Of course, this is all nonsense.
The wizards might think I made an ‘inference,’ but, in reality, it was just a guess based on what kind of approach I would take if I were in their position. I continued pressing them without letting up.
“You decided to find and hand over a painting wizard who’s a member of the desert clan, right? isn’t it?”
sell, sell it well. If I had 10g less conscience, I might have walked the path of a great swindler.
But I intensely disliked good people suffering harm. It’s okay for bad guys to lose what they have, but usually, scams happen to ordinary and kind people. That’s why the current situation, where I could use my talents without regret, was quite favorable. Maybe I’m well-suited to being a villainess.
The pupils of the wizards of Edmund Kingdom were already shaking. Well, they probably never expected to be kidnapped upon arriving at Lakurum and interrogated like this. I continued to wear a smiling face, confronting the wizards.
“Is there anyone who can answer for me? To whom is the Canary of Fata-Morgana supposed to come?”
For a second. The shaky eyes and anxious gazes of the awakened wizards locked on the back of one man’s head and then scattered. Poker faces weren’t their strong suit anyway. Like puppies feigning innocence to an embarrassing extent, the wizards, through various gestures, indicated who the contact person was.
“Ah, it’s him?”
How could Lacius not know what I noticed? Lacius raised his sword and thrust it into the contact’s neck. The one who had been the quietest since earlier, who had closed his mouth like a clam as soon as the words Fata-Morgana came out. He was the youngest and seemingly the most inexperienced wizard among them.
I moved closer, staring intently. Of course, the contact person avoided my gaze, but I kept my gaze fixed, not stopping the pressure. Silence could sometimes be the most effective attack. The contact person, drenched in cold sweat, finally opened his mouth as if shouting.
“Y-You’re absolutely right!”
“You!”
“I can’t take it anymore! I told you I didn’t want to be in charge of liaisons! I can’t trust them!”
“Even so, how could you reveal it so easily!”
“Then you should have answered instead! Can’t we hand them over to Terran instead of those suspicious guys?!”
“Trust Terran?”
“But you trust those bastards? Let’s just join Terran this time. After all, they covet all the painting wizards. Weren’t you afraid of them, which is why you couldn’t do anything until now. Let’s take this chance!”
Well said. I slapped my palms together and stood up. Lacius stepped forward and grabbed the liaison by the scruff of his neck.
“His Majesty the Emperor of Terran asked me for a favor. I have been entrusted with full authority over the case of Fata-Morgana, and as the archduke, I order you, tell me everything you know.”
“Huh uh, sa-save me! I just did what I was told!”
“Even if it feels like a sin, I haven’t called it one.”
Lacius, speaking somewhat sternly, cut the rope binding the wizards. He took the contact person and led him into the bedroom. I didn’t bother looking into what he was doing. Instead, I patted the young princess on the shoulder. She seemed a bit shocked by the unfolding conversation.
“Weren’t you supposed to hide them somewhere safe……?”
“Hmph, what does a child know!”
“What about Rawiya? What about Yuzen? What about Mikhail? What about Samantha? They were all my friends, but you told me they had to go to a safe place.”
“Shut up, princess, can’t you see what’s going on?”
“Exactly. Save your complaining for later!”
The princess asked in a trembling voice. The wizards burst into anger and then huffed, I shook my head as I watched them.
It was a brilliant kingdom in the past, but now it’s beyond recognition. There was no trace of the aspect of a suzerain country that was the progenitor of painting wizards and shared culture and power with other nations.
I watched the princess murmuring with a little disappointment. It was about 10 minutes later that Lacius dragged the disheveled wizard out as if exhausted.
* * *
After the series of disturbances, the room quieted down.
Angelica and Nas returned to their quarters, and despite the wizards leaving, they continued to loudly express their opinions. Princess-unnie likes talented people, so she will likely treat the painting wizards well when they arrive. And I promise them complete and total protection.
It would be their job to contact us first, of course. Alternatively, we could send an envoy to Edmund and bring them back with the fastest and most powerful plane we have. Either way, I had a story to tell princess-unnie. She would undoubtedly be delighted, so I was feeling quite good.
“I wonder if I can summon this as well?”
After a while, I pondered, looking again at the well-drawn canary. Princess Angelica’s personality is simple, so perhaps she was thinking, “A bird like the one used by Fata-Morgana ” as she drew it.
I don’t know anything about them, so even if I drew while thinking like that, it would be of no use. But Angelica, who saw their canary in person, is different.
The problem is that it’s a bit difficult to ask Angelica, who has a short lifespan, to call this out, so I have to do it. Would it be possible to summon a painting that someone else drew?
‘I want to experiment, but…’
First of all, I need to check how much lifespan I have left.
I glanced back at Lassius, who was leaning against the wall, silent and lost in thought.
“Lashin, I’m going to try entering the ‘Clock Room’.”
“You mean the room where you can know your lifespan that they were talking about earlier?”
“Yes, that.”
I said briskly and pulled out a new piece of parchment.
Then he, who had been leaning against the wall the whole time, came towards me. With his large shadow, Lacius stood behind me. Covering my hands with his, he leaned forward, and my head touched his chest. I looked up at him in that position, and Lacius looked down at me with a deep gaze.
“I am more nervous.”
“Are you afraid I might not have long to live?”
“Hmm.”
“Hey, don’t worry about something that’s not certain yet.”
Worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet is really pointless. After all, even after it happens, you still have to worry about it. You’re already immersed in hardship excluding the possibility that it might not happen. Broadly speaking, it was no different from self-pity.
I smiled as if to say not to worry and drew a large door on new parchment. It’s very big for my taste, and the doorknob is shaped like a black tiger. The wood was thick and heavy, and the color was bronze.
After waiting for the ink to dry, I spread it out and put it by my bedside.
“If I fall asleep, don’t wake me up. I’ll be fine.”
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