I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

24 – 24. North

On a brightly moonlit night, I packed my belongings. I wore a robe and a mask, all within a backpack enchanted with lightweight magic.

“…Do I really need to go to such lengths?”

Seris looked at me and said. I bowed my head deeply and replied.

“Sorry, it doesn’t seem like I can meet Ariel right now.”

At my words, Seris let out a sigh, then embraced me.

“…There’s no helping it. Please, do as you wish, Edin. I’ll always support your desires.”

Saying so, Seris tightened her arms around me, pulling me in closer.

“Even so, it doesn’t ease my mind. Having not seen you for a few months due to the Academy, and now having to part ways again for a few days…”

“…I’m sorry. I’m always grateful and sorry.”

Seris lowered her head in response to my words.

“No, just seeing you smile is enough for me, Edin.”

In response to her words, I managed a bittersweet smile.

And so, eventually, I set out for Daelin’s mansion on this moonlit night.

There was something more than just not wanting to get involved with Ariel—or more accurately, finding it difficult to get involved. Another reason for my actions was to complete my research findings.

I am currently in a state where I have considered the magic required to obtain the position of Master, but achieving the five circles needed for it was incredibly challenging.

Logically speaking, a fellow who can’t properly use fourth-circle magic without the Eye of the Sky would hardly be capable of using fifth-circle magic.

The gap between an expert and a high expert, or even between the fifth circle and myself, was vast.

But even so, I couldn’t just sit still.

The difference was impossible to achieve within the confines of conventional methods during the break, but not everything in the world was bound to conventional methods, after all.

If it’s not the conventional method, there might be another way to bypass it.

The method I had in mind was… hunting monsters in the northern regions.

Of course, capturing monsters itself is meaningless.

What I’m after is the magic stones they produce.

Magic stones. Stones infused with both mana and dark mana, allowing monsters to exist as monsters.

Certainly, they harbor tremendous energy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there are many ways to harness that energy.

Initially, the melding of mana and dark mana results in a chaotic crystalline structure. Trying to use that mess directly never led to anything good.

Hence, most humans had no choice but to refine the magic stones for use.

However, that wasn’t a concern for me now. After all, what mattered was not the energy within the magic stone, but the nature of the stone itself.

The nature of the magic stone specializes in containing as much energy as possible.

Frankly, I couldn’t care less about the internal energy.

The reason I sought magic stones was that it was possible to inscribe spells on them in advance.

Of course, I couldn’t inscribe the entire set of a Level 5 spell. What I aimed for was to carve a portion of that spell, combine it with my personally used spells later on.

And solely for that purpose, I was heading to the northern regions to acquire magic stones.

…

After several days, I arrived at an inn in the northern part of the empire, took a room, and sprawled on the bed.

Even though I was dressed in a robe with a hood, which by the capital’s standards was quite suspicious, the innkeeper paid no mind.

Anyway, a appearance like mine was standard in the north.

The northern part of the empire is harsh and rugged, even monsters are more abundant.

In such circumstances, the imperial influence didn’t extend much into the northern regions.

Those who came to the north were solely those seeking something.

Those seeking materials unattainable in the capital. Those planning ethically dubious deeds. And those committing sins, hiding their identities.

Because of such people gathering, it became natural for the north to conceal identities.

All the north needed were people who could kill monsters popping up immediately.

In other words, my attire didn’t arouse much suspicion.

I put down my luggage in the room and came out to have a meal provided by the inn.

And there, I encountered someone.

It was the figure of a slender woman with long, silky white hair that seemed delicate enough to break, cascading down.

The woman looked at me through the eyes revealed by the mask.

“…Hello.”

I greeted first. Since the mask was enchanted with voice distortion magic, there was no harm in initiating the greeting myself.

In response, the pale woman spoke to me.

“Yes, hello.”

That was the extent of our conversation. In the abrupt silence that followed our brief greeting, I felt a sense of awkwardness.

With no other choice, I sat down to have my meal. Suddenly, the pale woman sat next to me.

Startled, I looked at her, but she showed no sign of hesitation.

She looked at me through the eyes beyond the mask.

…They were blue.

“Wizard, I see.”

I spoke to the woman who had discerned my identity with a wary look in my eyes, using the staff I had placed next to me.

“…Yes.”

The woman made a humming sound and continued to gaze at me.

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I heard that wizards were rare in the northern part of the empire, perhaps that’s why she was curious about me.

I tried to ignore her gaze and chewed through the meals placed in front of me.

And yet, the woman continued to stare at me.

…Uncomfortable. Quite a bit.

…

She continued to scrutinize the man before her. It wasn’t any form of romantic interest; rather, it bordered on surveillance.

Seeing a wizard, a sight uncommon in the North, usually indicated that the person had some sort of issue.

It was suspicious that he had chosen this inn.

This village, and the inn itself, were well-known in the northern region for being frequented by monsters.

If someone with common sense were here, they would probably be heading to a major city even in the north.

In other words, the wizard before my eyes had come to this village to deal with monsters.

If he’s here to confront monsters, what is his goal? It seems like he wants to use magic stones, but for what reason does he need them?

As a rare wizard in the north, the woman paid even more attention, alerting her senses.

If one inspector causes trouble, a more skilled person can handle it. But if one wizard causes trouble, she didn’t know what kind of chaos might ensue.

Whether he was aware of such thoughts or not, the wizard continued to chew and swallow his food.

The woman, who had been keeping a close eye on the wizard, sighed inwardly.

How did it come to this?

With admission to the academy just around the corner, her father had decided to spend the remaining few months gallivanting around the north, concealing his true identity.

The woman finished her meal, eyeing the wizard, and headed back to her room. She slumped onto the bed.

Then, she removed her robe and mask.

She unsheathed the sword strapped to her waist.

Finally feeling comfortable, she lay down on the bed as she was sitting.

Her pure white hair flowed over the bed.

“Phew….”

‘You’re supposed to be the successor to the north, so you should at least know how the north operates. Check what’s happening while you roam around the north.’

Recalling her father’s words, the woman expressed a displeased expression.

No matter how much there is to do to become the successor in the north, is it really necessary to do this?

She let out a wry smile at the thought that crossed her mind.

Vanessa Delphius. The illegitimate daughter of the northern duke. A genius who reached the level of an expert at a young age. A knight who hunts monsters.

The owner of so many titles was lying on the bed, rolling around, and sarcastically uttering, “How bothersome….”

Ariel crinkled her face. Ceris closed her eyes, savoring the aroma of the tea.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly as I said. Lord Eden… He headed north because he didn’t want to meet with you.”

Ariel pressed her lips together.

He fled north because he didn’t want to see her?

How should she react to that?

Of course, she had considered the possibility that he might be reluctant to meet her, but facing it so directly left her unsure how to respond.

Ceris, with a wide smile, spoke to Ariel.

“Well, anyway, it seems difficult to arrange a meeting with Lord Eden… Would you like to have a drink and chat, at least?”

Recalling Ceris’s words from their last encounter, Ariel remained silent, biting her lips.

The more Ariel hesitated, the brighter Ceris’s smile became.

Ariel stood up and said, “Then I’ll be going.”

As Ariel left, Ceris smiled and said, “Next time, don’t contact me and show up so suddenly!”

Ariel tightened her expression and left Daren’s mansion.