"Alentia. You've grown a lot, haven't you? You'd better watch your tongue. Be careful with your tongue."
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Lady Alentia flinched in fear as Cordelia glared at her sharply and threatened her fiercely.
'Oh, Cordelia, I'm scared.'
While I was admiring Cordelia's power from afar, the black magicians, including Alentia, bowed to her respectfully and quietly disappeared.
It seems that Cordelia has a very high ranking among the group of black magicians.
‘It’s shocking...’
Cordelia, who had been coldly watching the disappearing backs of the warlocks, turned her gaze helplessly toward the artificial lake.
"Yeah. There's nothing I can do. It's the same whether I die this way or that way."
She muttered something incoherent and then staggered away with a feeble gait.
Left alone, I blankly watched Cordelia's back as she walked away, then slowly got up from my seat.
“Ugh... my legs.”
I was squatting so hard that my legs started cramping, but my head was so busy that I didn't have time to think about it anymore.
I was still recording and taping, so I noticed a flashing red light on the fan and pressed the button to turn it off.
"Uh..."
What the hell is going on?
I simply thought that if I found solid evidence and then caught all the warlocks, everything would be solved.
The footage of them plotting to recruit me was caught, and if I did something wrong, I could end up being misunderstood.
"Shit!"
I stamped my feet and grumbled angrily.
It was difficult to continue like this.
I need to gather more evidence. If I just gather this evidence and submit it, there's a high chance that I'll be lumped in with the warlock and be a nuisance.
“Ah... I just wanted to live comfortably. Why do cockroaches keep coming at me!”
I sighed deeply, my face crumpled, and glanced at the artificial lake.
Since I had to do something first, I opened the cap of the small vial I had brought and filled it into the artificial lake.
This is evidence that this was the final processing site of the Fountain of the Sun.
If I hadn't come to Adrian's birthday banquet today, I might not have found the real evidence of Empress Giselle's involvement in the Fountain of the Sun.
Because it would have already been destroyed and disappeared.
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
I closed the vial tightly and packed it away, then sighed in relief and looked up at the evening sky, which had now become quite dark.
Apparently, I was just watching a mysterious and beautiful summer sunset with Rudnine.
The dark evening sky that I am looking at alone now feels very eerie.
"What is it? Why am I so anxious?"
I nervously rubbed my hands to shake off the ominous feeling that was clinging to my body.
“Get out, you misfortune.”
I fastened the fan and the vial back onto the straps on my thighs and started walking briskly.
I'm going to live this life very happily, lazily, and leisurely.
Let's just settle this matter and quickly cure my magical amnesia!
I gritted my teeth and made a new resolution, then looked around to find my way.
There is not enough time.
If that foolish duo of Lady Alentia and Arthur Rognier is obsessed with recruiting me as a full-fledged warlock, they'll be looking for me at the banquet hall soon.
They must not know that I am away.
I walked as fast as I could, trying to solve my last remaining task, trying to remember.
'So, west from the direction of the spire of the Palace of Peace...'
The structure of the Palace of Peace, as heard from Lady Alentia at the Duke of Cardin's mansion.
And according to the information Carol had obtained and Liana's detailed review, it seems like I should go right when I enter this intersection, but turn left...!
“It’s over there!”
Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse was reached only after walking through a rather complicated path.
“This damn glass greenhouse! It’s you!”
I finally stood in front of the large glass greenhouse I had come across, put my hands on my hips, and smiled.
Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse, ominously mentioned in Yvonne's diary.
What on earth happened here two years ago that Yvonne wrote about in her diary, and that made Yvonne, who had never been sick in her life, groan for a week?
But when I looked at it from the outside, Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse looked really ordinary.
Empress Giselle is said to have cherished this place so much that she personally tends the flowers and trees in the glass greenhouse outside of her regular working hours.
It is a place touched by the Empress's hands, so it is only natural that it should be beautiful, splendid, and grand.
It was a luxurious glass greenhouse, just like the kind maintained by upper-class women.
“Hmm.”
I looked inside a little more carefully.
Inside the transparent glass window, flower pots filled with colorful flowers were lined up.
There were also a variety of trees, from tall shrubs to small ones.
'It feels too clean and noble to be called a warlock's glass greenhouse.'
That made me even more suspicious, and I frowned.
After taking a quick look around the glass greenhouse, I shrugged and gave up without even thinking about going inside.
“Yes. Let’s stop.”
Why are you forcing yourself to go in there?
It's obvious that a ghost will appear in a horror movie, but isn't it the same thing the main character does when he opens the door and meets the ghost?
Besides, I am still a fragile Yvonne Argenthoz, barely recovering from magical amnesia.
It looks like there's no one in there right now, but there must be a lot of black magic traps.
