“Mrs. Presby.”
The voice that came from behind the door was definitely not Fenric's.
“If you're awake, can I come in?”
“Oh...yes.”
Prisippi instinctively responded politely, opening the door very slowly and very carefully.
A very young girl entered, no more than fourteen years old.
Her hair was red, and her face was full of freckles.
"Hello, Mrs. Presby! My name is Hannah."
Hannah greeted with a bright smile.
"Show."
"I'll be taking care of you from now on! If you need anything or feel uncomfortable, please let me know anytime! I'll do anything for you!"
Hannah's brown eyes sparkled as she looked at Presibe.
She was completely different from the maids in the palace who were always indifferent, subtly sarcastic, and condescending.
But somehow, it reminded Presibe of something.
“Oh, that's right…Hannah.”
A very nice one.
"How was yesterday? This was your first day in the palace, did you sleep well?"
“Yes, Duke Fenric was very understanding, so I slept well.”
"Oh, I'm so happy. I was worried you might have trouble sleeping!"
Hannah smiled cheerfully.
“You didn't eat anything yesterday, did you? How about having a meal now? The Duke has asked everyone to take extra care of you, and they have been preparing since dawn.”
“Oh, I see… eating sounds good, but I want to wash up first. Is that possible?”
“Of course! In this palace, Lady Prisippi can do anything she wants! The Duke specifically told me to make sure you are comfortable.”
“The Duke? Even though I am indebted to him, I slept until midday… on the first day.”
"It's okay! The Duke left early. Even if I sleep until the evening, no one here will say anything. The Duke said to make sure you're comfortable!"
Hannah kept talking nonstop. She was like a parrot, and her words were long, but they were not annoying at all. In fact, it was rather nice.
After living in the palace, where everything was tense, Precipe felt more at ease when she saw this child. Hannah's innocence was endearing.
“Thank you very much. But you don't have to try so hard for me, Hana. If I need something, I'll let you know right away, so you don't have to worry too much.”
“No! It's my job to take care of Mrs. Precipie!”
Prisippi said it without thinking, but Hana's response was unexpectedly firm.
“Also, you have no idea how much I want to meet you, Mrs. Presby...”
“…Huh?”
"Yes?"
“Did you want to meet me?”
Have they met before? But no matter how much Precipe thought about it, she couldn't remember any such memory. Surely, she would have remembered a talkative girl like her…
"No, it's all right. I must have misspoke! I just meant I was so glad to finally meet you, Mrs. Presby."
“I'm not that special, there's no reason for you to be so happy...”
Was he there?
Prisippi was puzzled, but before she could finish her sentence, Hannah continued speaking.
“How about we go take a shower first? I’ll help you. Then, we can have a meal.”
"oh well."
Presibe fell asleep without washing properly yesterday. Now that the fatigue was gone, I felt the need to shower, so I decided to follow Hannah's suggestion.
They walked down the corridor until they reached a huge, luxurious bathroom. Hannah continued to talk nonstop until they got into the large bathtub, but Prisippi didn't mind and answered her questions honestly.
***
The Sorcerers' Tower of Atiluia is located in the inner northern part of the palace.
Not only Atiluia, but also the mage towers of other empires were always located to the north of the palace.
There were various reasons for this, but mostly it had to do with magic research.
Sorcerers often worked day and night, preferring the north because of the light and quieter atmosphere, where their magic tended to attract attention.
But in Atiloya's case, things were a little different.
The mage tower of Atiluia was located in the north because the owner of the tower, the head mage Ivan, hated interacting with others.
He did not welcome visits, especially from people associated with the church.
But today was an exception.
Ivan summoned Siegfried, who was representing the church and the archbishop, and Fenrik, who was representing Dietrich, to the wizards' tower.
There was no special reason for this. It certainly wasn't because he wanted to meet them.
He was too lazy to go meet them himself.
Anyway, the two men arrive at the tower, and Ivan presents the results of his investigation at Noah Duvern's mansion.
