Chosen by the Northern Grand Duke

—I used to frequent a tavern. The owner was beautiful, and the food was incredible.

—What nonsense. You barely even left the Inner Fortress.

—I snuck out. I’m serious. I had my ways. Anyway, I was a regular at the Flower Curtain’s Inner Room.

—Where?

—Yes, I admit it. I was as much a fool as you were. I didn’t even know the owner’s identity and just drank whatever was handed to me.

—You really were a fool.

—…It’s been too long since you got smacked.

Back when she was the heir, Elaine Serzila was known for being reclusive.

Since she didn’t train separately, her private training ground was practically abandoned, and it was her routine to occasionally drop by the public training ground to harass the knights.

To be exact, that was what people inside the fortress knew of her routine. Aside from those times, no one knew what Elaine normally did.

Even I hadn’t known. It was understandable before we got close, but even after we did, I had no idea. There were often times I couldn’t find her no matter how hard I searched.

—You simply lacked the skill, she used to sneer.

‘So this is how she disappeared.’

I had wondered how the most well-known noble in the territory managed to secretly become a regular at a hidden tavern.

‘More than that… she really was a woman.’

Luxurious black hair, crimson eyes, a smooth nose bridge and delicate chin, fox-like eyes…

The woman before me was exactly the Elaine Serzila I had seen before my death.

What shocked me more than the fact that she had been sneaking off to indulge in such outings for twenty years was that she was truly a woman.

‘I used to think it might’ve been a joke.’

Because the Elaine I saw last night had no detectable magic.

‘It wasn’t that she didn’t have it—I simply couldn’t sense it.’

My eyes flickered with a strange light. A magical item functioning perfectly, yet its mana couldn’t be felt. Just what kind of mage had created such a thing?

‘Living with a fake face under a real identity, and a real face under a fake identity.’

I chuckled inwardly.

This wasn’t something she could’ve done alone.

‘She’s with the Intelligence Bureau. So others besides the Grand Duke know too.’

I didn’t know how many, but the Bureau Director was probably in on it as well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to openly act under the bureau’s name.

“Meeting again.”

“This is our first time.”

Ellen was curt. Her gaze was sharp.

Probably because of the humiliation last night. Not that it mattered to me.

Right now, I had to pretend like I knew nothing.

“Did you have any dreams last night?”

“Out of nowhere? I don’t remember. I usually don’t.”

“I see.”

The stimulus was too weak.

‘Did she even dream at all?’

I stared intently at Ellen. Even if she hadn’t, I had to assume she had.

Even if I didn’t act like a mage, I felt I had to believe it. Otherwise, the pressure in my chest was unbearable.

‘I need a stronger stimulus.’

How should I provoke her?

“Why are you out here?”

“Her Grace the Grand Duke gave permission.”

I showed her the Serzila seal. With this, I could go anywhere except beyond the Wall.

Ellen took the seal and examined it carefully. Then returned it with a displeased expression.

“…It’s real.”

“I’m not very good at lying.”

Ellen flinched.

She must have taken it to mean the insult from last night was also genuine.

“Why would Her Grace give you this?”

“She seemed to like me. Told me to prove my usefulness or something.”

Prove your usefulness.

That meant she was at least somewhat fond of me.

“…Trying to prove your tolerance for alcohol?”

“Just observing the situation for now.”

Even though we hadn’t ordered anything, the owner brought Ellen a drink.

‘She really is a regular.’

Ellen downed the shot in one go.

I ordered the same drink as her. The breath I exhaled afterward burned my throat. It was stronger than what I’d had before.

“You like the strong stuff?”

“That’s when it actually tastes like alcohol.”

Probably because of the aura she possessed. Elaine had grown up pampered on expensive elixirs and beast cores since childhood. Even without those, her innate talent was exceptional.

“You’re oddly aggressive. For someone claiming this is our first meeting.”

“…Just drink. I’ll pay.”

Ellen quickly changed her tone. Because my remark had been justified.

Showing hostility at a first meeting was like advertising your own guilt.

‘She’s easy. She’s a bit sloppy at this point. Even her alias is lazy.’

She probably thought she wouldn’t get caught. Her gender, face, voice, build—everything was different. Only a regressor like me could connect the dots.

‘And even then, I hadn’t caught her in my previous life.’

I raised my hand, and the owner brought me a new drink.

A milder one than Ellen’s.

Ellen, who had been watching intently, interrupted.

“In the North, you’ll get looked down on for drinking that.”

She swapped her drink with mine.

The scent of strong liquor pricked my nose.

“I don’t get cold.”

Northern liquor had high alcohol content because of the intense cold.

It didn’t matter to me.

“Is it because of your fire?”

At that moment, Ellen’s eyes gleamed.

“Everyone assumes it’s fire.”

“Only the person themselves knows the details.”

You can’t know a mage’s Origin unless they state it themselves.

People only guess based on manifested spells and their characteristics.

“It’s not fire. It’s the sun.”

Ellen’s eyes widened.

“What’s the difference?”

There was no restraint in her gaze. Just curiosity and the desire to satisfy it.

