* * *
“You have to keep this to yourself. About, you know, Lady Giselle Florette, I mean, the current Duchess Kalinos and Duke Reshaniel.”
The capital’s old, worn-down pub was, as always, buzzing with the latest gossip.
“Honestly, isn’t this just some stale love-triangle drama by now?”
“No, that’s not it. Apparently, it was Duke Reshaniel who was chasing after that person.”
“Ah! I heard about that. They say that person got so mad that she made Duke Reshaniel lose his ability to reproduce!”
“That’s not all. Supposedly, that person chopped off all his hair and left him completely bald.”
Though everyone commonly referred to her as ‘that person,’ everyone knew about the situation. Before long, suspicion had begun to mix into the reputation Duke Reshaniel had so carefully built.
“Wait, are you saying Duke Reshaniel did something so indecent?”
“No way! You must’ve seen it wrong.”
“I’m telling you, I saw it properly! This is so unfair. It’s really happening!”
“That great man, surely not…”
The rumors kept growing, twisting further and further from the original story, but one thing remained. The persistent, unsettling rumor that Duke Reshaniel was obsessed with Giselle.
Someone sitting quietly in the back listened to the conversation, then pulled their black robe lower over their face and moved to another seat. Shadow-like figures began following behind that person.
“Y-Your Grace. My apologies. We tried to silence those witnesses immediately, but while we were trying to handle it quickly, they rushed off to other pubs and party halls and excitedly spread the story.”
“…It must have been Duke Kalinos’s scheme.”
“My apologies, Your Grace. Please forgive us for failing to silence even a single witness. Those mages are all eccentrics with loose tongues.”
Those insolent fools could all be captured and interrogated. But rumors spreading like poisonous mushrooms couldn’t be stopped.
And after that b*stard tried to tear my leg apart, a considerable amount of my mana vanished. It was as if someone had stolen an infinite supply of mana from him…
Anxious and on edge, Duke Reshaniel made up his mind. As he slipped out of the dark alley where the pub was located, he whispered in an indifferent tone. “We’ll have to move up the plan to kill Duke Kalinos.” With an uneasy expression, he rolled the half-shattered lucky stone in his hand.
Right after the day he lost to Duke Kalinos, he discovered that the lucky stone he’d worn around his neck since childhood had cracked, making him deeply uneasy. Pulling his robe further over his head, he whispered softly. “We’ll have to unleash monsters at the forefront and attack Kalinos Mansion.”
If only Duke Kalinos were dead and gone, he could finally claim Giselle, broken by grief, for himself. And her infinite power as well.
“What’s the status of the <Demon Seed>?”
“The knights in Kalinos territory are dealing with them quickly. But by now, they’ve probably already taken root near the capital.”
“Scatter all the remaining <Demon Seed>. Whoever leads the charge…”
Duke Kalinos’s older brother died while fighting off monsters. His death became a trauma for the entire Kalinos family.
“…Make sure they die in excruciating pain.” Duke Reshaniel’s face twisted into a bizarre expression.
* * *
At the same time, inside the Kalinos Mansion, Garno was anxiously pacing around the room.
“Well, I was so shocked to hear that you aren’t terminally ill that I forgot what I was going to say. But are you busy right now?”
“I am, but…” I tilted my head in confusion. I was trying to properly make use of the mana the mosquito stole back, but what’s going on? He looks so serious. Seeing him hesitate, I soon nodded. “Come in.”
Well, if I wanted to properly make use of this explosive mana, short-term training alone wouldn’t be enough. First, I should talk privately with Garno.
I sat down across from Garno as he entered and asked, “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing major, but it’s been on my mind… About that gem artisan I called before. Apparently, that person had met your parents once. They came asking about the identity of that lucky stone.”
So my parents also knew about the lucky stone. That was another new development.
When my eyes widened, Garno carefully continued. “The artisan said they didn’t know much, so your parents said they would go see the master of the Magic Tower… After that, word came that they had died.”
The lucky stone, the master of Magic Tower, and my father. Could it be… Maybe the master of Magic Tower and the lucky stone are connected to my parents’ deaths.
