Julia nodded with a sigh of relief. If It was the healing potion she bought from the magic tool shop, as Iris had said, then it would completely erase any traces as if they had never existed in the first place.
"Since it's a top-secret, they pretend to be a normal store on the outside. They said that only His Majesty and Lionel know about it, so we'll be the first customers!"
Iris said, waking Julia up excitedly. Julia, who had gotten out of bed in just one day, also laughed bashfully.
Come to think of it, this was Iris and Julia's first time shopping with friends their age.
With her worries resolved and the thought of having fun, her mood cleared up like the sky after rain. Julia was in a good mood and was dragged into the bathroom by Iris's arm, her heart pounding.
"Do you feel better? So you promise not to stay in your room alone like that anymore?"
The haughty voice demanding an answer again was now comfortable. Julia smiled brightly and answered willingly.
"Yes. Thank you, really! By the way, I completely forgive you now, sister."
"Yes? If It's forgiveness, then already..."
Iris's face hardened as she put Julia in the bathroom connected to the bedroom, telling her to hurry up and wash up.
"Then, you've been testing me all this time. Of course, I've been really bad all this time..."
Iris's blue eyes opened wide. Even the delicate eyelashes fluttered. Julia looked up at Iris, who was taller than her and burst into a cheerful laugh.
"I'm just kidding. I just think you care too much."
“Ah.”
In fact, Iris kept hovering around Julia, perhaps because she was still concerned about her past actions.
Even though she couldn't see her, she came to find her and told her a top secret to go out to change her mood.
Julia took Iris' hand and spoke gently.
"I'm human too, so it's not like I wasn't upset. But the future is more important to us, right?"
"...Yes. I'm sorry."
"Today is the last day you're going to say sorry. Yes?"
Julia winked and brushed it off lightly. Iris bit her lip and her eyes waver. Eyes as sharp as diamonds and as blue as the sea.
Julia thought that perhaps the reason she was able to accept Iris was because of 'that'.
Of course, she knew that Iris was a lonely person without friends like her, but the real reason was...
"Now that I look at you, sister, you're really bad at acting. I wonder how you've been able to act so calmly all this time."
"Actually, you really didn't hate me?"
Julia asked playfully. Finally, Iris stuck out her lips with a slightly tearful expression and pushed her back.
"That's nonsense. Get ready quickly and come out. I'll call the maids."
Her tone was cold, but her touch was warm. Julia laughed and waved her hand.
"Hey, I'll let you look at it since it's pretty."
Because she resembles Endymion.
When she looks closely, it resembles the lukewarm eyes that become hazy and warm. Although others say that it is blunt and cold, to her, it is the same color as her husband who is like a comfortable nest, so how could she hate it?
Even Iris looks similar to Endymion. That's why Julia wanted to become friends with Iris from the beginning.
Julia, who entered the bathroom, thought that perhaps she was too weak for Endymion Semele.
Still...
"Seriously. I'll be mad when I go back. How can you leave a trace in such a conspicuous place? What if someone notices it!"
Julia's soft grumbling could be heard through the slightly open bathroom door. Iris, who was leaving the bedroom, stopped in her tracks, and then quickly walked out.
... In fact, unfortunately, the soundproofing in the royal couple's bedroom was not working that day. It was supposed to be working properly, but it seemed to have broken down.
Iris made up her mind as she shook the rope and called her maid.
'I shouldn't say that the maid on duty at dawn heard the noise in the hallway that morning.'
If that happened, Julia might burst into tears and run away from home.
Iris chose silence for the sake of her brother and sister-in-law's peace.
***
[... For the above reasons, I request your cooperation. Parma Arcon]
The signature of the last scribe gleamed in gold. When Endymion finished reading the scroll and threw it onto the desk, the black ink that had been densely packed disappeared like a mirage.
Lionel saw that and rubbed his eyes.
"It looks pretty urgent."
Endymion slowly tapped his index finger on his desk.
The Magic Tower had no King or country, but it had a lofty and independent status as if it were separated from the continent. There was no country, not even a powerful country or a small country, that did not rely on magic.
Of course, it was not necessary, but the convenience of life that magic and magical tools provided was so great that everyone was desperate to get even a little bit more of it. This was especially true for Semele, which mainly engaged in trade, and the middle-sized countries below it.
Magic tools played a huge role in preserving perishable high-quality foodstuffs, jewels, and valuables, and even the transport routes across the continent depended heavily on teleportation and shrinking magic. The large-scale magic that calmed the waves during maritime trade was the greatest ability of the magic tower.
Among the many nations of the continent, Semele has been Magic Tower's greatest strategic partner and has been a companion for many years. That is why Magic Tower's Lord, Parma, was the first to inform Semele of Magic Tower's situation.
