“What?”

Reflexively turning, Siervian quickly moved toward the eastern gate.

“I greet Your Highness.”

“I greet Your Highness!”

‘Where did they go?’

However, the person who she thought she could easily find was nowhere to be found. There were too many people crowded outside the eastern gate, where a lot of goods were being transported. Mercenaries escorting miners to the mines, and occasionally, even mages squeezed in between them.

‘They disappeared?’

“Your Highness? Is something wrong?”

No matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t find that mage from earlier. Only after hearing Ellie’s call did Siervian become aware of the attention directed at her.

“Oh, right.”

The knights who had greeted her with a bow were staring at her in disbelief. Ellie was the same. After saying she would leave, she suddenly walked hurriedly.

“Oh, I thought I saw someone I knew for a moment. It must be wrong.”

“I see. Shall we go back now?”

“Yes.”

There were many rough-looking mercenaries outside the eastern gate. That was why Ellie was uneasy and wanted to quickly take her inside the palace.

“What should I do?”

Despite being urged, Siervian’s face was frozen. She couldn’t properly confirm the name in the status window that passed by in an instant.

In fact, she didn’t even know why that mage caught her eye so clearly. It could be that she misunderstood the thoughts in the status window. It could have had a different meaning that she misunderstood.

However, at this moment, Siervian felt a strange and intense premonition.

‘Karmen is in danger…!’

It seemed certain that something terrifying was happening at the mine.

* * *

Wrapped in anxiety, Siervian headed straight from the east gate to the tower. The princess, who never rushed, urgently asked to go to the tower. As a result, the stable master of the princess’ palace was surprised and executed a swift journey to the magic tower.

“Teacher!”

Without hesitation, Siervian knocked on the wooden door of the tower’s research laboratory, and the door creaked open without a response. Siervian clutched her dress tightly and familiarly ascended the stairs.

“Oh, Princess. Why are you in such a hurry?”

The Tower Lord was reading a book in the upper-level research lab and chuckled. It was the first time he had seen the princess in such a bewildered state, but her appearance was quite adorable. Her long, neatly braided hair fluttered along the hem of her flowing dress.

[Turana Ellison]
Thought: Oh, I thought a magical messenger butterfly was coming.

“Teacher! Something terrible has happened!”

The first person that came to mind that could help was her father. However, Siervian knew that her father was busy with a state conference at this time. If a monster incident really occurred, it would be a problem for the emperor to make a move during the conference. Siervian knew it could provide an opportunity for the nobles to attack her father.

“What’s the matter, Princess?”

So, the next person that came to mind was her teacher. Above all else, if he cherished his disciple Karmen, he would surely provide assistance.

“Well…”

But once their eyes met, Siervian became extremely flustered.

‘What should I say to convince him?’

She couldn’t possibly say that she saw someone’s inner thoughts. On the other hand, she lacked sufficient grounds to say that she saw a suspicious person near the east gate.

“Princess?”

“Karmen is in danger!”

She had no choice but to resort to direct pleading.

First, she had to save Karmen.

“Are you saying this based on what he said? He should be in the mine right now.”

“Yes.”

“Did something happen in the mine?”

The Tower Lord, who had been laughing heartily, became serious when he heard that Karmen was in danger. He lowered the magical glass sphere that enhanced his vision and calmly spoke, “According to the schedule, they should be inspecting the supply route near the mine at this time. Did you receive a message through magical communication?”

“No.”

As she spoke, Siervian looked up at the Tower Lord with determined eyes.

“I saw a strange person while taking a walk near the east gate.”

“Hmm.”

The Tower Lord’s expression turned serious as he chuckled.

Siervian had organized her thoughts in an instant and looked straight into his eyes.

“I think they might be at the mine.”

“Hmm.”

[Turana Ellison]
Thoughts: If it’s the east gate… that place is known for its rough crowd. Perhaps she saw something that startled her.

‘This won’t do.’

Though Siervian’s magical abilities had improved, she couldn’t handle this situation alone. Reflecting on her past memories, the monster attack had been truly massive. She had never even seen a proper monster before.
‘I don’t want to lie, but…’

So she decided to twist the truth just a little.

“I heard someone talking about a mine and monsters over there.”

“Oho.”

As the Tower Lord heard this, he laughed again, as if he now understood what was going on.

“It seems you were surprised by the monster stories.”

“It’s not that…”

Even though Siervian desperately denied it, the Tower Lord seemed to think that the princess was scared. So, at eye level, just like when teaching magic, he started explaining patiently.

