Monica Everett, who had been lying asleep on her desk with a pen in her right hand and a stack of papers in her left, woke up to the morning light streaming in through the window.

Apparently, she had left the curtains open and fallen asleep again.

It is always the case that when you are absorbed in calculations, the details of daily life become neglected. The fact that she had forgotten to close the curtains meant that she had been absorbed in her work from before the sun went down until she fell asleep yesterday.

As she lazily sat up and rubbed her eyes, she noticed a thread of ink on the side of her hand. She put her hand to her cheek, wondering what it might be, and a boisterous voice sounded from above her head.

"Monica, you're in trouble! There's a weird pattern appearing on your face! It must be the curse of the dark dragon. Anyone who suffers from this curse will have those cursed patterns spread all over their body and they will disappear away after lying around for three days and three nights! I saw it written in a book I read the other day!"

Monica moved her eyes, still sleepily, looked up at the owner of the boisterous voice.

Glittering golden eyes gazed down at Monica on the ceiling beams where the sunlight never reached. Blinking a few times, she could vaguely see the outline of a black cat blending into the darkness.

"…Nero, you know, this isn't a curse or anything…"

Monica lifted the paper she was halfway through writing the formula on and brought it up to her face level.

Holding the paper next to her cheek, the same pattern laid out as if it were a mirror image.

"I just fell asleep lying on top of a formula I was writing, and this is just some ink on my face…"

When Monica waved the formula paper in the air, Nero, the black cat who had been looking down on her from the ceiling beam, nimbly jumped onto the desk.

Nero wasn't just a black cat. He was Monica's familiar and understood human language. He also recently learned to read, so while Monica was engrossed in her formula he would spend his time reading entertaining novels.

Nero looked up at Monica from the desk and said rudely, "You are such an idiot."

"Actually, the curse of the dark dragon can be lifted with a kiss from the fairy prince. Shall I try it out on you?"

"You are not a fairy, Nero… Mm… I'm going to wash my face…"

＊ ＊ ＊

Going around the back of the house, Monica moved her small body diligently to draw water from the well.

Recently, the development of plumbing technology has been making significant progress, and not only in the big cities but also in the villages around here. However, this cabin located in the middle of the mountain was, as expected, not equipped with tap water.

Monica, who had grown up in the city, found it inconvenient at first, but lately, she had gotten used to living in the mountains. The best thing is that it's quiet and uncrowded.

After getting a tub of water for drinking, Monica went back inside the cabin and looked at the figure in the corner of the room as if she had just remembered.

Someone had told her to mind her appearance a little bit, and she had been forced to bring in a dresser, which was quite magnificent for this shabby hut.

Unlike mirrors made of polished bronze, this beautiful mirror was made of tinned glass—not to mention its size was of a full-length mirror, which's a very expensive item. If a thief were to break into this cabin, this mirror would be the first thing he would take.

In such a splendid mirror, the image shown was of a skinny, petite girl with shaggy hair. Compared to her actual age of seventeen, her poor body was pale and looked like a dead person. Her light brown hair, plaited in two, was dry and shabby, more coarse than a bundle of straw. Her eyes, underneath her overgrown bangs, were covered with dark circles. Now that she thought about it, she realized that she hadn't slept at all the night before last.

At least she needs a cup of coffee to clear her head.

Monica took a can of coffee beans from her desk, which was buried in a stack of papers, and coarsely poured them into the mill.

Making sure that the scale was set to fine grind, Monica turned the handle around and around.

Amused by the scene, Nero jumped up on the desk and looked at her.

"I have always wondered why people with weak stomachs want to eat so many strange foods… Those beans are the ones you roast until they turn black, right? They are very bitter, aren't they? Do they taste good?"

"It's delicious."

With that, Monica took out a metal pot.

The teapot was longer and narrower than most teapots, and it split in two at the center.

