It has been a long time since I've been jolted around by a carriage.
Winter had arrived, and apparently the winds made ships unusable, so we decided to return to the capital via the southern regions where there was less snow.
Moving while being surrounded by soldiers I didn't recognise made me feel like some kind of criminal. It reminded me of the lord.
"What happened to Lord Dion?"
I asked Irena-san, who was sitting beside me.
"Nothing really. He simply returned his fief to the King of his own accord."
So he was essentially stripped of his fief?
From what I heard, he and his family were currently staying with relatives. If so, maybe he could come back to check on the fief someday.
"You'll be getting a reward."
Irena-san continued.
"They're giving me something?"
"You'll receive a monetary reward for your achievements this time. You should be glad it was recognized."
Oh, a bonus. That was nice. My eyes naturally drifted down to the bag at my feet, stuffed full of scrap stones.
"You're up to no good again."
"I only ever think of good things."
"Even though you let that mage technician escape."
She chided me with a beautiful smile. She'd been angry about that ever since.
"Why do you want to capture Lux-san so badly?"
"Because he's a mage of Traus. He should be under the King's care."
"Is that all?"
"What else do you think there is?"
She wasn't going to speak.
But I was starting to get the picture.
We arrived in the capital and, without a moment's rest, the first thing I had to face was Director Theobold's grumpy expression.
"Report."
He was clearly angry even though he didn't scold me for repeatedly ignoring his orders to return and doing whatever I wanted. Yeah, well, sorry. But I don't regret it.
By the time my report was finished and I could stop by the artisan workshop, it was already late in the evening.
"Oh! Welcome back, it's been a while!"
I felt relieved when I heard Konrad-san's laid-back voice. His easygoing attitude really made it feel like I'm home.
"I'm back. Sorry for being away so long."
"You really should be. It was a nightmare getting through the chores."
"I think you could finish them if you stopped showing up late."
"We agreed not to bring that up."
My senior apprentice's work ethic hadn't changed either. The workshop was dirty again too. Oh well.
Next, I went over to Master Finn, who was sitting at his workbench.
"Are you well?"
Master set down his chisel and looked up at me with those red eyes.
I held up the bag full of scrap stones before I answered.
"I'm full of energy. Here, a souvenir. As promised, I didn't come back empty-handed."
I'd already written a letter to Master reporting on the magic circle that transfers mana into a single stone.
Of course, I'd also let him know that Lux-san had helped me.
"You're done with work for the day, right? Can we talk for a bit? About the new magic circle, and our plans going forward."
"You just got back. What a restless girl."
Master looked mildly exasperated. But I was sure he wanted to hear about it just as badly.
"Konrad-san, want to stay and listen?"
"Nah, I can't. Staying at the workplace past closing time would drive me insane."
How badly does this guy not want to work? I wouldn't complain about it if he would stop coming in late.
After Konrad-san left, Master and I sat facing each other in chairs by the workbench.
There was so much I wanted to discuss about the new magic circle and our future plans, but there was something I wanted to confirm first.
"You haven't been drinking while I was gone, right?"
"I haven't. I've gotten used to this stinky tea."
Master held up his cup and flashed his teeth.
"I heard you met my son."
"Yes."
"Did he badmouth my drinking?"
"No. He said that thanks to you drowning in alcohol, he was able to study magic."
"...I see."
Master hung his head. I could see clearly just how much thinner his white hair had gotten.
Why hadn't Master wanted Lux-san to learn magic?
Watching his expression carefully, I continued.
"Actually, Master. In Kikus Village, Lux-san showed me some documents on magic. They were full of spirit characters I'd never seen before, all of which are unknown in Traus. When I asked where he'd gotten them, he told me he'd taken them from home."
In other words, the original owner of that periodic table had been Master.
I'd heard he was an immigrant from Galesh, so at the time, I'd simply assumed that Galesh's magical research was more advanced than Traus's.
"But later on, I remembered something."
Something I'd learned in school, during one of the very first lessons. A memory I'd nearly forgotten had come flooding back while I was being rocked in the carriage.
"The Mitoan people were once called 'demon-kin' by other races. But after magic spread, they came to be known by the name they'd given themselves. That name means green in Mitoan."
The Mitoan people were the Green People.
In my mind, I could see Lux-san's greenish-white hair.
"Master, you're a survivor of the Mitoan people, aren't you?"
His unusual appearance and his knowledge of magic... all pointed to that.
Even in the midst of a brutal war, it didn't mean every last one of them had died. It wouldn't be strange if some had managed to escape.
Master remained silent, his gaze fixed steadily on me.
"...It's a lie that magic is a blessing from the gods."
At last, he began to speak quietly.
"We were cursed by God."
He laughed, low and bitterly.