The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 69: Not a Romantic Comic (7)

After class ended, Emilie didn’t head to the magic research lab as usual.

“Experience, skill, adaptability—I had the upper hand in all of it. Don’t feel too bad about it, Emilie.
Losing to someone stronger isn’t shameful.”

In Emilie’s memory, Astrid stood there with a pristine face, devoid of even a single scratch, smirking as if to mock her. Astrid hadn’t been smiling in reality, but in Emilie’s mind, she certainly had been.

That, however, wasn’t the only reason Emilie didn’t go to the lab today.

In the conventional wisdom of a 1:1 duel between a magician and a warrior, the magician was expected to dominate if there was enough distance.

No matter how fast the warrior, they couldn’t surpass the speed of a magician’s chanting if there was sufficient range. 

If the range were insufficient, the magician could utilize utility spells like entanglement to restrict movement or employ various debuffs before delivering a decisive blow—a reasonable strategy.

Emilie possessed the ability to execute such strategies.

Thus, she had maintained an undefeated record against the numerous heavy cavalry knights and magic knights who had challenged her at the Magic Tower.

But her loss here…

Expressionless, Emilie began gnawing at her meticulously cared-for thumbnail.

The sharp edge of her nail splintered and cracked under her teeth, emitting a faintly unsettling sound.

Crack…

The sound of her nails breaking filled the dormitory room. Staring blankly into space, Emilie began pondering strategies—ways she could properly defeat Astrid.

But no clear strategy came to mind. Restriction spells, freezing spells, slowing spells, small-scale explosions, mid-range homing attacks—she considered every available option.

Yet in a space as confined as the lecture hall’s dueling ring, no surefire method presented itself to bring Astrid down.

Magic was useless if it didn’t hit. No matter how powerful a spell was, it had to connect to be effective. 

Astrid had evaded most of her attacks or emerged with only minor injuries, quickly closing the gap to bring the fight directly to Emilie.

Once the distance was breached, all that awaited the magician was defeat.

Ultimately, the root of all her frustration was clear:

Her lack of skill, knowledge, and experience.

While she couldn’t immediately remedy her lack of experience, Emilie believed she could overcome it with an overwhelming accumulation of knowledge.

“Crown Princess…”

The thought struck her suddenly, and she immediately stopped biting her nail. A faint smile curled on her lips.

It was a brilliant idea.

She was already part of the competition, wasn’t she?

In truth, Emilie had no interest in the power that came with being the Crown Princess. 

She already had enough power and enjoyed the prestige of being the daughter of the Magic Tower’s master.

But even for someone with an insatiable thirst for knowledge like her, there was a place beyond her reach: the Imperial Library’s royal archives.

The Imperial Library was said to contain all the knowledge of the continent, from its inception to the present day. 

However, the most significant tomes were housed in the royal archives—a section strictly off-limits to anyone not of the imperial family.

Emilie longed to step into that sanctum, to immerse herself in the repository of knowledge hidden within. 

But only members of the imperial family could gain access. With the Crown Princess selection thrown into disarray due to the tension between Astrid and Leopold, Emilie had been in the right place at the right time.

As soon as she heard of the opportunity, she decided to participate.

If she won, she would become the Crown Princess, then Empress. She could indulge in the treasure trove of knowledge to her heart’s content.

“The royal archives…”

Emilie stared blankly at the ceiling. Shelves crammed with books. The musty smell of old tomes. 

Dust particles drifting in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Amidst that atmosphere, she could read to her heart’s content, amassing knowledge no one else could match. 

She imagined herself praised as the wise and magnificent Empress.

“Ah.”

Emilie wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth—a fair bit of time had passed before she realized it.

***

“You should come to me. Why do you always summon me like this?”

Veracien plopped unceremoniously into the chair before Astein, grumbling. The weather was already growing unbearably hot, and her black nun’s habit only added to her discomfort.

“You need to get used to the sunlight.”

Astein, as usual, paid little attention to her complaints. His half-lidded eyes, making his expression unreadable, were slightly open as he gazed at Veracien.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Astein. You’re getting too comfortable. If not for the contract, I’d…”

Veracien bared her teeth, her face twisting with irritation.

“Yes, yes, I understand, Veraya-nim. A contract is a contract, and once I achieve my goals, this mortal world will have its share of sunlight too, won’t it?”

His mocking tone was unmistakable. Veracien recognized it, but she decided to let it slide for now.

“So, why did you call me?”

Astein blinked slowly, his half-lidded gaze unfocused. When he tilted his eyes upward, a tear or two glistened at the corners.

“Hah. I knew it. It hurts to keep my eyes open…”

“It’s a side effect. After cramming all that into your body, how could you expect it to remain intact?”

Veracien glared at him. His attempt at what seemed impossible amused her, but she was also curious about the eventual consequences of his folly. If not for the entertainment value, she wouldn’t have entered a contract with someone like him.

“Two of them would’ve been dangerous enough. You’re insane for handling more than that, even if you’re not carrying them physically.”

“I can endure this much. Besides, the academy has made my plans much easier.”

“That’s true. I didn’t even anticipate how much of ‘that’ was gathered here.”

“Exactly. The instructors are already confused. Let’s just stick to the plan, and the contract will be fulfilled.”

Astein smirked, his partially open eyes brimming with amusement.

“Fine, fine. You’re so annoying with your roundabout explanations. This academy is under too much scrutiny.”

“Isn’t it best to avoid unnecessary trouble?”

His raised eyebrows and casual shrug made him look all the more irritating. Veracien sighed, staring daggers at him.

“And you, Astein…”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“Can’t you pick one tone? Either drop the formalities or stick with them!”

【Something’s definitely off.】

“What now?”

Astrid spoke to her true self, the original Astrid. For now, the original had control of the body, while Astrid lingered in the recesses of her consciousness.

Droplets of water clung to the edges of the bathtub, occasionally dripping with a soft plink.

One of the original Astrid’s conditions had been to take a 30-minute soak in the bath every day. 

Today, she had wanted to enjoy the bath herself, so Astrid willingly ceded control for this rare chance.

The original Astrid was clearly pleased, wearing a rare expression of contentment as she soaked.

【Think about it. Covering that much distance in an instant and overpowering a magician? Does that even make sense?】

“Well, I’m just that exceptional of a warrior. Isn’t it obvious? Magicians are just cowards who hide behind their spells. There’s nothing scary about them.”

【Don’t be so dismissive of other people’s professions. You’ll regret it someday.】

“Magic doesn’t scare me. Sure, large-scale spells are dangerous, but I’ve never lost to a magician in a one-on-one fight.”

Even as she listened to the original Astrid’s confident claims, Astrid felt an underlying unease.

“The professor said it didn’t count as a win because I relied on brute strength in magic class. I’m the victim here, you know?”

The original Astrid wasn’t wrong. Despite her victory, Professor Anafrey refused to award points since she hadn’t won using magic.

【That part is the most frustrating.】

“Magicians are all the same—cunning and underhanded. Tch.”

At first, the original Astrid’s arguments sounded absurd. But the more Astrid listened, the more they started to make a strange kind of sense.

Just like now.