First, pour water into the lower part of the pot, which is divided into upper and lower parts, then set a funnel with a metal filter on top of it. Put the finely ground coffee beans in there until they become powdery, and set the top of the pot firmly on the bottom.

Monica lifted the pot and looked at the poorly constructed stone fireplace. With just that, a thin fire blazed inside the stove.

The unnaturally long and thin fire, unlike the fire that was ignited by a tinder made of wood, was the result of spell.

Monica put the metal pot on the fire and took some nuts out of the cupboard and popped them into her mouth. There were very few nuts left in the preserved food.

Since it is now the end of summer, the forest will be full of nuts in another month. Once that happens, she could ask Nero to help her pick some nuts.

As she was absentmindedly thinking about this, the metal pot which was on the fire made a gurgling sound. Monica put out the fire with one look and poured the contents of the pot into a tin mug.

Here in the Ridill Kingdom, coffee is not a very common drink. There are a few coffee houses in the capital, but they are basically for men to enjoy. Women do not like coffee very much. They generally prefer black tea.

Monica likes to drink coffee because of her late father's influence. This special metal pot was also specially made by her father, who had asked a craftsman to make it for her. Now, it is a treasured memento of her father.

Monica huffed and puffed into the tin mug and sipped at its contents.

Although the bitterness is strong, the coffee is brewed in a short time and has a clean taste without any bitterness. The best thing about it is that it helps her awaken from her drowsiness.

"Monica, I'd like to try some of that too."

Nero scurried around the desk, begging Monica for coffee.

Monica dribbled some of the coffee that was left at the bottom of the cup onto a spoon and placed it in front of Nero.

She shouldn't give coffee to cats, but Nero is not a normal cat, so it will be fine… perhaps.

"You just said it was bitter."

"You know, any creature that forgets its sense of adventure would make them goes on degenerating."

"…that's what the book said?"

"Oh, I like Dustin Günther a lot."

Nero licked the coffee off his spoon as he mentioned the name of a novelist who was popular in the capital.

As soon as he did, all the hair on his body stood on end.

"Hongyarabubbo———!"

Nero let out a mewling sound that neither human nor cat would have made, and rolled around on the desk. As expected, it didn't suit his tongue.

Nero let out a ragged breath like a warrior who has just returned from the dead and looked up into Monica's face.

"It tasted too stimulating for my adventurous taste buds. Your taste buds must be crazy to be able to drink this."

"……"

Milk and sugar would have made it easier to drink, but both of those are precious in this mountain.

Monica suddenly remembered that today was the day she was supposed to have her monthly supplies delivered.

Monica, who is very shy and does not like to go shopping in stores, has been asking people from the village at the foot of the mountain to deliver food and other supplies to her. One of those items could be milk.

As for sugar… it was impossible to get refined white sugar, but they may share honey with you if you ask for it. Beekeeping is very popular in this region, and honey is relatively easy to get.

The combination of honey and coffee is a matter of taste, but it would probably suit Nero's taste better.

With these thoughts in mind, there was a knock at the door of the cabin as she was washing the pot.

"Monica, I'm here to deliver your goods!"

"You got a visitor. Guess I'll be pretending to be a cat. Meow."

"Okay."

Nodding to Nero, Monica opened the door with trepidation.

There was a cart in front of the door, and a girl of about ten years old was standing in front of it.

She is a feisty-looking girl with dark brown hair tied behind her neck. She is a girl from a village near here, and her name is Annie.

This girl was the one who delivered the goods to Monica.

Monica peeked out a little from behind the door and said, "H-Hello," with a jittery look on her face. Annie was used to Monica's attitude, and after unloading the goods from the cart, she pushed Monica away and opened the door.

"Let's get your stuff inside. You can help me with the door."

"O-okay…"

Monica gave a small, jittery nod, and Annie briskly carried the goods inside.

The cabin where Monica lives has very little furniture, but the table and floor are cluttered with stacks of papers and books, and there is no place to step. Her bed was already filled with papers, and she couldn't even lie down on it. That's why Monica had recently made it a habit to sleep on a chair.

