Avoid The Lead! [[COMPLETED]]

28. The Palace

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With Novia and Lady Garrett out of House Scarlett, Celia could take other steps... the first of which was to systematically kick out any Maids or Servants in Novia or Lady Garrett's circle.

It was a cleansing of sorts, and Celia felt great when it was done.

'Good Riddance!' The last thing she needed were spies in her own home!

Two sunrises later, a strange individual visited the Scarlett household...

"Cece! I trust you, but..." Lord Scarlett was eyeing a greasy elf who sat wolfing down several dishes of food at once. "He is...?"

"Ehehe, Papa don't worry! I want to create a new spell, and he has volunteered as a test subject! Just let him stay in one of the empty rooms... I already made arrangements for his care in my absence!"

Celia smiled, as the servants led the hungry looking man to his new living quarters.

In all her fake lives, she had heard about him while working in the Palace.

The man had been born with a powerful boundary technique, but he had been discarded by his family and society, because that technique was capable of canceling any magic around him.

Starving and driven by desperation, he had wreaked havoc in several places, including the capital, which led to his arrest and execution.

His powers were an anomaly, and it had taken two Grand Mages half a day to finally tire him out and arrest him.

In this life, Celia had sent Butler Gray to quickly find and shelter him, and his signed note was one of the few left in her little tin box.

The man couldn't control his technique, but Celia could, and she could even make it targeted!

She had always admired how fortified the Palace was against magic, but it had taken thousands of years to build, and though there were spells which could fortify a place, they were temporary and limiting...

But with this one elf, every high level technique within the Scarlett Estate had been cancelled the instant he strolled in, and they would remain cancelled till he left....

With the exception of Celia, her father, and a few others of course.

This was enough to fortify the entire Estate, and all Celia had to do was channel his magic, making House Scarlett a safe base for future plans...

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Meanwhile, amidst the chaos of scandals, Celia nearly forgot all about Grand Mage Soren, and she quickly sent Butler Gray to fetch the Magical Post.

She sighed with relief after scouring through several papers and finding nothing written about him or Elfsworth Academy.

'Taze must have succeeded!' She concluded, and the thought brought a smile to her face and light to her eyes.

She missed Taze, and couldn't wait to see him!

But work began after the New Year and there was still some time before that, so Celia distracted herself by visiting Carla as often as possible, burying her worries under Carla's endless optimism and lighthearted chatter.

And when she wasn't out visiting, she spent the days away with Sara, who was always there, always willing to cheer her up.

Before long, the New Year had arrived, and Celia's stomach had taken on the habit of performing funny tumbles...

'I'll soon see him again!' She floated through the days with joy, although the joy was marred by an unpleasant shadow.

The New Year meant the seventeenth year.