childhood name his family used to call him.”

“Childhood name? Why would they use a nickname instead of his proper name?”

“Well, the name Cain was given by his paternal grandfather, but he suffered a severe fever in childhood that brought him to the brink of death. A fortune teller they consulted at the time told them to remove the name Cain and give him the name Ryston. They said the name Cain was one that would eat away at his life…”

“Then why didn’t they just change the name entirely, instead of using a separate nickname?”

“His grandfather adamantly opposed changing the name, dismissing the fortune teller’s words as superstition. I heard he was quite stubborn.”

“What a peculiar family.”

Count Ermeints muttered in a low voice and sighed.

As he was not a mage himself, he was ignorant about the world of mages, but he had picked up some information here and there over time.

He had interacted with other mages, and since many nobles were mages, various pieces of information rolled in whether he wanted to hear them or not, as long as he maintained good social relations.

“Did you know? The real grand mage of Horizon isn’t actually Yung. There’s one more. Like a shadow of Horizon, you could say.”

“Not Yung? Then who else is there besides Yung?”

“A mage named Ryston. He’s a grand mage affiliated with Horizon, but unlike Yung, he seems to operate in the shadows. There’s hardly any known information about him. Most people working at the Mage Tower don’t even know of Ryston’s existence, and only a very select few among the top brass are aware of him, I hear.”

The man known as the shadow of Horizon.

Usually, those who don’t reveal themselves tend to have something to hide, so at one point he had investigated Ryston in hopes of finding a weakness in Horizon, but he remembered there wasn’t much to gain. After all, he was a figure shrouded in mystery.

However, he had no doubt that Ryston was a grand mage surpassing Yung. Usually, those who operate secretly are more skilled than those who flaunt their abilities openly.

But he had heard that Ryston suddenly vanished without a trace at some point.

“Ryston had a child… I can’t believe such an incredible grand mage came from the Eadalin family in the first place. Aren’t they a family with a short lineage of mages?”

“That’s why it seems he grew up bearing all the family’s expectations. But he suddenly ran away and disappeared.”

“So he abandoned his family and lived in the shadows of Horizon?”

“Yes, that’s all the information we could obtain.”

“No, even this much information is a great harvest. Is there no information about Riley Eadalin’s mother?”

“No, there’s absolutely nothing known about her.”

“Baron Eadalin might know something.”

If she was the daughter of a grand mage, there was a high probability that she too had inherited her father’s talent and was quite an exceptional mage.

That must be why she was able to enter Horizon Academy. At first, he thought Givnen might have pulled some strings, but now he was convinced that she truly was a promising grand mage candidate who could enter Horizon Academy.

This realization made him angry again.

Givnen Lianster. The root cause of all these events. If it weren’t for him… By now.

“Ugh. Is there no way to snatch Riley Eadalin away from that bastard?”

“If she’s such an important woman… any ordinary method would be futile. It won’t be easy.”

“Ugh…”

“Or… how about placing a request?”

“A request?”

“There’s a quite famous organization in this industry. Have you heard of a group called Nihil?”

“…I think I’ve heard of them. An organization that handles dirty work, right?”

“On the surface, yes, but there are rumors that the royal family might be backing Nihil. Around the time when the royal family’s political opponents were dying off, there were talks that Nihil was at the center of those incidents.”

“You mean they’re the shadows of the royal family?”

“Such rumors exist. Moreover, I’ve heard that Ryston was being pursued by Nihil of that era.”

“…Why?”

“Who knows? It’s just a rumor that spread quietly. Some speculated that Ryston’s disappearance might be related to the royal family. Come to think of it, wasn’t there considerable pressure from the royal family on the Mage Towers at that time?”

The Mage Towers under the royal family, especially the powerful Grand Mage Towers, began creating and selling magical artifacts one by one, moving beyond their role as mere research institutions and starting to become privatized. The royal family made considerable efforts to prevent this.

However, as the development and distribution of magical artifacts expanded, the influence of the Mage Towers grew. The royal family relaxed regulations on the Mage Towers in exchange for intensifying pressure on individual mages.

They started imposing taxes on high-income mages not just in money, but in magical power itself, which could be considered the life energy of mages. Innately powerful grand mages were placed under the control and surveillance of the Magic Department, bringing the long tug-of-war to an end.

However, I heard that the royal family, not satisfied, continued to keep a wary eye on mages, especially the powerful grand mages.

To them, mages were both a thorn in their side and an essential existence.

If Ryston had lived working behind the scenes in the shadows of Horizon, the royal family might have felt threatened by the existence of a grand mage who didn’t surface above water.

“Nihil… How do I place a request?”

“Among my informants, there’s someone who knows a low-ranking member of Nihil well. I’ll make discreet contact.”

Whether Nihil is related to the royal family or not doesn’t matter.

If it’s true that they pursued Ryston in the past… they will show great interest in Ryston’s daughter. They probably don’t know about the existence of Ryston’s daughter either.

If I can’t have Riley Eadalin, at the very least, that bastard Givnen Lianster shouldn’t have her.

I wonder what expression that bastard will make when he loses something he cherished so much. He’ll probably be devastated.

That alone would ease this anger disease a bit. It would be the perfect revenge.

Count Ermeints answered with resolve.

“Contact Nihil and leak the information about Ryston’s daughter. And tell them, I want to meet as soon as possible.”

“Miss, your complexion looks good these days?”

“Hm? Was it bad before?”

