Sage’s Battle for Seal (5)
[He looks like he’s having a hard time. ]
The Wind Blows. The natural wind that seeps through the forest always feels good, but this wind that tickles Jenica’s cheek is not a natural wind.
High-ranking wind spirit Merilda.
The gray-brown fur fluttering happily makes it look very light, but its body is by no means light.
Merilda spoke quietly to Jenica, who was sitting leaning against a guardian tree.
[Yenika knows well that the bachelor’s curriculum is not that easy, right? Yenika, the top student in her grade, was also incredibly busy, and since she also had to live at camp, she must have been pushed to her limits. ]
“Meryldadu thinks so.”
It was definitely a different attitude than when dealing with Takan.
Jenica, who was listening to Merilda while holding her knees, swallowed dry saliva and listened to her best friend.
[ Still, this is an opportunity, Yenika. Coincidentally, that fire fox is also ridiculously busy with negotiations, so he doesn’t come to the camp often. We should take advantage of this time. ]
“Yep.”
[When people are pushed to their limits, they overcome them more easily. Don’t feel guilty and take advantage of this crisis as much as possible. Since you have to make them fall for it right away, you can act a little sly and snobbish. I also need to do some directing. ]
“Can’t you be specific?”
[Umm…]
Despite her appearance, Merilda is quite delicate and discreet in her speech and behavior. However, there was no way that the way of thinking would be like that.
[Whether you like it or not, you have to be a fox to some extent to steal a man, Yenika. In that respect, that fox-like girl is quite intelligent. I need to learn what I need to learn. ]
Merilda sat with her feet crossed, raised her head, huffed and cleared her throat.
[For example, clothing. ]
Merilda’s love advice is like gold. I was very surprised because Yenika thought that way.
I was thinking of trying various dishes near the campfire, so I picked up a bunch of expired food ingredients from the college cafeteria. Although this was not possible in the first place, it was thanks to Bell who understood the situation and turned a blind eye.
Since I plan to cook, my attire is very simple. She is wearing a shawl with the sleeves of her blouse, which she has washed several times, rolled up, and the navy blue skirt she wore at the ranch in her hometown tied tightly around her waist.
It reminded me of Lortel’s dazzling and beautiful frilly dress that I had seen once. Her reddish-brown hair, which was usually tied down on one side, was loose, and she was wearing a headband with a large blue rose decoration and amber jewelry… She was so beautiful that even a woman herself would have to open her mouth to see it.
And when I look at myself now… Yenika’s appearance was not that of an attractive woman, but that of a village woman full of vitality. There is a big difference from the neat and cute design school uniforms that we usually wear.
[ 100 points, Yenika. Yenika is also a fox. ]
“huh?”
However, Merilda, a self-proclaimed love advice genius (with no actual dating experience), gave the review a favorable review.
“Aren’t I really unattractive right now?”
[Yenika is also very sly. Yenica has its own charm. Unlike his usual lively and lively appearance, such a gap full of vitality… Men fall in love with that kind of thing. I really like the attempt to appeal to someone like that by pretending to be different. ]
“Is that so…?”
[If possible, roll up your sleeves more and tie your hair up. I like the feeling of a supportive partner helping us get through really difficult times together. ]
“Uh, yes! That’s right! I guess I’ll have to do this slyly!”
Merilda sighed deeply as she saw Jenica rolling up her sleeves as if she had been aiming for it from the beginning. Yenica seems to think that she has played the role of being completely sly.
It would have been nice if Lortel had inspired her to show a more snobbish side, but as if it were different, the girl finally changed her expression and smiled. He is a human being who is no different from pure white drawing paper.
How can I date like this?
If things continue like this, will she end up as a broken-hearted woman who is used and discarded in third-rate romance novels?
Merilda is interested in various cultural artifacts built by humans.
Most humans have the insight to judge the value of works of art that make them tilt their heads, and once in a while, they borrow books from the library by imitating a human form using inexperienced transformation magic.
Merilda remembered the third-rate romance novels she used to read every now and then. Yenika seems to embody the characteristics of the broken-hearted woman seen there.
The classic scene of biting a handkerchief while crying out the name of a past relationship keeps coming to mind, and I end up feeling like I’m throwing a child into the water.
I don’t even want to go as old-fashioned and elegant as the merchant does.
Still, if you want to charm a man, you have to at least know how to make him crave you.
