MHHC Chapter 62

Acceptance

Adelheid turned to look at his face, but Valentin's expression remained unchanged from usual.

Even as he held her hand too tightly to release, anxious beyond measure. She found it somewhat endearing and smiled faintly.

"I'll stay by my husband's side."

"I see."

Adelheid didn't miss the flash of disappointment in the chamberlain's eyes. He quickly masked his emotions with practiced ease.

"Then, Your Grace, please follow me. His Majesty urgently requests your presence."

"I'll visit shortly."

"However..."

"I have matters to discuss with my wife. Wait at a distance where you cannot hear our conversation."

"...Yes."

The chamberlain bowed, barely concealing his dissatisfaction, and withdrew outside the tent.

Valentin waited until his presence faded before speaking.

"Adele. Do you remember how I taught you to materialize magical power in the carriage?"

"Of course... I remember."

"Practice until you can do it skillfully. So you can summon as much magical power as you need at any moment."

He conjured several golden spheres of magical power above his palm in an instant, then dispersed them.

Adelheid watched the display as if mesmerized.

Setting aside the unease about wielding the power of monsters, magic was quite an attractive force.

But could she ever wield such tremendous power freely, even after a hundred years of effort? As Adelheid's expression dimmed, Valentin smiled and said, "The problem is the preconceptions embedded in your mind."

"Preconceptions?"

"The pathetic belief that you couldn't possibly have power. Such self-deprecation takes deep root and ends up devouring the soul."

"..."

"You must genuinely believe you're capable."

"Genuinely..."

She murmured, looking down at her own hands.

Could she really do it? Since gaining the thread of hope called magic, she'd practiced diligently every single day, but the results were always pitiful.

Simply imbuing magical stones with power was exhausting. Even that would have been impossible without Valentin's help...

"First, practice what I've taught you."

"May I try using magic alone?"

Materializing magical power was incomparably harder and more exhausting than imbuing magical stones with power.

Most worrying were the cathedral priests who'd followed them to the hunting grounds.

If by any chance they sensed the magic and mistook it for a hidden monster, it would be disastrous.

With good luck, they might escape notice. With bad luck, even Valentin's true nature could be exposed.

At her worried expression, he reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

"I placed several barriers as we entered the tent. You'll be safe inside."

Adelheid blinked comfortably, feeling the magical power flowing from his palm.

When he withdrew his hand, she felt oddly disappointed.

"Adele. I mentioned before that most humans carry Morig's power in their bodies, didn't I?"

"Yes. I remember."

"Bringing magical power near is essentially reversing the 'force' flowing through their bodies. Try to master at least that much."

Reversing force. It sounded horribly ominous.

While she shuddered, Valentin raised his hand and drew it vertically through empty air.

A rift opened along the space he'd traced.

Adelheid nearly screamed at the sudden crack appearing in the air. The sight was that bizarre.

"Goodness..."

She barely managed a sigh before Valentin thrust his hand into the torn space.

He reached inside as if it were a library shelf and pulled out thick books.

All looked ancient and extremely old. Some were simply sheaves of parchment bound with string.

"Take these."

He held out the pile of books.

"You know ancient Arian, so you'll be able to read them. They're books recording research on magical power from the Kingdom era."

"The Kingdom era?"

The rift closed in an instant while Adelheid stared wide-eyed. She hesitantly reached out.

"May I really accept these? If they're from that period, they must be precious..."

"Look for the healing magic you wanted in there too. You'll find it."

She hurriedly received the books with both hands.

While she examined them with flushed cheeks, Valentin secretly detached part of his shadow and mixed it into Adelheid's shadow.

Then, with an utterly innocent expression, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back."

Adelheid placed the mountain of magical texts Valentin had given her on the table and began reading through them one by one.

Despite exhaustion from the carriage journey, passion for books and new knowledge infused her entire body with vitality.

Ancient Arian Kingdom-era books were extremely rare.

Most had been lost during 'the Great Collapse,' and the surviving books were either in poor condition or designated forbidden texts by the cathedral under strict management.

But the books Valentin had given her were in good condition from typeface to paper, presenting no reading difficulties.

Once she grew accustomed to the intricate, complex handwriting, the content began sinking in.

Adelheid quickly became absorbed in the books.

The first thin volume seemed written for those newly encountering magical power.

All the content was fascinating and informative.

Particularly surprising was that ancient Arians called magical power 'light' and 'divine gift.'

Not an object of fear and avoidance like today.

'So it's true that many people used magical power in ancient times.'

She suppressed her elation and continued reading through the magical texts.

Some explained theory, others recorded practical combat applications.

By the time she picked up the last book, considerable time had passed. Valentin still hadn't returned.

She ran her fingers over pages marked by time's passage.

'Then just how long has Valentin lived?'

As the sun fully set, servants entered to light lamps inside and outside the tent.

She looked at the magical texts and papers on the table with troubled eyes, but none of the servants showed particular interest.

They appeared as indifferent as if she were reviewing estate management ledgers.

"How will you take your meal? Will you attend the banquet?"

The banquet. Only then did she realize she'd completely forgotten Margaret.

"By any chance, has a carriage bearing the Grand Duchy's seal arrived? My maid hasn't arrived yet."

According to plan, Margaret should have followed directly behind her... Something must have gone wrong.

Lost in reading magical texts, she'd forgotten something she should have naturally checked.

Adelheid bit her lip anxiously.

"There wasn't an accident, was there?"

"To my knowledge, there were no carriage accidents today. With so many people moving at once, roads get congested and delays are common."

"Then I suppose that's fortunate..."

"Regarding the banquet—how would you like to proceed? If you haven't recovered, we can prepare a meal here."

"Is it acceptable not to attend the banquet? I thought His Majesty ordered everyone to participate."

Adelheid tilted her head.

The Emperor himself had insisted on her attendance for this hunting excursion, and hadn't Valentin been forced to comply? Yet the servant was acting as if she had other options.

At Adelheid's words, the servant replied with a troubled expression, "Of course, ordinarily you should attend, but..."

The servant's eyes swept over Adelheid's clothing without quite looking.

"His Grace the Grand Duke requested that Her Grace remain in the tent as much as possible. I understand His Majesty ultimately granted permission."

Adelheid felt considerably relieved.

"If there's no problem, then I'll eat here. Please bring it to me."

"Understood."

Soon servants returned bearing trays with white bread and apricot jam, soup, roasted beef, and fresh salad.

Seeing the food made forgotten hunger surge forward. She spread jam on bread and enjoyed the salad with relish.

When she pushed aside the finished tray and rang the bell, servants entered and cleared the dishes.

Adelheid requested strongly brewed tea from them, then returned to sit before the magical texts with her cup.

'Now for the last book.'

The final book was thicker than the previous three combined.

A quick glance revealed densely packed text filling every page, enough to drain one's energy just looking at it.

She felt somewhat daunted as she rapidly flipped through the pages.

It seemed to be a book detailing the principles, manifestation, and application of magical power with thorough explanations.

As Adelheid turned pages, she discovered someone had densely annotated every corner.

'This handwriting...'

She examined the book carefully, then discovered a signature in the back section.

Adelheid Désirée Bathildis Nürnbergian.