It was unfortunate. But I couldn’t let Rebecca return to the Order. No matter what she was feeling right now. No matter what she was thinking. What mustn’t happen, simply must not happen.
To that rejection,
Thk—
Her breath caught. After hesitating a little more, she asked a question.
‘Why?’
‘Because you need to become a mage.’
‘.......’
It seemed Rebecca didn’t understand what I meant. The words I said before had been brushed off, and this time, I hadn’t even spoken them aloud yet.
‘Why?’
‘Because that is your path.’
‘...Why?’
‘Because you were born with magical talent. What I said before wasn’t just some offhanded joke.’
This was my only chance. I opened my mouth and quickly «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» started to speak.
‘Listen, Princess Rebecca. The reason you’ve been able to see the flow and particles of mana since you were a child is because of your magical potential.’
‘I heard from Balmung that during your joint sniping, you detected a gap in the barrier. And when the wings unfolded during the fall from the airship, you could distinguish between mine and Gray’s. That, too, was the same.’
‘And what about the casino? The hands you guessed by instinct again and again kept bringing you victory. That was also made possible by magical foresight.’
That’s when Rebecca responded.
‘I don’t have any talent.’
But her voice sounded somewhat ominous.
It dropped like a stone.
‘No. I’m telling you to listen.’
‘No, I don’t have any talent. I checked for years before I even picked up a sword.’
‘Enough. Just hear me out. I had an audience with His Majesty the King the other day, and in your room—’
A small hand pushed me.
In the next moment, I was caught slightly off guard.
“Stop.”
Rebecca, having stepped away, looked at me with an utterly downcast expression.
It was the first time I’d seen her look so weak. All the venom drained away.
“I’ll just get engaged...”
“...What?”
“If you won’t help me, I won’t be able to return to the Order... then I just... don’t want to do anything anymore...”
Did her will finally break?
“Rebecca. Listen. There’s a path that’s been laid out for you.”
I had something prepared.
In the meantime, I’d figured out how her “Master of Mana” trait worked through Ezekiel.
“It’s simple to verify. Just reach out your hand. Imagine something you want to see.”
From here on, since the conversation would be audible, I excluded any direct mention of magic.
But Rebecca shook her head.
“Stop. Stop it. Just stop... You’re abandoning me too, aren’t you...? Fine, I’ll just get engaged. It seems like that’s what everyone wants...”
This was frustrating.
What did we go through to end up at such an obvious answer?
It wasn’t like I was the only one suffering.
Rebecca—she had endured it too, acting through revulsion and playing her part. And now all that effort was going to waste?
“Your Highness! Where are you?!”
Sure enough, just then, the knights who assumed she was out of control came searching.
With no other choice, we returned to the luncheon.
“I hope you’re not too disheartened, Your Highness.”
On the way, the knight struck up conversation. She made no effort to hide the surveillance.
“I suppose that was your way of trying to rein in the always-defiant princess. There’s no man more suitable than you.”
“......”
And Rebecca remained calm throughout.
This was...
Truly unexpected.
She wasn’t someone who would normally endure a situation like this in silence.
“Oh, and. With His Majesty being ill, he sent along a wonderful gift in anticipation of the engagement.”
“......”
Amid all this, I couldn’t tell whether the King had even heard me mention turning Rebecca into a mage—he just sent an engagement gift.
Wasn’t he supposed to be ill?
When I saw him before, he seemed healthy, but the subtle difference in his breathing had told me otherwise. He really was a patient.
“The professor’s and Her Highness’s—it’s a pair of gifts. Quite expensive, so I’m sure Her Highness will be pleased.”
And yet, even in front of the King’s gift, Rebecca stayed sullen.
“......”
She was just... submerged in gloom.
Then, when we returned to the luncheon, the problem occurred.
“...Tsk. She should’ve just given up and gone off to marry already. She’s always been too greedy. That filthy insect bloodline...”
Prince Joshua’s murmuring was louder than he realized, and it reached my ears.