[Anyway, are you going to see her today? Even if heaven forgives you, I will never forgive you if you waste this golden opportunity. So, go today and get your shit together. okay? ]
“Speaking of earthquake intensity…”
[No. tell me now Yenica. What were you going to do today while you were at camp and helping that kid? How did you try to close the distance between yourself and her? ]
“Uh… well…”
Yenica spoke as if she was embarrassed, without tilting her head and making eye contact.
“Oh nothing. I wasn’t going to do anything.”
[ Ugh! ]
Merilda held back the heat that was about to explode inside her and interrogated Yenica.
[ That makes sense! At a time like this and an opportunity like this! Do you think there will ever come a time when a person like that is having a hard time like that? Look at how he’s growing! That’s ridiculous speed! I wonder if a time like this will come easily! There is no formula for victory as shameful as the position of someone who went through a time of crisis together! You should take advantage of your position as the person who supported you during difficult times! Even if it seems a bit snobbish! Even if it looks a bit clever! ]
“Well, that’s the case. So… I’m not going to do anything.”
[What nonsense is that! ]
“No, I mean… it’s just… this is… my idea…”
After listening to Yenica’s explanation that followed, Merilda was so stunned that she was unable to continue speaking.
However, after taking some time to think about it… I ended up thinking that this is truly Yenika-like.
Rather, I thought that this part might be a point of attack, so Merilda nodded.
[ okay. It’s so Yenika-like. ]
At those words, Yenika buried her head as if she was embarrassed.
*
“The nickname ‘Golden Daughter’ will soon become the preserve of the older generation. Once Elte’s fall becomes official.”
I had no idea that Crepin Rosstaylor would come to the reception room of the Elte Chamber of Commerce.
His actions were unexpected even for Lortel, so he had no choice but to finish preparing for the reception as quickly as possible and sit down.
“It fills me with both honor and worry to see you personally come to the residence of a lowly merchant who is intoxicated with greed and only knows how to count gold coins. I wonder if there was anything disrespectful about the attitude of the clerks.”
“It’s no different.”
Crepin sat down across from the reception desk and brought tea to his lips.
We may have prepared the best products handled by the merchants, but for crepins, they are probably as common as plain water.
Lortel sat across from Crepin and lowered his gaze.
Even one breath is calculated. I was holding my breath and resting for fear of swallowing dry saliva.
Crepin Ross-Taylor is an opponent that cannot be taken lightly.
However, there is no need to be more nervous than necessary when his intentions are somewhat predictable.
“I will buy back the wise man’s seal that I purchased from the Elte Company.”
The tone of voice is as if he is assuming that Elte Company will sell the seal of course.
“If you tell me the profit you were thinking of, I’ll give you an additional amount. Wasn’t that your intention from the beginning?”
The reason Elte Company raised the price when purchasing the wise man’s seal was because they were confident that Crepin Rosstaylor would buy it back anyway.
I feel like even Crepin knew that fact.
“But… it’s strange.”
Crepin lowered his head and continued speaking in a low tone.
“Did you know in advance that I would go to such lengths to obtain the Sage’s Seal? I know that the Elte Company does not make such risky investments.”
“well.”
“It’s as if my intentions and intentions were communicated to someone else.”
Lortel doesn’t make the foolish mistake of swallowing or stuttering.
However, Crepin’s words themselves cut to the core.
“Is there an informant who is familiar with the internal circumstances of our family?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
A subtle lie can cause new suspicions to arise in the other person.
If you act complacently here, there will be great harm to Ed Rosstaylor.
It is not strange for a businessman to use information sources to make profits. Due to Crepin’s inclination, he will not fall for this act itself and become hostile towards Elte Company, but he will never let go quietly when it comes to internal traitors.
Even though Crepin is famous for being a benevolent Duke, there is no way he wouldn’t do any harm to Ed, who has been selling the inside details of his family even after being excommunicated.
“However, communication is difficult because the location is far away, and since the person has a high level of delay, the amount requested is also large. So, I want to get back the investment amount… That is the intention of the business.”
A lie deceives the other person more effectively when a little bit of truth is mixed into it.
Rather than blindly repeating no, I don’t know, it is more effective to cleverly lead the other person in a direction different from the truth.
It is easy to judge whether the other person’s statement is true or false. However, the task of clearly determining how much is true and how much is false is not easy, even for humans born with intuition.
