C276: Master of the Imperial Castle (1)
"What brings you here?"
Aidan looked at his teacher and asked so.
Tracy and Iona, who were watching quietly from the side, were also surprised and asked back.
"Teacher?"
"Wait a minute, Aidan. What do you mean teacher? What the hell are you talking about?"
Aidan felt that he needed to explain to his friends who had not yet grasped the situation.
"Oh, so this is the teacher who taught me anti-magic……."
As Aidan thought about how to explain, Madeline spoke up.
"This is going to be quite a long story, so why don't we go somewhere secluded?"
Aidan nodded slightly at Madeline's suggestion and the four of them sat down on a nearby bench.
Madeline was the first to speak.
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Madeline."
Tracy disapproved of Madeline, who greeted her with a casual smile, and Iona nodded with her usual expressionless face.
"You must be Aidan's friends. Aidan, you brat, getting along with these beauties, you must be doing well these days."
Madeline looked admirably at her disciple, who was now quite grown, and put her arms around him.
Tracy eyebrows bent slightly upward at the sight.
"Ha ha, I don't deserve them."
"Look at this guy. You've improved your manners since I haven't seen you. You've grown, you've grown!"
Rather than being teacher and student, they seemed like friends who've known each other for a long time and something about the two's chemistry was uncomfortable and hard for Tracy to bear.
Madeline, Aidan's teacher, seemed to have a good personality, didn't look that much older, and was even beautiful.
Then Madeline glanced at Tessie and asked.
"So, what's your young lady's name?"
"It's ……Tracy Friad."
"Haha, I see. Oh, are you worried about Aidan?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Man, Aidan, he's got a lot of power. For a country boy who loves magic so much, he's got a pretty girl like this. Oh, are you his girlfriend?"
"What do you mean, girlfriend……!"
Tracy's face turned red like ripe persimmons. She reminded herself that she wasn't going to say anything back to Madeline, but she quickly broke down.
"Huh? No? You're so cute and pretty! Hey, Aidan, what's going on?"
"What? What did I say?"
Rather, Tracy changed her mind when Madeline criticized Aidan.
'Oh, she's a good person.'
A girl in love was this scary. Aidan, on the other hand, let out a yelp because Madeline squeezed his head.
"Ouch, my head. More importantly, what are you doing here, teacher?"
"Huh? What?"
"Isn't Master always a bit of a wanderer?"
"Well, it used to be like that, but it's not now."
"No? You're a teacher who likes to play and eat."
But Madeline couldn't deny Aidan's words. He was right about her actually liking to play and eat.
"Well, it was then, but it's different now. I got a job."
"…What?"
"Is that a surprise?"
Aidan tried to say yes, but he changed his mind. Come to think of it, Madeline had a weird personality, but in terms of magical abilities, she was a first-rate mage.
"Ah, so you're out here for work then?"
"No. This is just a fling."
"……."
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just kidding."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Half?"
"Oh……."
"On the contrary, half of it is real, because I'm actually here for work."
"What work?"
Aidan asked purely out of curiosity and Madeline replied with a smirk at the sight.
"That's a secret. This master has a very important job to do, and she's not allowed to talk about it to the public."
"Eh, master?"
"Look at this guy, it's like asking, 'What does master do that's so important?'"
"Is it okay to say that it's an important task even though you're not allowed to reveal it?"
"Well, as long as you don't tell me the details, it won't matter, right?"
"……I wonder if it's really okay."
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing, but I'm relieved to hear you got a good job, master. I was worried you were starving on the street somewhere."
"Why would I starve?"
"Actually, the first time you met me, you were nearly fainting from hunger."
"Ew! That, that was……."
Madeline broke out in a cold sweat and avoided Aidan's gaze, as if remembering something from the past.
"What happened in the past?"
Tracy asked, and Aidan smirked.
"Hmm. The first time I met master was when she collapsed in the street and nearly starved to death."
"……."
Tessie's eyes widened and she looked back at Madeline who blushed slightly in embarrassment and didn't look up but Aidan continued.
"So I, as a child, brought you bread."
"Bread…"
"Yes. That's why my teacher thanked me and told me that she would teach me magic. The magic I learned then was anti-magic."
Tessie's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Even Iona, who didn't often show her emotions, found the story so ridiculous that her mouth dropped open, if only slightly.
"Oh my god, a mere slice of bread caused you to learn a special type of magic? What kind of nonsense is this…….?"
"Hoo-hoo. Miss Tracy, it's not ridiculous, actually, because I said I'd teach him, but learning is a different thing."
Madeline casually interjected, obviously having recovered her senses.
"What?"
"So, what I'm saying is that anti-magic isn't something that can be easily learned just because someone else teaches it to you. Your constitution and aptitude are also important, especially when it comes to the [Unusual] type of magic."
"But Aidan learned it."
"……Yes."
Madeline couldn't refute so she smirked and shrugged.
"Who would have thought that the innocent country boy who offered me a piece of bread would have the aptitude to learn anti-magic?"
"Uh, so what were you going to do if Aidan didn't have the aptitude?"
"I was just going to say I was sorry on the outside, but on the inside I would be glad I got the free bread and move on."
'This person has no intention of hiding her true feelings!'
Tracy realized again that although Aidan is no ordinary person, but his teacher Madeline is definitely not normal.
