Episode 46
While he was hesitating to answer, the other person through the door came inside.
"You've woken up."
An old man with near-gray hair said with a wrinkled smile.
“… Who are you?"
"My name is Marvin, who is the butler of Andrew Count."
I don't know why I opened my eyes in the Backstab of Andril, but it is highly likely that the fact that I am a warlock has already been known.
Still, he doesn't show it at all. On the contrary, it even seemed polite.
"Are you feeling a little better? I've taken measures with potions, but if you have any inconveniences..."
"No. It's okay."
It's not empty words, it's really okay.
There was no stiffness or muscle pain. I couldn't even think of my body as it was on the verge of death, and it was even refreshing.
No matter how expensive a potion is, can it restore the human body to such an extent?
"I'm glad you did. I was worried because I lay down for two days."
“….”
Worried about the warlock. I couldn't guess the intention.
As I suppressed my suspicion and looked at him, the Demon King was laughing frantically at what was so funny.
"Let's start with the meal. Is it okay to talk about the details later?"
“… Yes."
Nodding, servants dressed in clean clothes carried food. I was almost amazed at the sight of the table being set up so that I could eat without getting out of bed in an instant.
It seemed true that he had been unconscious for two days, and his stomach fluctuated when he smelled the food.
A simple breakfast with an easy to digest soup. However, I couldn't pick up a spoon in a hurry.
'Isn't it poisonous?'
Once again, the demon king burst into laughter.
-If I had intended to kill you, I wouldn't have had to recover you. There is nothing to worry about. Eat. … I don't think there will be any big problem even if I don't eat it.
I gently scooped up the food and smelled it. The man who introduced himself as Marvin was watching me with a nice smile.
If the Demon King said that, it must be that there is no poison. I closed my eyes and shoved the soup into my mouth.
I don't remember much about what happened after that. When he came to his senses, the bowl was already empty. Only a slight feeling of fullness insisted that I had finished my meal safely.
“….”
"If you don't mind, would you like to walk for a while?"
I carefully got up from my seat and examined my body. The sickle was not visible. It seems that they were probably treated and put away somewhere. My six arms were completely lost at the end of the battle, so now I am completely naked.
Still, my body has recovered, so I can run away when I have to. The condition of the magic core seems to be fine.
Beyond the door, through the long corridor, and across the garden of beautiful flowers, Marvin didn't say much.
Normally, he would have been quite complacent, but thanks to this, he had time to talk to the Demon King.
'So, what the hell happened?'
- You fell, and the sorceress brought you here. That's all.
'You know I'm not talking about that.'
I had fully guessed that. The problem was not that.
'Branches of the World Tree.'
A demon that broke the teacher's soul and caused a terrible death.
I remember being stabbed by the runaway and losing my mind. I thought he must be dead, but why is he alive? And what happened to the branch?
-Originally, your soul should have been completely absorbed into the branches of the World Tree, and its seal should have been broken.
If I had done so, the rest would not have ended with me simply dying.
The tree that grew explosively may have endlessly coveted its vitality to restore its original appearance. Just like the Master did.
Considering the Master, whose soul was broken and half-controlled by a branch, it cannot be said to be a simple guess.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
It didn't happen anyway, and even if it did, it would have happened after I died.
The fact that I am alive means that the branches of the World Tree have not absorbed my soul. Perhaps the Demon King blocked the branches to fulfill the contract.
-But now it's the other way around... You absorbed the branches of the World Tree.
“… What?"
At the words that I didn't understand, my upbringing burst out without me realizing it.
I could feel Marvin, who was walking ahead, pause for a moment, but it was too embarrassing to care about him.
-I should say I was lucky. It happened because the passage of the second ordeal overlapped.
A drastic change that occurred in his body when he passed the first ordeal in the Velib estate. It was an experience that went beyond simply growing and completely reconstructing the body using the energy around it as fuel.
If that happened again while I was out of my mind, I wouldn't understand it... How did he pass the second ordeal in the first place?
And no matter how much I absorbed it, I didn't know how much I had absorbed it. Suddenly, I felt an unbearable discomfort all over my body.
Of course, it was because of my mood.
There was nothing wrong with his body. If he hadn't heard from the Demon King, he wouldn't have known that such a thing had happened, so there really wasn't much change. It was a disappointing result for absorbing the branches of the World Tree, a peerless treasure.
It was easy to guess why. Most of the power must have been consumed to digest the branches of the World Tree and restore the body.
"I've arrived. This is enough for a walk."
“…?”
As I was organizing my thoughts, Marvin, who was ahead of me, turned around and said.
I raised my head and looked at the building in front of me.
A small private room at the end of the garden. It was neat, but it felt too simple to be used by the lord himself. Perhaps it was a private room provided for guests.
