The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 184

Becky shrieked, feigning utter disgust.

“Why would you ask me something like that? I don’t know anything.”

She was still extremely sensitive to the words ‘Magic Tower.’ Normally, Rosette wouldn’t want to provoke someone like her, but this time, she couldn’t back down.

-They won’t be able to return.

-They will never return to the capital, not even in death. Their bodies will be buried in the northern lands. That is, if their bodies remain intact.

Michael’s hushed whispers in the banquet hall still echoed vividly in her mind.

It wasn’t a curse wishing they wouldn’t return, but a statement of certainty that it would truly happen.

The eerie part was that his voice, as he spoke those chilling words, was so gentle and kind, as if he had no worries at all.

-Think of it as me giving you a heads-up, so you won’t be surprised.

True to his word, Michael seemed to genuinely believe he was being considerate to Rosette.

Rosette clenched her fist, recalling Michael’s flawlessly innocent smile.

“Even so, since you’ve been to the Magic Tower, you must know more than ordinary people.”

“Why are you so fixated on the Magic Tower, Your Highness?”

“The Magic Tower Lord.”

At Rosette’s words, Becky flinched.

“Why are you suddenly jumping from the Magic Tower to the Magic Tower Lord?”

“Isn’t it natural to talk about the Magic Tower Lord since they are the master of the Magic Tower?”

“So, what do you want? Are you going to contact the Magic Tower Lord and ask them to resolve the current situation?”

She shook her head vehemently.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible. It was impossible even when I was part of the Magic Tower, but it’s even more so now.”

“No, I’ll resolve this situation somehow. With Sir Lane’s help, of course.”

“…Is that so?”

“I want to know what kind of person the Magic Tower Lord is and how much influence they have within the Magic Tower.”

“…”

Becky fell silent again. However, unlike before, she didn’t seem to be shutting down the conversation entirely. She just seemed to be contemplating.

“I still don’t understand why you’re looking to the Magic Tower and the Magic Tower Lord in this situation. Are you perhaps interested in becoming a researcher at the Magic Tower?”

“…”

“I don’t know why you’d want to join the Magic Tower, but with your skills, it’s definitely possible. You wouldn’t even need to ask me; a single letter to the Magic Tower would be enough. They’d all rush to welcome you.”

Becky added cynically.

“Though I wouldn’t exactly recommend it. I might even try to dissuade you, just this once, for your sake.”

“I don’t want to join the Magic Tower. I’ve already studied enough at the Ivelin Royal Academy, and I don’t want to live my whole life just for magic.”

“Is that so?”

Rosette paused for a moment before speaking frankly.

“I know who the Magic Tower Lord is.”

“…What?”

Becky stammered, taken aback.

“T-t-that’s impossible. Almost no one knows the Magic Tower Lord’s identity. Most of the mages in the Magic Tower don’t even know. How could you possibly know their identity?”

“I not only know who they are, but I’ve also met them in person.”

“It must be an imposter!”

“It’s not an imposter. I can’t go into detail about how I met the Magic Tower Lord because it’s a personal matter, but it’s definitely the Magic Tower Lord.”

Becky raised her head and stared intently into Rosette’s eyes. Her eyes, shining from within the hood, resembled those of a herbivore fearing a predator, rather than the eyes of a predator hunting its prey.

Becky seemed confused. She couldn’t believe Rosette’s words, which defied her common sense, but she couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that they were true.

“…You’ve even met them in person, yet you’re asking me? If you’ve met them, you should know what kind of person they are.”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“It feels like we’re repeating ourselves, but then why are you asking?”

She couldn’t hide the truth any longer. Becky was, after all, a party to all of this.

Were the ‘two people’ Michael mentioned really just Joshua and Daniel? Or did ‘unable to return to the capital’ refer to the entire subjugation force? Indeed, if Rosette hadn’t come, that would have been the case.

And Becky was also one of that subjugation force.

“The Magic Tower Lord said something strange to me. They said the subjugation force would not be able to return to the capital, not even in death.”

“…!”

“It was as if they knew all of this would happen. If so, how did they know? Did the Magic Tower Lord directly observe the situation in the north? Or did they plant a spy in the subjugation force?”

“…”

“Or could it be that the Magic Tower Lord themselves orchestrated all of this?”

Rosette spoke clearly, watching Becky’s eyes widen like those of a startled rabbit.

“If I were to say this to Prince Michael or the other members of the subjugation force, you would be the first to be suspected. You claim to have no connection to the Magic Tower anymore, but how many people would readily accept that?”

