“Whatever you want.”
Linel said to the Magic Tower Lord with a relaxed expression.
Wow. I was inwardly impressed.
His firm voice, as if he would give up the throne for my cure, touched my heart.
“Once I get my hands on the cure, I’ll tell you then.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied with a cautious look.
Linel smiled, saying that he knew how to negotiate.
“Are you sure that herb is on Aklatto Island? And that its efficacy is also certain?”
I confirmed with the Magic Tower Lord once more.
“Yes, the burn scars caused by the red reagent can be completely cured by digging up a few roots of the ‘Kelvarn’ herb and taking them.”
“Really?!”
A choked sound came out of my mouth.
It didn’t take as much as I thought.
My hips kept shaking.
“Yes, but unlike the common herbs that are spread all over the land, ‘Kelvarn’ only grows in small quantities per year.”
“Then you also know where ‘Kelvarn’ comes from on Aklatto Island?”
At Linel’s question, the Magic Tower Lord's mouth, which had been fluently talking about the cure, closed tightly like a clam.
I patiently stared at the Magic Tower Lord's mouth, waiting for a positive answer to come out of that mouth.
However, judging from the Magic Tower Lord's worried expression, it didn’t seem like an easy herb to obtain.
“That herb grows near the volcano where the wyverns live. And since it looks like a common weed, it’s not easy for ordinary people to find.”
The Magic Tower Lord's words made me think of Rosie.
‘Wouldn’t Rosie be able to recognize ‘Kelvarn’?’
However, Rosie had only seen the herb in pictures in ancient books and had never actually seen it, so she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference either.
What should I do?
Hope and disappointment were mixed inside me.
“It’s hard to find, you know...”
The Magic Tower Lord responded as if she had been waiting for Linel’s voice to be troubled.
“So I have no choice but to get the herb for Your Majesty, the Empress, myself.”
“Lord of the Tower yourself?! Can you... Do that?”
I unconsciously let go of Linel’s hand and held my two hands together as if praying, placing them on my chin.
“Yes, but the ‘Kelvarn’ herb has a set growing season every year, and when fully grown, it withers and disappears in a week.”
“It’s a more sensitive herb than I thought.”
“Besides, you can’t harvest it in advance. You can only harvest and consume it when the herb is growing.”
“Then the current season is...”
“It’s already past.”
My excitement that had been surging at the Tower’s assurance subsided.
“You’ll have to wait until next year. Are you taking any magic potions right now?”
Tower looked at the right side of my face and asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“You’ll have to maintain the magic potion you’re taking until next spring. But don’t be too heartbroken. You’ll be completely cured by this time next year. As long as I’m here...”
The Magic Tower Lord pulled me out of the pit of disappointment.
The last words gave me goosebumps for some reason, but they were surprisingly reassuring.
“Thank you so much. Thank you!”
I wanted to hug Linel and the Magic Tower Lord and dance around, but I couldn’t do that because of the Empress’s honor, so I danced my heart out to myself.
“I’m glad I could be of help to Your Majesty.”
What the heck, the Magic Tower Lord's personality was better than I thought?
I wondered if Moiya and the incarnation had underestimated the Magic Tower Lord too much.
I thanked the Magic Tower Lord a few more times, and the Magic Tower Lord smiled and blushed the whole time.
The Magic Tower Lord was embarrassed, saying that finding herbs was nothing special to him.
Such humble words made the Magic Tower Lord seem even more impressive.
Linel, who had been silently watching the Magic Tower Lord repeatedly respond with “Oh, no” to my compliments, cleared his throat, sat up straight, and tried to start a conversation.
“I heard that you are no longer accepting disciples. Is that true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I suddenly feel skeptical.”
“It seems that there was a troublesome person among your last disciples.”
“Hahaha. You are sharp, Your Majesty.”
The Magic Tower Lord smiled as if he had hit the nail on the head and opened his mouth again with eyes filled with reminiscence.
“Are you still in touch with your last disciples?”
“No. Of the last disciples I trained, only Logan is still with me at Matap.” “
I heard that among your last disciples, there was also a female disciple.”
