“Who is this person…”
Bianca pointed at Hills with a flustered expression. Arundel glanced at Hills once and spoke calmly.
“He’s a homeless person.”
“Arundel!!”
Hills yelled from the side.
Bianca tilted her head, not understanding the situation.
“Arundel…? Who is Arundel?”
“Oh, he’s a bit mentally unstable. So he might be confusing me with someone else.”
Arundel timidly revealed her revenge on the mark. Hills was chattering next to her, glaring at Arundel.
‘Hmm, this guy is really going to be upset.’
Arundel paused for a moment, then reintroduced Hills.
“It’s a joke, Bianca. He said he was going to the tower, so I thought we could go together.”
“A suspicious person…Is that okay?”
Bianca still seemed to be on guard.
“Yes, it should be okay…probably.”
“Hmm… If Irina says so, I understand.”
Bianca reluctantly nodded. For now, it seemed she trusted Arundel’s choice.
Arundel looked at her watch. Much more time had passed than expected.
“Shall we get going then?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Bianca and Hills answered in turn.
Before getting on the carriage, Hills approached the horse, saying he would take a moment to check the carriage.
Arundel and Bianca climbed onto the carriage first without waiting for Hills.
Once they were alone, Bianca whispered into Arundel’s ear as if she had been waiting.
“Did you really just meet him on the street?”
“Yes.”
At Bianca’s sudden question, Arundel felt a pang of conscience, but she answered naturally without showing it.
“It’s surprising that such a noble and handsome person was in this valley village…”
Bianca muttered with a serious expression, as if she was really curious.
‘Was that the surprising part…?’
Bianca…she pays a lot of attention to appearances.
In fact, although she didn’t want to admit it, Hills’ original appearance was outstanding.
Demons usually were good-looking in human form, and Hills was exceptional among them.
A perfect face with a playful expression. A large and slender body. Purple eyes and hair that are hard to see in ordinary humans.
Yes, I admit it in terms of appearance.
‘My taste is closer to Zion.’
‘Ah!! I thought about it again!!’
Arundel clutched her head by herself.
She had unwittingly thought of Zion. She had been trying hard not to think about it.
Bianca looked at Arundel like that with worry.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
“Ahaha…I’m just worried.”
“…Are you talking about the Emperor?”
Arundel didn’t answer, but Bianca, who took the silence as affirmation, made a gloomy expression.
“I didn’t say it on purpose, but I’ve been worried.”
Her worry was not fake, her red eyes darkened.
“If you knew that the Empress was gone, you wouldn’t stay still… I’m worried that you might be caught by him before you catch the old man…”
With Bianca’s words, the atmosphere in the carriage became heavy.
Fortunately, Hills entered the carriage at a good timing.
“What’s wrong! Why is the atmosphere so bad!”
“It’s nothing.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Hills was really quick to act like a human. The sight of him speaking politely was disgusting.
While looking at Hills with a bored eye, the carriage ‘clattered’ and moved.
‘…Huh.’
But there was something strange.
The carriage was too fast. It was incomparable to when they came.
Not only Arundel felt that way, but Bianca also couldn’t adapt to the fast speed and hurriedly grabbed the handle of the carriage.
“Why is the carriage… so fast?”
“Haha, I fed the horse a special meal.”
Hills winked at Arundel.
‘…This guy’s doing.’
Hills seemed to have done something. But this time, it was worth praising. They were in a hurry, and at this speed, they would arrive at the tower soon.
And as expected, not long after,
Screech-!
The sound of the carriage stopping was heard.
Arundel, who opened the door and stepped on the ground, looked around.
‘This is not the tower…?’
The expected tower was not visible, and only the majestic trees that densely filled the forest filled the view.
When Arundel looked at the coachman as if to argue, the coachman scratched his head and said.
“Well…you have to walk to the tower.”
“That’s different from what you said!”
“There are so many weirdos among the magicians, and there are many people who have been victimized by going there…”
The coachman added as if to explain.
“But don’t worry! The tower is right in front of you. If you walk in a little, it’s there.”
Arundel looked at the coachman with suspicious eyes, but the coachman, who showed no intention of compromise, was slowly moving away step by step.
“I’ll be nearby, so let me know when you’re done.”
The coachman disappeared without a trace, leaving only his words behind.
As she looked at the place where the coachman had disappeared in despair, Hills’ voice was heard.
“Don’t worry. The tower seems to be really right in front.”
Arundel looked at Hills with suspicious eyes.
“How do you know?”
“Because I can feel a strong magic power.”
Hills mumbled as he looked ahead, and he led the way through the forest.
And then,
‘Wow…’
In no time, an incredibly majestic tower appeared.
‘This is the Magic Tower.’
Arundel had prided herself on having traveled quite a bit in the human world, but this was her first time actually seeing a magician’s tower.
In fact, there weren’t many humans who could use magic, and many magicians tended to be hermits, so it was particularly so.
Still, in the empire, magicians were important and valuable personnel, so they built such a majestic tower and consistently managed it.
