Chapter 26
Chapter 26
"Lady Vivian, is there anything you need?"
Nothing ever came easy. As Vivian showed signs of leaving, the manager immediately followed.
But she had expected this much. Vivian replied with a calm face.
"I don't know when His Highness will return, so I'll go to the jewelry shop first. If His Highness asks, tell him to come there."
"We cannot send such a precious lady alone. Please take one of our staff members with you."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I appreciate the thought."
Vivian praised the excellence of the cuisine and left the restaurant.
Her slow pace gradually quickened and became more urgent as she moved away from the restaurant.
At the entrance to the alley leading to the Wizard Guild, there was a magic of visual distortion. This was to prevent outsiders from identifying the faces of the guild's guests.
Vivian plunged into the alley without hesitation.
"Hah, hah..."
She was breathless. But she didn't know when Aslan would return. There was no time.
'Stay calm. This is a golden opportunity. I have to succeed in one go.'
Vivian entered the guild building. The interior was spacious and luxurious, but surprisingly, there weren't many people.
Or rather, it only seemed that way; there was also distortion magic inside.
"This is not a place a noble lady would usually visit. Have you perhaps lost your way?"
As evidence of this, the impression of the person who spoke to her was blurred. Even when facing them, it was difficult to recall their appearance.
Vivian thought about the original story. Iris had definitely said something when calling her master...
"They say demons appear on nights when the red moon rises?"
"Yes, so you must never open your eyes."
Suddenly, a light flashed, and the scenery Vivian saw changed slightly.
A passage had appeared in the part where there had been a wall until just now.
"Go up."
"Thank you."
Vivian strode up the huge circular staircase. No one followed.
When she reached the top of the stairs, the door at the end of the corridor opened automatically. Standing in front of it, she made a 'knock, knock' sound with her mouth and entered.
"How did someone who isn't a wizard find their way here?"
A boy of about twelve years old was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.
An ordinary person would be surprised by the guild leader's age, but Vivian knew the truth. Jesus could change his appearance at will.
He was the strongest in the world when it came to 'magic,' even if he didn't know about other things. This meant he was an opponent who didn't follow common sense.
Vivian entered without hesitation and sat opposite him. There was no time to talk at length.
"I want you to look at the magic circle engraved on my body."
"Who would dare to put a magic circle on the body of someone who will become the Grand Duchess? That's ridiculous."
Jesus chuckled and continued.
"Besides, I don't feel anything from you. There is no magic circle in the world that I cannot detect."
She never thought it would be easy in the first place.
Vivian took off her cloak and unhesitatingly loosened the ribbons of her dress at her chest.
As soon as the faint silver Pentagram was revealed, Jesus's expression, which had been indifferent, hardened instantly.
"What is this insane magic?"
As Jesus rose from the sofa, an intense light spread. He was already in the face of a young man in his twenties. He had returned to his original form.
He approached abruptly and stared intently at Vivian's heart.
"Vicious."
A silver magical energy, like the magic circle, swirled at Jesus's fingertips.
But it sparked and disappeared the moment it touched Vivian's Pentagram. Jesus's face twisted fiercely.
"Lady, do you perhaps have a grudge against someone?"
"You wouldn't ask that if you didn't already know, so let's get straight to the point. What is the purpose of this magic circle?"
Vivian took out a pouch full of gold coins and placed it silently on the table.
But Jesus's gaze was still fixed on Vivian's chest.
"Your life."
"Pardon?"
"Someone has mortgaged your life. It's a terrible Black magic. When this magic circle is activated, your heart will burst and you will die."
Jesus suddenly raised his eyes. He stared intently into Vivian's eyes, then returned to the sofa in the blink of an eye, just as he had when he first approached.
Sitting down with a thud, he was already in the form of a twelve-year-old boy.
"You don't seem very afraid? Usually, people tremble like dogs when their lives are at stake."
"I've faced so many life-threatening situations that I'm not shaken by something like this."
"You're more daring than I thought."
...It was actually a terrifying fact.
Black magic, and to top it off, her perfectly healthy heart would burst!
Vivian strongly suppressed the inside of her cheek and calmed her trembling mind.
The opponent was the greatest archmage on the continent. Surely there would be a way to solve it.
"I like daring people. So, I'll give you two pieces of good news."
Sure enough, Jesus's eyes curved as if satisfied.
"First, your magic circle is not complete. A circle using Black magic always has a dark red light, but yours doesn't. It can be solved."
"How?"
"We can break the formula from this side first."
Jesus made Vivian feel very uneasy by adding the unnecessary words 'before your heart bursts.'
"Then break it."
"Unfortunately, it's not as easy as it sounds."