“The killer left almost no trace, but there was a suspicious mark where the body was found.”
Ivan's voice, as he continued to explain, had a sense of mystery.
"It was covered in bloodstains and badly burned, so the magical energy was almost hidden, and it could have been easily overlooked, but I still found it. Of course, that's only because I'm really skilled."
“…”
“I think it's a special scented candle made with dark magic, created by condensing rare herbs and energies. Of course, I was able to discover that thanks to my skill. Isn't that wonderful?”
“The Chief Magician seems unable to explain anything without bragging about himself.”
asked Siegfried, who was listening to Ivan, frowning.
“And even if that was the case, someone died, is it too much to call it ‘astonishing’?”
“Why?”
Ivan looked at Siegfried with genuine curiosity.
"I meant exactly what I said. No matter what kind of person Noah Duffern was, he was a noble and a ruler's person. But… what's this talk of fascination…"
“But Noah Duffern probably treated stuffed animals the same way.”
“…”
"Haha, it's funny. Whether they are animals or humans, they are all living beings, so why would there be such a difference?"
Ivan scoffed.
"Well, maybe the ruler is more upset about someone dying. Serving him is something only foolish humans would do anyway."
“Chief Magician, your words seem rather brief.”
"If you don't like it, you can also talk informally. Duke, do you feel uncomfortable?"
"I'm not uncomfortable, but it's annoying to have to answer everything. I'd rather you two handle it together."
Fenric replied with a neutral expression.
“But before that, this meeting was not arranged for you two. If there are any old resentments, we can address them when I return.”
Anyone from Atiluia knows that. The leader of the knights, Siegfried, and the chief wizard, Ivan, have been sworn enemies for a very long time.
But that wasn't something Fenric cared about.
“The Knight Commander, whom the Governor loved so much, seems to be full of energy. You seem to rush into such trivial matters.”
Ivan laughed at Siegfried, then continued.
“Anyway, it wasn't just an ordinary scented candle. There was something strange about its ingredients.”
“Weird ingredients?”
“It is a plant with a very powerful magical aura called the ‘Moon Grass.’ It is not easy to find, and to maintain its unique properties, it should only be harvested on the night of the full moon.”
“…”
“It also only grows in the Forbidden Forest.”
“Forbidden Forest?”
The sudden mention of the name made Siegfried's face subtly convulse.
“You, whom the ruler particularly likes, should know this well. Yes, the place where demonic beasts run rampant.”
Forbidden Forest
It was a forest located to the west of Atiluia.
A place where demonic beasts constantly appear no matter how many people are killed, and is filled with all kinds of sinister things. It had been off-limits for as long as anyone could remember.
It made sense that Siegfried, the leader of the knights, knew the forest well, because he had spent a long time there, purging it of demonic beasts.
“Duke, the moongrass has many uses, but the main strange feature is this: it has different effects on humans and demonic beasts.”
“…”
"If a person ingests moonweed or inhales its smoke, he immediately falls into a deep sleep. Without an antidote, he is very likely not to wake up."
“…He won’t wake up?”
Siegfried asked.
"Their physical work does not stop, but they simply sleep. Without proper nutrition, they would most likely starve. They do not sleep peacefully; instead, they spend the night in terrible nightmares that they constantly suffer from. But I cannot be certain of that, because anyone who has fallen asleep because of these nightmares has never woken up."
“…”
“I've seen it a few times, and when they died, they had pained expressions, so it's likely true, but I have no intention of trying it myself.”
Ivan shrugged.
"On the other hand, it has the opposite effect on demonic beasts. It doesn't just wake them up from sleep…"
He continued.
“But it can also bring the dead back to life, at least temporarily.”
Fenric's red eyes glowed eerily as he stared at Ivan.
“In other words, it was not an animal that killed Noah Duffern, but a demonic beast.”
“…”
“And someone… used a demonic beast and a moongrass with an intelligent technique to cause the death of Noah Duvern.”