"Ed Rothstaylor is a person worth using."
There was much to eat at the table.
The Princess wasn't one to have a big appetite, so more than half of the food remained. As she was a member of royalty, the food at the table always needed to be more than plentiful.
Though it was a waste, due to her status she wasn't permitted to eat a simplistic meal.
After she finished eating, Princess Penia went to the student center in the education district and found a nice bench to sit on. It was a wooden bench near the square with a table in front of it. There were no other available seats with such a perfect amount of shade to sit under.
As she sat down, the attendants that accompanied her quickly took out a parasol to create shade, serving her tea with a tea set and using magic to boil the water.
"He seems to have knowledge regarding the internal affairs of the Rothstaylor Family. He's been keeping up his act and playing dumb, but perhaps if we appease him more, he may open his mouth. If we can convince him to join our side, perhaps he can act as a spy."
Standing with her hands behind her back, Claire continued to speak to Princess Penia, who was drinking her tea. Their discussion from dinner had yet to reach a conclusion.
"..."
There was still some time before her afternoon class.
Princess Penia swept her platinum blonde hair back with thin fingers as she suddenly looked up at the clear autumn sky.
Princess Penia's Insightful Eyes was screaming in the direction of Krepin Rothstaylor.
He pretended to be a benevolent and dignified aristocrat, but there seemed to be a slimy and dark madness lurking within him.
However, without any sort of physical evidence she had no way of doing anything about it. At the very least, she was convinced that the Sage's Seal should never fall into his hands.
"I've heard that negotiators from the Rothstaylor Family will arrive at Acken Island sometime next week."
"That's strange. The decision to sell the Sage's Seal is something extremely dishonorable, so they would have wanted to keep others out of the conversation as much as possible. How did Krepin, who is a third party, manage to send negotiators?"
"That boy… It could have come from a report from Ed. Since he lives on academy grounds, he might have overheard a rumor."
"Does he have a reason for that? He has already been excommunicated from the Rothstaylor family, so there is no reason to show loyalty towards them anymore."
"If I were in that boy's shoes, I'd do whatever it took to be recognized again so that I could return to the family."
Claire explained her view as she nodded her head.
For that boy, who was living in the forest, the luxury of being a member of the Rothstaylor family was surely something to be missed. She heard that he struggled through the arduous work every single day, just to survive… Perhaps he wished to return to his previous lifestyle.
After being excommunicated, he seemed aloof to the hardships in life. Was it really that hard for him to bear the difference from his life as an aristocrat?
Princess Penia gently closed her eyes as she felt a sense of irony from it all.
"Well, I don't think that's right."
The one who responded came from elsewhere else. Claire and Penia turned their heads towards a familiar face as the girl approached, sitting opposite of Penia.
Her charming eyes and playful lips made her look like a mischievous devil.
Her reddish-brown hair, which was usually tied to one side and left to fall over her shoulder, was left loose that day. Her usual hood, which she wore to hide her expression in the shadows, was refreshingly down that day.
She wore a headband with a blue rose attached to it that matched perfectly with her reddish-brown hair, creating a somewhat calming air around her.
Rather than a mysterious vicious merchant, she looked like a girl that had dressed up.
But everyone there knew very well that if you were tricked by that girl's appearance, you would fall to your own death.
"Despite my lowly status, could I have the honor of having a cup of tea with the Princess?"
She had a wide smile on her face.
"..."
While Princess Penia glared at her, an attendant brought out another cup of tea, placing it down in front of her.
The scent of the finest herbs wafted through the air, though ultimately neither of the two reached for their teacups.
Lortel Kehelland, who was already a powerful person within the Elte Company, was also a girl who was expected to become the head of it when she was older. It was all a matter of time.
Since she wasn't planning to have a conversation with Lortel, the princess felt rather nervous.
"It may be presumptuous of me to say, but I wanted to answer your speculations regarding Ed taking the side of the Rothstaylor family."
"That's unexpected of you, Lortel."
Princess Penias' eyes narrowed. Lortel was reflected in her eyes. She had rolled up a bit of the hem of her robe as she slowly reached towards the teacup to enjoy the scent.
Princess Penia decided against beating around the bush.
"I thought that you hated me."
"Oh my, that's not fair to say, Princess Penia. If that were the case, then why would I have come over here to talk with you?"
Cleverness to that extent was an art in and of itself.
"The one that brought Krepin Rothstaylor into the negotiations for the Sage's Seal was not Ed. It was my father, Elte's, doing."
"What did you say?"
Princess Penia had heard rumors about Elte. News that his dismissal was almost certain, as nearly all his influence and power were gone.
Princess Penia had a feeling that something was wrong, since Lortel had a carefree appearance despite the fact her father—who had adopted her—was being pushed into a corner.
"The Elte Company had planned to purchase the Sage's Seal and sell it to Krepin for a higher price. There seemed to be some agreement between my father, Elte Kehelland, and Krepin Rothstaylor. Though, I don't know much about it."
"…Then…"
"Well, even if my father has been dismissed, the plans to purchase the Sage's Seal haven't changed. After all, Elte Company has already put much time and effort into it."
Princess Penia sat listening to Lortel's story.
Before she realized it, she wasn't talking much at all.
"It's about time to change the people who are 'responsible' for the Sage's Seal, so it's an ideal time to negotiate the purchase of it. The Elte Company will be busy with that, too. If we don't pay close attention, then we might lose the seal to the Rothstaylor family."
"It's all too strange. Isn't the Elte Company planning to buy the Sage's Seal in order to sell it to the Rothstaylor family? If that's the case, then there should be some sort of consensus between the two. So why do the Elte Company and the Rothstaylor family seem to be competing over the purchase of the Seal?"
"That's because… I don't wish to sell the seal to the Rothstaylor family. I'm in a bit of a special situation right now, so I don't want to be too close to a client that is connected to my father."
Hearing those words, Princess Penia was left speechless.
"Anyway, I wasn't the one who had agreed to sell the seal to the Rothstaylor family. Since it was a confidential contract, even if they complain to the Elte Company, it won't have much of an effect. That's why Krepin Rothstaylor personally joined the negotiations for the purchase of the seal."
"Why are you telling me about this…?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my ally."
Saying that, Lortel smiled with her eyes closed.
The fact was, the academy was backed into a corner because of their finances, and only a few knew the insider information regarding the plan to sell the Sage's Seal. Even the true intentions of the Elte Company, as well as the current position of the Rothstaylor family… She had never imagined that Lortel would give up so much information.
"It seems that you, Princess Penia, want to keep the Rothstaylor family in check. So, isn't this a win-win situation for the both of us? The Rothstaylor family is pushed out of the negotiations, and I'll be glad to walk away with the seal."
"..."
"We should have a friendly relationship, haha. After all, we are schoolmates that share a lot of the same classes."
Her smile was like that of an awl. Even though she appeared useful, if you reached your hand out to her it would be easy to get stabbed.
Lortel Kehelland and Penia Elias Kroel… It was like a relationship between two sides of the same mirror. They probably wouldn't understand nor acknowledge each other until they died.
"Well, I thought that Ed, who is innocent, would be hurt by all of this. As his underclassmen, I was worried."
"You… were worried about him?"
"He's already been cut off from his family and is now living a new life. Wouldn't it be unfair to mistake him as a part of the Rothstaylor family?"
Princess Penia narrowed her eyes again.
There was no way that girl would think of helping another in purely good faith. It seemed certain that she had some other intention behind her defense of Ed.
"Even so, that boy… There's definite value in using him."
At that point, Ed was the only one who would have an idea of the internal situation regarding the Rothstaylor family.
Indeed, having lived most of his life as a member of the Rothstaylor family, regardless of how incompetent or arrogant he might have been, there was a high chance that he had at least some information.
However, judging people by their value and using them like consumables… that was not Princess Penia's style.
"I tried to ask for help person-to-person, as well as using my authority to give orders… But if he still doesn't open his mouth…"
"If he doesn't…"
"Then… I'll have no choice but to 'use' it."
The Princess of Benevolence Penia was someone that treated everyone with respect, but didn't always fall into idealism.
If necessary, there were also times where she needed to have a cold heart. She didn't realize that.
In response to Princess Penia's reply, Lortel's face stiffened for a moment. Suddenly raising her hand, as she flung her hood over her head.
She trembled a bit as her head lowered, hidden beneath the shade.
"Lortel Kebelland?"
