Ch.205205. If you’re that guy’s friend, you’re welcome anytime.

“Did Jawill Wilson apologize?”

“….Yes.”

“He’s still innocent. He hasn’t experienced romance yet.”

“I was so startled that my hand just went up on its own.”

In the reception room of Lake Estate.

In the awkward atmosphere, I leaned back against the sofa and smirked at Clara.

“It’s fine, at least you didn’t use magic.”

“….That’s true.”

“But, you know… how long can Jawill Wilson remain so innocent?”

“Pardon?”

I adjusted my posture while looking at Clara, who clearly didn’t understand what I meant.

“Did you know that Jawill Wilson is called a hero in Kataria territory?”

“I… I had no idea.”

“He single-handedly killed five Black Hounds to save someone. If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask anyone in this mansion.”

Black Hounds are magical beasts that even knights find difficult to defeat.

And taking down five of them means his skills must be exceptionally high.

Clara’s eyes widened as she stammered.

“J-Jawill Wilson killed five Black Hounds by himself?”

“That’s right.”

Of course, it’s a lie.

While Lucien was dealing with the five Black Hounds, Jawill Wilson only handled the lower-level magical beasts nearby.

But that fact is known only to those involved and myself.

Even if she tried to verify it, she wouldn’t be able to expose the lie.

As Clara remained shocked, I casually curled up the corners of my mouth.

“Since then, marriage proposals for Jawill Wilson have been pouring in endlessly.”

“….I see.”

“Which means, if not now, you might miss your chance with Jawill Wilson.”

Sigh…

Jawill Wilson, what kind of fortune did this guy have in his past life to serve such an excellent superior like me?

At this point, I’m practically spoon-feeding him—no, shoving the entire meal into his mouth.

As expected, Clara nervously gulps.

“W-what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m saying don’t miss your chance and regret it later. Although Jawill Wilson reacted somewhat awkwardly to you, such a reaction would have been impossible if he wasn’t also innocent.”

Clara wipes the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, her face flushed.

“….I have to return to Pandera territory anyway. I can’t get any closer to Jawill Wilson.”

This response, too, was expected.

What I need to say next is quite heavy, so I dropped the playful tone and spoke slowly.

“You haven’t heard about your mother’s diagnosis from Rebecca yet, have you?”

“No, when I asked, she told me to hear it from you…”

“There’s a poison magic called ‘Poison Mist.’ It’s not very powerful, but continuous exposure can be fatal.”

Clara is startled by this sudden mention of poison magic.

“P-poison magic?”

“According to Rebecca, the symptoms of reddened hands and feet, and blackened skin around the heart, can only be caused by ‘Poison Mist.'”

“That means…”

“Was there anyone among Brond or his associates who could use poison magic? If so, that person would be the culprit who poisoned your mother.”

When I casually asked this, Clara’s expression immediately hardened.

Of course there would be.

Otherwise, her mother wouldn’t have been poisoned.

“Those… those… bastards…”

Clara trembles, tears welling up in her eyes.

Her anger was understandable.

After all, her mother was poisoned because of her.

I crossed my arms heavily and waited for her to calm down.

After some time, Clara looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

“….Is what you just said certain?”

“If you want more details, ask Rebecca. She knows much more about magic than I do.”

“It was all because of me that my mother was sick…”

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s in the past, and your mother will recover soon.”

And then.

She wept bitterly before me.

Unable to hide her emotions, she sobbed while clutching her chest.

She must want to tear Brond and his gang limb from limb.

But what can she do?

They’re probably no longer in this world.

“….It’s as if you avenged my mother on my behalf.”

“It wasn’t my intention, but I suppose that’s how it turned out?”

“Thank you…”

Clara’s fingers trembled as she spoke.

I handed her a tissue from the table and continued.

“As you said, Chief Loris might have nothing to do with all this. Still, doesn’t it feel uncomfortable to live in Pandera territory?”

Clara pressed the tissue against her eyes and then pulled it away.

“My mother and I have lived in Pandera territory all our lives. We never once thought of leaving.”

“And now?”

“….I should talk to Rebecca again about my mother’s poisoning, but right now, I don’t want to go back to Pandera territory. Even if Chief Loris had nothing to do with this incident.”

“I understand.”

“But I have nowhere else to go. Pandera territory was everything to my mother and me.”

Still, Clara is quite composed.

If it were me, I would have gone straight to Pandera territory to vent my anger somehow.

They’re all dead, so there’s no one to take revenge on?

Why not? Chief Loris is still alive, isn’t he?

If Brond could take out his frustrations on an innocent mother, why couldn’t I do the same?

I gave Clara a warm smile.

“You can live in Lake territory. Since you have a connection with Jawill Wilson, I can get you a house.”

“….Why are you being so kind to me?”

Clara could become a reliable magician for Lake territory or take a position as a magic professor at the academy Padericks is planning.

But I didn’t choose her solely for these benefits.

What I valued most was…

“Because you’re Jawill Wilson’s friend.”

“J-just because of that?”

“Jawill Wilson is my excellent colleague, no matter what anyone says. A friend of his is always welcome.”

The atmosphere gradually grew quiet.

Only Clara’s sniffling filled the reception room.

*

“After testing on two knights and one mercenary… it’s a great success. And there were no side effects at all.”

I skimmed through the report from Castleton and spoke.

“Just three people? Aren’t there more bald men among the knights or mercenaries? I saw quite a few last time.”

“….There are more, but the effect was so good that even with just three people, there’s already a lot of talk.”

“Really?”

“Yes, since their hair suddenly grew back, rumors started spreading among the knights and mercenaries.”

“What kind of rumors?”

Castleton clears his throat with an awkward expression.

“That if you drink with me, even bald men will grow hair the next day.”

“….Then further secret experiments are impossible.”

“Yes, and because of that, knights and mercenaries without hair keep asking me to drink with them. It’s quite troublesome.”

“Anyway, good job. There are no side effects, right?”

“Including myself, we tested it on four people, and there were no visible side effects at all.”

“Hmm, that’s good.”

Castleton clenches his fists excitedly.

“Plus, we just need to brew the Majang herb without adding any other ingredients, so the production is very simple.”

“So all that’s left is to go to Pandera territory and bring back the Majang herb?”

“It would be best to establish a firm contract. Even if we brew a large amount of Majang herb and store it in a cool place, it might spoil quickly since it’s an herb.”

If Chief Loris wasn’t involved in the incident, I could simply make a clean contract.

The problem is if he was involved…

How should I resolve this cleanly?

Even if I deal with Chief Loris, it won’t be easily resolved.

It would only increase confusion among the people of Pandera territory.

I needed a definitive method.

I organized Castleton’s report on one side of the desk and spoke.

“Alright. I’ll somehow secure the contract, so don’t worry.”

“Also, I don’t think we should advertise the production.”

“Why not advertise?”

“You might not realize it because you have abundant hair, but for bald men, this is a treatment they desperately want.”

“I suppose so?”

“The price would skyrocket, and many people would target it.”

So that’s why Chief Loris quietly distributed it to the noble gathering in secret.

If rumors spread uncontrollably, his life could be in danger.

‘Well, I can protect my own life, but…’

The problem is the annoyance.

It would be stressful to have insignificant people sniffing around for the formula.

‘It would be better to have a middleman.’

Now that I’ve confirmed the final report, all that’s left is to go to Pandera territory.

I got up from my chair and put on my coat.

“Castleton.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell Jawill Wilson. We’re departing for Pandera territory right now.”