CHAPTER 144
A short yet warm kiss brushed my lips.
“I’ll be back soon, so please… stay safe.”
When I gave a small nod, Vincent smiled and walked toward the window.
He paused briefly and turned back to look at me one last time.
“As long as you aren’t hurt, that’s enough for me.”
Leaving only those words behind, Vincent disappeared into the darkness.
Left alone in the empty room, I quietly closed the window and looked at the sofa where he had been sitting.
My thoughts were tangled.
The space without him suddenly felt far too unfamiliar.
The warmth of his hand, which had been holding mine just moments ago, still seemed to linger in my palm.
Vincent was so clear about his feelings, so why couldn’t I clearly understand my own even now?
It was true that I was drawn to him, but I couldn’t be certain that I truly belonged by his side.
There were still too many mountains left to cross.
Because I am a Wentworth.
I let out a deep sigh, stood up quietly, and paced around the room.
My pounding heart refused to calm down easily.
While my mind hesitated, my heart was painfully honest in its response.
In the end, I returned to the window and looked toward the storage building in the rear garden where Vincent had disappeared.
Under the faint moonlight, I stood there for a long time, surrounded by the warmth and lingering emotions he had left behind.
***
I was waiting for Derek on the street across from the inn in Runeton.
The sky was clear without a single cloud, and as noon approached, the liveliness of the busy district only grew stronger.
People heading out for lunch overflowed into every alley, and the merchants’ energetic voices filled the marketplace.
The shouts of fruit vendors, the smell of freshly baked bread, and the occasional laughter of children made it seem like a peaceful afternoon at first glance.
Soon, the door of the inn opened and Derek stepped outside.
He spotted me and crossed the street with an unreadable expression.
Standing naturally at my side, he whispered in a very low voice.
“I definitely left it behind.”
After letting out a light sigh of relief, I quietly nodded.
When Derek glanced somewhere behind me and gave a small nod, the knights guarding me nearby spread out to a wider perimeter.
“Shall we take a walk now?”
We slowly walked along the busy street as if we had no particular destination.
I had deliberately dressed a little more carefully than usual, because the goal today was to catch someone’s attention.
As I kept glancing around, Derek whispered softly.
“Young Lady, it would be better to relax and walk a bit more naturally.”
“…Alright, but I’m right, aren’t I, about behind us?”
I had felt someone following us for a while now.
I walked as if nothing were wrong, but the subtle gaze at my back kept pricking at my nerves.
After a very brief silence, Derek nodded.
“Yes, someone dressed in black has been following us at a fixed distance.
The mana around him is flowing unusually fast, so he is likely a mage affiliated with the Mage Tower Master.”
So it really was true.
My heart sank heavily for a moment.
“Is it alright?
This isn’t a dangerous situation right now, is it?”
“Yes, at the moment, it’s just a single mage.
One alone cannot handle even one of our knights.
However, even one person can monitor multiple routes, so he will likely discover the traces we left at the inn.”
Relief and tension washed over me at the same time as I listened to Derek’s explanation.
The noise of the street felt dull, as if it were drifting far away from my ears.
“I didn’t expect them to be combing through Runeton this thoroughly.
If we had delayed any longer, we might have run into them unprepared.”
“That only means your judgment was swift and sharp, Young Lady.”
Before I could even feel embarrassed by his calm praise, the presence behind us vanished.
Derek briefly glanced back as if aware of it, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the inn.
“Where did you put the map?”
“Under the bed in the inn room, made to look like it was accidentally left behind.
Even if he realizes it was placed there intentionally, he will still follow that map to track you.”
Derek spoke with confidence, his expression tense as he kept watch on our surroundings.
In any case, the mission we had been assigned was successfully completed.
“I wonder if everyone else is doing well…”
“We should start leaving gradually.
The Mage Tower Master himself may appear.
It would be troublesome to run into him here.”
“Alright.”
We slowly moved our steps, choosing streets crowded with people as we gradually left the roads of Runeton behind.
***
Inside the mana stone cavern.
Sylvia had already been kneeling in the same position for several hours, drawing a magic circle.
Blue mana flowing from her fingertips completed delicate runes and intricate patterns one by one.
Aside from the occasional wind echoing softly as it passed through the cavern entrance, silence dominated the space inside.
The magic circle was so large that it nearly filled the cavern floor.
A large circle lay at its center, surrounded by multiple concentric rings packed tightly together.
Between each ring were dozens of runes, all connected to form subtle flows of energy.
The runes slowly glowed, sharing mana with one another as if they were alive and breathing.
“Whew…”
Sylvia carefully placed one mana stone at each of the four outer points of the magic circle.
Each time a stone was set down, the entire formation responded with a faint vibration, as if resonating.
With a focused expression, she injected mana once more, finely adjusting the balance.
Each time mana spread outward, the entire magic circle emitted a gentle glow, seeming to slowly come alive.
As time passed, her shoulders and waist grew increasingly sore.
Sylvia lightly frowned, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and murmured quietly.
“With this level of precision, even one step inside will immediately immobilize the Mage Tower Master.
I’ll need to inject a bit more mana, though.”
Capturing that formidable Mage Tower Master was something she would never have dared to attempt if they had not discovered this mana stone cavern.
After taking a brief rest, she approached the center of the completed magic circle once more and carefully placed a small mana stone there.
At once, the entire formation settled into harmony and began to glow quietly.
Blue light rippled gently along the magic circle like flowing water.
The entire cavern was bathed in that mysterious blue glow.
The breathtaking sight held Sylvia’s gaze for a moment.
“Alright, all preparations are complete now.”
She took a deep breath and slowly rolled her stiff shoulders to loosen them.
Now, only one task remained.
Amelia luring the Mage Tower Master to this place.
Unable to hide her worry and excitement, Sylvia bit her lip.
Turning her gaze back toward the outside of the cavern, she murmured softly.
“Please, let everyone return safely.”
