Chapter 5: Provocation (1)
“There’s a tavern I used to frequent. The owner was beautiful, and the food was incredible.”
“What? You, who rarely left the Inner Fortress?”
“I went in secret. Seriously. There’s always a way. Anyway, I was a regular at the Flower District’s underbelly.”
“Where?”
“Fine, I admit it. I was as much an idiot as you. I didn’t even know the owner’s true identity and drank whatever she served.”
“You really were an idiot.”
“…It’s been a while since you got hit, hasn’t it?”
Back when she was the Grand Heir.
Elaine Serzila was famous for rarely leaving her quarters.
She didn’t train separately, so her private training ground was practically abandoned. Her routine was occasionally visiting the public training ground to harass the knights.
That was the routine known to the Inner Fortress.
Outside of that, no one knew what Elaine did in her daily life.
Even I didn’t know.
Before we grew close, that was natural, but even after I got my act together and we became friends, I still didn’t know.
There were times I couldn’t find her no matter how much I looked.
“Your skills are lacking.”
Back then, Elaine had mocked me like that.
‘So this is how she disappeared.’
How did the most famous person in the domain manage to have a secret regular tavern?
‘More than that… she really is a woman.’
Lush black hair, striking red eyes, a sleek nose, a delicate jaw, and fox-like eyes… The woman before me was indeed the Elaine Serzila I saw before I died.
I was more shocked that Elaine had been indulging in such escapades twenty years ago than by her gender.
‘I thought it might’ve been a trick.’
Last night, I hadn’t sensed any magic from Elaine.
‘It wasn’t that there was none—I just couldn’t sense it.’
My eyes glinted.
A Magical Item that concealed magic even while active. What kind of mage made such a thing?
‘Living a true identity with a fake face, and a fake identity with a true face.’
I let out a quiet, hollow laugh.
She couldn’t have done this alone.
‘Intelligence Bureau. There are others besides the Grand Duke who know.’
I didn’t know how many, but the head of the Intelligence Bureau must be included.
Otherwise, she couldn’t operate openly as part of the Bureau.
“We meet again.”
“It’s our first meeting.”
Ellen was curt.
Her gaze was quite fierce.
Probably because of last night’s insult.
That wasn’t my concern. Right now, I had to pretend I didn’t know her.
“Did you have any dreams last night?”
“What, out of nowhere? I don’t remember. I’m like that usually.”
“I see.”
The provocation was weak.
‘Did she even dream?’
I stared at Ellen.
Whether she dreamed or not, I had to assume she did.
Even if it wasn’t very mage-like, I felt I had to. Otherwise, my chest felt tight.
‘A stronger provocation.’
How should I provoke her?
“Why are you out here?”
“His Grace the Grand Duke permitted it.”
I showed her Serzila’s seal.
With this, I could freely move through any area except the wall.
Ellen took the seal, examined it closely, then returned it with a displeased look.
“…It’s real.”
“I’m not good at lying.”
Ellen flinched.
She must’ve taken it as confirmation that last night’s insult was genuine.
“Why did His Grace give you this?”
“He must’ve taken a liking to me. Told me to prove my worth.”
Prove my worth.
It meant he liked me to some extent.
“…Trying to prove your drinking capacity?”
“Just assessing the situation.”
I hadn’t ordered, but the owner poured a glass and handed it to Ellen.
‘A real regular.’
Ellen downed the drink in one go.
I ordered the same liquor. The breath I exhaled after drinking was sharp. It was stronger than what I’d drunk alone.
“You like it strong?”
“That’s how it tastes like liquor.”
Probably because of her Aura.
Elaine had been raised on expensive elixirs and pills since childhood. Even without those, her innate talent was remarkable.
“You’re oddly aggressive for a first meeting.”
“…Eat. I’ll pay.”
Ellen immediately changed her attitude.
Because my point was valid. Showing hostility at a first meeting was like advertising a guilty conscience.
‘Easy. She’s a bit sloppy at this point. Even her alias lacks effort.’
She probably thought she wouldn’t get caught.
Gender, face, voice, build… everything was different.
Only a returnee could see through it.
‘And she didn’t get caught in my previous life.’
I raised my hand, and the owner poured a new drink.
A weaker liquor than Ellen’s.
Ellen, watching me closely, interjected.
“You’ll get mocked in the North drinking that.”
She swapped my drink with hers. The scent of the strong liquor stung my nose.
“I don’t feel the cold.”
Northern liquor was strong because the North’s chill was harsh.
That didn’t matter to me.
“Because of fire?”
Ellen’s eyes glinted then.
“Everyone thinks it’s fire.”
“Only you know the details, right?”
A mage’s Origin couldn’t be known until they revealed it themselves.
People only guessed its nature or scale based on the magic manifested.
“It’s not fire, it’s a sun.”
Ellen’s eyes widened.
