"Then, let us begin. You sure you don’t want to do this while sitting? Maybe when taking a walk? This garden is quite nice-looking, you know.”

“I’m good. Let’s just get to the point.”

“Alright then, if you say so. Though your familiar—do you want her to listen in too?" She glanced at the dryad.

"...Nysa." Marina turned to face her. "Make sure there aren't any intruders to our conversation."

"Of course, Miss!" The dryad smiled before burying herself underground.

"You don't have to do that, you know." The court mage smiled. "Do you think I haven't taken precautions to make our meeting this evening private?"

"...I don't trust you." Marina responded.

"Haah…" The court mage sighed. "Suit yourself. "Now, where do I even begin?" The court mage folded her arms under her chest, leaving her staff miraculously standing perfectly still on its own. "Let's start with this. You will not do anything drastic with your magic — anything that threatens the safety of this kingdom and her people. So none of your hijinks in Tolany."

"I only did that because I was forced to," Marina replied coldly. "As long as the people of this kingdom leave my family alone, I would not harm them."

"Of course." A smirk formed at the dark-haired woman's lips. "Come to me if anything happens. I don't want you acting on your own, using your magic selfishly as if this kingdom's laws hold no power over you. If you truly are going to be your grandfather's successor, then you should learn how to solve your troubles without relying on your magic. Your brute force way of thinking — that is the way of the Magocracy." Her smirk grew. "I'm surprised they wanted you dead. What happened anyway? My spies couldn't tell me the details."

Brute force? It was the only way I could've saved Erika. This arrogant woman knows nothing about the real world. If I had dallied even for a second, Erika wouldn't be with me right now.

"I don't regret what I did in the slightest. It was the only way I could've saved Erika from those filthy slavers," was Marina's unflinching response. "And I won't accept being compared to those power hungry mages at the Magocracy. They don't care who they hurt as long as they get their way. If not for my family's sacrifice, I would've become their slave."

Still keeping her smirk, the court mage replied, "Let me guess. They tried to recruit you to one of their families. In your case, it's Vera's. Makes sense. That gnome is the weakest amongst the Council. She would be the one with the most need for more powerful mages under her banner."

"It is not just her who is evil." Marina continued. "The rest of the Council — they approved of her plan. And now they wanted me, my brother, and my sister dead, for revenge on killing that gnome. They are my enemy, and one day, I will make them pay."

"Oh?" The court mage's smirk transformed into a grin. "And how are you going to do that exactly? They're the most elite of elite mages. On your own, you stand absolutely no chance."

"I'll become stronger," Marina answered without hesitation. "I will reach Grandmaster-level and after that, I will become an Archmage, surpassing them all in magic."

Hearing that, the court mage burst into a laugh. 

"Aha… ahahaha... Ahahahaha!" She held her stomach with one hand as tears escaped her ducts. "Are you serious? You? An Archmage? No one has reached that level since Mira herself!"

"I don't care," Marina calmly replied. "Even if it takes me my entire life, I will reach that level of strength." 

I have to do it. I have to grow far stronger than I am now. It is the only way to keep Hugo and Erika safe.

Let her laugh. In time, I will prove her wrong.

Wiping her tears with her right index, the court mage resumed her speech.  "Aaah, you're certainly a curious one. I'm interested in you, Marina. How about it?" She grabbed her staff and pointed it at Marina. "I give you the offer to become my right hand woman in the Mage Corps."

What?

"The pay is really good, you know." She smirked. "Not to mention all the perks you got. You'll get your own mansion and servants. And you'll get access to our library of magecraft. We have some precious tomes there that I'm sure you'll find some interest in. You want to get stronger, right? Maybe there are some useful spells in them that you can use."

"...I apologize but I have to refuse that offer."

I know what she's doing. She wants me under her watch. If I accept, I would be forced to live here in the capital, instead of back with Grandfather. I would be this kingdom's attack dog, just like her. I would lose the freedom I have.

"Ah, how unfortunate." The court mage shrugged. "But then again, perhaps you'd be better suited growing plants back at your grandfather's territory. And here I thought you were serious about growing stronger." She let out an obviously exaggerated sigh.

"I'm fine training on my own, thank you very much." This woman is really annoying me more and more the longer we talk. She's taking me for a fool.

"On your own, huh? Then I hope you'll be ready once the Magocracy makes their move."

"I assume you and the griffon knights won't come to my help when that happens."

