Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle Chapter 118

After parting ways with Quentin and returning to the monastery dormitory, Clarisse headed straight for Noah’s room.

 

Although she had been too preoccupied with the wedding affairs to talk about it earlier, there was something she wanted to ask him.

 

Soon Noah stuck his head out through the open door.

 

“Girl, are you here already?”

 

“Uncle said he has to leave soon. It seems like he’s busy, even on weekends. That’s too bad.” 

 

“With his skills, I’m sure there are many people looking for him.” 

 

“Mhm… you’re right. At the wedding venue, everyone seemed to want to talk to him.” 

 

It wasn’t just Abington who wanted to become close with him. Anyone who attended the wedding looked at Quentin with eyes of admiration, saying, “That’s him.”

 

Clarisse felt a bit proud knowing that Quentin, who received so much praise from others, took care of her so attentively. 

 

“Noah, have you finished packing your bags?”

 

“I’m done.”

 

“Then you know.”

 

Clarisse leaned in closer through the gap in the door, smiling broadly.

 

“Can I come in for a moment? I want to hear about your visit to the wizard’s castle.”

 

“T, then.” 

 

“Of course, if it’s stuffy inside the room, it’s okay to talk outside.”

 

Taking a lesson from last time, Clarisse brought leather gloves with her and kept them in her pocket. 

 

“That’s not possible!”

 

However, Noah hurriedly opposed and quickly pulled the door open.

 

“Girl will proudly endure even the coldest weather for ‘Sheridan’s pride’.” 

 

“Indeed, people from Sheridan don’t yield to this level of cold.”

 

Still, the truth was that it was better to comfortably talk in Noah’s room, so Clarisse quickly stepped into his room.

 

“You really finished packing.”

 

In Noah’s room, everything was in its place so that the long absence was not felt.

 

Unlike Clarisse, who always had a small bag lying on the floor every time she visited the monastery, Noah was different. 

 

“It’s not that difficult to move things in a bag into place.”

 

“I found it difficult.”

 

After returning from an outing, she would immediately flop onto the bed and engage in casual conversations with Mallang. Before she knew it, things like tidying up would be forgotten.

 

“Please sit down.”

 

Noah gave the only chair to Clarisse. He found no suitable place to sit and ended up sitting somewhat awkwardly on the edge of the desk. 

 

“Is Wizard Astor healthy?”

 

“Nothing much. He persistently asked me to come back and research the collapsed golem together.” 

 

Noah frowned, saying, ‘It was a bit annoying.’

 

“You shouldn’t dislike that. Wizard Astor must have found his time with Noah ‘regretful’.”

 

“Do you find it particularly powerful to say regretful?”

 

“The word ‘regret’ also means that the other person is precious. Magician Astor truly cherishes Noah.” 

 

“Hmm…” 

 

Instead of answering, Noah simply rested his chin on one hand.

 

“How about the wizard’s gem? Does it show any signs of choosing a master?” 

 

“No one can know that.”

 

“But the time without the leader is too long.”

 

“Well, to us humans, it may seem like a long time, but the gem is a mineral. Compared to their eternity, decades would be just a few seconds.”

 

“Or perhaps they haven’t yet decided who to choose?”

 

“Or maybe the person the gem is waiting for hasn’t turned eighteen yet.”

 

“Eigh…teen?” 

 

Noah nodded his head.

 

“At the very least, they need to have learned until that time to be able to fill the position of master, don’t they?” 

 

“If so.” 

 

Clarisse’s eyes twinkled as she placed her hand on Noah’s knee.

 

“Could it really be Noah?”

 

“Again.” 

 

“But every mineral loves Noah. There’s no doubt the wizard’s gem likes Noah too.”

 

“If it’s determined by popularity among minerals, then a girl rather than me… Ah, um. Never mind.”

 

He continued as if he wanted to quickly change the subject.

 

 “Anyway, the wizards are very embarrassed about the recent bloodline examination. It’s shameful that they couldn’t manage it properly despite the cost and blood they took.”

 

“It seems there was a lot of talk internally. Still, since the Marquis and the Duke have decided not to make any more fuss about it, it’s resolved, isn’t it?”

 

“Other wizards think so, but I…I don’t think so.”

 

“Is there still a problem?”

 

“At least for me.”

 

As he stared at the wall with a serious face for a moment, Clarisse waited in silence. 

 

“…He’s disappeared.” 

 

“He?” 

 

“The gray-robed wizard you tried to kick before.”

 

“Ah…” 

 

Clarisse naturally furrowed her brows as she remembered him, who had been an unpleasant memory.

