Absolutely Do Not Touch EldmIa Egga – Chapter 153

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Though it was good to see familiar faces, I couldn’t impose on their exhaustion.

After our meal, we made plans to meet again and headed towards the Riviel wyvern station.

We had initially intended to part ways at the inn, but their insistence on escorting me to the station, grateful for my assistance, was too much to refuse.

Asirye, watching them walk beside us with cheerful smiles despite their fatigue, nudged me and spoke.

“You’re remarkably trusted for someone they’ve only traveled with once.”

“Naturally. Who do you think taught me?”

I was now certain that it took a Rank 4, “Adversary” level adventurer to even begin to approach our level.

With a little more effort, reaching the next level, “Expert,” wouldn’t be difficult.

Of course, that wasn’t solely about brute combat strength, so it would take some time.

“So, you can see the flow of mana? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is it like a magic eye? Should we call it mana sight?”

Asirye’s reaction, after I quickly explained what I hadn’t been able to earlier while Gaendal and the others went to their rooms to store their gear, was unexpectedly subdued.

She herself had said she’d never heard of it, and considering everyone’s astonishment, Lagnis included, every time I used it to disrupt magic, I had expected more surprise.

“You’re taking this remarkably well.”

“Naturally. Who do you think I’ve been living with?”

I grimaced, suddenly feeling like a collection of unexplainable phenomena to this elf who had lived for over 120 years.

“You make me sound like some incomprehensible enigma. There are plenty of others who are more… extraordinary than me.”

“That may be true, but how many fifteen-year-olds can do what you do? Even the youngest Aura Master on record was twenty-five. And right now, Eldi, even without using mana, your movements suggest you could fight an Aura Expert without much difficulty.”

“What? Aura Master? Expert? Those are things?”

My eyes widened at the fantastical terms I’d never heard before, despite working for the Ogatorf family.

Everyone who saw me use Aura just called me an “Aura user.”

“Magic has ranks, so naturally, Aura does too.”

“But everyone who’s seen me just says, ‘Aura user!’”

“Perhaps they only sense that much from you.”

So, to those who used Aura, mine was insignificant, and to those who didn’t, my level was simply unfathomable, hence the blanket term “Aura user.”

It was a sound and reasonable deduction.

So, after fifteen years in this world, I finally learned that Aura users were categorized into Beginner, Expert, and Master.

And that they were collectively referred to as “Aura users.”

“The distinctions are rather simple.”

“It’s not a scholarly pursuit like magic. It’s based mostly on intuition. The criteria aren’t ‘if you can do this, you’re this rank,’ but rather, ‘if you can do this, you’re probably around this rank.’”

As I suspected, it was a very warrior-like system.

We continued to chat, catching up on the week’s events, and arrived at the wyvern station to find Gies feeding and watering a wyvern.

Yekaterina, the most surprised by his early arrival, spoke first.

“What? You’re already here?”

“Ah, everyone. Did everything go well?”

“It went reasonably well. But how did you get here so early?”

Judging by the gleaming wyvern, now free of dust, and Gies’ rolled-up sleeves, he had clearly arrived much earlier than when we had flown in.

We hadn’t spent that much time grilling the Guild Master, so it was puzzling.

Our shared question was answered rather anticlimactically.

“There was no need to regulate speed without passengers. I flew at top speed.”

Gies smiled, effectively confirming that he hadn’t treated Gwens like a person at all.

He then casually produced an ornate letter from his coat and handed it to me.

“When I arrived at the mansion, the guards informed me there was a letter for you, Eldmia.”

“A letter? No one at the Ogatorf mansion would send me a letter.”

“It’s a rather… elaborate envelope and seal. And there’s something inside.”

Duke Lesrom, who had sent even the flight permit discreetly, wouldn’t suddenly send a letter, and Zikmel wouldn’t have access to expensive envelopes and seals.

Who could it be?

There was nothing particularly secret about it, so I prepared to open it in front of everyone, and they gathered around, curious.

In this world, even reading a letter was entertainment if it wasn’t confidential.

I was used to it by now, so I didn’t bother trying to create distance.

I even knelt so Ginh could see better.

“Oh, the envelope looks expensive.”

I nodded reflexively at Rellie’s comment.

She wasn’t wrong.

But when I opened the slightly oversized envelope, we were all surprised again.

“Blank paper?!”

“Wait. I think I’m getting dizzy.”

Like a Matryoshka doll, another envelope, made of the plain white paper so common in my previous life, emerged.

In this world, it was an extravagant luxury.

Even truly valuable books rarely used such high-quality paper.

Using it for an envelope was practically throwing money away, from a normal perspective.

Naturally, everyone stared at the envelope in my hand as if it were a treasure.

After a moment of bewildered silence, I pulled out the inner envelope and examined the seal.

It was an unusual, pure white wax, stamped with a starburst pattern.

White… star…?

“White paper and a white seal… I’d believe it was an Imperial missive.”

Gaendal reacted this time.

Were seals expensive too?

I had no idea.

His reaction, like the others, was a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

From an adventurer’s perspective, receiving a letter from high-ranking nobility out of the blue would be unsettling.

Especially when the sender was unknown and clearly wealthy enough to indulge in such extravagance.

It was an alarming anomaly.

Of course, I wasn’t normal, so my reaction was different.

“Esmee?”

I muttered the name involuntarily as I carefully broke the seal and examined the contents.

Two equally luxurious letters and a thin ring.

But before I could even glance at the letters, my eyes were drawn to the crest imprinted at the top of the first letter.

“The dragon entwined with a sword… and the star crest…!”

“I-it’s really from the Empire! The First Princess?!”

Those peering over my shoulder gasped, their voices hushed with awe.

They quickly covered their mouths, worried someone might overhear.

“Egga? Is this really an Imperial missive? Really? From the Iron-Blooded Princess herself?”

Rellie, in particular, seemed torn between excitement and the fear of even looking at the letter.

I, equally surprised by the unexpected development, couldn’t offer any reassurance.

The first letter, a formal document disguised as a personal missive, expressed deep regret over the recent events surrounding Lagnis, and assured me that the Empire would do everything in its power to prove her innocence.

I tilted my head, puzzled.

“Why send this to me?”

There was no reason for me to personally deliver this to the royal family.

“It’s likely… a form of pressure, or a warning to the royal family”

Asirye offered after a moment of thought.

“The very fact that this incident occurred means the royal family isn’t worthy of receiving a formal Imperial missive… it’s a strong expression of displeasure. Whether you deliver it directly, or through Sir Ekaf, it will cause quite a stir.”

“Is this common?”

“Not at all. Ordinarily, this would be considered a blatant display of disrespect from the Empire, but this time… it’s different.”

Asirye didn’t need to elaborate.

I understood why this time was different.

The letter ended there, but there was no mention of the ring, so I unfolded the second letter.

I assumed it would explain the ring’s purpose, perhaps as a form of identification or guarantee.

I immediately regretted my assumption.

“The White Star… to my beloved Black Star…?”

I hadn’t had time to hide the opening line, and everyone’s attention shifted from the letter to me.

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[Bro just opened a sex note]