At Wickel's cabin, night was falling earlier and earlier. It wasn't simply due to the movement of the celestial bodies; it felt as if darkness was spreading faster. The stars were sparse, an omen that the world was about to be swallowed by darkness.
The weakened Allentia could not stop the darkness from devouring the world. And so Rose Month came to be.
"Merlin, I want to control a wolf pack. Can you help me?" Fatenai sat beside the table in her room. She watched the sky for a while, then turned to look at the lake-blue-haired man standing in the room. There was a hint of pleading in her voice. She was glad she could summon such a powerful mage at a time like this, but she worried she might not be able to handle someone like him—the child of an incubus and a human from the legends of King Arthur, and the man who, in a sense, had created King Arthur.
Merlin's expression was placid and unchanging. Perhaps there was nothing that could stump him. That made him seem sickly, as if he had little vitality.
"Arthur... You want to use those two mages to get into that school?" Merlin asked instead of answering her at once.
Fatenai fell silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"You should have learned a knight's manners by heart," Merlin said, seemingly disapproving of what she was doing. "Honesty is a virtue, and you're meant to become a king..."
"But I'm not King Arthur." Fatenai interrupted him, then closed her eyes and raised a hand in front of them. The markings on the back of her hand flickered in and out. When she opened her eyes again, her long-hidden blue-purple eyes were exposed to view. They were not clear and pure; a fierce storm lurked within them. "I'm Fatenai Frayton. I need to become one of those mages."
She was no longer a noble. Marrison's scheme had also reminded her that she could never become an adventurer, no matter how much time she had left.
Was there a third path for her in all that time? The two mage guests had given her an answer: becoming a mage could be her third choice.
Fatenai's true eyes easily drew people's attention. It was like when Duke Wisdom and his wife appeared at a gathering: people would always notice the duke and no one else. Her eyes radiated nobility, as if they foretold that whoever possessed them would never be consigned to the dust, even if they did not rise to the top.
"For what? You're not a mage." Merlin gazed into her eyes.
Fatenai breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad this mage was willing to treat her as Fatenai, and speak to her with that identity in mind. Though achieving her goal seemed almost too easy. "If I can gather Mana for a time, I can alter their impressions. That's why I need your help."
"You only want to control the wolf pack?" Merlin asked.
"Of course," Fatenai said slowly. "It's that simple."
"But he's already on his way, and you have another scheme." Merlin lifted his head and glanced meaningfully toward the door. Fatenai's expression shifted; there were things she didn't want to explain to him. As she wondered how to make up for it, Merlin had already stood up. He brushed his robe and walked toward the window. "Next time, use less Gilgrass. Otherwise, someone will notice, Arthur."
Fatenai froze, staring as Merlin's figure vanished through the window.
What was this summoner thinking...? For a moment, she couldn't figure him out.
"Lonai? Lonai!" Fatenai heard a voice suddenly grow louder beside her and came back to her senses. She blinked and focused on the person in front of her. Helise was looking at her, perfectly serious.
"Hm? Sorry." Fatenai was still a little dazed.
They were in a cave, with no light. In the endless night, only the bonfire brought them a little warmth.
That fight had let Forresten "see" Fatenai's magical talent. As she had hoped, she was about to join them on their way to Starlight University.
After spending a few days recovering and then a few more traveling, Fatenai realized that Starlight University might be somewhere in the forest. It was easy to imagine why: it couldn't exist in an ordinary city, where nobles who despised commoner mages held power.
It was the sixth day.
"Have you rested well? Sorry, Principal Forresten and Wickel are still busy investigating the forest, so they can't head to the university right away. You'll have to put up with your injury for a few more days." Helise let out a sigh of relief when she saw Fatenai finally come around.
Ever since Fatenai had "saved" Helise, Helise had treated her in a completely different way, though she still spoke in her usual tone. Before, the only time Fatenai had sensed that side of Helise was when she treated Hubert that way. But now that relationship had completely disappeared.
Hubert went out to investigate on his own every day, and when they stopped to rest, he did his best to keep away from them. Even when he was nearby, the two women acted as if they didn't know each other, let alone spoke to one another.
Fatenai had never had friends, at any point in her life, so she couldn't understand their friendship. It just seemed fragile to her.
"It's all right. We were bound to run into it sooner or later." Fatenai sighed, then spoke softly. Every time she moved her wound, it did cause an indescribable pain. But she had never used her master skill to heal an injury that could recover in an instant. She didn't want her presence to seem too strange.
Fatenai admitted that the Wisdom Family had shaped her. Their exacting standards had led her to train herself deliberately, though doing so in a place like this was almost unheard of.
