Chapter 6
Bzzzzzzzz―!!
As the vibrations intensified, the light grew even brighter.
“Hey, what the hell is going on?! Are they even doing it right?!”
Vanessa’s shout was followed by a flustered voice over the speaker.
—P-Please remove your hand from the mana stone!
Ashmia took her hand off the mana stone, but the light and the vibrations only grew stronger.
And then, in that blinding flash, Ashmia saw a silhouette.
A tall man with messy hair.
It was unmistakably Mikhail Rosé.
“…!!”
And that wasn’t all.
‘What is this?!’
As Mikhail’s silhouette faded, another figure appeared behind him.
The long, wavy hair flowing behind indicated it was a woman, but the light had grown so intense that Ashmia could no longer make out her face.
“…?!”
Then—
SHWAAAA―!!
A massive burst of light erupted, so bright that everyone watching turned their heads away.
Bzzzzzz―buzz…
As if nothing had happened, the mana stone quickly dimmed and fell silent.
Bang!
Vanessa burst through the door and grabbed Ashmia’s shoulders and arms, shouting.
“My lady! Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, I think so. But Vanessa, did you by any chance just now—?”
“You crazy bastards! What the hell are you doing?! Who’s in charge of this?! If you don’t explain right now what just happened to the lady, I’ll kill every last one of you!!”
“Calm down, Vanessa! I said I’m fine!”
As Ashmia tried to soothe her, a terrified staff member approached and guided them to the consultation room. Soon after, the staff member from earlier came in holding some documents, his face pale.
“To—To get straight to the point, Lady Ashmia Kalashniel is an Awakened Ability User.”
Bang!
Vanessa slammed the desk.
“Who didn’t know that?! What the hell just happened?! Hurry up and explain!”
“Well… we’ve never seen such a rare case before, so it’s… hard to say exactly what happened…”
“Haaaard to saaaay?!”
Sweating profusely, the staff member kept pushing his glasses up while avoiding Vanessa’s glare.
“So you’re saying you don’t know either, huh?”
As Vanessa’s voice turned ice-cold, the staff member quickly added,
“We’ll perform a more thorough analysis as soon as possible and get back to you! O-Or if you’d like, we also offer a curriculum designed to safely help you awaken and control your powers! If you’re interested—!”
Ashmia raised her hand to cut him off.
“No, wait. Before that—did either of you… see what I saw in the light?”
She had been about to ask if they’d seen the man and woman in the light, but she stopped when she saw their expressions.
“Yes, my lady. Please, go ahead. Did you see something?”
“…You didn’t see anything?”
“I just remember how blinding it was… Did you see something, my lady?!”
Vanessa and the staff looked at her expectantly, but after a moment of thought, Ashmia shook her head.
“No, I didn’t see anything either.”
“Hey! Why does my lady have to be the one guessing?! You people are supposed to explain this to her properly!!”
Not wanting Vanessa to bully the poor staffer further, Ashmia rose from her seat.
“That’s enough. There’s no need for a detailed analysis or a follow-up call. And I’m not interested in your curriculum.”
After all, everything on the form she filled out—except her name—had been a lie.
“As far as today goes, I was never here. Got it?”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
“Destroy the documents, too.”
Ashmia left first, and Vanessa turned back to the staff.
“Get your act together.”
Wham!
She slammed her fist into the desk again and followed Ashmia out.
“……”
The staff member looked down at the deep fist mark Vanessa had left in the metal desk, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his sweat-drenched face.
“Vanessa, shall we make a little deal?”
“Yes, what kind of deal?”
“From now on, let’s try to act mafioso depending on the situation.”
Vanessa understood immediately but frowned.
“My lady, with all due respect, if we hold back, won’t more people try to mess with us?”
Ashmia partly agreed—it was a classic mobster’s line of thinking. Police officers often had to play the same game with suspects.
“I know. So when it’s really necessary, I’ll give you a signal.”
