CH 47.2

‘Alexia called Chaos “Teacher.” That means that she and Chaos know each other. Furthermore, a bond as strong as a student-teacher relationship doesn’t form overnight. In other words, it would be reasonable to assume that Chaos stayed in Weichsel for a long period of time.’

Viktor didn’t miss Alexia’s slip of the tongue.

Until now, Viktor thought that Chaos had traveled by land from Castal to Commune. If he had traveled by dragon flight, it would be easy to find records of it at the airport. Castal would have immediately investigated the airports in their search for Chaos.

That would mean he was traveling either by carriage or on foot. Considering the number of days and the distance traveled, it was natural to conclude that he had traveled by carriage.

Also, putting the eyewitness testimony in chronological order, the first place where Chaos was confirmed to have been spotted was in a certain region in Castal. Because of this, Viktor was under the misapprehension that Castal was the first country on this continent that Chaos visited, and that he hadn’t been to Weichsel yet.

But what if his assumptions were wrong? For example, what if Chaos had come to this continent long before that and the first country he visited was Weichsel and then Castal and Commune?

“Look into Alexia’s actions from before she became the Saint. Alexia and Chaos knew each other. If so, there must have been a point of contact. It most likely occurred after she enrolled in the magic academy.”

There are not many opportunities for a mere adventurer to come into contact with a young lady from a noble family.

If he’s a mage on par with Alexia, then it is possible that the head of the Zavarish family invited him to be her tutor, but Viktor thinks the chances of this are low. If he did call for a tutor, it would not be a person whose name was almost entirely unknown. And no matter how power-hungry the head of the Zavarish family is, he’s a man resourceful enough to have survived as a noble thus far. There’s no way that a man like that wouldn’t bring Chaos under his control after learning of his existence.

In that case, the period when Alexia was attending the magic academy would be easiest for Chaos to come in contact with her. It overlaps with the period of time before she was called a saint, when she was known within the academy as a failing student.

Viktor didn’t understand why Chaos, who lacks ambition, would ingratiate himself to the princess of Commune. He heard that not only Roseline, but also the late Duke Chartelle made heavy use of Chaos in subduing the vampires. He thought it was because Chaos’s skills as a mage were on par with Alexia’s.

What if the duke also noticed Chaos’s peculiarities? Perhaps Chaos wasn’t ingratiating himself to Commune, but the duke was trying to lay claim to Chaos on Commune’s behalf before anyone else could have a chance to.

‘If that is the case, then the duke did something rather shameless.’

Perhaps he took advantage of some sort of weakness to keep Chaos in Commune. That is the conclusion that Viktor came to.

‘If the unknown spells that Alexia learned were all from Chaos… Ha, and they call it the power of the gods,’ Viktor thinks, mocking the church in his mind.

Alexia is a mage who was called a failure at Weichsel’s magic academy. If Viktor’s theory is correct and Chaos is the one who trained her to be a mage skilled enough to be called a saint…

That means it isn’t the favor or blessing of something as vague as a god bestowed on a specific person, but magical knowledge which can be taught to others. Moreover, the period in which Alexia was attending the magic academy was short. The period in which Alexia could make contact with an adventurer was probably less than a year.

In other words, with Chaos’s guidance, we can mass-produce mages with skill on par with Alexia’s in a short period of time.

“Hahaha!”

Viktor can’t help but laugh. Alexia alone was enough to give him the upper hand in this war, and now he could have several of her.

If he spreads the teachings given to Alexia by Chaos and is able to mass-produce powerful mages, the Weichsel Empire with its many mages will gain a military advantage over other countries. He can create an invincible mage corps which neither Commune nor even Castal will stand a chance against.

He’ll need to ask Alexia directly what sort of teachings she received from Chaos. But more importantly, it would be bad if another country learned of Chaos’s value. Even if it’s impossible to hide Chaos’s existence, he must prevent other countries from learning of the relationship between Chaos and Alexia. He must get his hands on Chaos at all costs.

This means that Commune, which Chaos currently has close ties to, has an advantage. If Chaos is who Viktor thinks he is, then if Chaos is claimed by Commune, then it will cast a shadow over Viktor’s ambitions.

