Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Princess's Temptation (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Late afternoon, as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
In the rattling carriage, Elena lightly tapped her cheek with her fingers, as if to fend off boredom.
As I gazed at her steadily, her eyes, which had been fixed on the window, soon turned toward me. The hand tapping her cheek dropped neatly onto her lap.
"Do you have something to say?"
"I'm curious how you knew there was a bug lurking in that man's heart."
"The flow of mana was off. He was radiating an unpleasant aura. Probably anyone who can sense mana flows would have noticed it, not just me."
"...That's beyond me."
Unfortunately, I had no talent for magic. If we were ranking by talent size, I'd be a commoner—no, a slave.
In such a state, I couldn't even sense the flow of mana, let alone its existence, until I read about it in books. Naturally, I hadn't noticed the mana leaking from the assailant's body either.
If Elena hadn't helped, it probably would have taken me ages to deal with just that one guy.
Did that regret show on my face? Elena slowly shook her head side to side.
"Don't worry too much about it. Magic isn't everything in the world, and you have plenty of other talents anyway."
"Could you give me some examples...?"
"You make great tea and sandwiches—of course, and you're good at cooking in general. You even make cosmetics well. At the very least, every woman in the Frozenheart Ducal Family is grateful to you for that, right?"
"You're too kind."
Compared to the things Elena mentioned earlier, magical talent was obviously superior... but no need to belabor the point.
I wasn't in a position to complain. Surely somewhere in the world, there were people without any talents at all.
And above all, I didn't want to undermine Elena's efforts to comfort me. Honestly, they were top-notch talents for a servant anyway.
So, let's just let this slide...
"Then, may I ask one more thing?"
"Of course, ask away."
"What do you plan to do with the insect you captured...?"
"I'll ask Her Highness the Princess to have the imperial mages study it. The Magic Tower could do it, but honestly, I don't trust them much."
"I didn't know you distrusted the Magic Tower..."
"Hmm... how should I explain this?"
Elena furrowed her brow and tilted her head diagonally. She seemed to be struggling to explain it to someone like me who knew little about magic.
It took a little more time before words finally flowed from her lips.
"Well, simply put..."
To sum up Elena's explanation:
Imperial mages eat from the nation's table, so they're more likely to prioritize the country's interests over personal gain in any issue.
In contrast, Magic Tower mages are extremely individualistic, so they might cover things up or seek personal profit no matter what happens.
In very simple terms, imperial mages are civil servants, while Magic Tower mages are like regular company employees.
Of course, not all civil servants are clean, but statistically, one side was clearly better.
"Even if the Magic Tower's help is needed, having the palace request it versus me requesting it directly is worlds apart, right? Does that make sense now?"
"Perfectly."
"Good."
Elena smiled proudly.
I continued chatting with her about this and that afterward. It was just everyday small talk, nothing special, but that didn't make it unimportant. As her exclusive attendant, paying attention to her every word and action was my job.
The conversation trailed off only after the sun had fully vanished. Darkness had already settled over the world.
The sun's heat was gone, but it wasn't particularly chilly. If anything, it felt muggy. That was proof we'd come quite far from the North.
In the quiet carriage interior, Elena, who had been staring blankly out the window, covered her mouth with her hand and yawned. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"Luke, come over here for a bit."
"Yes."
"A little more that way. More... a bit more..."
What could she possibly want?
Though my mind filled with questions, I followed her instructions and ended up sitting next to Elena—but at quite a distance.
That's when I got the answer to the mystery.
"Mind if I borrow your leg for a sec?"
Elena leaned over and, without another word, laid her head on my thigh. I was so flustered I could only stare at her blankly.
"Milady, even so, this is a bit..."
"Why? Stingy about lending your thigh? It's not like it'll wear out."
Looking up at me with wide eyes, Elena's face was too beautiful for words like "pretty." You could tell at a glance she was the protagonist of this world.
To think you needed this level to be the protagonist—her pedestal felt impossibly high.
"Why would I mind lending my thigh? My body is no different from yours, milady. It's just that lying down in a carriage might look undignified..."
