The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15. Roanna Trian
‘She seems sincere enough, though…’
Her slightly flushed cheeks and tipsy laughter suggested she was trying to brush past the moment, but the intent to sound him out came through loud and clear.
Honestly, Karina was one of the handful of women in his entire life whose beauty could catch him off guard, and seeing her now wasn’t without its effect.
‘But that’s out of the question.’
He hadn’t even repaid the house’s kindness yet—there was no leaving now.
“Your generosity honors me, but as an adopted son, I still owe a debt to this house. I hope you’ll understand why I cannot accept.”
“…I was only joking, Muno.”
Her response came a beat too late for that to be true.
And for some reason, Karina’s gaze from behind her seemed to sharpen, though he couldn’t quite place why.
‘…It’s probably my imagination.’
Amid the lingering unease, Muno’s mind worked through the pieces.
‘She couldn’t propose it officially, so she disguised it as a drunken jest. That makes sense.’
And the situation Roanna found herself in was becoming clearer by the moment.
Her own will and ambition regarding marriage.
The reason she’d reached out to him specifically, despite the abundance of knights in the Trian main house.
The threat to her safety.
Put them all together, and…
“The Count’s house is rushing your marriage, isn’t it? And if necessary, they’d force it through regardless of your own wishes?”
The moment those words left his mouth, every face in Roanna’s party went rigid.
“Rocam and Karina are among the few who actually respect what you want, rather than what the house demands—am I right?”
He’d noticed her security detail was oddly sparse for a granddaughter so favored by the Earl.
At that knowing look, Roanna let out a bitter laugh.
“…Oh, it seems I’ve put my foot in my mouth. Everything I’ve heard about you must be completely wrong?”
It wasn’t really that difficult a deduction, though.
He’d started to shrug it off when—
“So why exactly are you famous as the shame of Drachen?”
“…Pardon?”
Cough.
Her words knocked him off balance, and he sputtered despite himself.
‘Shame?’
Had my reputation really fallen that far?
“Uh…”
“Oh. You didn’t know about that either? My apologies, Muno.”
“No, it’s—there are circumstances. Ha. Haha…”
While the painful history of his past mercilessly stabbed at his present pride.
“Anyway, you seem to have grasped my situation already, so there’s little point in denying it. Yes, you’re right. I’m in rather a difficult position.”
Watching Roanna open up with such obvious relief, he realized too late that he’d made a mistake.
“My grandfather wants to see me married before he leaves for the Capital. You were one of the candidates he considered.”
…She was clearly setting him up deliberately.
“And after indulging my willfulness for two years since my Coming of Age Ceremony, I can hardly claim ignorance now.”
Sigh.
“Worse, my father and eldest brother are trying by every means to entangle me with some wretched young noble from the Aslan ducal house. They’ve kept me from even coming to Drachen on the pretense of a magical incident.”
“What?”
“I pushed my way out using Grandfather. If not for this opportunity, I’d never have escaped the house.”
…To such an extent?
When he realized the situation was worse than he’d thought, Roanna continued, almost plaintively.
“When I go back, I might not be able to leave again until my betrothal is decided. Muno, what do you think I should do in this situation?”
Why are you asking me that?
He was bewildered, but watching her unwavering gaze, he found himself laughing despite his confusion.
“It seems you’ve already made up your mind about something, haven’t you?”
“Hmm… Sharp eyes you have. You’re becoming quite tempting, you know?”
“As a guard, of course?”
“Would you prefer to be a bridegroom?”
“I’m relieved I’m not, truthfully.”
Her eyes began to gleam an unusually vivid blue as he cut through the banter with quiet firmness.
“Then what about Karina?”
“I thought you’d already refused that proposal.”
“What if it’s separate from the one just now?”
“Miss!?”
“She’s like a sister to me, so I’d love to introduce her to a suitable match.”
Roanna Trian heard Karina’s outburst in one ear and let it pass, breaking into a smile.
“…Pardon?”
Even knowing she was being drawn into Roanna’s jest, Muno found his gaze drifting back to Karina regardless.