Is Roseline keeping Chaos at her side because she’s realized that he is someone who could destroy the balance between the nations’ militaries? No, Viktor decides, the chances of that are low. If she had realized, then she would have interfered with Viktor’s offer or Chaos’s response. Most likely, she only sees him as someone with skills on the same level as Alexia.

In that case, he can take advantage of this. Chaos revealed that Commune has not yet laid claim to him. Roseline didn’t deny this either. If so, then it would be plenty possible to invite him to Weichsel.

Once he gets his hands on Chaos, he will also be able to control Alexia, who adores him. Then, it might even be possible for him to reign over the entire continent.

Viktor regrets that he didn’t try harder to recruit him. However, how can he entice a man with no ambition? Chaos is a young man. It may be possible to lure him in through lust. Should he use Alexia? However, Alexia’s feelings aside, at this point, he cannot determine how Chaos feels about Alexia.

After thinking all of this, it suddenly seems so silly in retrospect.

To think that he, who ended talks with Commune with little effort, would trouble himself over a single man’s existence and actually begin to find this fun.

***

Tea is poured into the cup.

That’s all it is, but… What’s with this tension? The air is incredibly tense. Like not even blinking is allowed. That sort of tension.

Alexia pours the tea with an uncertain, yet serious expression. Irene is fidgeting, as if unsure of whether or not to help her.

Roseline isn’t even making the slightest movement. Maybe the tension is getting to her.

“Here you go, Teacher,” Alexia presents the cup, exhausted from putting her all into completing the task.

I thank her, take the cup, and start to drink it, but I can’t help but feel uneasy from Alexia’s gaze.

Her eyes are fixed on the cup. Alexia continues standing at my side, watching over the cup as if in prayer, and the pressure is making it impossible to drink.

Maybe Alexia isn’t used to making tea. She is a noble young lady, so maybe Irene takes care of her daily needs.

I take a sip of the tea that she put her heart and soul into.

“How is it?” Alexia asks me immediately. I don’t really know what makes black tea good or bad, but I think it tastes good.

“It’s good. Thanks, Lady Alexia.”

I guess Alexia got the response she wanted, because her face lights up.

“Why don’t you have some too, Irene?” I ask.

“No, I’ll pass… I don’t want any tea at the moment.”

Maybe it would feel discourteous for Irene to drink tea poured by her master. I doubt Alexia would be offended by it, and she seems kind of tired, so I think it would be fine for her to just go ahead and drink it. Well, maybe she’s showing restraint because it’s not her place to do so as Alexia’s servant.

“A noble girl is pouring me tea… Um, are upper-class tea parties always this tense? If so, I’m glad I’m a commoner,” Liam whispers to Havoc and the others.

Roseline’s sharp ears overhear this, and she lets out a deep sigh. “No, only this one. I mean, she’s way too easy to read…”

“Is this really the same person? She seems completely different from when we first met her. It’s hard to believe that this is the Saint,” Cornelia says.

“No, she’s been like that ever since she reunited with Chaos,” Emilia says.

“Ahh, that lovers’ quarrel. I guess you’re right about that.”

It wasn’t until after the battle with Alexia when I was hugging her that the others met back up with us. I guess from their point of view, it looked like a lovers’ quarrel.

“It was not a lovers’ quarrel! L- l- lovers’ quarrels can only happen between lovers…!” Alexia says as she holds her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment, her objections gradually losing strength towards the end.

“Lady Alexia, even if you try to argue, you aren’t very persuasive while you’re making a face like that!” Irene advises her.

“Wow, she’s incredibly easy to read. She’s bold, but cute. It doesn’t seem like she’s doing it intentionally, so it must be natural. It kind of reminds me of her.”

“Woah, the one in our party who’s usually the one getting teased is actually teasing someone. That’s honestly pretty shocking,” Liam says.

“It might even hail tomorrow,” Havoc says.

“All of you, shut up! You’d better be ready for a beating after this!” Cornelia threatens.

Havoc and the others talk with their fellow party members as casually as always. But then, they suddenly look panicked. Apparently, they completely forgot that the princess was sitting right next to them.