"You really do think of yourself as a Forest Hunter, don't you? Your parents probably don't even know you can use Mana. Don't worry, though. Some people are just like that. Their abilities stay hidden and can only be used once they're awakened at the right time. That's what Principal Forresten said." Helise continued, "Once you get into Starlight, you won't have to rely on swords so often."
"Thank you," Fatenai said.
To Fatenai, Helise was an incomprehensible person. She was the most guileless girl Fatenai had met since being born into this world.
Brave, but reckless. Clever, yet easily deceived.
Contradictory, yet forthright.
So Fatenai didn't know how to treat her.
Helise didn't seem to mind Fatenai's attitude and went on, "Principal Forresten went to pick up his disciple today. He'll be traveling with us."
"Doesn't Principal Forresten have a lot of students? His disciple must be special." Fatenai knew that when Helise didn't end the conversation herself, there was no way to interrupt her, so she simply followed along.
"Not necessarily. There's something I have to admit: nobles are much more talented at magic than commoners. So most of the mages at the university are only average. If someone has exceptional talent, one of the university's powerful teachers will personally train them." A trace of yearning showed in Helise's expression. "In all these years, the principal has only had this one disciple."
Fatenai fell silent for a moment, then looked surprised and said, "How exciting. A great mage of the future."
In truth, she didn't want to meet this mage. Who knew if he might discover one of her little secrets? Even Forresten hadn't noticed the tricks she'd pulled.
"That child is the most talented person I've ever met. There aren't many people at the university who can match him... Ah, they're back!" Helise was still introducing Fatenai to this rising star among the mages, unaware of Fatenai's tangled thoughts. Suddenly, she sensed Forresten and his disciple through the alchemical device she had placed outside the cave to ward off enemies.
Fatenai stayed in the cave, using her difficulty moving as an excuse. Helise happily went out to greet them.
A mage with exceptional talent...? Fatenai rested an elbow against a rock, a hint of contemplation in her eyes. In terms of talent, he was worlds apart from her.
She was a little curious...
"She's inside." Before long, Fatenai heard Helise's voice coming from outside.
Fatenai stared at the cave entrance. Before she saw the person, she first saw a ball of white light. Powerful mages summoned such lights in the night to see the path and show their contempt for their enemies.
When Fatenai saw who had arrived, she stopped the expression she had been working on: "obvious curiosity concealing a trace of ignorance." Her face changed to one of shock instead. She was genuinely shocked; she rarely lost her composure, and now her face had gone pale.
It was a black-haired boy. His soft black hair made his sickly pale skin stand out even more. His frail body was draped in a dark blue coat, and his long lashes cast a shadow. Azure light shone from beneath them.
"Ed Ansendil!" Fatenai enunciated his name, one word at a time, with barely contained fury.
"Oh, do you know each other? You even know his name." Helise entered behind them, shattering Fatenai's last hope. At the same time, she reminded Fatenai that she shouldn't let on that she and Ed had ever been involved.
Ed smiled pleasantly and said in a friendly tone, "Of course..."
"Really? Where did you meet?" Helise asked, delighted.
Fatenai's heart lurched. She had lost control just now, giving Ed the advantage. She couldn't help wondering what he would say, and how she should respond.
"In the forest. I spent a night resting at her cabin. Her salad tasted very good; I've been thinking about it ever since," Ed continued.
Fatenai's mind, which had been racing at full speed, came to a halt. A flicker of bewilderment crossed her eyes. She hadn't expected Ed to say that.
He didn't want to expose her identity, but... why?
She had made that choice without fear, but for the first time, she felt that the future was full of uncertainties.
"If you know each other, that's wonderful! I've tried her salad too, and it really is delicious. Speaking of food, I'll get you something to eat," Helise said happily. "Lonai probably thinks I'm too boring. Mr. Ed must have lots of interesting things to tell Fatenai."
With that, Helise headed outside.
Fatenai paid no attention to Helise's words. As soon as Helise turned away and stopped watching her, Fatenai fixed her eyes on Ed, tense as if facing a formidable enemy.
"She called you Lonai? Is that your nickname? Not bad." Ed walked toward Fatenai with elegant steps, still wearing the smile she found so hateful.
Fatenai stared coldly at him. "Don't call me that."
"Why?" Ed asked, genuinely curious.
"You know why," Fatenai said.
"Heh..." Ed laughed aloud. Fatenai's palms were sweaty, and her wound began to ache faintly. Ed came closer and closer until they were nearly face-to-face. She heard his voice echo beside her ear. "If I hadn't left the Eye of Simorely with you, would you have had a chance to sneak into Starlight? You should be grateful to me for that, Lonai."
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