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Chapter 71
“Alright, I’ll tell you.”
Eloi unlinked his arms, wrapped them around my shoulders, and leaned in. His face was suddenly so close that it felt as if he were whispering some secret.
“When you travel… well, there are moments when you’re a little short… financially.”
Eloi curled his thumb and forefinger into a small circle and flicked his wrist with exaggerated emphasis.
“Sometimes I take on small side jobs to earn a little pocket money. Recently, though, some people brought in a very dangerous and intriguing item.”
It wasn’t unusual to hear that Francis’ wizards took requests through guilds in the Leonal Empire, so this wasn’t particularly surprising.
However, as he said, this was far from a “small task.”
‘And it’s definitely not just a bit of pocket money either.’
The more I looked at him, the less I trusted him.
“How does that have anything to do with my necklace?”
“Hmmm, well… I plan to reveal the connection gradually.”
Rune’s brows, which had barely relaxed, furrowed again at the vague answer. Of course. This eccentric prince was probably just spouting nonsense. Rune gave a slight shake of her head, pushing away Eloi’s uncomfortably close face, and asked:
“Then what did you mean when you said you ‘found’ it?”
Eloi let himself be pushed back, smiling as if it amused him, and stood up properly.
“What else?”
Now seemingly accustomed to his shoes, Eloi casually rested one hand on his hip and drew a small circle in the air with his index finger.
“That dangerous and intriguing item.”
At that moment, a faint black wind swirled around Rune.
“What’s this?”
The black wind floating in front of her eyes was black powder from a small glass vial Eloi had kept in his jacket pocket.
Eloi waved his hand through the air once and snapped his fingers. Snap. With a crisp friction sound, the floating black powder scattered into nothing before her eyes.
And just like that, the last of the black powder vanished completely.
“What exactly did you just do?”
“It’s better not to carry something so dangerous.”
“…So, when you say ‘dangerous,’ you mean you know about this powder.”
Eloi smiled, brushing his finger across his lower lip.
“Ahaha. Sharp as a tack, aren’t you? Unfortunately, my lips are sealed. I have to maintain trust with my client.”
What on earth is he trying to do? Rune frowned, staring at Eloi, who maintained his mischievous attitude until the very end.
“Enough with the games. Just tell me about the ‘traveler.’ You promised the day you gave me the card that I would meet someone named ‘L’…”
A sudden realization made Rune’s mouth part slightly as she stared at Eloi.
“Could it be… that was your initial?”
“I told you. Let’s meet again ‘soon.’ And you came all the way here. Now you only realize it?”
Rune scowled, brushing back her hair and glaring at Eloi.
“I don’t understand. Why warn me of danger if you weren’t even going to take the request?”
“I’m naturally lenient with pretty things. I liked your face.”
“….”
Rune scowled at Eloi, who seemed thoroughly entertained, chuckling to himself.
“Ahaha. You’re angry too, that’s quite something to see.”
His gaze suddenly shifted over Rune’s shoulder.
Ah… this just got really interesting.
“Looks like that one isn’t as lenient with you as I am.”
Rune turned at Eloi’s random comment. There stood Kylian, glaring at her fiercely. Beside him was a girl in a pale pink dress—surely one of the many ladies Rune had helped stand up today.
“Wow, I didn’t think it would actually happen. Princess Roselina herself came to the academy.”
“Princess?”
Rune stared at the lovely girl with flushed cheeks. She really was the princess?
‘She looks like someone who’s been trapped somewhere, eating bread all this time.’
Eloi shrugged at Rune’s genuinely shocked expression.
“You really are an odd one. Weren’t you close to Kylian? How did you not recognize his fiancée?”
“…You said ‘fiancée’?”
Seeing her expression stiffen, Eloi’s face turned slightly mischievous, and he smiled with narrowed eyes.
“Come to think of it… wasn’t the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony this year? Their wedding can’t be far off.”
As expected, this is going to be fun.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
A dim laboratory.
Though it was still daytime, thick curtains made the room feel like late night. One side of the lab was occupied by a large desk cluttered with experimental tools and books.
“One more try… then I need at least a short rest.”
Jun rubbed his tired eyes and stared at the glass flask in front of him.
“Has it reached the boiling point now?”
The alcohol lamp burned with a blue flame. From the flask above it, dark liquid had been boiling for some time, and faint violet vapor began to rise.
The vapor undulated menacingly, almost alive, searching for an escape. It swirled around the flask, then traveled along a thin glass tube to the other side.
“Done…!”
Finally, he successfully extracted the vapor. Excited, Jun unfurled the parchment beside him to double-check the current solution ratio before it was forgotten.
Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from the experimental cage connected to the glass tube.
“Kyaaaah!!”
“Ah!”
Jun, startled, clamped one ear and quickly dropped the barrier to block the tube. Fortunately, the violet vapor stopped flowing, but the screams inside the cage continued.
“Kyaaaah!!!”
The vapor slowly cleared, revealing the entity inside with glaring red eyes.
Bang!
A mandrake root, grotesquely swollen like a human lower body, violently pressed against the cage wall.
“This can’t be…”
Jun forgot to cover his ears, staring in disbelief.
“The mandrake… has opened its eyes?”
Mandrakes were usually deeply dormant plant-type monsters. Researchers often used them in labs to sense magical concentration, as they swelled in response to magic.
Even the youngest mandrakes brought into the lab had never opened their eyes before. Awakening like this, even at maximum magic, was almost impossible.
Thud!! Thud!!!
“Kyaaaah!!!!!”
The mandrake root swelled endlessly, nearly filling the cage. Fine cracks formed in the glass.
“No!”
Jun snapped to action, quickly opening the valve connected to the cage. Clear liquid poured in—holy water that purified magic.
Shhhh!
“Ghh… kya… ack…”
The violet vapor collapsed into black ashes. The bloated mandrake shriveled instantly, sticking to the cage floor.
“What on earth…”
The black powder Rune had given him was not ordinary gunpowder. Its living-cell-like structure had been strange enough.
“I never imagined…”
Jun wiped his face slowly, recalling the worried expression of Marquis Este.
Before the expedition, Marquis Este had quietly sought him out.
“Sorry, Jun. Humphrey’s investigation has been delayed, and we couldn’t wait any longer. Recently, the powder was found again near the walls of the Black Forest.”
“No, Your Excellency. I am grateful you entrusted me with this.”
“Still… you might find it burdensome. But for that child…”
“Yes, I will keep the secret from Rune.”
The black powder entrusted to him was the same as what Rune had given before. Though its true nature was unknown, it was certainly dangerous and useless for Rune to possess.
‘Good thinking, using the excuse of material loss.’
Jun’s decision to take all remaining powder from Rune proved wise. As Este Marquis had said, it was best to inform Humphrey quickly about this terrifying powder.
“Phew… I wonder if Captain Humphrey has met that wizard?”
The violet vapor trapped in the flask swirled menacingly.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Why, does it not taste good?”
“No… it’s just that my stomach feels unwell. Haha.”
Jonathan, a knight, could swear on his honor that he had never been picky about food his entire life.
‘Ugh… but eating dinner here for the fifteenth night in a row is really tough.’
Captain Humphrey probably felt the same. His fork kept breaking the beans but never reached his mouth.
“I added special spices from Francis today. Seems it’s not to your taste.”
‘So that weird smell was from this…!’
As the two guests’ faces darkened, Kenneth awkwardly stepped back, coughing lightly. In the kitchen, he silently used his apron to wipe the dampness from his eyes.
Prince Eloi had caused chaos at the academy in a strange outfit, only to be revealed in vain. Meanwhile, Kenneth, in the Empire, was holding a kitchen knife instead of a sword.
“Kenneth, do you intend to announce my identity everywhere?”
Kenneth felt wronged. What more could he have done while the prince was caught by the scruff of his neck?
“You’re of no help. Go prepare for the opening.”
Eloi commanded Kenneth, who desperately called out his name, to start preparations at this cursed inn, [Traveler’s Rest].
“Opening? Do you have other urgent matters?”
“Yes.”
Even to Prince Este, who asked with a clean expression, Eloi gave a sharp answer that pierced Jonathan’s heart.
“I have regular guests now. Need to manage them closely. What are you doing, Kenneth? Go do your work.”
‘My work? I’m the Royal Knight Commander of Francis. My duty is to protect my lord…’
‘Sad… though I may not cook, I’ve gotten used to this apron.’
Seeing the chef’s wounded pride, Humphrey felt a deep responsibility for the food he had ordered.
‘It’s disrespectful to the one who prepared it… ugh.’
He nervously popped a single bean into his mouth, then put down the fork.
‘…Truly a painful taste.’
Struggling to swallow the inedible bean, Jonathan handed him a glass of water.
“Will the ‘traveler’ come today?”
Humphrey rinsed his mouth and wiped his pale lips. If the person didn’t appear today, he would surely set fire to this inn.
“It’s been exactly five days since they took the black powder. That’s two days past the promised three days. If they have any conscience, they should appear today.”
‘How long must we endure this?’
It was a thought that ran through everyone’s mind, from Kenneth washing dishes to all present.
