I’m Not the Heroine

The Empire’s truth.
The pinnacle of all magic.

The Magic Tower. Tania Astrea.

She held many prestigious titles, but few knew her true identity.
And that was understandable.

She was, after all, a royal magician secretly trained by the previous Emperor.

There were countless magicians and Magic Towers loyal to the Imperial family. However, the late Emperor was not content with just them; he wanted to create magicians who were devoted and loyal, shaped by his own vision.

And Tania had been the target of that vision.

I don’t know about loyal…

I had seen her speak with the Emperor before, and it didn’t seem to me like a relationship built on loyalty. But considering he didn’t have her thrown in prison for disrespect, I suppose it was fine.

Still, that didn’t explain why she was here.

“Huh? Didn’t you miss me?”

“I didn’t miss you.”

Before I could even react, she had pulled me into a hug. She rubbed her chin on my head and made an annoyingly cute voice.

“You’re terrible, Louis. You left without telling me, and you can’t even miss me?”

“Not at all. So why are you here?”

“Aww, such a cold attitude… I’m hurt.”

Suddenly, Tania began to shed tears. But I knew better. Those tears were magic.

I’ve been tricked too many times by this.

Back when I didn’t know her true identity as the Magic Tower Sovereign, I had fallen for this act more than once, feeling guilty for ignoring her. That’s when I began to treat Tania with a bit of caution.

“I’m not falling for it.”

“…Hmph. Louis, you’ve gotten colder.”

She wiped away her tears with a small magic circle and looked at me with her sharp, gleaming black eyes.

I involuntarily shuddered and stepped back slightly.

There was an overwhelming presence of mana emanating from her. But only I could feel it because she was carefully controlling it. No one else in the mansion could sense it.

“…Are you trying to fight me?”

“…Heh. Do you think I’d fight you? Why would I fight with Louis?”

In an instant, the gleam in her eyes faded, and the pressure of her mana disappeared as well.

It was still an incredible level of mana control.