1384 times. Are you pretending to be drunk? Are you drunk?
The moment Elio saw Ariette Albano and her young man he thought it was a good thing she had come to replace Fabian.
‘Tsk!’
Fabian and Ariette Albano seem similar in this respect.
As Elio clicked his tongue in strange sadness the young man looked at him with crooked eyes and said
“Get out of the way.”
Elio looked the young man up and down as he spoke naturally informally.
Looking at the luxuriously textured fabric and the large jewel embedded in the long sword pummel (end of the handle) it looked like the child of a great nobleman.
‘If that’s the case he must have been drinking with Miss Ariette.’
People who disparaged Bardos called them ‘high-class hostesses.’
If you think about it it wasn’t wrong.
Bardos became the nobles’ conversation partners and received allowances in return.
The relationship between Miss Ariette and this young man was likely to be like that.
“Did you say that to me?”
Elio is strong against the strong and weak against the weak.
The young man’s overbearing tone was like a provocation to him.
When a man of similar age came out confidently young Haimer Kivtere frowned at him.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?”
Haimer Kivtere shook his head as his opponent repeated his words.
He seems to have met an asshole.
If Miss Ariette sobers up while dealing with a guy like this he will only lose himself.
He took out a silver coin from his arms and flicked it lightly towards the other person’s face.
It means eat this and leave.
Tuk. Clink.
The silver coin that hit Elio’s forehead fell to the floor.
“What are you doing? now? “Did you hit me?”
Elio glared at the young man with murderous eyes.
When things turned out differently than expected Haimer Kivtere hurriedly revealed himself.
“I am Haimer Kivtere Grand Duke of the Kivtere Counts. If you leave now I will treat you as if it never happened. “What can we do?”
“Does the imperial law say that anyone who is a prince of a count family can be attacked?”
“Don’t misunderstand that I gave you money to cover the cost of alcohol. But who are you to treat me so poorly?”
In fact he is said to be the grand duke of the count family but he is only a nobleman and has no title yet.
However people served as they pleased keeping title succession in mind.
As a result Haimer Kivtere’s mood was quite upset right now.
If it weren’t for Ariette Albano next to him he would have exploded a long time ago.
At that time Ariette Albano must have sobered up a little and spoke with wide-open eyes.
“uh? Count Lagoa? What are you doing here? “If you have anything to say to me…”
Hymer Kivtere gently removed his hand from Ariette and asked as if confirming.
“Did you say you were a count now?”
“Yes… This is Count Elio Lagoa the hero of the North and the great Grand Master. Right? “Count?”
Instead of answering Elio glared at Haimer Kivtere.
“Were you drugged by Ms. Ariette’s drink?”
Startled Haimer Kiv Tere violently waved his hand.
“Oh no. I do that because I drink a lot of wine. I have never even touched medicine. “I can swear to you.”
He who had been bossy just a moment ago had suddenly turned into a gentle sheep.
“There’s a war in the country and you’re drinking with Bardos by your side. If you do not enlist by tomorrow I will challenge the Count Kivtere to a duel for insulting me. “What are you going to do?”
“I will enlist.”
“I will check tomorrow. If you lied to avoid this situation… I will make you regret being born. “Go and see.”
“Yes yes….”
Haimer Kivtere’s shoulders slumped as he bowed and left.
Elio seated Ariette Albano in a nearby seat.
Ariette Albano repeatedly hit his face with the palm of his hand to wake him up.
Elio who had been staring at her silently opened his mouth.
“Are you pretending to be drunk? Are you drunk?”
At that moment Ariette Albano stopped moving.
Elio continued.
“I was going to change from count to archduke but I am sorry if I interrupted you. “Fabian is a similar guy so it’s not new to me.”
“ha! I know I’ll look weird. “I was really angry and drank a lot today.”
“You don’t have to make excuses to me. Let’s ask just one question. I understand that the Marquis Juliana Leola sponsored Miss Ariette. The wizards of the Magic Tower live with no ties to the outside world. The Marquis Leola did the same.”
“….”
“Most of Marquis Leola’s outside activities were related to Miss Arriet. “She goes to see a show or eats together or something like that.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. You do know that it was Marquis Leola who killed Baron Sofia right? I am now looking for the escaped Marquis Leola. Do you know of any place the Marquis might go?”
“I don’t know.”
Even if Ariette Albano knew she had no intention of saying anything.
The reason Marquis Leola did that was for his own happiness.
How could you betray such a marquis!
“Even if it’s the Marquis’ hometown or a place specifically mentioned….”
Ariette Albano slowly turned her head at Count Lagoa’s expectant gaze.
The Marquis of Leola treated her better than her own mother.
So she sometimes fantasizes about what she would do if she were her biological mother.
“The Marquis has never once talked about his hometown.”
But there is a place I want to go.
“Any places you mentioned in particular?”
“no.”
Elio who was staring at Ariette’s face spoke calmly.
“You know that I am a magic swordsman right?”
“Are you going to use mental magic on me?”
Then Elio shook her shoulders and giggled.
“Did I say something that funny?”
“Sometimes when I catch bad guys and ask them something they always have something to say to me. Do you know what that is?”
“….”
“People with something to hide always ask ‘Are you going to use mind magic?’ “Isn’t it fun?”
