[Lifespan Remaining: 25 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes.]
Night rolled around a couple of hours later as they made their way back to Altaire, and currently, Noct was wearing the most baffling disguise ever.
Lenia had decided to make Noct her "intern from Rexford Academy", giving him a small blank magic item that looked like a mask.
As soon as he put it on, his hair suddenly became a curly blonde and his face barely looked like he could hold a conversation properly without running away.
"Did you really have to choose this disguise out of everything..." Noct complained.
Lenia simply shrugged. "It only has one setting. Do you want it or not?"
"Fine..."
Even Noelle, who usually holds a blank face at the funniest jokes he cracks, was losing the battle against the corner of her lips, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
They decided to take separate gates. Noct took the entrance to Plateau, the noble district and the other two disguised as commoners, taking the other one.
This was done to not alert the entire city that a Magus was currently inside its walls, so that she would be free to move around and do as she pleased.
Well, that was her reason anyway, but Noct suspected that she was just lazy and didn’t want to attend. Still, she had promised to monitor the banquet, and a mage of her caliber undoubtedly possessed the spells to do so.
He wasn’t about to complain.
The two women monitored the disguised Noct as he presented both his letter and entry permit to the guards.
It was strange that someone who was supposed to represent the Witch of Black Ice came on foot and looked like a nerd, but well, the guards didn’t judge as they knew how strange she was as well.
After a few moments, Noct was cleared to enter. The other two followed just right after, presenting themselves as small merchants seeking respite.
Now, Noelle’s job was to escort Lenia Eis to Diamond Merchantry, where she would stay just in case something happened.
But well...the witch seemed eager to talk.
"Your Young Master, he’s a peculiar one, isn’t he?" Lenia asked as she walked. "He’s on Amelia’s side? No, that doesn’t seem right for someone like him."
"Why?" Noelle frowned. "If you have any questions, you should ask him. I’m just a maid."
"You know I doubt that," the witch smirked but continued on. "I’m just curious about him. He was the only one to pique my curiosity in a long time, that’s all."
For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke.
Lenia didn’t appear bothered by the silence. Noelle, meanwhile, kept one hand near her side, weapons at the ready in case she tried anything.
The Witch of Black Ice was one of Amon de Arcadia’s oldest acquaintances. She had also agreed to support Noct’s claim over the mines, even if her reasons were entirely self-serving.
But that did not mean Noelle trusted her.
She knew what her employer was like and knew what the situation at House Arcadia was. Lenia might look carefree now, but Noelle knew better.
Her reasoning was that she was interested in the Young Master, but she could just as easily be evaluating him and reporting back to the Lord.
But eventually, the witch broke the silence. "Has Noct truly been...cured? He certainly looks that way."
"I’m afraid I don’t understand your question."
"Yes, you do."
The witch continued walking without looking at her. "His complexion has improved, and he carries himself better than someone confined to bed for most of his life. To an ordinary person, he might even appear healthy."
"Well, I say that..." she chuckled to herself softly. "But I’ve never seen the boy. Only the rumors, that’s all."
Though once she finished, the air suddenly became chilly as the witch finally turned to look at the young maid. "Remember, I am not an ordinary person."
"..."
"His mana and life force are horribly unbalanced. He possesses more magical potential than most mages. Even if he’s somewhat behind on the starting line, someone like Noct could easily catch up."
"However... his body is like a candle struggling to sustain a bonfire."
"So I’ll ask again," Lenia cleared her throat. "Has his curse truly been cured?"
Noelle considered lying. Noct’s condition was one that only two people knew about: his fiancée Aurora and herself. If word spread that he was still ill, everything her Young Master had established prior would immediately lose its weight.
Yet an unpleasant feeling had been lingering inside her ever since Noct came up with that plan. Perhaps it was simply worry, or that she had become too accustomed to hovering over him after thirteen years.
But one thing she knew she could count on...were her own instincts. And right now, those instincts were telling her that something was wrong.
She stared at Lenia once more, studying her carefully.
The witch possessed no apparent interest in the Arcadia succession, because if she did, one side would’ve had control of Altaire by now. More importantly, whatever existed underneath those mines concerned her just as much as it concerned Noct.
If something happened to him, Lenia might be the only person in Altaire powerful enough to help.
"No," Noelle finally answered. "He hasn’t been cured."
They both stopped in the middle of the stone road.
"The Young Master discovered a way to prolong his life," she continued. "By absorbing concentrated mana from an external source, he can turn it into lifeforce. However, the conversion seems inefficient..."
"It allowed him to leave his bed and use magic again, but the curse itself remains," Noelle explained.
Lenia nodded slowly before following up. "At what cost?"
"Every hint of magic he uses..." The maid hesitated before answering. "Takes up his lifespan. The stronger the magic, the greater the cost."
"Does he know that you know?"
"No."
"How long does he have?"
"I’m not sure, but I feel it isn’t long..."
"Cheeky brat," Lenia smirked. "He wants to take over the mines so he can have a near-endless supply of mana stones. That’s why he’s taking such a risk, intervening into his siblings’ affairs."
They must’ve lost track of time, because by the next turn, they were right at Diamond Merchantry’s front door.
Noelle reached for the door’s handle to escort the witch in, but just before she opened the door, the maid simply bowed.
"Mistress Lenia. If anything happens, please save the Young Master."
The witch flinched, taken aback by such genuine care spoken from the heart. "You and your Young Master have completely opposite personalities..."
Yet despite that, her smile widened even more.
"Don’t worry. I’m the strongest one here, after all."