"They say the number of magicians maintaining the magic tower always remains constant, but the magic power is unstable. Could there be a problem?"
Lionel asked anxiously. Endymion stared at the scroll, the words already gone, with emotionless eyes.
Although it clearly took the form of a notice, the tone was filled with impatience.
They are desperately trying to hide the situation, but if it weren't urgent, they wouldn't be trying to recruit secretly like this instead of holding entrance exams across the continent like they usually do.
It wasn't a request to find anyone with magical qualities among Semele, but rather to cooperate so that the magicians who were dispatched could find them. Moreover, it wasn't a request to search for them at the academy or the swordsmanship school but to secretly set up a magic tool shop in the downtown area.
"It looks like one of the high-ranking wizards has been expelled."
"Your name, are you speaking?"
Lionel opened his eyes wide. Endymion absentmindedly put the scroll aside and picked up the authorization document, saying:
"If there is no official selection, what else could it be but worrying about rumors spreading outside? If it were a low-level wizard who is worthless, they would have kidnapped or lured him out to replace him, but since they have to replace the power of a high-level wizard, they must have become anxious."
"Your Majesty! Then what if we really find the High Wizard in Semele?! Our Semele would be deprived of the golden opportunity to possess the High Wizard!"
Lionel asked urgently. But Endymion finished writing the document in a businesslike manner and held up the Emperor's seal.
"If those arrogant wizards are this desperate, we will take them by any means necessary. If we are caught hiding it, we will risk immediately severing all contracts and partnerships with the Magic Tower."
"But Your Majesty! A high-ranking wizard can do it alone....!"
Even low-level wizards could sufficiently use preservation magic or shrinking magic.
Moreover, if he was a high-ranking magician who was extremely rare, he could use abundance magic that controlled the weather, and even large-scale magic that calmed the waves depending on his ability, so it was only natural that Duke Hyde would be greedy.
In fact, not only in Semele but also in any country, whenever important magic and magical tools were needed, they had to bow down to the magic tower and go through a cumbersome process.
But Endymion stamped the Emperor's seal without hesitation.
"Do not forget that when the Magic Tower made the treaty, the most important thing they valued was the exclusive possession of magical power."
Lionel paused at the cold voice.
The document that had already been approved had the King's seal and Semele's emblem engraved on it. Although it was just a drawing, it gave the illusion that the eyes of the intimidating dragon in the emblem were shining brightly, with its tail curled and its wings spread out.
"Even for high-ranking magicians, it is not a loss worth taking compared to the profits that can be made from the Magic Tower. We must grant their request, share the current internal situation of the Magic Tower, and provide the desired personnel to the Magic Tower, thereby putting them in debt and gaining an advantageous position in future transactions."
" Your Majesty's foresight is correct. Please forgive my foolish judgment."
Lionel Hyde, who had been briefly greedy because he was a precious high-ranking wizard, bowed his head.
Endymion looked at him with cold eyes and pushed the document to the edge of the desk. Lionel politely took the document with both hands.
"Your Majesty, but what if that high-ranking wizard is really discovered in Semele? I mean, a wizard discovered like that must move to the Magic Tower, cannot freely meet his family, and his marriage is also controlled. If he agrees, there will be no problem, but if he refuses, it wilI be quite difficult."
The serious Lionel asked. The slender, stone-faced eyes stared at him, then blinked slowly as if they had heard the wrong thing.
"Why is it difficult?"
Lionel got goosebumps at the frosty voice.
"Well, well, the emission of magical power usually occurs around the age of 7, so if we find them, wouldn't they be children? They didn't take the entrance exam voluntarily, and it would be almost like being taken from the magic tower by force, so would they be able to be separated from their parents...?"
Endymion responded coldly, without changing his expression at all.
"What does it matter?"
"Yes?"
"I said it had nothing to do with me."
It was a voice that did not convey any warmth. Lionel was momentarily speechless at the eerie coldness of his brother-in-law and lord and then nodded.
'Yes, that's the kind of person he was originally. I saw some humane aspects of him for a few days, so I was mistaken.'
Iris was cold on the outside but soft on the inside, but Endymion was the same on the outside and inside. He was cold on the inside and out, and words like compassion and mercy did not suit him at all.
However, he was only gentle and kind to his only family, that is, the Queen. Even though he had been a supporter for a while, he was a little better than the average person, but he was no match for the Queen. When he stood in front of the Queen, he spoke and smiled as if he was a different person.
Lionel once thought that his tongue, bitten by a sword, must have turned around in front of the Queen as if it had bitten a flower.
It was a little bit of gratitude that he was treated to this extent. Lionel gave up with a familiar air.
"That, that's true. Then repatriation is unavoidable. In case the high-ranking wizard is a child of a noble family, it would be good to secure a way to take care of his personal affairs, right?"
Lionel asked, looking through the permit documents.
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