Chapter 28: Way Too Many Spies (Magic Castle Bonus)

Chapter 28. Way Too Many Spies (Magic Castle Bonus)

Breakfast ended.

Before leaving, I told Ariel to wait for me at the mansion entrance.

Then I slipped upstairs.

Her chamber was easy enough to find through Rey’s memories. I entered, crossed toward the wardrobe, and pulled out a warm pale-blue robe lined with soft fur around the collar.

Ariel would need this later.

The market? Probably not.

Where I was actually taking her? Definitely.

I tossed it toward my hand.

The dimensional ring swallowed it.

I returned to my own chamber, threw on a dark cloak over my clothes, grabbed a heavy money pouch, then headed downstairs.

By the time I stepped outside, Ariel was waiting.

So was a carriage.

Two horses.

Driver.

Two guards.

Everything prepared like this was another routine supply trip.

Ariel turned toward me. "Rey, we’ve been waiting for you."

I stared at the carriage.

Right.

After the curse worsened, Rey had mostly traveled like this.

Carriages reduced mana expenditure.

No unnecessary teleportation.

No movement spells.

No risk of arriving somewhere with black veins crawling across his face because he’d used magic three times in twenty minutes.

"I don’t need it."

Ariel blinked. "What?"

I walked straight toward her.

One arm behind her back.

The other beneath her knees.

Then... Up.

"Ah—Rey!"

She grabbed my shoulders as I lifted her into my arms.

Okay.

A little heavier than expected.

I was a magus.

Not a knight.

My muscles existed primarily because mana reinforcement and basic combat training demanded them, not because I spent my mornings wrestling bears shirtless in mountain rivers.

Still manageable.

More importantly, Ariel’s startled expression made the effort worth it.

Her arms tightened around my neck. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you on a date," I smirked.

[Voidwind Manipulation.]

Darkened wind gathered beneath my boots.

The air distorted.

Ariel’s eyes widened.

"Fly..." I whispered.

The ground dropped away.

"Rey!" Her arms immediately locked around my neck.

I laughed.

The mansion shrank beneath us.

Trees became a green carpet. Roads turned into thin brown lines. Morning wind swept through my hair and tugged at Ariel’s dress.

She buried herself closer against me. Because she’d never flown like this.

Mermaids weren’t famous for their aerial transportation.

"We’re flying there?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Because people usually use roads!"

"Your husband is a magus who can manipulate six elements." I adjusted my hold beneath her knees. "Roads are suggestions."

Her eyes widened.

Then she laughed.

There.

That was what I wanted.

I deliberately kept our speed low.

Voidwind could move much faster.

But this wasn’t combat.

There was no enemy.

No reason to turn Ariel’s first flight into an experiment involving terminal velocity.

We drifted above the forest.

Ariel gradually relaxed.

She looked down.

Then outward.

Her hair streamed behind her.

Her grip loosened enough that she finally stopped trying to merge with my chest.

And then...

-Flap!

My ear twitched.

-Flap!

...

Really?

I glanced sideways.

Far behind us, partially concealed by clouds and treetops, were two suspicious figures.

One flew naturally on fiery wings.

The other used fairy wings.

Seris.

Lily.

I stared for several seconds.

They were following us.

Secretly.

Or at least they believed they were doing it secretly.

Cute.

Perhaps they’d forgotten their husband was one of the Five Heroes.

And while I was technically a researcher, I’d spent half my previous life dealing with competitors trying to steal research, corporations trying to buy my work after I’d rejected them, and several black-flag companies whose interpretation of business negotiation included surveillance and kidnapping.

I knew when I was being followed.

I looked forward again.

A slow smirk crossed my face.

Fine.

Let them come.

Five minutes later, the town appeared.

Only a few kilometers from the estate.

The moment people noticed someone descending from the sky, the reaction was immediate.

Heads tilted upward.

Merchants stopped.

Several guards reached for weapons.

Then someone recognized me.

The guards became noticeably more nervous.

Ah... Wonderful.

My reputation had arrived before I had.

I descended near the market entrance and gently put Ariel down.

Her legs wobbled once.

I caught her waist.

She blushed again.

