<Chapter 46> To Forecast Delrim
2023.12.16.
“But if it’s already been three days, wouldn’t Craig’s body have started rotting?”
“Don’t worry. I cast a freezing spell.”
“Wow, there’s a spell like that? That’s amazing.”
“It’s not that amazing compared to the spells you’ll learn in the future.”
I thought I had forgotten about that special training, but apparently, I hadn’t forgotten at all.
Cordelia’s expression darkened in an instant.
“I just got up from a major injury…”
“So what? Does your side still hurt? So badly you can’t even hold a pen?”
“It doesn’t hurt, but I’m emotionally scarred…”
“I’m the one who’s emotionally scarred. You’re the one who imagined everything and misunderstood me.”
“W-What kind of emotional scar do you have, Master?”
“You portrayed me as a heartless bastard who would use his disciple as a sacrificial pawn and throw her away. Wouldn’t you be hurt if you were me?”
“Well… that’s…”
Cordelia had no words. Her lips parted uselessly, and she hung her head low.
“I’m sorry. That really was my misunderstanding. My master would never do such a thing.”
“Hmph.”
“But even if you had used me as a pawn, I would have accepted it.”
“Why?”
“Sorry?”
“Why would you accept that? You should have resisted, run away, or fought back.”
“Uh… Do you not like that I obey you?”
“You never listen to me normally, and now you’re all obedient? Are you messing with me?”
“When have I ever refused to listen to you…”
“Every time I tell you to do something, you grumble. Look at you now. The moment I mention special training, you start moaning about emotional trauma.”
“Hey, since we’re on the topic—up until like ten minutes ago, I was still a patient! And the moment I wake up, you don’t even ask how I’m feeling—you just jump straight into ‘special training’? Isn’t that kind of heartless?”
“I know you’re fine—I’ve been watching you for three whole days. Since we’re being honest now, how could you cry your eyes out just because you believed everything Veluche said? You didn’t even think of asking me? What do you take your master for?”
Neither master nor disciple backed down. They aired out everything that had been piling up between them.
In the middle of this not-quite-conversation, Cordelia finally found herself expressing her feelings more honestly.
“When I went to the Magic Association, everyone looked at me with envy when they found out I was your disciple.”
“Took you long enough to notice.”
“That’s what made me think… Why did he choose me as a disciple? There must’ve been people smarter or more talented than me. And right at that moment, Veluche said all that stuff… and I thought, ‘Oh, so that’s why Master picked me.’”
“There were people smarter and more talented than you. Absolutely.”
“…”
“But none of them were you.”
“…”
“Even if you were dumber than you are now—which is hard to imagine, because theoretically, it shouldn’t be possible to be dumber—I still would’ve accepted you as my disciple. I accepted Cordelia Vasquez, not because you were smart or talented.”
“…”
“Are you crying?”
“Sniff… I’m touched, Master. Huuuaaah…”
It wasn’t just empty words. Her chest genuinely ached with emotion. It was something she’d never heard before—that she was accepted for who she was.
No one in the world had ever told Cordelia she was okay just as she was.
Her father always called her a useless girl. In the Abrams family, she was reviled as a worthless parasite who couldn’t bear children. She had always believed that anyone without value deserved to be discarded.
She had thought Leonard was no different—but he had treated her sincerely. In fact, the one who had planned to learn a few support spells and run away was her. Embarrassment surged within her.
“Are you done crying?”
“Yes… sniff… I’ll really give it my all—”
“Then open your book. You’ve slacked off enough. Time to make up for it starting today.”
“….”
He had an innate talent for shutting down a woman’s tears. Her tears dried instantly, and the emotion shattered like glass.
* * *
If Leonard was to reclaim Atillei, they had to hurry. The group avoided villages and continued camping in the forest to take the shortest route to the capital.
“Phew…”
Cordelia stumbled off the carriage. It was clearly midday when she woke up, but the sun was already setting.
As she stepped down, Baron greeted her with a warm face.
“Lady Cordelia. How are you feeling?”
“Oh, Baron.”
“Master was truly worried about you. Your injury was deeper than expected—it took a while to stitch up.”
“Really?”
She reached back, touching near her wound. It still hurt when pressed, but not enough to interfere with daily life.
