A Midnight Rendezvous
The days that followed were relatively peaceful for Yohan and Serafina.
They woke up together in the same bed. Afterward, they sat across from each other at the dining table, shared meals, and tested the magic tools Claire had prepared for them. Occasionally, they would write reports or simply sit face-to-face and talk.
Of course, in between all that, Yohan secretly continued his research on mana whenever Serafina wasn’t looking.
To Yohan, it was nothing more than a calm, ordinary routine.
⋯⋯But from Serafina’s perspective, every moment made her heart pound like a drum.
And so time passed. It was now the third day.
A small change came to that peaceful daily life.
“Student Yohan, forgive the intrusion, but could you spare a moment? There is a matter I need you to verify.”
Claire had come looking for him, her expression unusually stiff as she continued.
“The Tower Master is asking for you.”
Yohan had no choice but to nod.
[Something must have happened.]
‘I suppose so.’
⋯⋯He didn’t know what it was.
But he hoped, more than anything, that it wasn’t bad news.
⋯⋯After all, his research on mana transmission was still in full swing.
‘As long as it’s not about the passageway, I’ll be fine.’
If it was anything else, there would be enough time.
Aria used countless spells.
She herself had lost track of exactly how many different kinds of magic she could cast. And among all those spells, the one she used most frequently was communication magic through a crystal orb.
“Claire, I need to talk to Yohan. Could you connect us? And if possible, leave a crystal orb in the bedroom too.”
“Yes, Tower Master. I’ll prepare it right away.”
That was how it had come to this.
In one corner of Aria’s bedroom, a small table and chair had been brought in.
A modest crystal orb rested on the table. Following Serafina’s guidance, Yohan sat down in the chair placed in front of it.
Before long, the orb began to glow, and Aria’s figure appeared within it. Only her upper body was visible. Presumably, Yohan would look the same to her.
[The Chancellor isn’t visible.]
⋯⋯He didn’t know what had happened, but the only person shown in the crystal orb was Aria.
“Ah, can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can hear you, Tower Master.”
Claire checked Yohan’s condition and answered. Aria gave a satisfied nod.
After exchanging a few more words with Claire, she turned her gaze toward Yohan.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You look well.”
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Yohan nodded awkwardly. Aria smiled brightly in response.
“Good work, Claire. Could you and Serafina step out for a bit?”
It was a clear order to leave them alone. Serafina flinched at the words, her body trembling slightly, but she recognized it as something equivalent to the Tower Master’s command and nodded.
“Yes, Tower Master.”
“Yes, Professor.”
Claire bowed politely, then left the bedroom with Serafina. From now on, it was just Aria and Yohan.
“I know it’s difficult for you to speak, but something came up that I need to confirm. Just nod or shake your head to answer.”
Yohan nodded.
In the crystal orb, Aria lifted a book and shook it. Countless other books floated around her, yet she paid them no attention. She only shook that single volume.
⋯⋯Of course Yohan couldn’t see it directly, but he had Zeno.
[It seems there’s something in that book.]
‘It does look that way.’
If not, there would have been no reason to use communication magic like this. She could have simply told him after returning.
⋯⋯There had to be something important.
Yohan nodded once more and waited calmly for her next words.
“When I had Claire check again yesterday, she said they couldn’t find anything on that corpse. But then I realized—that was after it was already dead, wasn’t it?”
Aria stared at him with sharp eyes. Even though the crystal orb couldn’t transmit the full intensity, anyone who met that gaze directly would have trembled.
“In the past, there used to be something called a slave’s stigma that only disappeared after death.”
By now, Aria’s voice had dropped considerably lower as she asked him. It was a tone that warned him not to lie.
“So, I’m asking—when it was still alive, was there a stigma of some kind engraved on its body?”
A piercing question.
Yohan unconsciously tapped his leg in unease.
⋯⋯There had been.
Though to be precise, it hadn’t belonged to a small Giant.
It had been a Giant’s stigma.
‘⋯⋯How many times was it?’
He couldn’t remember the exact number.
But he remembered the contents perfectly.
‘I couldn’t forget it.’
More accurately, it would be correct to say he couldn’t allow himself to forget.
Every piece of information was precious, and many of them had become crucial keys.
Yohan had crammed every scrap of knowledge he gathered into his mind.
And the stigma was one of those things.
‘How could I possibly forget something like that?’
It was a mark that was often—actually, always—engraved on those who commanded the small Giants. The location varied, but the stigma was always there.
The reason it had been so important was simple: when those commanders were taken down first, the small Giants fell into chaos.
That was why he had concluded they were the ones who needed to be killed first.
‘⋯⋯Hmm.’
Yohan let out a quiet breath.
This answer might become a turning point.
Professor Aria and the Chancellor might catch on to something. Of course, he wasn’t sure if cooperation with the other races would be possible.
⋯⋯At the very least, he needed to find out what was written in the book Aria possessed.
‘⋯⋯Lord Zeno.’
[Do as you wish.]
Zeno had read his thoughts.
⋯⋯Information about other races wasn’t something one could easily come across. This was an opportunity.
That was why Yohan decided to take a gamble with his answer.
After finishing his deliberation, he slowly nodded.
The stigma had belonged to a Giant, not a small one. But…
‘⋯⋯A lie of this degree should be fine.’
They probably couldn’t distinguish between the two right now anyway.
“Really?”
Aria quietly observed him.
“So there was a stigma after all?”
Yohan nodded once more.
“⋯⋯Hmm.”
Aria’s thoughtful voice flowed from the crystal orb, accompanied by the soft tapping of her finger against the book.
“Understood. For now, we’ll confirm just this….”
She turned her head slightly as if speaking to someone behind her. After a moment of her voice turning warm and friendly toward whoever it was, the crystal orb suddenly went completely silent.
‘⋯⋯I suppose I’ll have to wait.’
Yohan waited patiently for the conversation to end.
[I can’t hear the contents.]
[It seems deliberate. There must be someone behind her, but I can’t see who.]
‘Could it be the Chancellor?’
The only person who had gone with her was the Chancellor. And it was hard to imagine Aria speaking so warmly to any of the other races.
⋯⋯Well, she did seem close to the Chancellor, but that was beside the point.
“Ah, just a moment.”
After some time had passed and the conversation seemed to have ended, Aria lifted her head toward him. Sound returned to the crystal orb.
“You probably can’t see it, but I found a book here that seems related.”
Yohan nodded.
“But the more I look at it, the more serious this matter seems. Since you’re the only one who saw it while it was still alive, I think you should look at this book too….”
Aria stroked her chin as she looked at him. Her expression seemed genuinely troubled.
‘Is it impossible to bring the book?’
[That seems the most likely. The dragon probably won’t allow it easily.]
Yohan nodded in agreement. There was the risk of losing it, and the possibility of information leaking had to be considered as well.
‘Even so, it won’t be that simple to…’
“I can only bring one book. I haven’t read them all yet, but this one seems to have the highest chance right now.”
⋯⋯Pardon?
Before Yohan could even tilt his head in confusion, Aria continued.
“Leave the crystal orb there. I’ll look into it more and come back to let you know. Can you wake up at dawn?”
Yohan reluctantly nodded.
It was good news. Being able to read a book from another race’s archive was definitely beneficial.
⋯⋯But.
‘⋯⋯It is good news, but…’
Why did it feel so unsettling?
Yohan scratched his head.