Episode 75
EPISODE
.
With the sound of boots heeling, a woman with long purple hair moved into the waiting room.
A dignified appearance without even a single bend in his proud yet wild eyes.
Princess Hecate Latmos.
Stepping into the waiting room, she looked around the hall and said.
“Has everyone gathered in one place?”
It was a voice with unknown power that drew people’s attention.
The attitude of talking as if you came to visit someone.
But Russell couldn’t hear it.
No, even though I heard the story correctly, I couldn’t concentrate.
That would be the case, because Russell’s nerves were all focused on a certain flow of mana.
It was the flow of magic power flowing from the body of the princess Hecate.
‘Did you learn magic?’
I looked at it with that thought in mind, but I couldn’t feel any trace of the circle.
Instead, what I could feel was the sign of an aura that was a little different from the circle.
Even the lightly moving fingertips could feel the theft.
It’s not like he learned Aurors and swordsmanship simply for the sake of culture.
It didn’t cross the wall, but it’s a very high level for a royal family.
However, it was not the aura that really bothered me, but the presence of magical power.
‘bracelet?’
For a brief moment, Russell’s eyes, which had been examining Hecate’s whole body unobtrusively, shone.
A bracelet that looks ordinary at first glance, but feels sharp like a sword.
It was highly likely that it was an artifact of a fairly high level, seeing as it was not accurately identified even though it had overcome the mage’s wall.
‘Maybe it’s a relic from the Age of Gods.’
Thinking so, Russell shook his head inwardly.
It seemed like a great thing, but it wasn’t the bracelet that got on her nerves.
‘then-.’
after a brief period of time.
Russell was able to figure out what was getting on his nerves.
‘necklace.’
It was a necklace.
A necklace with a jewel believed to be beryl in the middle.
Compared to the bracelet, I didn’t feel anything special.
Nevertheless, Russell could not take his eyes off the necklace.
A fate-like attraction.
I can feel my heart beating fast and the mana in the circle reacting violently.
It was the same feeling as when I faced the dragon’s heart at the museum the day before.
‘no way-!?’
just as expected.
A translucent green window came to mind.
[Mission]
The princess’s treasure.
The green necklace is a treasure the princess cherishes. Secure the ‘Princess’ Treasure Necklace’.
Whether secured (n)
[Reward]
Intermediate Magic Stone (Edible) x2
???
As he checked the contents of the mission, Russell’s shoulders trembled.
‘Even if it’s just the princess’s stuff, it won’t be easy, so should I secure something that I regard as a treasure?’
Should I consider it fortunate that it is not the treasure of the royal family?
He let out a sigh, but did not express it.
I quickly made up my mind.
‘for now-.’
It wasn’t that long, but it wasn’t polite to stare at the necklace forever.
“Meet Her Highness.”
“Meet Her Highness.”
Half a beat faster than that, Alan and Spiegelman bowed their heads.
“…Meet Her Highness.”
Subsequently, Russell also greeted Hecate politely.
It was while thinking of the etiquette I had learned from my father when I was a child.
Fortunately, Hecate nodded softly, as if the etiquette in the old memory was not wrong.
“There is no need for such an excessive greeting in a non-official setting. I will raise my head.”
After sweeping Spiegelman and Alan once, he said.
“It’s been a while, sir.”
Apparently, he was acquainted with the other two.
“yes. It’s been a while… By the way, why did you come to Her Highness’s waiting room?”
Hecate smiled meaningfully at Spiegelman’s question.
It was a firm yet beautiful smile, reminiscent of a rose made of steel.
“For some reason…”
He lowered his tail and moved his gaze. I wondered what this was going on and said while staring at Russell, who was still standing still.
“It’s not such a big deal. There are people I simply want to keep an eye on.”
“What about the person you want to see up close?”
Before he could even finish his words, he sighed.
After taking a few steps closer, Hecate stared into Russell’s eyes for a moment.
“Hmm.”
She sighed once and shook her head.
He then whispered in Russell’s ear in a small voice.
“I’m going to keep an eye on the sutra for a while, so remember that.”
“What are you saying-?!”
The moment the embarrassed Russell tried to ask back,
“What should I do for today?”
Hecate stepped back.
“Then see you next time.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around and sighed.
I went back the way I came with a meaningless smile.
“Then see you again.”
.
.
“Let’s go back.”
After exiting the waiting room, Hecate gave an order to the waiting ladies-in-waiting as if nothing had happened.
thud thud-.
Starting with her steps, several ladies-in-waiting started following her, and after a while.
When the waiting room was far enough away, one of the maids opened her mouth.
“Did you finish what you wanted to do?”
Unlike maids who entered the palace as commoners and did chores, maids-in-waiting were the offspring of aristocratic families.
Most of the work I did was to accompany the royal family, not chores.
but even so.
The remark from a moment ago was quite off-topic even for a lady-in-waiting.
But Hecate didn’t catch that part.