In that moment, Roanna’s blue eyes gleamed and sparkled once more.
“Oh my! Karina, this Muno is absolutely smitten with you!!”
She might as well advertise that she had some sort of unique ability.
“No, I wouldn’t say smitten yet…!”
“Yet, you say! Oh dear, oh my!”
Damn it.
The atmosphere that had seemed poised for serious conversation dissolved into chaos in an instant.
Roanna was making a fuss, Karina’s face had turned crimson as she flailed helplessly, and Rocam was watching Muno with an incredulous expression.
He sighed and glanced at Roanna, who was trying to smooth things over with obvious nonchalance.
“Then my assistance wouldn’t be needed, would it?”
That question transformed the eighteen-year-old girl who had been clinging to Karina’s hand back into Roanna.
“I’m not fond of wishy-washy men, Muno.”
The implication being: why dredge up a proposal that no longer existed?
“That’s why I’m checking—so I can withdraw it gracefully.”
“Hmm…”
At that, Roanna studied Muno intently for a moment.
Then she exhaled softly and spoke.
“The truth is, I do have a plan, as you said.”
“Miss, that’s…”
Rocam, who had remained silent until now, tried to stop Roanna, but she continued regardless.
“Over the past two years, I’ve attended several social gatherings in the Capital. I even earned an embarrassing nickname there. You’ve probably heard of it.”
‘Embarrassing? Yet her expression looks rather proud.’
When Muno showed no particular reaction, Roanna’s expression stiffened slightly, but she pressed on.
“…Well, as a result, I received a proposal from someone rather… beyond my station.”
“What!?”
Then why…?
“The problem is that my grandfather learned of this and is now eager to arrange my marriage to someone else instead. He won’t permit my engagement to that man.”
…This feels like trouble.
“Surely not…”
“My grandfather—rather, Trian—refuses to become entangled in the succession dispute. It’s a family tradition, he claims.”
“Ah…”
Damn it.
‘I shouldn’t have asked.’
He found himself wanting to beat the version of himself from mere minutes ago senseless—the one who had been eager to establish a connection with Roanna.
Greed always was a fatal poison.
“Ah. Ha. Haha. I see. Well then, I should be going…”
He wanted to escape the Balcony before hearing the name of that illustrious suitor—the prince.
Thud.
A giant blocked his path.
“The lady hasn’t finished speaking, sir.”
He understood. Which was precisely why he wanted to flee.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say something so blunt.
‘Damn it…’
He’d walked straight into it.
“…I’m afraid I cannot be of assistance in this matter, Miss.”
Muno turned back, his expression hardened.
‘I thought she was just an ambitious noblewoman…’
He had clearly misjudged her character.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to have a serious conversation with me?”
…At the beginning, he had.
‘I never imagined I’d regret it so immediately. Damn it.’
The golden-haired, blue-eyed woman before him was no connection for the future—she was a calamity that could destroy him and his house.
“…Drachen has no choice but to follow the judgment of Count Enoch Trian. And I, too, cannot overstep that boundary. Miss.”
He tried to express his refusal as gently as possible, maintaining propriety.
“Which is why I’ve actually decided to slip away from the party after our visit to Drachen and head to the Capital instead. To meet with him. Would you help me with that plan, Muno?”
…It didn’t work.
‘Running away. Of all the things she could have thought of.’
She was far more reckless than he’d given her credit for.
Naturally, he couldn’t agree to such a request.
“If you were to disappear from Drachen territory, my house would bear the responsibility.”
“So I was hoping you might help me personally, as a private matter.”
“In other words. That won’t—”
“Or else I’ll simply have to vanish from Drachen during the upcoming Hunting Event, won’t I?”
“…That would be, yes?”
After the Coming of Age Ceremony party ended, a week-long hunt was scheduled to continue with the arriving nobles and their military escorts.
An annual event in Drachen territory, meant to reduce the scale of the coming Monster Wave somewhat.