“I heard that mental magic should not be used because of the aftereffects.”
“that’s right. That’s why it’s only used against heinous criminals.”
“I am not a criminal.”
Ariette Albano protested looking completely sober.
Whether she was pretending to be drunk or not the situation she was in now was bound to make her come to her senses.
“Don’t worry. “Because my mental magic has no aftereffects.”
“You wouldn’t have said that if I hadn’t broken up with Baron Fabian right?”
It is a statement that makes the other person feel guilty.
But Elio didn’t even blink at her.
“If Fabian hides something from me he can use it on him too. “My mind magic is safe enough for that.”
At that moment Ariette Albano put on her straight face and spoke.
“No matter how much you count don’t make such promises. “Because you can’t be perfect unless you’re God.”
She erected her thorns like a hedgehog in her crisis.
Now she was more worried about her own sanity than her loyalty to the Marquis of Leola.
“If you’re that worried say it yourself. “What story do you want to hide?”
“….”
Ariette Albano’s eyes wavered.
She was upset with Elio who was short-tempered but she didn’t press him for an answer.
Because she knows that it is not an easy decision for her either.
After a while Ariette Albano opened her mouth.
“The Marquis wanted to own an ancient magic laboratory like Megistus.”
“Megistus?”
“He is the Arch Mage of the Tabula Magic Tower. He envied me because he discovered an ancient magic laboratory and used it as a laboratory. “That kind of thing is too much for an alchemist.”
“So he found an ancient magic laboratory?”
“It can’t be. Once you reach the point where you’re in the magic tower you can’t move around freely. But how can we find an ancient magic laboratory? “You just asked for something similar.”
“Something similar?”
“I heard it was an old castle that was owned by a wizard.”
“Where is it?”
“I just know it’s in the Appendel Mountains.”
“Apendel Sanyo?”
“The first mountain you see after leaving the northern part of the archipelago is Mount Appendel.”
Elio stared at Ariette Albano.
Her face was resigned but her eyes were unwavering unlike before.
“It must have been a difficult decision but I am grateful.”
“Well if you happen to meet Marquis Leola there… could you tell her that you found out with her mental magic?”
Elio didn’t answer but got up from her seat.
She asked me to lie to the Eonbeop (言法) practitioner?
She said ‘I thought she was similar to Fabian…but she was a plus.’
Elio said as she was about to turn around.
“Marquis Leola and I are not in a relationship to talk about such things.”
Of course if Marquis Leola asks ‘How did you know?’ I am willing to teach him.
Elio left Calliope without seeing her face.
Elio returned to Permosa Estella and she looked around the first floor.
It was dinner time so she wondered if Fabian had come down so she checked.
Sure enough?
Fabian was sitting by the window with a good view and eating dinner.
She walked towards Elio with long strides and plopped down across from him.
“Aren’t you getting a great place by staying in the cheapest room?”
“I pay as much as one silver a day so I have to earn it at least like this. “Did your job go well?”
“uh.”
Elio answered roughly and she called the clerk and ordered a meal.
“You had a close relationship with the Marquis. Did you teach him obediently?”
“When I told him I was using mental magic he explained it to me.”
“Hehe.”
Fabian who remembered that scene laughed cheerfully.
The term mind magic inspires fear in people.
If Ms. Ariette had been quick to notice her she would have voluntarily confessed it before she was harmed.
Elio didn’t bother to tell her what she saw in Calliope.
She doesn’t know about the relationship between Hymer and Miss Ariette and she wants to protect Fabian’s memories.
“Tomorrow let’s go find the Marquis together with me.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s Mount Appendel… It’s the first mountain you see after leaving the north.”
“You went into the mountain?”
“It looks like the old castle there was saved separately.”
Elio told her the story she had heard from Miss Ariette.
“The wizard’s shout… It’s mysterious.”
“He must have his own room in the magic tower but I don’t know what his greed is.”
“Who knows the black inside of a wizard?”
“Anyway is there anything about the general mobilization order?”
“They say there are more casualties on the southern front than expected so they say a general mobilization order will be issued soon.”
“If that happens won’t it really be chaos?”
“Don’t you think it will become more difficult to find the vanguard of the chaos?”
“Oh really! “I thought we were almost there…”
Elio grumbled.
Suddenly Thanatos came out and everything went awry.
“You said you met the magic engineer who created Thanatos a few days ago right?”
“I said no.”
“Then who is it? “If it’s not Artenium or Thanatos…”
“If I’m not an alchemist or a magic engineer should I investigate the great nobles of the empire or influential kings of the imperial family?”
“But you haven’t fully investigated the Magic Tower yet have you?”
“That’s not true.”
Meanwhile the clerk served the food.
Elio and Fabian quietly ate their meal for a while.
Fabian who was drinking tea as a habit after meals suddenly muttered.
“If you think about it isn’t it all because of Exitium that the world has changed so rapidly and the war has become bigger and bigger?”
“I guess so.”
“What happened to the magic engineers who created it?”
“It happened fifty years ago so aren’t we all old and dead now? “Archduke Kaiser Knauf who was called his predecessor also died of old age.”
Elio tilted her head as if she wasn’t sure what she was saying.