Screeeech…
After running for quite a while, the carriage began to slow down, and soon it started to come to a gentle stop.
“Looks like we’re about to arrive.”
“…You don’t need to say it, I already know.”
Ever since I received the ring from the lady, my heart had been strangely fluttering, and I had been staring out the window the whole time.
When I raised my voice, a bored tone answered from the front.
‘The lady recovers so quickly…’
Maybe it’s because she’s been through so much, but her mental recovery speed was in a completely different league compared to mine.
Of course, like everything, even the lady must have her limits, but it still felt like her threshold was ridiculously high.
Somehow, thinking about the people who drove someone like her to fall made my heart feel uneasy.
“By the way, the stronghold of the white mages is gloomier than I expected.”
“You can say that again…”
“No, now that I look again, this is on a whole other level.”
As I was thinking this and staring intently at the lady, she turned from the window and muttered with a slight frown.
“Now that I see it, we’d be lucky if ghosts don’t pop out.”
“It might look like that, but this is the second safest place in the world after the Holy Kingdom.”
Just as the lady said, the fortress claimed to be the home base of the white mages gave off an eerie atmosphere, like something out of a vampire novel.
But no matter what it is, one must never judge solely by appearances.
In most of the bad ending routes, that spooky-looking fortress is the final bastion that holds off Lady Meredia’s invasion after she becomes the final boss.
At the very least, considering that it’s a gathering place for white mages who specialize in protection and defense, it makes sense.
“Well, the academy’s image got pretty tarnished after the last incident, so I guess it’s only natural.”
“…Haha.”
For reference, the academy also had a long and proud history, having repelled two invasions by the Demon King.
But due to recent events, its reputation took a severe hit.
For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt in my heart, but if I let that bother me now, I wouldn’t be able to move forward.
Besides, with Lady Meredia, who holds enough wealth to control the empire’s economy, as the current director of the academy, at least it won’t collapse.
“Oh, before we get off, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
Grateful that someone like her wasn’t my enemy but my fiancée, I was about to get off the carriage when she, also preparing to disembark, suddenly asked me a question.
“Yes, ask me anything…”
“What’s your relationship with Tiffany Astelaid, the head of Lumen Ordo?”
“Ah.”
Of course, whatever it was, I had been ready to kindly answer to the best of my knowledge—but the sudden chill in her voice made me flinch and swallow my words.
Every time the lady emits that kind of chill, it feels like I lose a day of my life.
“When you got her letter, your reaction was a bit… and from what I hear, you two seem to be acquainted.”
What’s worse is that questions like these are often followed by sharp observations, making me feel like I lose two days of my life trying to come up with the right words.
“With her… well, I suppose we’re somewhat distantly acquainted through my father.”
“…That’s all?”
“Well, when we were kids, I did play with her and Cecile a few times. But after growing up, we haven’t really had any contact.”
To the lady, who doesn’t even like Runiel, Parsha, or Sasha being around me, this was probably the best possible answer.
And in fact, I haven’t seen Tiffany at all since getting rejected by Lumen Ordo, so technically, there’s nothing for her to be suspicious about…
“That’s not quite what I heard.”
…I guess there was something.
The subtle hostility in Lady Meredia’s eyes as she looked at me said it all.
“Why’d you leave out the part about the engagement rumor between the two of you?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Are you trying to hide something from me now?”
I had been timidly cowering, but upon hearing her sharp interrogation, I could only tilt my head in confusion.
“Forgive me, but this is really the first I’ve heard of it…”
“……”
“I don’t know where you heard that, but I swear on my life that, aside from you, there’s never been any talk of an engagement.”
As I tried to convey my innocence while glancing at her expression, which remained icy, I began to dig deep into my childhood memories.
“If I had to guess… maybe there was that one time during make-believe when we linked pinkies and promised to marry…”
“……”
“But that was just child’s play, right? I’m sure neither of us took it seriously. Haha.”
Thankfully, the lady’s dark expression began to lighten a little at my hurried reassurance.
“I can’t tell if you’re shamelessly trying to smooth things over or if you genuinely don’t know anything…”
“…If you truly don’t trust me, you can see for yourself.”
Now that I say it, this is odd.
If she just changed the color of her eyes a little, she’d be able to tell whether I’m lying or not—so why is she acting like this?
“Hm….”
As I stared at her with an accusing, sulky expression, the moment our eyes met, I immediately relaxed.
‘I’ve thought this since forever, but her eyes are really beautiful.’
It’s a sad thought, knowing that in most routes, those beautiful eyes will one day be dyed in pitch-black darkness.
Of course, I won’t let that happen anymore.
“Enough, drop it.”
“?”
“…?”
“This is too much of a waste to spend on something like this.”
As I silently watched her, lost in thought, she quietly turned away and muttered in a low voice.
“Um, my lady.”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting off?”
“Before that, there’s something I’d really like to say.”
Though I survived yet another one of her tests today, this time, I had something I wanted to say from my side.
“Whatever the white mages of Lumen Ordo might say, I hope you’ll bear with them a little—for my sake.”
When I opened my mouth while carefully gauging her mood, she slightly smiled as she listened.
“You say that, but they’re all good people at heart….”
“Ah, yeah. I guess that makes sense.”
Seeing her reaction, I figured maybe I had worried for nothing.
Then again, given how sharp and well-informed Lady Meredia is—possibly even more so than Bergen—she probably knew all about Lumen Ordo’s peculiarities from the start.
“I too had a rough time because of my family elders once.”