“What’s the difference?”
Those eyes lacked restraint.
Filled only with curiosity and a desire to satisfy it.
‘She’s more open.’
As Elaine, she’d have been more cautious.
That’s the position of Serzila’s Grand Heir.
She had to be the North’s exemplar, wielding a sword at mages rather than asking questions.
‘Like last night.’
But Ellen asked questions.
A disguised identity with no need for restraint.
‘This must be closer to her true self.’
In my previous life, the role of Grand Duke was heavier for Elaine than I’d thought.
The role of Grand Heir had been too.
‘So this is how she relieved stress.’
I understood immediately.
The identity of Ellen gave her breathing room, allowing Elaine to play the ideal successor.
“In general, the bigger the concept, the greater the potential. A puddle has more talent than a droplet.”
“So a sun’s too grand. Isn’t it just a big fire?”
Her questioning eyes were so clear.
That purity inspired me.
I was a hostage. Not in a position to mess with the Grand Heir Elaine.
But before me was Ellen, an Intelligence Bureau agent.
I glanced back and forth between the owner and Ellen. Ellen tilted her head, looking so innocent.
‘An opportunity.’
Tonight.
Elaine would dream.
I decided that.
Except for her laziness, Elaine was the ideal ruler.
She loved the North and all its people, but she wasn’t swayed by those emotions.
Her choices were always rational.
Even if she trembled inside, she never showed it outwardly.
She only occasionally revealed it to me, her escort.
“There were times I wanted to throw it all away. Even now, sometimes. It was worse when I was the Grand Heir.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“How could I? I’m the only one to inherit Serzila.”
“Want to run away now?”
“Would you come with me?”
“Sure.”
“Alright. Thanks for saying that. Now, back to work.”
“That’s your job, Your Grace. Mine’s guarding you.”
“You said you’d come with me.”
The world called Elaine the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke.
But I knew she wasn’t that cold. She just played the ideal Serzila.
So Elaine always drew a line and never crossed it.
She didn’t let others cross it either. If she allowed it, she feared she’d lose her ability to play perfection.
Only I, her escort, was free to stand on that line.
Though my return reset that.
‘The line’s gone.’
That line wasn’t visible with Ellen, the Intelligence Bureau agent.
She mingled freely with the tavern’s mercenaries.
A sight unimaginable with the Elaine of my previous life.
That Grand Duke never took authority lightly.
Even as the Grand Heir, she hadn’t.
“No more liquor.”
“Hey!”
I shook my empty glass, and Ellen shouted.
The owner poured a new drink.
The same as Ellen’s.
“Now tell me.”
The initial hostility was gone.
The Ellen before me was just trying to satisfy her curiosity.
‘Get her drunk and manipulate her, huh?’
I chuckled.
To think Elaine had this side to her.
“You’re beautiful, and I’m handsome.”
“…”
“See? You don’t deny it. We can be humble, but we know ourselves. It’s the same with Origins. The owner can’t help but know.”
There’s a small sun.
When I first recognized my Origin as a child, I told my mother that.
Even though it was just a fist-sized flame.
Mages couldn’t mistake their Origins.
“We can’t misinterpret the Origin we’re born with. It’s not something we can get wrong.”
Origin.
The source of magic and the essence of me as a human.
At least, that’s how I saw it.
“You know you’re you, don’t you? It’s something like that.”
“…”
Her expression shifted slightly.
Like she’d been pricked by a needle.
I downed the liquor Ellen gave me.
It was bitter. But I didn’t get drunk. The small fire in my stomach burned away the alcohol.
Hoo— White smoke came from my slightly parted lips. To others, it looked like breath.
“Does a sun feel the cold?”
It seemed Ellen thought it was breath too.
‘Of course. She lacked experience back then.’
The fire in my stomach was magic.
Even if it was small and subtly cast, the Elaine of my previous life would’ve noticed.
“It’s magic.”
“…!”
Ellen’s eyes widened.
She hurriedly scanned the surroundings. Thanks to the boisterous laughter of the Northerners, no one overheard.
“Are you insane?”
Ellen frowned and glared at me.
I was a bomb. If I went off, Serzila would go down with me. The Empire and Church would use me to pressure Serzila.
“That reaction’s more suspicious. Look closely.”
I called the owner.
“Why?”
“I’m actually a mage.”
“I see.”
Ellen’s expression turned fierce, but the owner just smiled and returned to the kitchen.
“A mage can only be identified as a mage when they manifest magic.”
You couldn’t be sure someone was a mage until you saw their magic.
“Until then, even mages can’t identify each other. All you have is suspicion.”
The Church’s method of hunting mages was closer to intimidation and deduction.
And catching them in the act through surveillance.
“With enough nerve, you’re halfway there.”
“So only guilty mages die?”
“Non-mages probably died too.”