I asked, thinking of Rosie’s mother.
“That’s right. She went to the continent after training. Oh, and she also married Count Adelid of the Lapion Empire. She passed away ten years ago, though.”
The expression on the Magic Tower Lord's face as he spoke calmly was filled with regret.
“And that disciple’s daughter grew up and became His Majesty’s concubine.”
I said to the Magic Tower Lord while glancing at Linel.
I snickered at his awkward behavior.
“I see.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied without seeming surprised.
Did he already know this fact?
“That bastard who handles wyverns, Filiche, isn’t he one of your last disciples?”
Linel brought up the story of the wizard who had cursed him.
That wizard was also the Magic Tower Lord's disciple?
I stared at the Magic Tower Lord with surprised eyes.
“I don’t want to talk about Filiche. He is no longer my disciple.”
The Magic Tower Lord's expression darkened immediately.
Linel leaned in front of the Magic Tower Lord and asked in a murderous voice.
“Have you heard anything about that bastard’s whereabouts?”
“...No, nothing, Your Majesty.”
At the Magic Tower Lord's answer, Linel nodded with a disappointed face, then softened his expression and asked,
“Would you like to meet the last disciple of the four who completed their training?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wizard Big. That one.”
“Is Big... in the palace? I heard he runs a clinic in the palace?”
“He won’t be able to run the clinic for the time being. He has some work to do. Oh, how about using him as your assistant during the hunting competition?”
The Magic Tower Lord was surprised by Linel’s suggestion.
It seemed like he had originally planned to take Wizard Big to the hunting competition because of the ‘Yakante’ herb in the Tebello Empire.
“That’s good for me,”
The Magic Tower Lord said with a smile.
That would be even better for me.
The magician who would find the magic potion I was taking and the cure would accompany me to the hunting competition.
“That’s great. My secretary will guide you to where Big is.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“I just... went for a walk. The cat seemed to be feeling suffocated.”
Rosie lifted the basket slightly and answered Melanie. She thought she would be annoyed if she said she went to see Her Majesty the Empress, so she said she went out to walk the cat.
“Then take Awoo out. Let him get some fresh air in his nose.”
“...Not Awoo, but Aoshi.”
“Cats don’t understand what you call them anyway. What’s wrong, Aoshi? No, it would be better to call him Miss. Hehe.”
Melanie flipped open the lid of the basket.
“...Aoshi is a male.”
Rosie sighed and muttered to herself
“Meow!”
Moiya, who had transformed into Aoshi in the basket, looked up at Melanie, wagging his tail.
“I went to see him before, but they said Your Highness Rosie had a cold, so I couldn’t see him. It was a shame.”
“Didn’t you say you don’t like cats?”
“No, but it’s fun to see him being cocky. Hand, sit down.”
Melanie ordered Aoshi like a puppy.
“Look at this. He's being so arrogant and not doing anything.”
“Cats don’t do that.”
When Rosie said nonchalantly, Melanie nodded as if she had no idea.
“You seem like an arrogant noble. Just like me.”
“Meow! (Yeah, and I’m also great!)”
Moiya lifted hia front paw and patted Melanie’s hand.
“Can I go play for a bit?”
Melanie asked, nodding to Rosie’s butt.
“I’m not feeling well, so I think I need to rest.”
“Why are you always sick? You don’t lose weight.”
“!”
Melanie hit Rosie’s butt.
“Then just lend me this. I’ll have it sent back to you at dinnertime.”
Melanie lifted Aoshi out of the basket.
“No way!”
“Why?”
“Oh, Aoshi is really shy... and it’s stressful.”
But, completely different from what Rosie said, Moiya, who had transformed into Aoshi, hugged Melanie and wagged his tail.
“Is that so? You, do you get stressed when your environment changes?”
“Meow. (No, Rams is the most stressful.)”
Moiya let out a long, cat-like meow as if complaining.
“Are all males, human or animal, not interested in me? Go away, go away.”
Melanie hesitated as she thought of Linel with a sullen look on her face as she tried to hand Moiya back to Rosie.
