Several days had passed since the banquet.
From the moment I obtained the Ink Star, I had thrown myself into training without a single day's rest.
My combat strength, objectively speaking, was on par with an Imperial Knight.
But the time I could sustain that power was barely five minutes.
After five minutes, my body would hit exhaustion and weaken sharply.
However, if the Ink Star grew stronger, that would change.
The total amount of mana my body could hold would increase, and with it, the time I could fight.
"Keep your mind still."
I sat in a meditative posture.
Atop my head, Shu lay curled like a cat, her body coiled into a neat circle.
"True power comes from the void — the place where worry and anxiety have ceased to exist."
I closed my eyes and sank into Meditation.
It was a habit I had kept for two hours every night before sleep.
As I steadied my breathing and let it settle, the thoughts drifting through my mind gradually stilled.
With each inhale, the mana scattered through the air wove itself into threads and seeped into my body.
A clear, cold current flowed along my veins.
When impure residue rose to the back of my throat, I quietly breathed it out.
One day, then two.
Then a month, then two.
The Ink Star, which had once been as small as an infant, grew little by little.
Flash!
The Ink Star rotated, sending out a jet-black wave of resonance.
Then it split — into two stars.
The original star began to orbit the newly born one.
The second star trembled faintly, then slowly found its path and rose into position.
[Ink Star has grown to the 2nd Star]
[Mana increases by 8]
"…Finally."
I drew my mana upward.
A dark, ink-hued energy bloomed slowly from within me.
Mana so dense it could be felt with the naked eye.
This time, I cast a spell.
From my fingertips, black flames rose in quiet, steady burning.
The fire was darker and heavier than before.
'The intensity of the mana has grown stronger.'
And not just the intensity.
With two Ink Stars, my mana capacity had expanded dramatically.
By feel, roughly one and a half times — no. Closer to one point seven.
The second star was still smaller than the first.
Nurture it further, and my mana would leap to double.
Ding!
A message arrived.
Huana: Come out.
A message from Huana.
I threw on my coat and headed out.
*
"I'll grace you with my company."
Huana, seated on a bench, tilted her chin up slightly as she spoke.
She sat with her legs crossed.
Her red hair caught the evening light and shimmered like flame.
Through the cascade of rich crimson locks, clear blue eyes looked down at me.
"You should feel honored. A princess is taking you on a date!"
"A date? Out of nowhere?"
"It — it's not out of nowhere! I told you before, didn't I? That if you won the magic exam, I'd give you a reward."
"So this is that."
"What's with that flat reaction?"
Huana tapped her foot against the ground.
"Be a little more excited! The great Princess Huana is deigning to spend time with you, you know?"
Her words said one thing, but the tips of her ears had gone faintly red.
She turned her head away with a flick, tossing her crimson hair back over her shoulder.
The strands caught the light and gleamed like burnished copper.
I smiled.
"Understood."
"Hmph. That's more like it. See you this evening."
The moment she finished speaking, she turned and walked away at a brisk pace.
Her red hair swayed lightly behind her.
I took the opportunity, since I was already outside, to go find Yuri.
"Did you do the homework?"
"I did."
"How was it — does it make more sense now?"
"Mm."
"Then let's review what you brought."
"Okay."
Yuri read the homework I had given her, word by careful word.
"'The woman is beautiful. She is popular with many people. Everyone adored her. The woman was arrogant.'"
"The key here is context. Why is the woman arrogant?"
"Because she's arrogant?"
"…Right, but why is she arrogant."
"Because her personality is arrogant?"
That's the same thing.
"The answer is that she's arrogant because she's beautiful."
"Why does that follow?"
"She was beautiful, so many people adored her — and because of that, she became arrogant."
"Being pretty makes you arrogant?"
"It depends on the person."
"Am I pretty?"
I paused for a moment.
Silver hair, cut short, as though moonlight had been trimmed and pressed into shape.
Violet eyes holding a quiet luminescence.
A small, finely drawn face.
The word 'doll-like' fit her perfectly.
"Do you not even look in a mirror? You're pretty."
"Then am I arrogant too?"
"Not you."
"I see."
Yuri nodded, expression unchanged.
When the reading lesson ended, I headed back to the dormitory. Since we had plans for the evening, I needed to pick out something to wear.
"…Matyos."
I ran into Taibeon in the corridor.
His face was overcast, heavy with something unspoken.
By now, Taibeon would have realized the situation Emily was in.
And here he was, not even trying to hide it from me — sighing deeply, right in front of my face.
Hard to pretend I hadn't noticed.
"What's going on."
"…It's nothing."
That is quite the 'nothing' expression.
He was clearly wearing the face of someone in serious trouble.
"Taibeon, if something's weighing on you, tell me."
"…."
"I'll help you, whatever it is."
Taibeon's eyes wavered.
He was silent for a long moment, then let out a breath and opened his mouth.
"…I think Emily might be in danger."
His voice had dropped.
"I looked into it, and this so-called patron of hers — something's off. I think he's going to do something to her."
"Something's off?"
I asked as though I didn't know.
"…I did some digging, and it turns out Emily's parents have passed away. …She never even told me that."
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"And when I looked further — her patron has ties to a criminal organization. I saw it with my own eyes."
He continued.
"…But there's no direct evidence. If things stay like this, something terrible is going to happen to Emily."
"Have you reported it to the security forces?"
"I tried. They wouldn't listen. The Magistrate shut it down from above."
"Is that Magistrate's name Nikollas?"
"How — how did you know?"
"I've met him once."
After the business in the Thorn Forest, the corrupt Magistrate Nikollas — who had tried to test me and been stopped by my sister.
