Chapter 218
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218
“Beatrice?”
“Yes. She mentioned she has something urgent to discuss with you.”
Something to discuss… It was likely about the Qi Meridian Treatment pills I’d given her. It was probably good news, so I might as well go. Besides, I had something to discuss with Yuliana anyway, so the timing was perfect.
“I will guide you to Her Highness's chambers. Please follow me closely. It's easy to get lost.”
The imperial palace was a labyrinth, designed with a complex layout to defend against intruders. Wandering around alone at night could be dangerous.
I followed Yuliana outside.
The dark corridor was bathed in bluish moonlight. Yuliana lit a magic lamp to illuminate the way. Walking behind her, I quietly summoned Kabeltar.
Shaaa—.
My Spiritology skills had progressed significantly since my session with Professor Isley. Unlike before, I could now conceal Kabeltar's presence and even make him invisible to others. My method of scanning memories had also improved, allowing me to read them faster, in more detail, and even select specific segments to view.
With this, I could finally look into the history of Yuliana and Roen's ill-fated relationship. It wasn't often I found myself alone with Yuliana in such a quiet place. This was my chance.
I was about to reach out for Yuliana’s hand as she walked ahead of me when I suddenly recalled Professor Isley's earlier advice.
‘Roen, my boy, you should use a more… sophisticated method when reading memories from now on.’
‘A sophisticated method… What do you mean?’
‘What else? What's the point of having that handsome face? If you set the right mood and charm your target, you can read their memories without raising suspicion. Of course, if your target is a man, you can just touch him, I suppose.’
‘...’
‘Well then, go for it!’
His words made sense. However, I didn't exactly have a talent for charming the opposite sex. So, I decided to just charge ahead.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I stepped up beside Yuliana and grabbed her hand.
“Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden?”
I offered the startled Yuliana a plausible excuse.
“I was afraid I'd get lost. You said the palace layout is complex, right?”
“You're not a child! What kind of logic is…”
Ignoring her reaction, I activated Kabeltar's ability.
Chwarara—.
As I triggered [Memory Fragment], Yuliana's memories flashed before my eyes. The playback began with her childhood.
Yuliana had grown up under strict parents. As high-ranking officials in the Empire, they had high expectations for her, grooming her to one day serve as the princess's attendant. Consequently, she had studied relentlessly from a young age, following an elite path. After fierce competition, she was selected as a final candidate for the position but was ultimately rejected.
However, Beatrice chose Yuliana as her confidante instead of one of the successful candidates. It seemed this was why Yuliana trusted and followed Beatrice so blindly.
It was an interesting story, but I had no intention of watching her entire life unfold. I skipped ahead, searching specifically for parts related to Roen.
Chwararak—.
Once again, a black-and-white scene played out before me. After a moment, a memory from when Roen was studying abroad in the Empire appeared.
‘What is this ugly bird? How unpleasant.’
It was Yuliana's treasured pet parrot. Roen had killed the only pet her strict parents had ever allowed her to have. This matched the story Meyer had told me in the past.
But looking at the memory, it was hard to see this as one of Roen's typical misdeeds. The aura emanating from the parrot was clearly demonic energy.
‘The parrot was likely a type of demonic creature her parents assigned to watch over her.’
It didn't seem to cause her physical harm, but it was one of the shackles that monitored her every move and restricted her freedom. Of course, Roen never revealed this fact, so he ended up earning Yuliana's deep resentment. He had killed a pet she'd cherished for years; it was only natural for her to be devastated.
Just as I was finishing the memory of their ill-fated connection, Yuliana snatched her hand away.
“Wh-what's gotten into you? Let go!”
I stared blankly at her hand, now free from my grasp, then lowered my head.
“My apologies. We should go before it gets too late.”
“Don't just grab people's hands like that! You're lucky it was me. If it had been anyone else, they would have already…”
“I said I'm sorry.”
“...Just follow me.”
