DLRV 27

“We’ll be seeing more search parties soon. I’ll have to take care of them as needed and keep moving.”

“So your plan is to lure the search parties into a tight space and roast them all with fire magic? And you’ll just shield yourself inside that inferno?”

“Exactly. How many times do I have to explain it?”

“…If you’re asking for my opinion, then absolutely not. Even shields have elemental attributes. To block fire magic, you need a shield with an opposing element. This one here is designed to block physical attacks. So please, don’t even think about trying something that reckless.”

Why is everything so complicated? The palace mages throw up shields all the time without blinking.

I looked down at the thin bracelet on my wrist, unimpressed, when Xenon suddenly spoke in a grave, serious tone.

“From what I can see, Lady Annelie, there’s something you need to study before learning how to use magical tools.”

“Study? Is that really necessary?”

“Yes.”

Xenon was someone I’d always found easy to deal with. But in that moment, there was something about him—something so intense that I instinctively leaned back a little. Maybe it was because magic was his area of expertise. His eyes were filled with a strange kind of resolve.

If it’s something essential, I guess I’ll have to learn it…

“What is it?”

I asked, half-suspicious. He answered in a solemn and unwavering voice.

“Safety training.”

And so began the safety training that made me realize—truly realize for the first time since traveling with him—that Xenon was a mage from the Tower.

And not just any mage. A real one.

I also couldn’t help but question the Tower’s mysterious education system. Just how intense must it be to produce someone like this?

It’s a closed-off place. Maybe they just brainwash people through inhuman torture…

“…Xenon.”

“Yes? Have you memorized everything?”

“Did they beat you while you studied?”

Xenon blinked at me, utterly dumbfounded.

“If anyone heard you, they’d think I was beating you into studying right now.”

“I mean, for someone as sloppy as you to be able to rattle off all this information like that… they must’ve used some aggressive teaching methods.”

“If you’re done memorizing, we’ll move on to the quiz now.”

I still think my conclusion makes sense.

Tilting my head in confusion, I obediently wrote down my answers to the questions he gave me. Honestly, for someone who grew up memorizing imperial court regulations from an early age, this wasn’t hard at all.

As Xenon glanced at my neatly filled-out answer sheet, his face twisted into a mixture of awe and defeat.

“Did the gods give you a brilliant mind too?”

“I’ve always been good at studying.”

“That may be, but still… You remember all this after just a few hours of explanation?”

“I always had to be exceptional.”

My answer was calm, but it made Xenon pause. He stood there silently, lost in thought. He didn’t seem interested in dragging out the safety lecture any further.

“…”

I glanced out the window while gathering the papers. The sun had already set, and I realized I was hungry. Is there a decent place to eat nearby?

“Lady Annelie… did you learn by being hit?”

“I didn’t need to be. I memorized just fine without that.”

“But was there an atmosphere where… if you didn’t, you would be?”

I’d never been hit, so I couldn’t say for sure…

“I was designated as the future empress from birth. My excellence was a given.”

“But the new fiancée of the crown prince… I heard she’s very different from you. She’s technically the next empress now, too.”

I’d heard that rumors of Lilia had spread just as far and wide as my own. The fact that even Xenon knew meant they must’ve reached every corner of the empire.

So it really has gotten around.

I smiled lightly and nodded.

“She’s very different from me. But she’s exceptional too—in her own way.”

As I made a move to leave, Nesi, who was currently in the form of a normal dog, stood up to follow me. I patted him on the head and walked toward the door. Glancing back, I saw Xenon standing up slowly.

He looked displeased, his brow furrowed. He clearly disagreed with something I’d said.

But what part did he disagree with? My excellence… or Lilia’s?

“Well, what does it matter as long as someone’s exceptional?”

Whatever. Time to eat.

* * *

Compared to sleeping on the road or dozing in a moving carriage, a real bed in a real inn felt like absolute heaven.

I completely ignored Xenon’s unreasonable suggestion that I rest for a few more days. Instead, I told him our next destination first thing in the morning—and just as I expected, he was horrified.

“Do you have any idea how treacherous that area is?!”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s wyvern territory! Not to mention all the predatory birds. The locals won’t even go near that cliff!”

“I know that too.”

“Ha…”

Xenon rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily. Nesi, watching him, let out a long breath like he was dealing with a fragile male.

Still, the way he gently tried to dissuade me made it clear that he was worried.

But I wasn’t about to change course. Nadav had remembered that one of his old companions used to ride a wyvern around that area.

It wasn’t exactly clear whether the Dullahan had ridden a wyvern after becoming one, or before. But if I had to guess, it was probably the latter.

