Next day.
What on earth is this?
Simone looked at the other person, unable to hide her annoyed expression.
The other person smiled and spoke slyly, regardless of whether it was like that or not.
“Simone, it’s been a while since your last request, right? How have you been? It seems! Your complexion looks very good.”
"What...?”
“I was wondering if I would ever come again, but the Grand Duke chose me and entrusted me with the request? Of course, several other adventurers can carry out the request together, but since I only need to hear the explanation from one person, I, the leader, came to see Simone.”
“I see you’ve gotten better at being sociable than I’ve ever seen before.”
“I’m glad to see you, Simone. I think this may be our fate.”
The person who speaks without meaning in front of Simone is Louis, the Crown Prince of the Ruan Empire.
“By the way, Simone, it looks like your hair color has changed? Wasn’t you a beautiful brunette once?”
“Yeah, well.”
“You have blonde hair like sunlight today.”
Louis was fussing and Simone was openly annoyed, and Anna, caught in the middle, looked on, not knowing what to do.
'It's been a while since I removed the first curse. What is he doing here?'
As it was, Louis had joined Abel and his group a long time ago and were continuing their adventure. But unlike the novel, he can't go on the adventure he's supposed to go on, so why is he still accepting requests from the adventurer's guild?
Simone couldn't help but ask.
“What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing? I came here after receiving a request.”
Louis smiled and approached Simone.
“Isn’t this a request from the Illeston family, and not from anywhere else? Lord Illeston would have wanted to use someone who has visited the mansion once and experienced something like this.”
Now was the time when Louis, feeling that there was no way to solve his problems in the Ruan Empire, crossed the border.
Then he met the main character, Abel, and joined the group.
No, even if there was a delay due to the monster tree incident and he hadn't met Abel yet, at least it wouldn't have been while Louis was spending time here receiving guild requests, right?
“Simone?”
She just hoped that there would be a change to the story, with only Simone and the not-so-important Illeston family episode removed. If Louis is still here...
'The joining of one of Abel's important colleagues will be delayed.'
Because he met Simone before Abel, it seemed that Louis' interest and expectations for Abel in the original had changed to interest in Simone.
Simone frowned. Unlike the smiling Louis, her facial expression didn't show any signs of deterioration.
'It was obvious.'
Abel and Simone were people who had the potential to solve Louis' problem.
In the original, Simone died young, so Abel solved his problem, but in fact, if Simone had been alive, she would have had the most appropriate power to help Louis.
'So, if you meet me before Abel, your attention will naturally turn to me.'
The reason Louis joined Abel's group in the first place was because he was interested in Simone's ability to accompany Abel.
The twist in the story may have been planned from the time Louis first received the guild request and entered the mansion.
But then what is the fate of the world? Who stops Abel from going crazy?
Before Abel met his teacher, it was Louis who helped him calm down his runaway emotions and find his reason.
Without Louis, who would stop Abel from going on a rampage and guide him through the middle of the story?
“What’s wrong?”
"No. No."
Simone walked with a serious expression on her face.
“Let’s go in first. I will explain what I will do in front of the Grand Duke.”
Simone headed to the Grand Duke's study with Louis.
Although she was confused when she met Louis again, Simone didn't think the Grand Duke's choice was wrong.
A person with reliable skills who does not use mana. There he was, a man who had experienced the secrets of Illeston Mansion and yet survived.
He was the most trustworthy adventurer to entrust with tasks.
Simone arrived at the study and naturally sat down on the sofa. Louis flinched at the sight, but the Grand Duke didn't care and put down the quill he was holding.
“You’re here.”
Then he glanced at Simone.
“I didn’t think you’d come with her too.”
“We ran into each other by chance, but I thought Wren would call me when he came anyway, so I guided him instead.”
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the study, and the head butlet, Kelle, came inside.
“Master, Wren-”
"Good morning."
He stopped dead in his tracks when he found Simone and Wren sitting together in the study. Then he raised the corners of his mouth unnaturally.
“...I went to pick you up, but you came already. Who have you been guided by?”
Wren silently looked at Simone.
Kelle's face frowned again.