Just what type of reaction was that? Was she lost in her thoughts?
Without appearing to care at all about the bewildered Princess Penia, Lortel kept her head down for a long time.
Soon after, a splendid-looking pigeon flew in and landed on Lortel's shoulder. Nevertheless, Lortel continued to keep her head down for a while, before reaching her hand out towards the pigeon.
"O-oh my… A homing pigeon sent from the main headquarters…"
Speaking softly, with a trembling voice, Lortel raised her head. Princess Penia was briefly taken aback. Claire, who was guarding her, felt her blood start to boil.
Lortel had been forcibly holding back her laughter and looked about to burst.
"You tricked and used me."
Lortel, who could no longer hold it back, stood up as she spoke.
"Who did what to whom?"
"You! This blasphemy…! How dare you do that to the princess…?!"
"Princess Penia."
Lortel Kehelland already had a complete understanding of Ed Rothstaylor.
Even though he might be backed into a corner, she thought that there was no way a princess like Penia—who grew up constantly pampered and protected—would be able to take advantage of him.
Normally, she would have been laughing secretly as the Princess attempted an impossible task.
"Princess Penia. Only in this instance are we allies. The Rothstaylor family, who are the public enemy, must be driven from Acken Island. Thus, I would like to offer you my sincere advice."
"..."
"Don't try and take advantage of him half-heartedly, as he might just end up taking advantage of you instead."
As Lortel spoke, she stood up—still holding the homing pigeon.
"I hope you have the generosity to excuse my rudeness. That is my whole-hearted advice to the princess."
"Where are you going, Lortel?"
"I have an appointment with someone. Even though I dressed up quite a bit, I ended up messing up my hair by unnecessarily wearing this hood. Ugh. It wouldn't be polite of me to continue interrupting the Princess' break time, so I'll take my leave."
Lortel courteously gave her greetings.
"I hope you remain healthy."
"You have to hold her accountable for her disrespectful actions, Princess."
"It's fine, Claire."
Though she didn't like to establish her authority, Lortel's actions were certainly rude. Princess Penia didn't feel great about it either, but she had many other things to worry about instead.
Above all else, Lortel's attitude toward Ed seemed to have changed drastically.
Simply put, Lortel was someone who, on the outside, would appear superficially courteous towards her superiors. On the inside, however, she had a tendency to constantly weigh their worth.
Determining her intentions and understanding the way she treated Ed was too confusing.
Even after being excommunicated, he had adapted surprisingly well to academy life, had performed fairly well in a few subjects, and was often said to be a more hard-working person than expected.
On top of that, he had even caught the attention of the Elte Company's fox, Lortel. Thus, she started to have doubts on whether or not her Insightful Eyes were wrong.
"..."
Then, little by little, she started to feel a strong sensation on one side of her heart.
Ed Rothstaylor.
It was because Princess Penia herself was the one who had caused his excommunication. Even if she didn't intend to, that fact wouldn't change.
Ultimately, the emotion that was flowing inside of her was a sense of guilt, though it was only a small amount.
The difference between their status was massive, and there was no other special relationship between the two.
Being swayed by the guilt of causing an inconvenience to such people over a momentary mistake would only stand as an obstacle to her growth as a monarch.
As a monarch, she must also know how to deliberately ignore even the slightest sense of guilt.
"Claire. I sent a personal letter, but please personally check on it. We'll have to summon him so that he can visit the royal residence soon."
Anyway, it would be necessary to keep an eye on Lortel Kehelland's movements. She was quite the scary opponent.
She wondered if she would ever be able to see that girl be taken aback or at a loss.
That idea alone seemed too far-fetched. Princess Penia let out a sigh.
The path that a monarch took while dealing with others was a long and difficult one.
***
"…What is this?"
Lortel sat down on the sofa in the sitting room with a puzzled expression. She looked completely bewildered.
"It just happened."
"Hi, Lortel. Long time no see. How have you been?"
Yennekar smiled and greeted her warmly. Her smile was so bright that it almost seemed like flower petals were flying around.
Despite its clean and fancy appearance, the sitting room of the Elte Company's Silveria branch was not frequently used.
Very few VIPs came to the store's branch, which was built out in Acken with limited space. Thus, using it even four or five times a year was considered a lot. Given how beautifully decorated it was, it was quite the shame that it was used so infrequently.
Lortel and Yennekar faced each other as they exchanged greetings, smiling as if they were the happiest people in the world.
"I apologize. I didn't realize you were coming, so I was only able to prepare two cups of Pulan Mountain rosemary tea. Would you like some cold water instead?"
"Sure, that's okay! It seemed like there was a lot in storage, but I guess you can't use it since it's for sale?"
"Yes, that's right! If you had told me you were coming in advance, I would have prepared it sincerely. I thought that I would only be eating with Ed, so I didn't think to prepare it in advance."
"I'll just drink cold water. Here, Yennekar. You drink it."
Yennekar smiled as she responded with a 'sure', taking the cup of tea. Lortel sighed, glaring at her with a look of disgust in her eyes.
"Well, I checked over everything in the letter. Looking through it, it was about Elte."
"Yes, that's right. The Elte Company seems to have finished the process of his dismissal, but it appears that he's up to something. He accepted the dismissal a lot easier than I expected."
The climax of Act 2's storyline, the Glast Subjugation, followed the battle for the Sage's Seal. It didn't seem that there had been any major changes.
However, the unexpected change following Elte's early dismissal and Krepin's participation seemed like it needed to be dealt with properly.
Krepin Rothstaylor, who dealt with the power of the evil god Mebula, was not someone who could be dealt with easily.
I had to 'delay' that from happening until after Taylee and I raised our specs some more.
In the first place, Princess Penia—who would stand opposite Krepin in his subjugation—was still too weak.
She couldn't use any of her power as part of the royal family due to being kept in check by the first and second princesses. She could not speak up on behalf of the academy, either, as she had not yet become the student council president.
"I was worried that Ed might be getting harassed. That's why I called on you, to see if there was anything wrong."
"I see. Surely, with Elte being in a tight spot, it's impossible to be sure of what he is going to do. We'll have to be sure to stay on top of it."
"Even so, there's a limit to what he should be able to do with such little influence and power. Oh, that's right. Would you like to take some of the magically engineered items back with you?"
As Lortel spoke, she opened a cabinet and pulled out various crystal balls, magic books, a quill, ink, and the like.
"These are items that haven't sold for a long time, so there's no issue with having you take them."
"Lortel. Aren't these all brand new products, without even a speck of dust on them? You're going to be criticized for giving these things away for free, as it goes against a merchant's ethics."
"Oh my, Yennekar. It seems like you really don't have a good eye for these things. Look here, they're all defective items."
Hearing that, Yennekar went over to the cabinet and checked each item. There was a small crack in the crystal ball, the quill was broken at the tip, and the magic ink was slightly opened, some already poured out.
"It's obvious that you did it on purpose! Does it make any sense for there to be such flaws in these brand-new items?!"
"Well, that's not for me to judge. The only thing that's important is whether or not I can sell it."
"..."
"Well, considering Ed's position, it's also important whether or not it will help him."
As Lortel spoke, Yennekar was left speechless.
"I appreciate it, but receiving all of this for free is a bit… I haven't even paid off all the magically engineered items you gave me last time."
"Oh, I already transferred the payment to the next contract. It's more convenient to just pay it all at once. Plus, the later the payment date, the more convenient it gets, right? It's always better to have the payment date pushed back."
"That is true, but hasn't the payment date already been moved back four times?"
"Well, there is no problem as long as you keep coming back to renew your contract. From our position, this is just a small amount of money."
Lortel looked at me and tilted her head, smiling brightly. Yennekar suddenly began to puff out her cheeks.
"Isn't it more convenient to just finish paying it all off, ending the contract as quickly as possible? What if Ed was planning to spend that money on something else? Now he has to end up spending it all on this instead?"
"Well, that's something for 'me and him' to discuss on our own, isn't it?"
"Ahh! Seriously!"
Yennekar grumbled as she stomped her foot on the floor. Lortel ignored her, acting as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, I laid back on the sofa, not thinking much of either of them.
"Even then… Ed is…"
"The place he does that is…"
Once again, a familiar sensation started to spread throughout my body.
It felt as if I was swimming in water. Recently, I'd been falling into that state quite a bit.
The surrounding sounds began to fade into distant echoes as I let my mind drift into a state of weightlessness, the sensation of floating through the air washing over me.
