Chapter 254 – Side Story 3 – The Boy Meets the Girl (1)

Dark night.

However, the city wasn’t as dark as other cities.

The gigantic tree in the center of the city was emitting a soft light, and torches were lit along the city walls and at regular intervals throughout the streets.

To the boy, it seemed like an absurd waste, but he had no right to criticize what the lord had ordered.

In fact, perhaps because the night wasn’t so dark, the nighttime security was better than elsewhere, and this city was prosperous enough to ignore such minor extravagances.

“As rumored, it must be because the lord of this place can travel between different worlds.”

Sitting on the roof of the inn where he had been staying for two weeks, the boy muttered complaints as he looked at the city’s night scenery.

Though it hadn’t been a long time, the boy had keenly felt the abundance of this city.

Even as an outsider, it wasn’t difficult for the boy to find work, and surprisingly, the wages were paid properly.

Honestly, he would have been grateful just to find food and shelter, but this domain was completely different from others.

While the lord and his wives being extraordinary people was certainly part of the reason, after staying here, the boy realized that the main reason was the domain’s prosperity.

“I can understand the abundant food supply, but if the other things aren’t as I heard in the rumors, they don’t make sense.”

The occasional elves, the buildings covered in glass, and various unfamiliar objects that didn’t contain mana.

Though there was supposedly a portal connected to the Imperial capital, none of these things looked like they had been brought from there.

“Well, the people here don’t seem to be hiding it, they just believe it.”

From what he had observed while living here, they didn’t even seem to be trying to hide it.

“Perhaps it’s because there’s nothing that can be done even if people know.”

He had heard that after the undead war a decade ago, the entire continent was blocking the opening of gates to other worlds.

However, that was now just an old prohibition from long ago, and such restrictions were unlikely to be enforced in such a remote place.

Moreover, considering the power and military strength of this domain’s owner, there were hardly any places that could properly protest.

“In the end, I suppose I’ve learned everything I can.”

The boy, watching the city with his sharp night vision, sighed and raised his head.

His eyes fell upon the gigantic tree that covered half the night sky.

“A prosperous domain, elite soldiers and impressive knights. An elven tree, a Divine Tree for protection, a developed city, and domain residents loyal to their lord. It’s like a domain straight out of a story.”

Additionally, there were objects and buildings that the boy found difficult to understand, but investigating those was beyond his capabilities.

In the end, he had confirmed everything that an ordinary person could discover.

But the person who had sent the boy here wouldn’t be satisfied with just that.

“This is troublesome. He probably doesn’t want just this level of information.”

Though the boy was troubled, he couldn’t risk putting himself in danger.

He had been instructed to infiltrate this city and learn as much as possible about the domain’s owner, but if he moved as instructed, he would inevitably arouse suspicion.

In this domain, loyalty to the lord and his family was akin to a religion.

“Well, since the lord’s wife is said to use divine power like a Saintess, it’s natural for it to become a religion.”

In such a situation, it was obvious what would happen if he went around asking people about the lord.

If he were captured, imprisoned, or killed, there would be no one to take care of his mother who was left alone.

“That man certainly wouldn’t take care of my mother.”

Though his mother had said she could live well on her own, the boy couldn’t leave her alone.

She had struggled so hard to raise a boy who was different from others.

To think that he would make such a mother send him to this distant place.

Gritting his teeth as he thought of the man who had sent him here, the boy took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

It was the business card given by the apprentice knight with the strange name, Choi Seowoo.

He had clearly said the boy could come find him if needed.

But it had seemed dangerous, so the boy had deliberately avoided seeking him out, but now it seemed difficult to continue ignoring it.

“If there were a slum or a thieves’ guild, I might have been able to get some information…”

This city had no thieves’ guild, not even a slum.

The boy knew all too well how absurd that was.

As the boy was thinking this, examining the business card in the starlight, he heard a voice from behind him.

“You seem to enjoy looking at the night scenery.”

The boy flinched at the sudden voice.

He had been certain that there was no one around this roof.

Yet someone had managed to approach so closely, deceiving his senses which were sharper than most people’s.

Fortunately, the boy was able to refrain from drawing the dagger hidden in his bosom.

After all, the voice carried no killing intent and belonged to a girl around his age.

The boy slowly turned his head.

A girl was standing at the opposite end of the roof where the boy was sitting.

She was a beautiful girl who seemed to belong to the night.

Though he was seeing her for the first time, the boy had heard her voice before.

“Did I interrupt your contemplation?”

Contemplation? That was a word only nobles would use.

From her words, the boy could be certain.

The girl standing before him now was the owner of the voice he had heard on his way to this domain—the mage.

As the boy stared blankly, the girl continued with an apologetic expression.

“I like the night scenery too. I’ve seen you up here several times. But today I noticed you holding a business card of someone I know, so I became curious and came over.”

‘She says she saw me because she likes the night scenery? But this place shouldn’t be visible from the castle.’

