The Flame Swaying In The Heart (2)

Just as Noi considered turning back, her eyes met those of a mage whose gaze was sparkling.

Among the mages eyeing her with suspicion, one alone stared at her with open admiration.

He was the mage who had guarded Panselinos yesterday.

“Noi-sama, is it not!”

The notably high voice of a mage in his forties rang through the tent, making the other mages jolt.

Overwhelmed by his fervor, Noi arched back a little.

“Please, over here! If fortune would allow it, I was just thinking—I would love to hear your thoughts!”

“U-uh. I’m sorry—I don’t have anything that special to—”

Pressed by the man’s intensity, Noi flustered. The moment she saw the expectation in the eyes of a Royal Court Mage who had lived a century further than she had, she grew unsure whether her knowledge would even apply.

“How modest! Come, there’s a chair— You there. Make room.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Beaming at Noi, the mage barked a command at the others with intimidating authority. His phrasing clearly marked a difference in rank.

“I was right to stay behind! My colleague glared daggers at me for foisting off the wing-carriage* driving—but truly! I’m glad I dumped it on him!!”

Was there ever a cleaner “I’m glad I shoved it off”? He grinned so blithely it bore no trace of guilt.

“…Er, Master Galenée.”

“Yes?”

Prompted by the royal soldier, Noi reflexively answered—and then clapped both hands over her mouth.

Most around them seemed to think it was just a child answering by mistake, but the smiling mage etched deep crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes.

(…Ah.)

Those lines formed exactly like the ones her own master’s eyes had made long ago—when he praised Noi.

“Well then.”

“May we entrust her—to you?”

“But of course. I shall receive her with the utmost respect.”

At the mage’s brisk nod, the soldier said, “Very well,” and withdrew. Ornis was behind him; Noi waved, and Ornis gave a nod before leaving.

“My apologies for the delay. I am Lepto Galenée.”

Noi tightened her throat.

She swallowed the sudden heat rising within and gave a small nod.

“I’m Noi. Pleased to work with you, Master Lepto.”

She could not say much. He seemed to understand and nodded kindly, guiding her deeper into the tent.

(…So the House of Galenée still lived.)

It might be her younger brother’s line—or another collateral branch. But the name Galenée remained, serving the realm with distinction as a Royal Court Mage. That fact made Noi happy.

“We are currently tasked with clearing those fallen slabs.”

On the table inside the tent lay a sheet bearing a magic circle.

(Fine and exact. As expected of the Royal Court Mages.)

Noi peered over it and gave a small nod. The other mages, save Lepto, stared at her as if to ask what a mana-less child was doing here—but they likely couldn’t gainsay him given his standing.

At present, the Hyuetos Magic Count’s fief was split into three great sections.

Seawater flowed like rivers through the rifts.

Kardia had split the ground.

From what Noi had seen, the waterways snaked along without smashing houses or structures.

Though it had been a split-second reaction, keeping damage to a minimum had been a feat only Kardia—who watched the village from the sky every day—could have performed.

Henceforth, with rainfall no longer managed by magic, canals to carry water to the sea would be essential.

For now they would rely on Kardia’s waterways, but plans were underway to build canals and breakwaters along the rifts. Once people dug the channels, the ground that magic had shifted would be returned to place. Then future folk would no longer have to fear the land’s memory.

To begin that river work, they first had to clear the square’s debris.

“You’re layering wind magic in very fine, repeated threads.”

At Noi’s frank observation, Lepto nodded.

“The slabs are too large. We first considered disintegration, but—if we detonate that rock, fragments will spray across the vicinity.”

Many people were gathered in the square, and there were houses besides. A blast strong enough to shatter those slabs would inevitably cause casualties.

“If we’re moving them whole, it’s safer to layer small spells to trace an arc than to generate a single, sweeping current.”

“But like this, both weaving the circle and moving the rock will take time. Even if you get it to float—each push will cover, what, a doorway’s width?”

As a rule, one magic circle per mage. If you matched as perfectly as Noi and Kardia, it wasn’t impossible—but if they had to start training that now, it was better to move the slab a doorway’s width and keep progress steady.

Nor could two circles be cast on the same slab—delicate circles would interfere with each other.

“Could we feed them into the waterway and carry them to the sea?”

“The pieces are still too large.”

“Then we have three avenues. One: further refine this circle. Two: find a way to break the slabs without harm and float the pieces along the current. Three: teleport the objects.”

At Noi’s finger-counted proposals, the mages recoiled.

“Teleport… objects?!”

“…So this is the child Master Galenée was humoring. A complete amateur.”

“We cannot waste time. My apologies, but we’ll hear you later.”

The third mage promptly shooed Noi out of the tent.

As she blinked, a loud thump sounded within, and Lepto immediately came to fetch her.

“Noi-sama—would you please teach us?”

With a mage crouched and clutching the crown of his head behind him, Lepto ushered Noi back into the tent. Mortified, Noi pressed her palms together toward the mage.

(…I’m sorry…)

For some reason, people around Noi tended to get… intense. She sent sincere apologies to the collateral victims, flipped the sheet with the magic circle over, and took up a pen.