A Few Days Later.
Francia, the royal official and a master wizard, arrived at the knightly order.
As the daughter of Princess Ferbache, known for her unparalleled beauty in the order and even in the empire, she attracted everyone’s attention.
“Is that Princess Ferbache?”
“She looks beautiful again today.”
The scent of flowers she emitted left the men dazed.
Even the women were enchanted by her beauty, their eyes sparkling.
How could one resist her? As her silky black hair cascaded down, her ruby-like eyes sparkled.
Looking into those eyes felt like being pulled in, naturally making one yearn for her.
Her skills were equally impressive.
She had just joined the royal officials as a master wizard at the entry level.
Francia Ferbache.
She was the foremost beauty among the empire’s royal officials and an object of admiration.
However, just because everyone admired her, she couldn’t let her guard down.
The royal officials were an elite group composed of nobles from prestigious families, as it was the most respected knightly order in the empire.
It was a place rife with dirty intrigues and petty politics.
A battleground of silent wars among the nobility, where one must always be vigilant and suspicious.
If one wasn’t on guard, they would be the ones to suffer.
“Princess Ferbache.”
As Francia arrived at her assigned post, a man nearby called her name.
“…Captain.”
It was the only crown prince of the Rogino Empire, Fedelian Rogino.
He tilted his head slightly, wearing a friendly smile.
“You look especially beautiful today. Did you get a boyfriend during your vacation? I heard you attended a party.”
“I have no business with you. I don’t want to joke around with the captain.”
Francia narrowed her eyes and glared at Fedelian.
“And here, I am not Princess Ferbache but the newly appointed master wizard. Please refrain from calling me that.”
At her prickly attitude, Fedelian raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“You’re prickly. But that aspect is charming too.”
The crown prince always threw trivial flirtations at her whenever they met.
Francia frowned, knowing his ugly side all too well.
‘I miss Yohan.’
Compared to that wretched, trashy man, Yohan was like a saint.
That was what she was aiming for.
No, it was more accurate to say she was forced into this.
“By the way, are preparations going well? There’s only a month left.”
Fedelian asked.
“Are you talking about the routine reconnaissance for the royal officials?”
“Yes. Isn’t this the second time?”
She was the newly appointed master wizard.
Having joined not long ago, this was only her second reconnaissance mission.
“…That’s something I’ll prepare for myself. It’s not something you need to worry about, Captain.”
“How can a captain not worry about a fellow master wizard?”
Fedelian said this with a beaming smile.
“I think it’s natural for a captain of the second official to care about their subordinates.”
This man didn’t take a hint.
He was persistent.
Francia felt irritation bubbling inside her but refrained from showing it since he was the crown prince.
“I’ll handle it.”
“You always give the same answer.”
Fedelian shrugged and continued.
“You say you’ll handle it, that it’s not something you need to worry about, that it’s fine. If you keep rejecting me like this, you’ll only isolate yourself.”
Francia’s red eyes turned cold as she looked at him.
She felt like she might vomit, but he was the crown prince.
She had to handle herself well.
“It’s something I’ll handle.”
“Hmm.”
One of Fedelian’s eyebrows raised.
“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s also the captain’s job to understand a colleague in the second official. Do well in your preparations.”
He said this while casually running his fingers through Francia’s hair before stepping outside the building.
Her face twisted like a demon.
She felt disgusted and dirty.
She wanted nothing more than to cut off the hair the crown prince had touched immediately.
“Haah.”
But if she cut her hair, the beautiful hair Yohan had praised that night would be gone.
Francia took a deep breath, swallowing her burning anger.
‘Yohan, I wish you would come soon.’
Though she had always missed him, today she missed him particularly strongly.
A month could be both short and long, but for Yohan, who was diligently studying magic, it wasn’t that long.
He needed to pass both basic and advanced magic and master magic from the entry-level stage, so time was tight.
However.
“…Alright.”
Just shy of four weeks, Yohan reached the entry-level stage.
He had learned the spells inscribed in the Book of Catastrophe.
Though he had only memorized and practiced a few spells, he was now at a level where he could perform adequately as a royal official.
The ranks of royal officials were divided as follows:
First Class, Second Class, Third Class.
And then there was the Master Class.
Up to the Second Class, they were classified as regular wizards, and from First Class, they were considered high-level wizards.
In truth, high-level wizards had an impressive title, but their power wasn’t that great.
They were simply called high-level wizards because they remembered a large number of spells.
Still, it was undoubtedly impressive.
And the most important, the special class, could destroy a major city alone.
Once one surpassed the high-level wizards and entered the entry-level stage, they were classified as master wizards, in which case they could form a team by themselves.
Yohan had surpassed the First-Class high-level wizard level and could now learn entry-level magic.
All this in just under a month.
His overwhelming magical talent would leave even legendary celestial wizards in awe.
‘Actually, it’s just a few entry-level spells I’ve learned.’
Yohan spread his palm and drew out magic power.
A sky-blue frost crystal bloomed.
The color of the trained magic power indicated the user’s traits; if it was sky-blue…
‘Honorable, I suppose.’
Yohan smiled faintly.
He had never thought of himself as honorable, but his magic said otherwise.
‘There shouldn’t be any issue in activating entry-level magic. The Book of Catastrophe… there’s really no proper place to test it.’
Since it was such an obscure spell, using it wouldn’t cause any problems, but at this point, he couldn’t use it as he didn’t know its power.
He couldn’t risk damaging the training grounds where his family’s knights practiced.
‘Anyway.’
With this, he could meet Francia again.