That’s what the Judgment of Sun and Moon was.
“Well, acting upright doesn’t mean you’re innocent.”
I laughed and downed the strong liquor.
Hoo. As I exhaled smoke-like breath, the owner, standing right in front, refilled my glass.
“Maybe the owner’s a mage too.”
Ellen’s eyebrow twitched.
“…Let’s move.”
To Ellen, I seemed drunk.
“I’m not drunk.”
I exhaled toward Ellen.
The breath was drier than expected. Not a hint of intoxication. Ellen’s eyes widened.
“I told you. Magic.”
I grinned.
No more breath came from my mouth.
Only then did Ellen realize it was magic.
What she’d thought was breath was smoke from evaporating liquor.
“How’s that? Ready to listen now?”
Ellen nodded.
‘This is familiar.’
I chuckled at her docile reaction.
The Elaine I remembered was always like this.
If my words made sense, she listened.
“The source of magic is the Otherworld, but mages are born on the continent too. Even unrelated to the Otherworld.”
“And?”
“Let’s suspect that beautiful owner of being a mage. A mage born on the continent.”
“Hey.”
Ellen frowned and glared at me, but I didn’t look at her.
I stared only at the owner.
My profile was deadly serious. Only then did Ellen realize I was serious and looked at the owner.
“What do you think?”
“…She’s pouring drinks. Smiling.”
“Is she really smiling? She heard our whole conversation. Now she’s not listening. Is it lack of interest? Or avoidance?”
Is she really smiling?
No. Her mouth smiled, but her eyes didn’t. They trembled slightly.
“…Avoidance.”
Ellen concluded instinctively.
“Correct. Why avoid?”
“Because she’s guilty.”
“Why pretend to smile?”
“…To seem upright.”
Upright mages survived.
Guilty mages were caught and died.
“How’s that? Starting to suspect someone who seemed fine before?”
Ellen nodded silently.
To her, the owner no longer looked ordinary.
She looked like a mage. Everything she did seemed like hiding her mage identity.
“That’s the Church’s perspective. They suspect everything. If a Church member were here, they’d drive a stake through her heart.”
Someone once joked it’d rain on a sunny day.
Reported to the Church, that joker became a mage.
Ellen’s face twisted.
“…Are you saying she’s a mage?”
“She might be, or might not. I said it earlier—you can’t be sure until you see magic. Even for a mage.”
Ellen’s face twisted again.
Was I doing this to show anyone could be unjustly killed?
If that was my intent, it worked.
Ellen would now live with suspicion.
“Can you kill someone just on suspicion?”
Ellen shook her head.
If not a mage, the owner was a Northerner.
‘That’s how she was back then.’
Ellen judged based on the presence of magic.
In my previous life, Elaine judged based on guilt.
“Then try reducing or increasing that suspicion.”
Ellen looked at me.
The owner left the bar, mingling with mercenaries in the corner.
“Let’s start with certainties. Does the owner know you’re with the Intelligence Bureau?”
Ellen nodded.
“Then deceiving you would mean deceiving the Bureau. Especially since you’re a regular.”
“…”
“To deceive you, she’d need to act bolder, yet she’s avoiding us. Why’s she guilty?”
The mercenaries stood.
The owner tried to keep them.
Excluding us, they were the last customers.
“…I don’t know if she’s a mage. But she’s hiding something.”
Ellen lifted her glass.
It had been empty for a while. She hadn’t ordered since suspicion took root.
“Harad, what would you do?”
Ellen asked those who knew more, even if they were beneath her.
She didn’t find it shameful to learn from someone lower.
The Ellen before me was doing the same.
Different, yet the same person. I realized it anew.
“Capture and interrogate. If I don’t get the answers I want, I’d use harsh methods.”
The Church’s mage apprehension rate was one hundred percent.
In the Church’s basement, anyone became a mage.
“I asked for your way, not the Church’s.”
“If they’re a good mage, I’d let them live. A bad one, I’d kill.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
I fell silent for a moment.
“There were surely good or useful mages on the continent.”
Something Elaine said in my previous life, but the Ellen before me couldn’t understand.
“It’s true.”
“…”
“Fine. My way is this.”
I turned my gaze.
The owner met my eyes and smiled.
That smile felt awkward to me.
“She’s a bad mage in my eyes.”
“What?”
In an instant, flames rose from the owner’s feet, climbing to her knees.
By the time Ellen noticed the magic, the flames had already consumed the owner. She didn’t even scream, burning to a crisp.
“…You…!”
Ellen, horrified, kicked her chair and stood. Her drawn sword pointed at me. I remained calm.
“Look closely.”
I pointed at the charred owner.
Even in death, the flames didn’t die out.
They seemed almost sticky.
Proof they were burning magic.
“Congratulations. Your suspicion was right.”
“…”
“The owner was a mage.”