Ablutions

“Haa… Exhausting.”

Not an exaggeration, but genuinely tiring. Ritual magic was still magic. Although I only taught people with some foundation, stimulating their nerves and injecting mana to forcibly imprint ritual magic was no easy task.

Maybe I’d been running around outside too much in this cold weather. But, ritual magic couldn’t be done in front of everyone. Trying to do it secretly made it much harder.

“Teacher. The bathwater is ready.”

“Is it? I can finally relax.”

The housekeeper abruptly entered and announced. Welcoming the news I’d been waiting for, I stood up.

This land of the Magic Federation had a cold climate, but one could enjoy all sorts of luxuries thanks to magical tools. The bathwater was a prime example. Elsewhere, heating water meant chopping firewood and tending a fire, but here, you just clicked a magical tool and warm water flowed.

Activating the magical tools required a stable substance containing mana – alchemy or high crystals. The Magic Federation was the land where high crystals were easiest to obtain. The atmosphere and mana were stable, so high crystals lasted longer.

Because alchemized substances had superior stability, they were used as currency. The economy revolved around trading using high crystals as fuel.

In other words, becoming a mage who could create high crystals meant achieving financial freedom. No wonder people were so desperate to become mages.

Though I couldn’t create them with ritual magic… or could I? Ritual magic was still magic. Maybe reaching a higher level could lead to unlocking white magic.

“Aigoo… What wealth and glory am I striving for, living so busily? I must be the busiest person in the Magic Federation.”

Sighing, I began preparing for a bath, but the housekeeper puffed up her cheeks and retorted.

“That’s wrong! I’m the busiest, constantly following you around and taking care of you!”

“You only use your body. I teach ritual magic, give lectures, and order you to do housework. I use my head in many ways, so I suffer more. Is there a reason why intellectual jobs get paid more?”

“I use my body more! Bathing relieves bodily fatigue, so I should bathe first!”

“Ahem. Where is your sense of hierarchy? A housekeeper should act like a housekeeper and do housework.”

Ignoring her through the authority of my position, I entered the bathroom and sank into the hot water.

The Celsius territory overflows with pure water. This land, where magic that manipulates crystals is developed, draws pure moisture from the atmosphere and uses the laws of freezing and boiling points to control the water’s temperature.

In the Celsius Domain, the freezing point – usually zero degrees – varies depending on proximity to the magical family graced by the Great Celsius himself. Eight degrees, some say it climbs. Harnessing this, they control the temperature of the Celsius Domain by simply drawing in and releasing water.

Though, that’s a luxury reserved for those with magic or high-crystals, naturally.

“If it’s just ritual magic, I could at least warm a bucket of water, if not a full bath.”

Indeed, ritual magic is mere child’s play compared to white magic. Even that would be a godsend to some…

I was pondering this, half-submerged in the bath, when the bathroom door burst open, and the maid peeked her head in.

“Sir! A message has arrived!”

“Must be Avant-garde. Bring it here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The maid scurried over, clutching a robe around herself, and handed me the resonance crystal. Extending my hand, I took it. As soon as the crystal was plugged in, Avant-garde’s voice echoed forth.

[Hughes! You alright? Are you safe?]

“I’m fine. But is something the matter? Your greeting’s a little different than usual.”

Usually, Avant-garde would ask about my research, how my magic was progressing. This sudden concern… something must be up.

[Oh, um. It’s nothing! Just glad you’re safe.]

“It sounds like it’s *something*.”

[It’s truly nothing! No need for you to worry!]

The firmness in her voice made it seem like a big deal. Ah, well. Can’t know what I’m not told. Not like mind reading is an option.

“Curious as I am, there’s no way for me to know from so far from the Floating City. And even if I knew, it wouldn’t change a thing. Fine. I’ll hear the rest when I pass the Gate.”

[…Right! That’s the spirit, junior! Hurry on up!]

Even without seeing her, I could picture her face lighting up, chattering away. I *should* go up soon.