‘She’s more honest.’

If it had been Elaine, she would’ve held back. That was the position of Serzila’s heir.

She had to be the North’s exemplar and draw her sword at mages rather than ask questions.

‘Like last night.’

But Ellen asked freely.

She had no reason to worry, being under a fake identity.

‘This must be closer to her true self.’

For Elaine, the role of Grand Duke had been heavier than it looked. So had the title of heir.

‘This is how she relieved her stress.’

I immediately understood. Thanks to her identity as Ellen, Elaine could play the role of the ideal successor.

“The more expansive the concept, the greater the potential. A puddle holds more talent than a raindrop.”

“Then isn’t ‘sun’ a bit much? Isn’t it just a really big fire?”

Her eyes as she asked were so clear.

That innocence sparked something in me.

I was a hostage.

I wasn’t in a position to touch Elaine Serzila.

But the one before me was Ellen, an Intelligence Bureau agent.

I looked back and forth between the owner and Ellen several times.

Ellen tilted her head, puzzled. She looked incredibly pure.

‘This is my chance.’

Tonight, Elaine would dream.

That was what I decided.

***

Elaine was the ideal ruler, if not for her laziness.

She loved the North and everyone who lived in it, but she was never swayed by emotion.

Her decisions were always rational. Even if shaken inwardly, she never showed it.

Only to me, her bodyguard, would she sometimes reveal it.

—There were times I wanted to give everything up. Even now, I still do sometimes. Back when I was the heir, I felt that way more often.

—Then why didn’t you?

—How could I? No one else could succeed Serzila but me.

—Should we run away even now?

—Would you come with me?

—Let’s do it.

—No need. Just hearing you say that is enough. Now, let’s get back to work.

—That’s your work, Your Grace. My job is guarding you.

—But you said you’d come with me.

The world called her the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke. But I knew Elaine wasn’t some cold-blooded tyrant.

She had only played the role of an ideal Serzila. That’s why she always drew a line. And never crossed it. She wouldn’t let others cross it either. Because once she allowed that line, she couldn’t keep up the perfect act.

Only I, Harad the bodyguard, was free to stand on that line. Though regression had reset everything.

‘I don’t see the line.’

There was no such line for Ellen, the Intelligence Bureau agent.

She mingled freely with lowly tavern mercenaries.

A sight I could never have imagined from the Elaine of my past life.

That Grand Duke had never taken her authority lightly. Even when she was just the heir.

“We’re out of drinks.”

“Hey!”

As I shook my empty glass, Ellen called out. The owner poured us new drinks—same kind as Ellen’s.

“Now, tell me.”

The hostility I’d seen at the beginning was completely gone. Ellen before me now was simply curious and eager.

‘Is she trying to get me drunk so she can manipulate me?’

I chuckled. To think this side of Elaine had been hidden all along.

“You’re beautiful, and I’m handsome.”

“…”

“Look. You’re not denying it. You may be humble, but deep down, you know it. Origins are the same. The bearer always knows.”

There’s a little sun. When he first recognized his Origin, Harad had told his mother that.

Even though it was just a fist-sized flame, he had known.

A mage cannot mistake their own Origin.

“We cannot misinterpret the Origin we were born with. It’s simply not possible.”

The Origin. It was the source of magic, and also the foundation of who Harad was as a person.

At least, that’s what Harad believed.

“You know who you are, don’t you? That’s what it’s like.”

Her expression changed slightly. As if she had been pricked by a needle.

Harad downed the drink Ellen had given him. It was indeed bitter. But the alcohol didn’t get to him.

A small flame in his stomach evaporated the alcohol instantly.

Hoo—White smoke escaped his slightly parted lips. To others, it looked like his breath in the cold.

“Does the sun get cold too?”

Apparently, Ellen also thought it was just breath.

‘Of course. She was still inexperienced at this point.’

The flame in his stomach was magic.

Even if it was faint and subtle, Elaine from his past life would’ve noticed immediately.

“It’s magic.”

“…!”

Ellen’s eyes widened. She quickly looked around.

Thanks to the hearty laughter of the Northern patrons, no one seemed to have overheard.

“Are you insane?”

Ellen frowned and glared at Harad. He was a bomb. If he exploded, Serzila would blow up too.

The Empire and Church would use Harad as an excuse to pressure Serzila.

“That reaction’s more suspicious. Watch this.”

Harad called the tavern owner.

“Yes?”

“I’m a mage, actually.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Ellen’s face turned sharp, but the owner just smiled and went back into the kitchen.

“You can only confirm a mage when they manifest their magic.”

Until a spell is cast, you can never be sure someone is a mage.

“Even mages can’t identify each other until then. All we have is suspicion.”

The Church’s method of mage-hunting was little more than coercion and deduction. And ambush arrests during stakeouts.

“If you just keep a straight face, you’re already halfway there.”

“So only the guilty mages died?”

“Non-mages probably died too.”

That was what Judgment of Sun and Moon meant.

“Just because you act confident doesn’t mean you’re telling the truth.”

Harad smiled and took another shot of the strong liquor.