I won't go in, but I came here near the Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse because if I saw it from outside, I might remember the events I experienced in the past as Yvonne.
'But I can't think of anything.'
I arrived after going through a difficult and complicated process, but I couldn't remember anything, and I couldn't find any suspicious circumstances, so it was all in vain.
'Ugh, let's go.'
It was at that moment that I was about to give up and go back to the banquet hall.
Shhh, shhhh.
I felt something wet sticking to my left ankle, and it gave me goosebumps.
'What!'
I quickly lifted the hem of my long dress to check and swallowed the air.
Even though I grew up in an orphanage near the mountains and was good at exterminating all kinds of bugs and insects,
Even I, like you, have one thing I despise with utter contempt: snakes.
I was a very brave person since I was little, but whenever a snake appeared near the daycare center, I hated it so much that I would faint, and everyone thought it was strange.
But then, that very black snake was wrapping itself around my left ankle...!
'Ugh!'
An evil aura emanated from the wet body of the creature, which had bright red eyes, a pitch-black tongue, and shiny, dark blue scales.
This guy is definitely a familiar.
It's gross, horrible, creepy, and driving me crazy.
Why can't all familiars be as cute as Pembe? Why do they have to be so hideous that they drive people apart...!
"Finally, we met again. Haaaaaah!"
It was at that moment when my body was stiff and ten thousand thoughts were running through my mind.
'What?!'
My eyes widened as I heard the familiar's peculiar words babbling in my ears.
“I met you again?”
I found myself asking back what he said without realizing it.
At least in my memory, I've never met such a disgusting guy.
Then the grotesque familiar in the shape of a snake began to speak again in a squeaking voice like a stone scraping glass.
"Don't pretend you don't know! You're right. The rat I missed that day was definitely you! Today, I will offer you up to Lady Giselle!"
The snake tightened its grip on my ankles and climbed up, then opened its mouth wide.
I thought only the tongue was black, but the inside of the mouth was also shiny black and full of sticky venom.
It was at that moment that the two black, sharp teeth of the familiar were about to head towards my calf.
Stick!
'Ah!'
It's the same.
The severe headache I had felt while looking at Empress Giselle before entering the banquet hall suddenly resurfaced.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Time passed by at a rapid pace, and memories of the past came rushing back, transporting me back to two years ago in an instant.
.
.
2 years ago.
I, Yvonne Argenthoz, watched Crown Prince Adrian from afar, then swallowed my loneliness and turned away.
And I decided to clear my mind.
This damn lonely unrequited love. Let's stop it, Yvonne Argenthoz.
Let's pack everything up and leave.
It seemed like it didn't matter where.
Because my family, my social circle, and the magic world all hate choleric people like me.
I don't even need a family.
Anyway, I have no friends, and although I loved the bright and affectionate Crown Prince Adrian, I didn't get any in return...
I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew me and just start over from scratch.
Where did it go wrong?
In the darkened palace of peace, everyone except me seemed happy and joyful.
I turned around in the banquet hall and started walking aimlessly.
Even if I disappear, no one will care, not even my brother Barden.
As I was walking aimlessly, I happened to arrive near Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse.
I was about to turn back, thinking I had come a long way, but I had a strange feeling.
My intuition was always right, so I went straight after it.
Why is there a sense of strangeness, a sinister intrigue, and a damp, sinister magic in Empress Giselle's palace?
Deciding to make a decision later, I prepared stealth magic, defensive magic, and offensive magic at the same time, and hid my presence...
Inside the glass greenhouse.
There, I discovered a group of black magicians, including Empress Giselle, secretly gathered and talking.
As shocking as it was to see Empress Giselle's true form behind the mask of a benevolent Empress, their plan was even more shocking.
Warlocks, you idiots.
If you do that... you’ll all die too!
As I was listening, biting my lips until they turned white, I was discovered by Empress Giselle's snake familiar.
I managed to hide my body and escape without being discovered...
I could not escape the powerful black magic of Empress Giselle, who had been chasing my shadow.
How on earth do I solve this?
I barely made it back to the Agenthoz Mansion, but the pain left by the black magic was beyond imagination, and I was on the verge of death.
I had to find a way to survive.
I can't die...!
Since I had relatively good physical strength, I gritted my teeth and endured, finding a way to survive by staying locked up in the lab.
Alive...
I must survive...!
.
.
“Huh!”
My mind was suddenly opened as memories came flooding back.
Then I reached out and grabbed the head and neck of the snake familiar that was half-biting my calf, twisted it, and pulled it out in one go.
"Quest... Queek!!! Kekekekeke!"
The terrified snake's scream echoed throughout the land.
