When A Mage Revolts

"Grant, are you in?"

After he was done preparing the water ball that will be used to condense the new emblem, Benjamin stopped his magical training and exited the space of his consciousness.

After he returned to the real world, he opened the door and left his room. He was soon outside Grant’s door, and he called for his younger brother as he knocked.

It was not like he did not want to continue training his magic. There was still the promise he made to Michelle that he needed to settle. This was a good timing for him to fulfill that, which was why he temporarily halted his journey to pursue magic and went to investigate the way to open the treasury for Michelle.

No matter what, Michelle did save his life and broke his curse. Benjamin was a person who knew how to return a favour.

"Come in," Grant’s voice was heard from inside his room.

Benjamin turned the knob and walked in.

Grant was his first choice for his investigation on the method to open the treasury. After all, Grant was still a child - an innocent and naive one who was easier to fool.

It was not like he could go and ask Claude about it, right?

When he walked in, he saw Grant seated in front of the study table, a book in his hand as the oil lamp shone on him. He looked like he was reading. Benjamin felt ashamed.

How diligent…

Before he knocked, Benjamin was even thinking about what he would do if Grant was once again ‘playing’ under his blankets. Now, it was obvious that Benjamin was overthinking. Grant was not that reckless with his health.

"Benjamin?"

Grant turned and stared at Benjamin, his face full of surprise and awkwardness. It was apparent that Benjamin’s sudden visit last time caused him much shock. He could not even look at Benjamin without feeling weird.

"I borrowed a book from you when you weren’t at home that day. I just finished it, here," Benjamin said, his speech prepared.

He took out the and passed it to the younger brother.

Grant’s face instantly lit up in recognition.

Grant took the book and placed it mindlessly on the study table, "So you were the one who took it! I was wondering why I couldn’t find it recently. Since when did you start reading this genre of books?"

"Well, I was bored, so I picked up something random," Benjamin shrugged and waved it off. Then, he turned the line of conversation to the real motive of his visit, "Say, have you heard? Quite a number of people are asking about the treasury these days."

He attempted to say this as nonchalantly as possible to avoid Grant’s suspicion. Adding to the book matter, he should be in the clear.

"What’s there to ask? The treasury is just something the people talk about for fun and games. There is not much money in there," Grant unsuspectedly answered with a laugh.

Oh? Something must be up.

As long as Benjamin kept this conversation going, he should be able to easily trick Grant to mention the method to open the treasury.

"I think so too," Benjamin immediately followed Grant’s words and replied, "What is the use for them to ask, they can’t even open it anyway."

Grant only nodded, and said: "I know. I don’t even understand why everyone loves to discuss about the treasury. It is ancient! They couldn’t get hold of grandma’s necklace too, so why bother talking about it?"

Benjamin’s heart skipped a beat.

Grandma’s necklace?

Wait, he got the information he needed that easily?

Benjamin added on just to be thorough, "Right. They can only open the treasury after they get the necklace. How could anyone outside of the family know, right?"

Grant pouted slightly, "Even if they know, they couldn’t do anything too! Who could get hold of grandma’s necklace?"

Benjamin immediately confirmed the method to open the treasury - the madame’s necklace!

Benjamin recalled the situation around the dining table during dinner. Although he did not pay much attention to the madame, but he has been in this house for some time. He did have some recollection about the said necklace.

It was a relatively plain necklace. There was a dark red gem hanging on a plain black rope. The size of the gem was relatively modest, and the necklace did not look expensive. Benjamin remembered that he had found it weird why the madame would wear a necklace that did not fit her status.

Now, everything made sense.

But…

Although Benjamin easily got the method to open the treasury by utilizing Grant’s trust, this method was a tad impossible, right? Who the heck could get the necklace from the madame?

Benjamin felt a headache building up.

If he told Michelle what he knew, he will fulfill the end of his bargain, but it was too insincere, right? His attitude towards this exchange will be quite poor then.

After more small talk with Grant, Benjamin left the room. As he walked back to his room, he was hesitating whether he should get the necklace for Michelle.

His curiosity was also starting to build - what exactly was in the treasury?

Grant said nothing worth millions will be in there, and the treasury was more of a symbol to the Lithurs than an actual storage of wealth. If so, why would Michelle sacrifice so much just to access it?

Michelle is a mage, and since she was so desperate for whatever that was inside the treasury, does this not mean that it would be very useful for Benjamin too? However, there was no point for it to be useful for Benjamin. A promise is a promise. He will not break the promise he has with Michelle.

He shrugged off his thoughts as he went back to his bedroom. However, Benjamin froze the moment he stepped into his room.

"Someone who loves to loiter will not stay in their room even though they are grounded, no?" the madame stood in front of the window to his room, a cane in her hand, "Children these days are becoming more and more disrespectful. How could they let an elderly wait for them for such a long time?"

"..."

Actually, the moment Benjamin saw the madame, all he felt was horror.

He just got the information from Grant that the key to opening the treasure was literally on the madame, and the next moment, the madame appeared in his room. This terror was near supernatural, he felt like he ran into a ghost, really.

There was rarely anyone in his room aside from Jeremy.

After the rush of terror, guilt crept up Benjamin’s spine.

Why was the madame here?

Although he was sure that she would never know of his plans towards the household’s treasury, he could not help but be guilty. Come on, he just completed a not-so-innocent mission.

After he adjusted his state of mind, he greeted the madame, "Greetings, grandmother."

The madame looked at him in silence - no, scrutinising would be more appropriate - before she suddenly yawned.

"Dull. No reaction at all when your elders came to visit? So dull," she said, switching the topic.

While she was talking, she took slow steps towards the door, as if she was leaving.

Benjamin was dumbfounded.

What? Without reason, she showed up in his room, said nonsensical things, and left? What was the purpose for all this?

He really had the urge to question the madame, but he held himself back. Regardless of what she did, she was still older than him.

The madame went past him just like that as she walked out. However, she stopped just after she was outside the door. Then, as she stood at the walkway, she turned and looked at Benjamin, with a hint of smile in her eyes as if she knew something.

"Don’t always assume your thoughts to be correct. What you see may not always be real," she said before she left without a second glance at Benjamin’s reaction. Now, only Benjamin alone was standing dumbly at the door of his bedroom, utterly confused.

...What the f*ck?

Benjamin thought as he stared at the back of the madame.

What was she planning?

What did she want to convey?

Aside from the conflict he had with the Fulners that the madame helped him to solve, he did not even come into contact with the madame before this. He could not comprehend the reason behind the appearance of the madame.

Why is everyone around him always looked mysterious?

He could not understand.

"... Forget it, I couldn’t be bothered," Benjamin shook his head after he puzzled about this for some time. He gave up on guessing the motives behind this old lady’s choices. He was a realist, and if he could not understand something, he will not brood on it - he would very much prefer not to waste his energy on this.

The madame could do anything she wanted. Benjamin did not want to have anything to do with it.

He closed the door and turned as he walked to the bed. Time to continue the magic training today.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something on his window. Something that was not there previously.

"That… No way."

At his opened window, a simple necklace laid on the windowsill. It had a black string with a gem in the colour of deep red wine. The breeze played with the string, and the necklace looked like it was going to be blown away by the wind.