Lortel is a negotiator who knows how to use that effectively.
“How much are you going to charge?”
“12,000 coins.”
“Good. Once I receive the seal from the bachelor, I will purchase it right away.”
There will be no further negotiations in a tedious manner. On the surface, it was a very simple transaction.
In any case, since it is the Elte Chamber of Commerce that officially received the bid for the seal from the bachelor, the handover must be carried out first in order for the Elte Chamber of Commerce to have the authority to sell it. Until then I had to wait.
“Oh, and I have something to add. If the situation gets more complicated, my head will hurt, so I’ll tell you in advance.”
“Oh my, what is it?”
“This is a story about your adoptive father, Elte Keheln. He is said to have been dethroned, so it is no longer my concern, but if it gets in the way of work for no reason, I will only lose out, so I will tell you in advance.”
Crepin put down his teacup and continued speaking quietly.
“They said that after it became clear that the head office would be overthrown, they gathered their few personal assets and hired a mercenary group. I received a document the day before yesterday reporting that they were passing through my territory and heading to Sylvania.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Lortel was also aware that Elte’s movements were suspicious, but he did not expect that he had already taken action.
“Well, I wouldn’t do something crazy like cause trouble at Sylvania Academy, which is under the protection of the Empire, but… it looks like they at least have something in mind. I hope you don’t get caught up in such external circumstances and delay the work. That would be nice.”
With those words, Crepin gathered his attendants and left the reception room of the Elte Company.
Lortel met Crepin and sat alone in the living room, sipping the remaining tea to his lips. I needed to organize my thoughts.
In any case, it appears that the schedule for the resale of the Wise Man’s Book has been clearly set.
In the first place, the only request I received from Ed was to purchase a physical copy of the ‘Sage’s Seal’… so I did not disobey his request.
Ed also knew from the beginning that he was planning to resell the Sage’s Seal. Therefore, Ed’s request has been granted as requested. Therefore, as long as the purchase of the seal is completed, you can ask Ed for ‘anything’.
What a sweet sound this is. It wasn’t long before.
Lortel’s girlish imagination spreads its wings with just one short word: “anything.”
If only I could really do this… and that…
While the flower garden was blooming like that… Lortel’s calm returned to its proper place in an instant as his thoughts reached somewhere else.
I gained information that cannot be overlooked.
Elte Kecheln is coming.
To be honest, it wasn’t that scary. Because it will only be the last struggle before falling into the abyss.
If you thought that you could use force against Lortel just because you saved a group of mercenaries, it was a big mistake.
In the first place, there was no way that more than a certain number of private soldiers could be brought into Sylvania Academy, and Lortel’s personal power was by no means weak.
‘If there’s another thief… are they planning on taking me hostage?’
After thinking about it like that, I have a point.
– ‘Do you think they will give you special treatment just because you are loyal to that child? By any chance, were you tempted by the child’s beautiful appearance?’
Elte seems to be under the illusion that he has a great crush on Edgar Lortel.
The reality is the opposite, but they showed support for each other even in extreme crisis situations. These are conditions that can be considered a trustworthy relationship.
Lortel is always checked by the company’s guards and his own strength is never weak… but if that target is Ed, it’s a different story.
If you’re thinking of kidnapping Ed and using him as a negotiating ploy…
“You’re crossing a line.”
In the quiet, dark corner of the drawing room, Lortel turned over his robe.
*
“Ta-da! It’s delicious, right?”
I lay down all day.
I tried to do something, but I kept getting dizzy, so I thought I should rest for a few more days.
What I am truly thankful for is that Yenika helped me a lot.
It’s been two days since I started recuperating to recover from exhaustion. Yenika, who had obtained a lot of ingredients from somewhere, cooked many different dishes with quite skill.
The night was pretty deep. Perhaps because it was the day before the weekend, Yenika showed no signs of returning to the dormitory even though it was late.
The light of the bonfire was having difficulty dispelling the cozy darkness.
The sound of insects chirping excitedly at night died down to some extent in the fall, and was replaced by the sound of owls hooting or leaves rustling in the wind.
The stew that Yenika made was so delicious that it was completely different from the one that Ziggs made.
I thought I might need to learn something to improve my cooking skills, but since right now I need to focus on recovery rather than growth, I thought I should put off training.
