“Did you really find it?”
When I asked back in surprise, the mini dragon tilted its head.
[What are you so surprised about?]
The sight was cute, but the voice in my head wasn't cute at all.
[Did you think I wouldn't find it?]
“No, that’s not it...”
If he had really found the heart of the dragon, I was only a little surprised because that meant the Pura embedded in the sword was not the heart of the dragon.
When he asked me if I had any guesses before, I had already answered no, so I couldn't bring myself to tell him this story and trailed off.
If I had asked him in detail why he was doing that, it would have been a headache, but fortunately, the great sage didn't think it was strange and just let it go.
[Well, I haven't found it for sure. I just figured out where it might be.]
Oh, what is it? It wasn't certain.
What's reassuring is, is it because of selfishness that I don't want to give him the Dragon Heart?
“Where is it?”
[Inside a room that looks like a study. There is a strong security spell in place.]
The place the Great Sage was talking about was definitely the room where I found the sword.
Is it true that the Pura embedded in that sword is the Dragon Heart?
[It's not easy to break the spell, it's so strong. I've been holding it for hours and I still can't break it.]
The mini dragon sighed deeply.
[I tried to find a clue and order that kid to find out, but there was no clue.]
“If you’re talking about that kid, are you talking about Perdes?”
[Yeah. I can feel your presence and that of the others, but for some reason, I can't feel that kid's presence at all.]
Could it be that he didn't feel any movement...?
[It's not like he's dead or anything.]
The great sage continued speaking as if he had read my mind.
[If he hasn't been dead for a long time, I should be able to sense his presence. You haven't seen that kid in two days or anything, have you?]
“That’s not it.”
[Then he's definitely not dead.]
I was anxious when he said he couldn't feel any movement, but I felt relieved when he gave me a confident answer.
“Then why can’t you feel any movement?”
[I guess the kid is currently in a place where a mana-blocking barrier is set up.]
“Mana blocking barrier?”
[Yes. Since the presence is a type of mana, it decreases when you enter a place where a mana-blocking barrier is set up. However, since I can't feel it at all, I think he's in a very strong barrier.]
The following explanation made me think of the Imperial Palace.
I once heard from my father that there was a forbidden area in the palace where magic was absolutely prohibited to protect the royal family.
[Judging by your expression, I guess you have a guess about where it is]
“Yes. Sir Perdes and I are currently staying at the palace.”
[The Imperial Palace? Oh, is that so?]
The great sage nodded as if he finally understood the story.
[It would be nice if it was the imperial palace. There are quite a few useful magicians here.]
“I will return to the palace and look for Lord Perdes.”
[If you do that, I will be grateful. And when you meet, please send me out of the palace. I cannot enter the palace in this state.]
“Yes, I will.”
“Your Excellency the Duke?”
It felt strange hearing the sound directly in my head and then hearing it with my ears.
Even though the original voice is heard with the ears, I feel like this is wrong.
When someone spoke to me, the mini dragon flapped its wings and rose into the air.
I think that would stand out more.
I was worried that other people might see it, but no one seemed to care about the mini dragon.
It seemed like I was the only one who could see that dragon.
“Are you His Excellency the Duke Leopold?”
I looked back and saw Nicole Tesis smiling brightly.
I never thought I'd see her again in a place like this.
The unexpected reunion was both surprising and welcome.
Since she had been a great help to me, I got down from my horse and greeted her.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Yeah, well. I was doing well, but...”
I see you're stretching your tail, so I guess something's wrong.
“What's going on?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. We just had a little bit of a business problem. As you know, the value of the Empire’s gold has dropped due to counterfeit gold coins, making operations a little difficult.”
“Oh, like that.”
The counterfeit gold coins I scattered also had a big impact on the upper house run by Perdes.
I'm really sorry about this.
“Just let me know whenever you need help, I’ll help you with anything I can.”
“Oh, no.”
Nicole Tesis flinched and waved her hand.