“What’s wrong with him? Oh, his fingernail is stuck in your sleeve?”
Moiya stuck his claws into Melanie’s dress sleeve and resisted going to Rosie. “Was there really torture?”
Rosie read Moiya’s plan and cursed with her eyes.
“Is he crazy? Where the hell is that place that he’s going to play?”
“Give it to me.”
Rosie forcefully took Moiya from Melanie’s hands.
However, Moiya refused to go, digging his claws into the end of Melanie’s sleeve.
“Meow meow! (Can’t we just play for an hour? There’s no way I'll get caught since I'm Aoshi!)”
After a small struggle, Rosie put strength into her hand and pulled Moiya towards her.
At that moment, there was a loud noise of fabric being torn.
“Ugh!”
Rosie was at a loss as she saw the fabric of the dress sleeve dangling from Aoshi’s claws.
“Haa, again?”
Melanie looked at the torn sleeve of her dress and thought of the other dress that Zelda had ripped violently the night before.
“Your Highness Melanie, I’m sorry! I’ll pay for the dress.”
“Yes. Even Her Majesty the Empress said that... Do I look like I don’t have money? Why are you all buying dresses?”
“Yes?”
“Yes. Heddon, I’ll have to cut off one sleeve of this dress and wear it. Just like the dress from yesterday, I’ll have this one altered by the designer. Your Highness Rosie, I’ll go now.”
Melanie pretended to be upset and turned around.
“I’m sorry, we’ll have more time together at the hunting competition, so let’s spend time together then.”
As Rosie tried to comfort her, Melanie walked away and raised one hand.
It was a gesture that meant she understood.
Rosie burst into laughter as she watched Melanie’s back.
“Meow! (Oh? My friend is really nice!)”
Moiya shook the sleeve that was caught in Aoshi’s fingernails and admired Melanie’s cool back.
“The wizard Big is living in the basement for some reason.”
Raphael spoke quietly before taking Bellos to the wizard Big.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
Two secret passages could lead to the basement from the main palace.
One was the lounge inside the office, and the other was a room at the end of the hallway of the VIP floor of the main palace.
Raphael took him to the room at the end of the hallway of the VIP floor where the Magic Tower Lord resided.
Since the room was usually locked, Raphael opened the door with his key and looked back at the Magic Tower Lord.
“Come in.”
Raphael went into the VIP room, locked the door again, and guided the Magic Tower Lord to the wall where a large portrait of the previous Emperor hung. Bellos looked at the large portrait and guessed that there must be a passage leading to the basement behind it.
As he had thought, Raphael pushed the portrait to the side with both hands, revealing a space large enough for one person to pass through.
“You can go down here.”
Raphael was the first to squeeze himself into the dark space, and Bellos followed him down the underground stairs.
After a few minutes of winding around the spiral staircase, they arrived at the basement of the main palace. As Bellos walked down the hallway to the underground facility, he heard the story of why Wizard Big was staying here.
Prince Tesla tried to kidnap Big?
Why? Could it be that he was trying to stop the supply of the magic potion Zelda was taking?
“There. Oh, my, it seems that even my mind needs food.”
Bellos, who was walking around with his eyes down on the floor, raised his head at Raphael’s grumbling.
He saw Wizard Big sitting at the table in the central hall, eating various kinds of cakes absentmindedly.
“Hey, Big.”
At the familiar voice, Wizard Big turned around with a bite of strawberry cake in his mouth.
“Oh, no! How did the Master get here?”
Wizard Big swallowed the strawberry cake he had just put in his mouth and jumped up from his chair to greet Bellos.
“25 years? But... why is your face like this?”
“Haha, I’m getting older as time goes by.”
Wizard Big patted his protruding belly and grumbled.
“No, your face already looked old when you were young.”
“...Yes?”
“That’s not what I meant. What the hell is this face?! What kind of punk made a person’s face like this?!”
“His Majesty did it.”
Raphael answered in a polite voice.
Bellos glared at Raphael with an even more furious expression. Even though she was his wife, he couldn’t have a naughty boy next to her partner.
