Chapter 211.

Translator: Lili

Weekly Chapter 2/7

The real name of the Augwell inmate known as ‘Sugar Girl’ was Serida.

She had no surname because she was an orphan. Found abandoned in a baby box, she grew up in a children’s shelter in a small provincial town in Euspolia until the spring of her twelfth year.

It was a decent place. While she never experienced the exclusive love that children in ordinary families might receive, the shelter director was fair and, if not perfectly moral, at least a law-abiding citizen.

Serida stayed there until the day her talent as a mage was recognized, at which point she was transferred to a state-run mage training academy.

There, she encountered various mages and learned a wide range of magical arts. She delved into both modern and classical magic and studied mage ethics. The academy’s corridors were lined with graduation photos of the most powerful mages in history, and the teachers in the blue silk-draped faculty office instructed the young mages impartially.

Within that small society, many children with magical talent existed, but even among them, Serida stood out. As she grew older, she earned an S-rank. It was the ultimate mark of distinction for a mage, symbolizing her exceptional skill and granting her the right to have her portrait hung proudly in the academy’s corridors.

On the day she received her S-rank, she was given access to the roster of other S-rank mages active in Euspolia and its allied nations. There were only 24 names on the list, and among them, only one was her peer.

Serida murmured that name.

Daria Henriad.

She had known of him for a long time. By the time she was acclimating to life at the academy, he was already in the graduating class.

Daria Henriad was a renowned figure. While the academy’s children rarely expressed admiration openly, they were not emotionless beings devoid of feelings. Except for those who were themselves exceptional A or S-rank talents, most of the children couldn’t help but idolize Henriad.

He had many reasons to be admired: his striking appearance, his grandfather who had transitioned from royalty to becoming the nation’s first prime minister, and his extraordinary magical prowess. The only exception to his appeal was his personality.

Because of his abrasive demeanor and selfish actions, some children cried, while others who were graded as high-ranking mages ignored him entirely. But Serida was different. She saw herself in him. His indifferent, unenthusiastic gaze, like the air in a snow-covered forest at dawn, mirrored her own.

Others might say that the only thing Serida and Henriad had in common was their mage ranking. Unlike Henriad, who was often referred to by others as ‘that bastard’, Serida was kind to everyone, exuding calm no matter the situation.

But Serida had no interest in others. Simultaneously, that was her only interest.

She wanted to change. She was like a statue yearning to breathe. Lifelike, as though modeled after the living, but not truly alive. She wanted to love, believing it might transform her into something genuinely alive.

Magic’s source lies in emotion.

It draws fuel from feelings, maintaining a state of calm to stabilize the magic. While the degree varied, outstanding mages were invariably more composed than their peers.

The greatest disruption to a mage’s composure was always love. Some mages lived their entire lives without loving, but once they did, it was nearly impossible to escape its grip. People said it was the emotion that shifted the axis of the world.

Serida had seen much, met many people, and done many things. She enjoyed casting spells and appreciated seeing the changes she brought about.

It was fun, but not enough to dedicate her life to.

For the first time, Serida felt a deep melancholy. Afterward, in a reckless state, she committed a few small, mischievous… well, by her standards, adorable transgressions, and when she came to her senses, she found herself working with Daria Henriad.

She liked the new job. Above all, being around him brought her a sense of stability. It wasn’t affection or a need for validation, and it was too detached to be called camaraderie. It was more like the sense of belonging felt among statues on display.

Yet while Serida desired love to become human, Henriad seemed to reject humanity with every fiber of his being. Watching him live solely for his own amusement, detached from joy or curiosity, brought her peace. She thought he would remain like a statue forever.

— Her name is…

But she was wrong.

— Shushu.

The ‘sugar girl’, Serida, observed Henriad, from his eyelids to the corners of his lips… When he said Shushu Mailey’s name and thought of her, the dry gaze that had once defined him was no longer there.

***