MHM 15

 "Do I really possess such great magical power?"

Iana was bewildered by the unexpected words.

Rosso, his face flushed, explained.

"The sensation of something prickling all over your body is the feeling of magic being touched. Only those who practice conjunction magic can experience this sensation."

Charles, who was standing nearby, asked a question.

"What is conjunction magic?"

"It's magic that connects magic power."

"Connecting magic power?"

"For example, a small magician with a magic power of 1 can never surpass a great magician with a magic power of 100. But..."

Understanding Rosso's words, Charles continued.

"If you use conjunction magic to combine the powers of small magicians, they can defeat a great magician?"

"Indeed, Your Highness the Grand Duke, you have excellent comprehension!"

"So, there can be no absolute strong or weak magicians? Their power depends on how the magic is connected."

At that moment, Iana, lost in thought, spoke up.

"...My father."

"Oh, yes! The late Marquis Rechels practiced conjunction magic, didn't he?"

Rosso paced back and forth, excited.

"If my guess is correct, it explains why Khan reacted and why the Countess fainted."

"...?"

"You fainted because you came into contact with the magic hound without being trained to accept magic."

Then Iana, with a face full of doubt, asked.

"But you said magic only manifests before the age of ten. As I mentioned in the room, I showed no signs of magic when I was young."

"That's why I'm not entirely sure. There haven't been any cases of magic manifesting after reaching adulthood."

Rosso pondered, hand on his chin, before a good idea seemed to come to him.

"Ah! How about this? You could meet a great magician who can sense magic."

"A great magician...?"

Iana's face darkened immediately.

Rosso, sensing her hesitation, asked cautiously.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"My brother hasn't yet become a great magician... And I'm reluctant to have my magic power publicly verified."

Iana's father, the Marquis Rechels, was the leader of the nine great magicians, each with unparalleled skill.

But after his death, her brother, Marcel, who inherited the family, didn't possess as strong a magic power as their father.

He repeatedly failed to become a great magician, and it troubled him deeply.

As Iana was lost in thought, Charles casually suggested.

"Then how about meeting the great magician of our domain?"

"The great magician of Erbin?"

When Iana asked, Rosso clapped his hands in delight.

"Your Highness the Grand Duke! What a great idea!"

"This great magician discovered Khan and prefers animals, so he doesn't interact with other great magicians. There would be no risk of word getting out."

Charles had accurately pinpointed Iana's concern.

"Then, I'll consider it. And..."

Iana hesitated, prompting Charles to respond first.

"We'll keep this matter secret as well."

Iana smiled in gratitude.

Woof! Woof!

Khan, who had been quiet, started barking again.

Charles rummaged in his coat pocket and pulled out something wrapped in a white handkerchief—strawberries.

"When did you prepare this? With your arm injured, you should have asked me," Rosso exclaimed in surprise.

"I just grabbed them while changing clothes. Khan likes strawberries, doesn't he?"

The sweet and tart aroma of the strawberries filled the air, and Iana felt a strong pang of hunger again.

'I'm hungry.'

She realized she hadn't eaten anything since regaining consciousness.

Charles, in a sincere tone, spoke to her.

"Countess, it may be impolite to ask, but..."

"...?"

"Would you like one?"

He offered her the handkerchief-wrapped strawberries.

"What?"

"You seem very hungry. Ah, and this isn't the handkerchief you used before."

He meant it wasn't the handkerchief she had used to wipe her feet.

Pfft...

Iana almost burst into laughter.

"A handkerchief? What handkerchief?"

Rosso, confused by their cryptic conversation, tilted his head.

"It's nothing," Charles replied to Rosso before offering the strawberries to Iana again.

'I should decline!'

She thought she should refuse like a proper noble lady who doesn't eat just anywhere. But contrary to her thoughts, her mouth spoke on its own.

"Then, I'll have one... no, two."

Iana quickly grabbed two strawberries and popped them into her mouth.

Charles smiled slightly at the sight and fed some strawberries to Khan.

Woof!

Khan eagerly ate the strawberries.

Rosso looked back and forth between Khan and Iana, muttering.

"No matter how I see it, it seems like your magic has manifested..."

