As Erna looked at the man in surprise, the man spoke to her with an embarrassed expression.
"Is there something wrong with me?'
“No, no... It’s just that you look a bit like someone I know.”
At those words, the man looked surprised and asked back.
"That can't be true. There aren't many people as talented as me."
“...Now that I look at it, it seems your personalities are more alike than your faces. Sit down.”
Erna smiled and offered a seat to the man who answered well.
Meanwhile, Orpheus looked at the man and asked Erna in a low voice.
"Who does it resemble?"
“...Doesn’t he look like Callion?”
At those words, Orpheus looked back at Erna with a face that showed she could not sympathize at all.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“The shape of the eyes or the corners of the mouth when smiling...”
“Well, I haven’t seen Grand Duke Callion smile, so... Haha...”
Erna closed her mouth at the sight of Orpheus smiling awkwardly. Orpheus's expression seemed to be saying, "I don't think that's the case."
"I will go get some tea then. Please feel free to chat."
After Orpheus left, Erna invited the man to sit down once again. As he sat on the sofa, Erna retrieved the documents regarding him from the desk, then sat opposite him and looked at him.
“Your name is... Abel Felding?”
"Yes."
“I heard from Orpheus. He said you temporarily took over the wizards’ classes while I was on break.”
"That’s right. I feel like I’ll get a better score if I do something, anything, rather than just sitting around."
Abel smiled and answered in a quiet voice.
“It was a good choice. I won’t deny that it made me give you a higher score.”
Teaching the wizards here was going to be quite a busy job. Erna had intended to kick out anyone who had just come for the high pay and planned to sit around doing nothing, but to think he was finding his own work and doing his duties on his own.
"Besides, I heard from Orpheus that your lessons are excellent. Honestly... as you know, finding a wizard is one thing, but finding someone to teach a wizard is not easy. So, I intend to hire you if possible. Before that, may I take a few tests?"
“Of course. Still, I am a little nervous that the Grand Duke, who is said to possess genius talent, is personally testing me.”
Even though he was told to take a test out of the blue, Abel did not show any signs of being flustered or displeased.
That meant he was either confident in his abilities or good at concealing his emotions. It could be both.
Erna drew a magic formula in the air and floated it.
“Tell me what kind of magic this is.”
Erna's test went on for quite a long time.
While the tea Orpheus first brought had cooled and the tea she brought again had cooled, Erna drew and showed Abel more than five magic formulas.
Abel calmly examined what Erna had drawn, explained what kind of powerful letters she had used, and continued to marvel.
“There isn’t a wizard in the Magic Tower who could arrange these letters so efficiently. The many rumors I heard were certainly not an exaggeration.”
Abel kept exclaiming in amazement as he looked at the magic formulas drawn by Erna.
Abel was not the only one surprised. Erna was also impressed by his knowledge.
After erasing the last magic ritual, Erna took a sip of the cold tea and asked him a question.
“Honestly, your magical knowledge is perfect. Thanks to you, I have actually learned a great deal. But with this level of skill, why did you come to Hessengard? It seems like you would have gained more wealth and honor if you had stayed in the Magic Tower.”
Abel gave a bitter smile at Erna's blunt question.
"My magical power is weak."
"Ah.."
At that answer, Erna understood why he had come to Hessengard.
"Was it hard to hold out in the Magic Tower?"
“That may be true, but... I never intended to stay there in the first place. It is a place ruled by brute force, so people like me, possessing only theoretical and academic knowledge, are merely kept turning like cogs in a machine. However, once outside the Magic Tower, everyone seeks wizards who can be immediately deployed to war. Those of us with weak magical powers would find it difficult to earn a substantial income even if we ventured out.”
It was just as Abel had said. The Magic Tower was the only place where academic research on magic was even possible. Most countries tried to recruit the strongest among the wizards produced by the Tower rather than researching magic themselves.
As a result, most kingdoms had to be wary of the Magic Tower. This was because they needed to be on their good side to easily acquire strong mages.
"But since they offered a huge reward... honestly, I would have gone even if it were an island beyond the continent, not just Hessengard."
"I see."
Erna put down the documents she was looking at.
“I don’t like dragging things out, so I’ll get straight to the point. You pass. I want you to officially join Hessengard and immediately take charge of the wizards’ basic education.”
“Thank you for your quick decision. May I leave now? Actually, I have scheduled classes for the afternoon, anticipating that I will pass.”
Erna laughed at the audacious remark and stood up from her seat.
“Alright, let’s go. But...”
After hesitating for a moment, Erna looked at him again. Although she had been scolded by Orpheus, she could not shake the thought that he resembled Callion.
The problem is that if someone asks her where on earth they look alike, she can't really explain it.
'Well, Callion doesn't usually go around smiling like that.'
