“Sir Whitney, I’m terribly sorry, but… you must go straight to the meeting room.”
“What?”
As Lady Maria, the head maid, rushed into the fortress, both the lady and I, who had been waiting, tilted our heads in confusion at her sudden words when she returned to us.
“We had originally prepared a modest welcoming ceremony… but a serious issue has arisen…”
“So because of that issue, Lumen Ordo decided to skip the formalities and jump straight to the meeting, huh?”
“I, I am truly ashamed. Please allow me to offer a deep apology on everyone’s behalf…”
At the absurd explanation that followed, the lady wore a stunned expression and muttered in a cold voice.
“It just keeps getting worse.”
“Haha…”
“If I had been the guest invited here and treated like this, I wouldn’t have taken it quietly.”
Though it wasn’t even her business, the way she got so angry on my behalf moved me for some reason.
Still, I had to ease the atmosphere by defending Lumen Ordo.
To me, it looked like these people had never hosted outsiders before, and likely planned some bizarre welcome that spiraled out of control.
Even if that wasn’t the case, it was clear that this socially awkward group had no ill intentions toward me.
“Well, I’m sure they have their reasons…?”
“Ha, my fianc— I mean, you’re still so naïve.”
However, it seemed the lady had a slightly different opinion.
“A rigid group like this would obviously try to crush anyone from beneath them who dares to rise up.”
“……”
“They don’t even realize they’ve already become outdated relics. It’s honestly pathetic.”
From what she was saying, she still seemed to be equating Lumen Ordo with the Council of Elders from her own duchy.
“You probably didn’t leave them alone, did you?”
“Of course not. Right now, I’ve pretty much taken over the Council of Elders in House Embergreen.”
I became a little curious about what had happened to the council that incurred her wrath and asked her.
The lady replied with a frosty smile.
“It’s not widely known since it was internal family business, but over the past ten years, there have been several large-scale purges in our house.”
“And more than half of those? I was responsible for.”
Well, it was obvious that someone with her personality wouldn’t have let such a group go unchecked.
She’s not some misunderstood noble lady from fiction — she’s someone who’s actually had blood on her hands.
“You’re not scared of me, even after hearing all this?”
“…At this point?”
But knowing what kind of abuse she had endured as a child, I couldn’t really feel sorry for those who were purged.
Especially not for figures like Lord Mayer or the Duke of Embergreen, whom I personally wish I could bring down myself.
“Honestly, I still don’t know why you like me so much.”
“Who wouldn’t want a capable wife?”
“…Sigh. Forget it.”
Still, thinking this was best left to Meredia, I dodged the subject with a sly smile, and the lady turned her head again, looking exasperated.
“Your ears are turning red again, Lady.”
“…Please shut up.”
I was teasing her again, my playful side coming out.
But then suddenly, a sigh came from beside us.
“Haa….”
“…Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. It’s nothing…”
But the head maid didn’t look well — was it just my imagination?
Now that I thought about it, maids who stay in the mansion all the time probably don’t get many chances for romance.
Maybe I should tone down the flirting when they’re around.
“…So, where is the meeting room?”
“Hey. Don’t you have some idea where it is?”
Maybe the lady had the same thought I did, because she stiffened a little and changed the subject.
“Actually, we’re already here.”
“What are you talking about? This is just the courtyard.”
Luckily, I had visited Lumen Ordo a few times with my father when I was younger, and was about to kindly explain that to her.
“Then… excuse me for a moment.”
“Ah, wait—”
“…Kuh?”
Just then, the head maid pulled out a knife and approached me—only to be immediately grabbed by the neck and pinned down by Lady Meredia.
“And who do you think you’re pulling a blade on?”
“Ugh… cough…”
“If you don’t give a good explanation right now— huh?”
But realizing what this was about, I quickly covered the lady’s eyes before things could escalate further.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Haah, haah….”
“I should have explained earlier.”
Fortunately, though she shot a resentful look toward the lady while rubbing her neck, the maid quietly approached me and handed me the knife.
“Wait, what are you…”
— Shhhk…!
“What are you doing!?”
As I rolled up my sleeve and lightly cut my arm with the knife, the lady’s voice rang out in shock beside me.
— Rumble…
But before she could protest further, the drop of blood from my arm hit the ground — and with a deep tremor, the truth was revealed.
“There’s a reason this place is the second safest space in the world.”
…….
“Not only is the fortress protected thoroughly, but key facilities like this can only be entered by offering the blood of a white mage.”
Before we knew it, a large underground entrance had opened at the center of the courtyard, greeting us.
“But your arm…”
“The most pointless worry in the world is worrying about a white mage.”
“…Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing.”
Even so, the lady, who had been staring at me with concern, only relaxed and turned her head after watching me heal my wound with magic.
“I’m sorry for acting so rudely.”
“N-no, it’s fine.”
