Chapter 66

Two months on, the researchers from the western magic institute hadn't changed much apart from their lighter clothing.

Victoria Hill still had her buttons fastened right up to her throat and looked as hard-edged as ever — the kind of face you couldn't have squeezed a drop of blood from — while her student Benito Vogel, in an elaborately embroidered waistcoat, was smiling brightly.

"It's been a while, Sir Bertholdt."

"I hope you've been well?"

Harold nodded quietly and shook their hands.

"Mattheus. Legal counsel for the Bertholdt family."

"Of course I remember, sir. It's been some time."

Mattheus was also on hand.

They were meeting in Mattheus's office, and whichever way the conversation went, there was a fair chance legal help would be needed.

"Any trouble getting to the capital?"

"Trouble? None at all. Thanks to the train tickets you sent, it was a comfortable trip."

The last time he'd seen the researchers had been when they'd released the magic on his brother. Already more than two months ago.

Harold couldn't tell whether time was moving quickly or slowly.

"..."

When Harold shut his mouth and stayed silent, Victoria and Benito went quiet along with him.

There was no need for them to walk on eggshells, he thought, but Harold didn't feel any need to clear the misunderstanding up for them either. However warmly he spoke, he was the patron and they wanted the Bertholdt family's backing, so this was never going to be a relaxed meeting.

"Glad to hear it."

Harold answered quietly.

"Mattheus."

"Yes, Sir Bertholdt."

Mattheus handed the documents he'd prepared over to Harold.

Harold already knew what was in them.

"I have no intention of ending the patronage."

He'd decided this a while back. Whatever the original reason for the sponsorship, his brother had used their magic in preparing for his own death.

At the very least, until this was all over, he couldn't let go of any organization his brother had touched. Just like the hidden space in the desk Gauss had found, there might be something left behind at the western magic institute too.

"Thank you, Sir Bertholdt."

Of course he didn't think he could actually trust them.

Still, the fact that they were devoting themselves to a field that made no money was, in its own way, a form of motivation.

Victoria offered her thanks carefully.

"That said."

At Harold's next words she tensed up again. Harold shook his head.

"No, don't misunderstand. This has nothing to do with the patronage. Even if you hear me out and refuse, the patronage continues as is."

Harold pointed at the documents. Victoria excused herself and looked over them.

"Nothing's changed from before. Only, I'd like the research reports to be a little more... detailed. Not because there's a problem — I'm just not well versed in magic myself."

While Victoria and Benito went through the documents, Harold added an explanation.

"And before that... I'd like the research reports from when my brother was the patron organized and sent to me again. Not right away — by the end of summer at the latest, ideally. If that's too tight, say so."

"Yes. That won't be difficult. We still have all the originals of the reports we sent the late Count Bertholdt on file. Would you need the originals as well?"

"..."

Harold looked at Victoria for a moment.

The two of them had been there when the autopsy findings on his brother were reviewed. If they were at all sharp, they'd have picked up that there were suspicious circumstances around his death.

"No need for the originals. Copies will do."

He added nothing further.

Victoria didn't ask for an explanation either.

"Is that all you'd ask of us?"

"No, no... This is also written into the new patronage contract. If there's nothing wrong with it, feel free to sign. I've already signed my part."

On the last page, Harold's name was signed in his capacity as proxy for the Count of Bertholdt.

"I'm saying it so you know there's no problem with turning the favor down."

Victoria went through the documents thoroughly from the first page.

Only when she was sure there really was nothing else in them did she sign in the space left for her. Deputy Director, Western Magic Institute. It was the first Harold had heard of Victoria's title.

"In that case, what would you like to ask of us..."

"Last time, I was told my brother decided to become the institute's patron because my nephew had taken an interest in magic. Is that right?"

At the mention of his nephew, Victoria and Benito seemed to guess what the favor was.

Benito glanced at his mentor, then answered on her behalf.

"Yes, that's right."

Of course this was a request that could easily come across as rude. Harold was well aware of it.

Harold didn't think especially highly of magic researchers. A prejudice grounded in personal experience. There were probably decent ones somewhere. He just hadn't met any yet. But he had no intention of extending that prejudice to the people in front of him.

So he explained as fully as he could.

"At the moment... my nephews are in a delicate situation. As for what happened to them."

They were people who had every reason to keep an eye on Bertholdt family developments. That Albrecht had died and the boys had been locked up by his butler had made the papers, so there was no way they didn't know.

"...I trust you're both well aware of it."

What had come after, though, hadn't been made public. The Dustin Glenn kidnapping.

There had been the matter of chasing the intruders who'd broken into the Bertholdt estate, and it had all happened right under the city watch's nose. Naturally the watch had wanted to keep it quiet. Harold hadn't wanted his nephew's name back on people's tongues either.