He hadn’t recognized her from her voice alone, but now he knew who the girl was.

There was only one black-haired apprentice knight in this domain who had given Vlad a business card.

Moreover, that boy was famous not only for his skills but also for his close relationship with the lord’s family.

So he knew.

The young mage who accompanied the black-haired apprentice knight was the lord’s daughter.

The second of three children born to the lord’s three wives.

A mage rumored to be a tomboy who enjoyed going outside.

That was the identity of the girl standing before the boy.

“Who…?”

The boy asked the girl with cold sweat forming.

Though he knew who she was, he couldn’t pretend to know.

It would be a serious matter if he were caught eavesdropping on message magic.

In response to the boy’s question, the girl gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and introduced herself.

“Ah, I’m Selena. I’m an acquaintance of the owner of that business card.”

Then the girl asked the boy:

“May I ask where you received that business card?”

The boy answered truthfully to her question.

“…I received it two weeks ago on my way to the domain. I met him for the first time then, so we’re not close. He probably doesn’t even remember me now.”

At the boy’s words, the girl’s eyes widened, and she rushed over to him.

The girl stood right in front of the boy and excitedly spoke.

“I knew it! I thought so! You almost got hit by my magic that day, right? I was scolded terribly by Seowoo afterward. I didn’t realize how dangerous it was since I didn’t see it directly. If I had known, I would have come to apologize right away.”

“No, there’s no need…”

The boy tried to wave his hands in surprise at the girl’s words, but she continued without paying attention.

“When I heard about it later, I tried to find you to apologize, but it wasn’t easy. It would have been good if our domain had a resident registration system. But my third mother and my master strongly opposed it, so we couldn’t implement it. Anyway, while looking at the city’s night scenery with magic in more detail, I spotted you. I couldn’t take my eyes off you from the moment I saw you, thinking there must be something… Ah! I don’t mean it that way.”

Finally, the girl stopped talking.

Thanks to that, the boy had a chance to speak, and he didn’t miss the opportunity.

“I was fine. It wasn’t that dangerous. I’m still fine now, as you can see.”

The apprentice knight had told the boy to say it was dangerous that day, but the boy didn’t do so.

Following the apprentice knight’s instructions might create a connection with the lord’s daughter and help him obtain more information, but that would also inevitably invite danger.

If the city with the castle was like this, it was obvious how dangerous the castle with the lord would be.

Though there was some inner conflict, safety had to come first.

However, things didn’t go according to the boy’s wishes.

“Just as Seowoo said.”

“Pardon?”

“He said you’d say you were fine because you’re a good person.”

“What?”

What had that apprentice knight told her?

The girl continued to question the boy, who was responding with a blank expression.

“You came here alone, right?”

Though confused, he couldn’t avoid answering her question. The boy answered truthfully.

“Ah, yes.”

“And you probably don’t know anyone here.”

“Yes.”

“Since you haven’t come to find Seowoo, you must be working as a laborer.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

As he continued answering her questions, the boy’s current situation was completely exposed.

Satisfied with the boy’s answers, the girl nodded.

“Then, come work at the castle. The pay will be much better. Help me at the castle. You’re clearly capable, having come all the way to our domain alone. Someone like you shouldn’t be doing manual labor.”

Judging by the girl’s expression, this wasn’t just an offer made out of a desire to repay him.

It seemed she had some use for the boy.

But the boy couldn’t answer immediately.

After all, it meant walking into danger of his own accord.

However, it was also difficult to turn down such a good opportunity that had presented itself.

As the boy was struggling with this dilemma, the girl pointed at him.

“Don’t think about running away. I’m a mage. I know where you live now, so if you run away, I’ll definitely find you.”

Though it was surely meant with good intentions, to the boy it sounded like the declaration of a hunter with a bow.

The boy nodded, inwardly sighing.

“Great! Then come to the castle tomorrow.”

“What? The castle?”

“Oh my. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Selena de Egger, daughter of Jansen de Egger, the lord of this domain.”

Hearing this, the boy quickly rose from his seat, but the girl waved her hand and drew something in the air.

“Make sure to explain well to your workplace, and come early tomorrow. I’ll inform the castle gates, so just mention my name.”

As the boy was about to bow his head at the girl’s gesture, he saw a magic circle spread across the roof.

The magic circle centered around the girl was as beautiful as she was.

And the next moment, the girl disappeared along with the magic circle.

Though he had never seen it before, the boy could guess what magic the girl had just used.

It was clearly portal magic.

He had heard that even among mages, this was a difficult magic to perform.

Even if she was close to the castle, for a girl his age to use it so easily…

The girl was clearly no ordinary mage.

“Well, being the lord’s daughter, she couldn’t be ordinary.”

After checking his surroundings again, the boy let out a small sigh.

He had tried to avoid it, but it seemed he would end up entering the tiger’s den after all.

The next day, the boy headed to the castle, and there he saw the domain’s lord.

And the lord frowned upon seeing the boy.