The Sleeping Devil

"Sergio! Please, let me meet Miss Sheriel."

"What's the matter, Marcel? Weren't you just having a meal together a while ago?"

"Weren't I sitting at the farthest seat away?"

As soon as I left the dining hall, I heard Marcel's voice from inside the room, confronting Sergio. I could almost picture Marcel leaning in with an intent that he might grab Sergio by his collar.

"Mary, wait for me for a moment."

I reopened the door I had just exited moments ago and peeked my face back into the dining hall. The scene I expected played out as I thought. Marcel was supposed to have left by now, but he had been insisting on staying overnight with the magic guild.

"If you just go back as things are, you'll end up telling the guild leader exactly what you saw. Are you okay with that? The guild leader will be here the moment he hears."

"Threatening the Beriard family? Not impressed, huh? It's true that dealing with that person would be a pain, but you'll end up talking once you're questioned anyway."

"Ugh!" Marcel bit his lip in frustration, while Sergio handled the situation with a nonchalant smile. If it were me from this morning, I might have regretted my actions and fretted.

"Father, would it be alright to have a conversation now?"

Seemingly swayed by Marcel's passion, I spoke like a young girl throwing a lifeline. But, this was all part of the plan.

"Oh, Sheriel, you're still here. Well, I guess there's no helping it. If Sheriel says so, I'll agree under certain conditions. I'll tell you the secret of non-incantation magic."

"What! As long as it's not about keeping it a secret from the guild leader, I'll accept the conditions as much as possible!"

Up to this point, it was going as planned. Sergio had judged that Marcel couldn't escape the pursuit of the guild leader. There were personality factors, but if he could stay silent from the beginning, he wouldn't have been so persistent. This is where we introduced another secret to him.

"Listen, there's a priest who was sent with you, right? You've talked about his circumstances a bit, haven't you? So, it seems he was made to look like was killed, and now he has a new name and has started a new life here. So, I want you to align your story with that."

"What! You, did you slander Miss Sheriel with that stigma? If it's about taking a life, do you realize what kind of burden that could be in the future?"

Even though we had just met, Marcel was genuinely concerned about me, who had been running around for the past few days, or rather from the beginning. I was touched by his kindness, which was different from the Beriard's. It made me happy to see only good people gathering around me.

"Sheriel suggested it herself. Since she was the one who provided the trigger, she wanted to take responsibility herself. Sheriel understood everything at that young age and took on his life. She wants you to understand that sentiment and align with it."

In front of such an explanation, I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what expression to make. But it's not something to be overly dramatic about... No, it was true that I genuinely wanted to take responsibility for Licht's life, but I felt uncomfortable for some reason.

Marcel clenched his fist tightly, and just when I thought he was going to let out a deep sigh, he gently placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Miss Sheriel, I've heard about the temple. I'm sorry you've had a hard time because adults didn't do anything. From now on, I'll be vigilant about the temple, and if there's anything you're troubled with due to that, I'll help you as a noble. I know about the priest."

"Thank you, Lord Marcel. But please don't worry too much. It seems there's no problem for me as a member of the Beriard family."

Instead, someone like Didier laughed, saying we've just given it more polish. In reality, no one had fallen or died, so I felt somewhat apologetic for fabricating my achievements.

"Indeed, you're strong! Well then, let's hear it from Sergio. Why was Miss Sheriel able to use magic without incantations?"

"Because she's a Beriard. What else can I say?"

Marcel turned to Sergio with determination, expecting a solid answer. However, when he heard the overly simple response, he was taken aback. After all the suspense, being brushed off with "Because she's a Beriard" must have been a bit anticlimactic. Ignoring Marcel's reaction, Sergio continued speaking fluently.

"You know, Beriards are geniuses, right? With training, we can handle basic magic without incantations. But we were surprised that Sheriel was able to master it right after her baptism. Revealing it to everyone at the debutante party, who would've thought? We were truly amazed by that."

Well, it's not like I thought he would say "we were truly amazed." Marcel glared at Sergio, almost as if he was saying that he still wasn't convinced. I'm truly sorry, Lord Marcel. I've just made things worse by meddling.