And Rebecca heard it too.
“Oh? Ah... you’re back?”
Startled, Prince Joshua sprang to his feet.
That only made his words feel all the more real—like a nail driven in.
“......”
Rebecca stood tall.
And in that moment, the air shifted.
“Come, come, Your Highness. Professor. Please, join us. The luncheon is still ongoing, is it not? And His Majesty has sent gifts—”
That’s when the half-demon elder, realizing the tension, quickly stepped in with a smile, holding two neatly wrapped boxes.
“A beautiful necklace and a car key. If you check the palace parking lot, you’ll see a Hildrio luxury sedan. A limited edition, among the finest of—”
—At that moment, Rebecca extended her hand.
Then she shoved the elder aside and approached her brother.
“Joshua. What did you just say?”
The long-subdued mood suddenly erupted.
That was when I realized something.
From here on out, something was going to happen.
“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What did you say about me?”
“No, no... That wasn’t what I meant. It was a mistake. Just a slip of the tongue.”
“A mistake?”
Rebecca stepped forward.
“You think I’m deaf? I heard everything. ‘Filthy insect bloodline’?”
“I told you, it’s not—”
“Right. Keep talking. Keep pretending I didn’t hear it. Do insects have ears?”
Her breathing grew rough. Her eyes, her fingertips began to tremble again.
From here on, I decided to just watch.
Honestly, there was no place for me to intervene.
“Come on, let’s stop. I said it was a mistake, didn’t I? I apologized.”
“Oh really?”
Rebecca stood up from her seat.
Then she grabbed a bottle of strong liquor and raised it high.
Wait, what?
Is she going to smash it?
Just as I thought that, she suddenly started chugging it.
“Y-Your Highness...!”
The maids gasped in horror.
“Haa—”
A frosty exhale escaped her lips.
Then she threw the bottle aside and overturned the plate of steamed sea bream right onto Prince Joshua’s face.
Splat—
With that sound, the noble prince’s face was drenched and sullied.
“Oh dear, what a shame. That was a mistake, too.”
“......”
I was speechless.
And I wasn’t the only one. The knight, the elder—even Joshua himself—were frozen stiff.
Even if they knew what she was really like, Rebecca had always maintained her public facade flawlessly.
“Sorry.”
Still, she didn’t stop. She took a step and grabbed the tall stack of wine glasses—tipping them over with a crash. Clatter—! Smash—!
“That was a mistake, too.”
She picked up a steak dish and dropped it into the elder’s lap.
“Oops. Mistake.”
Then she flipped a fruit platter in front of the knight.
“Mistake.”
Next was the bread basket.
“Mistake.”
Then the decorative candlestick. She tipped the whole thing over. Thankfully, the flame didn’t spread. And yet, she stepped past it, still expressionless, and looked straight at me.
“So? That was a mistake too. I’ll apologize for all my little mistakes.”
“......”
“Happy now?”
What burst out next was the elder’s voice, seething with rage.
“...What do you think you’re doing, Your Highness? This is disgraceful.”
His clenched teeth barely let the fury slip through.
But the princess remained unfazed.
“What? Insects are dirty, aren’t they? Did you expect me to be a clean little lady while calling me an insect?”
“...Have you truly gone mad?”
“Fuck off.”
Rebecca said that—and flipped the entire table.
CRASH—!!
Everything on the table spilled and shattered.
The maids covered their mouths in shock.
Amidst the chaos, the gemstone necklace the King had sent dropped to the stone floor.
“I don’t need this shit.”
Rebecca said it casually and slammed it with the heel of her high-heeled shoe.
It shouldn’t have broken. And yet, with a sharp crack, it shattered.
That too was the work of the “Master of Mana.” It broke because she’d poured all her will into destroying it.
And that was still the King’s gift.
“Your Highness!!”
The knight cried out in horror.
While everything was collapsing into a complete disaster, a transmission came through. <Professor. Where is Her Highness?> It was Layme from the Shadow Guard.