“How could I dare to seek Your Excellency’s help?”
“As Lord Perdes’ fiancée, it’s something I have to do, so you don’t have to refuse.”
Rather, it was my conscience that was pricking me.
Nicole Tesis thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I will not decline and will let you know if I need help with anything later.”
"Yes."
[Stop talking nonsense and find that kid right now.]
Don't rush me for nothing.
As I was looking annoyed at the Great Sage flying overhead, Nicole Tesis asked cautiously.
“Excuse me... You didn’t fight with Lord Perdes, did you?”
What the heck is this?
To the question I couldn't understand, I tilted my head and asked back.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Oh, no. It’s just, I, I mean...”
“Don’t hide it, tell me straight.”
Nicole Tesis hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said.
“That’s right, I met Lord Perdes before I came here.”
When Perdes' name was mentioned, the great sage reacted immediately.
It felt quite strange to hear voices in my head and ears at the same time.
I gave the Great Sage a look telling him to be quiet, then asked Nicole Tesis.
“Where have you seen Lord Perdes?”
“It was 8 Avenue Blanche.”
8 Avenue Blanche was a gambling and entertainment district lined with casinos and brothels.
By the way, you see Perdes there?
“Really?”
When I asked again in disbelief, Nicole Tesis nodded.
“I went to meet the person in charge of the casino operation, and I saw Mr. Perdes. At first, I thought he was there for business, but he passed the person in charge who had requested the job and went inside. And he did it very carefully.”
It was strange that Perdes was in such a place, and the part about being careful also bothered me.
Moreover, the Great Sage said that Perdes would be in a place where there was a strong mana-blocking barrier that could not even be felt at the moment.
Could that mean...?
“Oh, of course, Mr. Perdes was alone!”
I looked up at her as a voice suddenly pierced my eardrums.
Nicole Tesis clenched her fists and spoke urgently.
“It doesn’t look like he's up to anything bad! So please don’t misunderstand! Mr. Perdes would never do something like that!”
I think the strange misunderstanding is not mine but yours.
It was a little absurd, but it was a plausible situation, so I nodded without saying anything.
Then, Nicole Tesis finally smiled as if she felt relieved.
It seemed like Nicole Tesis had more to say to me, but I couldn't keep rambling on with her forever.
“I’m going to go now.”
Because I had to go find Perdes.
As I mounted my horse, the great sage sat on my shoulder and asked me.
[I see you know where that kid is.]
“I don’t know exactly, but I have a guess.”
A place with a mana-blocking barrier strong enough to completely hide your presence.
And 8 Avenue Blanche, where casinos abound.
Combining these two conditions yields one location.
It was an illegal casino operating right at the top of the dark world.
Perdes took a quick look around the casino, but he couldn't find the Crown Prince anywhere.
Instead, he found a place where the Crown Prince might be.
It was the VIP room, a forbidden area that only low-level employees could enter.
A special place that only those who visit this casino for a long time and spend a lot of money can enter.
'I think it's over there.'
He wanted to check, but no matter how much he looked, there was no way to check.
'Let's give up.'
There was no need to take unnecessary risks to check.
So Perdes decided not to waste any more time and turned around.
“...!”
As if by a twist of fate, the Crown Prince appeared sitting at a table not too far away.
It wasn't there before, so where did it appear?
Perdes' felt curious but also happy.
Because he found the Crown Prince he was looking for so desperately.
He had no intention of pretending to know the Crown Prince, but when he actually found him, my thoughts changed.
Until the day he was ousted from the Crown Prince position.
The thought of seeing his troubled expression already made Perdes happy.
As he approached the Crown Prince with a smile on his face, someone grabbed his arm from behind.
It's like deja vu.
Are you going to order something like champagne serving again?
“You must not go.”
Perdes, who was sighing deeply inside, turned around in surprise when he heard a familiar voice.
“...Sir Aaron?”