"So, does that mean Sergio and Didier can also use magic without incantations?"

"Yes, well, technically... Look."

Saying that, Sergio shifted his gaze to his slightly raised right hand and generated a small dimension at his fingertips. He smoothly withdrew his sword from it, and when the entire blade was withdrawn, Sergio swung it skillfully.

Marcel blinked repeatedly and shook his head slightly. Calmly thinking about it, it was unreasonable for him not to notice that he's been fighting alongside them without incantations. But maybe the scene before his eyes triggered some memories from the past, and he began to cross-check our responses with a trembling voice.

"So, your ability to keep fighting on the battlefield without hesitation..."

"Yes, I can switch swords immediately."

"So, you can respond quickly to surprise attacks."

"Because we don't need incantations, we can quickly strike even in ambushes."

In reality, until now, Sergio required incantations. To store multiple swords, a considerable space was needed, and the incantation should have been as long as any spell, if not longer. Nevertheless, Marcel must have fought in an extraordinary way that even he accepted.

"Why did you keep such an important thing hidden until now! Magic is being turned upside down!"

"It wouldn't be a strategy if I didn't keep some things secret, right? Besides, we're the Beriards, after all."

We've come this far somewhat haphazardly, but in the end, it all came down to "because we're Beriards." I'm truly sorry, Lord Marcel. But being a Beriard is certainly convenient.

As Marcel, lost in thought, returned to his guest room, Sergio closed one eye and winked at me.

"Well, it went well, didn't it? You just need to say 'because we're Beriards' when you're in trouble. Thanks to Sheriel trying to teach us no-incantation magic, too."

It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing on my part. My fabricated achievements seem to be piling up more and more, and it's troubling.

"Father, I apologize for this time. I've caused you trouble by not understanding anything."

"It's fine. I can now draw my weapon quickly too, and with this, I can fight even in places where spells are suppressed."

Sergio gazed at his sword with excitement, then returned it to its original dimension. Just now, I feel like he said something unsettling. But it's just my imagination, right?

"Suppressed spells...?"

"Yeah, during evening receptions or meetings with the royal family, only knights are allowed to carry weapons. So, barriers are set up to prevent spells or incantations from activating. That means, in certain situations, we have to rely on physical skills to take down enemies. It's troublesome, isn't it?"

I wonder what kind of situation he's referring to. I'm too scared to ask, but I really hope he stops assassinations of royal family members. No one in the family can take down Sergio at this point.

But a barrier. Now that I think about it, is that barrier effective in my inner dimension too?

"I'm curious about the mechanism of that barrier. Depending on whether it seals spells themselves or prevents the activation of magic, or even if it extends to the inner dimensions..."

"Exactly! Let's try it with Julius, not Noah, next time. He seems capable of setting up barriers."

Even Sergio, who claimed to have little interest in magic, seemed quite enthusiastic about matters related to combat.

After successfully persuading Marcel, we bid him farewell with smiles the next day. Licht also appeared to see him off. Marcel patted his shoulder and encouraged him, and Litch blushed slightly, looking like an entirely different person compared to a few days ago.

The dispatched mages returned, and now the long baptismal ritual was finally over. Since Didier would be returning to the academy tomorrow, today was planned to be a leisurely day.

"Sheriel, I've prepared special sweets for today. Let's have them together."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Oh, let's invite Licht today. I just received permission from Grandfather a moment ago."

It can't be helped, Didier agreed and arranged for Lich to comet. Didier said it was like poison, but I don't think anything strange will happen just by having tea together.

Soon after, Licht came to the garden pavilion. He looked around nervously, but his complexion had improved quite a bit.

"Licht, please come this way. Let's have tea together. Didier has prepared some rare sweets for us."

"Y-Yes. Is it alright for someone like me to join you?"

"Of course. Right, older brother?"

"Just sit down. The tea will get cold."