Erna doesn't know what it's like inside the Order, but judging by his behavior so far, it seems like he rarely goes around smiling outside.
'I mean... it seems like he only smiles when he is with me...'
Erna's face flushed red at the thought.
“Grand Duke Erna?”
“Ah, sorry. But by any chance... are you from the Ether?”
“No. Why do you think you thought that?”
“No, it’s nothing. You can leave now.”
Erna felt embarrassed that she had needlessly kept an innocent person occupied while thinking of Callion, so she hurriedly sent Abel away.
After Abel left, Erna began to quickly handle the piled-up work.
Since becoming Grand Duke, she can count on one hand the times she has taken such a long rest. In the past, even when she was lying down due to severe menstrual cramps, she would insist on bringing documents to her bedroom to handle them.
'But this time, it was impossible.'
Not only did she lie there for a long time, but even Callion helped prevent her from looking at any documents...
"You've gotten incredibly busy!"
Erna resented Callion and frantically signed the documents.
Time passed, and it was lunchtime, but Erna still could not get up from her seat. Eventually, Orpheus brought a load of food, laid it out on the table, and grabbed Erna, who was pleading, "Just look at one more page!", and made her sit down.
"Please eat first. What are you going to do if you collapse again?"
"Do I look like I'm going to collapse?"
“No... You do look healthy right now... but still, no! Chairman Vanessa urged you so earnestly!”
“Ah, Vanessa...”
When Vanessa's name came up, Erna sighed and sat on the sofa. Unaware of Erna's frustration, Orpheus was excited that she had decided to eat anyway, and she continued to chatter while placing food in front of her.
"Speaking of Chairwoman Vanessa, it looks like things are noisy over there today, too."
"Why?"
“Why, you ask? It seems you haven't looked at the documents yet... Havand's new delegation is making quite a nuisance demand again.”
“Havand? What demand?”
Even though it was her own country, Erna genuinely frowned whenever the name Havand was mentioned.
“Wait a moment, let me see...”
Orpheus rummaged through Erna's desk and soon found a bundle of documents.
“This is Havand’s demand...”
“Those crazy bastards, seriously.”
As soon as she saw the thickness of the documents, a grunt escaped Erna's lips. Even at a glance, there were dozens of pages. Are all of these Havand's demands?
"They think Hessengard is their slave."
Orpheus gave a bitter smile as Erna muttered in a voice full of contempt. It was ironic that she, a native of Havand, was so perfectly expressing her anger on behalf of Hessengard.
“I don’t know who the new envoy is, but I hope their leg breaks this time. No, actually, isn’t that enough? I can still work even with a broken leg. Well, for some reason, they couldn’t do their job properly again this time...”
At that moment, Erna realized that Havand's delegation had never properly made any moves in Hessengard.
Before Erna came to Hessengard, the royals who had been sent here were assassinated.
After Erna arrived, a great plague broke out, forcing everyone else to leave. After that, a long war ensued in Havand. The delegation that finally returned here after the war ended is unable to carry out its duties properly because its representative collapsed after being stung by a bee as soon as they arrived.
“...”
As Erna realized that fact and was lost in thought, Orpheus, who was looking at the documents with her, frowned.
"Good heavens, he says he wants to stay in the main building of the Grand Duke's castle? And because he feels uneasy about the plague from 10 years ago, he wants everything—all the walls, furniture, and even the bedding—replaced with new ones?"
Orpheus clicked her tongue in disbelief.
"How many people could have died from illness 10 years ago?"
“...?”
Erna was puzzled by Orpheus's muttering. She said that the plague from ten years ago had certainly engulfed the entirety of Hessengard. The stench of burning corpses had permeated not only the capital but also the Grand Duke's castle, and unable to endure it any longer, the envoys of Havand and Ether had fled, abandoning the young Grand Dukes they had brought with them.
However, Orpheus was talking as if it were a trivial matter.
“Wasn’t that a major plague incident 10 years ago? I heard quite a lot died...”
“I thought so at first, too, but back then, far more people died from the war than from the plague, didn't they? Honestly, despite talk of a disease spreading, hardly anyone around me caught it. Even those who did recover often. So, among ourselves, we just said that the rumors had been blown out of proportion.”
“...”
Erna fell silent at Orpheus's explanation.
Erna remembered that time clearly. She had been trembling all alone, not knowing when she herself might get caught.
At that time, Erna remembered who had told Marquis Carnarvon about the plague.
'Vanessa.'
It was Vanessa who reported the number of corpses being burned every day, stating that the situation was serious not only in the capital but throughout Hessengard.
Knock knock.
Just then, the sound of knocking on the door was heard, followed by a familiar voice.
“Grand Duke Erna, it is Vanessa. May I come in?”
Normally, Erna would have welcomed her warmly.
