CHAPTER 2: The Purple One Who Desires Love

CHAPTER 2: The Purple One Who Desires Love

CHAPTER 2

The Purple One Who Desires Love

Under a pleasant, clear blue sky, a man was walking along a path colored by autumn leaves. He was slender and lanky, with the hood of his robe pulled down over his eyes and a long staff gripped in his hand. He used the staff for support as he trudged to a shaded area by the roadside. The way he walked was like a slug—bent at the waist, dragging his feet behind him.

“Ahh, ahhhh, I can finally see it…Serendia Academy.”

The man’s heavy steps came to a stop. Slowly, he raised his hooded head. There it was, just past a wooded area: a school building so beautiful one might mistake it for a palace. Despite the distance, he could make out its splendid structure.

Gazing at the academy building from afar, the man’s already pale face whitened further. “Radiance to blind the eyes… And you’re telling me that’s a school?! Damn. Damn, it’s going to blind me… I hate you, I hate you, I hate you… Anyone who attends such a radiant school must be well loved, well raised… Ahhh, I envy you, I envy you, I envy you—I curse you, I curse you, I curse you…”

The man continued to curse everything he saw, his face twisted with loathing.

“The school festival is only a day away,” remarked Isabelle Norton, daughter of Count Kerbeck and Monica’s collaborator on her top-secret mission.

Isabelle returned her teacup to her saucer. It was the night before the festival, and Monica had paid her a visit to discuss how she would protect Felix without revealing her identity.

Others from House Norton would be attending as guests to support them, but generally speaking, only Monica could act as the prince’s bodyguard. He was incredibly sharp and insightful, so he’d likely notice if a servant from House Norton tried to step in.

Instead, Isabelle and the others would simply keep watch nearby for anyone suspicious and help maintain Monica’s cover.

“My father won’t be able to make it,” continued Isabelle. “But my mother will be attending in his place.”

“Your mother?” repeated Monica.

“Yes, and she’ll be bringing several talented servants with her as well,” Isabelle explained with a nod. She glanced at her maidservant, Agatha, who proceeded to retrieve a floor plan of Serendia Academy and spread it out on the desk.

Isabelle used her fan to point to the four structures in the plan. “Broadly speaking, you can break Serendia Academy up into four buildings: the advanced building, the intermediate building, the library, and the grand hall used for balls and ceremonies. Students can generally enter and exit any of these, but the hardest for you to keep an eye on and most conspicuous for you to enter is the intermediate building.”

Both the advanced and intermediate courses shared use of the library and the grand hall, so Monica could easily move between these without appearing unnatural. But since she was part of the advanced course, entering the intermediate building would make her stick out like a sore thumb. Inevitably, she wouldn’t be able to keep as close an eye on it. She wasn’t too concerned during normal school days, but a lot of outsiders would be going in and out during the festival—if possible, she wanted to make sure it was secure.

“So House Norton will keep watch near the intermediate building instead,” said Isabelle. “Prince Felix won’t have his eye on it, either, and reducing the number of places you need to worry about should make your job easier.”

Monica was incredibly grateful for the offer. Louis and Ryn would be helping her out on the day as well, but there were still too few of them to properly guard the prince.

“Th-thank you, Lady Isabelle!” she mustered. “That really helps… But, um…” One thing bothered her. “Won’t people find it strange for your family to be in the intermediate building? You’re in the advanced course, after all…”

“Oh, that will be no problem at all. You needn’t worry,” Isabelle assured her. Then she paused, pounding her fist into her palm like she’d just remembered something. “Ah, yes, and another thing. My sister, we must decide on secret signals so we can communicate should the need arise!”

“Signals?” repeated Monica.

“That’s right,” said Isabelle with a nod, putting her fan to her chin in thought. “If you should need help from me… Yes, then you can touch your left ear. If you do so, either I or someone from House Norton will move to assist.”

Monica nodded. “Um, okay…”

Isabelle put a hand to her cheek and gave a chuckle. “I read a novel recently, and it had a scene where two partners used hand signals. Hee-hee, partners … What a wonderful word…”

Apparently, this book was her new favorite. It was a story about two wandering knights who solved problems wherever they traveled. She looked entranced as she said the word partners .

“To tell you the truth,” she continued, “I would love to enjoy the festival with you normally, but today we are partners! I’ll be your perfect backup. You can count on me for support!”

Though Isabelle’s excitement was a little intimidating, Monica genuinely felt she could rely on the other girl. It’s so reassuring to have allies… , she thought. Though a well-known truth, this was a fresh sentiment for Monica.

“Thank you so much,” she said with a bow.

The morning of the school festival, Monica woke up earlier than usual. It was still mostly dark outside—a little pink seeping into the nighttime indigo to the east.

