Bianca had no intention of allowing the people of the Marquis of Castana to crawl into the Estel Duchy with their filthy feet. In her heart, she wanted to annihilate every last one of them, but unfortunately, considering the winter that might come in ten years, each mage was a valuable asset.
It was not yet time to kill them.
She decided to let them live for now. However, she would have a “conversation” with them—one that would ensure they never interfered again, no matter where they went or what they did.
Bianca had no doubts about the outcome.
The idea that they might reject her demands never even crossed her mind. If they dared to refuse, she was already prepared to leave a massive crater in the front yard of the Marquis of Castana as a warning. After all, when one negotiates with a blade at their throat, even the most unreasonable requests tend to be accepted.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, a voice called from behind.
“Oh, Bianca. So this is where you were.”
“…Ah, Carol.”
The moment she heard the voice, the cold, calculating expression of a mage vanished from her face. In an instant, she became Bianca del Castana—the elegant young lady of the Castana family, a noble house with a thousand-year history.
“Hah, I hope this old man isn’t interrupting your thoughts.”
“How could that be? Whenever I feel alone, talking with you like this always puts me at ease.”
Bianca smiled warmly, her tone filled with gentle sincerity.
Carol couldn’t help but feel admiration for her. From what he had heard, Bianca del Castana was the epitome of nobility—so refined that she had likely never so much as lifted a finger for menial tasks. And yet, she possessed a transcendent talent, having reached the level of an archmage at the mere age of eighteen.
It was difficult to comprehend how someone so blessed could also have such a beautiful heart.
Could a perfect woman like her truly exist?
“As expected, Lady Bianca possesses a noble character that matches her exceptional beauty. Indeed, she is someone who could be considered a model for all mages.”
Unbeknownst to himself, Carol smiled warmly at her. As someone who had remained a low-level mage his entire life, he could only look up in awe at Bianca, who had attained such mastery at a young age.
He didn’t even feel jealousy—it never had a chance to form. For envy to exist, there needed to be a certain level of competition, but there was simply too vast a difference between them. Carol, who had long passed the prime of his life and entered his twilight years, saw Bianca as a pioneering figure, gazing beyond the horizon of magic. It was, in a way, endearing.
However, there was one thing he didn’t particularly like—the fact that this brilliant young lady seemed so taken with the heir. The boy showed no signs of proper respect for his elders, and yet, Bianca admired him wholeheartedly.
The way she blushed and quickly averted her gaze whenever the heir was mentioned… It was a textbook display of a noblewoman in love.
‘…Well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.’
Carol had known the heir for a very long time. While the boy was certainly lacking in reverence for his elders, he was a decent man in his own right. Still, Carol couldn’t help but wonder—was it truly fitting for someone as perfect as Bianca to stand beside him?
Beyond that, there was another matter that weighed on his mind.
‘Aria… what will become of that child?’
With the experience and insight of an old man, Carol had long noticed that Aria was greedily seeking a place at the heir’s side. There was no pretending otherwise—she was far too blatant about it.
She took every opportunity to linger near him, sneaking into his chambers and remaining there for hours whenever he left to attend to his duties.
‘…No, why is she picking up the hair he sheds?’
Carol wished he could erase the thought from his mind. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t even want to imagine what Aria might be using the heir’s hair for. He could only pray that his beloved disciple wasn’t using the magic he had taught her for anything… questionable.
And yet, at the same time, wasn’t her behavior simply proof of how much she loved the heir? Setting aside his bias as her mentor, Aria was more than qualified to stand beside him.
Her background might be an obstacle, but if she reached the level of an archmage in the future, the imperial family would likely grant her a title. In that case, her status wouldn’t be an issue.
…But then again, none of this was his business. At the end of the day, the decision rested with the heir himself.
Setting aside such trivial matters, Carol and Bianca continued their conversation, discussing various topics. Magic, of course, was a subject they both held in common, but their discussion extended to the world at large. As fellow mages, they had much to talk about.
After some time, Bianca suddenly recalled something and turned to Carol with a curious expression.
“Ah, Carol. If it’s not rude, may I ask you something?”
“Heh, heh. Ask away. This old man will answer anything he can.”
With his permission granted, Bianca’s eyes sparkled as she asked,
“I wonder… Did you teach Aria the Focused Substitution Spell?”
She remembered it clearly. During their fierce battle, Aria had used a technique known as Dual Synthesis, fusing lightning and ice magic—two opposing elements—into a single spell, creating an entirely new form of magic.
Even for Bianca, who had attained the rank of a great mage, it was an astonishing feat. Not only had Aria combined two contradictory elements, but she had also sublimated them into an even higher form of magic.
In the current state of magical theory, such a thing should have been impossible. Even Bianca herself would not have been able to replicate what Aria had done.
“Are you referring to the spell fusion technique?” Carol asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“Hmmm, the only thing I taught Aria was Mana Fusion, which minimizes the backlash caused by merging magical energies. Well, since she’s such a genius, she probably developed it herself.”
Carol brushed it off as a natural result of Aria’s immense talent, but Bianca could not dismiss it so easily.
Not just the Dual Synthesis, but the Fusion Enchantment she had used—where she infused magic into her entire body and moved across the battlefield—every technique Aria had displayed felt strangely familiar.
It was unsettling. Even if Aria was a genius, how could she be the only one to have discovered a spell unknown to any other mage at this time? And how had she achieved such perfection that she could already put it into practice?
Creating something from nothing was an incredibly arduous process. Knowledge and wisdom were built upon countless trials and errors.
This was beyond suspicious.
Aria… That girl was hiding something.
And it wasn’t just a small secret—it was something monumental.
SUPREME DISCOUNT ALERT: Get 30% discount on the first month of all Patreon Memberships (except general and mega support) with the discount code: SUP30
Enjoy reading I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch? Then please show your support if you are able to.
Want to read more? Become a I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch ($5 per month) member at Patreon and get Five or More Advance Chapters (parts) immediately, then stay 5 or more chapter parts ahead of the regular release for the month! Or, become a KR WN Bundle ($10 per month) member and have access to all the KR webnovel advance chapters on goblinslate. Get more chapters by sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. Rate and leave a review at NU.
Check out my other projects:
Rehabilitating the Villainess
Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses
My Wife is the Devil
Transmigrated as the Villainess’s Childhood Friend
Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine
My Summons Are Special