Linel said to the Magic Tower Lord with a relaxed expression.
Wow. I was inwardly impressed.
His firm voice, as if he would give up the throne for my cure, touched my heart.
“Once I get my hands on the cure, I’ll tell you then.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied with a cautious look.
Linel smiled, saying that he knew how to negotiate.
“Are you sure that herb is on Aklatto Island? And that its efficacy is also certain?”
I confirmed with the Magic Tower Lord once more.
“Yes, the burn scars caused by the red reagent can be completely cured by digging up a few roots of the ‘Kelvarn’ herb and taking them.”
“Really?!”
A choked sound came out of my mouth.
It didn’t take as much as I thought.
My hips kept shaking.
“Yes, but unlike the common herbs that are spread all over the land, ‘Kelvarn’ only grows in small quantities per year.”
“Then you also know where ‘Kelvarn’ comes from on Aklatto Island?”
At Linel’s question, the Magic Tower Lord's mouth, which had been fluently talking about the cure, closed tightly like a clam.
I patiently stared at the Magic Tower Lord's mouth, waiting for a positive answer to come out of that mouth.
However, judging from the Magic Tower Lord's worried expression, it didn’t seem like an easy herb to obtain.
“That herb grows near the volcano where the wyverns live. And since it looks like a common weed, it’s not easy for ordinary people to find.”
The Magic Tower Lord's words made me think of Rosie.
‘Wouldn’t Rosie be able to recognize ‘Kelvarn’?’
However, Rosie had only seen the herb in pictures in ancient books and had never actually seen it, so she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference either.
What should I do?
Hope and disappointment were mixed inside me.
“It’s hard to find, you know...”
The Magic Tower Lord responded as if she had been waiting for Linel’s voice to be troubled.
“So I have no choice but to get the herb for Your Majesty, the Empress, myself.”
“Lord of the Tower yourself?! Can you... Do that?”
I unconsciously let go of Linel’s hand and held my two hands together as if praying, placing them on my chin.
“Yes, but the ‘Kelvarn’ herb has a set growing season every year, and when fully grown, it withers and disappears in a week.”
“It’s a more sensitive herb than I thought.”
“Besides, you can’t harvest it in advance. You can only harvest and consume it when the herb is growing.”
“Then the current season is...”
“It’s already past.”
My excitement that had been surging at the Tower’s assurance subsided.
“You’ll have to wait until next year. Are you taking any magic potions right now?”
Tower looked at the right side of my face and asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“You’ll have to maintain the magic potion you’re taking until next spring. But don’t be too heartbroken. You’ll be completely cured by this time next year. As long as I’m here...”
The Magic Tower Lord pulled me out of the pit of disappointment.
The last words gave me goosebumps for some reason, but they were surprisingly reassuring.
“Thank you so much. Thank you!”
I wanted to hug Linel and the Magic Tower Lord and dance around, but I couldn’t do that because of the Empress’s honor, so I danced my heart out to myself.
“I’m glad I could be of help to Your Majesty.”
What the heck, the Magic Tower Lord's personality was better than I thought?
I wondered if Moiya and the incarnation had underestimated the Magic Tower Lord too much.
I thanked the Magic Tower Lord a few more times, and the Magic Tower Lord smiled and blushed the whole time.
The Magic Tower Lord was embarrassed, saying that finding herbs was nothing special to him.
Such humble words made the Magic Tower Lord seem even more impressive.
Linel, who had been silently watching the Magic Tower Lord repeatedly respond with “Oh, no” to my compliments, cleared his throat, sat up straight, and tried to start a conversation.
“I heard that you are no longer accepting disciples. Is that true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I suddenly feel skeptical.”
“It seems that there was a troublesome person among your last disciples.”
“Hahaha. You are sharp, Your Majesty.”
The Magic Tower Lord smiled as if he had hit the nail on the head and opened his mouth again with eyes filled with reminiscence.
“Are you still in touch with your last disciples?”
“No. Of the last disciples I trained, only Logan is still with me at Matap.” “
I heard that among your last disciples, there was also a female disciple.”