Though… is it even possible to ride a wyvern in the first place?

Then again, I had managed to escape once with a wyvern’s help. So maybe, long ago, there really was someone who rode wyverns like horses.

“You act like you’re not scared of monsters at all…”

“Are you saying you want to cancel the deal because it’s dangerous?”

“Why is it that your first reaction is always to end the deal? Honestly, you’re the one who wants to back out, aren’t you?”

“Well, your nagging is worse than I expected. It gets a little annoying sometimes.”

Xenon’s mouth dropped open at my reply. He looked at me with the same wounded expression I’d seen before. But… well, it was true.

“Still, for now, the benefits outweigh the downsides. Unless there’s a serious reason, I can tolerate the annoyance. Your cooking skills are worth it.”

Honestly, the culinary world really lost a genius to the world of magic.

Xenon’s expression twisted in a complicated way. He stared at me with a face that looked somewhere between laughing and crying, then quietly adjusted the strap on his bag.

“I need to hurry up and get this magic seal lifted…”

“You’re not supposed to lift it during your trial period, remember?”

“I already applied for a release permit. Just wait and see. Once the seal’s off, I’m doubling my labor fee.”

He sounded like he was threatening me, but I wasn’t even remotely intimidated. If money was his weapon of choice, then I had nothing to fear.

But wait a minute…

“So that means… you want to keep working for me?”

I asked flatly, and Xenon—who had just loudly declared he’d raise his wages—suddenly shut his mouth.

He blinked, looking utterly stunned, like he’d been hit in the back of the head. Then, with a horrified expression, he started to slowly shuffle away from me.

Must be in a tight financial spot, huh?

“…Nesi, let’s head out.”

I caught a glimpse of his ears turning red. Clearly, being found out about his poor situation was deeply embarrassing for him.

I should give him a little bonus now and then. Timely rewards always boost morale, after all.

Feeling satisfied that my instincts as an employer were still sharp, I began walking forward.

* * *

Thick underbrush and winding mountain trails weren’t exactly familiar territory for me.

Before I died, I’d spent my entire life moving between brilliant mansions, the imperial palace, and beautiful estates. Even the bedroom where I was practically confined after my terminal diagnosis had been large and luxurious.

Sure, there were times when I snuck around in disguise trying to reclaim my rightful position. But even then, I had more than enough servants at my disposal, so I never had to get my hands dirty.

Ever since my resurrection, though, it had been a nonstop series of escapes—and the scenery I encountered kept shocking me again and again.

I still hadn’t gotten used to the shabby, filthy villages scattered throughout the countryside. I thought I was growing accustomed to the mountains, but this place… it was a whole new landscape.

I glanced around, taking it in with fresh eyes, when Xenon let out a pitiful groan.

“Do we really have to go? It’s not too late to turn back.”

[Use this chance to toughen up, you coward!]

Even Nesi’s scolding didn’t seem to straighten Xenon’s hunched shoulders. Honestly, what was he so afraid of with a righteous wolf like Nesi guarding him?

“I told you to wait in the lower village.”

Looking around, I could see why the rumors were so grim. The deeper we went, the more the towering trees looked skeletal and windblown, their long branches drooping under rows of cawing crows. It was a path we had to take to reach the cliff.

Back in the small village nestled at the foot of the mountain range, someone had tried to warn us away, saying strange things often happened in this forest.

From what I gathered, there had been a lot of disappearances. Tales of a vengeful bachelor ghost, a blood-soaked child spirit, and the wailing of a woman… the list went on.

“Still, there’s such a thing as loyalty. How could I let you go alone with all those rumors floating around?”

Does he seriously think his presence makes that big of a difference?

“Nadav is stronger than you.”

[Thank you for acknowledging that, Captain!]

Nadav let out a proud snort. Xenon looked back and forth between the two of us, stunned, then muttered under his breath, momentarily forgetting to be scared.

“…If only this mana seal were undone…”

[If you’re going to be weak, at least be humble about it. When is this guy ever going to grow up?]

Nesi growled as he gave Xenon a push from behind. Even if he didn’t understand the words, he must’ve gotten the message to walk with more confidence. He straightened up ever so slightly.

Barely. You could hardly call it an improvement.

“To be honest, I hate anything supernatural or unrealistic,” he muttered again, after briefly managing to walk ahead.

“I came back from the dead. That’s about as supernatural as it gets.”

“But you’re still human, Lady Annelie.”

Wow… he actually thinks I’m human?
The realization caught me off guard.

“Where in the world is there a ‘human’ who gets decapitated, dies, then comes back to life with their head reattached?”