Seeing her quietly apologize to the maid brought a strange feeling of nostalgia.
Kind of like a tutor who succeeded in reforming a villainess.
“But wait — don’t tell me we have to go in there?”
“…Yes, the meeting room is inside.”
While I was smiling proudly to myself, the lady’s expression darkened slightly at the maid’s words.
“Lady, don’t tell me…”
“……What?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Seeing her reaction brought back a certain bit of information about her that flashed through my mind.
…Come to think of it, the lady really hates dark and enclosed spaces.
And with that thought, I had a sinking feeling.
This might be the moment we end up offending Lumen Ordo right from the start.
***
Step, step…
As I followed the head maid down into the dark underground passage, I glanced sideways at the lady walking beside me and sank into thought.
‘As expected, she’s not feeling well.’
She didn’t show it outwardly, but the lady’s complexion had grown quite pale.
“…What is it.”
“Haha, it’s just too dark in here. I’m afraid we might trip.”
Knowing that this reaction stemmed from the abuse and experiments she endured in similar environments as a child, all I could do was offer such an excuse and gently hold her hand.
“……”
Fortunately, the lady silently took my hand and continued descending the stairs without issue.
“We’ve arrived.”
How long had we been walking?
At last, the head maid stopped and raised the lamp in her hand to illuminate the door before us.
“The retainers of the Guardian of Radiance are inside.”
“…You mean the Council of Elders? What about Tiffany?”
“Ah, the Guardian of… I mean, our master has just arrived.”
Noticing how she hurriedly corrected herself mid-sentence, I figured she must’ve been under the thumb of white mage jargon for quite a while.
“Um, before you go inside…”
“Yes?”
“I realize this may be an inappropriate request, but I have a personal favor to ask.”
As the lady and I were about to enter the room, the head maid quietly glanced at me and whispered in a low voice.
“Whatever our master says when she arrives… could you just go along with it?”
“…Excuse me?”
“For the sake of her honor… please.”
Listening to her quietly, I tilted my head in confusion and asked again.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, um…”
But just as the maid started hesitating and fumbling over her words—
Creeeeak…
Even though no one touched it, the door to the underground chamber began slowly opening.
“Th-then, please… I’m counting on you.”
Startled by the sudden movement, the lady and I both flinched back slightly, and the maid shut her eyes tight and backed out of the passage.
“……”
A brief silence followed.
“I’ve been wondering about this for a while.”
Breaking the silence, the lady gripped my hand tightly and spoke with a slightly hysterical tone.
“Aren’t white mages supposed to be weak against darkness? Why in the world are they using such a pitch-black room as a meeting place?”
“……”
“Is it some kind of training to overcome fear of the dark?”
At that point, I couldn’t keep the truth hidden any longer.
“…It’s just a theme.”
“?”
“..?”
“Seriously, these people never change…”
Watching her misunderstandings pile up was too painful, so I figured I might as well expose the ridiculous reality of these people myself.
“It’s okay. I’ve got a solution.”
“And what would that be?”
“Well then, excuse me for a moment.”
Before the lady could say anything, I stepped into the room and pulled the chain of the light fixture hanging on the wall.
Click…!
A bright light flared up in the pitch-black room, illuminating the entire underground chamber.
“Eeeek!?”
“W-what the heck!?”
“D-d-death…!”
Seconds later, cries echoed from every direction as the white mages, cloaked in black robes, wailed in unison.
“Sigh. Are you children of darkness or something?”
“Come on, let’s turn the lights on. How are you supposed to have a meeting in this kind of gloom…?”
Just as I gave them a judgmental look and continued speaking, I noticed the stunned expression on the lady’s face behind me.
And then—
“Fufufu… has the prophesied one finally arrived?”
“…?”
From the back of the passage came a dramatic and overly theatrical voice that sounded strangely familiar.
“The wheels of fate turn and turn, and now our destinies shall entwine—”
Realizing that the speaker was the very leader of Lumen Ordo who had invited me here, I sighed and turned my head.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
Sure enough, standing right behind me was a girl dressed in the ultimate cringy edgelord fashion, flailing her arms in the middle of the room.
“Wh-who turned on the lights!!!”
“……”
“Ugh, turn them off, now!!”
Like a teenager yelling at their parents for barging into their room, she screamed, and then suddenly ran up to me by the light switch and grabbed my collar.
“Ah.”
Then her eyes widened as she got a clear look at my face.
“It’s been a while…”
“Ugh.”
Putting on a polite smile amidst the chaos, I greeted her with the most natural expression I could manage.
“…”
Staring blankly at me for a moment, she then pulled her cloak over her face and bolted out of the room.
“…Lady, take note.”
“…..”
“This is what the average white mage is like.”
Watching the whole scene unfold, the lady’s face twisted into what was likely the most dumbfounded expression she had ever worn — in this life or the last.
Cliche Novel 