“Run! There’s a fire!”
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
Black smoke rose thickly over the Verchester Mansion.
“We can’t extinguish the fire! This is a fire made by magic!”
“Hurry up and evacuate!”
The servants of the mansions quickly noticed the fire coming from downstairs. They screamed loudly to notify the others as they evacuated out of the mansion.
Lestia’s view was now filled with the outside world, a place that was different from the mansion. However, she could not see anything at all. Everything was blurry for her.
“My lady! My lady!”
“My goodness! Are you alright?”
Dora and the butler, Halo, came running to her after they saw Lestia being carried by the knights. Lestia was only barely able to utter the things that she had witnessed as she gasped and stuttered.
“Lys… Brother Lysian’s mana stone… mana stone is broken… broken. We have to get to him quickly.”
The atmosphere in the area turned heavy at Lestia’s words. Everyone in the mansion knew that the mana stone was important to the Verchesters. Without it, their power would become dangerous even to themselves.
It was just a while ago when the former Duke Verchester had died. The details about his death were only known by his eldest son, Gerard, but everyone believed that he was eaten away by his magic. After all, no body was seen during his funeral. Disappearing without leaving any trace was a terrifying end to anyone.
“I always have a mana stone kept in reserve but…”
Halo took out the same ring that Lysian had as his sentence ended up with a mumble.
How could he even deliver it through that flame? Those weren’t common flames. A fire made by magic could not be extinguished easily. If an ordinary person entered those flames, they would immediately burn down to ashes.
There was no way at all even if Mathias and Joel returned. Joel’s wind magic would only let the fire burn brighter. Mathias might be able to do something to the flames with his earth magic but Lysian would be in more danger if he did so. They needed a strong water-attributed magic to suppress the fire. However, Gerard Verchester, a strong water-attributed mage was currently being held back in the Imperial Palace.
“Ah…”
Lestia noticed the despair in Halo’s eyes.
If someone who had always been reasonable and calm showed such an expression on his face, then the situation was certainly not in their favor. Lestia felt dizzy as she sank down on the floor.
“My lady!”
Dora quickly helped her.
“What do we do…”
She did not want to cry. But the tears that she had always held back were flowing down her cheeks. It was as if a dam had broken in her as the tears continued to flood down.
Lysian.
The boy with golden eyes who saved Lestia, who had given up on everything when she was on the verge of being sold to a debt collector, and gave her hope. Lestia thought that he was a noble and beautiful person. Someone that she could not approach. But he did not care at all and became Lestia’s only supporter.
‘You can do whatever you want to do with me here.’
Those words resonated and stayed in her mind and gave her the courage here at Verchester Mansion.
Contrary to his sharp and indifferent voice, Lysian had always treated Lestia with kindness and warmth. She liked his warmth so much that she wanted to be close to him. That was why she was happy that she was able to learn how to read and write from him. She always eagerly waited for the afternoon that they would spend together every day. And it was only today that she finally got the courage to talk about having dinner together but…
But they were in a situation where they might not be able to eat together ever again.
“Sob… brother Lysian.”
Lestia’s vision continued to blur from her tears.
Magic. If I could use magic then I can break through that fire and deliver the ring to brother Lysian.
Why can’t I use magic? If I was really a Verchester then I should be able to use magic.
Just like Lestia had expected, she really could not be considered as a Verchester at all. She did not expect that the thing she had always doubted about was going to come back and haunt her. Her breathing turned painful.
And in her messed up head… a golden letter suddenly appeared.
“Ah…!”
The page that she had read from the magic book the other day came back clearly in her head. It was a kind of protective magic that could distort the flow of mana and protect yourself from various magic.
Lestia had read a lot of these interesting pages that explained magic. If this was made possible, the people of the Verchester Duchy might be able to protect themselves by distorting the flow of their own mana. However, the magic book had clearly explained that they could only distort the other’s mana flow and not their own.
‘…But… if it’s that, then… then it might be possible.’
All she needed to do was to break through the fire and deliver the mana stone to Lysian. And the magic book had clearly listed a long list of spells for using magic. She couldn’t memorize them but if she read from the magic book and recited it as it is, then she might be able to use the magic.
