The Barony of Forman
“Leo!”
Silvia, the granddaughter of Baron Forman, came running.
“What on earth is going on here— Oh my goodness, Grandfather?!”
Silvia’s eyes widened as she jumped in surprise.
“Where have you been all this time?! You left just one letter saying you were stepping away for a bit by order of His Grace the Grand Duke, and then disappeared without a single word for so long!”
Baron Forman hadn’t even told his family where he was going.
“I didn’t expect to be away from the territory for this long either, Silvia. And Leo came back with me.”
Leopold appeared from behind Baron Forman and greeted her half-heartedly.
“Your voice is still loud as ever, Silvia.”
“And your manners are still terrible, Leo.”
Silvia shrugged and shot back as usual, then asked Baron Forman,
“So, Grandfather, does that mean you’ve been with Leo this whole time?”
Silvia was a fourteen-year-old girl, the same age as Leopold.
Ignoring her earlier complaints entirely, Baron Forman casually asked,
“Has anything happened in the territory?”
“Oh, plenty. Today marks the sixty-third day since I started begging my father to let me get engaged.”
Baron Forman let out a deep sigh.
His granddaughter—who would one day inherit the territory—was far less mature than Leopold. After growing close to a boy at the academy she’d been sent to study at, she was now pestering everyone about getting engaged.
“Mattis and I are destined for each other. I want to get engaged.”
“Silvia, get a grip.”
“But if I don’t decide now, I might end up marrying some guy who only wants my background! Proposals are already coming in to Father! I mean, honestly—people who don’t even know what I look like!”
“And that means you want to get engaged at fourteen?”
“It’s the perfect age! Brisa Sears got engaged at seven—”
Leopold cut her off without much concern.
“And still managed to break it off safely. Silvia, I’m against early engagements too.”
“Really? You mean that? On your honor and reputation?”
“No.”
Leopold corrected himself flatly.
“Actually, I don’t care at all.”
“Well, that figures. Why would you care about my destiny?”
Silvia crossed her arms and sneered.
“The great Leopold Nozen already has his own ‘destiny,’ after all.”
“Is my uncle in the library?”
Leopold didn’t bother engaging her and strode into the mansion.
“There’s something I need to check.”
Baron Forman’s library held an enormous collection. Silvia’s father—Baron Forman’s only son—was the director of the Nozen Magic Library.
There were about ten “Magic Libraries” in the Empire. The libraries of the Capital Academy and the Mage Tower were among them.
And the Nozen Magic Library, located in the Barony of Forman, was one as well.
Ordinary libraries that simply stored books were common. But Magic Libraries were unique: all books and papers were automatically stored in subspace, searchable by title and author.
“Did you bring two gold?”
Silvia bluntly demanded the library entrance fee from her cousin.
“You know there’s no family discount. Especially not for family richer than me.”
“I’m not interested in discounts. Or your destiny.”
Leopold tossed out the words and walked away.
“Oh, of course. Your destiny comes before mine.”
Silvia stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.
After Leopold disappeared into the library, Baron Forman lowered his voice and asked Silvia,
“What was that? ‘Destiny’? What are you talking about?”
“It’s just destiny.”
Silvia giggled.
“While we were at the academy, Leo was obsessively searching for someone. He’d rush to the library every chance he got, trying to track down traces of that ‘destiny.’”
She continued, amused.
“If His Grace the Grand Duke wants Leo to marry soon, he’d better pray that the destiny Leo’s searching for is a girl his age.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
Baron Forman stomped his foot, breathing heavily.
Silvia shrugged.
“Exactly what it sounds like. There’s someone Leo wants to meet. He doesn’t know their face, age, or even gender.”
“What kind of person?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think they’re the author of some papers. Or maybe ‘paper-producing machine’ is more accurate? Apparently they’ve written a lot.”
“A paper-producing machine?”
“Do you really think Leo explains things properly to people? I know this much only because it’s me.”
“If that’s the case, why can’t he find them?”
“I heard the author uses a pseudonym.”
Silvia tilted her head.
“He says he just can’t figure out who they are.”
“What’s the pseudonym?”
“How would I know? What if I asked out of politeness and he actually gave me a real answer? Honestly, I don’t care that much.”
Baron Forman nodded. Yes—this was a perfectly normal cousin relationship.
“Still, Grandfather, where did you really go?”
“Never mind that. Do we have any potatoes in the mansion?”
“We should, I think. Want me to have a late-night snack prepared?”
“Yes. Some small fish on the side would be nice.”
“Okay!”
Silvia fluttered off toward the kitchen.
Baron Forman waited anxiously for the food. As he chewed on the potatoes and muttered, “This isn’t the taste…”, someone spoke.
“Grandfather.”
Leopold had returned from the library and stood before him.
He asked,
“You investigated Brisa Sears, didn’t you?”
“That was quick.”
Baron Forman replied while taking another bite of potato.
“I like that girl.”
“I see.”
Leopold answered indifferently, then added impatiently,
“I want to meet her as soon as possible.”
Baron Forman finally lifted his head from the plate—only to notice a paper in Leopold’s hand.
Southern wheat…
“And these grains aren’t western wheat. I think they’re southern wheat. Either way, look into it.”
When Brisa had said that, Baron Forman had thought it was meaningful information. Choosing southern wheat—despite the higher distribution costs—over western wheat…
And the southern region wasn’t even functioning properly right now.
Which meant the black mages captured at the western port were connected to the south. At the very least, their main base had to be there.
“We’ll have to wait until the warp gate is operational if we want to investigate the south anyway.”
Baron Forman swallowed the rest of his food.
“There’s nothing we can do for now.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the southern wheat.”
Leopold thrust the paper toward him.
“A review paper on southern wheat might be useful too. ‘Characteristics and Analysis of Southern Wheat Varieties.’ It’s the only paper that deals exclusively with southern wheat.”
It was the paper Brisa had recommended before.
“You’re not suggesting I read this now—after finally coming back and sitting down to eat potatoes—are you?”
At that, Leopold quietly pointed to the author’s name.
“Hm?”
Baron Forman’s eyes narrowed.
The author’s name was a single character:
‘L’.
“I’m looking for this person.”
“…And what does that have to do with the young lady of the House of Sears?”
“Grandfather, this person’s papers aren’t easy to find. Because their name is only one letter.”
Every Magic Library had a magical search service.
Only then did Baron Forman understand.
There were an enormous number of names containing “L.”
The Mage Tower automatically registered papers as long as they met formal requirements. Typing “L” into the search system yielded tens of millions of results.
“I didn’t expect Brisa Sears to know about this person’s work.”
Leopold spoke with a serious expression.
“If she knows more of this person’s papers, I need to find even the smallest clue.”
