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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: How to Catch Two Rabbits
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Aracilla returned to the Magic Tower after about ten days.
It wasn't a very long break, but returning to her private laboratory felt like a breath of fresh air. Being cooped up in the estate like any other noble lady simply wasn't her style.
Even the pungent smell of magic potions felt fragrant, and her still-annoying colleagues were a welcome sight.
A few tried to subtly needle her under the guise of concern, but Aracilla swiftly subdued them with three words: "Shut up," "Get lost," and "So what?"
Then she received a summons from the Magic Tower Master and headed upstairs. As she walked alone down the quiet corridor, an unwelcome person appeared, turning the corner.
“Well, well, Aracilla. Long time no see?”
The disheveled, hollow-eyed man was Travis, a Magic Tower colleague quite a bit older than Aracilla.
He approached Aracilla with a swagger, blocking her path.
“Are your family matters all wrapped up? You don’t need more rest? I guess even you, being a woman, prioritize family over work once you get married.”
A sneer formed on Travis’s lips. Like Aracilla, he was considered a strong candidate for the next Magic Tower Master.
Perhaps because they formed the most intense rivalry.
Whenever Aracilla had a fault, he was the first to pounce on it, and if they bumped into each other like this, he never failed to pick a fight.
Aracilla, finding his consistently pathetic and petty behavior tiresome, didn't bother to hide her annoyance as she calmly spoke.
“Travis.”
“Hm?”
“Could you please move your face back when you speak? Your breath is a little… much.”
“W-what the…!”
Travis, who hadn't brushed his teeth after lunch, recoiled, his face flushed. Seeing his unwashed appearance, Aracilla calmly apologized.
“I’m sorry if I was too honest. No, actually, I’m not sorry.”
“You…!”
“And, it’s not that I prioritize family because I’m a woman. It’s that anyone who gets married, regardless of gender, should pay some attention to their family. Understood?”
Aracilla tilted her chin up, her eyes sweeping over Travis dismissively, and added,
“Though, with your narrow-minded views, I doubt you’d understand anything.”
“Are you looking down on me right now?”
“You always seem to understand *that* part perfectly.”
Aracilla waved her hand dismissively, as if to tell him to stop bothering her, and turned away.
But Travis didn't back down easily. He persistently followed her, speaking.
“How long do you think you can keep acting so high and mighty? Do you have any idea what I’ve been doing while you were gone?!”
“What were you doing? Learning to walk?”
“Hey! You insolent brat! Do you know how much your reputation within the Magic Tower has plummeted because of this? How many people are saying that married female mages just aren’t cut out for this?!”
“Yeah, not my problem.”
Such backhanded comments had been abundant ever since Aracilla decided to marry. Aracilla was too busy to pay attention to every single one of them.
“Someone who abandons their work for family, like you, isn’t needed in the Magic Tower! You certainly won’t become the Magic Tower Master! Taking ten days off for some family matter, does that even make sense?!”
Travis’s booming voice echoed down the corridor. Aracilla stopped walking and spun around to face him.
“Travis, get a grip. You don’t get to decide who’s needed in the Magic Tower. And I’ve never abandoned my work for family. Even if I took ten years off, not ten days, I’d still surpass you in no time, so why don’t you just calm down?”
As the doll-like face stared at him expressionlessly, Travis flinched, feeling inexplicably nervous.
Aracilla crossed her arms and let out a small scoff.
“If I took a hundred days off, you’d probably pass out from joy.”
“...!”
Travis tried to retort, but Aracilla ignored him and turned away. She paid no mind to the sounds coming from behind her.
When she arrived at the Magic Tower Master’s office and knocked, permission to enter was granted.
“Hohoho, was there something on your way here? Your expression is quite fierce.”
Philip, who had been floating serenely in the air, noted his formidable disciple’s expression and settled onto the sofa, asking.
“No, not at all. Why did you summon me?”
Aracilla lightly shook her head and sat opposite him.
“Ah, I have something important to discuss. Have your family matters been resolved well?”
“Yes, I won’t be taking any more breaks.”
“Hoho. That’s very good, Aracilla. In that case, how about you start a new research project or go on a mission?”
Philip suggested it in a light, casual tone, as if it were nothing, but Aracilla immediately caught the subtle nuance hidden within.
He wasn't the kind of person to say such things without a reason. Her master usually let his disciples proceed as they wished, rather than giving detailed instructions.
The only exception was when there was a problem concerning a disciple’s standing. Then he would suggest they do something in this manner.
“Why? Did someone say something about me to the Magic Tower Master again?”
“Aracilla.”
“Are they upset that I took a leave of absence for family reasons this time? But I took it after completing all my duties. I haven’t caused any trouble for anyone.”
According to Magic Tower regulations, a reward leave was automatically granted upon successful completion of a research project or mission.
This meant Aracilla, having recently successfully concluded her Floating Stone research, was fully entitled to a ten-day leave.
Furthermore, no one else had to take on her duties because of her leave, so there was even less reason for objection.
“I know that, of course. But you were always so devoted to your work, you’d even throw away holidays you were entitled to. So, everyone seems to have trouble adjusting to you taking time off for family matters now.”