Come to think of it, I still had a lot of work left to do after my visit to the Elte Store.
I needed to go and put away the jerky that was drying back at camp before Lucy came and touched it.
I also needed to clean up inside of the cabin again. I would have to finish cleaning before I put the chair, desk, and bedframe inside.
Then there was the mattress I needed to make for my bed. It might have been impossible to make a modern mattress with springs, but I thought I'd be able to make it somewhat fluffy by cutting up some material and stuffing it with feathers, random pieces of clothes, and leftover fabric.
I also needed to trim the baby deer that I had caught the day before yesterday. The process of tearing off its skin for leather, taking out the intestines, and then cutting and smoking each piece took a lot of time.
I also didn't finish my Elemental Studies and Introduction to Intermediate Magic assignments. There was also the other Magic History assignment to do, as well as preparing for my Herbology practical next week as well.
Come to think of it, I was completely out of arrows. I needed to make sure that my exercise clothes were dry in time for my jog to class the next day. The cabin's window needed to be completed, and I needed to prepare some more firewood before winter arrived. There was also the issue of food preservation, which I still needed to solve, and I needed to learn how to make proper winter clothes.
"Ed. Ed!"
"Hey, Ed?"
As I slowly organized all the work I needed to do, I started to feel hazy again.
It was as if I was swimming through water as I felt myself getting buried deeper into the sofa, little by little.
...
[ You have been inflicted with an abnormal condition! ]
***
"That guy, he seems to have gotten his act together."
"All he does is quietly listen in class, finish his assignment, then go home."
"I heard that he was kicked out of the dorm. Where is he living now? I would imagine it's hard to find a decent place to stay on such a remote island. Plus, he's completely broke."
"Surprisingly, he's quite good at his studies. He actually seems to be trying quite a bit?"
"He seemed to be so arrogant and rude before, so I didn't want to get any closer to him. But now, even though I hate to admit it, he seems like a hard worker and a regular guy."
"Thinking back on it, it's true that he really was a terrible person before. As time passed, maybe he changed?"
"Sometimes I see him in the classroom, but he doesn't say a word. He seems to be really focused on his studies. I wonder what's with him?"
"Was he actually an honest and hardworking person?"
When someone turned over a new life, trying to become a better person, at most they would last a month.
After about a month or so, they would revert to their old ways. But for Ed, he had been living that ridiculous lifestyle at that camp for almost half a year.
"...…"
A private bedroom in the royal residence.
At a large, luxurious personal table, Princess Penia sat alone, letting out a sigh.
It was about time for her to admit it.
Seeing his honest, hardworking appearance as he fished back at his camp, his appearance during the Glasskan Subjugation, where he proceeded to form a good plan of action without getting flustered… Not to mention, his reputation among the students of being someone that was heavily focused on his studies… And Lortel's warning not to carelessly make judgements about him…
Other than that, there was her intuition and the clues that kept whispering to Princess Penia.
Maybe, just maybe, my Insightful Eyes were wrong.
If that was the case, her judgment ended up causing a healthy, hardworking boy to be kicked out of his family, leaving him broke and forced to survive in the woods…
Did she really make that mistake?
Either way, she had sent Ed a personal letter through Claire, asking him to visit the royal residence immediately.
Since it was an order from a member of the royal family, he was bound to come by and visit the royal residence.
She would then have the chance to properly determine who he was.
And if, by chance, her judgment was wrong… She would truly come to accept the truth.
"Princess."
"Claire."
With that thought in mind, Claire knocked on the door. She must have come to report on something, and it was obvious what it was about.
"Did you finish the schedule for tomorrow? What time will Ed Rothstaylor be…"
"Princess, I'm afraid that he will not be able to visit for the time being."
"Why is that? Regardless of his circumstances, it was still a royal order… If he has the intention to refuse, shouldn't it be accompanied by a justifiable reason?"
She didn't want to use her authority, but either way a personal letter written by Princess Penia was no different than a royal order. Refusing such an order meant that there had to be some sort of reason.
"…He has collapsed from overworking."
He had always been a strong man.
Thus, hearing the news, Princess Penia couldn't help but have her doubts.
"He must have overworked himself past his limit, trying to manage both his survival activities and his studies. Currently, he is in an unconscious state."
However, there was a limit to one's diligence.
-x-X-x-
[ Abnormal Condition: Exhaustion
High fever, indigestion, chronic fatigue, migraines, periodic unconsciousness, shortness of breath, vision loss, maladjustment to magic power, state of muscle atony.
Please get sufficient rest to get rid of your abnormal condition! ]
I knew the fact that there was a limit to a person's vitality very well.
While it was great to work hard on my survival activities and training until the day I graduated, I also realize that it would all be meaningless if I didn't take care of my health.
Because of that, I had tried to check on my physical condition consistently and to live as healthily as possible, making sure to consume a variety of nutrients. However, it couldn't be helped that I still had an absolutely enormous amount of labor-intensive work to take care of.
Although they say that the symptoms that come from being overworked differed between individuals, I had no idea that the fatigue would come on as quickly as it did. It hit me like a storm. Before I could even attempt to straighten myself out, I ended up fainting. I couldn't resist it in the slightest.
Everyone experienced moments throughout their lives where they had fevers that were hard to endure.
Even when lying down not doing anything, it could be hard to breathe.
Even when you tried to straighten out the haziness in your mind, you would find yourself caught up in the sensation of floating out into space again.
You would return to your senses, lose them again, and then later return to them again.
As my vision briefly returned, through my vision it appeared that Yennekar, whose face was completely stiff, and Lortel were talking about something.
After that, I lost my sense of clarity once more and I fell into a dreary world made up of my old memories.
Memories of playing Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster's Act 2, Chapter 10—the battle for the Sage's Seal and the Glast Subjugation.
The finale of Act 2, told through Taylee's eyes after he got caught up in it… It had definitely begun when Professor Glast kidnapped Taylee's companion, Ayla.
***
I faintly recalled the story of the act's finale, which I had watched absentmindedly through a monitor.
An extraordinary scholar, born with an immense academic talent that surpassed anyone else in history. He made dozens of magical advances that no ordinary person could easily achieve. His name was the great sage, Silvenia.
I clearly remember Glast's story, where he tried to resurrect Silvenia by studying Celestial Magic that twisted the providence of the world.
He tried to reopen the doors to the age of progress once more by infusing Silvenia's spirit into the body of Ayla, who was also born with a scholarly talent… It was the story of a madman.
A character that failed to achieve his dreams, dying by falling from the top of the tower of magic power he had embodied.
Just what was that guy's research about, and what was the deal with the age of progress…? Why did he make such a ridiculous choice, abandoning his ethics and career? Even amongst the players, there were lots of people who questioned Glast's actions.
Though, I guess if you could understand it easily, you couldn't call it the story of a madman.
Most of all, before all his plans came to an end and he fell from the top of that tower of magic, his final words were rather unexpected.
The last line he had uttered before his death;
about his dreams of academic progress, the age of
progress, and dedicating his entire life to
discovering those with talent.
The top of the tower of magic power, made up of
Celestial Magic. Spreading both of his arms out,
talking about the world and confessing his will
just before his death… What… Was it…?
"Zzzz…"
***
My eyelids snapped open with a start. As if against
my will, it was telling me that it was time to wake
up.
My entire body was heavy, especially my lower
abdomen. What was this chunk of meat on my
lower abdomen? When I looked to see why I had a
hard time lifting my torso, I saw a girl with a giant
witch hat—the size of her head—lying on my
stomach.
"..."
"Hmm… Too… Salty… Only a little…"
That kid… How can she be so annoying, even
when asleep?
I tried to lift her up and throw her aside like usual,
but for some reason I couldn't lift her.
Lucy is just as light as she looked. So light, you had to wonder if she was really even human… To the point that you could easily carry her while moving.
Lucy seemed to be the same as always, so maybe the reason that I couldn't lift Lucy was because of my physical condition.
I was in a completely weakened state. Even though I had a mountain of work to do, my body had reached its limit. I let out a deep sigh as I laid back down.
The scenery is familiar. It was my cabin, but the blanket was new… It must have been a product from the Elte Store. I didn't know exactly what happened, but I have a vague idea.
Without much trouble, I could remember the image of Yennekar and Lortel making a fuss.
"Uhm…"
Maybe as a response to me moving, Lucy opened her dopey eyes with a blink.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up, looking straight at me while still sitting on my lower abdomen.