“Do not guide guests carelessly.”
Since he was a guest who had to be brought to the Grand Duke's study, the head butler personally went to pick him up, but you can't tell how embarrassed he was when the adventurer who was supposed to come was not there.
"Yes, got it."
Simone spoke harshly and looked at Illeston.
“Now that Wren is here, I would like to explain. Is that okay?”
Grand Duke Illeston gestured as if to say so.
Simone immediately began explaining.
“What I need your help with this time, Wren is finding the gem.”
“It’s easy. This is a request I have performed often.”
“Please find the legendary jewel, the Saint’s Desire.”
“...Yes?"
Louis's expression, which had been smiling the whole time, hardened just as much as Simone's. His eyes wavered in confusion.
“A Saint’s Desire... Are you talking about the magic stone in the lore?”
"Yes."
Louis' mouth fell shut at her firm answer.
The Saint's Desire.
A jewel said to have been created by the necromancer Anasis, who brought the Ruan Empire to the brink of destruction 300 years ago, to bewitch a Saintess at the time.
It is said that after the Saintess was driven out, the jewels were thrown into the sea so that no one could find them.
'But I thought it was just a legend?'
The most famous story among the dozens, thousands, and tens of thousands of legends that were created when the empire's people's fear of Anasis reached its peak. Louis just thought that was it.
Does that mean the jewel actually exists?
No, even if there was one.
'How does this woman know that?'
How can Simone know something that even he, the Crown Prince of the Ruan Empire, does not know?
Because she’s the same necromancer?
Simone thought as she looked at Louis' embarrassed expression.
'Because I read the book.'
Simone thought lightly and spoke.
“There is a small village on the outskirts of the cliff overlooking the sea.”
"Village?"
Simone calmly explained what she knew as the three people focused on her.
“It is said that the Saint’s Desire was thrown from the cliff of that village into the sea.”
“Where is that village?”
Simone shook her head in response to Louis’ question.
"I do not know. The Grand Duke and Wren probably know that little village better than I do.”
They probably don't know anything about the Ruan Empire.
“All I know is that the village is a village full of abandoned old people. If you meet someone there, ask them.”
Simone recalled the appearance of the jewel described in the book.
“Have you ever seen a red gem in the sea?”
[ It was like the blood of a living person full of resentment, or like the eyes of a necromancer.
The red gem sparkles so brightly that no one would be able to take their eyes off it.
Even if that someone is a Saint. ]
The old woman who had the jewels also said that she was fascinated by them and thought of them as her own life.
Grand Duke Illeston, who was listening to her, spoke.
“Even if you ask the residents about such magic stones, there is no way they would know.”
If the jewel was real, it was not something that ordinary people who had no power could easily obtain, much less the elderly who had been abandoned and lived together.
Simone sighed.
“If they don’t know, you have to search the ocean.”
She's dying of anxiety because she's afraid it might be too early, but she doesn't know why the Grand Duke keeps setting the candle.
'If the old woman does not yet have the 'Saint's Desire' at this time, you may have to search all the way to the vast sea beneath the cliff where the jewel was said to have been thrown.'
“If we search the sea and can’t find it, we have to find another way.”
If that happens, the day when Jace's curse will be lifted will inevitably be delayed.
Every day is an urgent situation.
Grand Duke Illeston looked at Louis.
“Wren, can you find the magic stone like she said?”
Louis thought for a moment and said.
“I guess the first thing to do is find where the village is. Let's take a look. I plan to at least search the sea.”
Of course, there was a reason to gain Grand Duke Illeston's trust and create frequent opportunities to meet Simone, but more than that, if the Saint's Desire actually existed in the Ruan Empire, he could not just ignore it.
A Saint's Desire is a dangerous magic stone that should not be easily touched by humans.
“Simone, I would like to ask you more details about the jewel. Can you give me a moment?”
"What...?”
Actually, Simone was planning to go out to the village with Anna today, but she was able to take some time to make sure the plan was successful.
Simone looked at Grand Duke Illeston as if asking for permission, and Grand Duke Illestone motioned for her to go out.
Simone stood up.
“Then let’s go to my room.”
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