Chapter 31
Kendrick had died to a phantom beast.
But how he encountered that beast, and how he ended up dying to it, was never made clear.
From the moment Kendrick entered the Magic Tower, he had been a highly promising talent.
Yet rather than investigate the circumstances of his death, the Magic Tower had been intent on hushing it up and covering everything.
Back then, Maya had been so busy as the Imperial Knight Commander that she hadn’t even had the chance to interact with Kendrick.
So she had no information at all.
By the time she tried to look into the incident later, all the evidence had been neatly erased—
—as if nothing had happened in the first place.
Even asking the Emperor had yielded nothing.
If it happened while fighting a monster, I need to at least know when he left.
She had to figure out when Kendrick had encountered the monster.
“Kendrick, what are you going to do after we head up this time?”
Since she had changed the future she once knew, many things would inevitably turn out differently.
“Me? Once word gets around that the Magic Tower handled this monster, I’ll be dragged around here and there, flattering a bunch of old men…”
Kendrick’s face lit up at Maya asking about his schedule, and he chattered on about it.
“I suppose I’ll be going on monster hunts.”
When Kendrick had collected the remains of the monster Maya had slain, he realized exactly what it was.
The white serpent was no ordinary beast.
Compared to most monsters, it was enormous, and far stronger.
It might even have something to do with the Demon King.
That was a possibility only Kendrick could entertain.
The Demon King had been a being related to magic, and naturally Kendrick had come across legends of the Demon King and the end of the world.
Because it was related to Maya, he had studied and investigated those stories more diligently and for longer than anyone else.
He’d wanted to tell Maya—who had lived through that history—just how great her family truly was.
But Kendrick’s flawless explanation had, unintentionally, planted in Maya a firm belief in the coming disaster.
“Could you let me know when you go on a monster hunt?”
“I could… though it’d probably be after I’m dispatched.”
In truth, Kendrick wanted to take Maya along on those hunts.
Not only to keep her away from Tristan—though that was certainly part of it.
Seeing Maya return from slaying the white serpent had made him once again realize how extraordinary her talent was.
Maya loved wielding a sword.
In that sense, monster hunting would be a golden opportunity for her to both swing her blade and have her skill recognized.
He knew she was far too gifted to rot away in the North; he wanted her talent acknowledged and soaring as soon as possible.
Even the position of Imperial Knight Commander was, in Maya’s case, beneath her.
Meanwhile, Maya was once again lost in thought.
Certainly, getting word from Kendrick was one thing, but traveling back and forth would be a hassle.
Should I ride a wyvern?
But riding a wyvern would inevitably draw people’s eyes.
And no matter how fast it was, if the distance was too great, she couldn’t respond instantly.
The answer is to go up to the capital…
She had always figured she would return to the capital someday.
After the contract marriage ended, she had no intention of living in the North permanently.
She planned to buy a small house on the outskirts where she wouldn’t easily be spotted by Tristan, who would become emperor.
Weapons or clothes forged from monsters sold for high prices, so if she worked hard while with Tristan, she could save enough to buy an old, shabby house.
There certainly are many talented people in the capital.
During her time as Imperial Knight Commander, Maya had seen many wise and loyal retainers who spoke the truth to the Emperor, only to be dismissed or even lose their lives.
True patriots for the nation.
And also… suitable fiancées for Tristan.
If I could get close to those people…
The more she thought about it, the more she longed to go to the capital.
But first, she had to lift Tristan’s curse.
If I break the curse as quickly as possible…
How could she increase their physical contact?
They had held hands and hugged.
Was a kiss the next step after hugging?
And after kissing—what was there beyond that?
“…”
Maya’s cheeks grew hot.
She had never even kissed anyone before, so anything beyond that felt like a huge wall to climb.
They were going to divorce, so that was out of the question. Even a kiss would have to be approached with caution.
And it would be unfair to Tristan’s future wife.
A kiss on the cheek, maybe?
Would that count as strong contact?
If Tristan was fine with it, she could maybe close her eyes and do it.
