TNBTW | Episode 41

A name on the list, yet a child she had never met. And perhaps, one she might never meet.

‘Christian was said to be possessed by a demon, wasn’t he?’

Was it even possible to peer into the heart of a child whose body had been taken over by a demon? More than that, did his heart even still exist?

‘If those five stars include Christian’s share…’

Without reclaiming Christian’s soul, filling all five stars would be nearly impossible. And for her, that task was as good as unattainable. She wasn’t an exorcist, nor did she even have the courage to listen to ghost stories without getting frightened!

The realization left her feeling utterly helpless. A heavy sigh built in her chest, and eventually, she let it out in one long breath.

Ding—

The chime of the entrance bell resonated through the mansion.

‘Who could it be at this hour? Skyle shouldn’t be back for quite some time.’

Puzzled, Edith pulled back the curtains and glanced outside, only for her eyes to widen in surprise. The very carriage that had taken Skyle away was now returning.

His work must have ended earlier!

Brightening at the thought, Edith hurried toward the door to welcome him—only to suddenly stop in her tracks.

‘Ah, right!’

Turning on her heel, she made her way to her desk, a delighted smile spreading across her face.

 

***

 

Even as the carriage passed through the mansion’s main gate, Skyle remained deep in thought.

The matter of the Shadowed Ones, which had been his original reason for traveling to Merlot, was now resolved. Having fulfilled the Emperor’s orders, the outcome should have been satisfying, and yet Skyle’s expression remained somber.

Because the Shadowed Ones had already been taken care of. And not by him.

It was thanks to this that his return had been expedited. Since someone else had accomplished his task in his stead, there was no longer any need for him to remain, allowing him to return to the capital sooner than expected.

‘It wasn’t a confrontation with the guards. There was another wizard involved.’

That was why he couldn’t simply be relieved at being spared the trouble.

Not all magic left traces, but the clash of magical forces always did. And wizards, attuned to such things, could easily discern them.

The residual magical energy at the scene did not belong to a single individual. The varying elemental properties of the offensive spells, the directions from which they had been cast, and their respective areas of impact all pointed to a single target—a lone wizard had faced a group alone.

‘They fought off at least three or more opponents single-handedly?’

Wizards rarely moved much in battle, not by choice, but by necessity.

Casting a spell required time, and those who could bypass that process were exceedingly rare. For that reason, wizards typically prepared their spells in advance or relied on allies to cover them.

Yet the wizard who had taken down the Shadowed Ones seemed to have managed both offense and defense simultaneously.

The evidence was clear in the unnatural scorch marks on the dirt ground, as if something had abruptly intercepted an attack, and the concentrated remnants of magical energy in specific areas. A defensive spell had been maintained even while multiple foes were subdued.

‘Not some ordinary spellcaster, then.’

Skyle didn’t even entertain the naive notion that a kindhearted wizard had happened to pass through Merlot, stumbled upon the Shadowed Ones, and decided to take them down. It was far more likely that someone with a clear objective had deliberately hunted them.

He had attempted to use tracking magic, but—evidently, this wizard wasn’t a fool. They had left no traceable magical residue behind.

The only fortunate aspect was that, judging by the lingering magical energy, the battle had taken place several days prior. Even after staying in Merlot for a while longer, there had been no further disturbances.

That meant the unknown wizard was likely no longer in Merlot. With that in mind, Skyle had chosen to return swiftly, intending to gather more information and formulate his next move.

“Skyle!”

Just as he stepped into the mansion, a clear voice greeted him.

To welcome someone with just a voice… It was a curious thought. Skyle unconsciously added it to the list of peculiar traits he associated with Edith.

“You’re back for good?”

“I am.”

“Really? I thought it would take longer, so it’s even better seeing you again so soon.”

Her bright face beamed at him, the corners of her lips curling in a cheerful smile. Initially, there had been traces of awkwardness in her demeanor, but over time, she had grown increasingly at ease around him.

It was the opposite of how people usually treated Skyle. Normally, they would start off engaging him in friendly conversation, only to distance themselves from him over time.