He would have to fight against the likes of Fedelian, Cassis, and Rodela, those crazy people, in the process.
‘Shall I go? As a royal official.’
Yohan stood up from the family training ground.
Just then, a waiting servant approached him with a towel.
“You’ve worked hard, young master!”
“Oh, thanks.”
Her name was Irene, the daughter of a servant working for the Harssen family.
Knowing that Irene had feelings for him, Yohan deliberately avoided giving her any attention.
“Um, young master.”
“Huh?”
“Is it okay to ask why you suddenly started learning magic?”
Wiping his forehead with the towel, Yohan looked into the air and opened his mouth.
“I have to prepare for marriage soon.”
“…Yes, what?”
Irene blinked her eyes.
“Marriage?!”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Yeah. I’m not getting married just yet, but I need to prepare.”
Yohan said this and handed the towel, now soaked with sweat, to Irene.
“Thanks for the towel. You’ve worked hard, so let’s call it a day.”
“Y-Yes…”
Irene stared blankly at Yohan as he walked away.
It was hard to believe that the young master, who represented the family’s welfare, was leaving the family.
If she told the other servants, they would likely be filled with despair.
But this matter and that one were separate.
Irene took in the scent of the towel soaked with Yohan’s sweat as if it were familiar.
‘Even his sweat smells good.’
She was entranced, lost in the towel with a blissful look in her eyes.
With not much time left until the reconnaissance for the royal officials, the royal officials and their knights were bustling about.
In such a place, a certain rumor began to circulate.
“Did you hear? Another master wizard is coming soon.”
“What? Another master wizard?”
A man frowned.
What was a master wizard, a dog?
Just recently, Princess Ferbache had joined as a master wizard, but…
“He’s coming again…”
“Isn’t it just a rumor floating around?”
“The captain mentioned it.”
“Of course.”
If it was something said by the crown prince, the leader of the second royal officials, it must be true.
“It seems like it’s a special day. To have another master wizard come in just before the reconnaissance of the magul. Is it because this time is particularly dangerous that heaven is providing help?”
The man, feeling a sense of foreboding, frowned and shook his head.
“Yeah, right. I was planning to propose to my girlfriend after this reconnaissance.”
“You still haven’t proposed? If you keep hesitating like this, someone else will snatch her away.”
“Don’t even mention it. We don’t have a safe job; I can’t just bring it up easily.”
The man chuckled at his colleague who still hadn’t proposed and asked,
“Anyway, is there any more information about that master wizard?”
“I heard he’s a low-ranking noble, but I haven’t heard anything about his skills yet. If they’re not even bothering to mention them, it probably means he’s just average.”
“Then he might fail the upcoming test.”
“Well, we’ll find out.”
To join the royal officials, one must pass three tests.
First, there’s a written exam.
Although it’s called a written exam, it’s not that difficult.
Second, there’s a practical test.
It’s an exam to prove one’s skills.
For knights, it’s based on their mana blade level, and for wizards, it’s based on the level of magic they can use.
Up to this point, it’s not difficult.
Anyone called an elite would pass without issue.
But the third hurdle is different.
It’s because one must participate in the magul reconnaissance.
It’s a place where one could easily lose their life, making it not an easy destination for those going for the first time.
“I hope a capable master wizard comes.”
“It would also increase our safety in the front lines.”
Listening to the knights chatting around her, Francia, who was preparing for the reconnaissance mission, perked up her ears.
Yohan!
If a master wizard was coming at this time, it was definitely him.
Finally, I’ll get to see Yohan.
Francia blushed at the thought of seeing Yohan and smiled shyly.
She couldn’t help but feel her face heat up at the prospect of meeting him again after almost a month! She wanted to meet him right away.
“Looks like you can make that kind of expression too.”
At that moment, Fedelian tilted his head.
“Were you thinking about me?”
“You’re ignoring me again, aren’t you?”
Fedelian smiled as he watched her lightly brush off his words.
The more prickly she was, the more he wanted her.
“I hope to see that expression more often.”
“I have no business with you.”
“Come on.”
Just as Fedelian reached out to touch her hair, Francia swatted his hand away.
“We’re not that close.”
“Hmm.”
Fedelian shrugged at her disdainful gaze.
“If you’re that cold, I’ll get hurt too.”
“Can’t you just not talk to me?”
“That’s not an option. You’re our master wizard, after all.”
“Haah.”
Francia sighed.
Fedelian’s eyebrows twitched.
The resistance is stronger than I expected.
I thought at least some goodwill would have developed.
Until now, women would easily swoon just at the sight of his face.
Even if there was a high wall blocking the men, they would quickly yield after a bit of conversation.
But Francia Ferbache was different.
Could it be that her beauty made her more difficult to approach? He felt some difficulty in gaining her favor, but he wasn’t worried.
Once the next reconnaissance comes, she’ll inevitably be drawn to me.
His plan was perfect.
He had recruited magic practitioners, and the scenario was all laid out.
Once it was put into action, Francia would surely come around to him.
Fedelian was convinced of that.
“Well, you must be busy with preparations, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Go on then. Quickly.”
“Ha ha. You say that, and it makes me want to stay.”
He flashed a friendly smile and passed by Francia.
Immediately afterward, Fedelian’s face hardened.
That just makes me want her more.
How thrilling would it be if such a woman were to fall for him?
Recalling that feeling, Fedelian grinned slyly.
・・・・・・ And the next day.
The face of the master wizard who had decided to take the royal officials’ entrance exam appeared.
His name was Yohan Harssen.