[Side Story] Chasing a Butterfly (4)
Fortunately, the inspection ended without any problems.
I was worried that Princess Selaha, who harbored ill feelings toward me, might catch something of this or that, but surprisingly, she just confirmed all the reports without any complaints.
Princess Selaha looked surprisingly calm as she inspected the bachelor’s facilities, so much so that one wondered if she was not very interested in the bachelor’s situation.
Even so, it would have been impossible for someone with a sharp personality like Princess Selaha to do that.
So, the inspection was completed successfully, and it was time to go to Princess Selaha’s magnificent carriage as she had instructed in advance.
Zelan the cutter.
To meet that war hero.
“I want to go too.”
Now, if it doesn’t cling to me, I feel empty. Lucy Mayril had no choice but to say that she would accompany us.
I thought for a moment. This is because Princess Selaha told me to come alone.
“If I tell you that I know about Grandpa Glokt’s residence, Zelan will ask to meet me first.”
What Lucy said also made sense.
And… I don’t know how Princess Selaha will take it, but since she feels oddly uncomfortable with Lucy, I think we’ll just have to push it somehow.
As a result, he boarded Princess Selaha’s carriage accompanied by Lucy.
In fact, it can’t even be called a carriage, and it’s big enough to be the envy of a decent house. At least it’s definitely bigger than my first cabin.
There are 13 horses stuck together. It is so enormous that it seems more appropriate to call it a mobile fortress rather than a carriage.
It took a while just to climb the stairs. The soldier standing guard in front of the carriage entrance saluted politely, as if he had been notified in advance.
When I entered the carriage door with my head down, there were more people than expected waiting inside the carriage.
The first thing that catches your eye is Princess Selaha sitting at the head table. It is natural since he is the owner of this carriage.
“You’re here.”
And there was a middle-aged man quietly lowering his head in the seat below.
Sitting next to him is a wizard of slightly shorter stature. His appearance was obscured because he was wearing a robe. Based on his size, he seemed to be a young boy or girl.
“Sit over there. However… I would have definitely told you to come alone.”
“yes. But I feel like I need this guy.”
“…?”
I took Lucy by the arm and sat down with her, looking at the two people sitting opposite me.
Lucy looked around for a moment, then came up and sat on my lap, dragging her large collar.
Anyway, he is a guy who never pays attention to what people around him think.
“Lucy Mayril is currently the only person who knows Archmage Glokt’s former residence.”
The old man’s expression trembled at those words. The person wearing the robe also showed a strange reaction.
“If you are curious about information about Archmage Glokt, there is no one better suited than Lucy to answer that question.”
“…I guess you know something about Zelan’s purpose.”
“I heard this roughly from my old colleague, Professor Kaleide.”
“It looks like that little bastard is still using his mouth for nothing. “I feel relieved because nothing seems to have changed.”
It was a clearer voice than expected.
It’s a voice that seems playful, but also relaxed on the other hand.
And when the robe is put down, the appearance of a young girl appears, as expected. Her hair, neatly tied up on both sides, spreads down her shoulders like wings.
White hair with a hint of light purple. When I saw that he looked completely young, I narrowed my eyebrows for a moment.
Professor Kalide said she would have become an old woman by now.
But…
“Nice to meet you. My name is Zelan Allendark. He is probably better known as ‘Zelan the Cutter’ because he cut the northern Olpend Mountains in half. “Well…”
I couldn’t say that the girl who was introducing herself as Zelan in front of me looked old even with empty words.
The girl continues speaking in a relaxed voice while twisting the ends of her mysterious two-tone hair.
“…It’s not a nickname I particularly like.”
“…”
“You look a little surprised. “I guess you were embarrassed because it was different from what you imagined?”
The girl tidied up her robe hat, pushed it back, and spoke as if it was nothing.
“Anyway, I’m 140 years old this year. “Young friend.”
*“I am the one who challenges taboos.”
I mentioned this a while ago when I was defeating Glast.
There are three areas of magic that wizards in this world should never pursue.
The three major areas that twist the providence of the world and disrupt the order of the spiritual world.
Pursuing eternal life, resurrecting the lion, going back in time.
Among wizards, studying those three fields was considered a kind of taboo.
Of course, there were authors who walked the line between those boundaries and continued their research, but it was difficult to find people who openly broke the rules of wizards.
This is because most of them are punished at the level of the magic tower and even seal their magic power.
Sylvania Academy also had to set an example as an educational institution, so education on such taboo topics was clear.
However, Zelan the cutter is someone who directly challenges those three taboos.
