[V7C5] No Helping If It's a Golden Spiral

Due to its proximity to the Royal Palace, Ausahorn Palace was the building most commonly used for accommodating official guests. It was chosen for Princess Cecilia’s visit as well.

She had already arrived at the palace and was currently recovering from the fatigue of her journey.

Later in the day, Princess Cecilia was scheduled to meet with the King of Ridill and participate in an evening banquet. Monica would greet her once she had readied herself.

Since Monica had little to do in the meanwhile, she took a stroll through the gardens of Ausahorn Palace, checking for any suspicious individuals or objects.

The garden was filled with beautiful spring flowers, vibrant and fragrant throughout the grounds.

As a palace for housing many important guests, it also served as a place to showcase the country’s technology and power, in the form of rare varieties of flowers.

In addition, the roses planted near the outer walls had magical symbols engraved at their bases. These were traps set by the Thorn Witch, Raul Roseberg; when stepped on, their thorny vines would entangle the intruder.

Since all traps were set in flower beds partitioned by bricks near the outer walls, guests were unlikely to accidentally step on one.

While this escort mission had the Silent Witch taking the lead, the Thorn Witch and Abyss Shaman were also working as support, currently on standby in the castle.

The Artillery Mage’s magic was far too powerful for escort duties, the Starseer Witch wasn’t suited for combat, and the Barrier Mage was on vacation. Thus, the mission was entrusted to the three youngest members of the Seven Sages.

Of course, these three Sages weren’t the entire security operation; the Royal Guard and the Magic Corps were also involved. It was practically impossible for an intruder to so much as catch a glimpse of Princess Cecilia.

(But I heard that there are many people opposing the marriage… I need to stay vigilant.)

As Monica reminded herself of this, she heard a high-pitched scream echoing from the depths of the garden. It was the voice of a young girl.

“Kyaa! What!? What!? Whaaat is thiiiis! Helppp! Somebodyyy!”

Monica hurried towards the source and quickly found her.

A young maid with black hair was hanging from a large oak branch, entangled in vines, swaying back and forth.

Incidentally, Raul had set a trap on that tree, saying, “The only people climbing trees are either gardeners or intruders!”

All of the gardeners had been informed of the traps in advance, so why a maid got caught was a mystery to Monica.

(Maybe she’s an intruder disguised as a maid…!?)

Monica tightened her focus and called out with a stern expression.

“Um… Excuse me, are you an intruder?”

If Louis Miller had been present, that question would earn Monica a smack to the back of her head.

The still swaying maid noticed Monica and beamed at her. Her cat-like eyes were a light orange, reminiscent of the evening sky.

“Hey you, see the decorative carvings on the outer wall over there! If you look closely, it forms a golden spiral.”

The maid pointed to the outer wall, which was adorned with a carved pattern resembling a swirling seashell.

First, you draw a rectangle with the golden ratio and exclude the largest square from it. This results in another rectangle that follows the golden ratio. By repeating the process of excluding the largest square, you create a spiral pattern by connecting the corners of each square… That is the golden spiral.

All of Monica’s attention was stolen by its beautiful geometric elegance. Meanwhile, the maid continued her explanation.

“You see, I wanted to get a closer look at it, so I climbed the tree. But then, the vines went all squiggly, and, well, this happened.”

The maid wore a completely innocent smile, leaving Monica perplexed.

Monica observed the maid again. She appeared to be in her mid to late teens, slender and petite. Her black hair was tied up in a large bun at the back, and she wore no makeup.

However, due to her current state of being entangled in the vines, she resembled a mischievous cat caught by the yarn ball it was playing with.

Her attitude was too carefree to be that of an intruder. Also, she had a loud voice.

“Um… so you aren’t an intruder?”

“No way, I’m one of Cecilia-sama’s maids. Wait, maybe it’s more like an attendant? Only the ladies from good families can become real maids, right? But I’m not from a good family… Oh, but maybe it’s fine to call me a maid this time? A pretend maid? A pseudo-maid? …Oh right, my boss told me not to chat with people, oopsie-daisy!”

The self-proclaimed “pseudo-maid” had apparently triggered the trap due to being lured by a golden spiral. She offered a smile to the still stunned Monica.

“Anyway, I’m Karina. Can you help me out of this?”

Karina wore the same uniform as the other maids from the Empire, and she didn’t seem to have any weapons.

Even if Karina were an intruder and a mage, Monica would have the upper hand due to her chantless magic.

Of course, it was undoubtedly suspicious for a foreign maid to be climbing trees, but…

(There’s no helping it if it’s a golden spiral. Yeah.)

Monica honestly accepted the maid’s excuse and, invoking chantless magic, created a blade of wind to cut the vines. She then caught the falling Karina with a cushion of air.