Skyle had never blamed them for it. He wasn’t particularly sociable, but he was objective enough to recognize that his personality didn’t lend itself to forging friendships easily.

By this point, he thought their interactions would have grown distant, just as they had with everyone else. Yet Edith continued to speak to him, more often, and more comfortably. As expected, she was a difficult one to read.

“Oh, do you need to head out again soon?”

“……”

Skyle hesitated for a moment.

Logically, he should be heading straight to the Imperial Palace. He had the privilege of requesting an audience with the Emperor at any time, and it was his duty to report everything he had witnessed firsthand.

But the order of things had already been disrupted.

Instead of returning to the palace first, he had come to his mansion.

It was an obvious mistake. There were two ways to correct it: leave immediately for the palace or rearrange his priorities entirely.

“…No. I won’t be going anywhere just yet.”

In truth, he should have been reflecting on why the error had occurred in the first place. But the way Edith’s eyes sparkled distracted him. Without quite knowing why, he averted his gaze.

“Ah, good! I thought you were about to leave again as soon as you arrived. That would’ve been too much. Even people who work need their breaks, you know.”

It was his work, not hers. If anyone had the right to complain, it should have been him and yet here she was, getting worked up on his behalf.

Chatter, chatter. Her voice, like bird song in midmorning, still rang clear. One would thing all that solo rambling would be noisy, yet there was something gentle in the way she spoke—something that made it oddly pleasant to hear.

“Oh, right! Here.”

Skyle, who had been deliberately looking elsewhere, turned his head slowly. Edith held up a familiar book, as if proudly presenting it. Until now, he hadn’t noticed that she had been keeping her hands behind her back.

“I finished the book you sent me! It was perfect timing, I was getting bored, and it was really entertaining.”

“I see.”

“That book… you wrote it yourself, didn’t you?”

Skyle gave a slight nod. It was a simple confirmation, nothing more and yet Edith’s face lit up with open admiration.

“You barely had any free time, so when did you even manage to write all this? I guess not just anyone can become a wizard.”

“In general, yes. It does require a certain degree of innate talent.”

“But effort is just as important! You must have worked incredibly hard to become such a skilled wizard. Honestly, I feel like you’d be great at anything you set your mind to.”

There was not a trace of flattery in her voice but only pure, genuine admiration.

Effort.

Skyle turned the word over in his mind. He was born a prodigy. Magic came to him as naturally as breathing.

Yet, reaching his current level had required no small amount of effort. Even within the Magic Tower, he had earned a reputation for being relentless in his studies. And yet, at some point, he had simply become known as a “gifted genius.”

It wasn’t inaccurate. He held no resentment toward those who dismissed his efforts as mere natural talent. He had never lived seeking recognition, and no amount of talk could change his reality.

Still… her words weren’t unpleasant to hear.

Like the clarity in her voice, they carried a certain warmth.

“Here, I’m returning this.”

Edith extended the book back to him.

Skyle merely stared at it for a moment.

He had no need for the book himself. He hadn’t expected to get it back in the first place.

But, having finished reading, it was only natural for her to return it. It held no further use for her.

Logically, he should accept it.

After a brief pause, Skyle finally put his hand on the book.

“Oh, and since I was returning it anyway, I left a little review inside. You don’t have to read it, though. I just found some parts really interesting…”

Edith let out a small, embarrassed laugh.

Skyle’s grip on the book tightened slightly.

He had assumed it would no longer serve any purpose.

“Oh, and I didn’t write directly in the book, just in case others might want to read it.”

“No one else will.”

“Why not? It was really fun! Someone might ask to borrow it.”

Her already wide eyes grew even rounder. No one ever spoketo him unless it was strictly business, and Skyle nevermade the first move either. So, of course, no one ever asked him to lend them a book.

He almost said as much, but held his tongue. Even someone like him, who considered worrying a useless act, found himself worrying about her. He didn’t want to give her another reason to add to her list. He wasn’t used to that kind of concern.