Of course, the reason for closing her eyes would be her own nervousness.
Or maybe… just holding him for a long time would work.
“What’s wrong?”
Speak of the devil—a moment later, Tristan sat down beside her and met her gaze.
“No.”
Maya shook her head quickly.
Looking at Tristan’s innocent face, she felt a pang of guilt.
“The Grand Duke will be focusing on his work right after returning, so he won’t be able to join you for dinner.”
Mindful of Kendrick, Robert relayed Tristan’s schedule in his stead.
He can’t even pay her attention…
Kendrick glanced at Maya’s reaction to the news.
“I see.”
She looked entirely unbothered.
A relief.
“By the way, we’re going to count this white serpent you defeated as Kendrick’s achievement.”
“Why is the mage taking credit for Maya’s… for your accomplishment?”
“If I receive too much attention, it’ll put Tristan in a difficult position.”
“Ah…”
That was something Tristan had been worrying about as well.
Hearing Maya say it first made him grateful, but also saddened him that she had to hide her own achievements because of him.
I need to lift the curse quickly.
He decided he’d search the castle’s library again for any books on curses.
He’d been visiting that library since he was a child and knew exactly where every book was—but there was always a chance he’d overlooked something.
And… I should increase our contact.
Holding hands or hugging seemed fine.
How far would be okay?
Where was Maya’s limit?
A kiss on the cheek? If not that, maybe on the back of her hand?
Somehow, he felt like she wouldn’t be surprised no matter what he did.
But that would hurt my pride.
What should he say, what should he do?
That was a problem he needed to think about alongside lifting the curse.
“Oh, and I think I should head to the capital at some point.”
Tristan, who had been quietly picking at his salad, widened his eyes.
“What?”
“Not right away—later.”
That later subtly implied after the curse was at least partly lifted.
“I think I’ll need to do some monster hunting, and also make an appearance at the House of Bearden.”
Monster hunting? In the capital?
The capital had never had monster sightings.
So this is something Maya must already know about.
It was true that the House of Bearden needed to send someone.
Ever since the new Emperor had ascended, he had nursed deep resentment toward Tristan, who had sent only congratulatory gifts and never shown himself in person.
“You were going to have to send someone soon anyway.”
Robert, who had been quietly observing from behind the maids, interjected.
It was a breach of decorum, but the situation had grown urgent enough to warrant it.
Tristan hesitated.
What kind of timeline should he set?
Until the curse was lifted, going up would be difficult, so he should give it plenty of time…
But as Robert said, someone did need to be sent.
And leaving the North unattended for too long was also problematic.
He didn’t want the process of breaking his curse to hold Maya back.
“Kendrick, when are you going up?”
“I’ll be leaving early tomorrow to report on the monster.”
Meeting Robert’s gaze, Tristan made his decision.
“Maya, you should go up too.”
Tristan had taken a step forward as well.
Tristan’s choices had always been fixed around the North.
This place will be fine—come with me. We can lift the curse anywhere.
But only after hearing Robert’s words did Tristan realize his own shortsightedness.
The location didn’t matter for breaking the curse.
He had met Maya, and she had completed her awakening.
He had been so fixated on the North that he hadn’t even questioned it.
He had thought only about protecting this monster-infested land.
“You’ve made a good choice, Your Grace,” Robert said with a smile.
“Are you sure it’s all right for me to go?” Tristan asked again, concerned.
“It’s not as if the curse can only be broken here. We should send word to the capital at once—they’ll be delighted.”
The Bearden family had a mansion in the capital, in addition to their Northern estate.
It was regularly maintained.
Only trusted members of the Bearden household staff were sent to manage it.
Although everyone employed at the castle had visited the mansion at some point, the irony was that its true master, Tristan, had never once been there himself.
“I hope you’ll like it, sir,” Robert said sincerely.
Tristan gave a short laugh.
“I will.”
How could he dislike a place so thoroughly cleaned and polished by people who were devoted to him?
It was simply impossible.