She had never used the magic book’s magic herself since Lysian had always dissuaded her from doing so because they did not know what might happen. But she did not have the time and leisure to calmly follow Lysian’s words right now.
Lestia stood up in a daze as she took the mana stone ring from Halo’s hand. She looked like she was possessed by something as she dashed forward.
“My lady!”
The three escort knights blocked her way, worried that she might head back to the mansion. However, contrary to their expectations, Lestia ran to the library, a direction that was the complete opposite of the mansion. The three escort knights were momentarily shocked before rushing after her.
Lestia rushed straight towards the library. The desk where she always studied with Lysian caught her eye. It was filled with books that had yellow paper flowers caught in between the pages and used as a bookmark.
She wanted to save Lysian and make him read to her the next chapter.
Lestia bit her lip as she wandered around between the bookshelves.
There’s no time.
She had to find the book that Lysian had hidden high up in the shelves.
‘Where are you?’
She tried to talk to the magic book deep inside.
‘I need you. Where are you? Please. Please let me know where you are.’
She continued to talk in her head as she tried to reach out to where the magic book was.
Please, please, please.
Then, the corner of the bookshelf shone brightly. Lestia noticed what it was. The magic book that she was calling for had responded to her words. Lestia hurriedly pulled the ladder towards that bookshelf.
However, it was very difficult for Lestia’s small body to pull a ladder that was made out of solid wood. In the end, Elliot, who was looking at her difficulties, helped Lestia lift the ladder.
“My lady, I’ll do it for you.”
“Yes! Please put it in front of that bookshelf!”
Her voice was filled with impatience.
She had no choice but to stamp her feet with every second and every minute that they had lost.
As soon as Elliot placed the ladder, she hurriedly climbed up and hugged the magic book down. Then, she headed straight to the mansion.
The knights had no choice but to block Lestia after realizing where her destination was. It was as if they could no longer turn a blind eye to her actions.
“My lady! Even if you are worried about young master Lysian, you can’t go inside!”
“No! I have to go! I need to go and help brother Lysian!”
Lestia shouted at the knights that blocked her with urgency in her voice. However, the knights also urgently stopped her.
“My lady, if you get hurt then all of brother Lysian’s efforts will become meaningless.”
Lestia clutched the magic book and the mana stone ring in her hands tightly as she stared at the knights. She ordered the knights with a voice that sounded strangely similar to Lysian’s whenever he commanded them.
“You pledged your loyalty to me. Were those just empty words?”
The knights couldn’t help but stop for a moment at Lestia’s words. This was because the young lady, who was small, pure and innocent, looked just like a noble ducal young lady at this very moment.
“Get out of my way.”
Lestia spoke firmly.
The three knights looked at each other. And just like they had expected, it was completely ridiculous for them to let this little lady go into that fire. So they firmly tried to stop Lestia once again.
“Of course, we are the young lady’s knights. However, it is right for us to stop our lord whenever they try to make a wrong judgement.”
“That’s right my lady. How can you go there? Everything is burning. Ordinary people shouldn’t go inside such a dangerous place.”
Lestia gritted her teeth as she spoke.
“I, I will prove to you that I can do it!”
Lestia quickly opened her magic book and recited the words of the protective magic spells out loud.
Every time she recited a word, a faint light flickered in the old magic book in her hands.
‘Will… it work?’
She shouted loudly at the knights but in fact she was making a gamble. This was the biggest bet that Lestia had made in her life.
‘Will magic really come out?’
Her small heart kept on pounding. However, it was different from the pounding that she felt when she rolled the dice with Mathias in the casino. This was not about relying on natural luck or a fluke. She had a completely different conviction and feeling from back then.
She believed in the knowledge inside this magic book. And she believed that it would make what she wanted to happen come true.
Lestia closed her eyes briefly before opening them once again while her small red lips recited ancient spells that no human in this present age could ever understand.
Not long after, a golden magic circle appeared in Lestia’s dark grey eyes.
