Leonard, who roughly knew about her relationship with her father, casually remarked,

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to run into your father.”

“I’m not concerned about myself, but if my father finds out that I’m your disciple, I’m afraid it might cause trouble for you, Master.”

“Trouble? For me, from Vasquez the Grand Duke?”

He openly scoffed. While it could be seen as rude, Cordelia was rather relieved.

After all, no matter what Vasquez might try, it would be difficult to tarnish Leonard’s reputation. She deliberately pushed away her anxious feelings and changed the subject.

“Yebo Delim, you say. I’ve never been to that capital before.”

“Where have you been before?”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

Cordelia laughed awkwardly. Come to think of it, every place she went with him was a first. She was slightly excited about what new experiences awaited her this time.

Baron handed Cordelia a spoonful of tomato stew and asked,

“How proficient are you in court etiquette?”

“Court etiquette? I learned it when I was very young, but I’ve forgotten it all. Why?”

“Hmm. We need to greet His Majesty. I’ll teach you the basics.”

“His Majesty? But why would I meet the king just because I’m going to the capital?”

She spoke nonchalantly while blowing on the steaming stew. Then she handed a piece of jerky to Roti sitting next to her.

Unfortunately, after leaving Diloana’s territory, she could no longer hear Roti’s voice.

“Didn’t you know? The master is a court magician directly appointed by the king. Naturally, you too will be entering and leaving the palace with the master, Lady Cordelia.”

“Court magician? Wait, how many roles does Master have? Head of the Atilei family, Seirius of Archeron, and now a court magician too?”

It was surprising that there was still something to be amazed about when she thought there was nothing left to surprise her.

Cordelia glanced at Leonard’s profile and shook her head.

“He’s really not human.”

“What’s there to be surprised about? You’ll inherit everything except the position of Atilei family head anyway.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll stop by the association first, and once things are somewhat settled, we’ll go to the Magic Cooperative. There, I’ll establish you as the official successor of Archeron. I’m planning to pass on the court magician position once your magic skills are somewhat on track.”

“Huh?”

Unlike Leonard, who spoke as if it were nothing, Cordelia’s expression gradually twisted strangely.

If Cordelia were to inherit all of those, she would never be able to leave her master’s side.

Clearly, Baron had tempted Cordelia by saying, ‘In the rare case of a single disciple inheritance, master and disciple often live separately as a precaution.’

Of course, now that her mind had changed, she would stay close even if told to return to the Abrams, but she still felt betrayed.

She turned her head so quickly it made a whoosh sound and looked at Baron.

“Baron, did you know all along? That I would inherit all of those?”

“Eh? Well, yes.”

“You, you fraud! You told me I could return to the Abrams and live in luxury after separating from Master!”

“W-well, at that time, I thought Lady Cordelia would no longer be able to use magic.”

Baron stammered out an excuse. But there was clearly no premise in Baron’s explanation then that she would lose her magic.

“Return? To the Abrams? What’s that about?”

“Master, do you know what Baron told me before going to Diloana territory? He told me to use puppet magic to control Craig’s corpse and the Abrams!”

Normally, she would have covered up his faults appropriately, but Cordelia was blinded by anger. She reported everything Baron had told her without leaving anything out.

After hearing the whole story, the corner of Leonard’s mouth twisted.

“One lies and deceives, the other falls for the idea of abandoning their master? Tsk tsk. You’re both doing a great job.”

Of course, from Leonard’s perspective, both had committed similar offenses. Cordelia wrinkled her nose as if feeling wronged.

“Master! I’m going to stick with you completely now. That deceitful tongue! You shouldn’t put me on the same level as Baron.”

“Deceitful tongue? Lady Cordelia, when it comes to symbols of loyalty and integrity, I, Baron Langsha, am the very embodiment.”

“Both of you, shut up.”

* * *

The party traveled without rest. While it had taken nearly ten days to go down, it took only seven days to reach the port on the way up. It was that grueling of a schedule.

By the time they arrived at the northernmost port of Ansen, where they could board a ship to the Northern Continent, even the physically fit Beluce showed clear signs of exhaustion. Baron returned after purchasing the boat tickets and said,

“At least we’ll be able to rest a bit on the ship.”

“I think I’m going to collapse and sleep as soon as I enter the cabin.”

Cordelia boarded the ship, wobbling like a boneless animal. Her master, seeming to have at least a minimal conscience, left her alone to rest without saying anything for about a day.

The unfortunate fact was that this consideration ended after just one day.

“Ouch!”

“Focus. Focus.”

