The Witch of Wisdom
I kept my forehead planted on the table and raised a hand in greeting as Leon approached. “Welcome back, Sir Leon. You look rather grim. I take it the results were less than stellar?”
“To be reading my complexion while your face is still glued to the table… have you finally sprouted eyes in the back of your head, Lady Ruina?”
Leon sat down with an expression of pure disbelief. Chris jumped in to explain.
“The Star Silver was stolen, and retrieving it is going to be a nightmare.”
“Why?”
“The thief is suspected to be none other than the Second Prince, and we have zero evidence. Even the Alchemy Guild has washed their hands of it. If the person hostile to the Second Prince hadn’t tipped us off, we never would have noticed.”
“I see.”
In Happy Mid-land, nobles were transcendent beings. The imperial family that stood above them existed on an entirely different plane. They reigned above the law in the truest sense; after all, the law had been written for their benefit in the first place.
I lifted my head and asked, “What did your investigation turn up, Sir Leon?”
“The same. There is no proof the Second Prince possesses the Holy Grail, nor is there proof he does not.”
“He probably doesn’t.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Would someone who has laid hands on a supreme treasure like the Holy Grail really bother glaring daggers at the prospect of acquiring a slightly larger lump of Star Silver?”
If you held all the wealth in the world, there would be no reason to steal mead. You could simply buy it. The same logic applied to the Holy Grail. The moment you obtained it, things like Star Silver or phoenix feathers lost all meaning. With the Holy Grail, every problem simply solved itself.
Leon furrowed his brow. “We’re back to square one.”
“It’s actually a net negative. I’m the one who lost the Star Silver, after all.”
“…If I become a paladin, I will make sure to—”
“Even if it’s revenge, I must be the one to deliver it. That way, at least the thrill remains.”
I slipped my pipe between my lips. Jerry immediately lit it with a flicker of magic. I exhaled a long plume of smoke toward the ceiling.
Chris muttered, “Has Sir Jerry officially joined our party? Because that looked far too natural.”
“It’s confirmed the Holy Grail is not in the capital. That leaves us with only one thing to do.”
Deciding on our next destination. That was the sole task remaining.
Chris folded her arms. “The Holy Grail possesses powers of immortality, healing, abundance, purification, and wisdom, correct? We’ve already verified immortality, abundance, and healing, so…”
“Overlaps are fine. We didn’t assemble just to tick off boxes one by one.”
“Then it wouldn’t hurt to visit another granary region tied to abundance, but one possibility did occur to me.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Chris raised her index finger. “Have you heard of the Witch of Wisdom?”
“If you mean the Witch of Wisdom, are you referring to the mage who resides in the East Ellen Forest?”
Leon was the one who answered Chris’s question. She nodded.
“Yes. As Sir Leon said, that’s where she lives. And as you know, one of the Holy Grail’s abilities is wisdom.”
“From what I understand, the Witch of Wisdom has no connection to the Holy Grail.”
“You never know. And even if she doesn’t, asking her about the Grail’s whereabouts might yield something useful.”
Poke around first. If that failed, ask for help. It was a solid plan.
“Whether the Witch of Wisdom will gladly offer assistance is another matter, but the framework itself is sound,” I said.
“Right? Besides, rumor has it she’s surprisingly helpful to visitors.”
“Is that so?”
Then our next destination was decided.
“We head for the East Ellen Forest.”
“It’s a rural village. Not much to sell there, is there?”
“Must you always think about profit first? You really are going to become rich, Chris.”
“I will become rich.”
“Meanwhile I’ve become a beggar after losing my Star Silver.”
When I laughed, Leon asked in a worried tone, “Lady Ruina, are you truly all right?”
“Of course I’m all right. What a strange question.”
I was no child. There was no way I would throw a tantrum over losing a mere toy. I was perfectly fine. Really.
“Excuse me.”
Someone approached our table in the middle of the conversation. It was the server. She set a plate down and delivered the standard line.
“Here is the potato salad for one that you ordered.”
“Hm? Who ordered this? Since it’s a single serving, is it for you, Jerry?”
“It’s for me.”
I accepted the potato salad and took a bite. Delicious…
Chris narrowed her eyes at me. “Lady Ruina. That’s not the entire order, is it?”
“Of course it’s the entire order. What are you talking about?”
“You only ordered one portion and the mead hasn’t even arrived yet, yet you’re saying that’s everything?”
“Really, Chris. How can I eat freely when I have no money? Of course I must be frugal.”
I was hardly a tycoon. How could I indulge in food and mead whenever I pleased? Those were special treats to be enjoyed once a year.
Chris shook her head in disbelief. “Then why didn’t you accept the compensation the Alchemy Guild offered?”
“How could I accept that? It was partly my own fault.”