Jesus explained that after deciphering Vivian's formula, he would have to create a formula to overwrite it, and the decryption alone would take quite some time.
"Second, that magic circle is suppressing the Consumption. Black magic is more possessive than you think. It doesn't like its sacrifice dying from factors other than itself."
"......"
"Congratulations, Lady. You can choose whether to die from Consumption or have your heart burst."
Jesus seemed to have talent in more than just magic. His ability to provoke a punch was top-notch.
Thanks to him, she only felt more uneasy.
Vivian, who was seriously considering whether to hit that guy, suddenly looked out the window. More time had passed than she thought.
It would be troublesome if Aslan arrived at the jewelry shop before her.
Vivian re-tied the chest ribbons she had loosened and put on her cloak over them.
"Create a formula to break the magic circle."
"So, you're going to die from Consumption?"
"Think what you like."
There was no need to tell him that Aslan's colleague would develop a cure for Consumption.
But Jesus seemed to have interpreted Vivian's answer in a way that made him raise the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
"That's quite a daring move. You won't cling to Black magic and beg for your life."
"Consider this as payment. Write down whatever amount you want."
Vivian placed a blank check on the table. But Jesus's reaction was lukewarm.
"I do like money, but I don't only move for money."
"It sounds like you want something else."
Vivian clicked her tongue inwardly. She had been trying to save this for emergencies, but she had no choice.
"I'll borrow some."
She emptied the teacup on the table and picked up the decorative dagger hanging on the wall. Then, she brought it to her arm and slashed without hesitation.
"......"
The sensation of the blade was chilling. Vivian threw away the dagger and brought the teacup to the blood dripping down.
The small teacup was filled in an instant.
"I'll give you Eleonora's blood."
"Wow, you're on fire."
"You, a great mage like you, can't not know about Eleonora's blood."
Eleonora, the hero who defeated the great demon Astaroth with the first Emperor of the Empire.
But unlike the imperial family, who were cursed for generations, Eleonora did not pay any price.
Jesus, the only archmage who noticed the existence of the 'curse,' was curious about it.
Astaroth was a demon with a strong sense of revenge. He focused on the fact that such a being would not have simply left the human who killed him alone.
The reason why Iris, the original heroine, became Jesus's disciple was also an extension of this curiosity.
"Contract established."
Jesus, who curved his eyes in satisfaction, reached out while sitting. Magic was activated, and Vivian's wound healed in the blink of an eye.
But the treatment by magic was not perfect.
'Magical energy,' the basis of magic, was a destructive force, and healing magic was an incomplete formula created by reversing that principle.
In other words, it could reopen at any time with even a small impact.
"You should be careful with the wound for the time being. And a skilled person like the Grand Duke will not fail to recognize the residual magical energy, so do not hide the fact that you were injured."
"I will."
"I will contact you soon. Is there anything else you want in the contract?"
Vivian nodded.
However, considering the aftermath, she kept as much distance as possible from Jesus. After preparing to run away if necessary, she delivered a powerful jab.
"Don't subtly drop the honorifics. It's all obvious, kid!"
And she quickly ran away.
Tap, tap, the sound of quick footsteps faded down the stairs. Jesus, left alone, blinked blankly, then burst into laughter.
"Heh heh, that's a really crazy lady! Why didn't I recognize someone like that?
The twelve-year-old boy turned into a beautiful young man in the blink of an eye.
Jesus swept back his long silver hair and muttered with satisfaction.
"I won't be bored for a while."
＊ ＊ ＊
Vivian, who had escaped from the Wizard Guild, hurried to the jewelry shop.
'Ah, damn it.'
But she was one step late. Aslan was standing at the entrance of the shop with a murderous look in his eyes. The knights who had received his orders were kneeling with solemn faces.
She didn't know what it was, but she could tell that she was roughly screwed.
"Vivian."
Then, Aslan's gaze caught Vivian hesitating. As he took a step, the assembled knights parted like the Red Sea.
Cold sweat streamed down the back of the ordinary citizen Vivian.
"Where have you been?"
"Th-that's..."
"The manager said you left a long time ago, but when you weren't here, I was so surprised."
Long, hard fingers gently stroked Vivian's cheek.
"I was worried that something might have happened to you, especially since you're already sick. I thought my head was going to explode."
"I'm sorry for making you worry. Something unexpected happened."
"What happened?"
Vivian silently showed her wrist.
On the surface, it was flawless and smooth, but the Swordmaster Aslan would see the residual magical energy on the other side.
Sure enough, his expression hardened instantly.
His fingers gently traced the inside of her wrist where she had been wounded. He pinpointed the spot where she had been cut with the knife.
"Who did this?"