“…”

“So, please tell me honestly if you know anything. This isn’t a request; it’s closer to coercion.”

She could take the entire subjugation force out of here. She hadn’t found a way yet, but Rosette was sure she could find a solution somehow.

She would save Joshua, Daniel, and Lucas without fail.

But would that be enough?

The monsters were still ravaging the north, and she hadn’t figured out what Michael’s purpose was in all of this.

What if Michael’s intentions remained unchanged? What if he caused trouble again?

The risk of losing Daniel and Joshua might arise again. Perhaps Adrian, Isabel, or even Lucas could be in danger next time.

‘And if Michael is doing this out of spite towards me, Adrian and Joshua could really be in danger.’

This might be a far-fetched assumption. Who would do something like this just because their proposal was rejected?

However, according to Lucas, Michael Lerscher seemed to be out of his mind.

He claimed to love Rosette, yet he declared that he wouldn’t do anything until Adrian allowed their marriage when she was in critical condition. That alone made him seem that way.

A man who only cared about his own feelings and was insensitive to the feelings of others, perhaps even mad. That was Michael Lerscher.

Rosette looked at Becky, who was still silent, and stood up.

“I won’t force you to answer right away. You’ll need time to think. But given the situation, I can’t give you much time. I plan to report the entire situation to Prince Michael tomorrow morning.”

“…”

“So, I hope you’ll make a choice that benefits everyone. Including you.”

Rosette left those words and returned to Daniel and Lucas.

“Hey, what did you talk about with that mage [magic user]?”

“We just talked about magic. It’s been a while since I met such a capable mage.”

“Still, don’t get too close. She’s from the Magic Tower, right? Something feels ominous. And it’s weird how she stubbornly wears that hood stained with blood and filth.”

Daniel, who had been listening quietly, scolded him.

“Don’t say things like that, Lucas. I’m not a child; how long do I have to keep teaching you this?”

“Oh, come on! I have my reasons. My gut! My gut is screaming that that mage is strange.”

Lucas raised his right index finger and waved it above his head like an insect’s antenna.

“And you should just focus on getting better.”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand. I need to get better quickly so I can stop Father from getting angry at you guys.”

“Yeah. Father will be furious, so you need to get better quickly and stop him.”

Daniel nagged, ‘If I had known Father would be so angry, I wouldn’t have come here secretly,’ but Lucas and Rosette pretended not to hear him.

* * *

There were about three or four monster attacks during the night.

Rosette finally understood the concept of ‘Memento’ [a manifestation of one’s deepest fears or regrets].

The Mementos that appeared in swarms took the form of Joshua, her beloved, and even Adrian or Daniel.

Joshua Ernhardt was fine. Thanks to Bbibbi shouting, ‘Rosette, snap out of it! The real Silver’s owner is over there!’ she was able to regain her senses.

Seeing the real Joshua by her side, wielding his sword and cutting down monsters, made the fake ones seem insignificant.

The same was true for the Mementos that looked like Daniel.

In fact, Rosette was tormented by the guilt of killing Daniel, but she didn’t actually remember destroying his heart with magic. She had lost all sense of reason after Adrian’s death.

Moreover, after confirming the real Daniel sitting behind her, protected by Lucas, she was barely able to maintain her composure.

However, Adrian was different.

-You’re skilled. Did the Marquis of Dallas send you?

The moment she heard that voice, Rosette couldn’t maintain her sanity.

No matter how much Bbibbi flew around pecking at it with its beak, shouting that it was a fake and a black monster, and no matter how much she repeated to herself that it was an illusion, she couldn’t calm down.

Hearing her ragged breathing, Joshua grasped her trembling hand tightly.

“Is it me?”

When she shook her head, he asked again.

“Then is it perhaps Master?”

This time, she couldn’t bring herself to nod. But that was enough to answer his question, and Joshua charged at the Memento with his sword.

Following him, Silver leaped out, first biting Adrian’s waist, and then Joshua stabbed his left chest. Not to be outdone, Bbibbi bravely pecked at its head.

Soon, Adrian collapsed, leaving only a black rag on the floor.

Only then could Rosette release the breath she had been holding back. Joshua, who had almost finished dealing with the surrounding monsters, put his sword back into its scabbard and approached her.

“There’s no need to worry.”

“…”

Then he hugged her tightly.

“Master is probably waiting for us safely in the capital by now.”