Concluding our brief exchange, I unplugged the resonance crystal. Beside me, the maid, clad only in her robe, shivered in the chill. I handed her the crystal, asking,

“Why are you trembling there?”

“…Why do you think? Because I’m cold!”

“If you’re cold, you could put on some clothes before coming in.”

“But if only *you* were naked, sir, it would create a strange image!”

“And you think you being in a robe *doesn’t*? What image are *you* trying to create?”

A genre painting, perhaps? Well, not that I’d mind.

“Since you’re already in a robe, want to come in?”

“C-Come in, you say?”

“If you’re alright with it.”

“It’s not that I dislike you, sir, but… I’m not quite prepared…”

Already in a robe, and she’s talking about preparation? I said to the maid, whose gaze darted nervously, with a hint of boredom.

“Think of it as assisting me in the bath. There’s no other reason for you to be here, is there?”

“…It’s because you ordered me to, sir!”

Clutching her robe, the maid gingerly stepped into the tub.

Even for a sturdy, healthy maid, fatigue seemed to have piled up. Her stiff body seemed to melt and relax as it touched the hot water. Water droplets trailed down her slightly flushed skin.

“To think you were enjoying such luxury all alone, sir. That’s sneaky!”

“I can’t help it if I’m exceptional.”

At my answer, the maid looked at me as if she was in disbelief.

“Wow, look at that nerve. Your acting is so amazing, the actors will cry.”

“The ones I know don’t seem to.”

“Tell me that,” I said to the actress before me, and the housekeeper’s aura shifted ever so slightly.

She was a simple, tenacious woman, a bold housekeeper who occasionally revealed a brash side. Freckles, befitting a girl from the countryside, dusted her pretty face, and her braided hair spoke of a life well-lived.

Anyone could see she was a housekeeper who had willingly taken on hard work.

But with her hair unbound, trailing into the tub, she seemed like a different being entirely.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“Since when did you know?”

Hilde asked me, briefly setting aside her role as housekeeper. I answered honestly.

“From the very beginning.”

“I wasn’t even playing a specific person, just coming here pretending to be an ordinary housekeeper. You shouldn’t have been able to tell!”

“Even if you say that, I figured it out, so what can I do?”

“Haaa. I thought so, but still. My disguise was all for naught.”

Hilde scooped up water with a dipper and poured it over her head. The water washed away her hair dye, and the freckles that had covered her skin melted away. It was as if she was shedding her skin, metamorphosing into a butterfly. Soaked, Hilde bloomed like a single flower.

Pulling a disgruntled face, Hilde, now free of her disguise, splashed water in the opposite end of the tub.

“Father’s been living comfortably all this time, hasn’t he? Meanwhile, I’ve been barely scraping by in this far-off land of the Magic Federation.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well enough, at least.”

“Aren’t you curious about the hardships I’ve endured?”

“Of course I am. I was thinking I’d listen to your story when things got a bit quieter.”

“Tch. Not curious at all, then.”

*Because I can already read your thoughts.*

Rankart, who had come to the principality looking for me, had found Hilde disguised as me and brought her to the floating island. But Hilde, like me, had been banished from the floating island, and had come to Celsius Territory at the Descent Grounds to make contact.

“Rankart is looking for Father, so I thought maybe if I followed the floating island, I could find you. Turns out you were living it up as a teacher, with a woman at your side.”

“What did I even do? It’s not like I’m living in extravagance and luxury just because I have a housekeeper.”

“Hmph. Not only that, but it seems you acquired a local wife on the floating island, too?”

“You mean Avant Garde-senpai? She’s a really helpful senior. I’m in her debt.”

“That’s what’s infuriating! Always so slippery, always ready to slip away and ride the line!”

Hilde prodded my stomach with her foot, disgruntled. Her pale leg, extending from under her gown in the clear water, swayed hazily.

“So. Father. What exactly are you doing now, having even come down from the floating island?”

“I’m teaching formula magic to people.”

“That’s what you’re doing now. What’s your ultimate goal?”

“Ultimate goal? I don’t really have one.”