Then, staring back blankly into the air, she said…
"…I'm hungry."
"Do you really do nothing besides sleep and eat?"
"Oh. Congratulations. You're conscious again."
She then raised up her hands into the air to roll up her overly long sleeve before she pressed her index finger against my solar plexus.
She continued to speak slowly, in a rather soft whisper.
"Your magic power got really twisted. Since you have been constantly overdoing your training the last few months, familiarizing yourself with elementalism, and not properly resting, you ended up like this."
"..."
"The flow of magic power will gradually come to a stop while you are asleep. By taking advantage of that time, when you wake up and move your body around again you can do so more efficiently. Didn't you learn that in your Magic Power Studies class? By training your magic power to your very limit right before sleeping, only to barely sleep at all… That's why you ended up like this."
"You… Even though you're always sleeping in class, I guess you're quietly following along with everything."
"I don't listen because I already know everything."
The flow of magic power began to swirl around Lucy's finger, the one that was pressing down on my solar plexus.
Lucy continued to stay still with a blank face, acting as if nothing special was happening. Before long, her collar and wide-brimmed hat began to flutter.
"I've been pushing down on you like this so that the flow of magic power won't get any more tangled. It seems to be untangling a bit now."
"Did you keep doing this while I was sleeping?"
"Well, it's nothing too hard. Though, I fell asleep a few times, since it's so boring."
A refreshing feeling spread across my body from Lucy's finger. While I was unconscious, I had felt the sensation of the energy in my body returning at times, but that must have been thanks to Lucy.
"That gaze."
"Gaze?"
"Hmm… When I'm next to you, there are people that keep on looking at us. It's annoying. Well, what I'm doing is necessary, so they can't really say anything about it."
Again, I felt that relaxing sensation go through my body. It made me feel much lighter. Taking in a deep breath, I felt as if I was starting to gain back some of the strength in my body.
"As for the physical issues regarding your vitality, there's nothing that can immediately be done to help besides getting some rest. Though, I'm sure the magic power has all been taken care of."
"Hey."
Calling out to Lucy with no real purpose, she glanced down at me without a single change in her expression.
Her light gray eyes, which didn't move an inch
There's a part that's not justfied
Here's the corrected and fully justified version of the text, ensuring all paragraphs are properly aligned and formatted as requested:
***
Chapter 48: The Battle for the Sage's Seal (3)
[ Abnormal Condition: Exhaustion
High fever, indigestion, chronic fatigue, migraines, periodic unconsciousness, shortness of breath, vision loss, maladjustment to magic power, state of muscle atony.
Please get sufficient rest to get rid of your abnormal condition! ]
I knew the fact that there was a limit to a person's vitality very well.
While it was great to work hard on my survival activities and training until the day I graduated, I also realize that it would all be meaningless if I didn't take care of my health.
Because of that, I had tried to check on my physical condition consistently and to live as healthily as possible, making sure to consume a variety of nutrients. However, it couldn't be helped that I still had an absolutely enormous amount of labor-intensive work to take care of.
Although they say that the symptoms that come from being overworked differed between individuals, I had no idea that the fatigue would come on as quickly as it did. It hit me like a storm. Before I could even attempt to straighten myself out, I ended up fainting. I couldn't resist it in the slightest.
Everyone experienced moments throughout their lives where they had fevers that were hard to endure.
Even when lying down not doing anything, it could be hard to breathe.
Even when you tried to straighten out the haziness in your mind, you would find yourself caught up in the sensation of floating out into space again.
You would return to your senses, lose them again, and then later return to them again.
As my vision briefly returned, through my vision it appeared that Yennekar, whose face was completely stiff, and Lortel were talking about something.
After that, I lost my sense of clarity once more and I fell into a dreary world made up of my old memories.
Memories of playing Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster's Act 2, Chapter 10—the battle for the Sage's Seal and the Glast Subjugation.
The finale of Act 2, told through Taylee's eyes after he got caught up in it… It had definitely begun when Professor Glast kidnapped Taylee's companion, Ayla.
***
I faintly recalled the story of the act's finale, which I had watched absentmindedly through a monitor.
An extraordinary scholar, born with an immense academic talent that surpassed anyone else in history. He made dozens of magical advances that no ordinary person could easily achieve. His name was the great sage, Silvenia.
I clearly remember Glast's story, where he tried to resurrect Silvenia by studying Celestial Magic that twisted the providence of the world.
He tried to reopen the doors to the age of progress once more by infusing Silvenia's spirit into the body of Ayla, who was also born with a scholarly talent… It was the story of a madman.
A character that failed to achieve his dreams, dying by falling from the top of the tower of magic power he had embodied.
Just what was that guy's research about, and what was the deal with the age of progress…? Why did he make such a ridiculous choice, abandoning his ethics and career? Even amongst the players, there were lots of people who questioned Glast's actions.
Though, I guess if you could understand it easily, you couldn't call it the story of a madman.
Most of all, before all his plans came to an end and he fell from the top of that tower of magic, his final words were rather unexpected.
The last line he had uttered before his death; about his dreams of academic progress, the age of progress, and dedicating his entire life to discovering those with talent.
The top of the tower of magic power, made up of Celestial Magic. Spreading both of his arms out, talking about the world and confessing his will just before his death… What… Was it…?
"Zzzz…"
***
My eyelids snapped open with a start. As if against my will, it was telling me that it was time to wake up.
My entire body was heavy, especially my lower abdomen. What was this chunk of meat on my lower abdomen? When I looked to see why I had a hard time lifting my torso, I saw a girl with a giant witch hat—the size of her head—lying on my stomach.
"..."
"Hmm… Too… Salty… Only a little…"
That kid… How can she be so annoying, even when asleep?
I tried to lift her up and throw her aside like usual, but for some reason I couldn't lift her.
Lucy is just as light as she looked. So light, you had to wonder if she was really even human… To the point that you could easily carry her while moving.
Lucy seemed to be the same as always, so maybe the reason that I couldn't lift Lucy was because of my physical condition.
I was in a completely weakened state. Even though I had a mountain of work to do, my body had reached its limit. I let out a deep sigh as I laid back down.
The scenery is familiar. It was my cabin, but the blanket was new… It must have been a product from the Elte Store. I didn't know exactly what happened, but I have a vague idea.
Without much trouble, I could remember the image of Yennekar and Lortel making a fuss.
"Uhm…"
Maybe as a response to me moving, Lucy opened her dopey eyes with a blink.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up, looking straight at me while still sitting on my lower abdomen.
Then, staring back blankly into the air, she said…
"…I'm hungry."
"Do you really do nothing besides sleep and eat?"
"Oh. Congratulations. You're conscious again."
She then raised up her hands into the air to roll up her overly long sleeve before she pressed her index finger against my solar plexus.
She continued to speak slowly, in a rather soft whisper.
"Your magic power got really twisted. Since you have been constantly overdoing your training the last few months, familiarizing yourself with elementalism, and not properly resting, you ended up like this."
"..."
"The flow of magic power will gradually come to a stop while you are asleep. By taking advantage of that time, when you wake up and move your body around again you can do so more efficiently. Didn't you learn that in your Magic Power Studies class? By training your magic power to your very limit right before sleeping, only to barely sleep at all… That's why you ended up like this."
"You… Even though you're always sleeping in class, I guess you're quietly following along with everything."
"I don't listen because I already know everything."
The flow of magic power began to swirl around Lucy's finger, the one that was pressing down on my solar plexus.
Lucy continued to stay still with a blank face, acting as if nothing special was happening. Before long, her collar and wide-brimmed hat began to flutter.
"I've been pushing down on you like this so that the flow of magic power won't get any more tangled. It seems to be untangling a bit now."
"Did you keep doing this while I was sleeping?"
"Well, it's nothing too hard. Though, I fell asleep a few times, since it's so boring."
A refreshing feeling spread across my body from Lucy's finger. While I was unconscious, I had felt the sensation of the energy in my body returning at times, but that must have been thanks to Lucy.
"That gaze."
"Gaze?"
"Hmm… When I'm next to you, there are people that keep on looking at us. It's annoying. Well, what I'm doing is necessary, so they can't really say anything about it."
Again, I felt that relaxing sensation go through my body. It made me feel much lighter. Taking in a deep breath, I felt as if I was starting to gain back some of the strength in my body.
