Olivier, having persuaded her fiancé to stand down, was in the dining hall with the other women.
“Honestly, men… although there’s a woman here too, all combatants are like that, aren’t they?” Almeida, with her pink hair in disarray, puffed out her cheeks.
“Almeida, wasn’t it better for you to join the conversation over there?”
“I have no intention of participating in this battle. Besides, since all the capable fighters are over there, someone needs to be here in case of an emergency, don’t you think?”
While the Dragon Girl was present, she was still a child. In the battle two months ago, she had been captured due to preventative measures. Therefore, with Almeida here, they could be assured of safety unless someone exceptionally powerful attacked.
“Honestly, Jared always gets caught up in things. Though, I can’t say anything because I’m just as bad,” Olivier couldn’t find the right words for the girl who looked younger than her.
Up until now, she had been Jared’s master, her age and background unknown. However, with the appearance of Rasmus, the last prince of the fallen Magician Empire, some of her mysteries were starting to unravel.
To Olivier’s surprise, Almeida, and Wahash, who was not present, were all Court Mages who served the destroyed Magician Empire. Furthermore, the pink-haired girl was also a Half-elf.
“Almeida, why have you been in hiding all this time?”
“Honestly, I was thinking of living in seclusion until my lifespan ran out. But then I picked up Jared, and he was such a talented and charming child. However, my disciple went off on his own, and when I went after him, he turned out to be the grandson of a former colleague, it’s been so busy.”
Olivier didn’t pry further into Almeida’s smile, which seemed to be a way to deflect.
If she were to be honest, she wanted to ask Almeida about her engagement to Rasmus and about the Progenitor. However, she couldn’t be rude to her fiancé’s master.
But then,
“Almeida, come, sit here, and tell us about your story with Rasmus.”
“M-Mother!?”
“Hannelore… D-Don’t pull my hand like that!”
Just as Olivier was trying to hold back her desire to ask many questions, her mother, with her eyes shining with curiosity, seated Almeida.
Not only her mother, but her younger sister and everyone else present was very interested in the relationship between Almeida and Rasmus, who was once her fiancé.
With a sigh, Olivier quietly took her seat. Then, she listened intently for the girl’s words. After all, Olivier was just as curious about Almeida’s past.
“Everyone… well,” Almeida said with a bewildered and troubled expression, but then resignedly began to speak.
“Nothing particularly special happened. At the time, I was a Court Mage, and Prince Rasmus was one of the princes. In those days, skilled Magicians were often chosen as marriage partners for royalty, so I was chosen without exception. Not to brag, but I was among the top one or two strongest female Magicians in the country.”
“Ooh,” the younger girls exclaimed in admiration. The fact that she was the Prince’s fiancé, and also one of the strongest in the country, seemed captivating.
“Almeida, what did you think of Rasmus?”
“Yo-you’re so direct Hannelore… Do you surprisingly like these kinds of stories?”
“I love them!”
“Oh, I see.”
While Almeida seemed somewhat overwhelmed, Olivier smiled wryly, having discovered an unknown hobby of her mother’s. It was all thanks to Jared that she was able to see this side of her mother.
“I didn’t dislike Rasmus. He always treated me well, plus we’d known each other since we were children.”
“Childhood friends! Like me and Older Brother!” Yeny chimed in, clearly fond of the words “known each other since childhood.”
“I didn’t mind getting married. I was older, but I wanted to live a human life for as long as possible. Until the brink of the country’s destruction, I thought peaceful days would continue. But in reality, the country was destroyed in an instant.”
As Almeida recalled the past, the bright atmosphere dissipated.
“I have a question. With so many mages like you and Wahash that even Jared couldn’t stand against, why did the country fall?” Emilia, who couldn’t use magic but was interested in history and had researched the Magician Empire before, voiced her question.
“Even though it was peaceful then, the present is so brutal. We always won our battles, but we had so many enemies. The Court Mages and our elite forces were scattered. It felt like we were all wiped out in one go. And there was a traitor from within, so it was easy.”
That traitor was Lucas Gallagher, who had once appeared as an enemy.
“If I had wanted to, I could have invaded the enemy country, but that would have meant a fight to the death, either for us or for them, and I would have had to be prepared for that, but Rasmus stopped me.”
After that, she prioritized evacuating the citizens, including Rasmus and other members of the Royal Family. The Court Mages, specialized in combat, were unable to fight to their fullest, and the country was destroyed. Almeida then went into seclusion after the collapse of the Magician Empire. Wahash organized a mercenary group, which would eventually become the Assassination Organization Waalthe. And then, as if guided, they gathered in the present day. Was it by chance, or the curse of the Progenitor?
“There’s no point regretting the past. We are living in the present—Oh no.”
“Almeida?” Olivier was concerned when Almeida suddenly stopped moving and reached out, her hand grasping at empty air. The girl stood up abruptly, gazed out of the window, and clicked her tongue.
“It seems Rasmus’s actions were an open book. I was a step too late.”
Just as Almeida’s expression contorted with annoyance, a forceful knock echoed through the entrance door.
