This brat… Why didn’t he mention such an important thing earlier?
“Sephy…?”
Vera spoke up hesitantly. The ever-mysterious, unfathomable Sage now looked so shaken—it must be because this news was just too shocking.
“This… of course it wasn’t me who taught her. Besides, even if I did, she couldn’t have mastered it in just a few days… Haha.”
To avoid deepening the misunderstanding, this would have actually been the right moment to admit she was the one who taught her.
But saying that would conflict with the story she’d just made up.
All because he didn’t coordinate with me on what to say beforehand!
“Then it all makes sense. Without your guidance, no human could possibly master such a spellcasting technique. If it wasn’t you, then that girl must truly be—”
“Isn’t it too soon to jump to conclusions?” Seeing Vera’s face darken with rising anger, Sephy quickly interrupted, “She could be Lian’s disciple! If she’s his student, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to be this strong, right?”
“Impossible! That’s the one thing that is absolutely impossible!” Vera suddenly grew agitated.
“She looks to be the same age as Milin, but she’s so much stronger! We’re both that child’s teachers, you should know just how gifted she is, right? Back when that guy was her age, he was just a hopeless good-for-nothing—”
“Vera?” The sudden outpouring of emotion left Sephy momentarily stunned.
“…Sorry, I lost my composure. But I absolutely refuse to believe that guy could ever produce such a disciple. She must have inherited or received part of his power.”
Although Sephy knew Vera was driven by a certain obsession, she couldn’t say her judgment was entirely wrong.
In this world, after all, a person’s innate magical strength and their talent for controlling magic are greatly influenced by bloodline—that’s also why Milin, as the “Hero’s Daughter,” is so highly anticipated.
Her extraordinary physical strength and seemingly inexhaustible stamina are widely believed to be inherited from her powerful father.
“I still can’t agree with you. We have no evidence, after all. Unless you can get the truth straight from the child herself.”
To keep things from spiraling further, Sephy could only say this.
In any case, you were the one who caused this mess—I’ll just let you clean it up yourself, can’t blame me for that.
“I will do just that. Because no matter what the truth is, that girl is definitely connected to Lian. And no matter what she is to Lian, I absolutely can’t accept Milin being inferior to her.”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
Sephy felt a headache coming on. She’d seen Vera like this before—whenever Vera insisted on competing with Lian over something, this was exactly how she acted.
Once she reached this state, nothing anyone said would get through to her.
“There are still a few days until the Crown Festival. Isn’t there a Martial Tournament as part of the celebrations? I want Milin to defeat her in that Martial Tournament—”
Seeing Vera’s eyes blaze with determination, Sephy let out a long sigh and cut off the communication.
…
……
………
“What the… Why would there be a Martial Tournament at the Crown Festival?”
It was another morning at XÄ«long Pavilion. Lian and the other servants had gathered in the main hall just like on the first day.
She gripped a checklist identical to everyone else’s and carefully went through the day’s assignments.
“You don’t know? Oh, right… Lian, you’re from out of town after all.”
Standing beside her, Tilly, who affectionately called her “little sister,” had completely accepted the persona Lian had crafted over the past few days—a country girl who’d come from a distant province of the Empire to the north to stay with relatives.
With a smile, Tilly explained,
“This Martial Tournament only started five years ago. That year, the Duchess officially became one of the Four Great Nobles, so people from all over the continent came to join us for the Crown Festival. To pick out capable talent from among them, the Duchess simply held a Martial Tournament.”
“And because it was such a big hit… it just became an annual tradition, right?”
“Exactly! Lian, you’re so smart. If you perform outstandingly in the Martial Tournament, you can get a Recommendation Letter signed personally by both the Duchess and Lady Vera! With that letter, you won’t be turned down from any position anywhere in the Empire! Of course, if you don’t need it, you can just stay in Honglian Palace or join Lady Vera’s Imperial Army…”
“Just by performing outstandingly, you get a reward like that? Then what if you actually win it all?”
“Win it all…” At Lian’s curious question, Tilly’s tone suddenly changed to a mysterious one.
“So far, no one’s ever won it.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because the final match… is against Lady Vera herself. A human who can defeat the Sword Saint doesn’t exist, does it? Maybe if the Hero were still around…”
“Y-yeah~”
Lian could only laugh awkwardly. If this kid ever found out that the “little sister” maid she’s been calling is actually the one person who could beat the Sword Saint…
She’d probably faint on the spot.
While the two chatted, Steward Laite finished assigning everyone’s work for the day—the servants would be split into two teams, one staying at XÄ«long Pavilion to entertain guests, the other heading to the Crown Festival site to handle preparations.
Lian was assigned to the team setting up the venue, while Tilly, as always, was to remain at the pavilion.
After saying goodbye, Lian left with her group and waited at the entrance for their transportation.
“But really… the venue’s actually at Meliya’s farm, huh.”
The checklist clearly stated the location: Meliya’s farm, which had once been her own home.
It really was a fitting place to symbolize the Harvest Festival.
Even her wedding had taken place in that sea of golden fields.
“It was only a few days ago… Why does it feel like a lifetime has passed?”
As Lian marveled at fate’s twists, she heard a familiar clattering noise.
She looked over to see a steam carriage—much larger than yesterday’s—pulling up to the entrance.
“Oh my goodness… What is that?”
“I think I’ve heard… it’s one of the inventions the Duchess is planning to show off to visiting guests at the festival—a Magic Iron Car that doesn’t need horses!”
“Are we really taking that thing to work today?… Wait, can that thing even run?”
The servants were clearly shocked at the sight of the vehicle, breaking into a flurry of chatter.
Some seemed to have heard about it before… but now that they were supposed to actually ride it, no one wanted to be the first to get on.
Maybe they were the car’s very first passengers… Was the Crown Festival now hosting an Invention Expo as well?
Lian checked her checklist and saw that, sure enough, there was an “Invention Expo” scheduled midway through the festival.
“Haha…”
For some reason, Lian felt that nothing that happened next would surprise her anymore.
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I wouldnt be so sure.