Chapter 68. The Intent Behind the Mask (1)
"... It didn't react this time either. Why?"
In a laboratory piled high with documents.
Aileen, clutching her head, furrowed her brow as she looked at the bright red Soul Stone inside a test tube.
The contents of the test tube were the Soul Stone that the Dawn Society was desperately seeking, but to Aileen, it was nothing more than a nuisance.
She looked at it with a resentful expression.
"I clearly injected it with the correct dosage of magic solution, so why is there no reaction!?"
In a frustrated tone, she began sifting through the pile of documents nearby once more.
Then I sighed, muttering in a voice tinged with despair, "The theory is correct, isn't it?"
"Ugh... Could my hypothesis be wrong? If that's the case, I'd have to revise it from... Aaaah!"
Thud—
Aileen let out a moan as she slipped and fell on a piece of paper scattered on the floor.
After several days holed up in the laboratory, her fatigue was evident, and she found it difficult to muster any strength to lift her body.
"Was it wrong for me to take this on...?"
When the body is exhausted, so too does the mind wear out.
Uttering weak words, she placed her right arm over her eyes.
Fatigue surged like a tide, and her body felt heavy, like a sponge soaking up that tide.
As her heavy eyelids began to gradually cover her eyes...
"Even so, what can I do? There was no other way anyway!"
With a pep talk to herself, she stood up again.
The association already viewed her with disdain.
Being of the 'collateral branch' with a noble but impure lineage, they desperately tried to demean her, aiming to strip her of rank 5, 'Barco'.
"Yes, leaving it as the association's old folks want is humiliating. You can do it, Aileen! You're a part of the Donatien family!"
Clenching her fist, Aileen slowly stood up.
"Yes, you can do it!"
"You can do it~"
A sudden voice from behind made Aileen scream louder than when she had fallen.
Turning her head hastily, she saw her peer, Diana, in her line of sight.
"Di, Diana...?"
"It seemed like you were losing it, so I came to check. Aileen, you always start doing strange things when you're stuck in the lab for too long, don't you?"
"When did I ever?"
"Uh... just now?"
Hearing that, Aileen cleared her throat awkwardly.
Diana chuckled softly at the sight of Aileen awkwardly picking up the papers from the floor.
"Research is good and all, but how about refreshing your mind a bit? You've been cooped up here for days without coming out."
"There was no progress, so all that time holed up became fruitless."
"Fruitless?"
At the retort, Aileen nodded.
In truth, this was something that would trigger an inquiry if mentioned to other mages, but Aileen decided to be honest with her peer, Diana.
"Yeah, according to my hypothesis, the Soul Stone reacts not just to mana but also to water... hmm?"
Just then, Aileen's eyes caught sight of the Soul Stone faintly glowing.
"It reacted!"
"Huh?"
"It reacted!"
Watching Aileen suddenly run towards the reaction chamber, Diana let out a soft laugh.
***
Having successfully documented the experiment results, Aileen left the lab with a much-improved expression and headed towards the Magic Tower for reporting.
"So you have some free time until the seminar, huh?"
"Yeah, thank goodness."
The somber atmosphere from just a few minutes ago was nowhere to be found. Watching her, Diana found herself smiling as well.
"Perfect timing. I was planning to stop by 'Hundred Garments Emporium' this weekend to look at clothes. How about coming along, Aileen?"
"'Hundred Garments Emporium'?"
Hearing the name, Aileen momentarily drifted into thought.
Recently, when she stopped by 'Hundred Garments Emporium' to select attire, she had a run-in with Yulian.
― In fact, it's as Aileen said. I quite like these clothes.
― Indeed, Aileen is also a member of the Donatien family.
When Yulian appeared dressed in the outfit she recommended, Aileen couldn't help but be taken aback.
For such a man with an annoyingly stubborn nature and who believes his aesthetic sense is the best to accept her advice...
'And yet, he stubbornly refused to admit it at first.'
Though his high nose had been bent more easily than expected, the fact that Yulian had acknowledged it brought a smile to Aileen's face.
"Huh? Why are you suddenly smiling?"
As she was smiling to herself, Diana, who was right next to her, tilted her head in curiosity.
Realizing it might look strange, Aileen quickly composed her expression.
"It's nothing."
"So what will you do?"
"Huh? About what?"
"Didn't I just ask? Since I wanted to choose some clothes, how about visiting 'Hundred Garments Emporium' this weekend?"
"Sure, I don't min—"
Just as Aileen was about to respond to Diana's question, she trailed off, her attention caught by a familiar face in her sight.
It was emerging from the elevator heading to the central part of the Magic Tower.
"Lady Aileen, here you are."
"... Sir Yulian."
Wearing a fedora, Yulian greeted her with a formal bow.
As Aileen glanced at him, she carefully spoke up.
"What brings you here?"
"I've come to receive the research results on the Soul Stone. Didn't the secretariat dispatch a notice?"
"Oh!"
"Did you perhaps forget?"
Aileen flinched internally at Yulian's query.
"This is troublesome. They say the members of the Donatien family are known for their attention to detail, yet seeing Lady Aileen, it seems that might not be the case."
'Ugh.'
Aileen winced upon seeing Yulian's faint smile.
Due to his signature slit eyes, she couldn't discern his emotions clearly, but it was clear he was mocking her.
As a result, Aileen felt slightly aggravated.
She secretly clicked her tongue, thinking how this man always adds unnecessary footnotes to grate on people's nerves.