Before I could finish, a long sigh escaped Elena. She wasn't actually asleep; it was her polite way of saying she didn't want to hear it.
'What kind of master uses their servant's thigh as a pillow...'
Who could I blame? Myself, for using thighs as pillows back in childhood.
I let out an inward sigh and turned my gaze to the window.
How much time passed? I had dozed off myself, so I couldn't say exactly, but surely quite a bit.
"The capital's coming into view."
The coachman's sudden voice snapped me awake.
Turning to look out the window, I saw towering walls at the end of the road ahead. The capital was finally upon us.
"Luke..."
Her voice drew my eyes downward, where Elena was slowly blinking awake. Apparently, I wasn't the only one roused by the coachman.
"Milady, the capital's almost here."
"Already...?"
Hnyaaah—.
Elena blinked a couple more times, then stretched her arms out with a strange sound.
It was definitely a stretch, but there was one tiny problem.
Her fist smacked my chin. Hard.
"...It wasn't on purpose."
"What can I do? If milady hits me, I take it."
"I said it wasn't on purpose! Why would I have any reason to hit you?"
"My apologies. I was rude and joked around."
"You never pulled stuff like that at the Academy. Why do it out here?"
Elena sighed with an "Ehew." It didn't seem like she was truly upset.
How much more time passed after we both woke up?
The carriage gradually slowed, then came to a full stop.
Outside the window loomed a massive gate, flanked by knights in armor and spears. Hard to see in the dark, but they looked like gate guards.
Soon, voices drifted from the coachman's seat.
"Where are you coming from?"
"From the Frozenheart Ducal Family in the North."
"Then the person inside is...?"
"Lady Elena Frozenheart of the Frozenheart Ducal Family. And her exclusive attendant, Luke Nineheart, is with her."
"Pardon me, but may we see the exclusive attendant?"
Ironic. High nobles' carriages usually passed without inspection.
But seen another way, it meant the issue warranted checking a high noble.
A bad feeling stirred as I glanced at Elena to ask permission, since the guard wanted to meet face-to-face.
"Go ahead."
"Yes, milady."
I bowed lightly in courtesy and stepped out of the carriage. The dawn chill swept away my body heat.
The guard I faced promptly removed his helmet and bowed.
"I'm Radellin, in charge of the north gate watch. First, I apologize for requesting to see you."
"It's fine. Milady would think the same."
Apologizing for a routine inspection? Utterly contradictory.
But what could be done? With so many nitpickers around, they had no choice to survive.
Whatever. If you're unhappy, be born a high noble.
"I requested to see you because we found strange marks on the carriage. Would you look this way?"
Radellin held up a mana stone lamp to the carriage wheel.
There, stark traces of dark, viscous liquid clung. Probably splattered during the fight with the assailant.
"Could you explain?"
"Yes, I'll explain."
I recounted the day's events: ambushed by a drugged man, his blood splashing.
Suddenly, a voice emerged from the darkness.
"...You've encountered heretics."
Turning toward the source, I saw a man in priestly robes.
He approached slowly and stood beside Radellin.
"I'm Livron, priest of the Goddess Church. The assailant you met was surely a heretic follower."
"What makes you say that?"
"A body that won't die, spilling black blood. The scriptures name such beings as servants of the evil god."
As someone who didn't believe in gods, it was hard to trust blindly.
But right now, I had no grounds to refute it either.
"Please visit the church. We can surely help."
"...Understood."
I barely kept my face from twisting. It reeked of hassle.
In game terms, a quest prompt probably floated over his head:
[Quest - Gather information and thwart the heretics' plans.]
And not even a main story one—a side quest for idle veterans.
"I'll clean the heretic traces. It would fade on its own, but you might get dragged into trouble right away."
"Yes, thank you."
The priest pulled a small vial from his robes and sprinkled the liquid inside onto the dark stains.
White smoke billowed up, and the traces vanished like a lie. Hard to believe even watching it.
"All done."
"Thank you for your consideration."
After that, we passed the gate without further procedure. They'd mistaken the bloodstain and inspected; now gone, no reason to hold us.
Heretics, huh...
An ominous feeling crept in.