Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Later that evening, after dinner was had, both Uriel and Angeline headed to their own rooms. It was a rather refreshing sight to see a different kind of smile on her sister’s face, Agnes thought.

 

Agnes heads to her father’s office after taking note of the time. Since her father is late to dinner tonight, she knows that he will be back in a more less tipsy way. After all, he left rather early in the morning to go to that meeting with those long coated men and custodian of nearby territories. 

 

“It seems my father will arrive drunk tonight, please make sure that he is brought to his room immediately.” She said to the maid that is following her, to which she replied with a bow and departure to fulfill that order.

 

Upon arriving in her father’s office, which is currently dark as no one has set foot in here before she did. “Lights, please.” As if the room responded to her commands, the lanterns in the room lit up to illuminate the office, allowing her to see things clearly. 

 

These are rather simple magic lanterns which are ignited with the use of command words, using the sound of one’s voice to light up or blow out the fire that is burning in them. 

 

The room itself is neatly organized to her liking for the most part, since in recent years, she feels as if she has been visiting this office more often than her father is. Though, that isn’t exactly surprising since she is the one to inherit the family after her father steps down somewhere in the distant future. 

 

Aside from the desk which sits at the furthest end of the room, there is also a pair of couches faced towards one another, separated by a table. Its use is obviously to welcome guests if any ever do enter here. To the desk’s right hand side, there is a flag hanging from a short pole.

 

After taking in the view of this office, she takes her seat at the desk. Wherein there are several documents laying on it, stacked neatly to distinguish which has been gone through, which still needs to be looked over and those that require more consideration. Though, her interests do not lie within those documents right now, rather she takes out some letters which have been sitting in the left hand drawer. 

 

“...Really, those with talents do get a lot of attention.” She begins to read through them one by one. These letters are mostly addressed to the boy which she and her family have become custodians of. News truly does travel terrifyingly fast, but she is used to dealing with sudden changes. 

 

These letters had arrived earlier this morning, where she and her father were too busy to look at them. So they were placed here until now. Most of what they say is a mixture of praise for her family’s luck to be able to have someone with such extraordinary potential and those that seem to wish to meet the boy in question. 

 

“It's not like I can just agree for him to meet any of you. Thankfully, these are mostly from people that actually have reasons for wanting to meet him. Unlike those from that gaudy side of this society.” She murmurs to herself, placing the letters in order of which she read them. 

 

She lets out a sigh, slumping her shoulders and rests her back against the chair. As she was rubbing her eyes, three knocks came from the door. 

 

“Come in.” After Agnes said that, Ryner would walk into the room with a tea set where he would place it on the table before pouring some tea for Agnes. 

 

“Here you go, Madam.” Ryner placed down a cup of tea for Agnes.

 

“Thank you, Ryner.” She takes the cup and sips it slowly. At least there aren't any more letters, so she is able to finally look over some of the documents that need to be looked over. Amongst them is the damage to the dormitory, which upon seeing it, makes Agnes want to throw the cup that she has in her hand at that annoying rider's face.

 

"By your expression, it does not seem like you had a very good day." Ryner commented.

 

To call her day as 'Not very good' isn't inaccurate, however, it also isn't all that bad either. Aside from that troublesome incident, there was that other interesting encounter earlier this morning.

 

She had arrived at the ministry very early in the morning, despite having just arrived back home from her trip. The sun has only just risen past the tree line from the east. 

 

Agnes walked through the hallways of the ministry, heading up a flight of stairs to the second floor. It was on that flight of stairs that she encountered a certain man with blue robes.

 

"Why, aren't you quite early, Lady?"

 

Agnes recognized this man. He is someone that is talked about quite a bit by some staff of the ministry as well as some people at those banquets. 

 

"Well, I was told to come here as soon as I have time." Agnes replied, courteously bowing to him as she pinched her skirt. "Though, it is an honor that you have taken notice of me, Count Geheris."

 

As if flattered by her gesture, Geheris raises a hand. "There's no need for that, Lady. I am normally used to being the only person aside from the facility guards that are here at this time."

 

"Wait, are you saying that he is not here?" Agnes asked, her voice raised as if surprised. 

 

Gaheris, who initially looked confused, caught onto this. "Ah, him. He is on the second floor lounge."

 

Agnes lets out a sigh of relief. 

 

"Why are you looking for him exactly?" Gaheris asked, his interest seeming to have been caught.

 

"The student that I brought in yesterday was someone that he recruited." Agnes replied.

 

Hearing this, Gaheris makes a very puzzled expression followed by a pained expression as he rubbed the temple of his head. Perhaps knowing that information caused him to have some kind of headache, either way it seems to be causing him quite a bit of trouble.