The Magic Tower was a suspicious place. Didn’t the Duke Reshaniel family also have strong ties to the Magic Tower? After all, Duke Reshaniel was aiming for the position of the next master of it. There’s definitely something on there.
After finishing my private conversation with Garno, I felt the need to dig deeper into this situation. Especially now, it was time to hear the story of my biological parents. Something I had never properly considered until now. And so, the very first place I rushed to was the Florette Mansion.
“Giselle, are you feeling alright? You didn’t get hurt on the way here, did you?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Why…?”
“You see, these days, <Demon Seed> has been found even in the capital, so the atmosphere is very unsettled.”
Of all times, why did <Demon Seed> have to show up now? The timing feels way too suspicious. For now, I set aside my suspicion about the <Demon Seed> and asked Count Florette. “I want to know about my father.”
At that, Count Florette’s face lit up with excitement. He touched his flushed cheeks and exclaimed, “You came to the right place, Giselle! I remember everything about your father! I even kept a diary. From his birthday to the legends surrounding his birth, I shall tell you absolutely everything!”
“What do you mean by legends about his birth…?”
Count Florette led me to the best spot in the study, over to a shelf where the sunlight never reached, and spoke. About three hours after hearing the legend of my father’s birth, I was finally able to hear the long-awaited story of his final days.
“…And so your father’s end was truly tragic. At the time, even the master of Magic Tower said it was sorrowful that such a great star had fallen, saying it was a mysterious and regrettable death. How could someone who was an archmage meet such an end? Everyone thought it was a suspicious death, but now, well, the case has mostly been clarified…”
“Did he leave any will?”
“He said living as a genius was too difficult, so he left keepsakes here and there and ended his own life.”
A couple who’d been living happily together, even having a daughter, suddenly scattering their keepsakes and dying? The whole story sounded suspicious.
I cut straight to the point. “I heard the last person my father met before he died was the master of the Magic Tower. I want to meet that person directly and hear what happened back then.”
“Hmm, but there’s no way to meet the master of Magic Tower.”
“Yes, there isn’t. I’ve heard many times that the master of Magic Tower appears and disappears like a ghost…”
But just then, Count Florette stroked his chin and murmured quietly. “If you asked the emperor and empress, it might be possible.”
…That’s way too easy, isn’t it? I could ask Yuliana to put in a word for me, or if not… I could request it through ‘Wot,’ the savior of the empress’s life.
* * *
…Setting up a private meeting with the master of the Magic Tower was very easy. But… Is that person the master of the Magic Tower? He looks incredibly strict.
I saw a white-haired old man standing at the gate of the Magic Tower, and beside him, a tired-looking man. Besides, wasn’t he someone who had watched Duke Reshaniel for a long time? There was a high chance he wouldn’t think well of me.
I kept my expression unreadable and gave a small nod. “I didn’t expect the master of Magic Tower himself to come all the way out here to receive me. And with your secretary beside you, no less.”
At that, the old man greeted me and offered a pointed remark. “There must be a reason Duchess Giselle Kalinos has come to this humble Magic Tower.” The elderly man looked me straight in the eye as he spoke. “It’s a request from His Majesty, so how could I refuse? I heard you wished to inspect the inside of the Magic Tower and have a private audience with me. Please, come inside.”
Suddenly, a labyrinthine space seemed to swirl into view before my eyes.
“Yes, let’s go in.”
I massaged my stiff shoulders as I stepped into the Magic Tower.
At that moment, the secretary beside him asked carefully, “Are your shoulders uncomfortable?”
“No.”
Actually, they were. Because Coocoo is on one shoulder. And Krrr is hanging on the other! Thanks to stealing a large amount of mana from Duke Reshaniel, I had effectively gained the ability to use the dragon and willow warbler almost without limit. The two of them were dangling invisibly from my shoulders in order to protect me.
Thinking of my reliable pets, my eyes sparkled. Let’s go in and uncover the secret between the lucky stone and my parents.
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