Chapter 46

Alter had been devoting himself to magic training, shuttling between the mansion and the society.

At the mansion, he delved deep into theory through books, and at the society, he often repeated practical exercises.

However, Alraune strictly limited the amount of magic power he could use, and Alter had no choice but to reluctantly comply.

'It seems like I'm still fine for now......'

Alter had been checking his physical condition at regular intervals.

But unlike before, he no longer tired so easily and hadn't suddenly collapsed.

Even if he increased his usage of magic power, probably no particular problem would arise.

'No. I should just do as I'm told in cases like this. He probably knows a lot more about magic and curses than I do.'

He didn't wish to stubbornly insist in front of a great mage.

He was a student receiving guidance in the first place, and there were still unchecked factors left.

In this kind of situation, shouldn't he follow the party with more knowledge and experience?

'I'd only suffer if I got greedy and got caught up in a curse.'

Because the curse was intricately and maliciously intertwined, they had only managed to weaken it for now.

Alraune had even said that he would find the Frost Witch himself in order to completely remove the curse.

In other words, it was a serious enough matter that he could not ignore the existence of the curse.

'It's not a problem I can solve just by getting involved, anyway......'

With a quiet knock, Brillie appeared.

Alter stared blankly at Brillie, then soon recalled something.

"I heard you were on night duty yesterday...... Did you get any sleep?"

"I got a little bit. So I can come into work a bit late today."

Brillie sat in front of the table, shrouded in a faint weariness.

She had run into the phantom thief during the night, but had let him slip away.

He moved swiftly and even occasionally used tricks, making him a difficult target to chase.

"Did nothing else happen?"

"I did encounter the thief...... but I couldn't catch him."

"Uh...... that's a bit disappointing."

Of course, Alter accepted even that result as inevitable.

The phantom thief used techniques optimized for infiltration and escape, combined with the operation of magic power.

Because of that, he moved so quickly that he left little to no trace of his presence.

So, in a pursuit, the chaser would almost always falter first.

"I thought he was only famous by rumor, but his movements were definitely not ordinary. If I really want to catch him, I'd probably have to use some tricks, too."

"Uh...... like luring him toward the vault?"

"Yes. Pre-encircle his location and capture him all at once."

"It's a good plan, but...... wouldn't he catch on to that right away?"

Alter answered as if speculating, though he actually understood the truth clearly.

The phantom thief was quite suspicious by nature, so he'd see right through any obvious trap.

Rather, he'd probably use the trap to mock his pursuer or slip away easily.

"Hmm...... that's possible. He's never been caught so far, so he must have a sharp intuition."

"It might be better to just leave him alone. Even if he does steal things, it's not like he empties whole vaults."

"You mean if we provoke him for no reason the damage will only get worse?"

"Yes. If even you let him slip, he's not someone to be underestimated. If he gets serious and comes at us, wouldn't things get a bit dangerous?"

"It's already troublesome as it is. They're bringing in all sorts of knight orders just to catch the phantom thief. It's wasting money and ending up a fruitless effort?"

Brillie grumbled, sounding more surly than ever.

No concrete plan had been established, and the knight orders were competing for the bounty.

On top of not capturing the thief yet, she couldn't help but be more frustrated.

"Why not just give up even now? It'll probably only waste your time."

"That's why I'm trying to convince the captain. I can't be on night patrol every time, right?"

Brillie had faced off with the thief and even managed to slash at his cloak.

But she hadn't managed to pierce his skin or even take off his mask.

Furthermore, it must have been risky even for the thief, so he'd probably try to avoid her on his own, out of fear.

'I definitely should have hit him...... How did he avoid it?'

Brillie was still finding it hard to accept the result.

Hearing she was a duke's daughter had made her quite angry, but not to the point of losing her composure.

She'd deliberately tried to just wound rather than inflict serious harm, but even that hadn't worked on the thief.

'He moved even faster than the captain.'

Even while dueling her, the thief didn't really counterattack.He was too fast; when she thought she landed a blow, it was just cutting through air.He only dodged or retreated to protect himself.

'He really is troublesome. Would I need to call in the Sword Saint to catch the thief? Hm......'

* * *

Alter visited the imperial palace to commemorate the founding day of the Agnes Empire.

The typically closed-off imperial palace was opened to many, and the royal family had prepared an enormous banquet.

Not only the emperor and empress but all direct royal descendants, including the crown prince, attended the banquet.

Likewise, the heads of each noble family were required to show their faces, and the heirs to their titles could not ignore this event.

'I suppose I represent the grand duke's house...... So, I'm qualified.'

The Northern Grand Duke defended the Agnes Empire from the frontier of the northern region.

He must always be dedicated to his assigned duties and never leave the front arbitrarily.

Since the eldest son and second daughter are both active as knights under him, it's hard to send them as delegates.

Thus, Alter was able to attend the banquet as the representative of the Northern Grand Duke.

'Brillie is also my fiancé, and as a duke's daughter she's hardly lacking.'

