The memory is a bit hazy, but I think the original story had a line like this:
— It was the magician who turned her into a monster.
Here, “her” referred to Evelyn.
The term “monster” is a bit complicated to explain, but it’s meant literally: a being twisted by negative emotions into something that destroys everything.
As is often the case with novels, there wasn’t much detailed explanation about this line.
Nor was there any description of what kind of person the magician who broke her might be.
So, I had to figure everything out myself.
No matter what, I had to prevent Evelyn from turning into a monster.
“Magician?”
When I asked if there was anything related to magicians in the Rose Duchy, Evelyn tilted her head.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never been particularly interested in magic.”
“Please think carefully.”
“Hmm… I did hear that some people who introduced themselves as magicians recently visited the estate. I sent them away, saying I was too busy to meet them.”
Are they the magicians from the original story? No, probably not.
If they had the power to distort Evelyn’s very existence, they’d have to be quite formidable.
They wouldn’t be wandering around doing street performances.
Still, just in case, I decided to check.
“Are they still in the territory? If so, shall we go see them?”
“Why should I? Why waste my time on mere tricks?”
“For the record, Kalian enjoys magic performances.”
“What I mean is, sometimes the finest craftsmanship is hidden within seemingly simple tricks. Let’s go at once. I’ve always had an interest in magic.”
She quickly changed her tune, glancing at Kalian’s reaction.
We went to find the magicians performing in the streets.
They had set up only a tent in a wide open area, but quite a crowd of locals had gathered to watch the show.
When the people spotted Evelyn, they jumped up from their seats, parting like the Red Sea.
“Oh, Lady Evelyn! What brings you to such a humble place…?”
“W-what?! Hey, everyone, move! Prepare a seat for Lady Evelyn! You there, get up now!”
“Restart the performance from the beginning!”
Rather than showing discomfort, they gladly made room for Evelyn with cheerful faces.
Though she spoke arrogantly, calling them lowly, she seemed to have a good reputation among the residents.
“That’s unnecessary.”
Evelyn waved her hand and sat in the best seat, and the rest of us sat beside her.
“Oh, oh…! The esteemed Lady Evelyn, the future lord of the estate, has graced us with her presence. Let’s all give her a round of applause as a sign of respect!”
The host of the magic show bowed politely to her and announced that the real show was about to begin.
From the host to the magicians on stage, everyone seemed visibly tense.
The show that followed was surprisingly ordinary.
Card tricks, fire performances, tightrope walking—a blend of magic and circus acts I was familiar with.
The audience became immersed in the show, cheering loudly, and the performers gradually gained confidence, showing off more difficult tricks.
So far, nothing unusual.
There were no signs of sinister energy or someone possessing the aura of an apostle.
They seemed like ordinary performers.
“Boring.”
After watching for a while, Evelyn voiced her dissatisfaction.
It made sense. To someone who could manipulate mana, walking a tightrope or breathing fire was nothing impressive.
Magic tricks relying on sleight of hand wouldn’t easily fool a skilled knight’s eyes, either.
“Does Kalian really enjoy this sort of thing? It hardly seems impressive.”
“Keep watching. Even without the ability to handle mana, people can still amaze others.”
I told her to give it some time as she began to lose interest.
The magician I was looking for likely wasn’t here, so we might as well enjoy the show.
“For this next act, we need a volunteer!”
As the performance neared its climax, the host scanned the audience and pointed in our direction.
“You, the handsome gentleman! No, not the one who looks like a potato—the one sitting next to Lady Evelyn!”
“I think they mean me.”
“Would you please join us on stage?”
Kalian stood up as the host called him.
As expected of a born protagonist, his presence naturally drew attention wherever he went.
“We’ll also need one more volunteer for this trick… preferably a lovely lady. Hmm… who should it be?”
The host glanced at us, seemingly torn between Evelyn and Lumia. He hesitated, wondering if it would be appropriate to bring Evelyn on stage.
“I’ll go,” Evelyn said, standing up as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Sit down.”
