“Mental Interference?”
Judging by the name, it seemed I was just subjected to a spell on a mental level.
‘But I’m in the Church of Holy Light’s station; how could someone cast a mental spell on me here?’
The Witch Falia took a quick look and, finding it wasn’t a major issue, began to withdraw the two Element Lords she had just summoned.
She said casually, “It’s no big deal. It’s just the lowest-level curse. Your own mental strength already successfully resisted it. It seems the caster in front of you isn’t skilled enough yet.”
“Wait!”
Lance hurriedly interrupted Falia, even forgetting to use honorifics for a moment.
“Noren cast Mental Interference on me just now?”
“Noren? Oh — that little girl.” Falia didn’t mind Lance’s question at all, assuming he was still worried. She offered a casual consolation, “What’s wrong? It’s just a low-level little spell. Don’t worry, it’s not a big problem.”
‘How is this possible!’
Lance howled inwardly, his expression shifting through several emotions before he slowly looked down at his sister, who was staring at him piteously.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
This was his good sister who respected him the most!
Could something have gone wrong?
Although the Witch had no reason to lie to him, Lance asked, “Noren… did you just use Mental Interference on me?”
Lance stared intently at the teary-eyed Noren, hoping to see a look of complete confusion on her face.
If she looked lost, it would be enough to prove she hadn’t cast any mental spells.
He had already decided that as long as Noren said no, he would believe her.
However, upon hearing his words, Noren’s body trembled.
A flash of panic appeared in her watery eyes, and she immediately looked away.
Her hands, which were hugging Lance, instinctively tried to pull away, but she quickly realized that doing so would be too incriminating.
Consequently, her loosened grip immediately tightened again, even firmer than before.
“Huh? I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brother…”
“You… you!”
Lance was instantly furious.
‘She’s truly becoming lawless!’
Little Noren actually dared to use mental magic on him!
He didn’t even want to imagine what she might try next.
The touched feeling he had earlier from Noren wiping away tears and saying she couldn’t bear to leave him vanished instantly.
Lance’s face gradually turned grim, and he spoke in a harsh tone, “Where did you learn Mental Interference?! When did you learn it?! Why did you use it on your brother?!”
He fired off several questions in a row.
With each one, the little maid Noren took a step back.
After only 2 steps, she hit the corner of the wall.
Noren’s face turned red little by little, and she tilted her head, not daring to meet Lance’s gaze.
Feeling Lance’s anger, Falia was slightly puzzled.
In all the time she had spent with him, this was the first time she had felt such genuine anger.
It was just a minor mental spell, and she hadn’t sensed any malice from the girl.
‘Is Lance being a bit petty? That’s not good…’
Just as Falia was about to speak up, the little girl backed into the corner finally shouted out herself.
“I… I just didn’t want to be apart from you! Why do you always have to leave me behind! You didn’t come back for over 1 month, and I… I was worried too! But now that you’re back, you still want to leave me. I’ve grown up, and I can help you! I…”
Noren spoke with incredible speed, her tone filled with resentment and anxiety, but mostly with genuine fear.
After finishing, however, she immediately used both hands to cover the mouth that wanted to keep talking, only letting out muffled mm-mm sounds.
Hearing those words, Lance froze. The anger that had been rising within him vanished instantly, and he staggered back 2 steps.
Lance rubbed his forehead with one hand in a bit of pain.
In an instant, many things clicked into place.
Hiss—
‘That’s right.’
Noren was no longer a child. If she didn’t go to the Magic Academy to study, she would already be at a marriageable age for women in this world.
She wasn’t the little girl from 10 years ago who could only follow behind him, needing him to hold her hand and coax her just to keep fleeing for their lives.
In Lance’s memory, this was the first time Noren had expressed her opinion so directly.
For a moment, Lance felt a sense of comfort.
After all, when Noren had previously signed up for the Artificial Blood Core program and he had stopped her, she had only agreed on the surface to avoid conflict with him, but then secretly continued to sign up behind his back.
Thinking of this, Lance’s sense of comfort vanished instantly.
‘What do you mean “grown up”! You’re clearly still a brat who causes trouble!’
Lance’s expression suddenly darkened. He clenched both fists and began to grind them against Noren’s head.
“What are you rambling about! What we’re talking about now is the serious issue of why you used mental magic on me! Hurry up and apologize to your brother!”
Her head stinging from the grinding of Lance’s knuckles, Noren’s momentum collapsed instantly.
She hurried to raise her hands to push away the two large hands on her head.
“Brother! Brother! I was wrong! I’ll never use mental magic on you again! Ow… it hurts…”
……
Passing through the teleportation gate leading to the inner city of Siofra, Cecilia had no smile on her face.
She looked like a different person compared to her usual smiling self.
Seeing the white-robed Saintess appear, the butler of the City Lord’s Mansion, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately bowed and saluted.
“Lady Saintess! This way, please!”
Cecilia’s expression was cold, but her long-standing habit made her reply casually, “Thank you for your trouble.”
The butler was startled for a moment, and then the grim expression on his face softened slightly. “It is merely my duty; I wouldn’t dare call it trouble.”
Cecilia nodded and turned to ask, “What exactly did Joel Crais do? Why did the City Lord’s Mansion feel it necessary to detain him?”
Hearing the question, the butler hesitated for a moment before replying somewhat reluctantly, “It was mostly words questioning the City Lord’s strength… while also attacking Bishop Valerie who was present. I am not entirely clear on the specifics. I hope Your Highness can be understanding.”
The Saintess remained silent, having already guessed what that brainless fool had said.
It was nothing more than questioning the Saint Rank strength of the Black Dragon of Sifral, likely even claiming it was a fake Saint Rank.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been detained on the spot.
‘What a brainless fool!’
How could someone who emerged from the Holy War lack strength?
But as far as Lance knew, this City Lord of Siofra City, who was recognized by the three Churches, had once achieved the feat of fighting three Grand Knight Commanders alone.
Although he had relied on the home-field advantage of Siofra’s laws and ultimately lost to the combined attack of the three Churches, such strength was not something a useless second-generation who wasn’t even an Element could question.
The teleportation array was not far from the City Lord’s Mansion.
Before long, Cecilia arrived at the entrance of the official residence.
‘I’ll probably have to pay some price to get him out…’
Cecilia thought as she walked, but the result exceeded her expectations.
Following the butler into the main hall of the mansion, she saw a miserable-looking blond young man in a pure white formal suit, tied up and gagged.
To be more precise, with his dust-covered appearance, he could have passed for a vagrant.
There were only 2 guards pressing him down; as for the City Lord himself, there was no sign of him.
Slightly confused, Cecilia looked at the butler.
The butler bowed his head deeply and said, “Your Highness, you may take Mr. Crais back now. The City Lord does not wish for his first meeting with you to be spent dealing with such unpleasant matters.”