After finishing my preparations, I was about to go to the dinner hall when I heard a knock.
Dorian frowned at me as if to look at it.
"Who are you from the morning? My baby has to go out to eat..."
Dorian shouted loudly, opened the door, and disappeared again as soon as she found Caliph.
With a thud, Caliph swung his long legs and came in front of me, then lowered his body with one knee on the floor.
I was worried that he would really apologize.
"Oh, brother!"
When I called out loud out of nowhere, he hesitated as he tried to part his lips.
"Yes?"
"Me, that... I found out the answer..."
"Answer...?"
Caliph looked down at me and let out a soft sigh.
"Yes, what was the answer?"
"The answer... The answer is. Liana made you sad. As much as my brother loves me. I... a turtle too."
"...turtle?"
"...Remember, turtles are also precious. In the future... I'll do that."
Caliph slowly pulled me in and hugged me.
"Liana is more precious than a turtle. I couldn't have left you there alone. It was scary, wasn't it? I'm even more sorry for you."
Through the crack in the open door, I saw Dorian looking at us with a mischievous expression.
Another long shadow appeared behind her, this time Theodore.
"Liana..."
When Caliph let me go, Theodore approached me and hugged me lightly.
"I'm hungry, so let's talk on the way?"
On the way to the dinner hall, Theodore also apologized several times.
While he was about to leave, he said that he was sorry for saying harsh things to me, and vowed to fix my habit of throbbing as soon as I talked about animals.
I hugged Theodore by the neck, and when we reached the dinner table, I returned the apple.
"...I won't do that anymore."
I didn't say anything about what I wouldn't do, but Theodore smiled brightly.
"I know, Liana."
***
The next week's practice day, I put on my gloves again and went to Caliph.
He raised one eyebrow.
"You were going to practice without gloves today?"
I raised my gloved hands above my head as if in surrender.
"Last week, I finally took off my gloves."
Caliph smiled and leaned down to stroke my hair.
"Liana."
"Hmm?"
"We don't give up. Because there is nowhere to retreat."
Caliph pointed his finger behind my back, so I easily understood what he was saying.
He was pointing to the north face.
"I was educated like that all my life..."
Caliph, who was giggling slightly, immediately laughed.
"Liana, should my baby be like that too?"
He seemed more serious than necessary, and I was openly arrogant
"It's not a baby, it's five years old..."
Caliph gently pinched my cheek and shook it.
"Don't do it when you don't want to, take a break when it's hard, and do it if you want to give up."
At a line that didn't look like Caliph at all, I quietly raised my eyes and looked up at him.
"...Why?"
"Let's make it our child's privilege. If you don't want to do it, your brothers can do it."
What is that?
When I puckered my lips, Caliph kissed me on the forehead with a squeak.
Oh no, I don't even try...
"In that sense, should I do the training without using my hands later? Well, when you grow as big as Shion?"
What else do I mean?
I grinned and looked up at Caliph.
"Schiller. I'm going to do it now."
"Why?"
Caliph asked in surprise.
"Meridy doesn't give up either."
When I retorted, he laughed heartily
"Oh, the daughter of Halias and Meridy..."
Then he lowered his hands that were kneading my cheeks and lifted me up.
"If so... Shall we go to the training room?"
When I entered the training room with a giggle, I found a pile of straw lying flat in the middle of the room.
'Then yes.'
I looked at it and shook my head inwardly
I was ready, but if he said no, I would have disappointed Caliph.
***
At the same moment, Alseid unfolded two letters side by side on his desk.
The first letter was sent by Garcia from the Tower.
[ Your Excellency,
It has been one year since I was ordered to follow Gregory Orbitt's traces.
However, even the faint hint of life that I could feel in him has disappeared, and even the magic tower's tracking technique can no longer reach it.
It seems that the magic tower has lost another young healer.
I apologize for not being able to deliver the news you are waiting for.
With respect and longing.
Garcia. ]
'Young healer.'
Garcia used such expressions every time he talked about Gregory Orbit.
Alseid remembered the Mage Tower shaman he had encountered only once in the Temple of Spenta.
The shabby shaman's appearance with sparse hair was far from "young", but the aura he felt briefly in the chapel was overwhelming.
Therefore, he couldn't trust the magician who said that such a person's life was faint for a while.