Erna had to stare at the door, frozen in place, unable to answer for a long time.
"Is there something wrong with me?'
“No, no... It’s just that you look a bit like someone I know.”
At those words, the man looked surprised and asked back.
"That can't be true. There aren't many people as talented as me."
“...Now that I look at it, it seems your personalities are more alike than your faces. Sit down.”
Erna smiled and offered a seat to the man who answered well.
Meanwhile, Orpheus looked at the man and asked Erna in a low voice.
"Who does it resemble?"
“...Doesn’t he look like Callion?”
At those words, Orpheus looked back at Erna with a face that showed she could not sympathize at all.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“The shape of the eyes or the corners of the mouth when smiling...”
“Well, I haven’t seen Grand Duke Callion smile, so... Haha...”
Erna closed her mouth at the sight of Orpheus smiling awkwardly. Orpheus's expression seemed to be saying, "I don't think that's the case."
"I will go get some tea then. Please feel free to chat."
After Orpheus left, Erna invited the man to sit down once again. As he sat on the sofa, Erna retrieved the documents regarding him from the desk, then sat opposite him and looked at him.
“Your name is... Abel Felding?”
"Yes."
“I heard from Orpheus. He said you temporarily took over the wizards’ classes while I was on break.”
"That’s right. I feel like I’ll get a better score if I do something, anything, rather than just sitting around."
Abel smiled and answered in a quiet voice.
“It was a good choice. I won’t deny that it made me give you a higher score.”
Teaching the wizards here was going to be quite a busy job. Erna had intended to kick out anyone who had just come for the high pay and planned to sit around doing nothing, but to think he was finding his own work and doing his duties on his own.
"Besides, I heard from Orpheus that your lessons are excellent. Honestly... as you know, finding a wizard is one thing, but finding someone to teach a wizard is not easy. So, I intend to hire you if possible. Before that, may I take a few tests?"
“Of course. Still, I am a little nervous that the Grand Duke, who is said to possess genius talent, is personally testing me.”
Even though he was told to take a test out of the blue, Abel did not show any signs of being flustered or displeased.
That meant he was either confident in his abilities or good at concealing his emotions. It could be both.
Erna drew a magic formula in the air and floated it.
“Tell me what kind of magic this is.”
***
Erna's test went on for quite a long time.
While the tea Orpheus first brought had cooled and the tea she brought again had cooled, Erna drew and showed Abel more than five magic formulas.
Abel calmly examined what Erna had drawn, explained what kind of powerful letters she had used, and continued to marvel.
“There isn’t a wizard in the Magic Tower who could arrange these letters so efficiently. The many rumors I heard were certainly not an exaggeration.”
Abel kept exclaiming in amazement as he looked at the magic formulas drawn by Erna.
Abel was not the only one surprised. Erna was also impressed by his knowledge.
After erasing the last magic ritual, Erna took a sip of the cold tea and asked him a question.
“Honestly, your magical knowledge is perfect. Thanks to you, I have actually learned a great deal. But with this level of skill, why did you come to Hessengard? It seems like you would have gained more wealth and honor if you had stayed in the Magic Tower.”
Abel gave a bitter smile at Erna's blunt question.
"My magical power is weak."
"Ah.."
At that answer, Erna understood why he had come to Hessengard.
"Was it hard to hold out in the Magic Tower?"
“That may be true, but... I never intended to stay there in the first place. It is a place ruled by brute force, so people like me, possessing only theoretical and academic knowledge, are merely kept turning like cogs in a machine. However, once outside the Magic Tower, everyone seeks wizards who can be immediately deployed to war. Those of us with weak magical powers would find it difficult to earn a substantial income even if we ventured out.”
It was just as Abel had said. The Magic Tower was the only place where academic research on magic was even possible. Most countries tried to recruit the strongest among the wizards produced by the Tower rather than researching magic themselves.
As a result, most kingdoms had to be wary of the Magic Tower. This was because they needed to be on their good side to easily acquire strong mages.
"But since they offered a huge reward... honestly, I would have gone even if it were an island beyond the continent, not just Hessengard."
"I see."
Erna put down the documents she was looking at.
“I don’t like dragging things out, so I’ll get straight to the point. You pass. I want you to officially join Hessengard and immediately take charge of the wizards’ basic education.”
“Thank you for your quick decision. May I leave now? Actually, I have scheduled classes for the afternoon, anticipating that I will pass.”
Erna laughed at the audacious remark and stood up from her seat.
“Alright, let’s go. But...”
After hesitating for a moment, Erna looked at him again. Although she had been scolded by Orpheus, she could not shake the thought that he resembled Callion.
The problem is that if someone asks her where on earth they look alike, she can't really explain it.
'Well, Callion doesn't usually go around smiling like that.'
Erna doesn't know what it's like inside the Order, but judging by his behavior so far, it seems like he rarely goes around smiling outside.