“…Professor Kallade says you will become an old lady…”
“Ah. Well, that’s what I looked like when I was playing around on the battlefield with that guy.”
“…”
“Well, mimicry magic is not an easy magic, but… it was necessary.”
The girl talks while pulling the ends of her hair several times.
“I don’t age. “When I was 15, I broke the taboo and used magic to stop time in my body.”
“…is that possible?”
Even Aspect magic has its limits.
It is possible to completely stop the organism itself through time prison or time restraint, but it is possible to have a body of immortality by only stopping growth.
If such eternal life magic existed, there was no way powerful people around the world would leave it alone. Taboos tend to be broken easier than you think in the face of human desires.
“Why not? “I’m a genius.”
“….”
“…Okay, I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes. I exaggerated it a bit. Due to coincidence and my insight… somehow, I ended up living eternal life. I don’t really want to go into detail about the process. “I just want to say I was lucky.”
“The reason I lived in a mimicry while hiding my true appearance is…”
“That’s right… I’m a high traitor who will be executed immediately if I’m caught by the magic world. The name Zelan is just an alias.”
Zelan, a war hero from history, is actually a high traitor to the world who broke a long-standing taboo in the magic world.
After witnessing that shocking truth, I felt like I knew why Princess Selaha had told me to come alone.
This is not a truth worth sharing with anyone.
“Sometimes I lived pretending to be an old wizard, and other times I lived as a child of a noble family who knew nothing. Well… Even while wearing the name Zellan, he looks like this and that… It’s enough to confuse that old bastard.”
“…Is what you’re doing now the same thing you saw?”
“…well? “What do you think?”
Zelan smiled strangely. It was not easy to figure out the inner meaning.
I held Lucy’s head in thought for a moment.
Just by meeting a person named Zelan, the situation is somewhat resolved.
Taboo challenger.
Zelan the cutter.
“The reason I’m trying to find Glokt’s belongings is because I need a tool to challenge taboos. To satisfy your personal academic passion. “There is no other item more helpful in twisting the providence of the world than the relics of Glokt Elderbane, the master of aspect magic.”
“That’s only half the answer.”
“What about the other half?”
“It is true that I need the archmage’s traces in order to challenge the taboo, but it is not to satisfy my personal ‘zeal for learning.’”
“then?”
“….”
The girl lost in thought for a moment and then smiled and spoke.
“It’s just… there’s something I want to ‘observe’. “It’s not for academic reasons.”
After saying that, the girl closes her mouth again.
I took a sip of the black tea placed on the small tea table and looked at the situation again.
I looked at her quietly and then turned my head towards Princess Selaha.
“Did the imperial family know the whole truth about Zelan?”
“okay. “Not only me, but Abama, Fenia Persica, and even Brother Lindon knew.”
“…It sounds like the imperial family was hiding a high treason criminal who was breaking a taboo.”
“How much do you think the taboo among wizards will affect our Chloel Imperial Family?”
Princess Selaha speaks while crossing her legs, resting her chin on her chin, and tapping her lips with a fan.
“We are the royal family. “It would be too presumptuous of you to think that the taboo rules of spellcasters could shake the authority of our royal family.”
“…But you didn’t want to make it public and cause a dispute with the Magic Tower.”
“It’s just a scrape. Scholars are always making a lot of noise. why. Are you trying to threaten to reveal the truth about Zelan? “I’m sorry, but if you act like that, not only me but Fenia will be in trouble.”
You may say that, but if you really didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t have called me here. There is no way someone with a thorough personality like Selaha would not think about that.
Selaha was planning to share the secret about Zelan with me.
Then why? The question follows.
“Why are you telling me such a big secret?”
“Well, it’s a secret of no importance. However, it is also true that Zelan’s existence is quite troublesome from my perspective. “She causes all kinds of trouble in the lawless region of Kohelton, which I manage.”
“Haha. This is a side incident that occurs during academic research…”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
Selaha got irritated and made Zelan close his mouth.
Zelan smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and sipped his tea again.
“I made a little promise with Zelan. “If you introduce me to someone who can solve your problem, I will tell you to move the lab to another area.”
“Is that me?”
“Isn’t he the right person? You, too, would have needed Zelan’s help. “It’s okay to help each other, so you’re in a position to be grateful to me.”
After hearing that, I rested my chin and thought for a moment.
“Yes… I think that’s definitely true.”
“…”
“Thank you sincerely, Princess Selaha. Thanks to that blessing, I was able to save a lot of time and trouble.”
So I expressed my gratitude with an honest heart.