“Run! There’s a fire!”
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
Black smoke rose thickly over the Verchester Mansion.
“We can’t extinguish the fire! This is a fire made by magic!”
“Hurry up and evacuate!”
The servants of the mansions quickly noticed the fire coming from downstairs. They screamed loudly to notify the others as they evacuated out of the mansion.
Lestia’s view was now filled with the outside world, a place that was different from the mansion. However, she could not see anything at all. Everything was blurry for her.
“My lady! My lady!”
“My goodness! Are you alright?”
Dora and the butler, Halo, came running to her after they saw Lestia being carried by the knights. Lestia was only barely able to utter the things that she had witnessed as she gasped and stuttered.
“Lys… Brother Lysian’s mana stone… mana stone is broken… broken. We have to get to him quickly.”
The atmosphere in the area turned heavy at Lestia’s words. Everyone in the mansion knew that the mana stone was important to the Verchesters. Without it, their power would become dangerous even to themselves.
It was just a while ago when the former Duke Verchester had died. The details about his death were only known by his eldest son, Gerard, but everyone believed that he was eaten away by his magic. After all, no body was seen during his funeral. Disappearing without leaving any trace was a terrifying end to anyone.
“I always have a mana stone kept in reserve but…”
Halo took out the same ring that Lysian had as his sentence ended up with a mumble.
How could he even deliver it through that flame? Those weren’t common flames. A fire made by magic could not be extinguished easily. If an ordinary person entered those flames, they would immediately burn down to ashes.
There was no way at all even if Mathias and Joel returned. Joel’s wind magic would only let the fire burn brighter. Mathias might be able to do something to the flames with his earth magic but Lysian would be in more danger if he did so. They needed a strong water-attributed magic to suppress the fire. However, Gerard Verchester, a strong water-attributed mage was currently being held back in the Imperial Palace.
“Ah…”
Lestia noticed the despair in Halo’s eyes.
If someone who had always been reasonable and calm showed such an expression on his face, then the situation was certainly not in their favor. Lestia felt dizzy as she sank down on the floor.
“My lady!”
Dora quickly helped her.
“What do we do…”
She did not want to cry. But the tears that she had always held back were flowing down her cheeks. It was as if a dam had broken in her as the tears continued to flood down.
Lysian.
The boy with golden eyes who saved Lestia, who had given up on everything when she was on the verge of being sold to a debt collector, and gave her hope. Lestia thought that he was a noble and beautiful person. Someone that she could not approach. But he did not care at all and became Lestia’s only supporter.
‘You can do whatever you want to do with me here.’
Those words resonated and stayed in her mind and gave her the courage here at Verchester Mansion.
Contrary to his sharp and indifferent voice, Lysian had always treated Lestia with kindness and warmth. She liked his warmth so much that she wanted to be close to him. That was why she was happy that she was able to learn how to read and write from him. She always eagerly waited for the afternoon that they would spend together every day. And it was only today that she finally got the courage to talk about having dinner together but…
But they were in a situation where they might not be able to eat together ever again.
“Sob… brother Lysian.”
Lestia’s vision continued to blur from her tears.
Magic. If I could use magic then I can break through that fire and deliver the ring to brother Lysian.
Why can’t I use magic? If I was really a Verchester then I should be able to use magic.
Just like Lestia had expected, she really could not be considered as a Verchester at all. She did not expect that the thing she had always doubted about was going to come back and haunt her. Her breathing turned painful.
And in her messed up head… a golden letter suddenly appeared.
“Ah…!”
The page that she had read from the magic book the other day came back clearly in her head. It was a kind of protective magic that could distort the flow of mana and protect yourself from various magic.
Lestia had read a lot of these interesting pages that explained magic. If this was made possible, the people of the Verchester Duchy might be able to protect themselves by distorting the flow of their own mana. However, the magic book had clearly explained that they could only distort the other’s mana flow and not their own.
‘…But… if it’s that, then… then it might be possible.’
All she needed to do was to break through the fire and deliver the mana stone to Lysian. And the magic book had clearly listed a long list of spells for using magic. She couldn’t memorize them but if she read from the magic book and recited it as it is, then she might be able to use the magic.