"Oh no, you're mistaken." The court mage's smirk returned. "I'm not talking about them sending their assassins to you. I'm talking about something much, much bigger."

Marina raised her eyebrows. "...Something… bigger?"

"What I am about to tell you is a military secret of this kingdom. Unless you agree to become my right hand woman, I can't tell you anything."

"...The answer is still no." Ha, you think you can trick me with that?

"Even if I can make your official post be located in your grandfather's territory?"

Marina fell silent. ...No. It's still a trap. You can't trust her, Marina. Who knows what she's scheming with the king and the other nobles? How many people want your power, just like Vera did?

"Thought so." A victorious smile appeared on the court mage's face. "I can tell the king to make you be the mage guard of the north. We need military presence against those rebel dukes to the north. A mage at your level — you're worth an entire army all by your own."

Military presence? At least she's honest in using me as a war asset.

"How about it?" The court mage grinned. "Your pay would be a lot lower though, compared to being here with me. You won't get that fancy mansion either. Not that you need it, since you have your grandfather's house to live in."

"I have no interest in being this kingdom's weapon." Marina answered. "If you think I'm going to slaughter your king's opponents just because he orders me to, think again."

"Not even in defense? No one’s asking you to invade their lands,” the court mage replied. “We just want you to sit there on the north and act as a deterrent. With them knowing that the scary Verdant Witch of Death is guarding the borders, they will think thrice in trying anything against us. You’ll help your Grandfather as well, since this means he can afford to pay less soldiers guarding the border, freeing his budget for other things, like your fancy farming project. It’s a win-win situation. If you have any sense, you would’ve taken my offer in an instant.”

“You think I will just take your word for it?” Marina’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, you can negotiate it yourself with the king tomorrow. I’ll tell him that you’re interested in the offer. I’m sure he’ll agree immediately. I’ll leave it up to you whether you trust him or not.”

“...Fine. I’ll meet him and decide from there. I’ll have to ask for Grandfather’s permission as well.” If what she’s saying is true, then I really should take the offer. And if the king tries telling me to do anything I don’t want, I’ll just ignore his orders, even if it means taking on his royal army. If I can’t do that, then I have no chance whatsoever against the mages of the Magocracy.

"Excellent!" The court mage clapped her gloved hands together. "Then…" Suddenly, the court mage's expression turned all serious, the very first time it happened since Marina met her. “Let me tell you why we have a suspicion that they’re planning something big. Tell me, Marina. Being the great mage you are, you should know about leylines, do you not?”

“Leylines?” Marina raised her eyebrows. “Of course I do. It’s the network of mana flowing underground. Just like a human body has its own network of mana, so does the Earth itself.”

“Great! Then, I’ll just go straight to the point.” The court mage’s eyes narrowed. ”The leylines of this continent—they are pulsating. In quite the unnatural way, I might add. And we have reasons to believe that the source of the pulse was located inside the Magocracy."

“But that’s…” I was about to say “that’s impossible!”, since I was taught that manipulating leylines is something that is beyond the reach of any mage. But knowing the Council, they might have been doing that in secret, away from prying ears and eyes of the public.

"If they truly can manipulate leylines now, then they can bring natural disasters to other countries in this continent without even taking a single step out of their hole. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods — all that are on the table. And no one will be able to accuse them of any wrongdoing for what they did."

Marina fell silent, trying to process what she just heard. “But if you tell the other countries the truth—”

“They will only believe me when it’s already too late,” the court mage interrupted. “May I remind you that the Magocracy has the strongest military in the entire continent? Even our kingdom will be crushed like a bug if they were to bring their full might against us. The other, weaker kingdoms would be even more hesitant to go against them. Not that it matters much. If they’re smart, they will cause just enough disasters before people start to become suspicious that it’s all artificial.”

And the Church and the Empire are located on a different continent, meaning, they wouldn’t be affected in the slightest, Marina added in her mind.

"It's fortunate that I have an interest in leyline research, or else I wouldn't have noticed this phenomenon." The court mage continued with a grim smile. "I have sent a letter telling this information to both the Church and the Empire, but none of them has responded back." She walked forwards a few steps, closer to Marina. "I need you, o Verdant Witch of Death. I wish to protect this kingdom from them. Don't you share the same wish? You and I — we both share a common enemy."

Marina stared at the court mage's face. The two locked their gaze for what seemed like an eternity. She's not lying. I don't feel falsehood from her.