I thought he would smile arrogantly, but surprisingly, Selaha’s reaction was gentle.
“…I didn’t think I would be so honest in my gratitude…”
“…Yes?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m a little embarrassed too. I can’t believe you know how to speak so honestly. Don’t you always keep your true feelings hidden and say strange things here and there?”
“That’s…”
I tried to say what I wanted to say, but I swallowed my words because I didn’t think it was a provocative remark against the royal family.
However, Princess Selaha looked angry for no reason, as if she had guessed what I had swallowed just by reading my expression when the thief told me to please.
“You always have a knack for making people angry even when you are trying to be affectionate with them.”
“…I am sorry.”
“It’s even more heartbreaking to talk about it with an expression that doesn’t make you feel sorry at all.”
After saying that, Selaha sighed and continued again.
“I will give you special permission to pass through the Kohelton Lawless Zone.”
I’m very busy because it’s the middle of the semester.
However, if I am given the justification of ‘hwangmyeong’… I will not be able to stay still.
“After you both exchange what you need and find everything you want, please leave my territory. I don’t want to suffer anymore because of Zelan’s strange research. “Please finish the work as soon as possible.”
That was the imperial command given by Princess Selaha herself.
*“Let me introduce you, this is my assistant Wilhelm. “He’s a pretty reliable friend, so we’ll communicate well.”
After getting down from Princess Selaha’s carriage, Zelan introduced the assistant he was accompanying.
The unidentified rugged man bowed his head and greeted me with a gentle expression.
I nodded and remembered the man’s name.
“Being among young people makes me feel like I’m back in time.”
It’s not persuasive to talk like that in such a young way.
“Hwang Myeong has also failed. Wouldn’t it be better to handle the matter as quickly as possible? “Once I find Glokt’s belongings, Ed… I’ll do whatever the young man asks.”
“First, we need to prepare to leave for the Rameln Mountains.”
“Well, soon. “Time flies.”
As he said that, he smiled cheerfully, probably out of courtesy since he was in front of the royal family inside the carriage.
“okay. Did you say Lucy Mayril? I’ve heard the name. “The name of a rare genius wizard.”
Zelan’s eyes move to Lucy, who is hugging my waist.
“…It’s hanging like some kind of ornament.”
“I like this posture.”
“Well… respect. Anyway, let me get some guidance from you. “The location of the residence where Archmage Glokt Elderbane stayed until the end.”
“…no.”
An unexpected answer emerged.
Zelan nodded at Lucy’s brief refusal. It seems to be her way of expressing her embarrassment.
“Hoo?”
“You have so much to hide.”
Glokt Elderbane is like a father to Lucy Mayril.
I can’t just nod my head when I say I’m going to search the last place of such a person.
Even though I said I would cooperate no matter how much I tried, I at least have something to say.
“You didn’t reveal anything about how you came to have an eternal body, why you’re breaking the taboo, and what you want to ‘observe’ through your grandfather’s relics.”
Zelan is definitely a wizard full of suspicious aspects.
There was no way that Lucy would easily open her mind and reveal the information she knew to Zelan.
“If you don’t tell me everything, I won’t say a word.”
“…Even if this blonde young man you love so much asks for it?”
At those words, Lucy trembled and looked at me.
He is asking me with his eyes. As Zelan said, am I also asking Lucy to give me information? That fact is curious.
If I really ask with sincerity, I might be able to give you information about Glokt, regardless of Zelan’s attitude.
Lucy’s anxious eyes implied that.
It’s natural, but that doesn’t happen.
“Unfortunately, I also agree with Lucy’s opinion.”
Lucy hugged my waist tightly and buried her head. He seemed happy that he had agreed to it.
“If you want to get help from each other, you have to show everything you have. “Isn’t that right?”
“…”
The person whose expression darkened at those words was Zelan’s assistant, Wilhelm.
However, Zelan smiled willingly, as if wondering what Wilhelm’s expression was like.
“Young man is right.”
He stretched out his tiny body, flipped his robe hat on again, and spoke.
“As I said, my interest in Glokt’s relics is not for academic reasons.”
Could it be that the reason why my voice became vaguely faint was because I was recalling an unwanted memory again?
“I am. “You’re a failure.”
The girl continues.
“Everything I have tried to achieve in my life so far has failed. Among them, I had the biggest wish and long-held wish… but that also failed.”
Zelan looks at Lucy, who is hugging my waist tightly, with eyes filled with melancholy.
“You care so much about this blonde young man. Lucy Mayril. “Maybe this man is the reason for your life.”
