Recalling the Count's final moments as he was thrown out of the air, I felt I should worry about his life or death.
"It's alive."
“Is it... alive?”
"It seemed like you had lost your mind from the sudden shock and terror. Well, a doctor would make the exact diagnosis, though."
Before losing consciousness, I believed it was his power that threw Count Hyrn at the appearance of Eon. However, the medium that awakened my past life as a great mage was the magical power dormant within me. The magic that attacked Count Hyrn and the assailant was cast by me.
"Uh, um... will it be okay?"
I scanned the messy warehouse and asked. After all, I was a member of the Magic Tower. And people would likely want to associate Count Hyrn with Eon rather than me.
Eon was already under the watchful eye of the Military Police. Getting entangled in such an incident again was not good in many ways. It was also clear that his reputation among the nobles would suffer.
"In any case, others won't know that Count Hyrn met Miss Selinia. It was they, not us, who acted in secret. So, there is no need to worry about public opinion."
A reply came back as if it had noticed all the worries contained in my short remark.
"If there is a mastermind behind this, they might realize it after seeing Count Hyrn's state."
It made sense. It was the first time I had fully agreed with what he said. I nodded vigorously and spoke.
"You're right, Eon."
It was only after I heard the words that had come out of my mouth again that I realized what I had said.
'That's right. Eon? What am I even saying?'
It was no use trying to cover my mouth belatedly. I hurriedly made an excuse while glancing sideways at the purple eyes looking down at me.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That kid's name is Eon, too, you know? I guess I got confused because I call him Eon often, too."
It was clear that the already brave tongue had lost its sense of tact due to the return of Archmage Sally's memories. Or perhaps, seeing how much Eon's face resembled the little boy, I simply mistook him for the little boy who had just grown bigger.
It seemed this excuse had failed to impress Eon at all. His face, as he quietly listened to my words, looked exactly like dripping candle wax. It was because he had strangely contorted his face—white to the point where not a trace of blood could be seen—and then frozen in place.
'Is he angry? I knew he must be angry.'
Eon must have been angry from the moment he found out that I had disobeyed orders and left the Magic Tower. He might have thought about asking Mary about my whereabouts, but she disappeared with me. He must have been convinced that it was a highly calculated move.
The slight delay might have been simply because he showed the generosity to give me a chance to return on my own. However, eventually, his patience reached its limit, and he chased me all the way to this shabby warehouse.
'The sight unfolding before his eyes must have been ridiculous.'
All I had done after escaping the magic tower was get captured by Count Hyrn, bleed, and cause a ruckus. On top of that, even the little boy was in danger. There was no need to even ask how twisted his mood must have been.
'On top of that, I was even spoken to informally.'
I didn't just speak informally; I even called him by his name, the Tower Master and Marquis of Grannois.
At this point, even the most generous person would be angry. And Eon was not a generous person at all.
"Sorry."
After apologizing to try and soothe him, an important fact came to mind.
'Wait a minute, I, I'm that very Archmage Sally, aren't I?'
And Archmage Sally was the person Tower Master Eon had been searching for so desperately. He talked about Sally so much that the people around him went crazy.
I quietly raised my head. I met a face that was still as hard as candle wax. Only the pupils were flickering like flames on the verge of death. We stood there for a long time, staring at each other.
'As expected, I have absolutely no memory of this person.'
That was the conclusion I came to.
Of course, not all my memories had returned. However, the time I spent in the Magic Tower was at most just over three years. And right now, the clearest thing in my mind was the memory of that time. Even so, I was confused about how to interpret the fact that I had no memory of him.
'Should I tell the Tower Master that I was the Archmage Sally in my past life?'
I opened my mouth and then just crushed my lips several times. He must have heard the conversation between the little boy and me just moments ago. He must have realized that I was Sally, who created the boy, and that my memory had returned.
'The fact that there is no reaction despite that.'
Could it be that you can't believe me, or perhaps you don't like the fact that I am Sally?
'There was even a time when he said he would call me Sally.'
It was Eon who spoke first. He spoke as if he had read my mind.
"Let's take care of the immediate matters first."
That sounded to me like Eon was lost in similar thoughts. In any case, he was right. I put aside my troubled mind for a moment and pushed it to a corner.
"Shouldn't we find out who is behind Count Hyrn?"
Eon also did not seem to think that Count Hyrn had orchestrated all of this alone. Following his gaze, I found Tara. With all this chaos, she probably couldn't have escaped outside.
Eon walked over to Tara, who was trembling in the pile of herbs, and lowered his stance.
"Weren't you curious why I let you go? It was for a day like this. To catch the big fish that lies behind you."
He was talking about the day Tara ran away.
'Then did Eon know Tara's true identity from the beginning?'
Judging by his words, Eon already knew at that time that there was an unknown mastermind behind it.
"You know what I want to hear, right?"
“Ha. Hyrn..."
Eon lifted Tara's chin as she was about to say the exact same name I had heard.
"If you utter that foolish name, Count Hyrn, I’ll twist this face right in front of you."
Eon's finger touching the tip of her chin was far more effective as a threat than my fire potion. As if it felt like it was going to pierce her throat, Tara changed her words immediately without a moment's hesitation.
"Uh. What kind of man was he..."
“What kind of man?”
" He was tall... and seemed like a nobleman."
However, that did not mean Tara had escaped Eon's grasp. As if her answer was not satisfactory, Eon actually tightened his grip even more.
"Are you telling me to go find every tall aristocratic man right now?"
"His... his tone was gentle. I don't know about anything else. Really, it's true."
It was the first time I had seen Tara's face turn so pale.
'It looks like that is the expression she makes when she is really scared.'
I wasn't generous enough to feel sorry for her. I just wondered how many times she had lied to me.
"It seems you think that person is more likely to save your life than me, doesn't it? How foolish."
Eon took a bead smaller than a little fingernail out of his pocket. Then, he forcibly tilted Tara's face and let the bead flow into her ear.
"Now that Count Hyrn is in such a state, that fellow will come looking for you. If I were him, I would kill you."
It was obvious that the person who helped Count Hyrn was behind Tara. Since Count Hyrn had returned in a bad state, he would surely have guessed what had happened at the herbalist. Anyone who had orchestrated this could have eliminated Tara before their identity was revealed.
"This is a magical artifact that sends a signal to me when your life is in danger. If he comes then, I will be able to see the face of the bastard trying to kill you."
Tara's face contorted, as if she had never foreseen such an ending.
“Well, like that..."
"Do you want to say that guy won't come in person? Even if it isn't him, meeting someone closer to him than you is enough."
Eon shook Tara off as if tossing her away. Tara shook her head violently, as if trying to remove a foreign object from her ear. Eon looked down at her and snorted.
"So you knew Tara was alive all along."
"It is only natural since I saved and sent her away."
Was there resentment mixed in my voice? Eon offered an explanation that wasn't even asked for.
"I placed a doll with a similar face in the exhibition room because I hoped you wouldn't find out that the maid is alive. If you had thought she was dead, you wouldn't have come to this dangerous place like today."
It sounded exactly like he said he kept it a secret because he was worried I might get into danger. At the same time, it sounded like a rebuke, implying that his predictions were correct since this happened as soon as I found out Tara was alive.
“Ah, lady.”
Tara grabbed the hem of my skirt.
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