I asked, thinking of Rosie’s mother.
“That’s right. She went to the continent after training. Oh, and she also married Count Adelid of the Lapion Empire. She passed away ten years ago, though.”
The expression on the Magic Tower Lord's face as he spoke calmly was filled with regret.
“And that disciple’s daughter grew up and became His Majesty’s concubine.”
I said to the Magic Tower Lord while glancing at Linel.
I snickered at his awkward behavior.
“I see.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied without seeming surprised.
Did he already know this fact?
“That bastard who handles wyverns, Filiche, isn’t he one of your last disciples?”
Linel brought up the story of the wizard who had cursed him.
That wizard was also the Magic Tower Lord's disciple?
I stared at the Magic Tower Lord with surprised eyes.
“I don’t want to talk about Filiche. He is no longer my disciple.”
The Magic Tower Lord's expression darkened immediately.
Linel leaned in front of the Magic Tower Lord and asked in a murderous voice.
“Have you heard anything about that bastard’s whereabouts?”
“...No, nothing, Your Majesty.”
At the Magic Tower Lord's answer, Linel nodded with a disappointed face, then softened his expression and asked,
“Would you like to meet the last disciple of the four who completed their training?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wizard Big. That one.”
“Is Big... in the palace? I heard he runs a clinic in the palace?”
“He won’t be able to run the clinic for the time being. He has some work to do. Oh, how about using him as your assistant during the hunting competition?”
The Magic Tower Lord was surprised by Linel’s suggestion.
It seemed like he had originally planned to take Wizard Big to the hunting competition because of the ‘Yakante’ herb in the Tebello Empire.
“That’s good for me,”
The Magic Tower Lord said with a smile.
That would be even better for me.
The magician who would find the magic potion I was taking and the cure would accompany me to the hunting competition.
“That’s great. My secretary will guide you to where Big is.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
***
“I just... went for a walk. The cat seemed to be feeling suffocated.”
Rosie lifted the basket slightly and answered Melanie. She thought she would be annoyed if she said she went to see Her Majesty the Empress, so she said she went out to walk the cat.
“Then take Awoo out. Let him get some fresh air in his nose.”
“...Not Awoo, but Aoshi.”
“Cats don’t understand what you call them anyway. What’s wrong, Aoshi? No, it would be better to call him Miss. Hehe.”
Melanie flipped open the lid of the basket.
“...Aoshi is a male.”
Rosie sighed and muttered to herself
“Meow!”
Moiya, who had transformed into Aoshi in the basket, looked up at Melanie, wagging his tail.
“I went to see him before, but they said Your Highness Rosie had a cold, so I couldn’t see him. It was a shame.”
“Didn’t you say you don’t like cats?”
“No, but it’s fun to see him being cocky. Hand, sit down.”
Melanie ordered Aoshi like a puppy.
“Look at this. He's being so arrogant and not doing anything.”
“Cats don’t do that.”
When Rosie said nonchalantly, Melanie nodded as if she had no idea.
“You seem like an arrogant noble. Just like me.”
“Meow! (Yeah, and I’m also great!)”
Moiya lifted hia front paw and patted Melanie’s hand.
“Can I go play for a bit?”
Melanie asked, nodding to Rosie’s butt.
“I’m not feeling well, so I think I need to rest.”
“Why are you always sick? You don’t lose weight.”
“!”
Melanie hit Rosie’s butt.
“Then just lend me this. I’ll have it sent back to you at dinnertime.”
Melanie lifted Aoshi out of the basket.
“No way!”
“Why?”
“Oh, Aoshi is really shy... and it’s stressful.”
But, completely different from what Rosie said, Moiya, who had transformed into Aoshi, hugged Melanie and wagged his tail.
“Is that so? You, do you get stressed when your environment changes?”
“Meow. (No, Rams is the most stressful.)”
Moiya let out a long, cat-like meow as if complaining.
“Are all males, human or animal, not interested in me? Go away, go away.”
Melanie hesitated as she thought of Linel with a sullen look on her face as she tried to hand Moiya back to Rosie.
