Chapter 86 – “What Do You Think of Me?”
2024.01.25.
“Why does your face look like that?”
“W–what? What’s wrong with my face?”
“Why are you so startled? What’s the matter—was the bed uncomfortable?”
“Uh… well…”
The next day, Cordelia somehow found it hard to even look Leonard in the eye, let alone speak to him. Things she would normally do without thinking suddenly made her more self-conscious than usual.
“You’re acting all awkward… Fine. I’ll tell Raxen to assign you a room sooner. Just wait.”
“…Thank you.”
Her voice was so quiet it was barely louder than a breeze.
Leonard glanced down at the crown of her head. The dark circles under her eyes made her look like she hadn’t slept a wink. The bed must have been really uncomfortable.
I’ll have to replace it with a better one. I might be sleeping there sometimes too.
He had no way of knowing what Cordelia was actually thinking, so he simply redirected his thoughts to making sure she had a more comfortable place to sleep. She did seem to be startling easily today, but he didn’t think much of it.
“Matilda has returned—let’s go together.”
“Matilda? Oh, Mother’s teacher! Let’s go, quickly!”
Cordelia, who had been fumbling and hesitant moments earlier, reacted eagerly at the mention of Matilda. She still kept a good distance from Leonard as they walked, but there was an unmistakable excitement in her steps.
“What kind of person is Matilda?”
“A cold-hearted but warm-souled old lady.”
“…Huh?”
“You’ll see when you meet her.”
Matilda’s laboratory was far underground. There was no need to ask if they had arrived—Cordelia could tell from the powerful magical energy emanating from the rusty iron door.
As they approached, an eye appeared on the door, much like what had happened with Candias. The difference was that this time, there were two eyes.
“Atilley.”
“Lecan. Is Matilda inside?”
The one called Lecan—presumably a demon—blinked slowly in confirmation. His gaze then shifted to Cordelia.
“And who are you?”
“Hello. I’m Cordelia Vasquez, Atilley’s disciple.”
“Vasquez, you say?”
Lecan stared at her intently, his eyes filled with curiosity, unwilling to look away.
Cordelia didn’t understand why demons always seemed so interested in her. Feeling unsettled by the intense attention, she took a small step back.
“Hm. Unusual.”
“Will you open the door already?”
“Fine. Go on in.”
Lecan finally looked away from her and opened the door. Cordelia took in the sight of the laboratory—it was darker and more foreboding than any she had seen before. Despite it being midday, every small window was shuttered, leaving the room as dim as night.
“Hello.”
“Ah!”
A petite girl with black hair suddenly appeared. Cordelia, having not expected anyone to be there, flinched in surprise and stepped back quickly.
Luckily, Leonard was behind her to steady her; otherwise, she might have fallen in a rather embarrassing manner.
“My master asks that you come in. Please follow me.”
Just as she had appeared without a sound, the girl moved ahead noiselessly to lead them.
“Why are you so jumpy?”
“You—you were too close!”
She had forgotten that her back was pressed against his chest. For some reason, Leonard’s voice in her ear sounded even lower than usual today.
Flustered, Cordelia quickly put more distance between them. Leonard gave her a strange look.
“What? You leaned on me first.”
“T—that’s different!”
Her audacious reply left him momentarily speechless. Normally, he would have snapped back, but remembering that the one who likes more loses, he let it go this time.
“Alright, let’s go see Matilda. She must be waiting.”
“Yes.”
They entered a small tea room within the laboratory. A woman with neatly tied white hair sat there, her posture perfectly straight despite her age—she looked to be at least sixty from the lines on her face.
Leonard positioned Cordelia before her.
“This is my disciple. Go ahead, greet her. This is Matilda Erk, Seirius of Trisca.”
“Hello. My name is Cordelia Vasquez, Atilley’s disciple.”
Holding back her nervousness, Cordelia bowed politely.
“I heard from Hayden. You’re Grita’s daughter?”
“Yes! You were my mother’s teacher—”
“That’s enough. Sit.”
“Ah. Yes.”
With a small but commanding voice, Matilda gestured to the sofa opposite her. Cordelia closed her mouth and obediently sat where indicated, Leonard taking the seat beside her.
The sound of clinking came from the doorway—the black-haired girl returned carrying a steaming teapot. Matilda poured the tea herself.
“Try it. I brewed this from flowers I grow myself.”
Without hesitation, Cordelia took a sip. It was a mild, floral tea. But when Leonard took a sip, his face instantly twisted, and he set the cup down.
“Ugh, what is this?”