'Huh?'
Aileen's gaze shifted to the coat Yulian was wearing. It was the one she had chosen for him back at 'Hundred Garments Emporium'.
The discomfort that had been quietly bubbling was gradually subsiding.
He continues to wear the clothes she recommended.
That, in effect, means that the man filled with his own ego recognized her artistic sense.
"The research on the Soul Stone has reached some results. The report summarizing those findings is already prepared."
Gaining confidence from that, Aileen began to inquire.
"Is that so? Since you were out of sight, I thought perhaps in light of your confident claim, the research results hadn't surfaced, and you had fled."
"Not everyone likes to flaunt things the way you do!"
Aileen retorted, feeling a prick at the mention of fleeing.
While aware of her raised voice, she seemed intent on giving Yulian a piece of her mind.
"Sir Yulian, it seems you lack humility. Why not take a page from the person who brought the Soul Stone to the secretariat without seeking any reward?"
"Ah, Aileen."
Watching Aileen, Diana, standing beside and signaling her to calm down, intervened, but this time, Aileen pressed on as if unable to bear it any longer.
"I hear that person was the first to recognize the importance of the 'Soul Stone' at the imperial palace, yet they sought no reward."
"Ho."
"Sir Yulian, could you not use some of that humility?"
Seeing Yulian heave a short sigh, Aileen believed this schemer with slit eyes was quite taken aback.
"Uh, Aileen?"
"Yes? Diana."
"The relation who brought the Soul Stone you're talking about."
"Yeah."
"That's Sir Yulian."
Diana's statement made Aileen flinch.
A brief silence.
As that brief moment ended, Aileen cleared her throat once more and, feigning nonchalance, spoke up.
"I will go fetch the report to be sent to the secretariat, so please wait."
Speaking with composure, she motioned to Diana to wait for a moment as she turned towards the laboratory.
Though she feigned nonchalance, her ears were bright red.
As Aileen's figure faded from view, Diana gave a dry laugh.
"Haha... Long time no see, Sir Yulian. Is this the first time seeing you since graduating from the Bayer Academy?"
"Yes, miss Diana."
With an unreadable gaze fixed on her, Diana found herself involuntarily tense.
"Are you still researching Sound Magic?"
"Huh? Ah, considering it's the magic I've honed over time..."
"Indeed, Sound Magic that interferes with the mind relies heavily on the accumulation of experience."
Though the name 'Yulian' wasn't particularly unfamiliar to Diana due to Aileen, seeing him in person solidified the adage: you don't know until you see with your own eyes.
An image vastly different from his academical days.
Just as she recalled, wondering if she'd ever unrepentantly offended Yulian back in the day—
"In fact, my visit to the Magic Tower today, though partly at the secretariat's request, was also to meet with Miss Diana."
Startled by the unexpected comment, Diana was visibly shaken.
"Me?"
"Yes. It seems the accessory used by Lazlot was crafted by you."
A seemingly random name emerged from his lips.
"... Accessory?"
"The one imbued with the magic 'to make the wearer recoil'."
Hearing Diana's bewildered act, Yulian chuckled briefly.
hough his emotions couldn't be read from his eyes, she sensed he had seen through her.
"Thanks to it, Lazlot found it easy to blend into the secretariat. His meek demeanor led the imperial palace to deem him harmless."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sir Yulian. I barely even know who Lazlot is..."
"Are you still playing coy?"
Yulian's voice carried a palpable resolve.
"Bishop Eleanor."
Although Diana's body flinched for a moment, she quickly calmed down and sighed.
As her previously flustered eyes settled with resolve, she ran a finger under her eye, revealing a hidden allure point.
"When did you find out?"
The air thickened, contrasting sharply with the prior demeanor of 'Diana'.
"What are you referring to?"
"Stop pretending. I'm asking when you realized my true identity."
"I'm not sure about that either."
As Yulian chuckled briefly again, Eleanor frowned as if experiencing a headache.
Nevertheless, Eleanor found solace in the notion that he had come all the way here to discuss a 'sensitive' topic.
'A favor it seems.'
While her vulnerability was exposed, having the discussion topic gave her a sense of narrative control.
No longer flustered, she allowed her smile to spread internally.
"Fine, let's change the subject. What brings you all the way here?"
"I told you, to retrieve the Soul Stone report."
"What rubbish."
The audacity.
Biting her lip slightly at Yulian's evasive behavior, Diana had an inkling.
"No, the journey wasn't solely for the secretariat's mundane tasks."
"You guessed correctly. Indeed, I came here for a discreet favor."
As expected.
With her theory confirmed, Eleanor's lips relaxed visibly.
'A discreet favor, is it.'
Although she hadn't yet learned what it entailed, the very nature of requesting a favor meant the narrative control resided with her.
With thoughts lined up, Eleanor felt quite peeved at the man in front of her, Yulian.
For someone asking a favor, he dared to blatantly utter the name 'Eleanor' in such a setting?
"You're surprisingly discourteous for someone seeking a favor, Sir Yulian. I didn't expect you to be so shameless."
Fueled by this disdain, she wanted to discomfort the irritating man, if only a little.
"Haha, it seems there's a misunderstanding."
Just as feelings of rancor seeped into her heart like rust-infused water...
"It's not me asking for the favor, it's you who will be asking me."
Yulian utters yet another mystifying statement.
Clacky's Corner:
Damn, Eleanor's everywhere, huh.