A storm of blood and wind blew over Atilei.

The white sand Leonard shot into the sky of Yebo Delim was like a signal flare for it.

After Leonard’s return, his vassals, who had departed from Atilei’s main castle, arrived one after another. Of course, some did not come voluntarily. Beluce, standing next to Leonard with his sword drawn, spoke:

“Demirusel Handel. The traitor who ran to Maximilian first upon hearing the news of our master’s death.”

“No! It’s a misunderstanding, I… I firmly believed that our master would return…”

Demirusel, pale as a ghost, crawled on his knees towards Leonard. He wept profusely, begging for forgiveness.

Leonard looked down at Demirusel with a bored expression.

“Demirusel.”

“Y-yes, yes.”

“Did you have a family?”

“Yes! I do. A sick mother, a wife, and three sons. *sob* Master, if you forgive me just this once, I will never forget your grace. Please, please have mercy.”

“The dogs will have a feast.”

“…Pardon?”

Those became Demirusel Handel’s last words.

Beluce’s sword pierced his heart in one swift motion. The blade went in so tightly it wouldn’t come out. Beluce placed his foot on Demirusel’s chest and pushed hard.

Leonard quickly stepped back as blood gushed from Demirusel’s body. The blood soaked the forest floor.

“What about Ramue?”

“He’s being pursued as we speak. We’ve already captured Gunner and Hayden and are transporting them to Yebo Delim.”

“I can’t believe how many there are to kill.”

Leonard shook his head as if disgusted.

The dense forest made it difficult to gauge the sun’s position. He asked Beluce:

“Has it passed noon yet?”

“Yes, it has.”

“I forgot the Elfenbaum siblings were coming today. Join Gasil and bring in the rest. No need to keep them alive if they resist.”

“Yes, sir.”

Beluce answered with a grin.

* * *

For the first time in her life, Cordelia learned what “comfort like home” meant.

The people at the Atilei townhouse were so kind and attentive to her that Cordelia felt like she was walking on clouds every day.

“Where are you coming from?”

“Oh, just… looking around here and there.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say she had been to see her husband’s corpse stored in the basement.

Since arriving in the capital, Cordelia had been racking her brain over how to dispose of Craig. She hadn’t found a suitable way to handle it yet.

‘How can I kill this cleanly without raising suspicions?’

Having just seen him, Craig’s face looked too normal to claim he died of illness.

“…Maybe I should push him off a cliff?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, nothing. It’s nothing.”

Cordelia shook her head with a bright smile. Completely unaware that she was formulating such a terrifying plan, Leila suggested a refreshing dessert to Cordelia.

“It’s quite hot today. Shall I bring you some cold sorbet?”

“Sorbet? What’s that?”

“It’s a dessert served after meals, made by freezing fruit juice mixed with sugar. I was just about to make peach sorbet with some nicely ripened peaches. Shall I bring you some?”

“Sure.”

Cordelia nodded enthusiastically. Leila was about to head to the kitchen when she paused.

“Oh my, it seems we have guests.”

“Guests?”

Leila spoke as she saw a young servant running towards them from afar. The servant wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and reported:

“A carriage from Elfenbaum has arrived.”

“Elfenbaum? Is it Lord Rosenblur? But the master isn’t at the mansion right now. Ah, well, hurry and escort them in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Leonard had been so busy going here and there since the day after visiting the palace that he was rarely at the mansion.

With even Baron and Beluce gone to carry out his orders, ironically, Cordelia was the only one left to receive guests at the townhouse.

“It seems we’ll need to serve sorbet to the guests as well. Tell the kitchen to make plenty.”

“Understood.”

After waiting a bit at the entrance, a black carriage bearing the Elfenbaum crest that she had seen briefly before pulled up.

The door opened, and Rosenblur stepped out first. Cordelia greeted him with a light curtsy.

“Lord Rosenblur. Welcome.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Cordelia. Ah, and this is…”

“This is?”

Rosenblur extended his hand into the carriage. Only then did she realize he had company. A woman took Rosenblur’s hand and stepped out of the carriage.

At that moment, Cordelia was stunned.

She was the most beautiful woman Cordelia had ever seen. Her long black hair, falling to her chest, was cliché but like the night sky, and her hazel eyes were like the spring sunshine.

Cordelia stared blankly at her face for a moment.

“This is my younger sister. Lydia, say hello. This is Countess Cordelia Abrams, Leo’s disciple.”

“Hello. I’m Lydia Elfenbaum. Cordelia! Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve heard about Lady Abrams so often from my brother that I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me.”

“It’s alright. I actually prefer being called Cordelia. Please, feel free to call me that.”

“Really? Thank you so much. Please call me Lydia too.”