 

"Lady…Uhh…May I know your name?" He asked, all the while having a particularly troubled expression 

 

Having been asked that, Agnes once again bowed to him courteously before introducing herself. "I am Agnes von Waldenburge, heir to my father's Barony. I am honored to intro—"

 

"Enough of that!" Gaheris interjected, "Do you know about that man that you're going to meet?"

 

Agnes merely gives him a nod.

 

Of course she does. The man whom they have been speaking of behind his back is one of the professors of the institute, and he is infamous for some of his many exploits in the fields of magical research. 

 

He is someone that has earned himself the Designation of Judas, which is considered to be both the highest honor that a mage could attain but also the biggest detriment to their research. That is because this designation is only given out to those whose achievements are considered truly noteworthy and as a potential danger to the world. 

 

Gaheris merely let out a sigh. "Well, does the headmaster know that he has gone out?"

 

"I believe so. Since, he was the one who instructed me to come to meet him after I brought the boy here." 

 

Hearing this, another sigh came out from Gaheris, then he would compose himself.

 

"If the headmaster is already involved, then there's nothing to worry about." Despite his words, Gaheris still harbors some level of concern for this situation due to who is involved.

 

"Um…I shall get going now. It has been an honor to meet you, Sir." Agnes spoke before heading up to the second floor's lounge.

 

"Right. It has been nice meeting you, Lady Waldenburge." 

 

The lounge itself isn't exactly extravagant, per se. But, it is a comfortable place where the staff is able to spend their time during breaks. 

 

Of course, it is mostly empty aside from the man with shaggy hair with glasses. His attire is the same as any of the Institute's professors, normally a brown coat with the notable Institution's crest on their left breast. 

 

Seeing as there's no one else in the room, Agnes assumes that he is the person that she is looking for, so she approaches him with a smile.

 

"Hello there, uhh…I suppose you're the person that the headmaster told me to meet?" Agnes asked.

 

"O— Oh! You must be lady Waldenburge. It's nice to meet you. I— I was told to meet you here." The man stiffened as he spoke, adjusting his glasses as he did so. “I– My name is Walter Westwood. It’s very nice to meet you.”

 

Seeing how he acts, Agnes paused for a moment. After hearing that he was someone that has been designated with the Judas Designation, she expected him to be a bit more bold, at the very least. 

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“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.” She reached a hand out to him, which responded with a rather stiff handshake. Afterwards, she takes a seat across from him. 

 

“Well, Mister Walter..Or should I call you Westwood?” Agnes asked. By technicality, she is a noble which makes it that she could call him whatever she wants, though his notoriety is something that she can’t exactly ignore to not be courteous about. After all, he is someone that people dare not to speak his name, less he actually shows up. At least according to rumors.

 

“Ah, Walter is fine. I– I am not very big on any kind of honorifics, so you can be as casual as you want, Miss Waldenburge.” He spoke with a rather timid tone.

 

“I see…Well, Uriel is staying in my residence at the moment. Normally, we’d just send them straight to the dorms, but this was a rather unexpected thing to happen.” Agnes explained.

 

“Yes, I understand. As long as that boy is here, it’s all fine. As long as you withhold your duties as sponsors, there will only be benefits to your family.” He spoke, “W– Well, I suppose there’s nothing for me to worry about now then. I’m sure that boy will pass the examination.”

 

For a moment, Agnes felt a chill rising up her spine when there seemed to be a noticeable shift in Walter’s tone. It lasted for a second, but at that moment something in her screamed for her to start running away from here, to get as far as she possibly could.

 

“Y– Yeah, we’ll do that. Though, I was wondering if you could tell me how you encountered Uriel? That place was so out of the way that it wasn’t even on the map.” Agnes said, feeling a cold sweat dripping down her back.

 

“Ah, well, you know, I was just out researching the Mana Stream in that area when I happened to come across the boy in the woods by himself. Apparently he was picking up some mushrooms for a stew his guardian was going to make.” He explained, giving Agnes a relaxed expression.

 

“I was told that he answered some particularly difficult questions…?” Agnes asked, wondering about the context of the questions that were given to Uriel. Of course, whatever it is won’t be changing her perspective on that boy. 

 

“A– ah, well, it’s probably nothing that you couldn’t answer.” Walter said, “W– well, at first I was a bit stunned by his ability to spot me. S– since I didn’t think that anyone would be able to detect me while I was so confident in my hiding abilities. A— Although, I'm not saying that I'm the best at hiding or anything, but it's still a surprise, you know?" He further explained.

 

"He was able to spot you?" Agnes asked.

 

"Y– Yes, I was actually quite sure that I wouldn't be noticed by anything, but well…" 

 

"And regarding these questions?" Agnes pressed on.

 

"Well…I basically asked him to explain to me how he was able to spot me. Though, his answer was something that I didn't expect to hear from someone as young as he is." Walter paused to adjust his glasses, "He said that I stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the magical energy in the woods."

 

"...Could he have some kind of talent for perceiving magical energy? Since he was in such a remote place, would his mentor be a Druid of sorts?" Agnes asked whilst in a thinking posture.