But I pulled her wrist, stopping her.
“What are you doing?”
“Lumia should go. It wouldn’t be right for someone of your stature to join a common entertainment.”
“Since when does magic artistry care about social rank? Let go of me this instant.”
Look at her, suddenly interested after calling it boring earlier.
Ignoring her protests, I nudged Lumia forward.
“W-wait, Wade?!”
“Go on. Lady Evelyn said she’s not interested.”
Evelyn tried to object again, but the host quickly raised his voice to defuse the situation.
“Oh, how wonderful! Now that we have such a beautiful pair of volunteers, we can proceed with the grand magic act!”
“Ugh…”
Caught under the audience’s gaze, Lumia reluctantly went up on stage.
The next magic act was quite impressive.
The sequence included Kalian being stabbed in a box by Lumia, Lumia’s box sliding through a narrow space, and the two of them reappearing together in the center box, marking the grand finale.
The performers added a storyline about lovers separated by fate but destined to reunite, enhancing the audience’s immersion.
“True love remains unchanged, no matter the hardships… This is quite watchable,” Evelyn remarked, casting a sidelong glance at me.
“If it weren’t for your meddling, I’d be Kalian’s love right now… How tragic.”
“It’s just a show. Why take it so seriously?”
“You ruined everything.”
Where was the person who said magic wasn’t her thing?
Despite her earlier dismissal, Evelyn applauded for the first time as the magicians, Kalian, and Lumia bowed to the crowd.
Kalian returned to his seat, trying to appear composed, while Lumia ran back, blushing furiously.
The next act was knife throwing, more akin to a circus performance than magic.
It involved throwing knives near a bound person, just narrowly missing them.
Once again, the host called for a volunteer, and, unfortunately, I was chosen to play the bound role.
Since refusing wasn’t polite in such situations, I prepared to go on stage.
But suddenly, Evelyn stood up abruptly.
Did she really want to be a volunteer that badly?
It turned out I misunderstood.
She didn’t want to be the one tied up—she wanted to throw the knives.
The knife thrower originally scheduled for the act looked alarmed.
“Um… we use real knives for this. There’s a risk of injury if you’re not careful…”
“No need to worry. I’ve cut down countless villains with my sword.”
“Well… please don’t cut anything here…”
What could they do when the leader of the territory insisted? Encouraged by the cheering crowd, the host couldn’t stop her.
Thus, I was tied to the wall while Evelyn grabbed several knives.
“Finally, a chance for revenge,” she said with a sly grin.
“This is just a performance, you know that, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll send you off comfortably.”
“Wait, send me where?”
I urgently shouted to be untied, but the host and knife thrower avoided eye contact.
Evelyn smirked and threw the knives.
Though the experience was terrifying and nerve-wracking,
I decided not to make a big deal out of it.
After all, it was the first time I’d seen her so genuinely entertained.
Afterward, we headed to the Rose Duchy’s magic research institute.
It wasn’t because of a newfound interest in magic, but to investigate the magicians I had heard about earlier.
“One of our family’s magic researchers seems to have been called a magician in the past,”
Evelyn said, surprising me with information she had apparently gathered after the show.
She didn’t know exactly what a magician was or why I was looking for one, but she seemed to sense that I wasn’t asking about them without reason.
I’d need to explain everything to her eventually, but the problem was that I didn’t know much about magicians myself.
No matter how well I knew the original story, the information available there amounted to less than 1% of this world.
Most of the story’s essence lay in its subtext and implied details.
There was so much I didn’t know about this world.
I didn’t even realize Kalian had gynophobia until I arrived here, which said it all.
“This is the entrance to the magic research institute. I don’t know if the magician you’re looking for is here, but you should take a look,” Evelyn said.
“Anything I should be cautious about?” I asked.
“The researchers will explain any rules. Other than that…”
Before she could finish, the door to the institute suddenly swung open, and a woman appeared.
To my shock, it was someone I never expected to see.
“Oh my, what brings you all here?” Elia asked nonchalantly.
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