Helen hurriedly followed Uris, who had vanished into the distance. The knight seemed to be in such a rush that she ran through the alleys without a single pause for breath.
"Huff, huff... Where on earth is she going?"
Helen could barely keep up with Uris's pace—which was closer to a sprint than a walk—and was forced to use a trace of spirit power to maintain the tail.
She knew from Heron that the victorious Knight Order always held a banquet to foster camaraderie. Right now, Uris should have been celebrating with her subordinates. Yet, she had headed for the outskirts of the capital.
What was going on? Why was she rushing here with such a desperate expression and such frantic steps? Was she heading toward something she couldn't let others see? A secret lover? Or perhaps some forbidden drug?
If that were the case...
'This is the chance to catch the Iron-Blooded Knight's weakness.'
The thought of using a weakness to gain victory felt a bit cowardly, but she couldn't just stand by and watch her brother suffer one pathetic defeat after another. He couldn't remain the shame of the Sylvestra family forever. He needed to shed the stigma of being the "Perpetual Loser" 2nd Knight Commander.
"Sigh, look at me suffering because of my useless brother. What a mess."
Still, she was curious. What exactly was the weakness of the "perfect" Iron-Blooded Knight? Helen knew Uris's reputation well: a perfectionist obsessed with training. A woman with a heart made of literal iron, so devoid of a private life that even her closest subordinates claimed she had no hobbies other than swordsmanship.
Perhaps Helen would be the first person to witness her private domain.
Uris turned into a narrow alley on the outskirts and stopped in front of a small shop. After checking her surroundings warily, she knocked on the door and waited, her face flushed red.
—Illusion Theater.
"That place...?"
Helen had heard rumors. It was a shop created by a genius mage who had gathered the essence of illusion magic to show users their hidden desires. She remembered him pitching the business to nobles.
—"Do you not wish to taste the desires you are too hesitant to speak of? We shall make them a reality. Since it is not the real world, there is no need to worry about being hurt or exhausted."
The rumors among the nobility hadn't been great.
—"Achieving desires? Sounds suspicious." —"I heard only weirdos learn illusion magic." —"Honestly, what can you even do with illusions?" —"I don't want to waste my time."
It was mostly distrust. Among commoners, a rumor persisted that experiencing illusion magic could warp your body. Something about a man seeing an illusion of a werewolf and actually turning into one to attack people. Helen knew those were just tall tales; illusion magic wasn't like that. It was about distorting reality to present a vision.
But why was the Iron-Blooded Knight here?
'Is she running combat simulations or something?'
The moment the door opened, Uris slipped inside as if she'd been waiting her whole life. Seeing that flushed face and hearing that ragged breath, Helen's brow furrowed.
"Could it be...?"
Surely she wasn't visiting for that reason?
"Maybe she's using illusion magic for high-speed combat training?"
Helen had heard that some illusion magic could slow down the perception of time. Perhaps Uris's overwhelming strength was born in a place like this.
"This might be a bigger secret than I thought."
She summoned a spirit of darkness to shroud her presence. 'I haven't figured anything out yet. I'll wait until she comes out.'
It would be troublesome to confront her based on mere guesses. Helen hid and waited. It wasn't until past 9:00 PM that Uris finally emerged from the shop, looking as if she were making an escape.
Surprisingly, she looked perfectly refreshed. Compared to how she had entered—without even wiping the sweat from her mock battle—she was now impeccably clean.
'There's definitely something. To stay in there that long...'
Going into the shop now was pointless; the evidence would be gone. In that case, a direct confrontation was best. She would watch Uris's reaction.
Dispelling her spirit power, Helen stepped out in front of Uris.
"Hello, Iron-Blooded Knight. Fancy meeting you in a place like this."
"Wh-what? L-Lady Sylvestra?"
Helen quickly scanned Uris's reaction. The moment the knight saw her, her eyes darted around in panic. Her face turned as red as if she'd been caught stealing, and Helen's keen senses could feel Uris's heart racing.
"Where are you coming from?"
"Wh-what about you, Lady Sylvestra? What are you doing out so late?"
"Well, I was taking a walk to soothe my troubled mind after my brother's defeat. But... you just came out of that shop."
