Celeste walked back to the fountain in silence. She was trying to process what she just heard from Olivia.

How could that harlot say those things with a straight face? She admitted to whoring her body to a man who she said she hated.

Why?

Why did she tell Celeste all that?

Celeste was fine with Arnold sleeping with other women but not Olivia, not the woman she loathed with her entire being. Imagining how she moaned as Arnold thrust into her was giving Celeste chills.

Her molars that had been clenching nonstop finally calmed down when she arrived at the front door of the manor. The maids from earlier were there.

“Is Rudy not back yet?” Celeste peeked in the front door and asked.

“No, Madam Penston. Would you like to head up to the office?”

“No, that’s fine. Can one of you tell me where auntie Adrianna is? I’d like to go chat with her.”

“Oh, certainly. Follow me please.”

◇◇◇

Celeste was led straight towards the estate’s backyard. As she neared the backdoor, she could hear metal hitting metal.

The intervals were short so the two people who were fighting were probably really fast.

“The First Lady is resting on one of the chairs outside,” the maid said before opening the door, “If you require anything then please let me know. I’ll tell Rudolph that Lady Celeste is outside.”

“Okay.” Celeste walked through the door.

Celeste noticed that two individuals were fighting on the training grounds. They were the source of the sounds she heard earlier.

‘Is that Luke?’

She noticed a young man with blonde hair and green eyes fighting a smaller boy with brown hair. The two seemed even at first glance but it was obvious that Luke was holding back.

Luke possesses a rare type of aura that the first hero wielded to fight the demons so it’s obvious who was stronger.

The boy sparring with Luke seemed out of breath but he kept fighting.

Celeste couldn’t keep up with their movements. She decided to look away from the two since it was giving her a headache.

Someone’s voice suddenly came from beside her.

“Oh, Celeste, you’re here.” Adrianna was sitting in one of the beach chairs with a bunch of cocktails on the table to her side.

Celeste bowed her head, “Hello, Mother.”

Calling someone “Mother” when you’re going to marry their son or daughter was a sign of respect. It doesn’t just refer to biological mothers or stepmothers. The same applies when referring to the father of your spouse.

“I thought you already left.”

“Rudy isn’t back yet so I’m waiting for him to bring the file I need.”

Adrianna slammed her glass onto the table having heard Celeste.

“It must be that simpleton countrygirl who broke something again. If it were up to me then I would’ve fired that entire family.”

“Who are you talking about?”

Adrianna looked towards the training grounds, at the two who were sparring.

“Luke asked my husband if his childhood friend and her family can stay here. That boy also came along for whatever reason. I can’t kick them out no matter how clumsy that Norn girl is since my husband already gave his consent. Anyway, have you heard from Al yet? I need to speak to him about his results from the academy.”

‘Ah, that’s right. He’s been absent for quite a while so his marks were heavily impacted since he didn’t write his finals.’

“No… How did he do?”

Adrianna rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache, “He’s going to be placed in the C class—the lowest class anyone in this family has ever been in. It’s a disgrace. I can’t even show my face to my colleagues without feeling shame.”

Celeste could tell by Adrianna’s expression and tone alone that she was displeased. Every Berkley that had attended the Academy has been part of the A-class in every year. Arnold was the first one to be in the C-class.

A class placement wasn’t a small thing for a noble family. Their children's education also impacts how other nobles see them.

“Listen, Celeste. Don’t let that boy of mine walk all over you once the two of you get married and he rules your Household. I’ve yet to hear what his father thinks of his son making such a mockery of himself. I’ve realized that the amount of freedom we’ve given him over the years has gone too far. I want him to bear the responsibilities of his actions.”

“…Is that why you’re not concerning yourselves with what he does anymore? People are convinced that you truly abandoned him.”

“Don’t misunderstand, Celeste. We still love our son. However, his actions have gotten to the point where we just don’t concern ourselves anymore. Him impregnating yet another woman outside marriage was the last straw.”

“Anna mentioned that none of the women he’s had relations with lets the Berkleys see the children. Is that true?”

“That’s right. We’re now forced to pay child support while being unaware of what our grandchildren even look like. All my hard-earned money from the Tower and the Academy will go down some bastard child’s throat. I’m done with him. Unless he can prove that he’s a responsible adult then we won’t acknowledge him as our son in public. He’ll remain without a House until then.”

Adrianna and Marcus had always been loving parents. They were always worried about Arnold and the things he does in his personal life. They also always try to fix whatever mistakes he makes in his life but that changed after Luke became heir.

Marcus always used to bow his head to nobles much lower in status than himself whenever his son causes them trouble. Adrianna had to do the same.