“Princess, you may still find monsters unfamiliar, but Karmen has already dealt with them several times. Haven’t you heard him bragging about it?”

“I’ve heard.”

“Yes. So, there should be no problem with a few monsters appearing. Karmen is still inexperienced, but he’s skilled.”

The Tower Lord was not the type to praise him in front of her. They were like a bickering couple.

However, the Tower Lord had no choice this time and tried to reassure Siervian with a teasing smile. However, she was getting more anxious.

‘He doesn’t take it seriously at all. What should I do?’

At this point, he tried to pick up the magic glass orb again. So Siervian had no choice but to act recklessly.

“I’m going to see Karmen now.”

“Princess?”

“Teacher, I’m sorry. But I can’t stay still because I’m so anxious.”

The Tower Lord sensed the unusual tone and put his book down again. He was bothered by the fact that the young princess had a serious expression today.

“Are you really that worried?”

“Yes. I know that Karmen is an amazing mage, and I can’t help but worry for some reason.”

When he heard her sincere tone, he stroked his thick beard and fell into thought.

“I understand.”

“Teacher?”

“As your teacher, I can’t let you go alone. Would you like to go with me?”

As soon as he offered, Siervian leaped into his embrace. Instinctively, he caught her and let out another hearty laugh, sounding like a kind grandfather.

‘I guess I was more worried than I thought.’

While at the gate, she was simply surprised by the word “monster,” but on the way there, she felt truly scared. Just in case something happened to Karmen. Even though she knew what would happen and couldn’t stop it.

[Turana Ellison]
Favorability: +50
Thoughts: Hmm, I should have married and had a granddaughter by now. She’s so adorable, no wonder His Majesty treasures her so much.

“Teacher, let’s leave quickly!”

“Hehe. Understood.”

* * *

Once the decision was made to go, Tower Lord became incredibly cooperative. Whenever Siervian urged him on, he would laugh and quicken his pace in response.

In no time, a small backpack was prepared. Upon hearing the news that the princess was heading to the Kurchad Mines, Roid, a knight from the Imperial Guard, came along with his fellow knights.

‘Even though we’re going, I can’t help but feel anxious. Is this what they call the intuition of a magician?’

Despite the fact that Tower Lord was a powerful mage and accompanied by knights, Siervian couldn’t shake off her unease. On the other hand, Tower Lord and the knights appeared relaxed.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to be tense. We’re here with you!” one of the knights who joined the escort said, bursting into a hearty laugh.

It was true that the area near the east gate borders the Snow Mountain, the lair of monsters. But that was deep in the mountains. It had been a long time since monsters appeared near the city due to the presence of border guards and mercenaries.

“Thank you, everyone.”

In any case, so many people were now moving because of her stubbornness. Siervian expressed her gratitude, trying her best to remember their names and faces.

[Favorability: +20] [Favorability: +30] [Favorability: +20] [Favorability: +40] [Favorability: +20] [Favorability: +20] [Favorability: +20]

As she deliberately smiled and spoke, the status window suddenly soared near the carriage she was riding in, as if shaking off her fears. The carriage, which had been heading to the mines at a rapid pace, suddenly came to a halt.

“Your Highness, from here on, we must proceed on foot. Will that be all right?”

“Yes,” Siervian replied confidently and stepped down onto the ground. On the way, she quickly changed her clothes. Usually, Siervian wore a flowing dress made of fabric that resembled fairy wings. However, now she wore a short tunic over sturdy leather pants. Since she occasionally learned combat magic in the Magic Tower, Ellie had prepared the clothes in advance. She didn’t expect to wear them so suddenly, though.

“This way.”

One of the knights, Sir Carmel, pointed in a certain direction. Carmel originally came from the border defense force and was known for his ability to find shortcuts between the Snow Mountain and the road. Thanks to her daily magical training in the Magic Tower’s forest, Siervian confidently walked along the mountain path. Although she was unfamiliar with the snow-covered ground, whenever she needed it, Roid would hold her hand and guide her, allowing her to walk comfortably.

“Hmm?”

While leading the way, Carmel made a puzzled sound.

“What’s the matter, Sir Carmel?”

“It’s strange.”

Originally, the knights regarded this escort as a sort of outing for the princess. However, when Carmel, who had seen enough traces of monsters during his time in the border defense force, discovered signs of monsters, his expression hardened.

“Be on guard, everyone.”

The knights quickly changed their attitude in an instant. The Tower Lord, too, raised his eyebrows slightly and silently prepared his mana.

“These are werewolf tracks.”

—