[Interlude] The Lady of Stone

I am Lina Rolling.

My younger brother has returned from the Empire after a long time.

This is the highest tower within the mansion, where I can see the main gate and watch for his arrival.

He's grown quite a bit taller. It's heartwarming to feel his growth as family.

My younger brother was studying abroad in the Empire. He shouldn't have been someone who would go to another country, given that he can use magic. Magical users are precious assets to any nation—both militarily and industrially.

However, his younger brother was still inexperienced, both physically and in magic.

The purpose was to study abroad in the empire, where magical research was advancing, in order to further improve my magical proficiency.

But that's only a nominal reason.

Actually, it's a transaction.

Fortunately, the kingdom is ahead of the empire in basic gemstone research. However, it hasn't yet reached practical combat readiness. The empire, on the other hand, is making steady progress in magical research, and as a result, there are more magic users in the empire. When it comes to utilizing gemstones, the two are roughly on par.

When it comes to combat, magic is practically more useful than gemstones, which can only undergo a fixed amount of physical change. Magic, on the other hand, allows free manipulation of physical phenomena.

It is said that a top-tier magician can match the strength of a fully trained battalion or regiment, while even an inexperienced one, if trained for several years and working in groups of multiple individuals, can rival a large army.

The kingdom is anxious. It seems the empire also realizes this and has deployed troops across various regions, intensifying pressure.

Fortunately, here the national border is blocked by the sea, so the threat is relatively small. Perhaps because of that, my younger brother has decided to go to the empire for various reasons.

"Sister! I'm home."

"Welcome back, William. Were you well?"

My younger brother came to me right after returning home. Even after several years, he hasn't changed at all. I'm happy to see it, but I also feel he's still very young.

The moment he saw me, he gave a slightly sorrowful look, then quickly smiled again. It was obvious he was trying to hide it—his attempt was completely transparent.

Of course, it's because my illness has been progressing.

We talked about what had happened during the time we were apart.

Though, truthfully, there wasn't much I could tell him, living day after day within this tower.

I mostly just listen to my younger brother’s stories. He told me, in the midst of all this, that he had finally learned to use magic.

I couldn’t help but worry—what if he’s used as a weapon next? That fear lingered, making it hard to truly rejoice.

It seems we're about to face a dangerous monster in battle, so that's something to consider. And he shared another interesting piece of news—he's found a mentor. Thanks to his mentor, he's learned to use magic. Moreover, the mentor has come to this town and will be looking after my illness.

I'll set aside the matter of my illness for now, but it's certainly reassuring that William has someone he can trust.

There aren't many places in the family home where he feels truly at ease, so he'll surely be a great source of comfort for William.

Incidentally, outsiders can't easily enter the mansion—what do you plan to do about that?

"William, how exactly are you going to bring your master into the house?"

"Yes! I think I'll have her disguise herself as a maid. Then, once we reach the treasure vault, I'll hand her the voice-altering gemstone. My master should be able to use it."

...What an assumption. Even though he's my younger brother, is this really going to work? I'm starting to worry. Besides, if they find out we're stealing from the treasure vault, we're in serious trouble.

Two or three days later, it actually happened. That so-called maid? It was a man wearing a maid's outfit. His voice was high-pitched, just like a woman's, but that was the only thing that was feminine about him.

It felt incredibly strange.

As soon as we entered the room, he quickly removed his disguise. He introduced himself as the adventurer Sato Taro. I was given a brief introduction. Although he was said to be William's master, I couldn't sense any such aura about him.

There's nothing I can do about it. I'd rather not talk about such personal matters with a complete stranger, but he was brought by my brother. This has never happened before, and if I'm ill, there's a chance my brother might be ill too. If I leave a record, it might make things easier for him.

"If it's my brother's request, then there's nothing I can do. Please take care of me."

Treatment began right away.

That said, it was just the usual consultation. I've probably gone through this countless times by now. Surely he's doing the same as always...

Then he stares intently at the magical stones attached to my body. It's not exactly a comfortable feeling. I'm embarrassed, even though I'm still a woman.

His gaze feels less like looking at a person and more like examining an object. How rude of him, making me feel so self-conscious.

I was asked when the magic stone first appeared on my body. Since hiding it would be pointless, I answered honestly. Then he pointed out that my answer didn’t match the story William had told me. Naturally, I hadn’t told William the truth.

When I explained that, he fell into deep thought. Is something like that really important? He then asked whether the number of bestial creatures was increasing. Since I hadn’t received any such reports, I told him that. Upon hearing it, he thought deeply once again.

I began to seriously worry about whether this person was really okay. And finally, it came—the extraction of the magical stone.

I truly hate this procedure. It hurts terribly. The pain is so intense that I can’t think straight.

I was to extract a portion from the part of my left arm where the magical stone protrudes the most.

My arm was secured, and using an axe and a hammer, I had to chip away only the stone. Since the pain continues if done gradually, I decided to get it over with in one swift motion.

Dong! With a dull thud, a roughly 10-centimeter magic stone tumbled out and rolled away. At the same instant, sharp pain shot through me. It felt as if my arm had been severed. The pain quickly shifted to a dull ache that spread throughout my body, echoing as though my bones were being hammered from within.

Anne rushes over to support me. She knows full well that even healing stones won’t help. It’s agonizing. Why does this have to happen only to me?

That day ended there. I spent the rest of the day struggling against the dull, persistent pain.

The next morning, I woke up and the pain had completely vanished.

But the thought of having to gather more stones again fills me with dread.

By noon, my legs started hurting again. It never used to happen when the magic stones first appeared on my body, but since I’ve been unable to bend my legs, the pain has been spreading to my arms and legs more frequently.

Before I even realized it, Taro had arrived. I tried my best to remain calm and invited him in. Still, Taro noticed something was different about me. Even though we’d only met once before, he’s surprisingly observant.

I need to reconsider my impression that yesterday was uneventful.

This pain is different from when I had the magic stone removed—it lessens over time or when I press on it. This time, the pain gradually subsided.

When I was asked by Taro when I first started feeling this pain, I realized I’d never told William about it.

I started thinking about it again, and just like yesterday, I began feeling troubled once more. Taro suddenly asked a question out of nowhere. He asked things that seemed unrelated to his illness.

As I was answering his questions, Anne arrived. Anne gave Taro a sharp look.