“Do they think I’ve become lazy and weak since getting married?”
Philip did not deny it. Aracilla couldn't suppress her boiling frustration and slammed her fist on the table.
“How did the people who have a problem with me tolerate Jackson finishing some trivial research and going on a two-month trip with his lover? What about Mike taking three days off sick from drinking? Or Robert laying in bed for a week, using heartbreak as an excuse?”
Aracilla’s grievances burst forth like a broken dam. Compared to other male colleagues who took leave for trivial reasons, she was far more reasonable.
Philip calmly waited for his disciple to settle down, then, seeing Aracilla regain her composure, he spoke.
“Aracilla, while you were resting, Travis successfully invented a magic tool that can freely control temperature.”
That slimy, capable bastard. Aracilla cursed under her breath. So that’s why he was boasting earlier.
“People suspect that you, being married, will eventually quit the Magic Tower, and that your magic will dull like a rusty blade.”
“I haven’t even been married for half a year yet.”
“Hoho, exactly. You haven’t changed at all, and you’ll probably get divorced anyway. Why are they so anxious?”
Philip took a sip of his steaming tea and spoke in a calm voice.
“People want you to prove that you are still a capable mage. They want to confirm that you are no different after marriage than before.”
At his words, Aracilla gritted her teeth. Whether single or married, she always had to prove herself to others.
It was as if everyone had developed amnesia; no matter how many times she demonstrated her abilities, they’d forget and act like idiots after a while. There was nothing she could do about it.
“Show them that your abilities are still strong, even after taking time off for family matters.”
“Alright, I will. It’s truly petty to make such a fuss over just ten days off.”
Aracilla clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes blazed with determination to properly showcase her abilities.
* * *
That evening, an invitation arrived for Aracilla.
Bearing the imperial crest, the invitation was for the upcoming Hunting Festival.
“Lady Aracilla Vandermir is invited as a spectator to the Hunting Festival.”
Aracilla nonchalantly checked the invitation’s contents, then changed her clothes and went down to the dining hall.
Demian, who had arrived home earlier than her, was waiting for her to have dinner together.
“I received an invitation to the Hunting Festival. I heard you received one too, Madam. What do you intend to do?”
“I’m quite busy, and I have no interest in hunting. I’m not going.”
In truth, Aracilla, despite being from a prestigious family, had never attended a Hunting Festival except when she was very young. She found it much better to train her magic than to waste time at an event she wasn’t interested in.
“I see. Then I will go alone.”
“Are you very interested in hunting, Demian?”
“No, not particularly. This will be my first time participating in the Hunting Festival as well.”
Unlike Aracilla, Demian had never attended a Hunting Festival, not even as a child, due to his family circumstances. This was his first Hunting Festival ever.
“I’m going with the purpose of expanding the influence of the Knights Order.”
“Alright, have a good time.”
Aracilla, not particularly curious about his purpose, concluded the conversation about the Hunting Festival at an appropriate moment.
At this point, she truly had no intention of participating in the Hunting Festival.
What was important to her now was achieving a result that everyone in the Magic Tower would acknowledge in a short period, not some uninteresting Hunting Festival.
However, the next day, when Paula visited the Vandermir Estate, the situation changed.
“I heard Sir Vandermir is participating in the Hunting Festival. My friend, are you finally coming to see the Hunting Festival too?”
“No, I’m not going. Demian is going alone.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m busy with my work. I can’t go.”
Before Paula could even express her bewilderment at that statement, Aracilla, suddenly feeling something odd, spoke again.
“But that’s strange. Why am I invited as a spectator and Demian as a participant?”
“Well, Sir Demian will be competing in hunting against other men, and you, like us, will be watching and cheering them on. That’s why.”
Paula replied in a casual tone. The question was answered, but Aracilla’s brow remained furrowed.
Are they inviting me just to stand around and watch while the men hunt?
The unpleasantness was unbearable, but Paula, unaware of her friend’s true feelings, continued.
“You really should come to the Hunting Festival, Aracilla. If a husband participates and his wife isn’t there, there will be talk. You should also give Sir Demian a handkerchief you embroidered yourself.”
“...Me?”
Even my mother, a renowned teacher, gave up on me, saying I’d drive her crazy. *Me* embroidering a handkerchief myself?
“Then, who else would Sir Demian receive a handkerchief from if not you? It’s an honor for participants to receive handkerchiefs from ladies. Especially for married men, their wife’s is a given.”
Seeing Aracilla’s expression grow increasingly stiff, Paula winked and added,
“And remember! It absolutely *must* be embroidered by you personally.”
“...”
Aracilla, who had no talent for embroidery and no desire to develop it, fell into deep contemplation.
As Demian and she were publicly known to be a harmonious couple, she couldn't simply not give him one. There had to be a special reason why she wouldn't have to.
‘Should I pretend to hurt my hand starting tomorrow? Or should I commission an embroidery workshop?’
As she desperately racked her brain for a way to avoid embroidering, a brilliant idea struck her.
‘Wait, if I become a participant in the Hunting Festival too, then I wouldn’t have to give him one, would I?’