“Lady Ruina. Are you genuinely all right?”
“Really, Leon. Of course I’m all right.”
I had originally been the child of an impoverished farming family. I was used to this kind of diet. In fact, if the meal wasn’t this modest, the food wouldn’t go down at all.
I smiled brightly. “Everyone, please order whatever you like without restraint. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Lady Ruina has broken. What should we do, Jerry?”
“Huh? Me?”
While the others chatted and laughed, I finished eating and rose from my seat.
“Lady Ruina? Where are you going?”
“What’s the point of sitting here when I have no money? I need to think of ways to earn some.”
“Lady Ruina has really broken.”
I left Jerry in the inn’s common room and stepped out into the street. The talk about earning money had been an excuse; I simply wanted a moment to organize my thoughts.
Tap.
Something struck my hair. I looked up. Snow was falling. Was it already that time of year?
I fiercely enlarged the flame inside the street lantern. A thermal barrier instantly formed around me, shielding me from the snow.
Though my first meeting with Leon still felt fresh in my memory, snow was already falling. How quickly time passed.
It had been several months since we began our search for the Holy Grail. Yet we still had no clear results. I had been drawing closer to my goal by trading various forms of magic, but from Leon’s perspective we had simply suffered one failure after another. After striking out even in the capital, this marked our third consecutive miss. Finding the Holy Grail was never going to be easy, of course, but the human heart is a fickle thing. Disappointment was still disappointment.
My insides felt hollow. More precisely, my heart felt hollow. My Star Silver… my extra-large Star Silver…
Gurgle.
An odd sound rose from my stomach. It seemed my stomach, not my heart, was the one that was empty. Time for a snack.
Happy Mid-land offered many winter delicacies: roasted chestnuts, warm pies, mulled ale and wine, dried fruits, pudding, bread, and so on. Essentially, if it was hot, it counted as winter food.
In Sad Mid-land such dishes only appeared during Christmas or Carnival, but this was Happy Mid-land. Food was relatively plentiful. Even on ordinary days people enjoyed it freely.
I stopped at a suitable shop. “Five apple pies, please.”
“Meeting someone?”
“Just me.”
“…Wait a moment.”
Once the apple pies settled in my stomach, my head felt clearer. Losing the Star Silver was unfortunate, but it wasn’t a devastating blow. If I made them pay the proper price later, it would be exactly the right level of damage. Besides, what would I even do with an extra-large piece of Star Silver? Split it? Of course I would use it as it was. When the right conditions were met, I could simply retrieve the well-preserved piece in its entirety. It really wasn’t a big deal.
With my thoughts sorted, my throat felt dry. Time for some mead.
I raised my hand to order when a familiar voice reached my ears.
“…Please pack one apple pie to go.”
I turned. Brown hair. The person with brown hair took the packaged pie and stepped back onto the street, sighing.
“How on earth did I end up doing something like this?”
“Perhaps Her Highness wished to experience commoner winter cuisine? But winter commoner food is only meaningful when eaten warm immediately. Wouldn’t it be better to ask the palace chef directly?”
“That’s exactly what I said, but her stubbornness is—”
Haze suddenly stopped in his tracks. So did I.
“Are you trapped inside a barrier or something? Why did you stop?” I asked.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I am Ruina, the Witch of Robbery who can make even a crying child fall silent.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Haze glanced around, then leaned in and whispered, “How did you know I serve Her Highness?”
“It tickles. I’ve already activated soundproof magic, so please step back.”
“I’m asking how you knew.”
“Simple deduction. The knight who guards the exalted Tasia appears to be hostile toward the Second Prince? There was only one possible answer. The difficulty was practically a bonus stage.”
“…Don’t go spreading that around.”
“I have nowhere to spread it. I don’t even know how many princesses there are.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Haze shivered as he answered in a low voice. Really, who told him to dress so thinly? The imperial palace stayed warm with magic year-round, so it seemed the poor man had completely lost his sense of weather.
I expanded the range of my thermal barrier. “Don’t go around claiming you’re from the bottom. What bottom-dweller thinks winter is warm?”
“It was a short outing, so I dressed casually. I didn’t forget it’s cold. Anyway, thank you.”
“Thank you?”
I held out my hand. Haze stared at it.
“What is this?”
“If you’re thankful, give me magic.”
“You really are persistent.”
“It’s my only redeeming quality.”
Another trade that fell through. What a shame.
With the packaged apple pie tucked under his arm, Haze stared blankly at the sky. I spoke to him.
“Does Tasia want you to bring more?”
“She says she wants roasted chestnuts as well.”
“Shall I guide you?”
“That would be helpful. Just so you know, I’m still not giving you any magic.”
“Too bad.”
Taking the quick-witted Haze with me, I headed for the market. I might as well fill my still-empty stomach while I was at it.