Hoo—As he exhaled a smoke-like breath, the tavern owner came up and refilled his glass.

“Who knows? That owner might be a mage too.”

Ellen’s brow twitched.

“…Let’s change locations.”

Ellen seemed to think Harad was drunk.

“I’m not drunk.”

Harad exhaled in Ellen’s direction. His breath was surprisingly dry.

There wasn’t a hint of intoxication. Ellen’s eyes widened.

“I told you. It’s magic.”

Harad grinned. This time, no more smoke came from his mouth.

Only then did Ellen realize it had been magic all along.

What she had mistaken for breath was actually vaporized alcohol.

“So? Now do you want to listen?”

Ellen nodded.

‘That’s refreshing.’

Seeing her obedient like this, Harad gave a small smirk.

This was how he remembered Elaine. As long as his words made sense, she always listened.

“The origin of magic may be the Otherworld, but mages are born on the continent too. Even those unrelated to the Otherworld.”

“And?”

“So I’m saying we should suspect that beautiful owner of being a mage. A mage born here on the continent.”

“Excuse me?”

Ellen frowned and glared, but Harad wasn’t looking at her.

He was staring at the owner. His profile was extremely serious.

Only then did Ellen realize Harad wasn’t joking and looked at the owner herself.

“What do you see?”

“…She’s pouring drinks. Smiling.”

“Is she truly smiling? That owner heard everything we said. And now, she’s pretending not to. Is it because she doesn’t care? Or to avoid us?”

Is she truly smiling? No. Her mouth was smiling, but not her eyes. They were trembling slightly.

“…To avoid us.”

Elaine blurted out the conclusion.

“Correct. Then why is she avoiding us?”

“Because she feels guilty.”

“Then why pretend to smile?”

“…To seem confident.”

The confident mages survived.

The guilty ones got exposed and killed.

“What do you think? Doesn’t something that used to feel normal suddenly seem suspicious?”

Ellen nodded silently.

To her eyes, the owner no longer looked like an ordinary person. She looked like a mage. As if every action was an attempt to hide that fact.

“That’s the gaze of the Sun and Moon. The Church suspects everything. If a Church agent were here, they’d already have driven a stake through her heart.”

Someone once joked that it would rain on a sunny day. When someone reported him to the Church, he became a mage.

Ellen’s face twisted.

“…So you’re saying she’s a mage?”

“She might be. Or she might not be. Like I said—until magic is seen, you can’t be sure. Even if it’s another mage.”

Ellen’s face twisted further. Had he done all this just to show her that anyone could die unjustly?

If so, he succeeded. From now on, Ellen would have to live with that suspicion.

“Could you kill someone just on suspicion?”

Ellen shook her head.

If the owner wasn’t a mage, then she was a person of the North.

‘That’s how she was back then.’

Ellen judged who to kill based on whether or not they used magic.

Elaine, in her past life, had judged based on guilt.

“Then try reducing or increasing that suspicion.”

Ellen looked at Harad.

The owner had stepped away from the bar and was mingling with mercenaries in the corner.

“Let’s start with what’s certain. Does the owner know you’re with the Intelligence Bureau?”

Ellen nodded.

“Then deceiving you would mean deceiving the Bureau. And yet, despite being a regular of an Intelligence agent, she’s avoiding us. What’s she hiding?”

The mercenaries stood up.

The owner tried to stop them.

Other than Harad and Ellen, they were the last remaining customers.

“…I don’t know if she’s a mage. But she’s definitely hiding something.”

Ellen raised her glass. It had been empty for a while.

She hadn’t ordered another drink since her suspicion began.

“Harad. What would you do?”

Elaine, when lacking something, always asked someone who knew.

She didn’t find it shameful to learn from someone beneath her.

Ellen before me did the same. Different, yet the same person.

I realized that again.

“I’d capture her and interrogate her. And if I didn’t get the answers I wanted, I’d get rough.”

The Church’s mage apprehension rate was one hundred percent.

Anyone who went underground at the cathedral became a mage.

“I asked what you would do. Not the Church.”

“If she were a good mage, I’d try to let her live. If she were evil, I’d kill her.”

“Don’t joke.”

Harad fell silent for a moment.

—There were good and helpful mages on the continent.

That had been something Elaine once said in her past life. But the Ellen before him couldn’t understand those words.

“It’s the truth.”

“…”

“Very well. My method is this.”

Harad turned his gaze. The owner met his eyes and smiled.

That smile looked terribly out of place to him.

“To my eyes, she’s a bad mage.”

“What?”

It happened in an instant. Fire rose from the owner’s feet and climbed her legs.

By the time Elaine sensed the magic, the fire had already engulfed the owner.

She didn’t even scream.

She was incinerated on the spot.

“…You… what have you…!”

Ellen leapt to her feet, knocking over her chair. Her sword was already drawn and pointed at Harad.

He remained calm.

“Look closely.”

Harad pointed at the charred body of the owner. Even in death, the fire hadn’t extinguished.

It burned with a strange stickiness. Proof that it was consuming mana.

“Congratulations. Your suspicion was correct.”

“…”

“The owner was a mage.”