“I tried to ensure there wouldn’t be a scar, but the wound was rather large… so there probably will be one.”
“That’s fine. It’s not like I’m getting married again anyway.”
Scars were a big disadvantage in the marriage market, but Cordelia was already married, so it didn’t matter much.
“And about Veluche…”
“What about him?”
“He kept asking when you would wake up.”
“Hmm?”
Not “when would she die”?
Cordelia narrowed her eyes and glanced at the knight chopping wood in the distance. Baron chuckled softly.
“Veluche was the one who carried you every time we moved. No one asked him to—he just did it.”
“Really?”
Cordelia’s eyes sparkled, and she casually walked over toward Veluche. When she loitered near where he was chopping wood, he scowled and barked,
“What are you doing? Don’t get in the way.”
“Were you worried about me?”
“Worried? Pfft. I was just thinking of grabbing your bracelet if you died.”
His tone was blunt as usual, but it lacked the sharpness or sarcasm from before.
“Aww, Baron said you were really worried.”
“Don’t believe that old mutt. He exaggerates everything.”
“So you weren’t really worried—just a little?”
“I said I wasn’t!”
“Still, I was loyal, wasn’t I? I stayed with you to the end—I didn’t abandon you.”
“Hmph.”
She swallowed the fact that she was this close to running away. Regardless of her thoughts, the truth was that she hadn’t.
As they bickered, Leonard called Veluche from the distance. He immediately ran to him.
“You called?”
“Get him down.”
Leonard pointed to Maximilian, tied up on top of the carriage. Veluche yanked him down with a loud thud.
Leonard untied the gag and said with surprising gentleness,
“Thirsty?”
He tossed the leather canteen at his feet. Maximilian stared at it with a cold glare.
Cordelia glanced sideways at Maximilian’s face.
Only three days had passed, but he looked like a different person. His eyes were filled with venom, his cheeks sunken, and his once-smooth face looked ten years older.
Cordelia expected him to resist, but he silently crawled to the canteen and drank. He must’ve been very thirsty.
“What are you doing? Prepare dinner.”
“Ah, y-yes!”
At Leonard’s command, Cordelia looked away from Maximilian and hurried to help with dinner.
No one knew exactly what had happened between the two of them in the forest that night, but one thing was certain—the battle was over.
The real question was why they were keeping Maximilian alive.
“To take him to the Council for trial, of course.”
As always, it was Baron who answered her unspoken question.
“The Council? Then we’re heading to the capital?”
“Oh my, I didn’t tell you? Yes, we’re going straight to Forecast Delrim.”
The Council—the highest decision-making body in Elshe. Over twenty powerful nobles gathered there to decide on succession, trials, lawmaking, and more.
Naturally, the Council was located in the capital—Forecast Delrim.
“We’ll hold a trial, reveal Maximilian’s crimes, and restore Master’s position.”
“And then… you’ll kill Maximilian?”
“Not right away. Trials take at least a year—sometimes up to three. We have to wait for the final verdict.”
“Then why go through the trial at all?”
Cordelia genuinely wondered. Leonard didn’t seem like someone who would waste three years letting an enemy live.
“It’d be a waste to just kill him.”
Leonard plopped down beside her from out of nowhere. When Cordelia saw his face from the side, she quickly looked away and fixed her eyes on the fire. It was a face that made her heart pound.
“A waste?”
“Yeah. Maximilian went through all that trouble to kill me. If I just killed him, I’d feel bad. I’m going to hold a grand trial and let all of Elshe spit on him.”
So very Leonard of him. Cordelia couldn’t help but be impressed by his wicked personality.
“But what if he escapes and takes revenge on you, Master?”
“Revenge? Ha! With no magic?”
“Well, like, sneaking up on you in secret or something…”
“If he actually tried that, it’d be hilarious. Maybe I’ll unleash hounds to rip him apart piece by piece.”
“…”
“He’s lived his whole life as a mage. Do you think he can survive even a day as a regular person? This is hell for him. That’s why I’m going through with the trial.”
Now Cordelia started to understand why he was keeping Maximilian alive. Without magic, there was little chance he could ever challenge Leonard again.
“By the way… if a trial is held, do all eight houses gather?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Why?”
“I was wondering if my father might come…”
Cordelia’s face darkened instantly.