"There is someone I want to talk to."
The way he bowed his head slightly and was silent seemed to tell me to go inside.
“….”
I can't even come and run away now.
When I straightened my back and entered the separate room, I saw a familiar woman in the dark room with the curtains drawn.
The wizard who helped me before I lost my mind.
'Your name is Melissa..."
Come to think of it, I said I had something to talk about after the battle.
It seems that her status was higher than expected to take care of my condition for several days in the estate where the lord died, and to occupy such a separate room.
"Do you have something to talk about?"
“… Your body looks fine. It's monstrous resilience."
I didn't know that I had given the potion and that kind of reaction. Is it a fight?
Then Melissa shook her head, then raised a glass bead the size of her fist and said:
"I'm not the one who has something to say. It's the one in here."
-Crystal Guro for communication.
Communication crystals. It is an artifact made of two in one set that allows you to contact the other at any time. Since the glass surface must be smooth, it is difficult to engrave the magic circle, and the difficulty of production is considerable. Judging from the clear face of the man seen through the crystal ball, it is the best among them. It is not so expensive that a lowly aristocrat dares to dream...
As I continued to think, I suddenly came to my senses.
'How do I know that?'
I knew about the existence of the communication crystal. Well, I'm also a mage, so it's natural.
However, it is absolutely impossible for me to guess the peculiarities of production and the price.
I gained quite a bit of knowledge thanks to absorbing my master's soul fragments, but I didn't remember anything about expensive artifacts like communication crystals.
-Is it okay?
The man in the crystal ball asked in a worried tone. In the midst of confusion, he nodded gently.
-That's fortunate. If you're still not feeling well, tell me. It looks like it's going to be quite a long story.
“… Just tell me."
At that moment, I heard a tongue kick. However, the people in front of me... Neither the man in the crystal ball nor Melissa seemed to have made such a sound.
Then that's...
'Demon King?'
The prime suspect was the Demon King, but it was hard to think of a reason why he would bite his tongue at this time.
-Let me introduce myself first. I am Ato Valaich.
No matter what I was thinking, the man began to say what he had to say. Thanks to this, the thought disappeared in an instant.
The man's surname, Valaich. That's...
-The Prince of the Kingdom of Valaich. It's an honor to meet the heroes of the Beliv Estate.
* * *
"I don't mean to reproach you, but you have made things very complicated."
In a room in the royal castle, the blonde prince said. The half-closed eyes and the dark shade below showed how tired the man was.
It was unavoidable.
Not long ago, he was focusing on diplomacy with neighboring countries to prevent the Holy Kingdom.
In the midst of this, the news of Count Andriel's death came to him. As the kingdom's swordmaster and guardian of the borders, his death was sure to be a great disadvantage in the upcoming war against the Holy Kingdom.
To make matters worse, due to the death of the disciples, the Red Demon Tower refuses to send additional personnel.
If you have any stamina, you must have not fulfilled your responsibilities as a prince. Even as a prince who had been away from the kingdom for several years to see the world, he could not bear to ignore his responsibility for this situation.
"Huh..."
The prince, who held his head and sighed for a moment, looked down at the crystal ball.
A fairly young face is reflected. I think he was just over twenty.
The prince said, never thinking that his opponent would be only fifteen now.
"You know that the public perception of warlocks is not good, right?"
Jude nodded silently beyond the crystal ball.
"According to the laws of the kingdom, warlocks are summarily executed. But."
A little nervous. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary young man of his age.
"In the Velyv estate, and in this battle... There are quite a few people you saved."
If the opponent was a normal warlock, this would not have happened. However, Jude's actions so far were different from those of ordinary warlocks.
Hundreds of people he saved from the Veliv estate, and this time, he didn't save nearly ten soldiers and return them to the estate.
There are still quite a few people who oppose the organization, but the prince could not think of Jude on the same line as a normal warlock.
Why did you try to sign Sevian in the first place? It was a misunderstanding, but it was because in order to deal with the cult, it was necessary to borrow the hand of a notorious high-ranking warlock.
"What do you think of the Holy Country and the Church?"
-I don't think it's very good.
"That's good. Then I have a suggestion for you. Would you like to join our dawn?
-… Dawn?
The prince explained about the dawn. They are fighting to stop the evil deeds of the church and open up a world of humans, not gods.
At the same time, he also explained the benefits that Jude would gain if he joined the dawn. If the Dawn List members spread across the continent actively help him, he will be significantly less likely to find himself in trouble because he is a warlock.
On the contrary, you can receive considerable support. The prince was sure that Jude would not be able to refuse the offer.
After hearing all the explanations, Jude finally spoke.
-How dare you...?
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