“At the ranch back home, we cooked stew together every day. Hey, Ed. Do you know that? When I was young, when I raised cows, I always…”
I quietly closed my eyes as I watched Yenika sitting by the campfire and telling stories while smiling. . My body is slowly recovering, but my strength has not definitely returned yet.
“You look tired, Ed.”
“Of course.”
“I need to get some rest. Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for helping you with so many things, but you only look tired, Yenika.”
“Huh? Not at all. That’s not true. I didn’t do anything in particular.”
Things like cooking and organizing her room don’t seem to be part of Jenica’s work.
He seemed to be very skilled at helping sick people take care of themselves and providing nursing care, so when I asked him about it, he said that he helped out a lot when his father, who worked at the ranch, was injured whenever he had the chance.
I felt like the heat was rising again, so I put my hand on my head and it felt quite hot. I couldn’t help but sigh as the headache and low fever seemed to be rising again.
After entering the cabin and lying down on the cot, Yenika followed me in and sat quietly in the corner of the cabin, smiling.
“…What are you going to do?”
“You’re not going to do anything?”
“Doing nothing?”
“I’ll just stay by your side.”
What I’m saying is that I’m so dumbfounded that I just want to look at it.
“Ed, I know you’re having a hard time right now. It’s the same for anyone, if your body is tired, your mind will be tired as well. I know full well that Ed lives hard and endures a harder daily routine than anyone else. So there’s no need to pretend it’s not hard.”
The way he smiles and puffs out his chest as if to show off, seems to be telling me to praise him.
“What does that have to do with you sitting here doing nothing?”
“Don’t you know how much strength it is to do nothing and just be by your side? Ed doesn’t know because he hasn’t experienced it!”
Then he lowers his gaze and speaks quietly.
“I also had a lot of hard times. I received a lot of comfort and there were a lot of people who helped me… but what gave me the greatest strength in the end was not hastily trying to do something or comforting me… I just said nothing. “He was protecting his position by my side without anyone else. That’s how I felt, so it would definitely be helpful to Ed, right? Just experience it!”
After saying that, Yenika came near the bed where I was lying… and sat down with her back against the bed frame. I was worried that the floor would be cold, but since it wasn’t winter yet, it didn’t seem to be that cold.
It didn’t look very good for me to lie down on the bed and have Jenica sit on the floor, but Jenica didn’t seem to care at all.
“It was a lot of hard work, right? Good job.”
Just close your eyes and smile.
“No, you don’t have to do that…”
“Seup!”
When he gets angry, he looks more cute than tough, so it wouldn’t be strange if he bursts into laughter.
“It was hard! You have to admit it so you can rest well! Admit it! Ed is having a hard time!”
“…”
I sat down with my back against the backrest and slowly… lowered my voice.
Maybe it was a fact that even I couldn’t admit and looked away.
“Yeah… it was hard.”
It was a strange feeling.
Last semester, I lived by dividing my life into hourly chunks. If there was ever a day when I wasn’t tired, I couldn’t think of a day like that.
“It was really hard. So much.”
I felt like I could get a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while, so I slowly surrendered myself to the horse.
It wasn’t until I woke up after sleeping for 10 hours that my body regained its normal state.
I felt like I had completely recovered, even emotionally, and felt refreshed for the first time in a long time.
As soon as I woke up, I immediately saw Yenika, who was lying with her head on my knees and cuddling.
When I saw him sleeping with a drooling look on his face, a laugh came out of nowhere.
It was an unexpected surprise attack.
*
– ‘Decision to sell the wise man’s seal. The person in charge of the Trix Center will complete the preparations for transferring the sensitive person and upload the reporting documents.’
Professor Glast was in charge of transferring the sensitizers of the grimoires owned by the bachelor.
In fact, most of the work was left to librarian teachers and they were just given empty titles.
However, for a transfer task of this scale, a top person had to come out and take care of the work.
“Professor Glast! The seal officer is looking for you!”
Assistant Professor Claire burst open the door to Professor Glast’s office and came in.
What Claire saw was Professor Glast sitting quietly in his chair and looking out the large window.
Professor Glast’s work desk was already piled with reporting documents related to the sale of seals.
“What? You’ve already received the report? I’ll process it and report it to the academic department…”
Claire, who suddenly noticed that there was no response from Professor Glast, called his name again.
Professor Glast sat quietly like that, looking out the window.