"As for the physical issues regarding your vitality, there's nothing that can immediately be done to help besides getting some rest. Though, I'm sure the magic power has all been taken care of."
"Hey."
Calling out to Lucy with no real purpose, she glanced down at me without a single change in her expression.
Her light gray eyes, which didn't move an inch, seemed to be calm and peaceful. Rather, that dull feeling of hers made me feel more comfortable.
"…Thank you."
"Don't get sick. It's difficult when you're sick. There are even people that die when they get sick."
That line. If you knew about Lucy Mayreel's past, it wasn't something you could easily ignore.
The archmage Glockt, who had given her the blessing of the stars.
A rainy night.
Lucy sat next to Glockt, who was like her grandfather, as he lay dying in bed.
***
I didn't know how many days I was unconscious, but it was clear that it wasn't a short amount of time.
Thinking about the fact that she was sitting next to me all that time, pressing down on my tangled magic power… it must have been an unbearable pain to her, being around someone that was sick.
No matter how much of a jerky thief she was, or how much she resembled a stray cat by breaking into my house in her free time… Even though her expression never changed, and you couldn't determine what she was thinking… I had no choice but to guess what was hidden inside of her.
As a result, there was no choice but to at least say thank you.
Squeak.
"Oh, you've regained consciousness. I didn't know if it's okay to use the stove inside the cabin, so I set the fire outside…"
Suddenly, the cabin door swung open and an unexpected person walked in.
After sweeping his long, unkempt hair back, Ziggs Eiffelstein entered with a lively greeting before suddenly going stiff.
Lucy was on top of my lower abdomen, pressing down on my chest, when she turned her head and looked up at Ziggs.
With her blank face, she grabbed her hat and vanished in an instant. Only a fleeting afterimage of the wind was left as proof that that lazy genius had been there.
"..."
Ziggs swiped his bangs up at once as he entered the rest of the way, sitting down comfortably on a wooden chair with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Ed, just how many people have you…? A-as expected. It's not that unusual for a strong male to have several females."
"..."
"Is this… the open mindedness that comes from a civilized society…? Perhaps I have been looking at a civilized life with too much of a stereotype…"
If I left him as-is, when Ziggs went ahead and laid his hand on another woman, Elka would lose it.
First, I had to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Since Yennekar was sick at the start of the semester, it would be dangerous for her to miss any more classes. Lortel kept on pushing back her work at the store, but when it got to the point where she couldn't do it anymore, she went back to the commercial district."
"I see. But how did you end up taking care of me in the cabin?"
"Lortel came and asked me to. Though, I'm kind of dense when it comes to something as delicate as taking care of someone else. Women tend to be a bit more dexterous and delicate when it comes to these things when compared to men. I asked her if it would be better to ask a girl—like Elka, Anise, or Clara—instead, but she said that this was a life-or-death situation, and I needed to do it… So that's what happened."
Ziggs scooped up some soup from a pot and handed it to me.
I at least had enough strength to hold up the bowl and spoon, so I took a bite. It didn't taste that great.
It seemed that he had made it with a bunch of random ingredients and poor skill.
"In the first place, don't you manage your academy life yourself? There aren't many people who know of you or are that close to you. They had to find someone who would agree to help, which is why they came to me."
"I see. It must have been a pain. Thanks."
"It wasn't. Either way, I was just going to either rest or train, so I was able to just do it here. I hope you can take care of yourself. When I first saw Yennekar's face, I thought there was going to be some sort of funeral."
Ziggs let out a sigh as he poked the fire with a poker.
"Well, since it's not a chronic disease, and it only happened from overworking yourself, there's no need to make a fuss. You'll get better after a few days of rest. For the time being, you won't have much strength in your body. Just take this chance to take a break from classes."
"Yeah. I got a bit complacent when it came to taking care of my body. I feel bad making the people around me worry so much."
"Well, you don't have to worry about it. This is something we're doing because we want to. You should just focus on recovering your health."
To be honest, the soup tasted awful, but hearing Ziggs' words… I felt as if my body was soaking in nutrients. I kept forcing myself to move the spoon.
My current prerogative was to time to check on the things that I needed to investigate.
"Thinking about it… I heard that the alchemy students were caught up in an accident, something about secretly mass-producing Mandragora?"
"Oh. It was Elvira, that troublemaker… In the end, Taylee and Clevius took care of it before it became a bigger issue. It didn't make its way to academic affairs."
Act 2, Chapter 5, 'Exploring the Alchemy Department's Society', seemed to have ended well.
"I heard there was a rumor that a monster the Telos Religious Group was taking care of snuck back into the underground waterways of the academy."
"Taylee and I took care of that. Ayla accidently dropped a pendant into the underground waterways, so we went to find it. There, we happened to cross paths with the monster, so we took care of it… Was there really a rumor about that?"
Act 2, Chapter 7, 'Devil of the Underground Waterways', also seemed to have been completed without any problems.
I could have inferred that the incidents were resolved by the rumors and the external changes that came around from time to time… but I was relieved to have heard it directly from one of the characters involved.
I wondered if the only big event left really was the battle for the Sage's Seal.
With that thought in mind, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't yet confirmed what I needed to check.
"Come to think of it, how many days have I been unconscious?"
I thought that it was only going to be a day or two as I brought up that simple question.
Ziggs responded light-heartedly, though I wondered if it was even okay to do so.
"It's been ten days. Everyone is going to go crazy when they see that you've woken up."
"What?"
"Though, they won't be able to see you today. At this hour, Yennekar should be in class, and as for Lortel… She had an important negotiation to prepare for tomorrow, so it would be hard for her to come."
The negotiations regarding the sale of the Sage's Seal.
Tomorrow was the day it would take place.
My breath caught for a moment.
I hadn't finished gaining a proper idea of the current situation.
I had no way of knowing how the tables may have turned while I was unconscious.
"Hey, Ziggs? Can you tell Lortel something for me?"
"What? Is it something urgent?"
"Yeah… It might sound a bit weird, but…"
If I had enough time, I'd consider more options as I tried to pick the safest course of action. But in the current situation, I had to use every method that I could.
"So… Uhm… There's something that I want. If I just have that one thing, then… Really, I think I can answer any request you make… Anything it may be…"
"…All of a sudden?"
***
Call meeting with the negotiators.
Luncheon.
Verification of the Sage's Seal condition.
Confirm purchase method.
After collecting each person's bidding price written down on a parchment, the highest bidder will purchase it.
Proceed with the transfer of the 'resonance owner.'
Afterwards, dismissal.
After reading the report on the itinerary for the purchase of the Sage's Seal, the piece of paper in Princess Penia's hand burned to ash.
The fact that the Sage's Seal was going to be sold had yet to be publicized.
"..."
Princess Penia had asked the academy to allow her to attend the negotiation as an observer.
Although there was no need for the Princess to attend the negotiation, as it had nothing to do with the royal family, the academy listened to her request as it came from royalty. As long as there was an excuse, it would be fine.
In any case, negotiations involving such a hefty sum of money were often accompanied by witnesses to observe and provide public credibility. As she was a part of the royal family, her public credibility was as heavy as the weight of her lineage.
The number of people participating in the negotiation for the purchase of the Sage's Seal was small. In the first place, there weren't many groups that could afford to pay that much.
In the end, the Elte Company and the Rothstaylor family were the only ones left.
It had appeared that there would be fierce negotiation between the two over the purchase. Surprisingly, the decision seemed as if it would end in an instant.
The young principal, Obel Forsyth, had come up with a pretty clever idea. It was like an auction, as he was going to sell it at the price they named.
However, he wouldn't disclose a suitable starting bid.
The Elte Company and the Rothstaylor family.
With the two bidders submitting their price on a piece of paper, he would end up selling it to the one with the higher price.
"For this… It's highly likely that the bid will go in Krepin's favor."
That was why Princess Penia's nerves were on edge.
Simply put, the Elte Company was involved with the negotiation with the intention of buying a 'product' to make a bigger profit.
On the other hand, the Rothstaylor family seemed to want to get their hands on the Sage's Seal for a bigger reason. If it wasn't to make a profit, there was a high chance that they would be willing to spend a considerable sum of money, to the point that one would wonder if it was really okay.
Even if he did end up losing the deal, he'd be prepared to then negotiate with the Elte Company, who would be the new owners of the seal.
Of course, there was no way of knowing what an appropriate amount might be, and they couldn't randomly spend a large amount of money. That was why there was going to be a war of nerves between them.