 

“No, that couldn’t be. That child didn’t give off any feeling that suggests he practices Esoteric magic.” Walter answered.

 

“Right…I remember that there was a church there as well, so I doubt that Esoteric magic is involved.” Agnes recounted, “Still, you haven’t answered my previous question.”

 

“I’ll get to it eventually!” Walter said, “Anyways, since you wanted to know about it so badly, after a little conversation that we had, I posed him some questions regarding how magic works. To my surprise, his view on that was extremely insightful, it was almost as if he could see the Inactive Mana in the air and perfectly see how one’s spell is formed by a glance.”

 

“W– what? Then, wouldn’t that mean he’s—” 

 

“The only limitation is that although he may be able to see them, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he can understand the meaning of what he just saw. This is evident from the spell that he later casted upon a bear that avoided my detection.” Walter interjected.

 

“A bear?” Agnes asked.

 

“I mean it was one of those creatures. Apparently, those things generally show up there once or twice a month. It’s not clear where they come from, but the attacks were handled pretty well by a Hunter that happens to be there for the last decade.” Walter answered.

 

“Wait…” Agnes’s expression turns slightly pale, “You…You don’t mean the Scourged Beasts, do you?” Her voice trembled at the mentioning of that name.

 

“Yes, exactly that..” Walter replied, his tone carried a sense of eeriness.

 

“Then…” As Agnes was about to say something, Walter continued his story.

 

“After that, he took me to the town where I had a talk with his guardian. Apparently, his mother died shortly after giving birth to him and he had been living with her ever since.” Walter explained, “Though, understandably, she didn’t want to let him go at first. But, I guess after some consideration, she decided to let him go.”

 

“I was told that by Uriel, though I don’t think I’ve met her during my trip there to pick him up.” Agnes commented, "What kind of people were they? I had noticed that Uriel is a particularly quiet person, possibly even a bit observant."

 

"Hm? Well, I suppose she was a fine person. She said that she used to be a servant of a noble prior to living there with a friend." Walter recalled aloud, "She was supposedly self taught in Magic and thought that teaching what she knows to Uriel might be good for him, so I think that's a pretty understandable thing to do."

 

Hearing this, Agnes puts a hand to her chin as she ponders a thought, but Walter speaks up once again before she is able to completely form it.

 

"Ah, that being said, how is he faring after having to travel all this way so far from home?" Walter asks, his tone seeming to show genuine concern.

 

"Ah…Well, at first, some of the villagers gave him a send off which made him a bit emotional, I suppose. I guess he is probably experiencing some homesickness right about now." 

 

"Hmm, I see. Well, I trust that you'll be able to support him as sponsors." Walter said, adjusting his glasses again. "Oh, by the way, Miss Waldenburge."

 

"Yes?" Agnes looks up at Walter.

 

"Umm…Does Uriel have a wand, yet?" Walter inquired.

 

"Didn't he receive anything from his caretaker? I'd assume it was something that he packed along with his belongings." Agnes replied, tilting her head at Walter's question.

 

"Ahh…Well, you see, when that bear attacked us…He attacked it with a spell, but it got destroyed by the bear." Walter answered nervously, "And…Well, I'm not entirely sure if he had gotten himself a replacement or not…"

 

Silence had filled the space between the two when Walter said that. Perhaps it was out of disbelief or perhaps it was because Uriel had not made a request for one, though Agnes can barely blame him for being nervous, she felt like he should've said something sooner.

 

"I would go and get one for him…But, as you know, I can't leave the premises of the ministry. I— I hope you can understand." Walter's nervous voice makes it even more unbelievable to Agnes, as she truly expected for someone with such an infamous reputation as his would be more assertive.

 

"I– It would be awkward for him to do the spell proficiency test without a way to effectively focus his magic, so I'll drop by to see what I can get him." Agnes said before remembering the special details regarding Uriel, which made her ponder whether she can get her hands on anything like Mythril.

 

Agnes stands up after having that thought, there are places that she needs to check up on anyways. 

 

"Well, I have some other things that require my attention at this time. I do hope you'll forgive me for leaving first." Agnes said, giving Walter a polite smile.

 

"Oh no! Please, don't let me stop you. It's been an honor speaking to you, Lady Waldenburge." Walter got up as she went off to deal with tasks that will eventually make Agnes let out a sigh in the present.

 

"This day has been a mixed bag of marbles, honestly…" Agnes murmurs as she slumps onto her desk, "Ryner, I'll be heading out with Uriel tomorrow to the wandsmith and give him a check up. Please send them word ahead of time."

 

"Of course, M'lady." Ryner bowed.

 

"Well, I'll be heading to sleep now. It's been a long day." Agnes gets up from her seat and heads off to her room. 

 

Ryner merely does his duties and tidies up the room before leaving

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