CHAPTER 102
But there’s nothing we can do about it.
There’s no way the Crofts would leave a spy alone, and Tom must have expected this to some extent when he infiltrated.
I’ll have to get used to living at the Croft's mansion too.
Anyway, for this reason, Philip could no longer receive information from Tom.
If he knew nothing as before, this situation wouldn’t be so uncomfortable.
Philip, who had been silent, spoke to me then.
"Lady Elsner."
"Yes?"
Oh my, why call me suddenly?
Philip chuckled softly seeing my surprise.
"How have you been lately?"
"Me?"
"Yes. I often see the Marquis, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. It’s the first time since the Redmonds' party."
Not the first time for me.
And we’re not exactly close enough to exchange personal updates like this.
Recently, I toured the dungeon of the Croft mansion. The spy you sent got caught by us!
- Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I smiled awkwardly.
"Just the same as usual."
"Does the Marquis visit the mansion every day to see you?"
What kind of question is that?
I nodded awkwardly.
"Yes. It’s where the Marquis used to live, and his relatives are all there."
"I see."
That was it.
Philip didn’t speak to me further. Or rather, he couldn’t.
Lewis signaled to me when he saw Philip talking to me.
"Selina, over here."
"Yes! Did you find something?"
In conclusion, we found nothing.
Another hour passed like that.
Since Lewis wasn’t really eager to search, it was hard to expect anything.
"I have to go now."
Philip said, and Madden finished today’s investigation as well.
Watching them leave the temple, Lewis spoke to me.
"Selina, let’s go too."
"Aren’t you going to look more? I was planning to leave because I have other schedules."
"I squeezed this visit into my busy schedule too."
The tension in even this brief conversation was palpable.
Anyway, I bid farewell to Philip and Madden.
"Goodbye, Count."
"Oh, yes."
Madden awkwardly received my farewell, as if he didn’t expect me to address him specifically.
Even though we’ve met a few times before, we are really distant, aren’t we?
He doesn’t seem to harbor any hatred for Lewis.
How could someone like him create a magic stone to torment Lewis?
The world is truly full of unpredictable things.
I got into the carriage after leaving the temple.
Left alone with Lewis, I brought up Madden.
"Count Madden must be very busy."
"Hm?"
"Making magic stones and coming and going from the temple."
In a way, he’s similar to Lewis, who juggles his duties as head of the family and tower master and keeps Philip in check.
"The only difference is, Count Madden, is making magic stones to bother the Marquis."
Fortunately, Lewis is unaffected.
But I still worry. Madden is an acknowledged expert in magic within the empire.
"He can’t develop the magic stone now, right? Since he’s already been exposed as the culprit."
"He’ll have to stay quiet. He’s probably too busy with temple work too."
Philip’s involvement in the magic circle investigation is probably fortunate for Lewis, right?
I joked lightly.
"He wouldn’t be secretly making them while we’re not looking, right?"
If another magic stone comes, we’ll know exactly who sent it. Surely not!
But Lewis seemed to take my words seriously.
"He could prepare something else instead of a magic stone. There must be research materials he used to make it."
"Research materials?"
"Yes. The curse wouldn’t simply be from putting magic into an empty stone. He must have developed a power that counters mine."
"A countering power..."
Not fully understanding, I nodded, thinking his words made sense.
"Besides reference materials, he might have a research log in some form."
"A log, like a diary?"
"Yes. Wizards usually record all their trial and error. That way, the next research has a higher success rate."
"Wow. So, there could be an even bigger curse coming?"
That can’t happen...!
Unlike me, who was startled, Lewis was calm.
"Since we know who’s behind it, Madden is the only one I suspect. Unless they want an all-out war, the Crown Prince’s side can’t move hastily."
Other villains would at most send poison or assassins, so it’s natural to suspect Madden.
Since Lewis is stronger than Madden, he became the tower master, but I still worry a bit.
"Even if it doesn’t significantly harm you, it’s concerning that the materials for cursing you are still intact. Doesn’t that bother you?"
