"So, you're the talented pianist that Goulding was talking about?" Raphael asked Turing, as they sat on a circular sofa in a corner of the banquet hall.

Turing looked around at the busy men and women, as well as the orchestra members whispering to each other, and unintentionally became lost in thought.

"Turing?" Raphael clipped the end of her cigarette, picked up the long, slender cigarette holder beside her, and slowly inhaled, letting the smoke waft out of her mouth- she seemed relaxed.

The masked boy beside Raphael occasionally said something to her, to which she would simply nod or shake her head, and not respond verbally.

"Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought." Turing said.

【I should ask Raphael about the Smoke Fairy Festival election... My mom never tells me anything about it.】

"On another note, why do you play the piano? In Goulding's hotel." Raphael raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I don't know..."

"Let me put it this way, can you understand if I say that there is something about the piano that attracts me... like a scent?" Turing said.

"Snap out of it, I already played one piece."

"So you play the piano simply because you feel like it," Raphael's expression suddenly grew serious, lost in thought.

"But by the way, let me ask you, what specific scent do you feel?"

"Why do you ask in such detail... it's probably something like mint or a similar smell of wormwood." Turing answered.

"Well... that's strange, coincidentally, there is a significant characteristic of our family's programming magic; the fluctuation of magic power is perceived by the caster in the form of a wormwood scent."

"I can't explain the specific principle, I can only say that this wormwood scent is not smelled by the nose, but directly appears in the mind of the spellcaster."

Raphael shook her pipe with one hand, calmly explaining.

【Are you saying that I was enchanted at that time? But why is it related to the piano?】

【Come to think of it, I seem to have had a similar experience before...】

【Ah, I can't remember clearly.】

The fluctuation of magic power is a common phenomenon, only occurring in the instant of any magic activation, and can be sensed.

Programming magic is one of the few magics that can be activated at a delayed time through the caster's setting.

Magicians who use programming magic often take advantage of this point, unexpectedly trapping opponents in their pre-prepared magic, without detecting any fluctuation of magic power.

While Turing was trying to carefully recall, the preparations for the banquet were almost complete, and some noble guests were already entering the venue, chatting and laughing.

With a sudden burst from the orchestra's drummer, the epic music began.

【It's the "Black and White Ode," playing the black chapter.】 Turing looked at the empty piano position in the orchestra and could still faintly sense a light wormwood scent, although it had diminished significantly compared to before.

【I should have never played the piano before, right? In Erisburg, I haven't even seen a piano.】

The deep performance of the Black Chapter reached its climax, and Turing's chaotic mood gradually became suppressed.

"Ifrith, arrange for someone to fill Turing's position in the orchestra." Raphael noticed Turing's gaze and spoke to the boy beside her.

Ifrith nodded slightly and walked toward the backstage.

"It's rare for you to attend the banquet I'm hosting, so just sit here with me." Raphael tilted her head and smoked, exuding a noble air.

Turing nodded.

"By the way, did you not bring anyone with you?" Raphael asked.

"What do you mean? I don't necessarily have to bring anyone." Turing felt a bit uneasy thinking about Merka.

"Isn't that so? As the daughter of the Head of State, it is customary for you to be accompanied by a serving military officer, especially since you're an only child."

"But indeed, I haven't seen any bodyguard-like people..." Raphael tilted her head in confusion, placed her pipe down, and had a feeling that something was about to happen."What are you joking about?"

"Our family is the leader? The chairman of the six major families? The leader that rotates every seven years?" Turing's tone was full of disbelief.

"Huh? This well-known fact, you as the person involved didn't know?"

"Your family has been reelected as the leader for three terms, otherwise which family do you think is taking the position?" Raphael felt a bit amused.

Originally, she wanted to interrogate Turing with a stronger tone, even mocking him, but she held back.

[The family that should be the leader...]

[Should be...]

[Huh? I should have heard about it before, why can't I remember.]

Turing felt that some fragments of her memory seemed to have been deleted out of thin air. The more she thought about it, the more inconsistencies she found.

An incredibly terrifying scent of wormwood quietly touched Turing's nose as his small head spun at high speed.

"Oh, it seems like you really don't know."

"In other words, you never used to go out with bodyguards? Otherwise, how could you not know?"

"The leader family has the privilege of having private soldiers..." Raphael analyzed calmly.

"The {Keefob Military Intelligence Agency}, didn't your mother, Ochia, ever mention it to you?"

The leader family has the right to manipulate the army.

But it's not really an army, it's a small elite team composed of magicians.

The {Keefob Military Intelligence Agency} incorporates various powerful magicians. They often sacrifice themselves for their country and are isolated from the outside world.

Every soldier is carefully selected and belongs directly to the leader family.

"She didn't mention it... Probably not..." Turing's Adam's apple trembled, a dreadful thought forming in his mind.

[If this is true, everything makes sense.]

"Mom can control everything about me by relying on them. Just like what Teresa sister said, I can't run away no matter what."

"The Keefob soldiers secretly follow me and constantly report my various situations to my mom."

"Including when I was in Red Port, when I met Merka, when I worked with Merka at the restaurant... They would all report it to my mom. They might even think I like Merka..."

"So I have secretly met Merka countless times until now! Why doesn't mom ever say anything about it?"

"Before, I secretly went out at night to meet commoners, using painting and dating boys as excuses. I don't know how many times I deserve to die. Why doesn't mom directly punish me?"

"No, no, mom definitely wouldn't ignore such fundamental issues that could affect me. She probably really didn't know about these things before."

The banquet had already officially begun, and Evelyth unconsciously returned to Raphael's side.

The symphony of the orchestra, accompanied by the waves of sound, ripened the atmosphere of the banquet and caused beads of sweat to fall from Turing's forehead.

Raphael stood quietly beside Turing, watching him silently.

[That's right, I can be sure that since I received mom's ring, I have never felt any strange magical fluctuations; it's almost impossible to hide from me without using magic.]

"After all, wherever I go, I always use various kinds of magic as a means of transportation. There are not many people who can keep up with my speed relying solely on magic."

"So every time I went to Westminster Cathedral to find Merka before, there should be no one tracking me. They didn't know where I was going, and they had no way of ambushing me at the destination; they couldn't catch up with me using magic."

"The only possibility... the only possibility is only the recent time. Merka and I came to Red Port on horseback, and that speed is something they can keep up with."

"But if the other party was also following me on horseback, wouldn't there be too much noise? And it's not good to constantly hide in a place where I can't see them and monitor me. They would have to use some magic to hide themselves."【But if they were to use magic, I wouldn't be able to ignore the fluctuations of magical power, right? But I haven't sensed any...】

【Ah? Could it be...】

With a swish, Turing's face turned pale.

【All along, the affection I've felt being with Merka was just a sensation of magical power fluctuations?】