“Uh, um….”
“Still, don’t get too discouraged.”
Just as I was starting to feel relieved, the words from her mouth made cold sweat drip down my back once more.
“No matter how uptight and closed-off those white mages are, they wouldn’t dare insult my fiancé right to my face.”
“Ahaha….”
It seemed Lady Meredia considered Lumen Ordo to be similar to the elder council of the Duke of Embergreen, which had once cornered her.
To be honest, Lumen Ordo is far removed from such shady schemes and political games.
“I really don’t know.”
“Huh?”
Because the entire group is basically a gathering of giant social misfits.
“You’ll understand better once you meet them yourself….”
….?
Now that I think about it, I’m starting to feel a little afraid of what kind of face Lady Meredia will make in just a few minutes.
***
“Nice to meet you.”
About five minutes later, my earlier worries arrived a bit sooner than expected.
“My name is Maria. I am the steward of the fortress imbued with the wisdom of light, the overseer of the shadows, and the one who serves the Guardian of Radiance.”
The head maid, who brought a large group of maids in traditional uniforms, stood before me and used the distinct white mage vocabulary I hadn’t heard in ages.
“…What did that woman just say?”
“She’s the head maid of Lumen Ordo and the personal maid of the leader, Tiffany Astelaid.”
As Lady Meredia began to show an uncharacteristically blank expression at those words, I quietly translated for her, blushing a little.
“This is entertaining.”
Thankfully, it seemed her thought process was heading in a slightly different direction than I had feared.
“A place where white mages from all over the world gather, yet not a single white mage shows up, and the servants do the greeting instead.”
“They didn’t just ignore formalities—they shattered them.”
Well, for a noble lady raised with all sorts of etiquette since childhood, this scene must have felt quite surreal.
But if she was only starting to feel that way now, I feared what she might think once the next event unfolded.
“Hello, Miss Maria.”
“…?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you guide us to where the white mages are?”
Either way, it wasn’t like I could just stand there forever, so I spoke to the head maid before me—but something about the atmosphere felt off.
“He… he speaks normally?”
“And the content is normal too. Even the tone is polite…”
“W-what the? Isn’t he a white mage?”
I mean, this isn’t some other world fantasy setting—I just spoke with basic manners, so what’s with their reactions?
“…The Guardian of Radiance awaits you inside, where the threads of your destiny shall intertwine. Would you allow me to be your eyes and lead you?”
“Um, Miss Maria.”
As the head maid, who had been blankly staring at me, resumed her white mage phrasing, I let out a sigh and opened my mouth again.
“You can speak normally with me.”
“…R-really?”
“My arm’s getting goosebumps, so please, I beg you….”
Hearing that, she blinked in surprise, then asked with a disbelieving expression,
“J-just to confirm, are you Sir Whitney Lingard?”
“Yes, that’s me. I am a white mage, but I spent most of my life in the academy and my family estate. Haha…”
At my resigned answer, murmurs began to spread among the maids nearby.
“S-so not all white mages are completely crazy, huh…”
“I thought white magic messed with people’s minds.”
“Wh-who knows. Maybe if he rolls up his sleeves, he’s got a black flame dragon tattooed on his arm…”
Even Lady Meredia seemed to sense something strange now, judging by the uncomfortable look on her face as she spoke.
“…I never imagined there’d be a group where you are considered the normal one.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but given the situation, I decided to postpone that discussion and gave the head maid a bright smile.
“Well then, I’ll be heading inside now.”
“Yes… Ah, and who is the lady beside you?”
“She is Lady Meredia, my companion and also my fiancée.”
The moment I finished that sentence, an awkward silence descended upon the area.
“Ah.”
“Gasp.”
“Um…”
The maids, who had stopped murmuring, all gasped at once for some reason within the silence.
“E-excuse me. If you don’t mind… could you briefly tell us what kind of relationship you have with the Guardian—no, with the leader?”
“…Hmm, childhood friends?”
I tilted my head at the question, then scratched my head and answered the head maid, who seemed oddly flustered.
“This is… beyond recovery…”
“…What do we do? Everything’s already set up.”
“I-I don’t know…”
Then, the expressions of the nearby maids turned dark, and the atmosphere grew even heavier.
“C-could you wait here for just a moment?”
“Huh?”
“I need to quickly check something inside the estate….”
The moment the head maid asked for permission, she immediately ran off in a panic, and as I watched her disappear into the building, I couldn’t help but shiver from an unknown chill and glance sideways at Lady Meredia.
…Something tells me something big is about to happen.
It was probably because the eyes of Lady Meredia, who had said earlier that it’d be a waste to use her powers in the carriage, had now turned red.
***
“Oh, Guardian of Radiance.”
“…Huh? Yeah, okay.”
Meanwhile, inside the guest room of Lumen Ordo.
“Forgive me, but what is your relationship with the one arriving?”
“That person is… hmm.”
Tiffany Astelaid, who had been quietly gazing out the window, cleared her throat and responded to Maria’s urgent question.
“He is my partner in darkness and my destined counterpart. The one with whom I shall share the eternal bond of blood.”
After chewing over that dramatic answer for a second, Maria blinked in disbelief and asked,
“So… in other words, your boyfriend?”
“S-shut up! Just go get him already!”
As Tiffany screeched in protest and whipped her head back toward the window, Maria stood frozen for a moment before burying her face in her hands.
“Ha… damn it….”
The floral carpet laid out overnight by the maids of Lumen Ordo now mocked her from beneath her feet.
“What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
Cliche Novel 