I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 44

Chapter 44: Scattered Sparks

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The Noctire family’s mansion.

Yuka had been walking slowly down the quiet hallway at night. Pale moonlight shone outside the window. The mansion had already fallen completely silent.

“……”

I couldn’t get what happened earlier out of my head. That man I met in town. And—

『Creepy.』

Fia’s voice muttered that from behind. Yuka stopped in front of the servants’ room door. She knocked lightly.

“Fia, are you awake?”

“…Yeah.”

A quiet voice came from inside. Yuka opened the door. Inside the small room, Fia was sitting by the window. Bathed in moonlight, her peach-colored hair glowed faintly. Yuka stood quietly and began to speak.

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

Fia turned around.

“That man earlier…”

“……”

“You said he was ‘creepy,’ didn’t you?”

A brief silence fell. Fia lowered her gaze.

“Yeah.”

“It looked like you had a reason.”

At Yuka’s question, Fia thought for a moment. Then she placed a hand on her chest.

“His magic power was strange.”

Yuka frowned.

“Magic power?”

“Yeah.”

Fia nodded slowly.

“It was really strange.”

“In what way?”

Fia tilted her head, looking slightly troubled.

“It wasn’t normal,”

“Not normal?”

“Magic power usually has a flow.”

Fia said this while staring at her fingertips.

“Like water, it feels like it flows quietly. But…”

Her words stopped there. Yuka silently waited for her to continue. Fia let out a small breath.

“That person earlier… it was murky.”

“Murky?”

“Yeah.”

Fia’s voice was slightly lower.

“It felt like magic power that was burning, but cold and rotting at the same time.”

Yuka narrowed her eyes.

“Does such a magic power exist?”

Fia shook her head slightly.

“Everyone else is different. It was the first time I saw it.”

She murmured while looking out the window.

“Maybe I’ve seen it before, a long time ago.”

“……”

“Grandpa said that kind of thing is a forbidden art.”

With that single sentence, the air in the room changed. Yuka asked quietly.

“Would that be harmful to Luka-sama…?”

Fia answered without hesitation.

“Very.”

Silence. In the distance, the night wind rustled the trees. Fia spoke softly.

“You won’t tell Master?”

“No.”

“Even though it might be dangerous?”

Yuka’s expression grew slightly stern.

“I will not tell him.”

Fia tilted her head.

“Why?”

Yuka continued softly.

“Luka-sama prioritizes others over himself.”

“If it comes to that, we may end up being the ones he protects again.”

Yuka fell silent for a few seconds. Then she quietly stood up.

“…We will not report this matter. We will handle it ourselves.”

She headed for the door.

“I’ll report this to Tarinuka.”

Fia nodded. Yuka opened the door. At that moment—

“Yuka.”

She was stopped.

“What is it?”

Fia looked slightly uneasy.

“If that person comes again…”

Yuka turned back. Fia’s voice was small.

“I feel like something bad will happen.”

Yuka stayed silent for a few seconds… Then said quietly.

“I see. Then we will deal with it before he arrives.”

With that, she left the room. The door closed. The room fell silent once more. Fia looked up at the night sky again. Something stirred deep in her chest, it was if…

Magic power like ashes quietly burning.

“…Such a creepy color.”

She murmured softly.

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The academy garden had been wrapped in a quiet snowy landscape. Breathing out white vapor, I walked slowly along the stone path.

“…It’s cold.”

The breath I exhaled quickly faded into white. I was in the middle of the short period between classes.  With nothing in particular to do, I was just wandering around the academy a bit.

I kind of enjoyed this time, actually. Most of the students were inside the school building. There was hardly anyone in the garden.

“Sometimes this isn’t so bad.”

As I muttered while walking, suddenly, my feet stopped.

“…Hm?”

My gaze landed on a corner of the courtyard. The snow there was slightly unnaturally piled up. It didn’t look like something formed by the wind. It felt more like someone had buried something. I frowned without thinking.

“What is this… I kinda wanna kick it.”

I slowly approached and crouched down. Curious for no real reason, I brushed the snow aside through my gloves. The powdery white snow fell away. Then—

“…Huh?”

Something became visible on the ground. I cleared away more snow. It was a circle of intricately intertwined lines. I narrowed my eyes.

“This…”

…Ah crap, I messed up. I should probably apologize to whoever made this. It was a magic circle.

No doubt about it, it kinda looks like the ones I used to draw… 

Ah, I just incurred emotional damage to myself.

More importantly, it’s pretty big. About three meters in diameter, I guess?

It was carved directly into the ground. I looked around. No one was there. The garden was completely silent.

“A magic circle… inside the academy… I see.”

It wasn’t something rare in this world, but there was no need to hide it under snow like this. I looked at the magic circle again.

“…I’ve never seen this format before. As I thought…”

Since I had learned the basics of magic circles at the academy, I could understand a little. This was one of those chuunibyou episodes… To be precise, the mage syndrome.

You suddenly start chanting, draw magic circles all over walls and floors, and when you’re alone, you start meditating. A troublesome condition. Poor guy. I mean, it’s clearly not practical. There are way too many lines. I can’t even tell what it’s supposed to do.

And besides—

“The center is empty.”

The middle of the magic circle. Only that part had nothing carved into it. It was a hollow blank space.

That should normally be the main part… yeah, this is definitely boosting the chuunibyou theory.

I took off my glove and touched it with my fingertips. It just felt like cold stone. Or so I thought. But right at that moment, a shiver ran down my spine.

“—!”

I reflexively pulled my hand back.

“What was that just now…”

For just an instant, I felt something. Like flames. But… There was something strange about it… something grotesque. They probably drew it with resentment or something. If they’d told me, I would’ve comforted them.

I stood up and looked around again. In the quiet academy, snow was once again falling gently.

“……”

I had a bad feeling. I didn’t really know what would happen, though. I ended up uncovering a magic circle hidden under the snow.

I’ll bury it properly (sense of responsibility).

At that moment, a bell rang in the distance. It was the signal for class to begin. I looked down at the magic circle.

“Guess I’ll tell Yuka about this later. Chuunibyou is dangerous, you know.”

I lightly covered it with snow again. It wasn’t completely hidden, but it stood out less than before. This was my way of getting back at the magic circle that just guaranteed I’d be late (petty revenge).

Then I turned on my heel. Leaving footprints in the snow, I walked toward the school building.

After Luka left… Snow gradually piled up in the quiet garden. However, at the center of the magic circle, the empty space. For just a brief moment, a faint gray light flickered.

It was as if it were waiting for something.

『Enclose it, enclose it, O flames of ruin.』

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