I released her before she turned into a boiled fish and approached the nearest guard.

His posture became rigid. "Morning, my lord." His eyes flicked toward Ariel. Then back to me. "Going for more supplies?"

Apparently Rey came here frequently enough for them to know his habits. "Yes."

Simple.

Neutral.

More importantly, it told them I hadn’t flown into town because I’d finally lost my mind and decided to conquer it before lunch.

The guard stepped aside immediately.

We entered the market.

Noise surrounded us.

Merchants shouting.

Metal ringing.

Monster meat sizzling over charcoal.

Potion sellers advertising questionable miracle tonics.

Artifacts glowing beneath protective glass.

And... my researcher instincts woke up.

There were things everywhere.

Ancient-era things.

Things that were museum pieces in my time.

Things I’d written papers about.

Things I’d spent years reconstructing from fragments.

And here?

Some bastard had them stacked in baskets.

My eye twitched.

Stay calm.

Most of these things were common now.

Buying everything would be suspicious.

Also financially stupid.

Rare items only.

I turned toward Ariel. "You can buy anything you want."

Her eyes lit up. "Anything?"

"Anything."

She smiled.

Then immediately disappeared toward the nearest jewelry stall.

I followed more slowly.

Technically, this wasn’t our destination.

The route simply passed through the market, and I needed to check a few things myself.

Besides...

Watching Ariel browse was strangely entertaining.

She gravitated toward anything connected to the ocean.

Shell bracelets.

Pearls.

Blue crystals.

Coral-shaped ornaments.

Most were knickknacks.

Pretty.

Not magically valuable.

Which made my researcher brain dismiss them immediately while apparently my husband brain had a different opinion.

If she liked them, they had value.

Annoying new economic system.

Then I heard the whispers.

"That’s Rey Valen."

"I heard he’s cursed."

"Some say the others carried him through the war."

"He’s only called a hero because he was with them."

"He isn’t actually that strong."

"Well... he’s a commoner like us."

A pause.

"Noble-born magi are stronger."

I nearly stopped walking.

Ha... Shit.

That was fascinating.

Propaganda had already reached ordinary people.

Rey hadn’t merely been politically isolated.

Someone had been dismantling his reputation.

Slowly.

Make the commoner hero seem fraudulent.

Convince commoners that even their greatest magical example couldn’t truly compete with noble blood.

Disgusting.

I glanced toward Ariel.

She hadn’t noticed.

Good.

She was holding a necklace against herself while an older female merchant enthusiastically presented alternatives.

"This one would look beautiful on your neck, my lady."

Ariel smiled.

The merchant lifted another.

Then another.

She pressed two beside Ariel’s neck for comparison.

And froze.

Her eyes had landed slightly lower.

A faint mark peeked above Ariel’s collar. That was last night’s hickey.

The woman’s expression went through an entire philosophical journey in approximately two seconds, and I was fairly certain none of her conclusions involved romance.

Violence, on the other hand? Definitely.

She immediately lowered the necklaces. "H-How about bracelets?"

Ariel turned pink.

I almost laughed.

The merchant picked up a silver bracelet and gently pushed Ariel’s sleeve upward.

Then froze again.

The chain marks.

Ariel’s face went scarlet.

The merchant’s face went pale.

And from several meters away...

I became very interested.

Not in Ariel’s embarrassment.

In everyone else’s reactions.

Three people noticed.

No.

Five.

A man beside an herb stall looked once, then immediately looked away.

Too quickly.

A woman examining fabrics whispered something to her companion.

One merchant quietly disappeared behind his stall.

Another man walked away from the market entirely.

Then two exchanged glances.

Brief.

Precise.

Not gossip.

Communication.

My smile slowly appeared.

Spies.

More than one faction, probably.

This market was one of Rey’s primary resource locations.

They watched it.

They knew his habits.

His suppliers.

His purchases.

Possibly which ritual ingredients he collected.

And now they had just seen Ariel with marks around her neck and wrists after spending the night in Rey Valen’s chamber.

Excellent.

Let everyone conclude whatever terrifying little story their imaginations preferred.

Fear was wonderfully efficient when you didn’t correct it.