I followed the grumbling Yuliana toward Beatrice's chambers. Her quarters were surrounded by overlapping layers of magic barriers and protective shields. Thanks to the key Yuliana carried, we entered without resistance, but the security was so intense that any other intruder would have been instantly detected and neutralized.
Passing through the final barriers, we finally arrived. Beatrice, dressed in bright pajamas, was sitting on the edge of her bed.
“Your Highness, I've brought Roen.”
“Thank you for your trouble so late at night. But Yuliana, your face seems a little red?”
“Th-that's because I just took a shower…”
Yuliana stammered, clearly flustered. Beatrice watched her for a moment before nodding.
“Is that so? You may go and rest. You've worked hard today.”
At that, Yuliana's eyes widened and she exclaimed, “Will you be alright alone with him? With this… this wolf of a man?”
“What are you talking about? I'm a perfect gentleman.”
“A gentleman? Just a moment ago, you…!”
As Yuliana shouted, Beatrice asked in a questioning tone, “Did something happen between you two?”
“It was nothing! I'll be taking my leave now!”
In response to Beatrice's question, Yuliana gave a quick bow and hurriedly fled, slamming the door behind her.
Slam—.
The door trembled. Beatrice glanced at the vibrating wood for a moment before turning her gaze to me.
“Well, I'll ask Yuliana about that later. I assume you know why I've summoned you?”
“It's probably about the pills.”
“That's right. Thanks to the pills you gave me, my condition has improved dramatically. I haven't had a single seizure since I started taking them.”
Beatrice explained her improved health with a bright smile. She had been taking the medicine for about three months now. It seemed the periodic seizures had finally stopped.
Beatrice continued, “We've also secured the heart of the Mad Dragon, and I've contacted the Ludwig family to secure their cooperation. Qi Meridian Treatment is now a curable condition. Many people will no longer have to suffer. This is all thanks to you. On their behalf, I thank you.”
Beatrice gave a traditional curtsy, lifting the hem of her pajamas. Then, she cleared her throat with a soft cough and spoke again.
“And this… is my personal thanks.”
Beatrice, who usually spoke with strict formality, called my name casually for a brief moment as she handed me a gift.
“Thank you, Roen.”
Before I could even register my surprise at the shift in tone, my eyes widened at the card key she offered me.
“This is…”
Beatrice, reverting to her formal speech, explained. “Yes, it's the card key to a floating ship I own personally. It's a bit smaller than the one we arrived in—it only carries three people—but it's significantly faster.”
Was this gift the reason she had reacted so coldly when I coveted the floating ship earlier?
Beatrice continued, “Traveling by carriage has its own romance, but it's inefficient for someone as busy as you. Please, accept my gift.”
It was a product of the golden age of magic engineering, impossible to recreate with modern technology. Although she said it was smaller than the one we rode in, it was still an item of immense value, almost impossible to put a price on.
“I didn't do it expecting a reward like this.”
“Are you trying to make me feel like a shameless person? I am not so callous as to ignore the person who saved my life. Please, take it.”
When she put it like that, I had no choice but to accept.
“...Thank you. I'll put it to good use.”
Beatrice sat back down on her bed, which was adorned with ornate curtains, and asked, “By the way, how were you able to create a pill so perfectly suited to my constitution? A detailed analysis revealed that the pill's efficacy varies greatly depending on an individual's specific traits.”
“Is that so? I conducted the clinical trials on my own body. I suppose it just happened to be a good match.”
“You tested it on your own body?”
“Yes, there was no one else around. And since I also suffer from Qi Meridian Treatment, it was the perfect solution.”
“...”
Beatrice's expression suddenly turned serious. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she eventually just shook her head.
“No, it's nothing. Forgive me. It's getting very late, so you should be on your way.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
*
The next day.
Our party, led by Beatrice, arrived at the Elin District, the capital's Magic Special Zone. Stepping out of the limousine, I gazed up at the seven massive towers standing in the center of the district, lost in thought.
‘...Incredible.’
