episode_0085
by fnovelpia
Lewis left the underground training grounds, leaving his knife behind.
As you leave the training grounds and come up to the ground, you will see the Information Agency safe house that looks like an ordinary home.
It is not as splendid as a noble’s mansion, but it is not shabby either. It is an ordinary house with a moderate size and moderate interior decoration, so it is difficult to find any special features. The most special group of the empire is hidden in the ordinary.
As I climbed the stairs and passed through the hallway, I saw the living room.
There was the Duke of Maynor reading a book. He looked away for a moment to look at Lewis, then flipped the book over and continued reading.
“The little girl looked impatient.”
“… Is that so.”
“I think it’s because of the saint.”
“Maybe it’s because of the unknown.”
“Is that so?”
Louis sat down on the sofa opposite the Duke. There was a low table between them, and Louis reached for the kettle on the table and poured coffee. The Duke, still not taking his eyes off his book, answered.
“It might mean the same thing.”
“Ha, are you doubting the saint? That’s blasphemy… .”
There was no seriousness to be found on Louis’ face, who pointed out that it was a dangerous remark. Instead, he hummed as if he was enjoying it.
“The possibility is open.”
“It’s creepy to think that there’s a princess hiding behind that bright face?”
“That’s right, it’s bright. I can even feel the saintly kindness and beauty.”
“But is there any need to be suspicious?”
Instead of answering, the Duke looked up from his book and looked at Louis. Through his monocles, his intelligent eyes confirmed Louis’ question.
“If we assume she is a ‘princess’, then all the emotions we feel could be fake.”
“… Where is the baby?”
“The sword has been with her since she was young… It must have influenced her the most. If it was the princess, it could be seen that she had been seducing the one who would become the master of the holy sword for a long time.”
“That’s a very extreme hypothesis.”
“It’s better to let go of your doubts than to let something irreversible happen.”
Before he knew it, Louis had erased his smile and was listening to the Duke with a heavy face. Perhaps it was because it seemed to overlap with something from the past.
The Duke quietly closed the book he was reading, got up from the sofa, walked over to the window, looked outside and said.
“Who would have thought that senior would become like that?”
“The saint doesn’t look like Isabelle at all… .”
“You know you can’t judge a book by its cover, right? It could change our perception of it all. Think of the Emperor’s power.”
“I think you sometimes get overly nervous. Then you get sick.”
Louis spoke to the Duke, who was looking out the window, in a worried voice. The Duke did not look back and answered self-mockingly.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s worth keeping the oath.”
“Why don’t you just call in everyone you suspect and interrogate them like a religious sect? If you want, you can put a sword in everyone’s heart.”
“Lewis.”
The duke was also frustrated by the endless suspicion. However, Louis knew that he would never commit an inhuman act like a cult. He was just wondering if the duke’s feelings would change after seeing the princess known as the Unknown.
“That’s the daughter of that dirty emperor. She’s the one who should be leaving the church.”
“… Don’t forget that you are also your senior’s daughter.”
“It’s not the child that Isabelle wanted-”
“……”
Louis couldn’t finish his words. He knew that the more he spoke, the more they would hurt each other. He looked at the duke, who was staring out the window with his back to him.
I couldn’t see the expression on his face, but it seemed like it would be dark, like a shadow cast by the incoming light.
“Lewis, I always doubt.”
“People?”
“No, myself.”
“It’s a bad habit, but if you don’t trust yourself, who will?”
Only then did the Duke turn around and face the sofa again.
“If Alana is the princess, or if someone we’ve already met is the princess… .”
Louis, who was slowly sipping his coffee, listened quietly to the Duke’s story.
“We may already be caught. By the magic of the royal family, by the desperate power that has engulfed our seniors.”
“… Does that mean our minds are being manipulated?”
“Maybe. It’s just a possibility.”
“I think my heart is still the same.”
“Me too. That’s why I’m even more scared.”
The peacock opened and closed his hand, looking at it as if he were doubting whether he was moving it of his own free will, whether what he was seeing was real.
“The power to play with the human mind is nothing short of the power of a god. It’s terrifying to us, though.”
“……”
“The Green Emperor used his power only to protect humanity, but he overlooked the fact that his descendants might not be able to control their excessive power. It was the beginning of a tragedy.”
“But you don’t know how the power works, or what it feels like to be caught. I could kill the ladies on the list right now. Isn’t it impossible to even have that kind of mind?”
“On the other hand, how can we be sure that we didn’t get caught? We don’t know much about them. Now, I think that even the fact that I’m suspecting this could be the princess’s intention… .”
“Thinking too much. Even if that’s the case, I can’t stop.”
The Duke smiled at Louis’s question. Perhaps he realized that simplicity and honesty might be the answer to difficult problems.
“Heh, you’re right, Louis. But all we can do is move forward. Even if we’re skeptical.”
“We also have the Holy Sword, right? A means to cut through the darkness.”
“If the myth is true, if the legend is not just a tall tale from the past… Even if we fall into the clutches of the royal family, the Holy Sword will protect us.”
“The power of the Holy Sword is real. The problem is the kid who handles it.”