"Telling them about this method only a day in advance… The Elte Company and the Rothstaylor family must be experiencing headaches over this."
"Of course, Claire. If they let them know too far ahead in advance, they could end up meeting and negotiating how much they would charge."
If the academy wanted to make a profit, they needed to make it so that it felt as if the Elte Company and the Rothstaylor family were fighting against an 'unknown enemy.'
The pressure of not knowing how much the other would spend… They wouldn't be able to know how much they should raise to safely get their hands on the seal.
"Principal Obel was quite smart about it. You don't want to drag on the negotiation for too long, as it may start to spread strange rumors. It's good to handle it this way and end the bidding as quickly as possible. There's also a lesser chance of losing money. But… No matter how hard I consider this method, Krepin will surely get his hands on the seal."
The Elte Company was unlikely to see any real value in the Sage's Seal.
"As expected, I'm uneasy about this…"
Just what was Krepin trying to do by getting his hands on the Sage's Seal?
The lack of information on Krepin also made her feel uneasy. If only they could have figured out what the mysterious Duke was thinking, then… The situation would probably have become a lot clearer.
Unfortunately, Ed—who was the clue to it all—had been unconscious for nearly ten days. Because of that, she was completely in the dark.
If she couldn't ask Ed directly, then why not try asking the people around him? She had thought of doing that before.
After all, anyone who was close to Ed might have heard something of his inner thoughts or background.
However—according to the rumors—Ed was always quiet during classes, just listening during his classes and focusing on his practical training. He seemed like someone who didn't have many relationships. Also, he always appeared to be rather busy, as he was working hard just living one day to the next.
Princess Penia sighed as she sat still on the corner of the academy's bench.
"When I traced the rumors about him at the academy, it said that the only person who could be considered close to Ed Rothstaylor was the second-year top student, the elementalist Yennekar Palerover."
Claire, who was standing next to her, tried offering her advice.
"I could try and call on her, though I am unsure if we can get any sort of meaningful information from her."
"No, you don't have to. I had already met her once, as I was walking through the academy grounds."
A person would have to have been living under a rock to not know of Yennekar Palerover.
Both when she was caught up in the Glasskan incident and during the disciplinary committee hearing afterwards, Princess Penia had assisted her.
The pink-haired girl had once sent a letter of sincere thanks to the royal residence, in order to formally show her gratitude.
Since she was a girl who was loved and gave love to everyone… The princess felt a bit jealous.
Wherever she went, she brought the impression of flowers blooming. Everyone smiled brightly as they spoke to her.
Everyone lived happily ever after.
She was truly a girl that should have been the main character of a fairytale.
"I asked her about Ed Rothstaylor during a joint elemental studies class about a week ago."
However, it was after Ed had fallen unconscious.
When Penia met Yennekar at the academy… Yennekar looked at her with cold eyes.
She had no idea just what kind of change of heart she had.
Yennekar played around at the academy with her usual bright and lively manner, but towards Princess Penia alone she lacked a friendly attitude. She tried to not show it too much on the outside, but it was clearly visible to Princess Penia.
The reason for that…. It was obvious. It was the same with Lortel.
Even that innocent girl, who was loved by everyone in the academy, was not on Princess Penia's side.
Considering that fact, Princess Penia took a deep breath.
The autumn sky was high and clear.
***
"Anything?"
It was a hectic time. She had wanted to visit the cabin to check on Ed's condition at least once, but the work regarding the Elte Company was piling up and weighing down on Lortel's shoulders.
Lortel, who had her hair tied to one side, let out a sigh. She then offered a cup of tea to her unexpected visitor.
"Anything? I didn't expect Ed to say such a dangerous thing."
"That's what I'm saying, Lortel. I'm sure you also know his true nature."
As Ziggs sat down on the sofa in the sitting room and drank his tea, he let out a sigh.
Lortel, who was already weighed down by her work, straightened her shoulders and gave a sly smile.
"Anything, huh? You're a merchant that you'll do anything… You've made quite an unusual mistake, Ed."
In the sitting room, where the darkness started to slowly settle, Lortel tried to stifle the smile threatening to spread across her lips.
Just what was she imagining…? Even if she tried to stay still, that crazy smile of hers started to show. It was terrifying to Ziggs, who was watching her. He could still see her worry about Ed, who had only just gotten out of bed.
I'm glad that Elka is so pure.
The world of civilization was a world that was both mysterious and terrifying.
The time for the negotiations had come.
Sadly, nobody realized yet that the boy laying in a cabin in the woods held all the keys.
-x-X-x-
It would have been faster to find the parts without any fancy decorations.
A jacket lined with gold frames and a cape embedded with a flying eager pattern. Mahogany cotton pants underneath a shirt with voluminous frills. Every corner of his outfit was covered with jewels.
The loose jewels and decorations he wore symbolized his vanity.
After all, the most direct way to show off one's wealth and high honor was to have a luxurious appearance.
Strangely enough, Krepin Rothstaylor looked rather serious and sharp, even in such flashy attire.
He had a sharp jawline and eyes that didn't match his age. He was a peculiar person that didn't make any unnecessary movements, while at the same time giving off an aura of gentleness and class.
You could tell with just one look that he was not an ordinary person.
As the head of the Rothstaylor family, he was one of the few key influential figures in the Kroel Empire… He had the vigor to make others intimidated just by glancing towards them.
"It's a shame that Headmaster Obel wasn't able to personally attend. I'm quite worried, as his health appears to be deteriorating. I hope he gets well soon."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to tell the headmaster that Duke Krepin has asked about him."
Krepin, who took a sip of soup in a dignified manner, expressed his regrets towards Deputy Headmistress Rachel, who had shown up in place of the headmaster.
It was extremely discourteous that the president had not come out directly to greet Krepin despite his visit. Either way, the expression of regret ended shortly after as Krepin, who had one of the highest statuses in the room, changed topics.
"I'm glad that you look healthy, princess. His Majesty was quite worried about you, seeing as you have come here to study."
"Thank you, Duke Krepin. Please tell my father that I am adjusting well to my academy life and studying hard."
"As your command. Additionally, though it has been a while… I haven't yet been able to formally apologize. I heard that you had quite a hard time because of my stupid child. It has already been quite a while, but I have since excommunicated him, as you ordered. It still bothered me greatly that I had yet to properly apologize to you."
"It's fine, Duke Krepin. Don't worry too much about it."
Princess Penia humbly rejected Krepin's apology with a somewhat stiff face.
Meanwhile Lortel, who sat at the luncheon for a while watching over them, didn't say a word.
Krepin also did not appear to care about Lortel's presence.
The Deputy Headmistress of Silvenia, The Princess of the Nation, and a Duke from the Rothstaylor House.
It was a meeting of nobles with names that were enough to make others kneel without hesitation, regardless of where they went.
The fact that Lortel, who was born in the slums, was sitting at the same table as them was practically an insult. It was only natural that she wouldn't open her mouth rashly.
The position of chief executive at the Elte Company was by no means light, but it was not an official title.
Elte's dismissal was almost certain, and the next person to become head would be entirely on Lortel's side. The weight of power that Lortel would come to hold… Even they wouldn't be able to take that lightly.
However, 'as of now' that situation was taking place entirely inside of the Elte Company. Since there was no official announcement, it was only natural for her to still be treated in such a manner.
So Lortel continued to smile as she kept her head down… She looked over at Krepin with eyes that were as sharp as the knife in her hand.
That man was one who shared the same blood as Ed Rothstaylor.
He was famous for his honorable, dignified, benevolent, and wise household.
Indeed, that reputation of his wasn't false… She even felt a sense of sincerity coming from the vassals that followed him.
She could feel the sense of respect directed towards Krepin from each and every one of them.
"As for you… You must be the stand-in for the Elte Company."
"Yes, my name is Lortel Kehelland. It's such an honor for me, who is not worthy, to be sitting here."
"The Golden King, Elte Kehelland's only child. I am familiar with your profound insight and your spirit in taking on challenges."
It was just a formal compliment from Krepin as Lortel responded with gratitude, giving off her business-like smile.
She was sure that he was well aware of what was currently happening to Elte inside of the company, but the two of them kept on smiling.
"I didn't realize that you had your eyes on the Sage's Seal. As expected, when there's something good on sale it will always attract the attention of merchants with good eyes."
Lortel gave a humble smile in response to Krepin's cunning words.
