At first, Valerie’s condition, where only her arms became transparent, rapidly deteriorated. The transparency spread from her arms to her torso and legs, and eventually, her face started to turn transparent as well.
Seeing Valerie still capable of eating well and playing made it seem like her transparency wasn’t directly impacting her health, but the truth was that I couldn’t let my guard down.
I needed to understand why her body was suddenly becoming see-through, why it was worsening, and find a solution before I could relax.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke, Minister Rinke will be coming to the Grand Duke’s residence with his aides.”
As soon as I informed them of Valerie’s condition, Karl immediately replied that he would send doctors and key members of the Ministry of Magic.
“They can’t arrive any faster, can they? Even if they run as fast as they can, it will still take a few days.”
“They won’t be bringing a carriage, so they’ll arrive much faster than when we moved.”
“But there must be a way to get them here more quickly.”
I reached out to show Hannah Valerie’s foot. Seeing the small foot, partially transparent, darkened Hannah’s expression.
“I don’t think there’s a way…”
“I mean, using a magic stone or something like that.”
I recalled how Karl had used a magic stone to travel here days ago.
But I couldn’t bring myself to mention that Grand Duke Albrecht had secretly visited here alone early in the morning to meet me. Instead, I simply mumbled and observed Hannah’s reaction. Surely, she knew that a magic stone could allow for teleportation across space-time, right?
“Wait, are you talking about space travel spells, Your Highness?”
“If something like that exists, movement would be much faster and easier.”
“Oh my, to use that method…”
Hannah seemed lost in thought, murmuring quietly while calculating something with her fingers.
“Using magic stones would require an incredible amount. It’s impossible.”
“Really? Is it that intensive?”
“Even if one person travels, it would require enough magic stones to nearly fill this bedroom. Moreover, to use space travel magic, the amount of magic stones needed corresponds to the weight of the person and the distance being traveled…”
Unable to calculate the quantity with just ten fingers, Hannah shook her head.
“It’s impossible. Or it is possible, but it might drain the national treasury.”
“Is it that serious?”
“While it might be an exaggeration to say the treasury would run dry, it’s clear that the imperial finances would be strained.”
I was astonished by just how immense the magic stone requirements were. There was a reason why Karl had visited alone without Clovis, even if just briefly.
“Ah, and the amount of magic stones needed also depends on the duration of the stay. If we assume Her Highness the Grand Duchess uses space teleportation magic, the amount of magic stones required is calculated based on the weight of Her Highness, the distance she wishes to travel, and the duration of the stay—all of which factor in proportionally.”
“I didn’t realize so much would be consumed. I was just feeling anxious… Sigh.”
With that, a sigh escaped her lips repeatedly. Meanwhile, Valerie either knew or didn’t know the heavy hearts of adults. She was busily stuffing her mouth with apples, seemingly oblivious to the worries around her.
“By the way, I looked into the items you mentioned.”
As Hannah shook a bell towards the outside, knights promptly pushed a trolley filled with various items inside, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“All of this….”
“Fortunately, there was a large library within the Grand Duke’s residence. I searched for the books related to magic as you requested. There are more than I expected, but I instructed them to bring everything for now.”
Before leaving the capital, I thought I had read a fair amount of books during my classes on nobility and clergy at Count’s estate.
However, seeing the massive number of books now spilling into the bedroom, it was clear that my previous estimation was far from accurate.
“Are these all related to magic?”
“Yes. I had them bring any book that had even a trace of magical content. It’s quite… a lot, isn’t it, Your Highness?”
“It’s not just a little. It’s a lot… isn’t it, Hannah?”
“I can’t be certain where the information you seek is among this collection, Your Highness.”
Given Valerie’s body was becoming translucent, it seemed more likely that the cause was magical rather than physical. I felt compelled to investigate through these books.
So I had asked Hannah to search for any books related to magic in the Grand Duke’s library, but I never expected it would lead to such an overwhelming result.
Watching the knights stack the books in one corner of the bedroom, I felt a cold sweat trickle through my hair.