“But it’s quite quiet, isn’t it?”
Hills stood in front of the tower and looked around as if on guard. Bianca also seemed to think the same, scrutinizing the tower sharply.
“It’s definitely…a bit strange.”
“Do magicians usually keep quiet like this?”
“I’m not sure, this is my first visit to a magician’s tower. I think we should go in and see.”
At Arundel’s question, Bianca answered with a slightly tense expression.
Hills nodded and took the lead towards the tower. Then he stood in front of the tower’s door and knocked.
“There’s no one here!”
‘……’
But there was no response from inside. Hills knocked on the door again, but it was the same.
In this very strange situation, Arundel looked around.
‘In this huge tower, there’s not a single person…?’
No matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t see a single trace of a person. Arundel had a feeling of unease.
While turning her gaze sharply,
She noticed that pieces of the same kind of paper were scattered here and there to the point of feeling strange.
‘What’s that paper…?’
Arundel approached the place where the paper was scattered, looking around just in case.
And she picked up one piece.
“…!!”
Arundel’s body froze at the sight of the paper.
Like a frozen person, Arundel, who didn’t budge, seemed strange, and Hills and Bianca came up one after the other.
“Are you okay?”
“What’s the matter?”
But Arundel was silent, and naturally their gaze turned to the paper Arundel was holding.
“…I can’t believe it.”
Bianca covered her mouth in surprise. Similarly, Hills’ expression darkened.
“…It’s a wanted poster for the Empress.”
Arundel’s hand holding the paper began to tremble.
‘They’re looking for me…’
Seeing the wanted poster, Arundel’s heart became anxious. It felt like someone would come and take her away at any moment.
Her mind was far away.
In this chaotic situation, a strange voice was heard from afar.
“Hey, who’s there!”
At a good timing, an old man who looked quite old came out of the forest. Anyone could tell that he was a magician by his appearance.
Fortunately, it seemed that not all the magicians of the tower had disappeared.
At the sudden appearance of a person, Hills gently shook Arundel.
“…Arundel, Arundel!”
“Huh… huh?”
“Come behind me.”
Hills whispered softly to Arundel, who was dazed.
Only then did she realize that her face was plastered all over this wanted poster, and Arundel quickly hid behind Hills.
Fortunately, Hills was of a large build, so she could hide without any trouble if she just stayed still.
Instead of the speechless Arundel, Bianca stepped forward and explained the situation.
Bianca spoke, trying her best to steady her trembling voice.
“Hello. We came to find someone.”
At Bianca’s words, the old man shook his head.
“Unfortunately, the tower is completely empty now.”
“What happened?”
Bianca asked, trying her best to hide her anxious look.
“Well, you may not have seen it, but everyone is now desperately looking for the missing Empress.”
“…The Empress…?”
Arundel could predict Bianca’s reaction without looking. Surely her ruby-like red eyes would be shaking.
Of course, the same was true for herself, who was secretly listening from behind.
“That’s right. The Empress has disappeared and the empire is in chaos.”
“…I know.”
Bianca tried to steady her trembling voice.
“Especially, a bounty has been issued in the tower. They’re offering a huge reward to anyone who finds the Empress.”
“…I see.”
“So everyone went to find the Empress. If they find the Empress, they’ll all become rich. They can even leave this tiresome tower.”
Arundel swallowed.
She knew this would happen, but hearing it made her hands and feet tremble.
“So, who are you looking for?”
“A famous magician and an alchemist. His name is ‘Herald’.”
“Herald? Herald hasn’t been in the tower for quite some time.”
“Then where can we meet him?”
Bianca asked with an anxious face. But the old man looked at Bianca and Hills suspiciously.
“Hmm… why are you looking for him?”
“Well…”
Bianca hesitated to speak honestly. Then Hills stepped in.
“We want to buy a magic potion from him. There’s a potion we’re looking for, and he’s the only one who can make it.”
Hills was quite quick to respond in situations like this. He had a simple side, but he was familiar with human life and had good social skills.
Then, the old man let go of his suspicious gaze.
“That guy. He’s been messing around these days and doesn’t come out of his hut. I haven’t seen his face in quite a while.”
“Where is his hut?”
“If you go further into the western forest, there will be a two-story hut next to the lake. That’s his workshop.”
At Bianca’s question, the old man pointed westward and spoke.
Finally knowing the exact location of the old wizard, Bianca thanked him with a happy voice.
“Thank you!”
“If you’re thankful, tell me if you see the Empress. I’d like to sit on a money cushion this time.”
Arundel’s palm was soaked with sweat as her story continued to be mentioned.
She had to get out of here quickly.
Just as she was about to move,
“Oh my! There was another person.”
The old man was surprised to find Arundel hiding behind Hills.
Fortunately, she was wearing his robe with the hood down, so Arundel’s face was not exposed.
But the old man, who thought Arundel hiding was suspicious, scrutinized his face persistently.
“…You look familiar. Let me see your face.”