It was late autumn, and the air was chilly against her skin. She groped about for Nero’s warmth. She expected him to be nestled somewhere under the covers, but the black cat was nowhere to be found.

“…Nero?”

As she sat up, a beautiful woman in a maid’s outfit bowed to her. She’d been quietly waiting in the room’s corner. “Good morning, Silent Witch,” she said.

Rynzbelfeid—nicknamed Ryn—was a high wind spirit contracted to Monica’s colleague, the Barrier Mage Louis Miller. She had been staying with Monica in her attic room for a few days to help with pre-festival security.

Having a maid greet her as soon as she woke up was a strange feeling for someone raised as a commoner. “Good morning,” she replied, looking around the room. Still no sign of Nero. “Um, Miss Ryn…,” she ventured. “Where’s Nero?”

“Sir Black Cat left a short while ago for a morning walk.”

She called it a walk, but he was most likely patrolling. That made sense.

Ryn gazed straight at Monica. The spirit’s facial expressions almost never changed, but Monica could somehow tell that she wanted to ask a question.

“I have heard,” said the maid, “that Sir Black Cat is your familiar.”

“U-um, right…” Monica nodded vaguely.

Ryn continued in a flat tone. “The Starseer Witch’s familiar, Sir Owl, is not able to speak in human tongues or to take on a human appearance. Sir Black Cat must be a familiar of great talent.”

“Th-that’s just the kind of familiar he is…” Monica started to sweat. Was Ryn trying to pry into Nero’s background?

But the spirit simply said, “I see, my lady,” and left it at that.

“Um, Miss Ryn?” asked Monica. “…About Nero’s human form…”

“I am keeping that a secret from Lord Louis, my lady,” the maid assured her. “As I have heard that Sir Black Cat is something of a trump card for you.” Ryn put a hand to her chest and used the term again. “A trump card . How truly exciting. I eagerly await your trump card stylishly leaping into action to save you from trouble, my lady.”

Monica would rather avoid trouble to begin with, and the idea of Ryn eagerly awaiting it gave her pause. That aside, it seemed she’d be able to avoid any further questions on the topic. Monica sighed in relief.

Just then, Ryn looked out the window. “Lord Louis calls for me. May I step out for a moment?”

Monica had never made a pact with a spirit before, but she knew that simple communication was possible between a mage and their bound spirit even over distances. Naturally, the communication wasn’t perfect; only the feeling was conveyed. Ryn merely sensed she had been summoned.

She could move incredibly fast, so a short absence wouldn’t be problematic. Monica nodded and asked, “Is Mr. Louis already nearby?”

“Yes, my lady,” replied the maid. “He stayed at an inn in Craeme last night.”

Craeme was where Monica had first met Glenn. It was the closest town to the academy, so quite a few of the festival guests would be staying there. Louis planned to blend into their ranks and simply walk through the school’s front door.

In general, you needed an invitation to get into the festival. Anyone with state authority, however, could make a request of the school in advance and was usually granted one.

“I’m surprised he applied for an invitation…,” murmured Monica.

Serendia Academy was under the control of Duke Clockford, the second prince’s guardian. Louis, however, was a proponent of the first prince. It wasn’t as though supporters of the second prince’s rivals were barred entry to the school festival, but even so, Monica could scarcely believe Louis’s audacity. It was honestly impressive.

Ryn picked a book off the desk and smoothly held it up. It was an adventure novel by Dustin Gunther that Monica had borrowed from the library for Nero to read. She sometimes saw Ryn and Nero looking through it together.

“This novel describes bold, daring people as having hair growing on their heart,” the maid explained. “I am certain that Lord Louis’s heart has a full mustache and beard.”

In fact, the Barrier Mage Louis Miller was such a bold man that one wondered if his heart was actually made of steel , rather than covered in hair. Monica was the exact opposite. She had the heart of a flea.

“In any case,” the maid continued, “I will return for a time to the hairy-hearted Lord Louis. Do you wish me to convey any messages?”

Driving the image of a heart covered in hair from her mind, Monica bowed to Ryn in thanks. “Please tell him that I’m happy to have his support today.”

“Very well, my lady.”

Ryn opened the window, then changed into a small yellow bird and flapped away. Monica leaned against the sill and watched her go, getting a nice lungful of the outside air and stretching.

Okay. I’m ready.

The morning air had woken her up quite a bit. After changing into her school uniform, she unlocked a certain drawer and opened it. Inside was a coffeepot—a memento of her father—as well as letters she’d received from Lana, the comb the two of them had bought together, the book written by her father that Felix—or rather Ike—had purchased for her a few days ago, and a peridot pendant. These were her treasures.

When she’d arrived at the academy, all she’d had was the coffeepot. Now the drawer held so much more, and it filled her heart with emotion. I have so many more precious things now…

Upon leaving her cabin in the mountains, Monica had been able to fit only a few necessities, her black cat Nero, and her father’s coffeepot into her luggage. Back then, that had been enough for her. There had been no other possessions she cared about.