The red pupils of the guy, who was writhing in pain as if he couldn't believe this situation, were greatly dilated.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Lady Alentia flinched in fear as Cordelia glared at her sharply and threatened her fiercely.
'Oh, Cordelia, I'm scared.'
While I was admiring Cordelia's power from afar, the black magicians, including Alentia, bowed to her respectfully and quietly disappeared.
It seems that Cordelia has a very high ranking among the group of black magicians.
‘It’s shocking...’
Cordelia, who had been coldly watching the disappearing backs of the warlocks, turned her gaze helplessly toward the artificial lake.
"Yeah. There's nothing I can do. It's the same whether I die this way or that way."
She muttered something incoherent and then staggered away with a feeble gait.
Left alone, I blankly watched Cordelia's back as she walked away, then slowly got up from my seat.
“Ugh... my legs.”
I was squatting so hard that my legs started cramping, but my head was so busy that I didn't have time to think about it anymore.
I was still recording and taping, so I noticed a flashing red light on the fan and pressed the button to turn it off.
"Uh..."
What the hell is going on?
I simply thought that if I found solid evidence and then caught all the warlocks, everything would be solved.
The footage of them plotting to recruit me was caught, and if I did something wrong, I could end up being misunderstood.
"Shit!"
I stamped my feet and grumbled angrily.
It was difficult to continue like this.
I need to gather more evidence. If I just gather this evidence and submit it, there's a high chance that I'll be lumped in with the warlock and be a nuisance.
“Ah... I just wanted to live comfortably. Why do cockroaches keep coming at me!”
I sighed deeply, my face crumpled, and glanced at the artificial lake.
Since I had to do something first, I opened the cap of the small vial I had brought and filled it into the artificial lake.
This is evidence that this was the final processing site of the Fountain of the Sun.
If I hadn't come to Adrian's birthday banquet today, I might not have found the real evidence of Empress Giselle's involvement in the Fountain of the Sun.
Because it would have already been destroyed and disappeared.
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
I closed the vial tightly and packed it away, then sighed in relief and looked up at the evening sky, which had now become quite dark.
Apparently, I was just watching a mysterious and beautiful summer sunset with Rudnine.
The dark evening sky that I am looking at alone now feels very eerie.
"What is it? Why am I so anxious?"
I nervously rubbed my hands to shake off the ominous feeling that was clinging to my body.
“Get out, you misfortune.”
I fastened the fan and the vial back onto the straps on my thighs and started walking briskly.
I'm going to live this life very happily, lazily, and leisurely.
Let's just settle this matter and quickly cure my magical amnesia!
I gritted my teeth and made a new resolution, then looked around to find my way.
There is not enough time.
If that foolish duo of Lady Alentia and Arthur Rognier is obsessed with recruiting me as a full-fledged warlock, they'll be looking for me at the banquet hall soon.
They must not know that I am away.
I walked as fast as I could, trying to solve my last remaining task, trying to remember.
'So, west from the direction of the spire of the Palace of Peace...'
The structure of the Palace of Peace, as heard from Lady Alentia at the Duke of Cardin's mansion.
And according to the information Carol had obtained and Liana's detailed review, it seems like I should go right when I enter this intersection, but turn left...!
“It’s over there!”
Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse was reached only after walking through a rather complicated path.
“This damn glass greenhouse! It’s you!”
I finally stood in front of the large glass greenhouse I had come across, put my hands on my hips, and smiled.
Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse, ominously mentioned in Yvonne's diary.
What on earth happened here two years ago that Yvonne wrote about in her diary, and that made Yvonne, who had never been sick in her life, groan for a week?
But when I looked at it from the outside, Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse looked really ordinary.
Empress Giselle is said to have cherished this place so much that she personally tends the flowers and trees in the glass greenhouse outside of her regular working hours.
It is a place touched by the Empress's hands, so it is only natural that it should be beautiful, splendid, and grand.
It was a luxurious glass greenhouse, just like the kind maintained by upper-class women.
“Hmm.”
I looked inside a little more carefully.
Inside the transparent glass window, flower pots filled with colorful flowers were lined up.
There were also a variety of trees, from tall shrubs to small ones.
'It feels too clean and noble to be called a warlock's glass greenhouse.'
That made me even more suspicious, and I frowned.
After taking a quick look around the glass greenhouse, I shrugged and gave up without even thinking about going inside.
“Yes. Let’s stop.”
Why are you forcing yourself to go in there?
It's obvious that a ghost will appear in a horror movie, but isn't it the same thing the main character does when he opens the door and meets the ghost?
Besides, I am still a fragile Yvonne Argenthoz, barely recovering from magical amnesia.
It looks like there's no one in there right now, but there must be a lot of black magic traps.
I won't go in, but I came here near the Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse because if I saw it from outside, I might remember the events I experienced in the past as Yvonne.