"Ha ha. I'm glad I have the aptitude."
"What are you laughing at?"
Even Aidan was laughing softly, trying to pass it off as a "that's how it was back then," which made Tracy's stomach turn and her head feel dizzy.
Then Madeline said.
"Oh, come on, look at me. I should probably get going."
"What? You're leaving?"
"I told you, I came out to work. It's almost time to go back."
"Oh."
"Don't be too sorry to see me go. If it's meant to be, we'll meet again sometime."
Madeline smiled, said not to worry, and turned to leave.
"Oh, by the way, Aidan."
"……?"
Before Madeline left, she gave Aidan some advice.
"Stay away from your mentor as much as possible."
"Yeah? Why?"
"Something might happen but I don't know the details, so bye!"
Madeline stormed out without giving him a proper answer. She felt a few puzzled glances behind her, but she shrugged them off and moved on to a less traveled area.
After a quick look around, Madeline pulled a communication artifact from her bosom.
"Princess, it's me. I'll be returning to the imperial palace after my mission."
She had a cold, businesslike voice, completely different from the one she'd used when speaking to Aidan.
With those words, Madeline put the communicator back.
* * *
Rudger continued to roam the Imperial palace. Not alone, of course, but with the other teachers, following the directions of the imperial guides.
The uneventful tour was interrupted by a man who appeared out of nowhere.
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Passius, one of the Imperial Guardian Knights."
He was a handsome blond man with distinctive features that wore a neat imperial uniform, his posture stiff, and his demeanor polite.
His light blonde hair grew below his shoulders, and the way it was tied moderately around his neck matched his melancholic smile.
A few teachers who recognized the name Passius murmured.
"Sir Passius, if it is Passius?"
"What the hell is the Royal Guard doing here?"
The Royal Guard was a title given to the best knights in the imperial court that existed to protect the most important members of the royal family.
To the teachers who recognized him, Passius strode toward one person, asking for understanding with a smile.
Rudger squinted his eyes because Passius was coming towards him.
"Hello."
Passius stood in front of Rudger and greeted him with a smile.
"Do you happen to be Sir Rudger Chelici?"
"Yes, I'm Rudger Chelici."
"Oh, I see, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Passius, a knight in the imperial service."
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, so what can I do for you?"
There must be a purpose if they contact him in front of everyone. Passius nodded, his smile not cracking at Rudger's direct question.
"Yes, sir. Lord Rudger Chelici, if you're not too busy, I wonder if you could spare a moment?"
At the personal request from Royal Guard Passius the teachers around him were surprised again.
Even the teachers of Theon were no match for the Royal Guard, the most powerful fighting force in the Empire.
How could a Royal Guard invite a teacher of Theon to join him on a personal business?
However, it was strangely understandable that Rudger Chelici was invited.
"What do you mean by asking for my time?"
"Literally."
"I'm sorry, but as a leading teacher, I can't take time off for personal business……."
Just as Rudger was about to offer his refusal, Passius spoke, lowering his voice just enough to be heard by Rudger.
"There is someone who would like to see you, Sir Rudger."
"……."
Passius said so and winked with one eye. As if to say, I've said it enough, you've understood.
In fact, Rudger realized as soon as he heard him say it, that he was silently suggesting something.
Someone wanted to meet with him and sent a Royal Guard to notify him. It was a sign of respect, but also a sign of their high rank.
Few people in the empire could do this.
'No, not a few, only one.'
Rudger mused.
The fact that she had sent the Royal Guard to call for him in front of everyone meant that she had a purpose.
'Does she know who I am?'
He couldn't jump to conclusions yet.
Rudger, as a teacher at Theon, has been making a huge splash lately.
Given his performance in the Arcane Chamber, it was possible that he had simply been called in out of interest.
Whatever the case, it didn't change the fact that someone high up in the Imperial family wanted to meet with him personally.
'There are too many eyes so I can't refuse.'
She wasn't the kind of person he wanted to meet, but it was hard to say no in a situation like this.
"Very well, I shall go."
"Yes. Then I'll show you around."
As if waiting for his answer, Passius led Rudger away.
As they walked away, the other teachers stood and watched the scene in disbelief. Some in disbelief, some in jealousy.
They left the long hallways of the imperial palace and followed the path that Passius had led them down, eventually coming to a small garden with beautiful fountains and colorful flowers dotted the landscape, soaring topiaries and manicured trees.
The sound of birds' cries tickled their ears with a subtle scent.
Small as it was, it was no less impressive than the vast courtyard of the Devalk imperial palace.
"I have heard many stories about Sir Rudger Chelici."
Passius, who was walking in the lead, opened his mouth first.
"They say you showed quite a bit of magic in Theon, and you've stirred up the magical world in the Arcane Chamber this time."
"It's no big deal."
"Haha. No big deal. Do you know how many people there are in the world who can't do that? If someone else heard it, they would have been rather angry."
"I don't care. That's what I really think."
"You're serious."
Passius' eyes lit up at Rudger's words.
"Perhaps that's why she wants to meet you."
As they passed by the towering topiary, a small open space appeared.
In the center of the vacant lot, a small pavilion made of white marble stood tall, and it seemed to serve as an observatory overlooking the garden at a glance.
And there she was.