Moreover, I had a strong feeling that mentioning being Leonard’s disciple would only lead to troublesome situations.

“That? Must you? What do you mean?”

Leonard’s eyes narrowed into triangles. Noticing his change in mood, Cordelia quickly added:

“I mean, if people know you’re my master, wouldn’t they be jealous?”

“Hmph.”

The Baron chuckled and supplemented the inadequate explanation.

“So to summarize, Maximilian is trying to close down the master’s laboratory right now, and Cordelia needs to stop that.”

“Me? I have to, ahem. How?”

Cordelia almost had ‘Why do I have to do that?’ on the tip of her tongue, but realizing Leonard was glaring at her with piercing eyes, she quickly changed her words.

“I’ve mentioned before. When a magician dies, they pass on their heart to their disciple.”

“Yes.”

“That heart symbolizes many things, but it also represents the laboratory. For a magician, the laboratory is truly their entire life.”

“Ah. It must be very important.”

“It is important. Especially since Leonard has never taken on a disciple before, so even though all his achievements and treasures are in the laboratory, no one but himself can enter.”

“If no one can enter, doesn’t that mean Maximilian can’t enter either?”

“That’s correct. But he can close the door. Currently, the master has no disciples and Maximilian is his only family, so he has the authority to close the laboratory.”

“Then, um. Can’t we just go back and open it later?”

“Are you stupid? Closing doesn’t just mean shutting the door and locking it, it means completely sealing it. So it can never be opened again.”

Only after hearing Beluce’s curt words did she realize why they were making such a fuss.

It seems there’s something important in the laboratory, and Maximilian is trying to get rid of it, so Cordelia needs to go and stop him.

“I understand. So what do I need to do?”

“It’s simple. Just go to the Ropel Mage Association, show the seal, and prove that you’re the master’s disciple.”

“That’s it? Sounds easy.”

“And go into my laboratory to bring back a few necessary items. I’ll write you a list.”

“Alright.”

It wasn’t as difficult as she thought. It’s not like infiltrating enemy territory, just entering his laboratory and picking up a few items. Cordelia nodded without much concern.

“Oh, and if you meet Maximilian, be clever about escaping.”

“Okay—wait, what? Why would I meet that man?”

“Well. Once it’s revealed that Cordelia is the master’s disciple, many people will swarm like bees. Maximilian will surely be among them.”

“Oh no!”

Although she had never seen him, in Cordelia’s imagination, Maximilian took the form of a monster or demon.

Given that he had dug up his dead mother’s remains and killed his brother, it probably wasn’t far off.

Cordelia stammered and shook her head vigorously.

“T-t-then I don’t want to go. I can’t. I won’t.”

“I told you. I never asked for your opinion. Not going isn’t an option.”

“Can’t the Baron go instead of me? He could just quickly stop by the laboratory and retrieve the important things in advance, right?”

“Ah, did I not mention it before?”

“Mention what?”

Every time Cordelia saw the old man’s kind smile, she felt a chill and uneasiness.

“I’ve been excommunicated. So I can’t enter the Ropel Mage Association.”

“What? Suddenly? Are you pretending to be excommunicated because you don’t want to go?”

As Cordelia scrutinized the Baron with strong suspicion, he smiled and shook his head.

“Ho ho. How could I do such a thing? I was excommunicated even before Cordelia was born.”

The Baron spoke in such a serious tone that Cordelia had no choice but to believe him.

Moreover, from what she had heard before, ‘excommunication’ for magicians was tantamount to a death sentence, so no magician would casually throw that term around, even as a joke.

“You don’t need to worry so much about meeting Maximilian. It’s a place with many eyes, so he won’t directly harm Cordelia.”

“So… he might indirectly harm me…?”

“Ho ho ho. Well.”

Without saying it wasn’t the case, the Baron just laughed. Cordelia’s complexion turned pale.

From what she heard, she understood that she was the only one who could enter the association, but would she really be able to safely retrieve the items and come out?

At that moment, Beluce pointed with his chin at the man lying on the floor and asked.

“How should we deal with this?”

“There’s no need to interrogate him. Clean it up.”

“Yes, master.”

Cordelia instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. Along with the sound of bones breaking, even the faint sound of breathing disappeared.

“You were lucky. If Beluce hadn’t snatched the note, you would have been in trouble.”

