ushernet Chapter 22.2
Chapter 22.2
“No. I will continue walking the path of the sword.”
Her words carried unwavering determination.
“...”
Isabelle, the Witch of Spring, gazed quietly at her young liege.
“As I expected, that’s what you’d say,” Isabelle replied, breaking into a broad smile.
“You expected that?”
“Yes. This also concludes my check of your mental state and memory.”
“...?”
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt for you to learn a few simple practical spells appropriate for a 2-circle magician. They’re fun and useful.”
At Isabelle’s casual response, Arina furrowed her brow and asked,
“And if I had chosen the path of magic instead?”
“Hmm... Then I might have used every means at my disposal to cast a mental reformation spell on you...?”
“Let’s stop there.”
Arina cut her off, scrutinizing Isabelle closely.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Isabelle tilted her head with a smile, puzzled by her liege’s gaze.
“You smell of blood. There’s blood on the hem of your skirt, too.”
The color and scent were utterly uncharacteristic of the Witch of Spring, who was usually surrounded by the smells of grass and earth.
“There was a purge, wasn’t there?”
Arina spoke with a heavy tone, her eyes somber.
“Yes...”
Isabelle nodded deeply, her expression serious.
“There were more rats than I expected, breeding unchecked.”
“I suspected as much.”
“Perhaps we’ve been too focused on Haven, overrun with imperial adventurers, leaving other vulnerabilities exposed.”
“The cost of complacency was high. It was a close call.”
“I heard about Doyle from Sir Balzac. It was my failure to manage the Frost Knights. Please punish me.”
“Pay for your mistakes by eradicating the Empire’s vermin.”
“...Understood.”
Leaving the matter of the purge to Isabelle, Arina stood from her bed. She swayed slightly, her legs unsteady after lying down for so long.
“By the way, Your Grace,” Isabelle said as she supported Arina.
“Speak, old woman.”
“What do you truly know about this Arad Jin?”
Even if such a miracle had occurred, it didn’t explain why no other ancients had resurfaced alongside Arad.
Honestly, the theory of Arad being a dragon would make more sense.
Of course, Isabelle didn’t believe the dragon theory either. She held firmly to the idea that Arad was simply a low-level magician lucky enough to discover golden-age relics.
Watching her young mistress, so pure in her musings, Isabelle hesitated.
Should she challenge Arina’s theory with the witches’ more grounded speculations?
Or should she let her mistress hold on to her romantic notions?
It’s problematic for a ruler like her to mistake a mere low-level magician for an ancient being.
As North’s sovereign, Arina couldn’t afford such lapses in judgment.
“Your Grace...” Isabelle began, preparing to correct her.
“But, old woman... there’s something I’m curious about,” Arina interrupted.
“Yes?”
Before Isabelle could speak further, Arina’s next question caught her entirely off guard.
“Um... I’m just asking out of curiosity... Would it be possible for someone from the golden age to have a child with someone from today?”
“?!”
Arina’s face was a mixture of nervousness and blush, an expression Isabelle had never seen in all the years she had cared for her.
“Well, yes. It’s possible. Humans from the golden age and today are the same species,” Isabelle replied, struggling to keep her composure.
“I-I see!”
“Besides, Your Grace, you’re a Northerner, aren’t you? Do you know that Northerners share roots with the barbarian druids?”
“I do.”
“The distant ancestors of the druids who first settled this land were the ancients of the golden age, known as naturalists.”
“I remember hearing that from my father when I was young. In any case... it’s not an issue, then. That’s a relief.”
“?!”
That reaction! Could it be...?!
Isabelle screamed internally as she watched her mistress’s unmistakable demeanor.
So, it’s finally springtime for my lady!
Her mind raced.
Between an ordinary low-level magician who stumbled upon relics and a 5,000-year-old ancient, the latter is definitely the more romantic choice.
Let’s observe for now!
Isabelle decided to let it go for the moment.
After all, spring had come not only to the North but also to its Grand Duchess.
The truth, Isabelle thought, could wait until the relationship between the two deepened further.
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