What phrasing! But he didn't reject it, and that indicates he has softened a bit. The old Didier would have probably ridiculed him and sent him away laughing, if not worse. Once the three of us were seated, Didier's aide prepared the tea. Although I was meeting this person for the first time, they completely ignored my presence in a positive way. Without even once looking at my hair, they focused solely on assessing the situation at the table.

Unlike the lower-class servants, aides and maids were typically from the middle nobility. Since my debut was over, Didier seems to have finally been allowed to have tea with his aide.

Uh-oh, I ended up staring too much. Even though I should've disliked those curious gazes, I can't believe I'm the one doing it now.

"I apologize. Since it was my first time meeting you and, um, well, you didn't seem too concerned about my hair, I was happy."

"Ah, so you're Dirk. He's two years older than me and also attends the academy. At the debutante ball, Dirk was the only one who wasn't bothered by Sheriel's hair, so he became the head aide as a result."

Huh? There were certainly Didier's aides and escort knights at the event, but did he actually know everything about everyone? And he appointed the head aide for such a reason?

"Well, I understand that you'd be puzzled by my hair."

"Even if it's understandable, you, as the Beriard head, were presented to society. You can't even control your expressions; there's no way you can attend social events like this. Some people saw you in a positive light, though."

Is that how it works? In fact, even though I've been corrected about my behavior and expressions countless times by Margot-sensei, I don't have the confidence to not be bewildered by an unknown creature. I wonder if I'll be okay in tomorrow's classes...

Indirectly complimented, Dirk remained expressionless and stood erect just behind Didier, surveying everything. Although he's apparently sixteen, he's already exuding an aura befitting an adept aide. In this world, sixteen is considered an adult, but since he has two more years at the academy, my perception of him as a student is stronger.

"S-Sheriel, try this."

Didier swiftly removed the lid from the silver plate. On it were brown, tile-shaped sweets that I recognized from my previous life.

"Is this chocolate? I can finally eat it; I'm so happy."

"Yeah, the honey was taken by a certain maid. I was determined to be the one to give you chocolate."

Without concealing his excitement, Didier offered me the chocolate. I picked one up and put it in my mouth without hesitation. But something was off. There was a faint sweetness, but as it began melting due to body heat, a tingling bitterness spread through my mouth. Then, an unpleasant gritty sensation remained on my tongue.

"Licht, don't eat this! What is this, Brother!"

"Sheriel, are you okay? I can provide healing, but I can't use magic!"

"Ahaha! You took a bite in one go! It must be tough."

I screamed, Licht looked shocked, and Didier laughed again, his breath disrupted. For a moment, I genuinely suspected poison.

However, I remembered that Didier had previously likened it to medicine or something similar. That memory resurfaced faintly, and I realized that this was the world's version of chocolate. Surely, Didier didn't poison it.

"It's bitter... This doesn't have milk in it, does it? It feels like a mixture of cocoa and sugar, something like that..."

"I see, you even recognize the ingredients. As expected of Sheriel, who has a strong passion for food. If it turns out delicious, why not experiment with it again? The kitchen staff seems to have some free time lately."

Dirk looked between Didier, me, and Licht alternately, at a loss for words. According to Didier, even with this bitter chocolate, nobles would gradually chew it while drinking alcohol. Since it's nutritious, they also eat it when they catch a cold. Advising Licht to that effect, I recommended he try it again.

While hesitating, Licht picked one up and slowly nibbled on it, savoring the taste on his tongue.

"It's...bitter, but also sweet."

"It's definitely bitter, right? It seems good for your health, but... Should we tweak it a bit? After brother returns to the academy."

"What, isn't that harsh, Sheriel?"

It's my retaliation for all the laughter. I answered like that, but the truth is Didier is planning to return tomorrow, so there's no time left. I'll invite Licht when we experiment with the chocolate. Licht hasn't decided what he'll do here yet, so I hope he can experience various things and find something that suits him.

After that, I had Licht try meringues, sugar confections, sweet potatoes, and more, one after another, and enjoyed watching his surprised and teary-eyed reactions.

Wait, could it be that Didier has been subtly influencing me?