Among those who spent the most ti in Airen’s mansion, it was neither Airen, its owner, nor Swen, whom she had wanted to live with.
Instead, it was Reika.
Airen, as Serpina’s personal escort knight, was often absent.
Swen, constantly being summoned by Serpina, found less and less ti to return ho.
And so, Reika was left alone in the mansion.
She felt a little lonely—but staying here wasn’t all that bad.
With so much unexpected free ti, she wandered the estate, read books, ditated...
"Huu—!"
["You’ve done well, my lady."]
["Ah... N-No! If... if I was of any help... then I... um, I’m happy. Hehe."]
["As I ntioned, this is our duty to handle, my lady..."]
["It-It's fine...!"]
Reika helped the mansion’s maids with various household chores.
To her, these tasks suited her surprisingly well.
At first, the servants were startled, begging, "Please, my lady, leave these nial tasks to us!"
But as ti passed, they grew accustod to her presence.
Now, the sight of her sweeping the halls or assisting in the kitchen had beco familiar.
That day, after finishing her household chores, Reika found herself with ti to spare.
The sun was still high.
It would be a while before it set, and only then would Swen and Airen return.
She wondered what she should do to pass the ti—
Then, sothing caught her eye.
Huh?
A few potted plants sat in the corner.
They looked withered and lifeless, adding an air of gloom to the otherwise elegant mansion.
["Um... Excuse ."]
Reika called out to a passing maid, bowing politely.
["Oh, Lady Reika. Good afternoon."]
["Are those pots going to be... thrown away?"]
["Yes. We took care of them properly, but for so reason, they ended up like that... We were planning to replace them with new plants."]
Tending to plants was harder than it seed.
Even in the imperial family, specialists were assigned to care for the royal gardens.
It was no surprise that the mansion’s servants struggled with it.
...
At that mont, a thought occurred to Reika.
She hesitated, fidgeting.
["Uh... um... that is..."]
["...?"]
["I an... you see... um..."]
She had the thought, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
The maid, watching her squirm, observed her closely.
Then, as if she had figured it out, she whispered behind a hand—
["My lady... would you like to take the plants?"]
["Ah...!"]
Reika nodded vigorously.
Perhaps it was because they had spent so much ti working together.
The maid, having learned to read Reika’s expressions, smiled knowingly.
["We were going to throw them out anyway. You’re welco to take them. Would you like to place them in your room?"]
["N-No, it’s fine! I’ll take them myself. Th-Thank you...!"]
She bowed deeply.
With so effort, she successfully carried three of the discarded flower pots to her room.
...Alright.
The mana within the mansion was... plentiful.
Reika closed her eyes, attuning herself to its flow.
She recalled the technique she had instinctively grasped back at Valharat Castle, when she had tried to save that dying rabbit.
This wasn’t a skill she had learned from books.
It was sothing that simply ca to her—a thod she sensed deep within her being.
A gift of her innate genius.
At her fingertips, a sphere of white light began to form.
"Now, if I do this...!"
The glowing orb expanded, its tendrils gradually reaching toward the withering plants.
She could feel it.
Sothing within the plants was responding.
Fortunately, they were still alive.
Had they already perished, there would have been nothing to connect with.
"...!!!"
And then—
A miracle unfolded.
The lifeless, wilted leaves regained their vibrant green hue.
Drawing from the radiant orb, the plants absorbed the energy they needed to return to their original state—just as they had looked when first placed in their pots.
How much ti had passed?
Plop!
"Haa... haah."
Reika wiped the sweat from her brow, gazing at the result before her.
It worked...!
Just as she had hoped.
By drawing upon the abundant mana in the air, she had revived a fading «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» life.
This was a technique once spoken of only in ancient religious scriptures—
A feat described in myths, long lost to history.
Yet Reika had accomplished it.
And she had done so instinctively, just as she had when she first awakened to magic.
It was a remarkable discovery—
But...
"I’m... so... tired..."
She had managed to save one plant.
But for the remaining two... she simply didn’t have the strength to cast the technique again.
She could feel it—
An intense exhaustion unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Of course, using magic repeatedly often left her drained.
But by now, she could manipulate fire and ice with ease—she had thought this would be no different.
"Is there sothing... I still don’t understand?"
It was her first ti using this kind of magic.
With practice, she would surely grow accustod to it, refining her control.
And after all—
Swen was by her side.
By following the ditation routine he had taught her, she would eventually master this new magic.
She wasn’t worried.
"I just have to work harder... and beco a mage who can truly support Swen...!"