“Still the same picky palate, I see. Fine—don’t drink it if you don’t like it.”
Matilda clicked her tongue. Leonard, without a hint of regret, pushed the cup far away.
“Anyway, I heard a Collapse has occurred.”
“Yes. In southern Ershe. At first, it was dismissed as minor, but the scale was far greater than expected.”
“How great?”
“At least within the top fifty.”
“Top fifty? You mean a high-ranking demon of that level was summoned?”
“Yes. It’s been nearly twenty years since something like this happened, so everyone’s on edge.”
Unable to follow the conversation, Cordelia just rolled her eyes back and forth. Matilda’s gaze shifted to her.
“Do you know what a Collapse is?”
“N–no.”
“What? You don’t know?”
“Hey—you never explained it to me!”
Cordelia pouted at her teacher’s scolding tone. He seemed to forget too often that she had been a mage for less than half a year.
Matilda asked, “Do you know how contracts with demons are made?”
“Uh… well…”
“I’d better start from the beginning. A mage can summon a demon by offering their mana as collateral. If the proper payment is given, a contract can be formed.”
“Why would someone make a contract with a demon?”
“Because it’s an easy way to get what you want.” Leonard added, and Matilda followed up.
“Forming a contract with a demon isn’t inherently evil—some can use it for good. But the temptation of the power they offer is hard to resist. If you can’t control that power, the demon will consume you in the end.”
To Cordelia, it didn’t sound like an appealing choice. No matter how great the power, what was the point if the end was destruction?
Candias suddenly came to mind. Cordelia turned to glance at Leonard’s profile.
“Then what about your contracted demon, Candias? Isn’t he dangerous too?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already paid him in full for the contract. Besides, my contract wasn’t for power.”
“…Atilley’s case is a bit unusual. He basically swindled the demon into forming the contract.”
Such blunt words sounded strange coming from the refined-looking Matilda, and Cordelia’s remaining worries instantly melted away.
“Swindled… So that’s why Candias dislikes you.”
“He’s just naturally grumpy.”
“And your personality is far more twisted, Atilley. You’re in no position to talk.”
“Pfft—Ahem. Sorry. Just thought of something funny.”
Cordelia couldn’t help but laugh at Matilda’s casual jab. She could feel Leonard glaring at her from the side, so she quickly looked away, feigning distraction.
“…Weren’t you explaining the Collapse, Matilda?”
“Ah, right. A Collapse is the dimensional distortion that appears when a demon is summoned. The larger the Collapse, the higher the rank of the summoned demon.”
She understood better now, but since it wasn’t directly related to her, Cordelia didn’t think much of it.
The other two, however, seemed to find it quite important and continued discussing it for some time. Cordelia followed for the first few lines, but when the talk grew more complex and technical, she began to lose interest.
Noticing this, Matilda spoke up.
“If you don’t mind, could you run a small errand for me?”
“Huh? An errand?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I last saw your teacher, and we have much to discuss.”
“Alright. What should I do?”
“It’s simple. Just deliver this to Kainon.”
She handed Cordelia a letter.
“And who is Kainon?”
“Seirius of Diduasel.”
“Diduasel… Ah! That’s Lord Rosenbller’s school, isn’t it?”
“You’re well-informed. You’ll likely find him in his laboratory.”
“Can you go alone?” Leonard asked with a hint of concern.
“Of course. I’ll be back soon.”
Cordelia tucked the letter safely into her pocket and left the laboratory. Leonard watched her until she was completely out of sight, then turned to Matilda.
“Do you have something to say to me privately?”
“I do.”
Matilda’s expression turned cold. She lifted the tea Leonard had refused to drink and poured it into a nearby plant.
An astonishing thing happened—the once lush green leaves instantly turned brown and wilted.
Leonard’s eyes twitched.
“The tea was mixed with demon’s blood. A normal human would find it so foul they couldn’t drink more than a sip.”
“Then how could Cordelia…”
“It means she’s at least not entirely human. When Lecan hinted at it, I didn’t want to believe it…”
“That’s impossible. Cordelia is the eldest daughter of the Vasquez family. Didn’t you say you knew her mother?”
“Yes. Grita was my disciple. And she was incapable of bearing children.”
“You’re basing your suspicion of Cordelia’s birth on that? Isn’t that too much of a leap?”
“You recall I said this is the first Collapse in twenty years? To be exact, the last one happened twenty-one years ago. How old is your disciple this year?”
Twenty. Cordelia had turned twenty this year. Leonard’s face stiffened.
“Judging by your expression, I’m right. Now do you understand why I suspect your disciple’s origins?”