'I mean... it seems like he only smiles when he is with me...'
Erna's face flushed red at the thought.
“Grand Duke Erna?”
“Ah, sorry. But by any chance... are you from the Ether?”
“No. Why do you think you thought that?”
“No, it’s nothing. You can leave now.”
Erna felt embarrassed that she had needlessly kept an innocent person occupied while thinking of Callion, so she hurriedly sent Abel away.
After Abel left, Erna began to quickly handle the piled-up work.
Since becoming Grand Duke, she can count on one hand the times she has taken such a long rest. In the past, even when she was lying down due to severe menstrual cramps, she would insist on bringing documents to her bedroom to handle them.
'But this time, it was impossible.'
Not only did she lie there for a long time, but even Callion helped prevent her from looking at any documents...
"You've gotten incredibly busy!"
Erna resented Callion and frantically signed the documents.
Time passed, and it was lunchtime, but Erna still could not get up from her seat. Eventually, Orpheus brought a load of food, laid it out on the table, and grabbed Erna, who was pleading, "Just look at one more page!", and made her sit down.
"Please eat first. What are you going to do if you collapse again?"
"Do I look like I'm going to collapse?"
“No... You do look healthy right now... but still, no! Chairman Vanessa urged you so earnestly!”
“Ah, Vanessa...”
When Vanessa's name came up, Erna sighed and sat on the sofa. Unaware of Erna's frustration, Orpheus was excited that she had decided to eat anyway, and she continued to chatter while placing food in front of her.
"Speaking of Chairwoman Vanessa, it looks like things are noisy over there today, too."
"Why?"
“Why, you ask? It seems you haven't looked at the documents yet... Havand's new delegation is making quite a nuisance demand again.”
“Havand? What demand?”
Even though it was her own country, Erna genuinely frowned whenever the name Havand was mentioned.
“Wait a moment, let me see...”
Orpheus rummaged through Erna's desk and soon found a bundle of documents.
“This is Havand’s demand...”
“Those crazy bastards, seriously.”
As soon as she saw the thickness of the documents, a grunt escaped Erna's lips. Even at a glance, there were dozens of pages. Are all of these Havand's demands?
"They think Hessengard is their slave."
Orpheus gave a bitter smile as Erna muttered in a voice full of contempt. It was ironic that she, a native of Havand, was so perfectly expressing her anger on behalf of Hessengard.
“I don’t know who the new envoy is, but I hope their leg breaks this time. No, actually, isn’t that enough? I can still work even with a broken leg. Well, for some reason, they couldn’t do their job properly again this time...”
At that moment, Erna realized that Havand's delegation had never properly made any moves in Hessengard.
Before Erna came to Hessengard, the royals who had been sent here were assassinated.
After Erna arrived, a great plague broke out, forcing everyone else to leave. After that, a long war ensued in Havand. The delegation that finally returned here after the war ended is unable to carry out its duties properly because its representative collapsed after being stung by a bee as soon as they arrived.
“...”
As Erna realized that fact and was lost in thought, Orpheus, who was looking at the documents with her, frowned.
"Good heavens, he says he wants to stay in the main building of the Grand Duke's castle? And because he feels uneasy about the plague from 10 years ago, he wants everything—all the walls, furniture, and even the bedding—replaced with new ones?"
Orpheus clicked her tongue in disbelief.
"How many people could have died from illness 10 years ago?"
“...?”
Erna was puzzled by Orpheus's muttering. She said that the plague from ten years ago had certainly engulfed the entirety of Hessengard. The stench of burning corpses had permeated not only the capital but also the Grand Duke's castle, and unable to endure it any longer, the envoys of Havand and Ether had fled, abandoning the young Grand Dukes they had brought with them.
However, Orpheus was talking as if it were a trivial matter.
“Wasn’t that a major plague incident 10 years ago? I heard quite a lot died...”
“I thought so at first, too, but back then, far more people died from the war than from the plague, didn't they? Honestly, despite talk of a disease spreading, hardly anyone around me caught it. Even those who did recover often. So, among ourselves, we just said that the rumors had been blown out of proportion.”
“...”
Erna fell silent at Orpheus's explanation.
Erna remembered that time clearly. She had been trembling all alone, not knowing when she herself might get caught.
At that time, Erna remembered who had told Marquis Carnarvon about the plague.
'Vanessa.'
It was Vanessa who reported the number of corpses being burned every day, stating that the situation was serious not only in the capital but throughout Hessengard.
Knock knock.
Just then, the sound of knocking on the door was heard, followed by a familiar voice.
“Grand Duke Erna, it is Vanessa. May I come in?”
Normally, Erna would have welcomed her warmly.
Erna had to stare at the door, frozen in place, unable to answer for a long time.
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