At that, Hilde narrowed her eyes slightly, then tightened her gown and crossed the tub towards me. Water lapped up to her chest. In the narrow tub, it was hard to look away from the glimpses of skin visible through the gaps in her wet gown.

Hilde came right up to my face and asked,

“Really? Really, without any goal at all? Just volunteering to teach formula magic?”

“That’s how it is for now.”

“Knowing that formula magic is considered a form of black magic in the Magic Federation that they practically run away from?”

I know that well. But you see, that’s from the perspective of order.

“Hilde. You know, I’m not as deeply calculating as you all think.”

“Hmph. That’s the least believable thing I’ve heard so far.”

“No. Really. The reason I teach formula magic to the common people is because I thought they needed it.”

Hilde, mere inches from my face, tilted her head.

“Those with talent require fitting tutelage. And so I provided it. Awakening their mana sense, bringing them closer to white magic.”

“Indeed. You did.”

“But those lacking talent… this brief instruction wouldn’t enlighten them. Though with considerable time and effort, I might mold them into white mages, I won’t. It feels like forcing a change upon them, against their own desires.”

*That’s* not education, but alteration. To reshape someone according to my will, regardless of *their* wishes… that’s putting the cart before the horse.

“Still, in this frigid and unforgiving land, magic is necessary. Magic to operate the mage-tools. And for that, formulaic magic can be a viable alternative.”

Within the Magic Federation, where magical rules govern the territories, even small magics can yield significant results.

More tools are always welcome. Even if it’s formulaic magic. Hilde seemed to concede the obvious, but the real issue lay elsewhere.

“But Father, the Celsius family, the Floating City, they won’t permit it.”

A natural question, really.

Formulaic magic is black magic. Taboo in the Magic Federation and most nations. Only nations like the militaristic state, lacking real foundation, might allow it; elsewhere, merely learning it can bring the harshest penalties. Hilde was pointing out this very truth.

“The Magic Federation is a nation of white magic. To them, black magic is a stain on their magical civilization. They’ll seek out and purge anyone who has learned formulaic magic, including, of course, you, Father. Formulaic magic is a technology intolerable under this order.”

“Then let’s tolerate it, shall we?”

“Pardon?”

It wasn’t as though I meant to challenge the order. To deny it, to usher in an age of barbarism.

I was simply stating that the order itself was just a tool.

“Why must *I* be the one to change? Why not the order? The order isn’t some eternal, immutable entity. Compared to the shifting orders of regions, nations, throughout history… haven’t humans changed less?”

I am a king of men, but also a common scoundrel. I have broken countless rules, leaping over the fences of laws with a mocking laugh.

Though, in truth, it might be more accurate to say *I* remain unchanged, while the laws draw their lines according to their whims.

Even weakened, diminished as I am, I remain an entity of concept. Unless humanity itself changes, I will not be changed *by* humanity. That is the resistance and homeostasis inherent in the human race. I may lack the power to safeguard it, yet I still hold fast to pure humanity.

I am a king of men, not a king of order.

“Hee~.”

Hilde found something amusing in my words, flashing a smile both mischievous and clever. She leaned closer, whispering into my ear.

“I’ve developed a desire, since meeting you, Father.”

I knew. I had read it. And was deliberating.

Could I grant this desire? Should I? Such a dubious request.

“You are terribly… ‘human,’ Father. Indifferent to timeless values, unconcerned with enduring virtues. You care only for the hearts of people.”

Naturally. Values are assigned by humans, beauty judged by humans. Without humans, there is nothing.

It was so difficult to speak the obvious.

“Yuel gathered all the good things in the world to build his nation. Yet, it lacked one thing: trust in people. Was it because Yuel possessed the power of clairvoyance? Saw all the filth and ugliness of humanity? If not watched and shackled, it would twist and ruin everything.”

The playful smile on Hilde’s face faded. A gentle curve formed, as though recalling something precious.

“But you, Father, are overflowing with trust in humanity. What sort of nation would such a man create? What would happen if you restored what the militaristic state had cast out?”