Caught in the soft breeze, Karina widened her cat-like eyes.

“Whoa! What’s this, magic? But you didn’t chant just now! A magical tool? Did you use some kind of magical tool? Oh, could it be that your staff is the tool?”

Karina swiftly closed the distance to Monica with the agility of a pouncing cat, staring intently at her staff.

Ignoring Monica’s multiple attempts to speak, Karina continued her examination.

“Hmmm… There doesn’t seem to be any wind magic imbued here? But it’s still amazing! Your staff has three types of magic enhancement and mana manipulation support formulas! And the staff itself is reinforced with a ridiculous amount of protective magic, making it sturdier than any blunt weapon! Oh, and the decorations are so pretty too! This must be the work of a skilled craftsman! Woohoo, just seeing it lit a fire in my heart!”

She had discerned the effects of Monica’s staff with a single glance, not something just anyone could do.

As Monica tensed up and put on her guard, Karina began circling around her. Apparently, she was observing Monica’s robe.

“Hey, your robe is so cute too! I always imagined mage robes being all baggy, but yours has such a fashionable form! Is it the work of a young artisan?”

“Well, um… a friend of mine remade it for me…”

“She must be really skilled!”

“…Hehe.”

The girl had praised Lana, causing Monica to lower her guard slightly.

The small Karina darted around restlessly, scanning the hem and decorations of Monica’s robe. She occasionally exclaimed “Woohoo!” or “Wow!” in excitement.

“The embroidery is amazing too! Weaving magical symbols with golden and silver threads must be incredibly complicated! I’m no expert in embroidery, but if Kollwitz-san saw this, he’d probably start dancing out of sheer joy!”

“…Kollwitz-san?”

“Um, he’s an acquaintance of mine. An old man who loves embroidery and lace.”

That sounded like someone who would get along with the quirky embroidery artisan Porok.

As Monica began pondering such things, Karina suddenly lifted her face and covered her mouth. She scanned the surroundings, confirming that they were alone, before letting out a sigh of relief.

Monica looked confused, so Karina put on a friendly cat-like smile and explained.

“Hey, you can understand me speaking in the Ridill language, right? I used to do business with foreign customers, so I’m pretty good at it. But for this job, everyone told me, ‘You’re always running your mouth, so just shut up and pretend you don’t understand the language.’ That’s why I kept silent the whole way here. Like, have I even been that quiet in my entire life? I’ve been super desperate for someone to chat with…”

“Um, o-okay…”

“Ah, sorry, I’ve been going on and on by myself. By the way, I haven’t asked for your name yet, have I? What’s your name?”

“…Monica Everett.”

Upon hearing her name, most people would realize that Monica was the Silent Witch, one of the Seven Sages.

However, Karina was from the Empire, so she just smiled and said, “What a cute name!” Apparently, she was not aware of the Silent Witch’s identity.

As Monica wondered how to explain, Karina peered right into her face.

“Hey Monica-chan, how old are you? I’m 19!”

“Oh, um, same age, I guess…”

“Same age! Woohoo, you look so much younger. Well, I get that a lot too. Someone even said I looked 16 the other day. Maybe because I lack composure or something. Ahahaha! Anyway, it’s impressive to be working in the palace at 19. Are you in the Magic Corps? You do have a top-notch staff and robe… Oh, I see how it is. You must be a rising star!”

Rising star? Monica was already at the pinnacle of Ridill’s mages.

Monica desperately attempted to convey that she was one of the Seven Sages, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Meanwhile, Karina continued to speak without waiting for Monica’s response, perhaps in her eagerness to talk.

“Hey Monica-chan, if you’re okay with it, can you be my conversation partner while we’re here? I only have one job, so there’s practically nothing else for me to do. Come on, pretty please!”

“S-Sure.”

Monica nodded under the pressure of Karina’s enthusiasm, causing the girl to jump for joy and exclaim, “Yay!” In this state, she seemed much younger than Monica.

Her abundant energy and friendly demeanor reminded Monica of Glenn Dudley (also 19 years of age), a young man who was always lively.

If Glenn was like an affectionate large dog, Karina might be akin to a similarly-natured cat. As Monica pondered such thoughts, she was interrupted by a middle-aged woman’s voice calling out Karina’s name from the direction of the palace.

“Karina! Karina Barr! Where in the world are you!?”

The voice clearly sounded angry.

Like a cat caught in the act of mischief, Karina squinted her eyes and playfully stuck out her tongue.

“Waha, the head maid Cole-san is calling for me! I gotta go. See you later, Monica-chan!”

With that, Karina flipped the hem of her apron and dashed into the palace.

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