'If that day hadn't been so timid that he wet himself, he would have tried to use a sword to see the truth.'
Alseid sighed and picked up the letter next to it.
[ As you commanded. I investigated a man named Gregory Orbit.
According to reliable sources, he is an offensive shaman with divination and foresight abilities, and one day, he appeared in the capital and cleaned up the nearby mercenary group.
HIS ability is known to be powerful, but if you allow me to track it closely, I will definitely catch it.
To what extent is suppression allowed in case of backlash?
I Reconnaissance Captain Zeppelin. ]
"He was an offensive shaman."
Even though he read the same letter several times, he was excited every time he read it.
What he could have recognized on the spot was deceived by the old man's cunning tricks.
'Even the fact that he wet himself must have been an act.'
When he compared the old shaman to the letter between the two, the conclusion was the same.
A shaman he met at the temple.
The man who introduced himself as Gregory Orbitr from the Mage Tower is neither the Mage Tower nor Gregory Orbit.
The real Gregory Orbit is dead, and the man is helping the royal family by pretending to be Orbit.
Judging from the fact that he had a magic tower necklace, it must have been related to the real Orbit's death.
However, what was unknown was whether the royal family knew the man's identity.
Alseid picked up his pen and replied to one of them first.
[ Captain, find the base of the shaman, but don't approach it carelessly, and gather more information.
Never deal with shamans whose exact attack techniques have not been revealed. ]
Then he opened a new piece of paper one after another.
[ Garcia.
I know that the work of the North Wall is more Important than anything else, but I really need you... ]
It was his will from the beginning that Garcia left the Mage Tower and remained in Halias, not Alseid's order.
If possible, he wanted to prioritize Garcia's will, but he had to clarify Meridy's affairs accurately.
Because it is related to young Liana.
***
"To sum up, two years ago, someone used the royal family's spirit stone to start a fire in Meridy, and we believe that 'someone' was related to the royal family."
Caliph, who had been called to the lord's room, recounted Alseid's words.
"On the other hand, a man named Edipa Sischel tried twice to kidnap Liana, and she could be the illegitimate son of the Marquis de Haan."
Alseid nodded, and Caliph continued.
"The royal family doesn't know about Liana's existence, but they hire a suspicious shaman named Gregory Orbit to hide the flaws in the Spirit Stone."
"I haven't seen the spirit stone hidden in the royal family yet. He doesn't know you, me, or Edipa Sichel's face, but if you're a shaman, it's a different story. I saw him clearly, and I won't be able to say he doesn't know me."
At Alseid's words, Caliph asked with a little hesitation.
"...Did he seem dangerous enough to call Garcia?"
Alseid slowly retorted.
"No, I acted like I was going to look ridiculous that day. However, Garcia needs to understand him. I don't feel good."
Caliph nodded.
"It's good to move carefully, but I think it's okay to clean up quickly. The shaman will know the secret of the Spirit Stone, so if he gets a testimony, he will join hands with the Temple of Verbti. The Temple of Verbti has been irreversibly damaged by the Meridy fire, so it will remain a rebellion against the royal family."
Alseid stared at Caliph and called out his name.
"Caliph."
"Yes, Father."
"I know your intention to become independent from the kingdom one day, and I think it is worth considering."
Caliph was embarrassed to the point of not being like him, but he immediately retorted.
"I have not found a reason to be subordinate to the kingdom, but I will always obey my father's will."
Alseid laughed.
"If you become the master of this land, then you will not go and obey my will."
"Father."
"But."
As Alseid's words continued, Caliph. bowed his head.
"Until Liana finds her place, I think it would be better to maintain the current kingdom system. After the rebellion with the royal family, we will not be able to bring Meridy back to peace."
"...If you do, will you cover up Meridy's affairs like this?"
Alseid shook his head.
"I can't. If what is hidden behind it is a real Marquis, then that problem must be solved. If de Haan knows of Liana's existence but remains silent for a long time, he will always try again to take the child."
"Can you find out the relationship between the royal family and de Haan through the shaman?"
"If Edipa Sischel is from de Haan, then the Marquis could not have been involved in the fire."
"You're trying to punish de Haan, not the royal family."
Caliph slowly retorted, and Alseid corrected it properly.
"From de Haan, I want to punish you."
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