'But I can't think of anything.'
I arrived after going through a difficult and complicated process, but I couldn't remember anything, and I couldn't find any suspicious circumstances, so it was all in vain.
'Ugh, let's go.'
It was at that moment that I was about to give up and go back to the banquet hall.
Shhh, shhhh.
I felt something wet sticking to my left ankle, and it gave me goosebumps.
'What!'
I quickly lifted the hem of my long dress to check and swallowed the air.
Even though I grew up in an orphanage near the mountains and was good at exterminating all kinds of bugs and insects,
Even I, like you, have one thing I despise with utter contempt: snakes.
I was a very brave person since I was little, but whenever a snake appeared near the daycare center, I hated it so much that I would faint, and everyone thought it was strange.
But then, that very black snake was wrapping itself around my left ankle...!
'Ugh!'
An evil aura emanated from the wet body of the creature, which had bright red eyes, a pitch-black tongue, and shiny, dark blue scales.
This guy is definitely a familiar.
It's gross, horrible, creepy, and driving me crazy.
Why can't all familiars be as cute as Pembe? Why do they have to be so hideous that they drive people apart...!
"Finally, we met again. Haaaaaah!"
It was at that moment when my body was stiff and ten thousand thoughts were running through my mind.
'What?!'
My eyes widened as I heard the familiar's peculiar words babbling in my ears.
“I met you again?”
I found myself asking back what he said without realizing it.
At least in my memory, I've never met such a disgusting guy.
Then the grotesque familiar in the shape of a snake began to speak again in a squeaking voice like a stone scraping glass.
"Don't pretend you don't know! You're right. The rat I missed that day was definitely you! Today, I will offer you up to Lady Giselle!"
The snake tightened its grip on my ankles and climbed up, then opened its mouth wide.
I thought only the tongue was black, but the inside of the mouth was also shiny black and full of sticky venom.
It was at that moment that the two black, sharp teeth of the familiar were about to head towards my calf.
Stick!
'Ah!'
It's the same.
The severe headache I had felt while looking at Empress Giselle before entering the banquet hall suddenly resurfaced.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Time passed by at a rapid pace, and memories of the past came rushing back, transporting me back to two years ago in an instant.
.
.
2 years ago.
I, Yvonne Argenthoz, watched Crown Prince Adrian from afar, then swallowed my loneliness and turned away.
And I decided to clear my mind.
This damn lonely unrequited love. Let's stop it, Yvonne Argenthoz.
Let's pack everything up and leave.
It seemed like it didn't matter where.
Because my family, my social circle, and the magic world all hate choleric people like me.
I don't even need a family.
Anyway, I have no friends, and although I loved the bright and affectionate Crown Prince Adrian, I didn't get any in return...
I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew me and just start over from scratch.
Where did it go wrong?
In the darkened palace of peace, everyone except me seemed happy and joyful.
I turned around in the banquet hall and started walking aimlessly.
Even if I disappear, no one will care, not even my brother Barden.
As I was walking aimlessly, I happened to arrive near Empress Giselle's glass greenhouse.
I was about to turn back, thinking I had come a long way, but I had a strange feeling.
My intuition was always right, so I went straight after it.
Why is there a sense of strangeness, a sinister intrigue, and a damp, sinister magic in Empress Giselle's palace?
Deciding to make a decision later, I prepared stealth magic, defensive magic, and offensive magic at the same time, and hid my presence...
Inside the glass greenhouse.
There, I discovered a group of black magicians, including Empress Giselle, secretly gathered and talking.
As shocking as it was to see Empress Giselle's true form behind the mask of a benevolent Empress, their plan was even more shocking.
Warlocks, you idiots.
If you do that... you’ll all die too!
As I was listening, biting my lips until they turned white, I was discovered by Empress Giselle's snake familiar.
I managed to hide my body and escape without being discovered...
I could not escape the powerful black magic of Empress Giselle, who had been chasing my shadow.
How on earth do I solve this?
I barely made it back to the Agenthoz Mansion, but the pain left by the black magic was beyond imagination, and I was on the verge of death.
I had to find a way to survive.
I can't die...!
Since I had relatively good physical strength, I gritted my teeth and endured, finding a way to survive by staying locked up in the lab.
Alive...
I must survive...!
.
.
“Huh!”
My mind was suddenly opened as memories came flooding back.
Then I reached out and grabbed the head and neck of the snake familiar that was half-biting my calf, twisted it, and pulled it out in one go.
"Quest... Queek!!! Kekekekeke!"
The terrified snake's scream echoed throughout the land.
The red pupils of the guy, who was writhing in pain as if he couldn't believe this situation, were greatly dilated.
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