Sometimes, it’s precisely because they’re nobles—because they’re royalty—that some situations become unbearable.
Even with the knight, even with the prince—any further and someone might draw a sword in fury. But they stopped just short.
“I’ll take her with me for now. Your Highness.”
“......”
In a hurry, I grabbed the princess by the wrist and pulled her away.
Rebecca followed without resistance.
Sure enough, the Hildrio luxury car—like a Ferrari in this world—was waiting in the palace parking lot. And Layme arrived not long after.
I had to get Rebecca out of here before the elder made any decision.
So I handed the car keys to Lady Layme.
“Get as far as you can. The engagement banquet is a mess right now.”
“...Got it.”
I opened the passenger-side door and pushed Rebecca inside. She didn’t resist at all.
It was time to part ways now.
“You had no talent for anything.”
I wanted to wrap it in nicer words. Offer some sort of explanation.
“Not for swordsmanship, not for assassination, not for divine power. You weren’t good at anything.”
Like, say, why the necklace gem just shattered, or the identity of the half-demon elder. But it didn’t feel like she’d listen to any of that.
“But magic is different.”
The words swirled on the tip of my tongue.
But I decided to strip away all the sugarcoating.
“Just once.”
What remained was a plea.
“Just once, believe me.”
Rebecca didn’t respond, not even at the end.
And like that, the car drove off into the distance.
***
What followed was a complete mess. Prince Joshua, perhaps overwhelmed with emotion, stormed off shouting about how he should have her killed. The knight couldn’t hold back her anger either, ranting about how disgraceful the whole thing was. But the half-demon elder hid his true snake-like nature well.
Eventually, Ezekiel showed up and helped clean things up. I really owed him a lot for royal affairs.
“Thanks as always.”
“Hmph. So how’d the engagement turn out, you pervy rat?”
It’s fucked.
Needless to say, the engagement was in ruins. The one saving grace was that none of it was my fault. Still, I would probably have to wait for the royal family’s verdict.
After everything, I returned to the professor’s residence. I felt completely drained.
“Haah......”
For some reason, it had been an exhausting day. Probably because I’d been tangled up too long with that revolting serial killer.
After showering and lying down in bed, I felt myself melt into the mattress. I was emotionally exhausted too.
So what would happen to Rebecca now?
Would she try magic after hearing me out?
I had no idea.
‘I did what I could.’
If even after all this it doesn’t work out, then this damn world might as well go to hell.
‘...Almost said that.’
Can’t do that.
I genuinely hoped Rebecca would believe in what I said.
It was already late—well past midnight—and my eyelids were growing heavy.
And just as I was slowly beginning to close my eyes—
< [MP] : 2,412 / 3,102 (▼690) >
Suddenly, my mana was drained.
『 World Forgery: ???? Forgery [?????sec / ?frames] 』
At the same time, a tiny face slowly slid out of the lattice pattern on the ceiling.
...??sec / ?frames] 』
...??sec / ?frames] 』ㅇ)
...??sec / ?frames] 』ㅅㅇ)
What the hell is this guy?
Why now?
At the same time, the world in front of my eyes spun clockwise.
I realized it immediately.
This wasn’t even [Time Forgery] anymore. It was just Surveillance-type │ㅅㅇ) showing me what it had seen through its own Stigma.
The place was the royal palace. Rebecca and Layme were there. In the distance, I saw myself as well.
It seemed to be the scene right after I’d seen her off. After driving a good distance away from the palace—
On a remote mountain road, Rebecca spoke.
“Lady Layme.”
“Yes.”
“Clear out of the car.”
“Pardon? My lady, what do you mean by that?”
“I said clear out. I’m going to drive and get some air.”
“Th-that won’t do. You’re unfamiliar with these roads...”
Rebecca grabbed her head with a trembling hand.
“I said get out, didn’t I? What, are you afraid I’ll go back tomorrow or something?”
It was a voice I knew all too well.
“My lady, it’s getting late. It’s already night. And... there’s a bit of a smell... is that alcohol?”