She had never used the magic book’s magic herself since Lysian had always dissuaded her from doing so because they did not know what might happen. But she did not have the time and leisure to calmly follow Lysian’s words right now.
Lestia stood up in a daze as she took the mana stone ring from Halo’s hand. She looked like she was possessed by something as she dashed forward.
“My lady!”
The three escort knights blocked her way, worried that she might head back to the mansion. However, contrary to their expectations, Lestia ran to the library, a direction that was the complete opposite of the mansion. The three escort knights were momentarily shocked before rushing after her.
Lestia rushed straight towards the library. The desk where she always studied with Lysian caught her eye. It was filled with books that had yellow paper flowers caught in between the pages and used as a bookmark.
She wanted to save Lysian and make him read to her the next chapter.
Lestia bit her lip as she wandered around between the bookshelves.
There’s no time.
She had to find the book that Lysian had hidden high up in the shelves.
‘Where are you?’
She tried to talk to the magic book deep inside.
‘I need you. Where are you? Please. Please let me know where you are.’
She continued to talk in her head as she tried to reach out to where the magic book was.
Please, please, please.
Then, the corner of the bookshelf shone brightly. Lestia noticed what it was. The magic book that she was calling for had responded to her words. Lestia hurriedly pulled the ladder towards that bookshelf.
However, it was very difficult for Lestia’s small body to pull a ladder that was made out of solid wood. In the end, Elliot, who was looking at her difficulties, helped Lestia lift the ladder.
“My lady, I’ll do it for you.”
“Yes! Please put it in front of that bookshelf!”
Her voice was filled with impatience.
She had no choice but to stamp her feet with every second and every minute that they had lost.
As soon as Elliot placed the ladder, she hurriedly climbed up and hugged the magic book down. Then, she headed straight to the mansion.
The knights had no choice but to block Lestia after realizing where her destination was. It was as if they could no longer turn a blind eye to her actions.
“My lady! Even if you are worried about young master Lysian, you can’t go inside!”
“No! I have to go! I need to go and help brother Lysian!”
Lestia shouted at the knights that blocked her with urgency in her voice. However, the knights also urgently stopped her.
“My lady, if you get hurt then all of brother Lysian’s efforts will become meaningless.”
Lestia clutched the magic book and the mana stone ring in her hands tightly as she stared at the knights. She ordered the knights with a voice that sounded strangely similar to Lysian’s whenever he commanded them.
“You pledged your loyalty to me. Were those just empty words?”
The knights couldn’t help but stop for a moment at Lestia’s words. This was because the young lady, who was small, pure and innocent, looked just like a noble ducal young lady at this very moment.
“Get out of my way.”
Lestia spoke firmly.
The three knights looked at each other. And just like they had expected, it was completely ridiculous for them to let this little lady go into that fire. So they firmly tried to stop Lestia once again.
“Of course, we are the young lady’s knights. However, it is right for us to stop our lord whenever they try to make a wrong judgement.”
“That’s right my lady. How can you go there? Everything is burning. Ordinary people shouldn’t go inside such a dangerous place.”
Lestia gritted her teeth as she spoke.
“I, I will prove to you that I can do it!”
Lestia quickly opened her magic book and recited the words of the protective magic spells out loud.
Every time she recited a word, a faint light flickered in the old magic book in her hands.
‘Will… it work?’
She shouted loudly at the knights but in fact she was making a gamble. This was the biggest bet that Lestia had made in her life.
‘Will magic really come out?’
Her small heart kept on pounding. However, it was different from the pounding that she felt when she rolled the dice with Mathias in the casino. This was not about relying on natural luck or a fluke. She had a completely different conviction and feeling from back then.
She believed in the knowledge inside this magic book. And she believed that it would make what she wanted to happen come true.
Lestia closed her eyes briefly before opening them once again while her small red lips recited ancient spells that no human in this present age could ever understand.
Not long after, a golden magic circle appeared in Lestia’s dark grey eyes.
