Chapter 77.2 - The First Year at the Academy - Court Magician (2)
The carriage carrying Certeres moved to the north gate, protected by escorting Imperial Guards.
At the head of the line was the carriage carrying Dion, Elphimia, and me, accompanied at the tail end by the carriage of Council President Ravi Bertincain. We were escorted off by a representative from Selene.
Also, other carriages were prohibited from passing, and pedestrians were restrained by the guards.
This became such a big deal is Certeres is the wife of a former court magician and the mother of a current court magician. Two generations in a row, the same rank as a count, cannot be neglected. The reason we had to wait to leave was probably because of this preparation.
Arriving at the north gate, we get off the carriage.
Dion exchanged a clerical greeting with Ravi and came over to us.
"Well then, my mother and I are leaving."
"Yes, father. Take care."
"You too, work hard on your schoolwork. I see you've made a lot of friends."
Elphimia's face turned red at his father's words.
Even if a group is called the emperor's faction, when people get together, there will be a struggle. As the daughter of a court magician, it must have been difficult for her to make friends she could feel comfortable with.
"Alter-kun. I will come for my daughter when she graduates. I will see you then."
"Yes, I will. See you then."
Dion held out his hand to me as I was about to bow my head.
I took it in my hand and held it tightly.
Thus, the child and mother were reunited after many years and left for the Imperial Capital.
I did not meet Certeres until the end.
Looking at Dion and Elphimia, I think that Certeles must have been very beautiful before she died. That is why I should not have met her. I was a stranger, and this was as far as I could go.
"Can I come by your house?"
Suddenly, Elphimia opened her mouth.
Her gaze remained fixed on the moving carriage.
Gently, I peeked at her.
I wondered if she felt lonely after saying goodbye to her father.
"I don't mind."
"Then, take the golem. It's too bulky for me."
She pointed to her magic bag.
She didn't feel lonely at all.
I suppose he wanted to see his daughter's friend, but he might have wanted to see me too. And the [Magic Vision] convinced me that the story was true.
A court magician is one of the heights.
I am grateful for the honesty, but I still don't feel attracted to it. It is easier to be an adventurer.
Suddenly, I looked at Elphimia.
"Are you aiming to be a court magician?"
"Yes, I am."
Elphimia answered immediately.
"I see. Well, it's almost a done deal. If you can use that much Ice and Holy intermediate magic, you should have no problem with advanced magic."
"Maybe. But – it's far from the strongest."
She pours tea into the empty cup offered and puts it back in front of her.
Staring at the cup for a moment, Elphimia continues.
"The Princess Bice. Do you know her?"
Then she turns her wide eyes to me.
"I don't know. What noblewoman?"
"The daughter of Lord Rathmel."
I believe Rathmel – a large city in the northwest of the empire.
I've heard that she is a leading figure in the emperor's faction.
"Bice doesn't like to be in the public eye. Even at court, she's only known by name. He's 14 now, I think."
"Heh. She would be a senior at Cartilard.
"No, she won't enroll. She doesn't like people."
She seems to be a complicated princess in many ways.
"I met her 3 years ago. Most of my [Basic Appraisal] got blocked, but I knew. I knew that this person was dangerous."
"Oh. It's not just a hunch, is it?"
With a sigh, Elphimia affirms.
"When she was 8 years old, she was attacked by bandits on her way to the Imperial Capital. They said they were part of Lord Veerlea's faction, but I couldn't confirm it, and it didn't matter much. They killed everyone. Including Lord Rathmer's soldiers and the B-rank adventurers escorting him."
"That's another thing..."
If I took my time, I could have done something similar back then.
However, with this way of speaking, it seems that she killed a wide range of people indiscriminately. Even a [Multiple Chanting] [Fire Ball] cannot defeat the duke's soldiers or B ranks if it spreads out. They're in a different league from bornis.