I always felt this way, but seeing structures that were once just clusters of polygons in a game with my own eyes was a truly impressive experience. Within this Magic Special Zone, most magical activities were permitted, and the laws of the Magic Towers took precedence over Imperial law. Furthermore, many of the Empire's restrictive regulations didn't apply here, and the tax rates were lower, which had led to the emergence of many diverse companies with original ideas.
‘Normally, the tour is limited to a maximum of five people.’
According to the original plan, Ciel shouldn't have been able to enter the Magic Tower, but thanks to the Emperor making an exception for us, our entire group was able to visit.
The first place we visited was the Deiarron Magic Tower. It was the tower of alchemists, those who research the transmutation and transformation of matter, and its master was Marquis Paracelsus. If we had come on our own, we would have received glares from the notoriously eccentric mages, but having Beatrice with us was very reassuring.
As we waited in the lobby of the Magic Tower, where mages bustled about, a man came out to greet us.
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Nox, and I am the head researcher of the Deiarron Magic Tower. It is an honor to guide Your Highness and our distinguished guests.”
He was a man in a neat lab coat and horn-rimmed glasses—the very image of a dedicated researcher. Nox handed each of us a long wooden box.
“These are tour gifts—magic wands used by our apprentice mages. They aren't anything special, but I hope you'll accept them as souvenirs.”
Opening the box, I found a wooden wand about the size of a conductor's baton. I couldn't feel any significant magic from it, but it was sturdy and well-made, seemingly perfect for an apprentice.
“Now, if you'll follow me.”
We followed Nox and began our tour of the Magic Tower. We started at the laboratory researching the blue dye formula contracted with our Alchemy Club and even visited the top-secret facility where they study the pinnacles of alchemy: the Elixir and the Philosopher's Stone.
Although he didn't provide overly detailed information for fear of leaking technology, Trish and Bell listened intently to Nox's explanations, their eyes sparkling. Yuliana and Beatrice also listened attentively, as if such opportunities were rare even for them. Everyone was so eager to learn; there couldn't be a better opportunity for them.
As for me, the Sage's Glasses explained most things, so I didn't listen as closely. Still, there was a difference between hearing an explanation and seeing something for yourself, so looking at the various products under development was quite entertaining.
After a tour that lasted several hours, we made our final stop at the Magic Tower's library.
“This is the library of the Deiarron Magic Tower. If there are any books you desire, please let me know. I will give them to you as a gift.”
“Not to borrow? You're giving away these precious books?”
Unlike materials from the outside, every book in the Magic Tower's library was a treasure that money couldn't easily buy. Trish's eyes went wide at the offer.
“Yes. Normally, there are eligibility requirements based on a mage's rank, and we charge for copyright and printing fees, but as you are guests of Her Highness, we will provide them free of charge. Please, take as many as you like.”
And so, I received a few books from the Magic Tower's library as a gift.
‘Thanks to my continuous training, I'm not far from reaching [Advanced Alchemy].’
I needed to gather materials related to Golems and Homunculi that I'd be creating later. With our visit to the library, the tour of the Deiarron Magic Tower came to an end.
“This concludes today's tour. Please feel free to visit again anytime during your stay in the Empire. Just contact us from the lobby.”
Nox was courteous to the very end. It was hard to believe he was an alchemist, a group notorious for being eccentric. Perhaps one needed a good personality to become a head researcher.
After thoroughly exploring the Deiarron Magic Tower, we moved on to the next one. Next was Meister's Tower, the home base for the engineers who specialize in Magic Engineering.
I was visiting to borrow a magic device to analyze Roen's diary, and since I was also personally interested in creating magic armor and golems, I expected it to be a productive tour. As we entered the tower's steampunk-esque lobby, someone approached to guide us, just like before.
The only difference was…
“Good to see you again. And Her Highness is here as well.”
Grand Duke McDowell, the master of Meister's Tower and the ultimate authority on the Empire's Magic Engineering, had come to greet us himself. He pointed toward the interior of the tower with a sleek steel staff.
“Shall we head inside?”