But now she had a lot that she didn’t want to lose.

…I’ll protect them. I’m the Silent Witch, after all. I’m a Sage , she told herself before picking up her ribbon and comb and doing her hair. She’d had a lot of trouble at first styling it the way Lana had taught her, but after a while, her fingers had grown quite used to it.

She neatly tied her ribbon, then put the comb away and picked up the coffeepot. Breakfast was still a ways off, so she wanted to sit down and have a nice, relaxing cup of coffee.

But just then, she heard a knocking at her window; it was her black cat, Nero, tapping against the glass. Monica opened the window for him. The cat slipped lithely into the attic room and shivered from the cold, moaning. “It’s freezing out there. I nearly got frostbite… I wish I could hibernate,” he complained.

“You were patrolling the area, right? Thanks,” said Monica. “…Um, would you like some hot water?” Nero had nearly fainted from shock last time he tried coffee, so she suggested just the water instead.

Nero shook his little head. “Nah, I’m fine. More importantly, we’ve got a problem on our hands. A seriously crazy guy is very close to the academy right now.”

“Huh?”

Monica’s face tensed. Someone suspicious is here already…?! And to make matters worse, Ryn had just left the school. Monica clenched her fists, knowing she had to do something about this. “What did he look like?”

“Well, he was kinda purplish.”

“Purplish? Um, could you be more specific…?” What about him was purple? wondered Monica, confused.

Nero put his paw to his chin, pretending to stroke it. “He was, like, super depressing, y’know? He kept on muttering, ‘I curse you, I curse you.’ Oh, and he had a robe on just like the one you have, and a staff just like yours, too.”

“…Wait.”

A robe and staff similar to Monica’s? Purple? Immediately, a name bubbled up in her mind.

“Ahhh, what a disaster. Now morning has come… The morning sun is blinding, burning my eyes… The sun, the world—both so unkind to me… Someone, please love me, please tell me you love me… Yes, sometimes even I want to be loved by something other than the mold, the moss, and the mushrooms. I want to be told I’m loved… Ahhh, I want to be loved, I want to be loved, I want to be loved. All those who walk normally under the sun, I envy them, I hate them, I resent them. I curse them all, each and every one…”

In the woods near Serendia Academy, a figure sat curled up against a tree, wearing a hooded robe and clinging to a staff. Just as Nero said, this “seriously crazy guy” was incredibly disquieting, gloomy, and creepy. In short, he was the kind of person you wanted to stay away from.

The man, who looked a little over twenty, was lanky with a pallid face. His hair—unevenly cut—was visible from under his hood, clearly not maintained, and it was a shocking, vivid purple.

Monica, who had snuck out of her room, drew closer to the man, holding Nero to her chest. Hesitantly, she asked, “Sir? Are you the Abyss Shaman?”

The man froze where he was, under the shade of the tree. Slowly, he turned to look at Monica. His eyes were wide and colored pink like gemstones. He had a pattern—a shamanic seal—on his pallid face, specifically on his left cheek.

“You… You know me?” he stammered.

“You’re Ray Albright, the Abyss Shaman, correct?” asked Monica nervously. “Um, what are you doing here…?”

The man visibly shuddered. A scarlet flush bloomed on his white face. “A… A girl? A girl knows who I am… And she called me by my name… Is she a fan? My fan? What a turn of events. To think the day would finally come when another would show me love.” A low, strange laugh escaped his lips. “I’m so glad to be alive…”

With an eerie smile and his jewel-like eyes gleaming, he closed the distance between them. “Please, I beg of you. Please tell me that you love me. Love me, love me, love me, love me…”

“Um,” said Monica. “I’m, well, the Silent Witch, another one of the Seven Sages…”

The man’s eyes widened at her words. He tilted his head to the side in confusion. “…The Silent Witch? Monica Everett?”

“Y-yes,” she stammered, nodding.

The man began to breathe heavily. A moment later, he was clinging to Monica, desperation evident on his face. “P-please help me! You have to help me… Please! Pleeeeease!”

“Hphryahaaahhhhh?!” yelped Monica out of sheer surprise at his reckless behavior. The two of them were Sages, but neither commanded a hint of dignity.

Nero, pretending to be a cat cradled in Monica’s arms, offered an exasperated “mrrrow.”

The third Abyss Shaman, Ray Albright, was one of the Seven Sages and the current head of House Albright, the kingdom’s only lineage of shamans. Titles for mages were given only to high mages, and to receive one, you had to either apply yourself or have enough achievements that the Mages Guild granted you one. Among the more distinguished families, however, people would inherit titles from family members. House Albright was one such example.