Chapter 27
In the morning, the two of us headed toward the city center. More precisely, it was a scene of Damian walking through the market while I trotted after him. He went from shop to shop, buying five days’ worth of groceries—mostly dried fruits and a few pieces of jerky.
‘……?’
Dried fruits? Unexpected.
Was this man actually someone who liked sweets?
“Archduke, do you like dried fruits too?”
“I’m not eating them.”
“…Hmm? Really?”
He gave me a strange look, as if asking such an obvious question were somehow foolish.
“Who else besides me would eat them here?”
“…Ah, they’re for me?”
“Yes.”
Wait a moment.
“How did you know I liked fruit?”
I hadn’t told him. Damian looked at me as if I were utterly ridiculous.
“Is there any citizen in the empire who wouldn’t know the taste of the illustrious Princess who sweeps up fruits from across the continent each season?”
“…Ah-ha.”
I couldn’t help but exhale in surprise.
‘Right… I was famous for that.’
Of course, it hadn’t been intentional. I simply loved fruit, and every season the Emperor would gather the sweetest, most delicious fruits from across the continent to present to me. Most of it went uneaten, often discarded, so it was more a show of affection than anything else.
‘Back then, I thought that was love.’
A bitter thought.
“If we leave now, there won’t be a place to rest along the way.”
Damian’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Then let’s move quickly.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
I expected him to scold me further, but he said nothing. As usual, he helped me onto the horse and controlled the reins from behind.
‘…Huh?’
This time, he held me tightly with both arms and legs. It was a small thing, but somehow it felt remarkable.
‘He cares.’
It made my stomach tingle. Luckily, no one tracked us on the way west, so we could ride without stopping. I nibbled on the dried fruit Damian handed me.
‘…Not bad.’
Not as fresh as when eaten raw, but strangely more enjoyable than I remembered. By the time the sun began leaning westward, a vast plain opened before us. Soon, I saw a small floating island drifting above the horizon, with a rainbow shimmering in the distance.
And finally, when I saw the tall, silvery tower rising at its center:
‘…Wow.’
I held my breath without realizing it. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful. Damian set me down, and the moment my feet touched the ground, it felt like waking from a dream.
“We’ve arrived. The Land of Mages.”
Unlike the capital, the western lands, home to the Mage Tower, were completely free from demonic energy. No wonder I felt so refreshed as we approached the western edge of the continent. Seeing the view, everything made sense.
“It’s so clear….”
I couldn’t help but exclaim. How long had it been since I saw a sky this clear? Even the capital rarely had weather this pure; the demonic energy always tainted the air.
Damian tied the horse to a nearby tree and approached me slowly.
“Now what? You said there’s someone you need to meet? Let’s quickly take care of business and go.”
“…Yes.”
The Land of Mages had no borders or guards—a true land of freedom. It was also the only place on the continent where the empire’s influence didn’t reach. The Mage Tower stood in the center, but unless one was a mage assigned to it, most were independent-minded. Here, one needn’t worry about royal oversight… though other dangers remained.
“Luckily, we’re a bit away from the Mage Tower.”
“Yes.”
“I hope the mage we meet lives nearby. They’re not friendly to capital nobles, but as long as it’s not the Tower Mage, they usually turn a blind eye.”
Damian glanced around nervously. He didn’t seem impressed by the beautiful western plains; if anything, he looked tense.
“As you know, I can handle myself, but if Your Highness meets the Tower Mage directly, it could be dangerous. Their unpredictability is… concerning.”
He was unusually tense, worried about mages appearing out of nowhere across this vast land.
“I couldn’t manage it alone. There’s no telling how a mage might emerge.”
“I know.”
And the person I had come to see:
“They’re in that tower. That’s who I’m meeting.”
“…Excuse me?”
For a moment, Damian seemed dumbstruck. He alternated between my face and the silver Mage Tower I pointed to. A few seconds later, his expression contorted.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Unfortunately, it seems so.”
“You’re going in there?”
“Yes.”
“Wow…….”
Damian let out a hollow laugh.
“I really thought you might be joking, but… this is insane.”
He ran a hand roughly through his hair, genuinely bewildered. I understood why—this was the Mage Tower at the continent’s western heart. Its master didn’t welcome the royal family. Not hostile exactly, but definitely unwelcoming.
Since the Emperor began monopolizing refined stones via me, the Tower Mage cut off all interaction and hadn’t appeared outside the western continent even once.
‘One of the few beings the Emperor fears.’
And now, the princess was heading there? No wonder Damian thought it was madness.
He exhaled deeply, trying to regain composure.
“Still, it’s fortunate that Your Highness knows this mage. We can meet as far from the Tower as possible…”
“…….”
“You know them, right?”
I forced an innocent smile.
“I’ll get to know them from here.”
“XX.”
“Hey, you swore.”