Unlike her shy and innocent first impression, Lydia had a somewhat lively and talkative personality.

Cordelia led them to the reception room where guests were entertained.

“What brings you here today? My master isn’t home.”

“He’s not? I’m sure I sent a letter saying Lydia and I would visit today. Oh dear. We must have surprised you by showing up suddenly.”

Now it made sense.

Of course, this polite and kind man wouldn’t visit someone’s mansion without an appointment.

“The master just stepped out for a moment. Please forgive my rude master for being absent despite knowing guests were coming.”

“Haha. It’s alright. Cordelia has welcomed us so warmly instead.”

Rosenblur smiled gently. Just then, a maid brought in the sorbet. Lydia’s eyes twinkled like stars when she saw it.

“Wow, peach sorbet!”

“Go ahead and try it. It’s your favorite peach, too.”

The siblings seemed to have a truly close relationship. It was quite heartwarming to see, and made her envious. Cordelia’s younger brother, Dennis, probably wouldn’t even know if his sister had a peanut allergy.

“By the way, what magic are you learning these days? If there’s anything you’re stuck on, I’d be happy to help.”

“Ah, well. To be honest, I’ve been half slacking off. I’ve been drawing some magic circles I learned before, and oh, I’ve been learning shield magic recently. I can deflect light objects now.”

“Hmm. How many layers of magic circles can you manage? It’s been about a year since you started learning magic, right?”

“Three, no, four layers.”

“You’re doing four layers now?”

“Yes.”

“In just one year?”

Rosenblur asked with a serious expression, which made Cordelia nervous. This was usually when Leonard would say something about her being lazy or having a head of stone.

So she quickly added an excuse.

“No, I’ve only been learning magic circles seriously for about a month.”

“A month? I can’t believe it.”

“Um, I’ve been a bit lazy lately, but if I try hard…”

“Cordelia.”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to become my disciple?”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly, Rosenblur leaned towards her and continued with somewhat excited eyes.

“I didn’t get to explain fully before, but Diduasel, our school, mainly focuses on magic circle research. Even I, who was called quite a prodigy, took two years to draw four-layered magic circles.”

“Oh, um. Is that so?”

“You’ve probably heard this countless times, but you have incredible talent. If Keinom, the Seirius of Diduasel, knew about this, he would kidnap you and stamp you with the Diuasel seal right away.”

Cordelia just blinked in confusion. She expected to be scolded for being lazy, but receiving unexpected praise made her feel embarrassed.

“I just, well, can see it. If I concentrate, drawing is easy.”

“Please consider my offer seriously. It’s not unheard of for a magician to have two seals.”

Rosenblur’s offer was touchingly kind, but if her jealous master found out about this again, he would likely forbid her from even seeing Rosenblur’s face.

“Is Cordelia really such an amazing magician?”

Lydia, who had been left out of the conversation until then, asked cautiously. Rosenblur nodded.

“That’s right. I never thought I’d feel the gap in talent with someone other than Leonard again.”

“I guess magicians are born, not made. I’m glad I quit early.”

“Oh, is Lydia a magician too?”

“I learned when I was very young, but I quit, so it’s embarrassing to even be called a magician.”

“But you received a seal, so you weren’t completely without talent. If you had continued, you could have reached great heights.”

Her brother quickly stepped in to defend his younger sister. Lydia took a spoonful of sorbet before speaking.

“I don’t think so. Even my first teacher said that with my talent, an intermediate magician would be my limit.”

“It’s amazing that both siblings are magicians.”

“It feels strange hearing that from you, Cordelia. I don’t think the two of us combined would be a match for you.”

Rosenblur said jokingly.

“Ah, hahaha.”

Cordelia laughed awkwardly and half-bowed her head. She wasn’t used to such praise yet.

“Please think deeply about my offer. Your talent is too precious to remain in Acheron.”

“You should worry about your own life, Rosenblur.”

“Leo!”

Lydia was the first to notice Leonard. She approached him with a bright smile, but Leonard ignored her and walked straight to Rosenblur.

“Didn’t I tell you not to flirt with my disciple just a while ago? I’m not sure if your memory is short or if your courage is admirable.”

“You’re back? Where did you go, leaving your guests behind until now?”

“Don’t change the subject. Answer me, Rosenblur Elfenbaum.”

Sparks flew between the two men. The atmosphere was so tense that Cordelia, standing behind them, felt restless.

“Honestly, it’s a waste. For her to just rot in Acheron. If she came to Diduasel…”

“Rot? Who’s rotting?”

“Her talent would bloom most fully in Diduasel. You know that well, don’t you?”

The corner of Leonard’s mouth curved up on one side. Cordelia had learned through several experiences that this was a sign of imminent explosion, though she wished she didn’t know.