As he said that, Louis emptied the coffee in his cup. He put the cup down on the table and continued talking.
“Well, since I am the teacher who teaches, I will soon become a knight worthy of the Holy Sword.”
“… It’s not just about skill. If there really is a princess among the ladies, I think I could be tempted by her. There’s no way the royal family wouldn’t know the power of the holy sword. ”
“You’re only worrying about that now? You gave me a dangerous mission to seduce them instead?
“My fault. It was a late thought.”
“Stupid… .”
For a moment, the Duke glared at Louis. But what good would that do? He couldn’t say anything because Louis was looking at him with a mocking look, as if to say, “It was a mistake, right?”
“Now that you say you were wrong, it feels real.”
“What?”
“It’s the princess’s business, and Isabelle’s business. Don’t you look like an idiot in front of your senior?”
“……”
“Come to think of it, the sword breaks down in front of Alana just like you did before. Even though he’s my adopted son, he’s still my father’s son, right?”
It was a rare opportunity to tease a peacock, so Louis hummed along, enjoying the occasion.
“… What I’m trying to say is that you have to be careful not to let the sword get too caught up in the saintess. In fact, not only the saintess, but also other women.”
“Is that as easy as it sounds? Why don’t you just tell us everything? The identity of the woman we’re looking for, the danger, and even the story of our oath?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“You… .”
“The time will come soon when you will have to decide.”
The duke spoke with a heavy expression.
“We, and that guy Carl, too. We’ll have to make a decision. I don’t know if Carl will be on our side when he finds out all the facts.”
Silence fell on the living room where only the two were sitting. A stillness that made them suspend any expectations or assertions. The future was unknown, but they could only hope. That Carl would be with them.
*
“Beatrice, move that medicine box quickly.”
“……”
Leticia said, shaking her brown ponytail. Her tied hair moved with her movements. I just stood there, dumbfounded.
“Can’t you do that with the Knights’ College? Well, you’re not like a knight, you have thin arms.”
“Oh, no, that’s… .”
“Okay! Then go over there and sort the vials.”
I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed because Leticia kept ordering me around without saying a word. I was dragged to a corner of the lab that was in disarray. The table was filled with all sorts of parchments, medicines, and flasks.
This is the Imperial Academy professor’s lab. He is the professor in charge of the potions class, and the one who sold suspicious items at the night market in the commercial district. I had completely forgotten about him after recommending Leticia as my disciple…
I sold Leticia to cover up my identity, fearing that the professor would suspect me, but it seems that I eventually caught the professor’s eye and was taken in here as a slave – no, as a disciple.
As a professor at the Imperial Academy, he is one of the best on the continent, so the title of a wizard who learned under him will certainly be of great help to Leticia, who is from a commoner background. Of course, she will have to endure harsh times as a disciple.
An opportunity, fortunate or unfortunate, came to Leticia. But why am I here? I wondered.
“What are you thinking about that makes your expression so serious?”
“Huh?”
“I came here alone as a freshman and was at a loss, but I feel reassured knowing that you’re here with me, Beatrice!”
“Why, why me… .”
“Why, why~ Just like you recommended me, I recommended you to the professor.”
Seeing Leticia smiling cleared up many of my questions.
“……”
“So please take care of me, Assistant.”
This clever ruler!
Leticia had drawn me here like a water ghost. It was a word I had thrown at the night market, lured by perfume and love potions, but when I thought about it again with common sense, this place was no different from a cesspool that I had to get out of as soon as possible.
After realizing the situation, I tried to sneak towards the lab door while thinking of an excuse. Then I found a flask containing a pink liquid. The bubbling liquid looked suspicious at first glance.
The mana I felt there was unusual, so I unconsciously approached it as if I was being drawn to it. The moment I reached out and tried to touch the flask-
“Wow, Beatrice, you really have a keen eye.”
“Professor?”
The owner of this lab, a robed wizard, suddenly appeared. He spoke to me naturally, as if he had been here from the beginning.
In my memory, the professor was cornered when he faced Fabian, but now he looked like a seasoned sage. He seemed to have the wisdom of a wizard.
“As for that medicine, it is the product of a small subject that has been studied for several years.”
“Subtopic?”
“Ahem! I think you already know the ultimate goal… .”
“Tomb of Love-”
“Stop!! I think it’s a very explicit name, so I decided to call it something else.”
The professor, who had interrupted me in embarrassment, continued to cough in vain. Once again, the timid look I had seen at the night market overlapped with his appearance.
“Tov Method.”
“?”
“Let’s call it that from now on. Our research goal.”
“Us?”
“That’s right. You, me, and even Leticia!”
Me? That? Why?
“Hehehe, Professor! Are you going to appoint Beatrice as your assistant after all?”
“It was a decision I made after careful consideration, Leticia. I was impressed by your persistent persuasion.”
“……”
“Okay, then! First, borrow the books listed here from the library. This is your first assignment.”
I should have just stormed out of there. It was my last chance. But because of my damned curiosity. Because of my foolish desire for Tov Meod… the love potion, I couldn’t.
When I came to my senses, I found myself in the library, looking for books written on parchment.
ha….
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