Iana, feeling embarrassed, glanced around while chewing.

Charles looked up at the small window, his voice slightly elevated with excitement.

"When the rain stops, let's go to Erbin together."

The rain poured down even harder.

---

Iana left the first-floor storeroom and headed to her personal space, the library.

She planned to organize her chaotic thoughts there until the meal was ready.

'Did my magic manifest after returning to the past?'

She had never shown any signs of magic when she was young.

On the contrary, strange changes had occurred in her body after her return.

The most significant change was that the suffocating pain had disappeared.

'Could the disappearance of the symptoms also be due to magic? I should have asked...'

Creak—

Lost in thought, Iana opened the library door and entered.

"......!"

There, in her favorite spot by the window, sat Riel, reading a book.

Riel sat there naturally, as if it were her place.

A sense of discomfort at having her personal space invaded washed over her.

The inner library had been created by Carrion for Iana, who had difficulty going out, to use alone.

Of course, before her return, Iana, who trusted Riel, had allowed her to use the library as well.

But that was Riel's way.

Gradually making everything Iana enjoyed her own, stealing it naturally. Knowing this made it even more unpleasant.

Sensing someone’s presence, Riel raised her hand in greeting.

"Iana, you're here?"

Iana approached the desk, but Riel showed no sign of moving from her seat.

Suppressing her emotions, Iana asked as usual.

"What brings you to the library?"

"I came to find you and found some interesting books."

Iana's eyes fell on the books Riel had piled up.

Among them, she noticed a book titled 'The Life of Sculptor Nirke.'

'Riel is up to something.'

From past experience, Iana knew that Riel never moved without purpose.

Reading about Nirke right after the statue of the goddess of suffering was damaged wasn't a natural action.

Everything related to the statue could become a link in a chain of suspicion.

Iana casually opened 'The Life of Sculptor Nirke' and spoke lightly.

"This is the biography of the sculptor who made the broken statue of the goddess of suffering."

"He's a famous sculptor, so I thought I'd better learn about him."

Riel replied in a tone that revealed no emotion.

"Why all of a sudden?"

At Iana's question, Riel flipped through the pages and spoke nonchalantly.

"The Count told me to take the blame."

"For what?"

"For breaking the statue instead of you."

Iana fought to keep a derisive smile from breaking out.

'So, it's come full circle. Just as I wanted.'

Iana had known from the start.

The moment she took the blame, Carrion, who valued the family’s honor, would shift the responsibility to Riel, who came from the Rechels family.

Iana feigned innocence and continued.

"What do you mean? I’m not the culprit."

"Iana, what did I tell you? Not to trust the maids of House Ditrian?"

"......"

"When a problem arose, they pinned the blame on you, the naive one."

Iana, pretending to be flustered, protested.

"I'm not! I'm really not!"

Riel stood up and cornered Iana.

"What’s the use of saying that? The Count believes the maids over you."

"How can he trust the maids over me? I can’t take this. I'm going to confront Carrion."

As Iana pretended to storm off, Riel, just as she had expected, became furious.

"Iana, stop acting like a child!"

"Riel..."

Iana turned around, feigning surprise.

"What you should seriously consider is that you've lost the Count's trust."

"Then what should I do?"

Iana asked, feigning helplessness.

Riel fell silent, deep in thought, then spoke in a serious tone.

"Beg for forgiveness. From the Count."

"What?"

For a moment, Iana was too stunned to speak.

"That's the only way right now. If you want to regain even a bit of the Count's trust."

'No, what you really want is to make his suspicion of me certain.'

Riel’s suggestion to beg for forgiveness was tantamount to confessing to the crime.

'Riel, you really think I'm a fool.'

Iana's anger surged at Riel, who was pretending to be considerate while manipulating her.

But Riel’s eyes were earnest.

She was a person who could even manipulate her gaze to her advantage.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Iana’s mind.

'This might be my chance. A chance to leave Riel and go to Erbin...'

Iana calmed her mind. This was the perfect opportunity to escape from Riel and go to Erbin.

"You're right, Riel. I'll beg for the Count's forgiveness," Iana said decisively.

Riel