A Magistrate held the combined authority of police, prosecutor, and judge. The highest rank in law enforcement.
Chechilron had formed a collusion with Nikollas. Nikollas was covering for Chechilron's criminal activities from behind the scenes.
A commoner boy filing a report wouldn't move that man an inch.
"…Haah. What am I supposed to do."
Taibeon looked deeply troubled.
I watched him quietly for a moment, then gently opened my mouth.
"What if we tried it this way."
* * *
By evening, the streetlamps in front of the academy had begun to flicker on, one by one.
The red warmth of the sunset had faded, and the blue shadow of night was slowly settling in.
Beneath that light, Huana was already waiting.
She stood with her arms crossed. Her expression was thoroughly displeased.
"Making a lady wait — absolutely the worst."
I glanced at my watch.
She'd arrived twenty minutes early.
When did she even get here.
I apologized to smooth things over.
"Sorry."
"Fine."
Huana deliberately turned her head away, then looked back at me.
"Now properly escort your princess."
She extended her hand.
Slender, pale fingers.
I gave a slight bow at the waist.
Then carefully took her hand.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Huana's eyes flickered, just slightly.
"…Hmph. See that you do."
She said it with deliberate curtness and looked away.
I glanced around.
"Do you not need an escort, though?"
Porca's security was reliable enough, but one never knew what might happen.
Was it really all right for the princess of Hispanya to be out alone?
"An escort? I don't need anything like that."
Huana gave a dismissive sniff.
Whoosh!
Flames bloomed from her hand.
A vivid crimson fire.
It burned small as a candle flame, but its core glowed with the thick, molten intensity of lava.
Huana smiled with absolute confidence.
"Anyone who touches me gets turned to ash."
Right.
I'd been lulled by her more approachable side, but Huana was a formidable fire mage.
The bloodline magic of the Rosalika royal family — Eternal Flame.
The most powerful fire magic in existence. A flame that could never be extinguished.
Any middling threat wouldn't even dare lay a hand on Huana.
They'd be cinders before they got the chance.
Still, just to be safe.
I spoke inwardly.
'Keep an eye on our surroundings. Shu.'
I sent the message to Shu in silence.
This had become possible when the Ink Star reached the 2nd Star.
Shu answered with a small nod.
Porca's main street came alive once night fell.
Stalls lined both sides of the road, lanterns spilling warm light onto the cobblestones.
The smell of grilled skewers drifting through the air.
A merchant's voice calling out over his jewelry display.
A burst of cheering from a dart game.
The laughter of passersby floated above the street.
"….Oh."
Huana breathed the word softly.
Having grown up within palace walls since childhood, this kind of scene was an entirely foreign world to her.
She looked around with wide, bright blue eyes, taking everything in.
"Wh — what's that?"
"A shooting game."
"A shooting game?"
"You fire a gun and try to score points. Then you trade the points for prizes."
"That doesn't sound boring. Come on — I'll win you something."
Huana walked over to the shooting gallery and paid.
The stall owner laughed warmly and handed over the gun.
'That's a real gun.'
A real firearm, loaded with actual powder and shot.
"Watch carefully."
Huana tilted her chin up slightly.
"I happen to be quite the shot, you know."
"Oh, really?"
"Mm, let me see. Yes! That one."
Eyes gleaming as she scanned the targets, Huana raised the musket to her shoulder.
The barrel pointed toward a silver bracelet.
It was clearly a prized item — the target was tiny.
Bang!
The shot went wide.
"Oh my, what a shame."
The stall owner clucked his tongue and reset the scattered prizes.
"A — again!"
Huana's voice had gone urgent.
Bang!
Another miss.
"Oh dear, that's your turns used up."
"Th — this is just because I haven't shot in a while. That's all it is. I can do better. One more time."
Huana paid again as if in a trance and took the next round of shots.
"This time I'll definitely hit it. Watch!"
Bang!
Bang!
Both shots missed without ceremony.
"….."
Huana's shoulders dropped a little.
The eyes that had been sparkling moments ago went quiet.
She stared at the ground with the face of a deflated puppy.
I sighed and fished out a coin.
"Heh heh, the boyfriend's having a go now, is he? I'll be cheering for you."
The stall owner, having made easy money in no time, grinned broadly as he handed over the gun.
His satisfaction at finding a pair of easy marks was written plainly on his face.
I loosened up briefly and brought the stock to my shoulder.
"…Hmph, what's going to be different just because you're doing it?"
I let Huana's words pass through one ear and out the other, fixed my gaze on the target.
Inhale — hold — fire.
Ping!
The shot struck the target dead center.
The silver bracelet Huana had wanted.
"Oh?"
Huana's blue eyes went wide.
I had one more shot.
I turned the barrel and found the next target.
A small cat plushie.
A larger target than the bracelet.
I fired casually and hit it.
Ping!
"Wh — what…."
Huana looked as though she didn't quite know what to do with herself.
The stall owner pressed his lips together in barely concealed frustration and handed me the silver bracelet and the cat plushie.
"Here, take them."
I held both out to Huana.
"Why are you giving them to me…?"
"Just take them."
"I — I can't! I didn't earn them myself."
"Hmm. Then."
I bent slightly at the waist and offered the prizes up like a formal presentation.
"Consider them spoils of war, offered by a knight to his princess."
"….!"
"That works, doesn't it?"
Huana's face flushed a brilliant, almost explosive red.
"…I'll graciously accept your spoils of war."
She murmured it quietly and took the bracelet and the plushie.
Huana hugged the prizes close to her chest.
We left the shooting gallery.
The stall owner, left alone, watched their retreating figures and let out a long, aggrieved sigh.
"Damn kids."