When I asked back in surprise, the mini dragon tilted its head.
[What are you so surprised about?]
The sight was cute, but the voice in my head wasn't cute at all.
[Did you think I wouldn't find it?]
“No, that’s not it...”
If he had really found the heart of the dragon, I was only a little surprised because that meant the Pura embedded in the sword was not the heart of the dragon.
When he asked me if I had any guesses before, I had already answered no, so I couldn't bring myself to tell him this story and trailed off.
If I had asked him in detail why he was doing that, it would have been a headache, but fortunately, the great sage didn't think it was strange and just let it go.
[Well, I haven't found it for sure. I just figured out where it might be.]
Oh, what is it? It wasn't certain.
What's reassuring is, is it because of selfishness that I don't want to give him the Dragon Heart?
“Where is it?”
[Inside a room that looks like a study. There is a strong security spell in place.]
The place the Great Sage was talking about was definitely the room where I found the sword.
Is it true that the Pura embedded in that sword is the Dragon Heart?
[It's not easy to break the spell, it's so strong. I've been holding it for hours and I still can't break it.]
The mini dragon sighed deeply.
[I tried to find a clue and order that kid to find out, but there was no clue.]
“If you’re talking about that kid, are you talking about Perdes?”
[Yeah. I can feel your presence and that of the others, but for some reason, I can't feel that kid's presence at all.]
Could it be that he didn't feel any movement...?
[It's not like he's dead or anything.]
The great sage continued speaking as if he had read my mind.
[If he hasn't been dead for a long time, I should be able to sense his presence. You haven't seen that kid in two days or anything, have you?]
“That’s not it.”
[Then he's definitely not dead.]
I was anxious when he said he couldn't feel any movement, but I felt relieved when he gave me a confident answer.
“Then why can’t you feel any movement?”
[I guess the kid is currently in a place where a mana-blocking barrier is set up.]
“Mana blocking barrier?”
[Yes. Since the presence is a type of mana, it decreases when you enter a place where a mana-blocking barrier is set up. However, since I can't feel it at all, I think he's in a very strong barrier.]
The following explanation made me think of the Imperial Palace.
I once heard from my father that there was a forbidden area in the palace where magic was absolutely prohibited to protect the royal family.
[Judging by your expression, I guess you have a guess about where it is]
“Yes. Sir Perdes and I are currently staying at the palace.”
[The Imperial Palace? Oh, is that so?]
The great sage nodded as if he finally understood the story.
[It would be nice if it was the imperial palace. There are quite a few useful magicians here.]
“I will return to the palace and look for Lord Perdes.”
[If you do that, I will be grateful. And when you meet, please send me out of the palace. I cannot enter the palace in this state.]
“Yes, I will.”
“Your Excellency the Duke?”
It felt strange hearing the sound directly in my head and then hearing it with my ears.
Even though the original voice is heard with the ears, I feel like this is wrong.
When someone spoke to me, the mini dragon flapped its wings and rose into the air.
I think that would stand out more.
I was worried that other people might see it, but no one seemed to care about the mini dragon.
It seemed like I was the only one who could see that dragon.
“Are you His Excellency the Duke Leopold?”
I looked back and saw Nicole Tesis smiling brightly.
I never thought I'd see her again in a place like this.
The unexpected reunion was both surprising and welcome.
Since she had been a great help to me, I got down from my horse and greeted her.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Yeah, well. I was doing well, but...”
I see you're stretching your tail, so I guess something's wrong.
“What's going on?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. We just had a little bit of a business problem. As you know, the value of the Empire’s gold has dropped due to counterfeit gold coins, making operations a little difficult.”
“Oh, like that.”
The counterfeit gold coins I scattered also had a big impact on the upper house run by Perdes.
I'm really sorry about this.
“Just let me know whenever you need help, I’ll help you with anything I can.”
“Oh, no.”
Nicole Tesis flinched and waved her hand.