Instead of pinching and scolding, he responded to her question.
“I wonder if there’s anything to finish, I haven’t even started yet.”
The three maids who were following her now were like sisters who had grown up together since childhood.
“Ciel.”
The lady-in-waiting called Ciel, who spoke to me first, responded politely.
“yes. Her Highness the Princess.”
“I am quite aware of my position. I am doing as much as I can if I am aware of the position I was born in so that I can enjoy what others cannot enjoy.”
On the contrary, what you have to do to enjoy them too.
“Dating or falling in love with the man I wanted is definitely a luxury for me.”
To do things that are natural for others, you have to think about weighing the scales several times.
The royal family was such a being.
“But on the other hand, as long as you use my position well, it’s not that bad.”
As long as the balance is right, you will be able to make the person you want your spouse.
“In that respect, Sir Russell Raymond is a man with a lot of fairly reasonable weights.”
First of all, the skills were not unusual.
According to the report from the Tower of Flames a few days ago, he was already a 5th Circle mage.
Even if you calculate throughout the history of the continent, there will be no one who has reached the 5th circle at that age.
‘Unless it’s a being from the Age of Mythology.’
Besides, other backgrounds weren’t bad either.
“The youngest apprentice of Lord Daria Snowwhite, Lord of Flames. The descendant of the now-decayed Raymond family.”
The Raymond family was a founding contributor and at the same time a reliable ally of the royal family.
If you haven’t changed your mind, there’s no need to doubt your integrity, and there’s no reason to worry about your maternal relatives.
“Even the eyes are different. It’s much better than the idiots from aristocratic families that I’ve seen so far.
Above all, even the face is his own preference. The moment an arc is drawn along the corner of his mouth.
“!”
The towering Hecate stopped walking.
An unexpected problem caught her ankle.
“majesty?”
Seeing her like that, Ciel, the attendant who had followed her, tilted her head.
“Considering my position like this, you didn’t show any consideration for Sir Russell’s feelings.”
– Hecate murmured as if he was puzzled.
“Ciel. There is one thing I want to ask you.”
“yes. majesty. Please tell me.”
“Two years younger than me…”
He hesitated and hung his tail for a moment as if he was resting.
“-So what kind of women are younger men attracted to?”
Hecate Latmos.
She was two years older than Russell.
“….”
* * *
After Hecate returned.
The three remaining men in the waiting room kept their mouths shut as if they had applied glue.
It seemed as if a storm had passed.
It was Alan who broke the silence first.
“It seems that Her Highness, the princess, became interested after hearing rumors about Lord Russell.”
“Oh, don’t even do that. 5 circles at the age of less than 20, plus he has already made several achievements…. Isn’t it a move that only appears in heroic novels? It’s even more surprising that it’s not fiction, but reality.”
“Is that so?”
Spiegelman answered as if he had waited, but no further conversation continued.
It was because the aftermath caused by the presence of the princess was stronger than expected.
“…”
In that strange silence, Russell recalled the rumors about Hecate he had heard before returning.
The story of the royal family and nobles was a gossip that did not easily cool down in the world.
Among them, Hecate was a princess who drove quite a lot of rumors.
on the good side too.
‘It wasn’t just because he was the first heir to the throne.’
A woman with literal Noblesse Oblige.
Perhaps- a successor who might have more qualities than his father, Alfonso Ratmos, who was regarded as a great monarch.
It is said that he has a bit of a reckless side, but the aspect of pushing forward with work based on strong action is really the appearance of a king.
I don’t know anything else, but I thought I knew at least one thing.
‘Excellent acting ability…’
What I’m curious about is why did he show off his acting ability and come to this place?
‘Although it seemed like he wanted something from me.’
Because I couldn’t figure out what it was.
‘hmm.’
I thought about Hecate for a while, and for a while, the voice she left behind came into my mind.
“Don’t forget. I’m going to have you watch the Lord for the time being.”
Are you watching? for what reason?
Depending on the interpretation, it was a word that could lead to misunderstanding.
Russell moved his hand, feeling his cheeks getting hot for no reason.
He sighed, covering his face with the palm of his hand.
‘Let’s not think about anything.’
It was also important what the princess Hecate was thinking when she came to visit him, but now was the time to care more about other things.
‘Necklace…’
much less a mere ornament or national treasure, it is the treasure of the princess.
Depending on what you think, it might be more difficult to obtain than the heart of a dragon kept in a museum.
‘Still, is there anything special?’
I just have to figure out a way.
As before, the matter was ambiguous to ask for help from Master Daria.
Even so-.
‘If the princess said that she wanted a necklace that she considers a treasure
…
The corners of Russell’s mouth trembled as he recalled what was to happen afterwards.
smart-.
At that moment, a light knock sounded from outside the waiting room.
“His Majesty the King is stopping by the conference hall.”
King’s call.
It was the voice of the chamberlain.
dragon-swallowed wizard