"E-eh?"
As Helen gestured toward the Illusion Theater, Uris's agitation spiked.
"W-well, you see..."
"I heard that shop 'fulfills desires' or something. Don't tell me..."
"N-no! It's not that! The owner of that shop was worried about the security in this neighborhood, so..."
"A mage is worried about security?"
"Wh-well, illusion mages have almost no combat capability..."
"I see."
Just from the conversation, Helen could feel it. This woman was hiding something. She had done something in that theater—something she shouldn't have been doing.
"I-I should be going now. It's late."
"Could you escort me? It's far too late for a young lady to walk alone."
"I apologize, but I cannot. You are a brilliant spiritist, Lady Sylvestra. I doubt any thug would dare attack you."
Uris fled the scene. Watching her retreating back, Helen curled her lip into a smirk.
"There's definitely something there."
The 'Illusion Theater' run by an illusion mage. To catch Uris's weakness, she decided she needed to pay it a visit.
"Iron-Blooded Knight... you will never beat a member of the Sylvestra family again."
—Imperial Mock Battle: 1st Order vs. 2nd Order. Victory for Uris Balletaoon. —Spiritist Helen de Sylvestra: First Imperial Academy student to contract a High Spirit of Darkness. —100-Minute Debate: War God vs. Hero. Who would win in a duel?
I read today's Imperial Newspaper. It was the daily digest of major events in the Empire. Most of it was focused on the capital and filled with "The Empire is Great!" propaganda, but it had its uses. The gossip and the specialized editorials—like the debate between experts—were quite entertaining. It was also the only way to get a brief look at the state of the Empire, the wars in the provinces, or the movements of other races.
"A High Spirit, huh..."
I looked at the news about Helen de Sylvestra. I'd heard that contracting a High Spirit usually required one to be at the level of a professor. One needed incredible spirit resonance and a mana core capable of handling the spirit's power. Without both, a contract was impossible; usually, only veteran spiritists could reach that stage. And that was for the four main elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.
Special spirits like Darkness or Light were said to have even stricter conditions. Yet, a mere student had contracted a High Spirit of Darkness.
"She's a natural-born genius, then."
That's how she achieved such a feat at her age. It reminded me of my mentor, Maeko. She was a genius too, becoming a magic academic professor before she even hit adulthood.
The Imperial Academy and the Magic Schools were essentially separate entities. Apparently, the Imperial Family didn't fully trust mages, so they created a separate curriculum. Mages studied at the Magic Schools, while all other disciplines were taught at the Academy. I'd heard that even within the palace, there were certain zones where only spiritists could use their powers. Well, I've never been inside the palace, so I wouldn't know.
"The Imperial Academy, huh. Must be nice."
Probably felt like a proper college life—a fantasy version of a university. I wondered if they went on retreats or had clubs. That would be fun. The Magic School felt like a strictly academic labor camp. It was like a military unit where they forced you to study until midnight.
"Well, whatever. They say don't look at a tree you can't climb."
I folded the newspaper and checked the magic circle one more time. Even though I only had one regular customer right now, I had to be prepared for someone to walk in at any time. Uris, having been thoroughly satisfied two days ago, probably wouldn't be back for a while. I needed to focus on magic research and brewing potions to raise some funds.
Bubble, bubble.
I was heading toward the workshop to start a batch of potions when—
Knock, knock.
I heard someone at the door.
"Oh?"
A customer at this hour? I hadn't heard anything about the postman.
"An actual customer?"
Surely it wasn't Uris again? She's been acting a bit "in heat" lately, but surely not...
I opened the door.
"Greetings. Are you the owner of this place?"
A silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty was standing there with her arms crossed, glaring at me. Her tone was sharp. She was wearing high-quality outdoor attire and a blue epaulette symbolizing her status as an Academy student.
She was the woman I had just seen in the newspaper.
"Helen de Sylvestra?"
"Hoh, so you're at least observant?"
"What brings a talented spiritist to a place like this?"
"I've come to ask for a favor."
A favor, huh? What could a top-tier spiritist and noble lady possibly want from me?
"What has Uris been doing here?"
Well, we're starting with a difficult topic right away.