"...What are you planning to do then?" she asked. "Can you counteract it?"

"No, that is beyond my ability." She shook her head. "That's why I asked for the Church and the Empire's help. I wanted their advice."

"Then why do you need me?" Marina returned. "I don't know how to manipulate leylines either."

"Ah, about that.” Her smirk returned. “You see, my spies had informed me that their Grandmaster-level Earth mage, Monas Vehta, has been involving himself in some sort of arcanic research underground inside his territory. We even had managed to pinpoint its location, which, wouldn’t you know it, is exactly where the pulse in the leyline is coming from. So, as one that is closest to being at his level—my affinity is more towards Thunder magic, unfortunately—I thought I wanted to ask for your assistance, o Great Earth Mage. You want to become a Grandmaster-level Mage, don’t you? Then why not start by discovering a way to manipulate leylines, just like he did?”

Before Marina could answer, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the ringing bell coming from the clocktower nearby.

“Oh, look at that. It’s already 10 o’clock. We shall cut this conversation short for tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to my research laboratory, where I detected the pulses with my tools. That is, if you accept my offer.” She flashed her all too familiar grin. “For now, go home and rest. The party should be over soon.”

She turned her back and walked away, waving her left hand above her head as she left.

Monas Vehta, Marina stood in place, deep in thought. Just what are you and the rest of your Council friends are planning?

I’ll stop you. I don’t care for this kingdom, but if you dare to ruin Grandfather’s territory, I will stop you.

-------

Slipping back inside the ballroom, after recalling back Nysa, Marina arrived just in time for her grandfather to make his closing speech. He thanked the guests for coming, telling them that he was hoping for a deeper and closer relationship between their territories and his. The crown prince offered her the stage as well, unfortunately, so she had to follow suit, even though public speeches were certainly not her strong point. Just as her grandfather and Emma had instructed, she would basically just repeat what her grandfather had said, while looking as humble as she could. After all, they were the lowest in social stature in the room.

Once that was over, the ball officially ended. It didn’t take them long to leave the premises, heading straight back to their carriage.

But not before the prince stopped them, telling his goodbyes to the Earl. And, more importantly, to Marina.

“Did you enjoy your little meeting with our court mage? She’s an odd one, isn’t she?” He whispered as he leaned forward towards her.

Marina didn’t bother gracing him with a response.

------

As the pair returned to their hotel in their carriage, the Earl, noticing Marina's oddly serious expression, decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, how did you enjoy the evening, my dear?"

...No response. Marina was resting her head against the window, staring outside to the dark roads of the capital.

The Earl sighed. Something must be bothering her.

"Was it the Prince? Was his attention not to your liking?"

Marina glanced at her grandfather, noticing his voice. Straightening herself, she answered, "I suppose I don't."

The Earl chuckled. "You have no idea how many young ladies would kill to be in your position. Why, that daughter of Duke Treble, what was her name again—Lilian? She’s about to be engaged to the prince. And during your dance with him, she looked absolutely livid. After all, you got to be his first dance!” He laughed.

“...That’s not good, is it? They will certainly take offense to that.”

“Ha, they certainly will! Fortunately, there really is nothing they can do that can inconvenience us. Our territories have barely any relationship in the first place. And since our family is far detached from court politics, there is no danger of him accusing us of being a traitor who plans to unjustly gain the throne or something. The king knows that well.”

“...I wouldn’t be so sure. With me as your daughter, one can easily argue you would use me as a weapon to conquer the kingdom.”

The Earl paused, before letting out a heavy sigh. “You’re right, my clever granddaughter. Still, I have no love for that Duke. Or his family. Truth be told, I would rather have you marry the prince. Though, I know very well you would never be up for that. With all the terrible things you have suffered through, the court life of a princess just isn’t for you, is it?”

“...No. It is not.”

The carriage went silent, with only the hooves and neighs of the horses filling the atmosphere. At this late hour, the capital was mostly quiet, with the exception of taverns and pleasure houses which they weren't passing by.

"...Grandfather. I have to tell you something."

-------

The hotel's front lights remained as bright as ever when they returned. Marina descended the carriage first, with the Earl second. A handful of the hotel's servants stood and bowed, before escorting them back into their rooms. It didn't take long until their personal maids appeared (with Henrietta having a big smile on her face), taking over the job.