"I do want to ruin it. I enjoy sabotaging such scoundrels."
Ah, now I see why Lewis has many enemies...
"It seems like we should eliminate any potential threats..."
As I muttered, Lewis spoke.
"Breaking into Madden’s lab won’t be easy. Even if he’s less skilled than me, it’s the core of the magic department."
Indeed. Considering Philip’s pride in the magic department and his desire to create a competitive structure between the tower and royal wizards, Madden’s lab won’t be easily accessible.
"Besides, Madden lacks motivation."
"Lacks motivation?"
"Regarding the magic circle. They probably won’t fully uncover it. The only one enthusiastic is the Crown Prince."
"How do you know that?"
"You can tell by their expressions. Whether they really want to do it or not."
Suddenly, Lewis smiled at me.
"But they’re better at hiding their feelings than you. You’re terrible at it."
Why did the conversation shift to this?
"What’s wrong with my expressions?"
I retorted sulkily, though I lacked confidence.
I try my best at expression acting, but it always seems to fail in front of Lewis.
"I’m really good at flattery. I’m great at managing social interactions!"
Why am I even bragging about this...
Feeling a bit of self-pity, Lewis chuckled condescendingly.
"I manage expressions better than you. Want to see?"
"Sure, show me."
Let’s see how good he is.
Lewis closed his mouth and looked at me intently.
His face, which had a mischievous smile, turned much calmer.
His next words were completely unexpected.
"I like Selina Elsner."
"...!"
I looked at Lewis with wide eyes.
Wait, what... suddenly?
I’ve heard it before, but not in this context.
It’s more surprising because it was said unexpectedly.
Come to think of it, Lewis never retracted his statement about liking me.
I almost forgot because he’s always so casual.
Since he said he’ll wait for my desired answer, his feelings towards me must still be the same...
Lewis’s mouth held a slight smile.
Facing him directly, I saw his characteristic confidence.
"What do you think?"
"Uh..."
I couldn’t find the right words and rolled my eyes awkwardly.
Several seconds passed.
Lewis smiled faintly, seeing my hesitation.
"See, you can’t guess."
"No, asking me to guess such things..."
Even if he tried to end it as a joke, his words seemed sincere.
That’s why I was more flustered.
Such things can’t be disguised as jokes...
My heart kept racing, feeling quite awkward in front of Lewis.
* * *
"The contact with the spy infiltrated into Croft has been cut off."
Philip said to Madden.
It was something he wanted to ask Selina at the temple but held back.
Whether Tom was exposed as a spy or not, something seemed to have happened.
Wouldn’t Selina, who lives there, know for sure?
"At least the Marquis and Lady Elsner seemed as usual. But something must have happened inside, right?"
"If he was exposed... he wouldn’t be safe. They are very ruthless."
Madden replied with a shiver.
Philip thought so too.
But at least, the spy wouldn’t reveal who sent him, as he was well-prepared.
‘That’s a relief.’
Unaware that everything was already exposed, Philip felt relieved.
"Lady Elsner is wary of me."
Philip shared what he noticed after a few encounters with Selina.
"I can see her tense up when I approach."
It was unfortunate.
He had no particular grudge against her.
Philip’s main irritation was with Lewis, who always acted arrogantly towards him.
Thus, Philip wanted to exploit Lewis’s weakness, which he recently discovered.
"Madden says it’s just a mental issue with the Marquis, but Lady Elsner certainly helps him through physical contact."
Philip spoke seriously.
"Without her, the Marquis would face significant discomfort."
He didn’t understand how Selina could help Lewis this way.
Philip didn’t know how uncomfortable Lewis would be, but he wanted to exploit whatever he could.
After some thought, Madden suggested.
"Then why not target Lady Elsner?"
"Lady Elsner?"
"Yes. You’ve discovered the tower master’s weakness. Why hesitate? Using her will get you the results you desire."
"But how?"
"Using illusion magic."
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