The prestige of a duke's house couldn't be taken lightly and was one of the central axes among nobility.

Also, possessing both wealth and honor, even the imperial family had to treat them with respect.

Brillie, as the second daughter of the Illenat Duchy, therefore carried suitable status.

'The Ailike Duchy has to be here, of course...... The other seats are probably filled as scheduled.'

Alter, securing a table, observed the surrounding nobles.

He couldn't recognize anyone, but most wore flamboyant clothes and jewelry.

As nobles, they needed to maintain and flaunt their dignity without restraint.

'Is one of those people the one who will start trouble?'

They could really be nobles, but it was possible that someone had been impersonating a noble for a long time.

However, one thing was certain: someone here was practicing forbidden magic, which would result in a horde of undead appearing.

Since it was impossible to discern who the enemy was now, he would have to keep watching a bit longer.

'This is something that should be described in more detail! If someone just pops up suddenly, what can I even do......'

"How is it? You don't suddenly feel cold or anything, do you?"

"...... I wouldn't shake that much just for being at the palace."

Alter replied calmly, sipping his tea.

Brillie watched him for a moment before finally relaxing.

"You eat outside food well now, too?"

"Anything is fine, as long as it's not strong alcohol or fishy."

"But this is the imperial family, so surely their food must be good? As far as I know, you're only allowed three cups of alcohol."

"There'd be problems if anyone caused a drunken scene at the palace."

"I heard you get kicked out if you get drunk. After that, you can never set foot in the palace again for the rest of your life."

"At least they don't throw you in prison or execute you."

"They can't just kill nobles, can they? The imperial family has to save face too."

Brillie muttered in a low voice, looking around cautiously.

Normally she socialized among various nobles, but in the palace she moved carefully.

With so many royals and nobles gathered, complications were inevitable, so she intentionally paid attention.

"Are you going to stay still today?"

"It's best to just stick out of the way in the palace. If I see someone I know, I might wave from afar, that's all."

"But you still have to meet the emperor, don't you?"

"We just need to be seen for a moment, right? All we do is exchange greetings and it's over."

Brillie nonchalantly glanced up at the seats of honor.

The emperor had not yet appeared, and the second prince and third princess were arranging the banquet hall.

The crown prince would probably enter together with the emperor.

"Is there anything I should be especially careful of before the emperor?"

"Hmm...... not really. Just answer the questions asked well. He won't nitpick for no reason."

"Since I'm here on behalf of my father, won't there be a lot of questions about me?"

"He can't hold you up for that long. There are many others to see besides you......"

"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor enters the palace!"

At the chief attendant's call, everyone at the banquet turned their attention.

The emperor of the Agnes Empire entered, surrounded by his royal guards, slowly revealing himself.

The empress and crown prince followed behind, walking toward the seats of honor.

"Pay your respects to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!"

At the cue, everyone bowed their heads in unison.

The emperor climbed to the seat of honor and sat gracefully.

He looked around briefly before speaking.

"This gathering to celebrate our founding day is a rare occasion. Please enjoy yourselves as you wish. But do not become drunk. Each of you is allowed but three cups of wine—do not forget this."

Finishing his words, the emperor immediately rose from the seats of honor.

After that, the guests resumed their conversations or began to eat.

Meanwhile, the members of the ducal families quickly moved to gather before the emperor.

"Have you both been well?"

"Yes, your Imperial Majesty."

"I have lived at ease thanks to your benevolence, Your Majesty."

"It is thanks to your fine conduct that our empire remains at peace."

Vanderas exchanged light greetings with the two dukes before moving on.

As the heads of the families that dominated the capital, he needed to see them face-to-face out of propriety.

He also needed at least to exchange glances with the members of the houses as he made his rounds.

"Oh, it's been a while. Has your skill in swordsmanship improved much?"

"I must humbly admit, there is still much lacking."

"There was even talk of inducting you into the Royal Knights, so your skill must be exceptional. I will watch your progress closely."

"I will surely repay your grace, your Imperial Majesty."

Brillie answered devoutly, bowing her head again.

Vanderas watched Brillie attentively before eventually moving on.

Had she not been a duke's daughter, he would have considered her as a candidate for crown princess, but unfortunately he had to give up on that.

Instead, he could only wish she would either join the royal knights or flourish as a promising swordswoman.

"You are......."

Vanderas suddenly flinched, instinctively recognizing that face.

A lingering attachment he had tried to erase, emotions he hadn't shaken off, a faint yearning—

He felt a storm in the center of his heart at how much this person resembled her.

'Uriel. Are you tormenting me to this extent? Even though I tried so hard to forget you......'

Vanderas almost reached out his hand, but regained his composure just in time.

Had he failed to restrain himself, he would have unwittingly caressed that face.

As emperor, he could not let personal feelings rule him; he had to maintain dignity at all times and in all places.

'It's fortunate after all that he's a son. If he were a daughter...... I......'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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