“I didn’t drink. Ah, just get out, damn it!”
Then she started kicking the driver’s seat. It was an outright tantrum.
Layme hesitated for a moment, then stepped out of the car. Rebecca, without saying a word, started the engine and sped off down the road.
Night had fallen before I knew it.
She drove in silence.
Across roads. Through intersections. Over a mountain.
Then, as she clenched her jaw shut, she spoke.
“Sons of bitches...”
Just a single sentence. But I had a good idea who it was directed at.
Me.
“...What? I’m talentless in swordsmanship? In assassination? In divine power...?”
I think I understood.
It was ridiculous, really.
“...You were the one I trusted...”
Because in that place, I was the only one she trusted.
“You’re saying this Rebecca is talentless at everything? So I should just give up? Then what? What makes what you’re saying any different from what those royal bastards have always said?!”
Her voice started to rise.
“You have the gall to say that to me? You dare spout the same bullshit those assholes used to mock and curse me with, just swapping it for ‘magic’ this time?! You say that to me?!”
She suddenly let go of the steering wheel and tore open the top of her dress like a jacket.
Hey, no. Don’t.
You can’t just let go of the wheel while driving.
“How could you say that to me?! You kept giving me hope even when I kept saying no, and now you call me an insect?!”
Then she ripped off the choker she always wore.
Her pale neck was exposed. And across her skin, red scars etched like knife wounds.
“You’re calling me an insect?! Me—?!”
After a few harsh murmurs, Rebecca fell silent.
Heavy breathing. Shaking eyes. Her flushed cheeks hinted that the alcohol was kicking in. Then, out of nowhere—
She screamed, like a shriek of pain.
“I KNOW ALREADYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”
My heart dropped.
Her scream echoed through the dark mountain like a thunderclap through an open window.
Then Rebecca pounded the steering wheel with both fists.
“I know! I KNOW, okay?! I know I’m a worthless maggot of a woman who’s talentless at everything!!”
“But who the hell do you think you are to say that to me?! Who are you to judge me like that?! Who the hell even are you?!”
“Magic? What about it?! Magic was the first thing I ever tried! And when I failed at it, I spent years getting scolded by the elders!! You think telling me I have magic talent is going to make me happy?! What the hell do you want from me?! WHAT?!”
Screaming, pounding the wheel—Rebecca soon lost it completely.
“Die. DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!! You bastard pretending to be a professor while toying with some girl!! You made me believe and then betrayed me, you Hiaka trash!! Leech! Parasite! Must be nice being talented! Must be great having the whole world love you, you goddamn son of a bitch! DIEEEEEEEEEE—!!”
And then—
CRASH—!!!!!
Rebecca’s car slammed into an intersection.
Huh?
What the hell?!
I panicked as the mana-powered vehicle flipped down a slope, rolling and tumbling before slamming into the ground with a massive crash.
What the fuck. What’s happening right now?
That impact was too strong.
Is she going to die like this? The Hero Party’s mage? Rebecca...?
But thankfully, my fears were wrong. Moments later, Rebecca kicked open the door and crawled out of the wrecked car. Blood was pouring from a gash on her forehead.
She dragged herself across the ground. Blood ran into one of her eyes. Her white dress was stained with dirt and blood, utterly ruined.
Collapsed on the ground, Rebecca pulled out a <Communicator>. Seemed she was trying to contact Layme.
But it wouldn’t turn on.
Even as it clicked repeatedly.
I held my breath as I watched her.
“Haa, haa......”
After throwing the <Communicator>, she staggered to her feet.
By then, the night sky was pitch black. Not a moon or star in sight.
“I can’t see...”
She walked unsteadily, nearly tripping again and again. Still, she managed to keep her balance—until, just a few steps later, she tripped hard over a tree root.
Her dress was now caked with blood and dirt.
“Where am I...? My head hurts... fuck...”
She started crawling on all fours.
The problem, as I saw it, was the bleeding. The cut on her forehead was gushing, and her foot was bleeding too—leaving a faint trail on the ground.