His parents now keep him at arm’s length for him to handle his own problems. This was to ensure that he becomes a responsible adult.

Celeste didn’t hate them for keeping their son at a distance. Rather, she was glad that they were allowing him room to solve his own issues. He was always rather childish but he seemed to have changed over the past few months.

A dark shadow loomed over Celeste’s face.

‘….I’ll need to find out what’s going on. It’s absurd for those women to expect financial support while not allowing the father or his parents to see the children.’

Something fishy was going on. There were probably ten or more women that claim the same thing: That Arnold impregnated them after raping them.

Why didn’t he impregnate Lauran—who he also raped? It can’t be that he just goes around impregnating random women for fun, right?

‘The first thing I should do is ask him. Well, he probably won’t be honest so I should use another method to get the truth out of him.’

She had been studying Mind Control magic… for reasons that are unimportant. Perhaps she’s ready to use it?

“I’m sure he regrets his actions as well, Mother. By the way, how did he even pass? His finals are incomplete since he only finished the practical exam.”

“His yearly mark was given a major boost after I gave the vice principal a little persuading. He barely managed to get over the 50% average needed to pass.”

“By persuading, do you mean bribing? Mother, that’s a crime, you know?”

Adrianna smirked mysteriously. Celeste’s eyes widened slightly.

“I see… I will not ask how you did it then. Who will be Al’s homeroom teacher?” Celeste asked because she wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone. If he’s absent the entire first semester of the new year then she’ll have to collect all his assignments and reschedule his exam sessions.

The academy allows this only if the person collecting the work is either engaged to the student or is the student’s family member.

“It’s the new history teacher, Scarlett. It’s bad enough that my son is in the C class but now he has an incompetent professor as well.”

Celeste doesn’t have history so she has never interacted with Scarlett before nor heard how she handles her class. How can a professor who teaches the elite at one of the greatest academia on the continent be incompetent?

“The students already walk all over her. She walked out of her class three times during lessons because the class wouldn’t listen to her. My colleagues pamper her like she’s some child. She’s young and inexperienced, after all.”

The younger teachers are always easy prey for the senior students. Many have resigned at the academy due to the behavior of their students. Despite being one of the most prestigious academies in all of Diacree, Ardark Academy wasn’t devoid of hooligans.

The only thing that can get you in there was gold since prestige was a thing of the past.

“—Um,” someone’s voice came from the backdoor. Celeste turned around to see a short brown-haired girl fidgeting, “M-Madam Adrianna… I-I…”

Rudy suddenly appeared behind the girl, “Don’t stutter, Miss Norn. A servant must keep their head high and be proud of the master they serve. You show your pride by speaking eloquently and moving with elegance. Now, please tell the First Lady what you did.”

“….” Adrianna glanced at the Norn girl.

“A gold… vase was near me when I was dusting off the windows on the second floor… My elbow hit it which caused it to fall…”

“We had to collect every piece of the broken vase since it can be restored with Restoration Magic. It took quite some time to gather every piece. ”

Adrianna stood up and walked over to Norn.

A slapping sound resounded.

Adrianna just slapped Norn lightly on the cheek.

The sounds of swords from earlier stopped. Luke was looking over here.

“If I’m not mistaken, we only have one gold vase located right next to the stairs on the second floor. That vase belonged to my mother. It was a gift. I should kick you out of this manor for your clumsiness.”

Celeste stepped between the two. The girl was rubbing her cheek with her head lowered.

“There’s no need to punish her for a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Would Mother like it if someone like your employer punished you for making one mistake?”

Adrianna glared at Norn for a few seconds before glancing away.

“This is the first and last time. If you break something again then I’ll deduct it from your salary.”

“T-Thank you…”

“Go ask the other servants if there’s anything else for you to do around the mansion.”

Norn quickly walked away with her head lowered. One could tell by her reddened ears that she was embarrassed.

Celeste looked back at the training ground and noticed that Luke was looking directly at her. She smiled at him and did a small wave.

He waved back awkwardly before turning back to the boy. He probably would’ve come here to find out what was going on if Celeste didn’t defuse the situation.

“Apologies, Lady Celeste. Here is the file.” Rudolph handed the files to Celeste.

“Thank you. Go tell my coachman to circle around the fountain. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes, Lady Celeste.” Rudolph quickly left.

Celeste turned to Adrianna.

“What was that about earlier? Mother has never gotten so aggressive before even with the servants.”

Adrianna sighed as she sat back down on the chair, “It’s just some stuff at the Tower I’m dealing with. My therapist says that the pressure is getting too much for me to handle.”

“Really? I’d like to know what that’s about, if you’re comfortable sharing, of course.” Celeste sat on one of the other chairs.

