[V9C3] A Surprising Face

“M-Me, performing a magical dedication…!?”

The shock of this caused Monica’s voice to crack. In addition, the fork slipped out of her hand to clatter against the plate.

Meanwhile, Isaac questioned Elliott in place of the shaken Monica.

“Shouldn’t you be going through the council if you’re requesting a magical dedication from a Sage?”

“Of course, I’ve already brought my proposal to the council, but the final choice lies with the Sage. I’m here to bow my head so that I don’t get refused at the final barrier.”

That didn’t sound too convincing coming from someone who was sipping tea rather than lowering his head. In fact, Elliott had yet to lower his head since arriving at Monica’s house.

Isaac put on a faint smile, as he had gotten the gist of the situation.

“I see how it is. The magical dedication at the festival ten years ago was also performed by a Sage, so you need to arrange for another Sage this time, or it will be viewed as a decline in status… They’ll say the new lord can’t even afford to keep up his image.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Elliott scowled and took another sip of tea, as if trying to drink away his bitter emotions.

“It’s frustrating, but the townspeople and the temple priests all think I’m just some greenhorn. I can’t afford to let this festival fail.”

In contrast, the Duke of Erin had an outstanding reputation despite Isaac spending about half his time in Sazandol.

Apparently, he had addressed various long-neglected issues like fishing rights and the shipbuilding industry, as well as cooperated with lords from other regions to open up new trade routes.

Monica didn’t know anything about half of those issues, but she was reassured to learn that her disciple was doing his job properly.

Nevertheless, not every young lord could navigate situations as skillfully as Isaac.

Young lords were often treated with disdain, and Elliott likely had it worse than average since he had to deal with the temple for festival-related matters. After all, the temple was notorious for being full of elderly priests who looked down on youth.

As a result, he had no choice but to rely on Monica’s assistance.

“Um… so does this magical dedication… involve performing in public?”

“The temple is in the forest, so it will only be me as the lord and a few priests. Even if you include the singer and the musician, that’s less than ten people. By the way, the musician is Benjamin.”

Benjamin Mordin. Monica had once participated in Serendia Academy’s chess tournament with him and Elliott. Now that he had found work as a full-time musician, his concerts were apparently booked months in advance.

“Wow, you even called in the popular musician Benjamin Mordin? I guess this is a desperate attempt to use all your available connections.”

In response to Isaac’s sarcastic praise, Elliott scoffed and said, “Yeah, you’re completely right.” He did, in fact, seem pretty desperate.

Elliott went on to stare directly at Monica.

“If you want, I’ll minimize the number of priests allowed in. So, please, will you accept? I’m begging you.”

For the first time today, Elliott lowered his head.

Monica tightly clenched the hands that had been fidgeting on her lap.

Performing in public was still a challenge to her. This was something that she had always avoided.

(But…)

Elliott was a senior who attended the same academy as her. If he needed her help, then Monica wanted to help as much as possible.

The current Monica truly thought so from the bottom of her heart.

“I-I understand… I will perform the magical dedication.”

Monica answered slowly, as if reminding herself of her resolve after each word. Hearing this, Elliott breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

After taking another sip of his tea, Elliott remembered something and opened his mouth again.

“Oh, and I guess I may as well remind you now. Make sure to bring your Seven Sages robe and staff when you come to the temple. Last time, the Sage apparently arrived dressed like an ordinary traveler, and there was a bit of a commotion when the priests mistook her for a commoner.”

“Um, who performed the magical dedication at the festival ten years ago?”

“The Starspear Witch, Carla Maxwell.”

At the mention of this nostalgic name, Monica widened her eyes.

Carla had been like a kind older sister, taking care of Monica during her Minerva days. She had even taught Monica a bit about mana manipulation.

In fact, Carla was a true genius at practical magecraft, perhaps even the most talented mage that Monica knew about.

If the previous magical dedication had been performed by the Starspear Witch, then it was surely a splendid display of magic. Monica didn’t plan to cut corners, but now she felt an even greater determination to do her best.

(I wonder what kind of magic Carla-sama performed? Maybe I should check the records from the last festival…)

Monica was so absorbed in her thoughts that she forgot to eat her tart. Meanwhile, Elliott, who had already emptied his plate, began speaking to Isaac.

“By the way, why are you acting like a servant in the Little Squirrel’s house?”

“I’m not a servant. I’m her disciple.”

Isaac answered with a smile, causing Elliott to tilt his head.

“…For what?”

“For magic.”

“…Why?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t told you about this yet.”

Isaac placed a hand on his chest and affixed a radiant smile to his face, activating his specialty ‘chantless sparkling magic.’

“You see, I’m actually a huge fan of the Silent Witch.”

“…You?”

“Me.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

Elliott cringed back, as if he had just heard the worst joke in existence. In contrast, Isaac only deepened his dazzling smile.

“If you think it’s a joke, then by all means, feel free to ask me anything about the Silent Witch. Perhaps I should start with her achievements during her time at Minerva…”

“Ike, Ike…!”

The panicked Monica attempted to get Isaac to stop by pulling on the hem of his vest, but Isaac continued to explain all of the Silent Witch’s numerous achievements. By the time he finished speaking, Elliott was scowling at him again.

“Good-for-nothing servant… You know what I hate more than anything? People who refuse to fulfill their duties.”

“If you have found any problem in my territory, please let me know, Viscount Howard. I’ll come up with a solution right away.”

Indeed, Isaac was skillfully managing his territory as duke, despite leading a double life as an apprentice mage. This realization caused Elliott, who was struggling with several management issues, to tremble in anger.

“…Seems like we’ll never be able to get along, huh?” Elliott muttered.

“What a coincidence. I’ve been thinking that since the first time I saw you,” Isaac replied.

Before Monica had realized it, the sparks of conflict had turned into a full-blown fire. However, she knew little about the history between Isaac and Elliott. How was she supposed to mediate them?

As Monica could only tremble in silence, Elliott quickly turned to her.

“Hey, Little Squirrel. Don’t be deceived by this guy’s princely looks. His original face was pretty intimidating.”

“It’s only natural to look stern if you see someone you don’t like, right?”

“Only a third-rate servant would glare at guests.”

“Well, I think the son of Count Darsby was a bit too wild to be considered a guest… Who was it that forced the prince to climb trees again? Thanks to that, I ended up with an additional scar.”

“I couldn’t care less about your circumstances. I regret what I did to His Highness, but I’ll never apologize to you.”

The heated argument allowed Monica to see another unknown side of her disciple. Ideally, she wished she could have learned about this under more peaceful circumstances.

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