“Just a week ago, you looked full of worries, but now you don’t give off that feeling.”

Pondering Richel’s words, Riley nodded.

“It feels like all the issues surrounding me have been completely resolved.”

“Issues?”

“Something like that.”

Riley was enjoying a very peaceful daily life these days. This was because the most recent worry had been almost resolved.

‘Everyone seems to be avoiding me, but that’s better than outright bullying.’

After Givnen exerted his influence on the student council to cover up the incident, the attitude of the hostile Blestige people changed.

The gazes of contempt and mockery disappeared, replaced by fearful looks. And now, instead of picking fights, bullying, or glaring, they started avoiding her.

Sometimes it felt a bit embarrassing when they acted as if they’d seen a ghost, but Riley actually quite liked this situation.

‘I wish it could be this peaceful every day.’

Although she didn’t quite understand why they feared her or treated her like a ghost and avoided her, the environment had become very pleasant thanks to this. It was nice not having to worry about someone picking a fight anytime, anywhere. Being ignored was better than violence.

After all, she had become closer with Hilla, and she never wanted to be close to the Blestige people in the first place. Of course, they probably felt the same.

She had no intention of breaking down or crossing the invisible wall of class within the academy. This was just perfect.

Why would she dislike being treated as if she didn’t exist by the most uncomfortable group in the academy? Rather, it was something to welcome with open arms.

“Are you going out? I thought you only had morning lectures today.”

“I’m meeting a friend.”

“A friend? Oh, that Hilla person?”

“Yes, a pastry shop called Rubieta had been closed for a while but recently reopened, so we’re going there.”

“Rubieta! It’s famous, probably the most famous pastry shop in Blestige!”

“I’ll bring back some for you too.”

“You’re the best, miss.”

After helping Riley with her clothes, Richel went to see her off.

Riley followed the guidance of the guards Sack had arranged in advance and took a regular carriage to the meeting place. She was given an ordinary carriage to avoid attracting attention, which Riley actually preferred.

They said they had assigned guards, but they were so well hidden that Riley couldn’t see them.

The pastry shop Rubieta was quite crowded. Fortunately, it wasn’t overwhelmingly so, and Hilla had reserved a table in advance, so they could enter right away without waiting.

“Riley, over here!”

Spotting Hilla waving her hand, Riley quickly took a seat next to her.

Her first appointment with a friend. It was the first time meeting outside the academy. She felt even more excited about spending private time with a friend for the first time.

“The recommended menu here is lemon tart, crème brûlée, and carrot cake. Want to try all three?”

“Sure.”

Hilla ordered lemon tart, crème brûlée, carrot cake, and two cups of black tea.

“Black tea is the perfect combination.”

“Have you been here often? You seem familiar with it.”

“I’ve only been here once or twice before the semester started.”

“I see.”

“But the lemon tart and crème brûlée are their signature dishes! You’ll be satisfied.”

While waiting for their order to arrive, Hilla naturally led the conversation.

“The campus will be really noisy tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“It’s the first day of classes for the general department, so you’ll see a crowd that can’t be compared to now. It’s more than three times the size of the magic department.”

“But didn’t they say there’s hardly any overlap in classes?”

“That’s right, even during the common course period for first-years, there’s no overlap between general department and magic department courses. But we still have to share common facilities. And I heard the magic department and general department don’t get along well.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, they say it’s been like that for a long time. It’s less severe these days, but it used to be really bad in the past.”

Come to think of it, in a history book she read recently, there was a passage explaining the aspects of conflict between ordinary people and mages, stating that in every era, ordinary people and mages couldn’t mix, like oil and water.

The history of this place has alternated between eras where mages ruled as the dominant class and eras where mages were oppressed by ordinary people, leading to the present day. It said that discrimination and violence existed without exception at every moment.

It was especially severe in the past when the number of mages was overwhelmingly large.

Recently, as magic became taboo and mages came under the management and control of the country, the gap between ordinary people has become blurred, but it hasn’t completely eliminated the discrimination and hatred towards each other.

“Why do they dislike each other?”

“Maybe it’s just an aversion to inherent differences? Or maybe the hatred that started from previous generations has seeped into their blood.”

“Do you dislike ordinary people too?”

“No, I lived as an ordinary person. My mother reported me as a mage late. I registered as a mage when I turned eighteen, that’s why I’m in this state. I failed so many times because I couldn’t properly control mana.”

“…Huh? That’s similar to me.”

“You too? I thought there wouldn’t be anyone else like me.”

Givnen had said that birth registration and mage registration are usually done together, so the chances of being omitted were low. Yet here was another comrade who had beaten those low odds.

“That’s fascinating.”

“Indeed. Riley, when did you register as a mage?”

“Me? I haven’t yet…”

“Not yet? So you’re not registered as a mage yet?”

“No.”

“…How come?”

“…I don’t know much either. I don’t have any information.”

“Then how did you find out you were a mage?”

“While trying to use a teleport device.”

“Didn’t they check your mage status? They usually do.”

“Fos… I mean, Father glossed over it somehow. I don’t know, it seems there are some complicated circumstances. I don’t know anything.”

While they were talking, the ordered dishes arrived.

The ice cream had an excellent chewy texture, and the crème brûlée melted in the mouth instantly. The not-too-sweet, just-right sweetness paired wonderfully with the black tea.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Just as they were enjoying the sweetness spreading in their mouths:

“Elder sister?”

Hearing a familiar voice, Riley looked up.

“…Claire?”

Why are you here?