“How could I dare to seek Your Excellency’s help?”
“As Lord Perdes’ fiancée, it’s something I have to do, so you don’t have to refuse.”
Rather, it was my conscience that was pricking me.
Nicole Tesis thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I will not decline and will let you know if I need help with anything later.”
"Yes."
[Stop talking nonsense and find that kid right now.]
Don't rush me for nothing.
As I was looking annoyed at the Great Sage flying overhead, Nicole Tesis asked cautiously.
“Excuse me... You didn’t fight with Lord Perdes, did you?”
What the heck is this?
To the question I couldn't understand, I tilted my head and asked back.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Oh, no. It’s just, I, I mean...”
“Don’t hide it, tell me straight.”
Nicole Tesis hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said.
“That’s right, I met Lord Perdes before I came here.”
[Ooh, she's seen the kid].
It felt quite strange to hear voices in my head and ears at the same time.
I gave the Great Sage a look telling him to be quiet, then asked Nicole Tesis.
“Where have you seen Lord Perdes?”
“It was 8 Avenue Blanche.”
8 Avenue Blanche was a gambling and entertainment district lined with casinos and brothels.
By the way, you see Perdes there?
“Really?”
When I asked again in disbelief, Nicole Tesis nodded.
“I went to meet the person in charge of the casino operation, and I saw Mr. Perdes. At first, I thought he was there for business, but he passed the person in charge who had requested the job and went inside. And he did it very carefully.”
It was strange that Perdes was in such a place, and the part about being careful also bothered me.
Moreover, the Great Sage said that Perdes would be in a place where there was a strong mana-blocking barrier that could not even be felt at the moment.
Could that mean...?
“Oh, of course, Mr. Perdes was alone!”
I looked up at her as a voice suddenly pierced my eardrums.
Nicole Tesis clenched her fists and spoke urgently.
“It doesn’t look like he's up to anything bad! So please don’t misunderstand! Mr. Perdes would never do something like that!”
I think the strange misunderstanding is not mine but yours.
It was a little absurd, but it was a plausible situation, so I nodded without saying anything.
Then, Nicole Tesis finally smiled as if she felt relieved.
It seemed like Nicole Tesis had more to say to me, but I couldn't keep rambling on with her forever.
“I’m going to go now.”
Because I had to go find Perdes.
As I mounted my horse, the great sage sat on my shoulder and asked me.
[I see you know where that kid is.]
“I don’t know exactly, but I have a guess.”
A place with a mana-blocking barrier strong enough to completely hide your presence.
And 8 Avenue Blanche, where casinos abound.
Combining these two conditions yields one location.
It was an illegal casino operating right at the top of the dark world.
***
Perdes took a quick look around the casino, but he couldn't find the Crown Prince anywhere.
Instead, he found a place where the Crown Prince might be.
It was the VIP room, a forbidden area that only low-level employees could enter.
A special place that only those who visit this casino for a long time and spend a lot of money can enter.
'I think it's over there.'
He wanted to check, but no matter how much he looked, there was no way to check.
'Let's give up.'
There was no need to take unnecessary risks to check.
So Perdes decided not to waste any more time and turned around.
“...!”
As if by a twist of fate, the Crown Prince appeared sitting at a table not too far away.
It wasn't there before, so where did it appear?
Perdes' felt curious but also happy.
Because he found the Crown Prince he was looking for so desperately.
He had no intention of pretending to know the Crown Prince, but when he actually found him, my thoughts changed.
He'll go and make sure he's got his face painted, surprise the Crown Prince, and then he'll leave him to worry about it.
The thought of seeing his troubled expression already made Perdes happy.
As he approached the Crown Prince with a smile on his face, someone grabbed his arm from behind.
It's like deja vu.
Are you going to order something like champagne serving again?
“You must not go.”
Perdes, who was sighing deeply inside, turned around in surprise when he heard a familiar voice.
“...Sir Aaron?”
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