Eventually, Rebecca reached a tree and stopped.
It was too dark for her to see. Only when her face was right in front of it did she seem to realize there was a tree in front of her.
“......”
She stared blankly upward for a moment.
Then something brushed against her hand.
It was a [Mana Headlamp]. A mana-powered car headlight. Likely torn off and flung there in the crash. Incredibly, it was still intact—just like you’d expect from a luxury vehicle.
Rebecca grasped the hand-sized headlamp.
“......”
Then stared blankly again.
Ah.
This was the chance.
All she had to do was turn it on. Pour mana into it!
She couldn’t see in the dark—but if she lit it, she’d find the road not far ahead.
Of course, mana-powered devices often required magical skill to operate, but that didn’t matter. Rebecca was a magical genius.
“......”
But Rebecca, unaware of my thoughts, muttered as she looked at the lamp in her hand.
“They say I have talent in magic...?”
She shook her head. Very slowly. Then muttered like a drunk.
“Don’t make me laugh...”
“I’m not good at anything...”
“I tried everything. I tried so hard to find something I was good at... but I couldn’t do any of it...”
“Just a useless bug of a woman...”
At that moment, her grip loosened. The headlamp fell to the ground. Rebecca was trembling all over. The early spring night must have been cold. She slowly wrapped her exposed shoulders with her arms.
“......”
Then, from Surveillance-type’s perspective, her memories flashed by.
A little girl holding a magic book. Getting scolded. Crying, then sneaking back to peek at the book—only to have it caught and burned in front of her eyes.
A girl holding a sword. Getting struck on the head and collapsing. An adult yelling. The child being slapped. People shouting. The girl throwing things in her room out of frustration over her lack of talent.
The day her finger broke from a sword strike. Someone’s voice. Telling her to give up. Still gripping the sword with her bandaged fingers.
Her younger brother, three years her junior. A sword prodigy. Sparring. A blade cutting her throat deeply. People rushing over in panic. The wall of talent. The red stain blooming in her palm after pressing it to her neck.
Then—at the end of the Stigma’s vision—Rebecca held the headlamp again.
“It’s not possible...”
A deep sigh.
Talent. The thing she didn’t have.
“There’s no way... you bastard...”
And with that bitter mutter—
Rebecca poured mana into her hand and closed her eyes, as if resigning herself.
Then the [Mana Headlamp] shattered from the inside.
Crack—
The filament broke with a sharp sound.
‘Ah!!’
Oh, fuck.
What the hell just happened?
Goddammit! This was it. This was the one chance. If she had just used magic willingly now—it would have been the one chance to flip her heart completely!
‘The output!’
The problem was the output. Even for a luxury item, the headlamp couldn’t withstand Rebecca’s immense mana. It was just a factory-made object, after all!
It’s ruined...
But in that moment. After setting the broken lamp aside—
When Rebecca clasped her hands together and closed her eyes—
I...
I shivered to my core.
—
Light.
Light burst forth from Rebecca’s hands.
She didn’t need a headlamp. It was the Level 7 ability: 『Lantern』.
Light emanating from her hands filled the forest and sky, driving back the darkness entirely.
It was a kind of omnipotence.
If mana is the power to make desires real—then as the Master of Mana, Rebecca could manifest magic through will alone, without any medium.
“......?”
Rebecca squinted reflexively at the sudden light. She really was drunk.
She blinked a few times. Then clapped her hands together to hide the light. Then opened them again to check.
As she slowly processed what had happened, her eyes widened.
The vitality began to return to her face. Her lips slowly parted.
“...Huh...??”
Her shoulders hunched slightly.
And seeing that—
My chest clenched with emotion.
‘It worked.’
It worked. It was a success!
I was certain. This moment—this experience—would change the course of Rebecca’s dark, uncertain life. Of the Hero Party’s future. Of the entire world.
What Rebecca had discovered by trusting me wasn’t just magic.
It was like, in the midst of the darkness—