“Well. We’ll have to wait and see about that.”

As the Baron sighed in relief, Leonard uttered words with an unclear meaning.

* * *

The group changed direction towards the Wilyas Islands where the Ropel Mage Association was located. Fortunately, Wilyas was on the way to Diloana’s territory, so they didn’t have to face the disaster of backtracking.

“At this speed, we should arrive in Lande in two days. I’ll dispose of the carriage as soon as we arrive and secure boat tickets.”

“Boat? Ah, we need to cross the sea to get to the Wilyas Islands, right?”

“Yes. It won’t take long. Once we board the ship in Lande, it’s only a day’s journey.”

“That’s closer than I thought.”

The sea.

Cordelia felt a bit excited thinking about the destination. Having lived in Vasquez all her life and married into Abrams nearby, she had never seen the sea before.

Books described it as looking like an endless blue lake, but what would it actually look like?

Through the half-open window, she thought she could smell the slightly fishy scent of the sea.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Ah, what did you say?”

Noticing that she wasn’t concentrating, Leonard immediately put on a mischievous expression.

“Your liver has grown quite big, my disciple. How dare you think of other things during class time.”

“Come on. It’s always class time except for meals and sleep. Can’t a person have other thoughts sometimes? That’s so petty.”

Cordelia pouted and grumbled.

“You need to get to Ropel quickly.”

“Why?”

“So you can learn how great and gracious it is to be my disciple. Everyone will envy you…”

“Ah. Yes, yes. I’m always moved by the grace you’ve bestowed upon me, master.”

“Sigh… I’ll let it slide since we’re almost there. Have you memorized the list I wrote for you?”

“Yes. Ransel’s Last Flower, Tears of the Saint, and Red Dragon’s Breath. Wow, they all have such grand names.”

“Because they’re grand sacred objects.”

“I see.”

Cordelia brushed it off casually, but they were literally grand sacred objects. Just one of them would be treated as a national treasure.

“To enter my laboratory, insert this into the door and solve the riddle. The answer is ‘red flower’.”

He took out an old key from his bosom and handed it over. Cordelia grasped it and tucked it safely into her inner pocket.

“Where is your laboratory, master?”

“Anyone you ask at the association will tell you that.”

“Ah. It must be famous.”

“And there’s one more thing you must keep in mind.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t trust anyone you meet there. No matter what sweet words they say, absolutely not. They’re the kind who smile to your face while stabbing you in the back.”

She was about to ask what kind of place the association was to warrant such a warning. The carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop without warning.

“Oof!”

Her body lurched forward and she toppled over. Lottie, who had been sleeping on the floor, jumped up and rolled with her. Leonard, sitting on the opposite side, looked down at Cordelia as if she were pathetic.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, come on! When someone falls, you should ask if they’re okay first!”

“You don’t look particularly okay, so is there any need to ask?”

“Ugh. Master, you’re so cold-hearted, too much!”

“I apologize. Are you hurt?”

The Baron’s apologetic voice was heard from outside the carriage.

“What’s going on?”

“I can see the flag of Elfenbaum ahead.”

“Elfenbaum? That Elfenbaum?”

Cordelia momentarily forgot her pain and irritation and sprang up from her seat. She opened the window and stuck her head out.

Elfenbaum was one of the most famous among the sacred eight families, rivaling even Atilei in rank.

They had produced no less than five kings and even more queens, making them one of the most powerful families in Ershe.

“Where? Where?”

“You probably can’t see it with your eyes yet. Ah, there it is.”

Whether the Baron had exceptionally good eyesight or not, Cordelia could only make out vague white masses approaching.

However, as more time passed, the flag with a black tiger drawn on it started to become clearer.

Cordelia’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s real. It’s really Elfenbaum.”

“Ha. Your master is Atilei, you know?”

“Yes. And I’m from Vasquez.”

Cordelia let Leonard’s words slide and stretched her neck out further to stare intently at the approaching Elfenbaum group.

Another reason Elfenbaum was famous was for their beautiful appearance. Wondering how beautiful they must be to have such a reputation, Cordelia stretched her neck out even more.

“Stretch it out more. It’s perfect for chopping off.”

Beluce, who was next to her, said sarcastically. Her neck quickly shrank back. The Baron turned to Leonard and asked:

“What should we do? At this rate, we might meet them.”