At first, she hadn’t found being a mage particularly enjoyable.
Escaping life as an orphan was good, but being locked away, training endlessly without freedom, had been suffocating.
But now—
Now, she was grateful for her talent.
Because of her magic, she had been taken in by Jinor.
Because of her magic, she had t Swen.
If not for that, none of this would have happened.
That was why—
She wanted to beco stronger.
For him.
This wasn’t a duty. It wasn’t for the Nighhardt family.
This was her own choice.
Her own free will.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Swen’s presence had already begun shaping her into sothing more—
An existence unlike any other mage on the continent.
"If there had been enough mana in Valharat Castle... I could have saved that rabbit..."
As that thought crossed her mind—
A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her.
"I must have... used too much mana..."
And just like that—
Reika collapsed onto the floor, drifting into a deep sleep.
***
"Was it really possible to stop the epidemic midway?"
This was inside the mansion where I often conversed with Serpina.
As I passed through the now-familiar corridors and entered, I was t with an almost unbelievable piece of news.
["Yes. Didn’t you instruct General Irian to conduct a survey around Roze Castle? That ans it was all thanks to you."]
At first, I hadn’t fully understood why she had insisted on sending Irian, of all people, to conduct the search in that area.
But it seed that decision had caused a butterfly effect—one that ultimately prevented an epidemic from spreading across the entire northern continent.
From what I had gathered, they had discovered an infected patient by sheer chance and had successfully contained the disease through strict quarantine asures.
The details of the process weren’t important.
What mattered was the result.
More than anything, the fact that this outco was sothing even I could never have logically deduced—that was what made this situation eerily similar to when we had uncovered Lahelrn’s rebellion.
From beginning to end, the entire thing felt like a series of impossible coincidences.
But this wasn’t the first ti sothing like this had happened.
And by now, I understood—
That my 100 Intelligence advice had unknowingly prevented an epidemic before it even had a chance to spread.
From an outsider’s perspective, it must have seed as though Serpina had been touched by divine inspiration, making near-prophetic decisions.
But Serpina herself knew better than anyone else where these decisions had truly co from.
There was no need to discuss how I had predicted this.
By now, even Serpina understood my ability.
Then... why did she call here?
The question arose naturally.
From the mont I had arrived, the way she had been looking at ... felt different.
["It’s true, Swen."]
["...Excuse ?"]
["Your Insight... it truly only ever reveals the correct outco...!"]
Serpina whispered in awe as she slowly began approaching .
Her flushed cheeks...
Her slightly unfocused gaze...
The way she was looking at —
It wasn’t the gaze of a ruler admiring a talented subordinate.
It was sothing... much more intimate.
Sothing much closer to the way a woman looks at the man she desires.
Without even realizing it, I felt my own heartbeat quicken.
["Swen... this is a problem."]
One step closer.
["I had planned to take my ti—to gradually open your heart."]
Another step.
["But the more ti I spend with you... the stronger my desire for you grows."]
A third step.
["Both as a ruler... and as a woman."]
Four steps—
Until, finally, her face was right before mine.
["...My lord?"]
["If I told you... that being by your side makes feel as though I could overco the burden of my sins... you would likely call a fool."]
["I would never say sothing like that—"]
Her face was right in front of .
The delicate, lingering scent of yuzu began to invade my mind, clouding my thoughts.
And then—
She said it.
Words so insane I had to question if I had heard them correctly.
["Beco my husband, Swen."]
["...Excuse ?"]
For a mont, I thought I had misheard.
I looked directly into her face.
But she was utterly serious.
["Be my husband. I will mix my blood with yours. As a vow, we will be bound together, and I shall bear your child."]
["W-Wait, my lord—please, calm down for a mont—"]
["Ahh... Swen...!"]
Serpina sighed as she clasped my hand tightly—
["I don't want to lose you. No matter what. I absolutely refuse to let you go."]
["No matter what it takes, I want to keep you by my side. If there is soone else in your heart, then I will settle for second. But I will remain by your side."]
["Please... do not abandon . Fight alongside ."]
["With you by my side, I can achieve anything. I can unify the continent. No—perhaps even establish an empire greater than any before it."]
["As long as I have your Insight, anything is possible."]
["So... so...!"]
["Stay with . Forever."]
["If it ans keeping you, I will do whatever it takes."]
And at that mont, I understood.
The invisible leash wrapped around my neck.
Serpina’s obsession with had grown far beyond what I had anticipated.
I had already fallen too deep into her grasp—
Too deep to escape without consequences.
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