Although it was an embarrassing thing to say, Lucy nodded without any hesitation.
“I decided to live for him. To put it bluntly, I was sold a reason for living.”
“Lucy, that’s a bit of an expression…”
“It’s okay. Because I didn’t hate it.”
Lucy talks casually. I just calmly say that I am.
“okay. But I’m not like you, Lucy Mayril. I have no reason to live anymore. “Because I lost everything and failed everything.”
At those words, Lucy’s expression crumpled for a moment.
Lucy knows the pain of loss better than anyone else. What does Zelan look like in Lucy’s eyes?
There are many people who have lost a lot of things.
However, Zelan says that he was unable to protect anything properly.
“I wanted to make the demihumans accepted as members of this empire. But in the end, I was in a position where I had to kill all of those demi-humans with my own hands. “As a wizard of the Empire, pushed by the waves of war, I had to stand in front of the demi-humans who were committing massacres.”
Zelan lowers his head and speaks in a low voice.
“When I came to my senses, I was covered in the blood of the demi-humans, and the empire called me a war hero who massacred the demi-humans.”
Suddenly, I thought of the demi-human nuns at Clederic Monastery.
Perhaps the young survivors of the demihumans that Zelan had entrusted to her were her last remaining feelings of guilt.
“It is said that when Glokt’s aspect magic reaches its peak, it will be possible to observe both the future and the past flowing as they diverge.”
That’s where the word ‘observation’ finally came out.
The person who has reached that level is at most the great sage Sylvania. She is the only person who has observed all of the tens of thousands of past and future flows that diverge again and again.
It is probably impossible to reach that level.
However, even if it is at a much lesser level than that… if we can observe the flow of other futures and pasts…
“It might be a bit difficult to understand. Still, I am. “Among the tens of thousands of different streams, there might have been at least one future where I achieved what I wanted… I just wanted to find out.”
A world where Zelan did not massacre the demi-humans.
Could such a possibility even exist?
Zelan wanted to check the possibility of that ‘what if’.
The question of what on earth does that mean rose up and down my chin.
However, Zelan smiled softly and spoke as if he knew what he wanted to say.
“Yeah, you might think it’s meaningless.”
The girl reaches out her hand to the sun floating in the sky.
“It’s like a butterfly that seems impossible to catch. “Even though I know it’s nonsense, I end up pursuing it.”
“…”
“So I just want to see if such a future could exist. “That is the last secret wish I have left in my life.”
“…You’re talking as if you’re about to die.”
“Well, how about it?”
Zelan lowers his arms and turns his gaze to Lucy.
“Did you get the answer? “Strict cat lady.”
It didn’t answer all the questions… but I wonder if it gave at least an answer…
Lucy, who was quietly looking into Zelan’s eyes, slowly nodded.
In Lucy’s eyes, Zelan’s seemingly relaxed appearance seemed empty for some reason.
*”Hey.”
After getting ready to leave, we promised to meet again.
So Lucy and I parted ways with Zelan and walked down Bachelor’s Street as the sun was setting.
Lucy, who was walking along holding my sleeve, suddenly called me out.
“…why?”
“hug me.”
At those words, I checked Lucy’s condition.
“Is it difficult to walk? I definitely walked a lot today. “If your legs hurt, it would be better to carry you on my back…”
“That’s not true, I just want to be held.”
I think she seemed a little shy in the past, but after spending a few months together, I feel like Lucy’s demands have become a bit bolder.
Was there some kind of change of heart? After taking a look at Lucy’s expression, she shook her head and changed her mind.
Because he understood Lucy’s feelings.
Noh Eul-jin’s Bachelor’s degree.
A sparsely populated street.
I quietly bent down and hugged Lucy tightly.
Lucy hugged my back and spoke in a whisper.
“thank you.”
“Okay, it brought back a bad memory.”
I also agree with Lucy’s thoughts.
I wonder if he was a fellow war hero…
Zelan’s lively yet empty eyes…
looked too much like Professor Glast, who is no longer in the world.
It’s not a good memory for Lucy Mayril. Rather, it is a memory with a bitter aftertaste.
The memory of Professor Glast falling asleep under a zelkova tree and dying coldly.
A foolish scholar who, unable to overcome the pain of loss, bound himself with the chains of death.
For Lucy, it is a scene that makes her reminisce about the times when she struggled with the crushing loneliness.
Solitude has been overcome.
Next to me is me, Ed Rothtaylor.
Lucy just quietly hugged me, as if she wanted confirmation of that fact.
The sunset was slowly setting.
In the tilting shadow, I hugged Lucy for a long time.
