Chapter 43

Natalianne’s face went blank.

Melissa, however, was already absorbed in the text as she continued explaining.

“The Parkrist Orbit is divided into the x, y, and z axes. The z-axis represents time, right? So if you apply that here…”

A flood of high-level magical terminology poured into Natalianne’s ears, leaving her momentarily dazed.

But before long, she was caught up in the explanation, mind racing.

“So, you’re saying this isn’t about dividing space?”

“Right. It’s a concept where time intersects with space, so you have to calculate it twice.”

Good heavens.

Natalianne stared, her mouth slightly open.

The passage she had reread countless times and never managed to understand suddenly made perfect sense.

It felt like a new dawn breaking across a once-dark horizon.

Overwhelmed by that moment of revelation, she murmured without realizing it.

“That old madman. Why did he have to write it so complicated…”

Her eyes turned toward Melissa.

“…You explained it so clearly. I swear, you’re a genius, completely insane but brilliant.”

“But Lady Natalianne, you’re a genius too, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Natalianne’s face instantly flushed red.

“N-no, not at all! I’m nothing special!”

“But everyone says so. You became a professor at eighteen, and that’s amazing.”

“Hey, stop that!”

Natalianne waved her hands quickly.

“I’m not a genius. I just worked hard. The real genius is…”

Her gaze fell softly to the book in her hands.

“…Al Kidma.”

The great master of the Nerencia Tower.

The one and only person she truly admired as a mentor.

Her fingertips brushed over the smooth, waxy corner of the leather cover.

“There’s never been another mage like her. At least, not among those I’ve read about or met in person.”

A faint, wistful smile tugged at Natalianne’s lips.

“I guess that fool Orléans wasn’t completely wrong. I did start off in a more privileged position than most.”

The heiress of the Grand Duke’s house.

Natalianne von Eisenhart.

No matter how much she wished to shed that title, it was true that her position had given her opportunities few others could ever dream of.

“I was often sick as a child.”

After her father passed away, her mother had given birth to her earlier than expected.

She couldn’t remember it clearly now, but she had been born premature, confined to bed for much of her early life.

Because she was frail and constantly ill, her mother called every kind of healer, fed her strange concoctions, and even summoned the continent’s finest magicians and spirit priests to treat her.

The most effective among them had been a magician.

“The one who treated me was one of the Seven Sages of Nerencia.”

That mage discovered her magical potential and promised to sponsor her education at the Tower.

So at the age of eight, she left her homeland for the first time and began her life at the Nerencia Magic Tower, located far to the southwest.

“Well.”

Natalianne frowned faintly as old memories resurfaced.

“He wasn’t exactly a good person either.”

Still, she owed him a few things.

A comfortable dormitory, and detailed guidance through the Tower’s facilities, for instance.

But he had used her title as the Grand Duke’s heiress to flaunt his status, not just in the Tower but even among the political elite.

Her mother had tolerated his arrogance for a while, but when he finally overstepped, she personally came to Nerencia and had him punished.

He lost his title as one of the Seven Sages and was expelled from the Tower.

She didn’t know what happened to him after that, but it likely hadn’t ended well.

Even now, though her health had improved, the betrayals she had suffered left her naturally distrustful of others.

“Some of the people who stabbed me in the back had connections, others didn’t. Not everyone in the Tower is a noble, after all.”

“I heard that too.”

Melissa recalled what her mother once told her.

Most mages came from noble or wealthy families who could support their studies, though occasionally someone came from poverty.

The towers, scattered across the continent, competed fiercely to recruit talent, often visiting slums to find children with magical aptitude.

“Exactly. That’s how Al Kidma herself was discovered.”

Natalianne’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

The greatest star ever born from the slums.

The most powerful mage in history since the founding of the Towers.

Natalianne still remembered the awe she felt when she first read Al Kidma’s writings.

“That’s what a true genius is.”

And yet, people like Orléans still had the nerve to talk about lowborns.

As she thought of him, Natalianne’s brows furrowed, but her eyes brightened when they fell on Melissa.

“To think someone like her is your mother… I’m jealous. How is she? When will she return to the Tower?”

“She’s doing well. Hmm, but I’m not sure when she’ll be back. She said she had something important to do.”

Melissa tilted her head, remembering her mother Rima, whom Natalianne knew as Al Kidma, laughing and saying, ‘I got roped into something again, haha!’

It was only a feeling, but Melissa doubted her mother would ever return.

Then again, who knows.

Her mother had always been a free spirit.

As Melissa tilted her head, Natalianne nodded firmly.

“That’s fine. As long as she’s well, that’s what matters. Actually, that’s even better. Once I become one of the Seven Sages, I’ll go meet her myself.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!”

Melissa clapped her hands but then froze.

Ah. That might be a problem.

Her shoulders slumped as she remembered something.

“But… there’s a bit of an issue. My hometown is really hard to reach, and my mother told me not to share its location with anyone.”

“She told you not to tell anyone?”

That made perfect sense.

Natalianne nodded automatically.

Of course she did. Someone like Al Kidma must be conducting a world-changing experiment somewhere, one that could save or destroy humanity itself.

A place like that couldn’t allow outsiders to wander in freely.

Naturally.

For Al Kidma, Natalianne had endless patience and understanding. She nodded, deeply sympathetic.

But then—

After chatting for a while, Natalianne glanced at the fabric fluttering before her and tugged lightly at it.

“Aren’t you curious about this veil?”

“I think it looks wonderful.”

“That’s not what people usually say. Most don’t think of it as a fashion statement.”

“Really?”

Melissa blinked wide, genuinely surprised. The reaction made Natalianne let out a small laugh.

“Honestly. Everyone else asks about it, but you don’t even seem curious.”

“Hmm, should I ask now?”

“Huh?”

Natalianne stared, caught off guard by Melissa’s earnest expression, then burst out laughing.

How could someone be so straightforward? She’d never met anyone so transparent in her life.

And besides…

She really doesn’t react emotionally like others, does she?

Natalianne studied her quietly.

After years of reading people, she could usually tell what kind of person someone was after a few encounters.

But Melissa was impossible to categorize.

She didn’t distort or misinterpret what others said, and she always tried to see things kindly.

That lack of prejudice was disarming, but refreshing too.

Well.

Natalianne shrugged.

If she was truly Al Kidma’s daughter, she was bound to be extraordinary.

Of course, of course.

Before she knew it, Melissa had gone from someone she intended to expel to someone she deeply respected, the daughter of her greatest idol, a genius who had even helped elevate her own research papers to another level.

And more than that, there was a strange sense of ease when she was around her.

That same warmth she’d felt when she first sensed Melissa’s mana.

It was deeper than magic, something more fundamental.

Wait.

As she dreamed of their bright future in magical study, a sudden realization made Natalianne frown.

Melissa had said she would return home in a year.

Why?

Had Demius done something wrong?

That had to be it.

That bastard—

“I won’t allow it!”

Crash!

A loud noise exploded outside the window.