Ch#145
"Ugh... that was close."
Evi patted her startled chest and looked at the book that had fallen before her.
It was the imperial figures dictionary she had found most interesting in the library room gathering books on the imperial family.
A thick tome with its four corners reinforced with metal, practically a weapon.
Recently reorganized, the book was on a high shelf, out of reach even on tiptoes.
Normally, she would have gone outside and asked a library staff member for help.
But not today. They would spot the books on the nearby table and immediately realize what she was researching.
Evi glanced at the table. All were sections explaining the Imperial Mark.
Records were scarce, making it hard to find, but mentions appeared occasionally, or illustrations included the mark when describing old paintings.
Evi had been gathering such content since morning.
Then she recalled a painting mentioned in a book, which was in the very imperial figures dictionary she had tried to pull out.
She just wanted a closer look at that painting.
'I could've gotten seriously hurt.'
Standing on tiptoes, her fingertips barely grazed it, so forcing it out was the mistake.
The book, fully dislodged, fell corner-first straight at Evi.
If she hadn't dodged, it would have hit her head for sure.
Evi bent to tidy the splayed book. At that moment, her hand grew hot and itchy.
'No way!'
Startled, she rolled up her sleeve. A faint mark clearly floated on the back of her hand.
Evi rushed to the window and held her hand under the sunlight.
She had only desperately hidden it before, never examining closely.
Now, faint as it was, it resembled the marks on Clois's or Eve's hands.
Staring at her hand in disbelief, Evi soon headed outside.
She looked around. Amid students scattered in the library, a professor stood far off.
Evi ran straight to him.
He didn't like her much.
But after her guardian was revealed as the emperor, he had smiled, approached first, and told her to come anytime if needed.
'If only I could see Dean Seraphina right now...'
For now, any adult to confirm the mark on her hand would do.
"Professor!"
Grabbing him, he turned in surprise.
"What? Who... oh, you?"
Unlike usual, he frowned and yanked his clothes from her grasp as if touched by filth.
"What's so urgent you're making a scene in the library?"
Startled by the cold attitude, Evi extended her hand anyway.
"Professor, I have it on my hand too! Look here!"
"Have what on your hand?"
He bent to see her proffered hand.
Then clicked his tongue and straightened up.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Pardon? But clearly... huh?"
About to insist the mark was there, Evi's eyes widened upon seeing her hand.
The mark she had seen moments ago had vanished without a trace.
"It was definitely there..."
As Evi muttered in dismay, the professor scoffed in disbelief.
"You must have seen wrong. Or..."
He looked down at her with a mocking sneer.
"Are you trying to claim you have the Imperial Mark like the princess?"
Even though Eve wasn't yet recognized as princess, he called her that.
He spat coldly at the flustered Evi.
"Instead of being grateful for the excessive affection His Majesty has shown you, now you're claiming you have the Imperial Mark too? If you have eyes, look properly. Where is it on you?"
He jabbed her forehead with his finger.
A malicious poke hard enough to make her stagger, yet Evi said nothing.
The vanished mark shocked her more than his action.
The professor clicked his tongue at her silence and turned.
"Have you gone mad with greed? His Majesty will be busy with the princess now, so don't bother him needlessly. Don't make the Genius Academy look bad."
"......"
"Answer me."
"......Yes."
Only as Evi bowed her head and answered with difficulty did he leave, satisfied.
Evi trudged back.
She slumped in her chair and stared at her hand.
'I didn't imagine it.'
There was definitely a mark.
The same as His Majesty and Eve's.
Faint, but real.
Evi whispered to her hand.
"Can't you appear again?"
Of course, no mark emerged.
Evi stroked her unchanged hand.
'I can't tell anyone I have it...'
They'd look at her like a liar, like the professor.
And say she was jealous of the princess and spouting nonsense.
'But it was there.'
Evi whispered softly to her hand again.
"Next time, appear when the dean is here... or..."
Not the dean, but someone who would believe her mark.
Someone she wanted most to see it.
"......Appear when His Majesty is here. Okay? Got it?"
* * *
"What! Why'd it disappear!"
Seraphina stomped on the rooftop, unable to contain her frustration.
She had clearly felt another flow right below her.
It affected surrounding mana flows as much as Clois's or Eve's marks.
'What was that? What is it?'
A momentary but strong power.
And as distinctly ancient as the Imperial Mark.
'No way a dangerous intruder is in the library?'
Tensing briefly, she shook her head.
If ill-intentioned, it would have acted long ago.
Calming her breath, Seraphina pondered the power she felt.
Ancient magic in imperial blood,
or the old power Lilian had.
Or mana as strong as hers.
'Maybe... all three.'
The thought sent shivers of thrill through her.
Soon she snapped out of it.
'Calm down, Seraphina. You know the odds are less than 0.000000001%.'
Seraphina took a deep breath and scanned again.
But the power was gone everywhere.
'If I didn't imagine it...'
Then it was a power not yet fully awakened.
And such powers inevitably awaken someday.
She felt that day was near.
* * *
Riden walked sniffling along the road.
"I wanna go home..."
As a retainer of Duke Kailun's house, he was currently wandering on the duke's orders, away from his territory.
It had been summer when he left, but now cool breezes blew morning and evening.
Winter would arrive in a flash.
"My daughter won't forget her daddy's face, right?"
His little daughter had just started toddling.
Her waddling toward him babbling "dada" was so cute and lovable it melted his heart.
"Sniff."
Suddenly sentimental, he quickened his pace.
No matter how much he missed family, he couldn't neglect his mission.
He entered a small village and found an inn.
It looked newly built.
After taking a room, he naturally sat at the restaurant, joining the lively group already there.
"Nice village. Do you all live here?"
"Yes. Though we've only settled recently ourselves."
"Why? Fled the war of succession?"
"Not that, but wolves suddenly started coming down to my village. Forest dwellers swarming like fences were gone—how could we hold?"
"Hoo."
Riden leaned in with interest, inserting himself.
The man, with a drink in hand and an audience, chattered excitedly.
"Village went into chaos instantly. Wolves by day—how to live there?"
"Wasn't that the place two days' walk from here, with the hot spring in the forest?"
"Huh. Spot on! You know our village?"
"Passed by on the way. Looked abandoned... so that's what happened. But no wolves now?"
"Dunno. Been about two years since we left."
Riden subtly asked what he wanted.
"Come to think, there was an inn there. Ate tasty food once. Know where the owners went?"
The man laughed heartily and answered.
"You came to the right place. This inn's theirs—they moved here."
Riden downed his drink at the reply.
Finally.
He had found them.