"We always head towards the scent of money. If there's something for sale that will make a good profit, we will always make sure to visit there."
Soon after the luncheon ended, the Sage's Seal was brought out to the central conference room in Trix Hall.
A few moments were given so that both the Elte Company and the Rothstaylor Family could use the scholars, who were experts in magic books, they brought over to verify the authenticity of the seal.
After taking time to report on the condition of the seal, the amount of magic power inherent in it, and the current situation of the resonance owner, the meeting moved onto the main event.
"As for the situation… I won't be going into detail."
The situation in which the Sage's Seal needed to be sold off was a major disgrace for Silveria.
Even though they didn't want to make it into a big deal, they couldn't sell it off at a low price to those who didn't have the power to purchase it at a larger price.
"From our point of view, we want to avoid a situation in which negotiations are dragged on to the point that unnecessary rumors begin to circulate. As you both heard last night, I'm asking you to both write down your bid and submit it…
We will then sell it to the person who listed the higher offer."
A sheet of parchment was placed in front of Lortel and Krepin, who sat far away from each other in the conference room.
The carefully opened parchment was imbued with all sorts of preservation magic.
It was a method to prevent the use of magic ink to change what was written halfway through.
Krepin stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Lortel slowly closed her eyes.
The Sage's Seal was a unique, one-of-a-kind item in the world. Though, there were previous sales of similar books recorded in the history of commerce.
Lortel knew about all the previous, unprecedented large-scale book transactions throughout history. For her, such market knowledge was no different than multiplication tables. It was only natural that she would memorize everything.
'The Magic Book of Order', which had dozens of materialistic type magics imbued in it by the genius alchemist Karl, had a final bidding price of 8100 Plen gold coins.
'The Book of Habitual Routine', which was the only magic book on organism replication magic analysis and was currently stored in the imperial library, had a final bidding price of 6730 Plen gold coins.
Finally, the Archmage Glockt's personally handwritten magic notes, regarding his visit to an unknown continent down in the south, had a final bidding price of 7020 Plen gold coins.
The value of the inherent magic, the value of being an academic material that still needed to be researched, and the value of it simply being a luxury item all had to be considered when determining the bid.
In the end, the key was how much profit you could make off it.
Watching the two quietly look down at their parchment, Princess Penia—who came as a notary—carefully watched over them.
"I have received your bid. Thank you both for expressing your valuable opinions."
The academy's staff greeted them politely shortly after, and Deputy Headmistress Rachel unfolded both of their submitted parchment.
The result was the exact opposite to what Princess Penia had expected.
Attendee: Krepin Rothstaylor (Representing the Rothstaylor Family)
Presented Amount: 8900 Plen Gold Coins
Attendee: Lortel Kehelland (Representing the Elte Company)
Presented Amount: 9400 Plen Gold Coins
***
"All she has to do is raise the price and it will work out. Even if she goes on the offense to get her hands on the Sage's Seal, she still won't face a loss."
"Is that so? But isn't that something you don't know for sure?"
Sitting next to the fire, Ziggs handed me some more soup.
On the second day, it felt like my body had regained some of its energy. After having my magic power untangled, it seemed like my body's condition was recovering rapidly.
"The Elte Company isn't the type of business to go around randomly digging for gold, right? I didn't expect Lortel to accept your offer so easily, especially since she'll face a loss if she's not able to sell it at a higher price."
"No matter how high she raises it, the Rothstaylor Family will buy it from her. Either way, she won't end up facing a loss."
"Does the Rothstaylor family really place that high of a value on the seal? To the point where they are willing to buy it, again regardless of the price she asks?"
Looking at Ziggs, I nodded my head.
But that was a lie.
I had no idea just how much the Rothstaylor Family would be willing to spend on the Sage's Seal.
If Lortel really ended up buying it at such a ridiculous price, then even the Rothstaylor Family might give up on the seal.
In any case, Krepin was researching eternal life, while the Sage's Seal was related to Celestial Magic. It was only acting as a secondary piece of research material, to assist with his goal. In other words, he could still continue with his research even without it.
There was no way that Lortel, who was an outsider, would know that. Even if she did, Lortel had still agreed to what I asked of her.
There were two reasons for that.
The first was because Lortel felt affection towards me.
The second was that she was betting on the unique fact that I used to be a part of the Rothstaylor Family.
She had invested in my suggestion because she thought I might have been aware of some of the internal circumstances within the Rothstaylor Family.
Just listening to my explanation of it all might make it sound like I was complete trash.
It seemed like Lortel was spending an astronomical amount of money just to prevent Krepin from purchasing the Sage's Seal.
Well, most of the money could be returned, even if she had to sell the seal at a lower price. It wasn't not as big of a loss as one might think… But it still wasn't a small amount of money by any means.
In my defense, it didn't matter how much money Lortel used in the first place.
She wouldn't even have to pay for it.
In any case, the Sage's Seal would end up getting stolen by Professor Glast the day before the sale took place. In the end, the deal would never go through.
That was just so that I could make sure to keep Krepin, who was trying to squeeze his way into the current flow of the story, away.
Rustle.
Suddenly a rustling sound came from a patch of grass. As Ziggs and I turned our heads, a girl whose face we were quite familiar with came walking into the camp. Breathing hard, it seemed like she had run over in a hurry.
"Oh, it's Yennekar. It's not even lunchtime yet, but you've already made it here from the education district?"
"Yeah! My morning class is already over! There's no other class that I need to attend, and I can just take care of my assignments later tonight!"
"Even so, you should have eaten lunch first—"
"I'm not hungry!"
Yennekar smiled faintly as she took off her outer layer, twisting the ends of her light-pink hair as she walked over to the campfire.
"Ed! You've regained consciousness!"
"Oh, Yennekar. I'm sorry that I made you worry. I heard all the details from Ziggs. It sounds like I've caused you a lot of trouble…"
"Hm? No, no way!"
Yennekar waved her arms around in an exaggerated gesture as she shook her head, taking note of my complexion.
"I really wasn't worried, not even a bit! So don't say that you're sorry because you thought I was worried! Really! I wasn't worried a bit! Not in the slightest! I didn't even care!"
"That's not true, Yennekar. There was even a rumor that you ran across the academy grounds on the verge of crying. On top of that, when you went into the academy's conference room last time…"
"Haaaa! Heeey!! That's quite a funny story, Ziggs! But look at today! Isn't the weather quite chilly?! Better be careful!!! You don't want to catch a cold!!!!!"
Seeing her breathing heavily after running through the forest, I felt even worse for her.
She was definitely a girl with a big heart. Even though she was worried, she didn't want to hear someone apologize for making her worry.
Yennekar, flustered, looked around… After taking a few deep breaths, she came towards me and sat down.
As soon as she did, a bat suddenly popped out from behind Yennekar's back.
***
[Please kill me, young master Ed! Please kill me! I am unworthy, as I had no idea that young master Ed was overworking himself!]
"Wh-What? Mugg? You were there?"
[I wanted to come out right away to bow in apology, but I was worried that manifesting this worthless body of mine would only hurt young master Ed's magic power more. So right now, I am now using Lady Yennekar's magic power instead!]
Yennekar nodded at those words as she looked at me.
Mugg flew around before he landed on my lap, bowing in apology with tears running down his face.
"Why is he making such a fuss?"
"Considering how you looked while unconscious, isn't much that of a fuss."
Hearing what Ziggs said, my face went pale. They said that I resembled a corpse and, when considering just how unsightly I was, I couldn't say anything.
"I guess so… being unconscious for ten days, it makes sense…"
Ten days.
"Wait a minute… Ten days…?"
I quickly rose from my seat. Even though I hadn't fully recovered my strength yet, I managed to slowly move my body over to the underground tunnel I dug out to check on the meat I was storing.
All the meat that I'd been working so hard to smoke… As I poked my nose inside to take a look, a rotten smell filled my nostrils.
"U-Ughk!"
I furrowed my eyebrows as I quickly plugged my nose.
The smoked meat could only be stored for about five days without any issues, so I was consuming it according to the order I was preserving it… But after being unconscious for ten days, all of it had gone bad.
Also, when I went out to the river to check, the fishing net was torn up after not being maintained. All the fish that I had previously farmed had swam away in search of freedom.
"I've lost all my food."
I let out a deep sigh as I returned to the fire and sat down. It was my fault that I hadn't properly taken care of my own body, so there was nothing I could do about it.