Hilde’s voice, warm and damp as bathwater, nestled close to me. Through a thin robe tightly pressed against her, I could feel her fervent desire. I could almost feel her heartbeat.

“With body and soul, I will help you, Father. I will give everything, my very spirit and flesh, to the king of men.”

She was desperately clinging. Desperately desiring something of me.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have lured the Elder from the Duchy in my stead.

Wouldn’t have remained in the Magic Federation, instead of returning to the militaristic state, waiting for me to arrive.

“Please, show me.”

What would it feel like to become someone’s desire?

Hilde purely anticipated what I would do. My actions were her desire. Granting her wish would be so easy.

*

“N-no confirmed record upon contacting the guest rooms, milady.”

The Celsius family mage offered, his face a mask of unease.

He was a skilled mage, enough to enter a prestigious magical lineage. One of those who lorded over others from the pyramid’s peak. Endowed with keen intellect, he was steeped in confidence and arrogance.

“I was told Elisha had arranged for a room for him at the Celsius estate. A man named Hughes. You truly haven’t seen him?”

But those veritable ‘chosen ones’ from the floating city were different.

Shay, who addressed the Celsius family’s finest product, the Azure Tower Master Elisha Celsius, by her given name. Shay, who had descended wreathed in overwhelming magical power, could not be met with anything other than subservience.

The disparity between the man he believed himself to be and the man forced to bow his head was unfamiliar, causing the mage’s composure to falter.

“Forgive me, no, I sincerely apologize. However, the Celsius family maintains a thorough registry of all mages visiting from the floating city. If there’s no record, then he hasn’t visited.”

“Is that so…? Understood. If Hughes does arrive, send word to the Azure Tower.”

“We don’t even know who this person is…”

Ignoring the grumbling mage, Shay leaped. The wind erupted from Thousand Cherry, propelling her upward.

In an instant, Shay soared a hundred meters, gazing down at the sprawling Celsius territory as she muttered.

“Strange. He should be here.”

She had taken a brief respite from the floating city, only to find Hughes absent. Azure Tower Master Elisha had said she’d arranged a room and facilities for him, yet it seemed Hughes had strayed from the path. Empty-handed, Shay surveyed her surroundings.

“What is he even doing, Hughes? He should at least leave some contact information.”

A sudden urge bloomed within her.

Shay possessed irises of seven colors. By utilizing them, she could scour the Celsius territory and locate him quickly. It would be arduous, but ultimately achievable.

Or she could simply scatter some coin. This Celsius territory was teeming with mages, merchants, and wanderers drawn by the Descent. A generous sum would quickly reveal Hughes’ whereabouts.

Or, she could enlist a sonic mage to unleash a sound that blanketed the Celsius estate.

Several methods flashed through her mind simultaneously. Her body moved to enact one of them at once. As her eyes began to shimmer with the seven colors, Shay abruptly checked herself.

“…Hmph. Absurd thoughts. That would make it seem like I desperately want to find Hughes.”

There was no immediate business to be had. She had only come to meet him on a whim. Shay, occupied with confronting Masingods within the floating city, was engaged in far more critical matters than Hughes, who was preparing for the Ascension Trials.

The floating city was currently in turmoil. Because of the Descent? Partly, but also due to a guest who had arrived alongside the Descent.

An envoy demanding the return of relics belonging to Saint René. Their demands roiled the floating city.

It was information Hughes might find intriguing, which was why she’d come to inform him directly. But to leave no contact information… Shay turned away, her expression subtly troubled.

“Hmph. His loss if he doesn’t hear it.”

I want to find him. I want to see him. But I mustn’t find him. Hughes is busy. To become whole, he requires even more wind. The hearts of more people-.

Complex, fragmented thoughts warred within her. Before she could fully process them, Shay muttered in defiance.

“If you fail to reach the Ascension Trials, just you wait. I won’t let you off easy.”

Casting a fleeting glance over the Celsius territory, Shay returned to the floating city.