Theorad, the Star Instructor (5)
The matching Witch Note ID suggested an absurd possibility. But after a little thought, Pares decided that Theorad could not possibly be the Black Flame Witch.
Their personalities were too different.
Every word from the Black Flame Witch had seemed sharp enough to wound. Theorad, by contrast, was warmhearted. He sometimes teased people, but consideration lay behind his manner. There was little about him that resembled the terrifying witch.
And there's something else…
Pares had encountered the Black Flame Witch in person before. She still remembered the sudden appearance in her room, the letter the witch had delivered, and the advice that had accompanied it.
One warning in particular was impossible to forget.
“Don't fall for Theorad. If you do, I really will kill you.”
If Theorad and the Black Flame Witch were the same person, why would the witch have warned Pares against falling in love with him? That would have been a truly extraordinary degree of self-importance.
Then why were they using the same ID?
Pares closed her eyes and applied her considerable powers of deduction.
The Black Flame Witch's disciple!
Yes. That was the most convincing answer.
It all makes sense.
Eighteen years ago, the Black Flame Witch had last been seen at the Deharem mansion. What if she had never left? What if she'd remained there all that time?
And taken Viscount Theorad as her apprentice…!
That would explain how he had apparently perfected artificial rain magic and performed magic in his lecture that even an archmage acknowledged.
He would be capable of such marvels if he had studied under a legendary witch respected by witches and wizards alike.
Incredible…
Perhaps Pares had uncovered a secret she was never meant to know.
Trying to slow her breathing, she decided to check one more detail.
“V-Viscount Theorad… May I ask for the unique identification number attached to your ID?”
“The identification number?”
Theorad frowned.
It has a number?
Now that he thought about it, there might have been digits beside his account name. He had never paid close attention. Apart from Ashley, he scarcely contacted anyone through Witch Note and had little need to learn all its functions.
“Do you need it?”
“Yes. You need the identification number to add someone as a friend.”
“I see. I'll check when I get back to my room and tell you.”
It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion. Pares, burning with curiosity, found it unbearable.
“Could we check now? I've always wondered what a Royal Suite looks like… And you're so busy that I don't know when we'd meet again.”
Theorad considered the request.
He would rather have declined, but he didn't want to disappoint Pares.
“Very well, if you want to. But please don't stay long. I'm not the only one using the suite.”
“Of course!”
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the forty-fifth floor.
The hallway outside was spotless. Paintings hung against the walls above polished marble, and glowing crystal spheres occupied the sconces where candles might ordinarily stand.
Even the corridor was a world apart from the junior suites on the forty-third floor.
Pares gazed around in awe until Theorad touched her shoulder.
“Come along.”
He led the way, opened the door to his suite and stepped inside.
“Excuse me…”
Following him, Pares caught her breath.
Every furnishing looked expensive. Through the enormous glass window, much of the imperial capital lay spread out below.
The room itself had two levels, with a staircase leading to the upper floor. Crystals set with magic stones provided light throughout.
“Wow…”
Theorad, long since accustomed to the place, simply removed his coat and hung it up.
So this is how nobles live…
Pares shook herself. She hadn't come to admire his comforts.
She soon spotted a Witch Note on the living-room table, hurried over and opened it. A blue screen appeared above its pages.
Let's see… identification number…
There it was.
The number matched the one she remembered from the Black Flame Witch's message—not only the account name, but the unique digits as well.
I knew it! Viscount Theorad must be the Black Flame Witch's disciple!
Surely the evidence could mean nothing else.
You've discovered a truth the world was trying to hide, Pares.
She congratulated herself on being clever enough to meet a legendary witch and uncover her supposedly secret pupil. Her grandmother had warned her that too much cleverness brought trouble. Now she understood.
“What are you doing?”
“Eek!”
Pares hastily shut the Witch Note.
Theorad was standing nearby with two cups of tea. He tilted his head and offered one.
“Have some. It was already here in the room, and the leaves are rather good.”
“Ah… ha ha. Thank you.”
She took the cup and drank a little.
“Mm! Yes, excellent quality. Very fine tea indeed.”
In truth, she knew little about tea. Theorad had praised it, so she assumed it was good and tried to sound knowledgeable. He smiled at the obvious pretense.
“I'm glad you like it. Were you able to check my identification number?”
“Yes… It was one I recognized.”
“You recognized someone's number?”
“Ah! I meant that I recognized yours, of course.”
“I see. Witches do make these things complicated.”
Theorad lifted his tea and drank without making a sound. His posture and every small movement were so precise that Pares found herself staring again.
She cleared her throat.
“By the way, Viscount… what do you think of the Princess?”
The Princess?
He assumed she meant Benelia. He wasn't sure why Pares had brought her up, but he could answer readily enough.
“She's a good person. At the very least, she isn't someone who looks down on others simply because she holds power.”
“Then… would you say you support Princess Benelia?”
“I suppose so. It wouldn't be wrong to put it that way.”
Pares looked suddenly interested.
“And would your teacher think the same?”
My teacher?
Theorad had never had a master of magic. Perhaps she meant his father.
His father had been righteous and generous; surely he, too, would have found much to respect in Princess Benelia.
“I expect my teacher would agree. But why do you ask?”
“W-well… this is confidential, but the chairman is making some sort of arrangement with the Princess. That's why I wanted to know what you thought.”
Theorad didn't entirely understand, but he was glad if his answer was useful.
“In that case, perhaps now—”
“Y-yes! I've checked the number, so I should be going! Thank you for having me!”
He had been about to offer something to eat, but Pares was already eager to leave. Perhaps the visit had made her uncomfortable.
Still, he couldn't send a guest away so abruptly.
“One moment. I'd like to give you a small present.”
The elf arrived on the forty-fifth floor carrying pudding.
She had taken only a few steps down the hallway when the suite door opened and Pares emerged, her arms heaped with spices and other foodstuffs. There was so much that the packages nearly hid her face.
Why?
Why was Pares coming out of Theorad's room? What could they have discussed alone?
Irritation rose inside the elf. She frowned and walked past as Pares carefully balanced the unexpected gifts.
The elf entered the suite without greeting her.
Theorad was clearing tea things from the table. He looked around.
“Oh, you're back.”
His ordinary greeting displeased her. So did the cup still in his hand.
He was behaving exactly as he usually did, yet somehow everything about him was irritating. She felt as though her feelings were being stirred and toyed with for no reason she could name.
“…”
Without answering, the elf put the pudding on the living-room table and sat on the sofa, folding her arms.
Theorad hesitated at her unmistakable expression of protest.
“Did something happen while you were out?”
Silence.
He couldn't tell whether she wanted him to play the cruel master or speak to her normally. After thinking it over, he ventured another remark.
“You aren't jealous, are you? Pares was only—”
“What if I am?”
The quiet interruption struck him like a wave.
Theorad stared. He had never expected the elf to say such a thing.
She looked straight at him, pressed her lips together, then spoke again.
“…If I am jealous, what will you do?”
The resolve in her red eyes left him completely at a loss.