"How is your nephew?"

"Fortunately he's much steadier now. That's why I'm bringing this up."

Benito asked hesitantly,

"You'd like your nephew to learn magic?"

"He's steadier, but he still gets anxious easily. He's afraid of strangers. So I thought it might be best to start with something he likes."

Harold paused briefly, then went on.

"Employment might be the more accurate word than favor. I'm not looking for formal lessons. It's part of a step-by-step approach to getting the boys back to their usual lives."

"Then how about a more properly qualified private tutor?"

"As I said, the boys are wary of strangers. Since it's a field they've shown interest in, I thought I'd ask the two of you."

"..."

Victoria and Benito didn't answer right away. But something like understanding did settle into their eyes.

"I'm thinking about once a week. As for the location... for now it would be here, Mattheus's office, but that could change."

"Then, pardon me, but the fee...?"

"Paid per lesson. We'd draw up a separate contract for the exact amounts later. And for the boys' safety, I'd be running a background check separately."

"Ah..."

"Is your nephew seriously interested in magic?"

Victoria, who had held her silence since the word "favor" was raised, spoke up for the first time. Harold looked at her placid, unreadable face and answered.

"Honestly? I couldn't say. Right now it looks like plain curiosity, but whether that turns into scholarly interest, I don't know."

Harold waved a hand vaguely and pulled a noncommittal face.

"The boys might take the lessons seriously, or they might not. I'd like you to answer with all of that in mind."

"..."

"It doesn't have to be either of you. If you know someone who might be interested in this kind of work, I'll take a recommendation. Oh, and I or someone else may sit in during the lessons."

"I understand, Sir Bertholdt. I have institute duties that would rule me out, but I'm sure some of our people would be interested."

Victoria said it with a sidelong glance at her student. Under his mentor's look Benito gave an awkward smile, but he didn't argue.

"May I get back to you?"

"Of course."

"It shouldn't... take long."

Harold nodded.

"That's fine. I still need to ask my nephews whether they actually want to learn magic."

Victoria looked at Harold like she couldn't quite believe it. Harold shrugged.

"I wanted to check whether it was possible first. Nothing's more disappointing than being told yes and then no, is there?"

"...I'll be in touch soon."

---

"Learn magic?"

"What do you think? Edwin, weren't you saying you wanted to learn magic?"

"Well..."

Edwin swayed from side to side.

"I do wonder about magic, but I want to be a knight, like Uncle!"

"You want to be like Uncle?"

Harold couldn't help smiling as he asked back. Edwin nodded vigorously.

"I asked Grandma Linda too, how to be like Uncle."

"Did you? What did Linda say?"

"She said eat lots and sleep lots."

"..."

Not wrong, exactly... he was at an age where eating a lot and sleeping a lot really was the answer. Harold stroked the head of the nephew looking up at him with shining eyes.

Well — Edgar, who loved books, was another matter, but Edwin preferred running around the garden, so teaching him a little basic movement wouldn't hurt.

"You can do both."

"Both?"

"Learn magic and train with Uncle."

"Hmm..."

Edwin drew his brows together and put on a serious face as he thought it over. It didn't last long.

"All right! I'll do both!"

Then he turned to the side and asked Edgar — who was petting Nabi with a distinctly uninterested look —

"Edgar, are you going to learn too?"

"What?"

"What if Edgar wanted to learn too?"

"Of course Edgar would want to learn!"

"Would I?"

"Edgar, you don't want to do it with me?"

"It's not that, but..."

Edgar looked at Edwin.

"I don't want to be a knight."

"What! Why?"

Edwin looked at Edgar as if he couldn't believe it. Edgar, in turn, looked at Edwin as if he couldn't believe him.

"It just... doesn't look that fun?"

"That's impossible! What about magic?"

"Magic too..."

Edgar frowned faintly.

"But if I think of it as history lessons, magic wouldn't be so bad. Uncle, who's going to teach us? Did you find a teacher?"

"Nothing's settled yet, but... you two know about the magic institute?"

"We know."

Edwin's hand shot up.

"Dad was their patron!"

"He was?"

He'd known his brother had started the patronage because of Edwin's interest, but he hadn't known that Edwin knew about it. Starting with magic had been the right call.

"Right. One of the people there is going to teach you."

"Who?"

"You know them if he says?"

Edgar cut in from the side, curt. Edwin took Edgar's hand and set it on top of Nabi's head.

"Uncle, who is it?"

"Well..."

Probably his brother had mentioned it to Edwin back when he first decided on the patronage.

Harold thought back to the letter he'd received that morning and answered.

"A magic researcher named Benito Vogel."

Edwin blinked a couple of times, then broke into a grin that looked somehow satisfied.