It seemed as if I didn't have much of a choice but to use some of the money I'd been saving up on food so I could eat. It was not a big loss, but it's still a painful mistake that would hurt in the long run.
When I started thinking about having to survive through the winter, there was still so much work I needed to take care of. But having been pushed back so much… I let out a deep sigh.
"You're thinking of overdoing it again, aren't you Ed?"
As if Yennekar read my thoughts, she came rushing closer to me.
"It's okay, Ed. I'll help you."
"I can lend a hand until the next exam period. If it's simply hunting or carpentry, I can definitely help out."
Ziggs spoke as if it was no big deal as he shoved the poker into the fire.
"As long as we keep on working little by little, eventually we can get the job done, right?"
Hearing his words and seeing that smirk of his, he truly seemed like a man who had survived out in the wild on his own.
As long as I took care of the work bit by bit, I'd somehow be able to make it through it all.
Sitting by the fire and looking up, I watched Yennekar and Ziggs put their heads together, contemplating what problem we should take care of first. Suddenly, I was reminded of a similar scene from the previous spring.
Sitting down, completely broke in the woods, without anything to my name… I slept while hugging myself under a wooden shelter that I built in a hurry.
Falling asleep by myself while being bitten by bugs in the dark… I suddenly realized that such a past hadn't been all that long ago.
That's right. There was a lot of troublesome work to take care of, but I'd managed to deal with even worse situations while living out in the woods.
The flow of the original timeline had gone awry, but there's no reason for me to complain all that much since I'd been able to solve every major issue.
As for the work regarding my survival, I could get help from the two of them as I slowly recovered my health.
The flow of the story… If Krepin lost the bid, then there wouldn't be any other variables. That meant there wouldn't be any major problems.
But just in case, I couldn't let my guard down.
***
The bid submitted by the Elte Company had ended the negotiations for the purchase of the Sage's Seal.
Krepin Rothstaylor was bewildered, though he soon got rid of that expression as he looked towards Lortel with a gentle smile.
Lortel smiled back at him.
Only a few transactions of that magnitude regarding a magic book had taken place before.
Of course, the Rothstaylor family would have come up with a price according to the market price.
The highest price ever for a magic book in history was only around 8000 gold coins.
In other words, he thought that if the main goal of the Elte Company was to 'make a profit', they wouldn't submit a higher price than that.
That's why Krepin had chosen to go from 8000 coins up to 8900 coins.
Lortel had read that far in advance and called for a higher sum of money to surpass Krepin.
It was a battle in which Krepin had lost from the very start.
That was because the goal of the Elte Company was ultimately to 'make a profit.'
Wasn't her goal to make a profit…?
Sitting in the audience, Princess Penia's expression was frozen.
A merchant was a man whose actions were for the sake of creating a profit. Lortel's offer of 9400 gold coins made no sense, considering how much would be needed to break even.
Considering the prices of magic books in history, it's unlikely that she would be able to resell the Seal at a higher price.
Lortel was not the type of person who would bet on making profit when there was only a small chance of success.
She must have had another intention than making a profit.
However, Princess Penia's Insightful Eyes were crying out. The true nature of Lortel truly only consisted of the greed for gold coins.
If making a profit wasn't the goal, then what made that foxlike girl to do something like that?
In the first place, it was difficult to use the true strength of the Sage's Seal unless you were an owner with a proper resonance with it. Even with that in mind, without a proper understanding of Celestial Magic there's no use in it.
If it wasn't to take advantage of the seal's magical strength, and it wasn't for its academic value, and it wouldn't generate a profit…
Why did Lortel go so far as to accept the bid for the seal, despite all those reasons against it?
If you ruled out all those values, just why would she make a bid for the seal?
"Hm…"
Krepin had an unusual expression on his face.
He politely greeted the audience as he left the meeting room with an awkward expression on his face. He didn't seem all that happy.
Only then did Princess Penia feel as if she had been struck by lightning.
If you looked at the purpose of the Sage's Seal, ignoring all of its pre-existing value, the goal of owning it was to make sure Krepin Rothstaylor was kept in check and not able to go ahead with his plans.
That was the reason Princess Penia was so concerned in the first place.
"Princess Penia. Only in this instance are we allies. The Rothstaylor family, who are the public enemy, must be driven from Acken Island."
That line from Lortel stung Princess Penia's heart again.
However, there was still one thing that was strange.
Lortel had tried to prevent Krepin from being able to buy the seal at a lower price.
However, if you ended up buying it at that high a price, what was the point of trying to keep Krepin in check?
What if she didn't care about purchasing the seal in the first place…?
What if she was just trying to keep the seal out of his hands instead?
There was no other explanation. Otherwise, someone like Lortel—who lived and died to make a profit—wouldn't have bought the seal at such a high price.
With that being the case, a new question arose.
Just why on earth was Lortel trying to keep Krepin in check?
Princess Penia knew the answer. Krepin was a seemingly dignified and benevolent duke, but he was actually a villain that hid his evil intentions.
However, even with the authority and power that came from being a princess, she didn't have evidence to prove his sly innermost thoughts to the world.
Krepin was so meticulous that he made sure to never leave a trail.
Even with Lortel's power and influence as a merchant, she shouldn't have been able to find anything related to Krepin's innermost darkness. No matter how influential she might be, she couldn't dig up information on someone like him.
Even if she were able to, there would be no reason for Lortel to step up and take action to stop Krepin's dark plans.
That was because there would be no reason for her to confront such a powerful, influential person.
What was needed was a sense of justice against wrongdoings. Or a sense of duty to punish the evil.
Those things… That was too different from the type of person Lortel truly was. In other words, it wasn't Lortel's intention to stop Krepin.
"But…"
Penia blurted out her words in a stream of thought.
If that was the case, then there was someone who had used or manipulated Lortel… Did it even make any sense for such a person to exist?
As a merchant, she had a rare, exceptional talent—going as far as to be called the Golden Daughter… Just who could control someone like her?
Lortel was, to say the least, a person who tended to reign over the situation. She wasn't the type of person who liked to be under someone's thumb. Penia had thought that she was like a wild wolf, unable to be tamed by anyone.
"Princess Penia, you don't look so well. Are you uncomfortable?"
Penia bowed her head down quietly in the corner of the conference room. She didn't bother to respond to Claire's words.
There was someone that tried to stop the Sage's Seal from falling into Krepin's hands.
If that proposition was established, then there needed to be a prerequisite.
There had to be someone else that knew Krepin Rothstaylor's dark nature.
If there were someone like that at Silvenia…
"Princess Penia?"
"It may be presumptuous of me to say, but I wanted to answer your speculations regarding Ed taking the side of the Rothstaylor family."
Lortel's words regarding Ed stabbed her heart like a dagger.
Excommunicated from his family, tossed into the wild, clenching his teeth while working hard to survive, to the point that he had collapsed from overworking… If he was the one that was trying to fight the darkness inside of the Rothstaylor family…
It was Penia Elias Kroel herself who had brought such a person down into the abyss.
***
Certificate of Sale.
Buyer: Lortel Kehelland (Elte Company)
Seller: Obel Forsyth (Silvenia)
Sale Price: 9400 Plen Gold Coins
Date of Contract: Transfer of resonance ownership (7) days after the certificate signing.
Further Details of the Contract.
.
.
Rolling up the signed certificate of sale, she held it close with a bright smile.
According to Ed's message, no matter how much she bought it for, the Rothstaylor family would buy anyway. She believed in his words and aggressively raised the price.
She was willing to put half of her trust into Ed. After all, he was an insider from the Rothstaylor family.
As for the other half… Well, if things didn't go the way Ed said, Lortel was skilled enough to resell it for at least 8500 gold coins.
The difference of 900 gold coins could be considered a loss, but thinking of it as the cost of a free pass from Ed… It was a bargain.
"Anything… Anything, he said…"
Lortel let her hair fall loose as she put in some accessories.
The mysterious, foxlike appearance that she had shown at the negotiation table was nowhere to be seen. Standing in front of a mirror, she was putting on a rose-shaped blue headband.
"…Anything? Really?"
She began to blush.
Even that devilish, cold face of hers at the negotiation table would turn into that of an innocent, sweet girl in a game of tug-of-war between man and woman.
Because of that large gap in appearance, she seemed to be out of her mind. All she was able to do now was look at the newly received piece of jewelry she placed on her head.
If the Princess had witnessed that scene, she would have vomited blood.