"Your house is terrible as usual! So tell me, is this bundle of paper important? Should I throw it away?"

"A-All of them is important!"

Annie looked at the stack of papers occupying the floor with suspicious eyes.

"Hey, these are formulas, right? What exactly are you trying to calculate?"

Annie can read, and being the daughter of a craftsman, she is good with numbers. She is only a little over ten years old, but she is a smart girl compared to other children her age.

Even for Annie, it seemed that what was written here was just a series of numbers that she could not understand.

Monica turned over and answered while avoiding eye contact with Annie.

"Well, that one… is a formula for calculating the orbits of stars."

"Then what's this? It's got a lot of plant names on it."

"It is… for calculates and tabulates the fertilizer mix for plants…"

"Then how about this? Are those magic letters? Somehow it's kind of similar to it…"

"I-It was a new formula for a complex spell that was proposed by Professor Minerva…"

Annie's eyes widened as she fiddled with the sleeves of her bulky robe and whispered back to Monica.

"Spell formula? You can use spellcraft, Monica?"

"Um, well, that's…"

Monica stammered, her gaze wandering left and right.

Nero, who was pretending to be asleep on the shelf, meowed as if to say, "Hey, hey, are you okay?"

When Monica was forever fidgeting and kneading her fingers, Annie lightly coughed and laughed.

"Of course, there's no way you could use spellcraft. If you could use it, you wouldn't be living in seclusion in the mountains, but working in the capital instead."

Spellcraft──By using some method, it can achieve some phenomenon to create miracles.

It used to be a secret technique monopolized by the aristocracy, but in recent years, the common people have been given the opportunity to learn it.

Even so, to enter an academy to learn spellcraft, you need to have a certain amount of wealth or talent, and it's not something that anyone can easily learn.

If someone from the common people had become a magician, that would be considered a big success.

For example, a senior magician can get a job in the Magical Corps, which is the most popular type of magician.

And a mid-level magician or higher can work for a specialized institution for magic research or as a servant for a noble family.

Even if one were to live as a researcher, it would be natural to conduct research in a place with splendid facilities in the royal capital, not in a shabby cabin deep in the mountains like this.

Annie was right in pointing out that Monica, who lived in a cabin deep in the mountains, could not possibly be a magician.

"Hey, have you heard, Monica? Three months ago, the eastern border was attacked by a dragon."

Monica's shoulders twitched under her cape, and Nero, who had been pretending to be asleep on the shelf, opened one eye.

Nero's tail, dangling slackly beneath the shelf, swished like the pendulum of a clock.

"A large number winged dragon has appeared in a flock in the village! I heard there were more than ten of them!"

As the name suggests, the winged dragon is a dragon with wings. They are a lower-ranking species of the dragon with low intelligence, but they are very formidable in packs. They often target livestock, but in the past few years, it has not been uncommon for starving winged dragons to attack humans.

"And then! And then! The one who was leading that group of winged dragons was… a legendary black dragon! The infamous Black Dragon of Wogan!"

Among dragons, those titled with a color in their names are called the higher species and are considered especially dangerous. The most dangerous of them all is the black dragon.

The special flame breathed out by the black dragon, the black flame, is a forbidden flame that mercilessly burns through the defensive boundaries of high-ranking magicians. Once the black dragon goes on a rampage, it is not surprising that the country will turn into scorched earth. Truly, a dangerous creature worthy of legend.

"So! I heard that the Dragon Knights went to defeat the Black Dragon, and one of them was accompanied by one of the Seven Sages! Oh, you know what the Seven Sages are? They're the top seven magicians in this country. Anyway, they're amazing magicians."

"H-Heh…"

"The youngest of the Seven Sages, the Silent Witch! She single-handedly shot down all the winged dragons and not only that, but she also wipe out the Black Dragon of Wogan!"

For a rural village, this kind of gossip is a valuable form of entertainment.