With a prize offered to whoever obtained the finest Monster Byproducts, mercenaries from all over were already licensed by the authorities and hunting at the foothills of the Northern Mountains.
It was one of Palmer’s master strategies to use the guests to get through the winter easily.
“…You were planning to disappear during that period? And you’re telling me this now?”
“I genuinely wanted you to understand—I hate causing trouble for people.”
“What if I told the others first?”
“Then you’d never see the lovely Karina again…”
“Miss!”
“…N-no, I was joking. Really, just a joke. S-sorry.”
Before Muno could even protest, Karina’s face flushed so deeply it seemed to burn, and she let out an indignant shout.
The flustered princess and Muno watching the spectacle with bewildered eyes.
Then Roanna, conscious of his gaze, cleared her throat a few times awkwardly before breaking into a sheepish smile.
“I’ll just deny I said any of that and claim you insulted me instead. Who do you think people will believe?”
She spoke the words lightly, but with an edge.
‘This pair…’
Indignation swelled in him, but in that moment, something struck him as odd.
“If that’s truly your intent, why tell me at all?”
“Loving talent isn’t something only Grandfather and Father do—I’m the same way. Your special qualities appeal to me as well. I want to keep you as someone with whom I share a special bond.”
“Hm…”
“Who knows? If I become queen, what tremendous advantages might come to you or to Drachen?”
…This woman was sincere.
“And if Drachen’s heir apparent cooperates, I could even disappear without bringing any harm to Grandfather’s loyal knight, Rayan Drachen—more smoothly, perhaps.”
“That seems to be your true purpose, though.”
“It couldn’t be. Perhaps an alliance with you, who might one day become a Seven Star transcendent, is what matters more.”
The way Princess Roanna Trian winked seemed like she’d become a different person from moments before.
And then.
“Oh, come to think of it, Karina awakened just before turning sixteen. She’s twenty-two now, so a six-year gap is manageable, don’t you think? Then perhaps one day we’ll see a Seven Star couple born…”
“Miss!”
“Oh my, is this a joke… or not?”
She stuck her tongue out.
The way she teased Karina was so unbearably irritating it drew an involuntary laugh.
“Roanna! Seriously, you…!”
“Huh? Speaking formally in front of others… ow! I-I’m sorry. Sister! Stop!”
The way Karina and she bickered seemed like the playfulness of girls their age, and Muno found himself smiling.
‘Unpretentious yet ambitious, and her action-taking is borderline insane…’
Position makes the person, as they say.
‘And she’s only eighteen.’
Roanna Trian was quite an impressive woman in every way.
Whatever his feelings as a man might be, she certainly had a charm that drew people in.
And such a woman was said to be among the world’s greatest beauties.
Perhaps.
‘She might become a queen who goes down in history.’
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought.
This world resembled the medieval West of his past life, yet differed in one crucial way: women’s social participation was quite robustly guaranteed.
In a world where supernatural abilities ignored physical differences between sexes, it was perhaps inevitable.
So then.
“Fine. I’ll help. What do you need me to do?”
Even accounting for the risks, she seemed worth cultivating as a connection.
“Huh…?”
The princess, her cheeks being pinched by Karina, turned to him with sparkling eyes.
“Only promise me one thing: Drachen must suffer no harm. Even if you disappear—or rather, slip away—your official schedule in Drachen must be completed first.”
“Of course.”
Roanna nodded, a faint smile playing at her lips.
Watching her, Muno suddenly remembered something and added one more request.
“Ah, well—since we’ve agreed to cooperate—would it be possible for me to borrow your assistance for a brief moment tonight? If possible, I’d like Karina to come along.”
He thought it would be even better to have a witness from outside Drachen when they went after the mage.
And if that witness happened to be from the Trian household, all the better.
But that request set off another round of theatrics from Roanna.
“My goodness. ‘Tonight’? Karina? This is moving rather quickly, isn’t it…….”
“Miss!”
“……Oh, no—I mean, this time it’s not me, it’s Muno who…….”
The Trian household’s daughter was utterly impossible to pin down.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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