When would I even finish reading all of this? No matter how dull life here felt and how I had only time on my hands, I imagined I’d grow older by several years if I attempted to read them all.
***
Alfonso stepped outside, breathing in the clear air for the first time in ages. He looked up at the bright sky, but his eyes, unaccustomed to the sunlight, struggled to handle the brightness, forcing him to quickly lower his gaze.
“Walk faster,” came a rough command.
His hands were bound, the restraints tightening around his wrists. He tried to twist his wrists, but it was in vain. Frustrated, Alfonso let out a pained groan.
“When will I be released? How long will I be held like this?”
“Until all charges against you are cleared,” came the curt reply.
The implication was clear: he had no business asking. A frustrated sigh escaped Alfonso’s lips.
“So what exactly are my charges? It’s been quite a while since I was dragged here and imprisoned.”
“It’s a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor,” came the unyielding response.
In other words, he was told to be silent and comply. With a heavy heart, Alfonso took reluctant steps, knowing that he was half-dragged along by the knights holding his arms.
From Urentum to here, months had already passed in this confinement. Surely, they should at least inform him of the accusations against him?
When he had initially been brought to the capital and thrown into prison, he had believed he would be released quickly. The most severe accusation against him seemed to be the illegal possession of magical potions, which he knew were inherited family property long before any prohibitions were enacted. He thought that would clear him of any suspicion, yet the royal investigation team neither released him nor continued their inquiries. They had simply left him there, enduring an indefinite period of neglect.
Staring at the same prison walls day in and day out made it hard to gauge time; he lost track of how many days or months had passed, or if it had been over a year.
When the guards came to deliver his meals, he would occasionally ask a few questions, trying to piece together that several months had elapsed since his arrival from Urentum.
“Is merely possessing magical potions a grave crime that warrants months in prison? Certainly, the possession was unauthorized, but it wasn’t purchased illegally post-ban; it was an inherited family asset!”
“Do you think that’s why you’re locked up?” one of the guards said, bewildered as he walked ahead, ignoring Alfonso’s protest.
“Then do I have other charges?” Alfonso pressed.
“If there were no charges, would you still be here?”
“Wait, what crime do I even have…?”
His voice trembled with confusion. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint any other crime besides possessing unregistered magical potions, hardly something serious enough to justify months in prison.
“I can’t provide details since the investigation is ongoing…”.
“Excuse me?”
“The investigation into the murder allegations against Count Louisette is underway. Haven’t you heard?”
“Excuse me? What does that mean?”
I nearly collapsed under the weight of those words.
Though I found myself hanging helplessly in the grip of the rough knights, I quickly raised my gaze to the knight who had informed me of the ‘murder allegations against Count Louisette.’
“Murder? What do you mean by that…?”
If we’re talking about Count Louisette, then he is the one who commissioned me to find the parents of a purple-haired child in Urentum, specifically the purple-haired madam.
At first, I merely thought she was a shameless person trying to ditch her child after giving birth. However, it was only after being captured by the royal investigation knights from the capital that I realized she was the owner of the noble Louisette family.
I had no idea why such a significant person was hiding in the tiny town of Urentum and commissioning me, but it wasn’t my role as a detective to pry into personal matters. I had focused solely on the commission.
“I first met the Count when he came to me in Urentum, saying he wanted to hire me! But murder…?”
It felt absurd and maddening. It made sense why I hadn’t been released until now; I was being investigated for such an outrageous, grave offense. It was surreal and frustrating.
“We created a composite sketch based on a witness who saw someone leaving a child at the Count’s cabin.”
“And? What does that have to do with me?”
Seeing Alfonso, who was hanging limply on the knights’ arms, refusing to take a step, one knight let out a deep sigh. Then he pulled something from his pocket and unfolded it.
“This is the composite sketch. Does that answer your question?”
“T-this is a composite sketch…? That’s ridiculous.”
With messy brown hair, freckles adorning a mischievous-looking nose, and a tightly shut mouth, anyone could see that the drawing on the paper was undoubtedly Alfonso’s face.