 

“That person disappeared, you mean he left the wizard’s castle without saying a word?” 

 

“That’s right. No one has seen him leave. Wizard Astor said his disappearance has nothing to do with this incident, but somehow I don’t think so.”

 

“Why?” 

 

“That’s…” 

 

Noah told her about his previous encounter with the wizard in the capital.

 

“Actually, I wanted to go to the wizard’s castle because I was worried about that incident. No matter how much I thought about it, it was strange. For wizards, a robe is often a source of pride.”

 

“Could it be that the wizard delivered the letter to the Duchess?”

 

“No, the results were delivered through the postal service to the Duchess. It’s recorded, so it’s certain.”

 

“So Noah thinks the letter the wizard was holding was delivered to someone else?”

 

“I think that side is reasonable. So, the hypothesis I came up with is that he intentionally caused this accident at the request of a noble family and ran away.”

 

“Well….” 

 

“There have been many cases in history where wizards and nobles cooperated to obtain what they desired. It’s not a particularly new story. There are people who have obtained titles and made fortunes through magical powers.”

 

Despite his explanation, Clarisse couldn’t easily nod her head. 

 

“It’s…a little strange.” 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t think that wizard will cooperate with the noble.”

 

Clarisse remembered the sharp attitude he had towards the nobles.

 

｢Tsk, are nobles such useless people that they can’t even fulfill their roles without the help of such children?｣

 

That was only a few months ago.

 

However, it was difficult to think that he would suddenly change his attitude and cooperate with them. 

 

Above all, he seemed to have great respect for the wizard Asto.

 

After hearing Clarisse’s explanation, Noah slowly nodded. 

 

“That… could be the case. In that case, what could it have been?”

 

As Noah’s firmly established hypothesis began to waver, he appeared somewhat deflated beneath his mask. A deep sigh escaped from between the layers.

 

“Don’t the Wizards do separate tracking?”

 

“We set up a tracking team. Because all wizards must be under the control of the wizarding order.” 

 

“Then we should be able to find him soon. There are people in the tracking team who can sense magic, just like Noah.”

 

“I hope so too. If he comes back, I think I can accept this incident as ‘simple negligence.’”

 

“Let’s wait and see. Wizard Astor will solve it.” 

 

“Of course it is, but right now I don’t even have a clue where to start tracking.”

 

“Hmm… If I go, I might be able to find something.”

 

Clarisse patted Noah’s hand on his knee and came up with an assumption.

 

“The Wizard’s Tower has plenty of talking stones. Perhaps there’s a friend there who knows something.”

 

“That’s absolutely out of the question.”

 

Noah answered sharply, but Clarisse still felt disappointed.

 

The stones always watch over the wizards, so perhaps they may provide answers to the events that led to the blood mixing.

 

“If we ask them discreetly… Oh, really! Don’t give me that look.”

 

“How can I not glare at you, when Girl says you’re going into danger!” 

 

“If that’s not an option, then perhaps bringing one of those talking stones Noah mentioned… Oh, right. Noah said Noah couldn’t tell them apart.”

 

Only the Golem Master could distinguish exactly which stone was special. 

 

The wizards could only vaguely sense that someone’s magical energy was contained within those stones. They couldn’t precisely discern which stone it was.

 

‘Then should I try sending Mallang into Noah’s hands next time?’

 

Mallang might hear the story of the stones and tell it to Clarisse. 

 

Of course, Mallang will not like this strategy. 

 

‘…Huh?’

 

Then, an idea suddenly occurred to Clarisse.

 

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t there… a special stone from the wizard’s castle that we visited this time?’

 

Clarisse raised her head and stared directly at Noah’s face.

 

“Noah, can you take off your mask?”

 

“Absolutely not!”

 

He pressed his hands firmly against the mask in resistance. It seemed he knew that Clarisse wanted to touch his face.

 

‘Of course I want to touch it, but…’

 

It wasn’t for that now.

 

“I’m not doing it for any strange purpose. I’ve been thinking, maybe the stone on Noah’s face heard something?” 

 

“…Are you sure that even the ugly stones on my face are talking to you?” 

 

“Mhm, no. We’ve never talked before. Maybe it’s because Noah always wears a mask. I’d like to talk, though.” 

 

His stone would have long since lost its magic on the night of the full moon, making it difficult for it to communicate.

 

“But that stone is definitely a special one that can speak, and perhaps it occasionally hears stories when it wakes up from its sleep.”

 

“There won’t be any. No, there is none.”

 

“How does Noah know that?”

 

Clarisse jumped up from her seat.

 

“Take off your mask. I’ll try giving a little bit of magic first.”