After saying good night to the Earl, Marina entered her room, where Henrietta proceeded to grill her for everything that happened at the banquet.

"Not now, Henrietta. I'm tired."

"Aaw." The maid pouted. "Come now, Miss! Not even a single question? I just want to know if—" Marina glared. "Alright, alright, sheesh, you're grumpy tonight, Miss."

The maid gave up, knowing when her mistress got stubborn, she got real stubborn indeed. She helped her undress in silence, unzipping the green dress on the back all the way down to the waist before pulling it down, releasing her mistress's breasts in an explosive bounce. She gulped, drooling at the mountains of flesh in front of her. No. She shook her head. Now's not the time to admire them. Miss is in a bad mood and I'lll get scolded again if I dally.

The maid then bent down and pulled the dress all the way down to Marina’s feet, revealing her firm buttocks and the tight fitting panties that contained them. A waft of her mistress's trapped scent entered her nostrils, sending shivers all throughout her body.

Hmm? That's…

"Miss, you're carrying your wand in your undergarments?"

"...Oh. I completely forgot." Marina pulled the wand out.

"Aren't you afraid it might accidentally fire on its own?"

"What kind of a second-class mage do you think I am, Henrietta?" Marina frowned.

"Oh no, I didn't mean any insult, Miss!" The maid stood up. "It's just that… it's the same as hiding a dagger underneath your dress, right?"

"I suppose it is." Her frown shifted into a smile. "But, as a mage, I am not going to go anywhere without my wand."

The maid shook her head, folding her arms on her waist. "And here I hoped you'd be more like a proper granddaughter of an Earl. But now I know it's futile to ask the great Verdant Witch to act like an ordinary noblewoman." She smirked.

"I see you understand." Her mistress followed suit. "Now, fetch me my nightgown."

--------

The next morning, as promised, Marina made a morning visit to her grandfather's study.

"Ah, you're here. Please, take a seat."

Her grandfather was already there, sitting at the usual chair. Marina took the chair across him, over the table.

"So, to resume our discussion from tonight…"

"Please, be honest with your opinion, Grandfather." Marina interrupted.

"Yes yes, you truly are your father's daughter. He would have the same expression as the one you're having now whenever we got into an argument." He chuckled. "As for my opinion, I'll put it simply — I suggest you accept her offer."

"And the reasoning being—"

"The reasoning being, disregarding fame and wealth, which I know you have no interest in, this is a perfect opportunity to gain favor with the court. With the court mage as your ally, you will gain the favor of the king as well. You told me he has an interest in strengthening our northern borders, which includes ours. He will be indebted to you if you take on the role as the kingdom's protector. And besides, if those people from the north invade, you'll defend us anyway, whether asked to or not. So why not earn something on the side?" A thin smile formed on his face.

Marina fell silent. Only the rhythmic ticks of the grandfather clock in the room could be heard. 

"You don't think this is just their ploy to control me? Make me a tool for their plot?"

"Ha! That's exactly what they are hoping, my dear!" The old man laughed. "But, as long as you keep that stubborn pride of yours, I think you’d be fine. You wouldn’t let them get their way every time, unlike those griffon knights who are honor-bound to serve the king and his court with their lives.”

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Once again, the clock's sound echoed throughout the room.

"...Very well. I'll accept her offer."

"Good. Though, you'll visit the king first on this matter before we have our business talk?"

"Yes. She wants to show that even if I take the job, the king is fine with me staying here, even though I'll technically be that court mage's right hand. Though, I have to ask you, Grandfather, are you familiar with the court mage? Miss Cecilia Xander?"

"Hmm…" He scratched his chin. "No, I am not. In fact, I know barely a thing about her. She suddenly just showed up one day and became the court mage."

"That's… curious…" As I thought, I really can't trust her just yet.

The chair creaked. The Earl had stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. You'll do just fine. If they try anything you don't like, you come to me right away, alright?"

"...Of course, Grandfather." Marina smiled, before placing her hand on his, gripping it tightly.

I’m sorry, Grandfather. But I don’t believe you can help with the oncoming storm.

If they’re really planning something with this continent’s leylines, then it has to be something big, whether it’s natural disasters or something else.

And I fear, whatever they’re up to, is not going to bode well for the rest of us. Especially people like you, who have no magic talent in blood. You are merely garbage in their eyes.

It’s up to me to protect you instead.

I failed to protect Father. I won’t make the same mistake twice.