Annie's eyes were already sparkling with excitement… but Monica was far from it. To be honest, she felt like throwing up a little.

"The Silent Witch is the only magician in existence who uses "Chantless Spell"! Normally, chanting is required for spellcraft, but the Silent Witch doesn't need to chant at all! She can use powerful magic without chanting!"

Monica silently held her stomach which was hurt as if it was being squeezed.

Even though it was a pleasant early summer morning, Monica was drenched in sweat all over.

"I wish I could see them just once. The real Seven Sages."

In the countryside like this, it's rare to see a magician, let alone one of the Seven Sages. That's probably why Annie has something close to longing for a magician.

Holding her aching stomach, Monica pulled a leather bag from the shelf and took out a few silver coins from it. She took out a few silver coins from the leather bag, which she used to pay for the goods brought to her and to pay Annie's wages.

"T-Thanks for… a-always… bringing me t-these goods…"

Thanking her, Monica placed the silver coin in Annie's hand.

Annie counted the number of silver coins and tilted her head.

"You're giving me this much as usual? That's almost twice the amount of goods you have here."

"S-since you're delivering it to me… you can keep the extra… as your allowance, Annie."

Most children would have been happy to put the coins in their pockets, but Annie was a smart girl.

Annie looked up at Monica with probing eyes at the undeserved reward.

"What kind of a job does Monica do?"

"Um… Accounting?"

"You're a professor of mathematics?"

"I guess… it's… something… like that… yeah…"

The piles of documents filed in here were all distinct.

In addition to the orbits of the stars and the blending of fertilizers, there are all kinds of data on demographics, tax revenues, product sales, and all sorts of other numbers that are lined up in this cabin in a seemingly disorderly fashion—according to an order that only Monica can understand.

Annie seemed to be reasonably satisfied with the "a professor of mathematics" explanation.

"Hmm, so the person who came to our village yesterday is also a professor of mathematics."

"Huh?"

"Someone who said he was your colleague came to our village. He wanted to go to your house, so I gave him directions. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

—Colleague.

At that comment, Monica's face paled.

Monica asked Annie in a muffled voice, her body shaking beneath her oversized robe.

"W-W-What kind o-o-o-o-of person… i-i-i-i-is he?"

"It's me."

A clear voice rang out behind Monica.

Monica's throat hitched.

When she turned around, there was a beautiful man with lustrous chestnut hair in braids, leaning against the door and smiling. Beside him was a blonde beauty in a maid's uniform.

The man is wearing a fine frock coat, a walking stick, and a pair of glasses. From every angle, he looks like a refined and elegant man. Above all, he had a thin, feminine face that would make most women swoon.

But as though Monica had encountered an evil dragon, she peeled her eyes open and desperately swallowed her scream.

"Aa, A-a-a-a, Lo-lo-lo-lo, louis… is-san… Hiieek!?"

"Can you please not make up funny names for people, like Lololo Lowlowis?"

"Hiiieek, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The man smiled at Annie, not paying attention to the half-frozen Monica. He then took the girl's hand and placed a candy bar on it.

"Thanks for showing me the way and being so helpful, young lady."

"It's my pleasure."

Annie smiled and gave a ladylike bow to the beautiful young man, and tossed a candy bar into her pocket.

"Okay, I don't want to interrupt your work, so I'll be going now. Bye-bye, Monica. See you in a month!"

With that, Annie left the hut, her gait more ladylike than usual.

As she listened hopelessly to the rattle of the cart pulling away, Monica looked up at the man in front of her with tears in her eyes.

He mimics himself with a frock coat and a walking stick, but he is really a magician wearing a long robe and cloak and clutching a magnificent staff. The beautiful woman in a maid's uniform behind him is his contracted spirit.

"I-It's been a while… Louis-san."

Once she greeted him in a shaky voice, Louis placed his right hand on his chest and bowed gracefully.

"Yes, it's been a while. One of the Seven Sages—the Silent Witch, Miss Monica Everett."

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