In the end I came alone to the restaurant Heinley and I had planned to come together. I sat at the same table as before, ordered the same dishes from the menu and, as I waited for the food to arrive, pondered Sovieshu's and the dean's words.
Sovieshu's expression turned dark when he mentioned the phenomenon of mage decline. The dean emphasized that he was a mage and a citizen of the Eastern Empire, furthermore he spoke of 'suspicions'.
What 'suspicions' exactly? Do they both think that the Western Empire caused the phenomenon of mage decline?
Perhaps that is the case.
Otherwise, the dean's cold attitude and Sovieshu's sudden seriousness, who had been begging me to come back, made no sense.
However, the suspicions were truly absurd. How could the Western Empire do such a thing? What kind of person would Heinley be?
... What kind of person.
I suddenly remembered that I, who didn't have a bit of mana, was becoming a mage. I also remembered the side effects of the mana bed that Heinley told me about.
I felt an inexplicable tightness in my chest. I forced myself to drink some cold water to dispel the doubts.
Although Heinley was quite cunning, he couldn't be that cruel.
How could he be stealing the mages' mana? The image of Evely suffering was so vivid in my mind that I couldn't believe that Heinley was the cause of it. It was nonsense.
Fortunately, the waiter brought the food I had ordered before I gave it any more thought.
But by then I had lost all appetite. The appetite that I hadn't had for a while. Even though my stomach growled with hunger, I frowned at the mere act of putting food in my mouth.
While I was trying to eat against my will, an employee brought me today's newspaper.
"Umm... Lady. Here you go."
Sitting alone with a frown didn't seem appropriate.
"Thank you."
I said with a forced smile and opened the newspaper with one hand. My mind was confused, so I wanted to think about something else.
As soon as I opened the newspaper, my attention immediately focused on Rashta's name which was in an article.
What is this?
I left the spoon to hold the newspaper properly.
Had a man appeared who claimed to be Rashta's real father?
This was news that had not yet reached the Western Empire.The inception of this chapter's publication is linked to N0v3lb11n.
I had told Countess Jubel that I had something to think about, so she sat at a separate table behind me. Just now, she leaned back to see if I had also received a newspaper from the employee and whispered,
"Your Majesty, did you see this in the newspaper?"
"I just saw it."
"Oh my. What's this all about? I'll take the newspaper. Is there anything more delicious?"
I read the newspaper carefully. The man who claimed to be Rashta's real father had appeared a few days ago. Of course, Rashta denied it.
I could imagine it. After she made up noble parents to dispel rumors that she had been a slave, she would never accept a common man as her real father. Even if he really was.
However, she seemed to have changed her mind in the end. She said that the man who claimed to be her real father had raised her as a child for a time, even though he was not actually her father.