From the next day, Cordelia re-entered Leonard’s ‘special training’.

What she was learning was a type of defensive magic, currently the most basic aspect: how to deflect physical attacks.

This meant that Cordelia’s arms or shoulders were constantly being attacked by Leonard.

“I was focusing…”

“How many times do I have to tell you to calculate the formula and distribute mana the moment the object is flying towards you?”

“It’s difficult to do it precisely at that moment.”

“If you can’t match the moment it’s flying, then keep mana surrounding you constantly. That works, doesn’t it?”

She couldn’t bring herself to say that was even more difficult. If she said that, she knew she’d hear another comment about the quality of her brain.

As she stared at the complex formulas for a long time, Cordelia’s head gradually drooped lower.

“Don’t tell me you’re sleeping?”

“…No, I’m not? I definitely wasn’t dozing off.”

Cordelia sharply lifted her head that was falling towards the floor and strongly denied it. Leonard clicked his tongue but pretended not to notice and moved his pen.

The journey to the Northern Continent took seven days as they had to sail against the wind to reach Ersche.

Cordelia was the first to disembark from the ship.

“Ah, the nostalgic wind of Ersche.”

Just crossing one sea made the air feel different to her nose. Although it was still the southernmost part of Ersche, it was much better than the hot and humid air of Ansen.

Cordelia stood on the dock, taking in a deep breath of Ersche’s air. At that moment, Beluce, who was behind her, sarcastically remarked while unloading two boxes large enough for a person to fit in.

“Stop showing off and move aside.”

“You have no respect for the one who saved your life?”

“Huh? Savior of life? I’m the savior. I saved you from the magical beast.”

“What are you talking about? Our Roti saved you when you were about to become dog food. You should speak properly.”

“Hmph. I’d rather bow my head to that dog.”

While the two were engaged in childish banter, Baron returned with a large luggage cart and provisions.

“Ho ho. Beluce, please load those boxes in the back. The master will return soon.”

“But those, they’re still alive, right?”

Cordelia pointed at the box containing Maximilian and asked Baron in a low voice. Baron replied in his usual gentle tone.

“Of course. We give them water and black bread once a day. It’s a merciful treatment.”

“Merciful… Well, I suppose being alive is something.”

It didn’t quite match the word ‘merciful’, but it was probably better than dying. Or perhaps for Maximilian, this might be more of a hell?

Beluce first loaded the box containing Craig’s corpse and then placed the box with Maximilian next to it.

During the ten-day journey to Yebo Delim, Cordelia practiced maintaining a defensive barrier non-stop.

Except for sleeping hours, she was constantly with Leonard receiving his special training, and as a result, she became able to deflect his attacks two or three times out of ten.

Leonard seemed quite dissatisfied with her achievement, but Cordelia was very satisfied with it.

That’s because it was very useful in teasing Beluce.

“Try hitting me.”

“Are you crazy? If I hit you seriously, you’ll fly away. Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Just try it once. What? Are you scared?”

“Who’s scared?”

With a little provocation, Beluce quickly took the bait. He grinned mischievously and struck Cordelia’s arm hard.

Cordelia, who was prepared in advance, firmly erected a barrier at that moment. Whether it worked well or not, the damage was entirely reflected back to the person who struck.

“Ugh!”

“Oh my. That must hurt a lot. Are you okay, Beluce?”

“You despicable…”

As Beluce ground his teeth and asked for another try, Cordelia ran away saying she was busy.

“You two seem to have become quite close.”

“Who with whom?”

Instead of answering, Baron nodded towards Beluce standing to one side. Of course, Cordelia vehemently denied it.

“We’re not close at all.”

“I didn’t expect Beluce to open his heart to you so quickly, Lady Cordelia.”

“Do you know that man keeps eyeing my left wrist whenever he gets the chance? I still hide my wrist when I sleep these days. I’m afraid Beluce might cut it off.”

“Seeing you two get along so well puts my mind at ease.”

“…You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?”

“Ho ho ho. When you get old, your ears don’t work well, and you can’t hear properly.”

Somehow, it seemed his ears only stopped working when it was inconvenient for him. Cordelia whispered softly while tidying her hair fluttering in the wind.

“It’s just… Beluce and I have similar fathers. So it’s easier for us to understand each other’s circumstances.”

Moreover, while talking about Beluce and his father, she heard that Duke Ingrion was also quite violent.

Beluce spoke of it as if it were nothing, just a childhood he couldn’t even remember now, but as Cordelia listened to his words, she felt a throbbing sensation in one of her arms. A black bruise that was now gone.