“Understood! What signal should I watch for?”
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled like an excited child.
“Hmm… if I touch my earlobe.”
“Yes! But… can I scare them a bit? No hitting?”
Ashmia hesitated briefly before replying.
“You’ll know what to do when you see my expression.”
After successfully “training” Vanessa, Ashmia fell into thought.
What was that silhouette she’d seen in the light?
‘…I just hope this doesn’t turn into a pain in the ass.’
Even though she hadn’t fully awakened, she now knew she was an Ability User—but it felt more like she’d been handed extra homework.
And come to think of it, it wouldn’t be strange if someone out there had an ability that could detect that “the current Ashmia isn’t the real Ashmia.”
Realizing that, she was suddenly relieved no one else had seen the silhouette in the light.
‘I’m never coming back here again.’
With that thought, Ashmia started the car.
The call from the racetrack came a full two weeks later.
It was later than expected, but not necessarily bad. In that time, Ashmia’s stamina had improved, and her training with Vanessa was starting to pay off.
“How do I look?”
Wearing a black top, white pants, and dark brown leather riding boots, Ashmia stood in front of a mirror in her sharp, elegant riding outfit.
“You look amazing, my lady!”
Vanessa’s dramatic praise was flattering, but not very helpful.
Ashmia glanced at Claudia, and only relaxed when she saw her nod in approval.
“Then let’s go.”
Ashmia headed to the garage with Vanessa and Claudia, where eight personnel were already waiting to escort her.
“Lady Ashmia,”
Claudia said softly to Ashmia as she got into the car.
“Please take care.”
Ashmia smiled and nodded.
“I will. I’ll be back.”
If it were just for horseback riding, there was no need to choose Randolph Equestrian Club.
She owned enough land to rent out a private stable for the whole day if she wanted.
But Ashmia had other plans.
So did her opponent, apparently—since it took two full weeks just to bring a horse.
‘What kind of grand welcome are they planning?’
As they drove over a hill, a large building and fenced area came into view. When she opened the car window, the fresh smell of manure rode in on the breeze.
‘It’s been a while since I smelled that.’
Mikhail had once ridden horses, too. Of course, a poor cop couldn’t afford to ride regularly, so he’d only visited small stables on rare occasions.
One such occasion came to mind—when he had chased down a criminal on horseback all night.
Ashmia let out a soft sigh at the exhausting memory.
“Don’t worry, my lady! No matter what happens, I’ll protect you!”
Vanessa must have misunderstood the sigh, but Ashmia smiled faintly.
The three cars pulled into the parking lot in turn.
As expected of Randolph Equestrian Club, the lot was packed with luxury cars, even on a weekday.
Once they found a spot and got out, Vanessa called to her in a low voice.
“My lady.”
Turning her head, Ashmia saw a line of people standing in front of a luxurious building that looked like a resort.
At first, she wondered if it was a welcoming party—but then again, welcoming parties didn’t usually involve over ten people holding shotguns.
With her eight escorts and Vanessa flanking her, Ashmia walked toward them.
To a stranger, it might’ve looked like she was heading into a duel.
“Don’t act rashly. No speaking before I do, and absolutely no drawing weapons. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
When they reached the building entrance, a suave man with a mustache—looking like he’d stepped out of a painting—greeted them from the center of the group.
“Welcome to Randolph Equestrian Club. I’m Ivan Randolph, the manager of this facility.”
【2. The White Horse and the Noble Lady】
Ashmia offered a polite nod and responded.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ashmia Kalashniel. May I call you Mr. Randolph?”
“That would be too great an honor for me. Please, just call me Ivan.”
“Alright. Then, Ivan, may I ask why all these people are armed and accompanying you?”
Ivan Randolph was quietly impressed. Despite being only seventeen, the young woman didn’t flinch in the slightest at the sight of twenty-odd armed individuals. Instead, she addressed the situation clearly and calmly.