“What’s wrong with him? Oh, his fingernail is stuck in your sleeve?”
Moiya stuck his claws into Melanie’s dress sleeve and resisted going to Rosie. “Was there really torture?”
Rosie read Moiya’s plan and cursed with her eyes.
“Is he crazy? Where the hell is that place that he’s going to play?”
“Give it to me.”
Rosie forcefully took Moiya from Melanie’s hands.
However, Moiya refused to go, digging his claws into the end of Melanie’s sleeve.
“Meow meow! (Can’t we just play for an hour? There’s no way I'll get caught since I'm Aoshi!)”
After a small struggle, Rosie put strength into her hand and pulled Moiya towards her.
At that moment, there was a loud noise of fabric being torn.
“Ugh!”
Rosie was at a loss as she saw the fabric of the dress sleeve dangling from Aoshi’s claws.
“Haa, again?”
Melanie looked at the torn sleeve of her dress and thought of the other dress that Zelda had ripped violently the night before.
“Your Highness Melanie, I’m sorry! I’ll pay for the dress.”
“Yes. Even Her Majesty the Empress said that... Do I look like I don’t have money? Why are you all buying dresses?”
“Yes?”
“Yes. Heddon, I’ll have to cut off one sleeve of this dress and wear it. Just like the dress from yesterday, I’ll have this one altered by the designer. Your Highness Rosie, I’ll go now.”
Melanie pretended to be upset and turned around.
“I’m sorry, we’ll have more time together at the hunting competition, so let’s spend time together then.”
As Rosie tried to comfort her, Melanie walked away and raised one hand.
It was a gesture that meant she understood.
Rosie burst into laughter as she watched Melanie’s back.
“Meow! (Oh? My friend is really nice!)”
Moiya shook the sleeve that was caught in Aoshi’s fingernails and admired Melanie’s cool back.
***
“The wizard Big is living in the basement for some reason.”
Raphael spoke quietly before taking Bellos to the wizard Big.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
Two secret passages could lead to the basement from the main palace.
One was the lounge inside the office, and the other was a room at the end of the hallway of the VIP floor of the main palace.
Raphael took him to the room at the end of the hallway of the VIP floor where the Magic Tower Lord resided.
Since the room was usually locked, Raphael opened the door with his key and looked back at the Magic Tower Lord.
“Come in.”
Raphael went into the VIP room, locked the door again, and guided the Magic Tower Lord to the wall where a large portrait of the previous Emperor hung. Bellos looked at the large portrait and guessed that there must be a passage leading to the basement behind it.
As he had thought, Raphael pushed the portrait to the side with both hands, revealing a space large enough for one person to pass through.
“You can go down here.”
Raphael was the first to squeeze himself into the dark space, and Bellos followed him down the underground stairs.
After a few minutes of winding around the spiral staircase, they arrived at the basement of the main palace. As Bellos walked down the hallway to the underground facility, he heard the story of why Wizard Big was staying here.
Prince Tesla tried to kidnap Big?
Why? Could it be that he was trying to stop the supply of the magic potion Zelda was taking?
“There. Oh, my, it seems that even my mind needs food.”
Bellos, who was walking around with his eyes down on the floor, raised his head at Raphael’s grumbling.
He saw Wizard Big sitting at the table in the central hall, eating various kinds of cakes absentmindedly.
“Hey, Big.”
At the familiar voice, Wizard Big turned around with a bite of strawberry cake in his mouth.
“Oh, no! How did the Master get here?”
Wizard Big swallowed the strawberry cake he had just put in his mouth and jumped up from his chair to greet Bellos.
“25 years? But... why is your face like this?”
“Haha, I’m getting older as time goes by.”
Wizard Big patted his protruding belly and grumbled.
“No, your face already looked old when you were young.”
“...Yes?”
“That’s not what I meant. What the hell is this face?! What kind of punk made a person’s face like this?!”
“His Majesty did it.”
Raphael answered in a polite voice.
Bellos glared at Raphael with an even more furious expression. Even though she was his wife, he couldn’t have a naughty boy next to her partner.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment