Even more surprising, this crater was not created naturally but was artificially made by someone last night.
“…Hmm.”
Iris touched the cross-section of the crater with her hand.
The surface was smooth like glass, as if subjected to an extreme heat, the temperature of which she dared not estimate, had melted the soil.
As far as Iris knew, there was only one magic in the world capable of creating such a massive crater with such scorching flames.
“…Is it the Sigh of the White Flame?”
Ten years from now, Bianca del Castana would develop her own unique magic, one that only she could wield.
At Bianca’s boldness, who didn’t even bother to hide the traces of her magic, Iris involuntarily chuckled.
“You’re truly blatant. Or did you leave such traces on purpose?”
Iris felt a flicker of Bianca’s intent.
At this point, Sigh of the White Flame was a spell that did not yet exist in the world. In other words, this aligned with the logic that no one could examine this crater and find any trace of Bianca del Castana.
Yes, in other words, no one would trace it back to her unless they, too, had regressed 10 years into the past like Bianca.
“…Cunning woman. I don’t like thinking in circles like this.”
In a nutshell, this crater was nothing more than a message left by Bianca del Castana. If she wanted to find her and Cain, she would have to risk revealing that she had returned from the future, essentially a declaration of war.
Of course, Iris, the princess of the empire, was not intimidated by such a bluff.
The essence of Iris el Devhart had never changed. Scheming from the shadows was not her style. No matter what schemes her opponents used, she would crush them head-on!
As Iris stared at the crater, lost in thought, a figure approached her from behind and bowed respectfully. It was none other than Kris, her escort knight, who had arrived.
“Your Highness. As you instructed, we’ve gathered information from the others.”
At Kris’ words, Iris nodded.
“First, tell me the witnesses’ accounts. What happened here?”
At Iris’ command, Kris slowly began.
“There were no injuries or trauma on the bodies of the attendants heading to the Estel duchy. They don’t remember anything. It seems they all lost consciousness at some point and collapsed. However, there is one exception.”
“Exception?”
“Yes, a young girl named Aria, whom Young Lord Cain took as his personal maid.”
“…Aria.”
The moment she heard the name, Iris involuntarily raised her eyebrows. She, too, was familiar with the white-haired girl named Aria.
A brazen girl who had called Ariel “Old” during a conversation between her and Ariel Thiers at the banquet. She was a spirited girl who Cain always kept by his side and cherished.
And—
‘…No, it’s not certain.’
In an instant, Iris dismissed the assumptions forming in her mind. It wasn’t confirmed yet. There was no conclusive evidence. Perhaps the resemblance was coincidental. She decided it was best to refrain from making hasty judgments.
Yes, not yet.
“What’s her current condition?”
Iris spoke to Kris in a blunt tone, masking her inner thoughts.
“…Although there are no physical injuries, she is experiencing symptoms of mana exhaustion. According to the doctor, these symptoms appear when one uses magic that exceeds their mana capacity and pushes them past their limits.”
“Mana exhaustion.”
Iris glanced at the enormous crater in front of her and nodded, as if understanding.
At this point, it became clear that Aria had put up quite a fight against Bianca del Castana, who was undoubtedly one of the strongest people in the world. The fact that Aria only suffered from mana exhaustion, and nothing worse, suggested that Bianca hadn’t intended to cause any casualties.
“…Hmm.”
The clues were sufficient. Based on what Kris had reported, Iris began piecing together the truth, as if assembling a puzzle.
‘Human Memory,’ a major subject studied by Bianca del Castana at the Black Tower.
The sudden cancellation of Cain and Bianca’s engagement ceremony due to a surprise raid.
Cain and Bianca disappearing, leaving behind only a massive crater.
The clues were all there. The correct answer was glaringly obvious, almost absurd.
‘I knew Bianca del Castana was mad, but I didn’t think she’d act on such a large scale. Or perhaps she was mentally cornered enough to make this choice.’
“…Kris, how long until the girl named Aria wakes up?”
Despite the suddenness of Iris’ question, Kris responded without hesitation.
“The symptoms aren’t severe. I believe she’ll regain consciousness by this evening at the earliest.”
After hearing Kris’ answer, Iris seemed to contemplate something before speaking slowly.
“Let’s return to the Castana marquisate. When the girl named Aria wakes up, I have something I want to ask her.”
Having reached a decision, Iris turned away from Kris. Then, she sighed very quietly, a sound Kris couldn’t hear.
It seemed she had a growing feeling that she would be playing a long game of cat and mouse with Bianca del Castana.
Book Release: I recently listed a collection of my poems titled “Thought Blinks: A Collection of Poems” on Patreon and BuyMeaCoffee shop. You can buy it for only $7, if you like poetry.
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Things are Not Looking Good:
Yes, things are not looking good. As you know, translation requires a lot of time and energy. I translate, edit and proofread the chapters on my own. I will be honest here, I started translating as a hobby, then it evolved to a hope of earning a living by doing something I enjoy.
However, I suffered a chain of misfortunes during and after the pandemic, and earnings from FSM and RTV helped me a lot. It became a significant part of my life. As long as my monthly income bordered around $200, I could make the time to translate in the middle of other works. Then RTV ended, and the earning decreased. Now, it has decreased to around $90-$100. And with PETTV nearing completion, that would decrease even more. A*dsence gets me about $ 0.50 per day, and you can’t get the payment until it reaches $100, so I can’t depend on that either.
It wouldn’t be an issue in normal circumstances, but it matters a lot to me since I am still dealing with a lot of financial troubles. I am currently looking for a job, and will have to invest my time and energy in it once I get it.
Long story short, if you enjoy reading this novel, support the translation if you can, either by becoming a Patron in Patreon, or sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. You can also take some time to watch a*ds to increase the revenue on A*dsence. Grains of sand together can form a desert.
FSM supporters has been supporting me from the start no matter what, so I would continue to translate FSM as long as I am alive. But for the other projects, I now desperately need your support so that I can spend the time and energy to serve them to you all. That’s all. Thank you.
Thanks once again!!!
Thank you for reading!