“Well, there’s this special task that was entrusted to us by the Archmage. There is a very attractive reward to whoever manages to finish it first. I only have one assistant capable of helping me with this task while that witch, Melissa has several talented assistants by her side.”

“Am I right to assume that this individual you speak of is the Head Maid of the Berkley House?”

“It’s that easy to guess?”

“She’s been a hot topic at the academy ever since she became a student. She has an absurd growth rate that scares even the seniors. I heard that she went from 3rd rank spells to 6th rank spells in a matter of weeks. She currently has one 7th rank spell in her arsenal. She’s aced every single magical test so far. No magic orb can determine her level of mana. People are even claiming that she’ll become the next Archmage if Freya York steps down. If Mother didn’t take Lauran as your assistant then she would’ve been snatched by one of the other Towers.”

“That’s true. I received a lot of offers from my acquaintances from the other Towers. Lauran may not be the most experienced magician in the academy or the Towers but she’s the most talented. She might one day stop this myth that people who can cast spells above 3rd rank are demigods. The notion itself is extremely absurd. There are many students capable of this; some known, others not. It’s mostly those in power who are known about, like us, the elite mages. Lauran was the latter up until a while ago. There may even be someone that’s equal to Lauran in arcane arts potential. But that remains to be seen. Despite her potential, I have yet to make a breakthrough in the research. I’m leaving the academy for 6 months to become a professor at the University of Magic Arts so time is my biggest enemy.”

“How far have the others gotten?”

“They haven’t made much progress that shows that they’re close to making a breakthrough but more and more of them are maintaining the spell longer than before.”

“What is the task exactly?”

“Our assignment is to learn to control a spell with a nature different from our own. It’s a 13th rank divine spell that will be used to close a certain type of portal. The problem is that no priest today can handle a spell like that so it’s up to us at the Tower despite the different nature of magic that we use. Manifesting the spell is easy since Lady Freya made it possible to manifest the spell even without casting it on our own. But maintaining that spell is the problem we’re all facing. The amount of mana and control needed is much too high.”

“Hmm, I don’t know too much about magic since I can only use two spells given my low talent in arcane arts. If mana and control is the issue, can’t the roles be split into two groups? One group maintains the control while the other supplies it with mana.”

The people have long since advanced the way they use and manifest magic compared to their ancestors who could barely create a magic circle without using their hands. Magic is linked to one’s mind—which was something people only began realizing two centuries ago. They had to physically draw magic circles by putting mana on their fingertips.

Likewise with controlling and maintaining spells: Two or more people can use a single magic formula by splitting the roles assigned to the original caster.

Some person by the name of Ricalson Brore theorized this and it turned out to be true. It’s sad how few people know of him.

“We already thought of that. We took a large group of volunteer apprentice mages from the Towers to help us supply mana. The Elite Mages handled the control. But there was no difference whatsoever. The volunteers were sapped dry after mere seconds.”

“Why not look amongst the adventurers or mercenaries? It’s possible that there’s some individuals who are capable enough to help you make the breakthrough.”

Adrianna closed her eyes in thought. She opened them a few moments later.

“Hmm, you might be onto something. If I look amongst the high class adventurers then I may just find the person to help me make a breakthrough before anyone else.” Adrianna chuckled softly, “Why didn’t I think of that in the first place. Do you know of any parties with exceptional mages?”

“Eh, not really. Why not ask the Guild Master? The two of you are friends, right?”

“Me and that madwoman? Ha! We were only classmates in the academy for a few years. Well, even if I wanted to, I can’t. She’s not in the empire at the moment.”

“Ah, that’s right. She’s leading the rescue party.”

Celeste had completely forgotten about that. Perhaps they already found Arnold along with the other students?

‘I sure hope so…’

“I’ll pay a visit to the headquarters before I leave.” Adrianna stretched her arms. Her complexion seemed to have brightened up a bit, “Phew, if this works out then I can enjoy my break until my contract at the university begins~”

Celeste smiled.

“I should get going, Mother. The roads get dangerous during nighttime.” Celeste stood up.

“It’s a shame that I can’t speak to you further. All I did was rant.”

“No, I’m glad that you shared your troubles actually. A mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law has to rely on each other if their husbands aren’t present.”

Adrianna stood up and pulled Celeste in for a hug.

“You’ve grown into a fine woman, my dear!” she winked when she released the hug, “Don’t tell Olivia but you’re my favorite daughter-in-law.”

“My, that is such an honor, Mother.”

The two smiled.

Nothing else was keeping Celeste at the manor so she left soon after bidding farewell to Adrianna.