Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Curious Wind
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From their time in Milet Village, Cookie had been an excellent source of information for Lucillea.
A small, nimble body, the mobility of wings, and an adorable, harmless appearance.
No one ever suspected that Cookie could understand human speech and relay it.
Thanks to this, the stories circulating among the villagers reached Lucillea, which was how she had learned of the Elite Corps' visit to Milet Village.
And today, she planned to have Cookie, who had since honed his skills, eavesdrop on the conversation between Elbadin and the priest.
'The more information, the better.'
She knew far too little about the House of Grand Duke Descartes. With unknown details popping up left and right, she believed that even the smallest scrap of information would prove useful someday.
'Besides, I'm curious what the Grand Duke and the temple, bitter rivals that they are, will discuss.'
Lucillea stroked Cookie's small head and said,
"You know where the Grand Duke's office is, right? There's a drawing room next to it. They'll probably be talking in there. I need you to listen and tell me what they say."
Cookie's eyes grew serious in response.
[Leave it to me....... I'll show you just how useful a parrot I can be.......]
*Huff, huff.* Cookie's breathing grew a little rough. He was slightly worked up, looking as if he might take flight at any moment.
Just then, Lucillea stroked Cookie's head and said,
"But, Cookie."
[Yes?]
Looking into the innocent black eyes that gazed up at her, Lucillea quietly urged him.
"If it seems dangerous, just come back. Got it? Don't push yourself."
She was curious about what was happening, but Cookie's safety came first.
As Lucillea finished, Cookie folded a wing to his forehead in a salute and said,
[I'll keep that in mind! Safe flying!]
I'm off, Lucy! Cookie immediately launched himself out the window.
*Whoooooosh—.*
Just then, a cold north wind began to blow.
Cookie flapped his wings a few times, then surrendered himself to the wind, flying cautiously toward his destination.
A short while later, Cookie landed safely on the windowsill of Elbadin's drawing room.
***
"It has been a while, Your Highness."
Priest Lucanel, who had just entered the drawing room, offered the first greeting.
Elbadin gave a cursory reply as he walked over to a sofa and sat down.
"Yes, has it been three years?"
At Elbadin's words, Lucanel raised one corner of his mouth in a cool smile.
"Haha, it seems you still have no interest in others. It has not been three years, but five."
Elbadin tilted his head slightly and said nonchalantly,
"Is that so."
"..."
"Have a seat."
"...Of course."
With a thoroughly impassive expression, Elbadin gestured to the seat opposite him. Lucanel sat on the sofa, his face showing his displeasure.
A moment of silence passed.
The chilly atmosphere between the two men made the acolytes who had accompanied Lucanel exchange nervous glances.
"However."
Elbadin's skeptical gaze turned to Lucanel.
"What brings a busy man like you all the way to the grand ducal estate?"
At his terse question, Lucanel's lip twitched slightly. He quickly composed himself and replied,
"...The High Priest wishes to see you in person."
Hmm, Elbadin said, his face indifferent as if it were someone else's problem.
"We are hardly on terms to exchange pleasantries face-to-face."
At that, Lucanel forced a smile.
"It is a matter concerning the security of the empire."
"Is that something the temple, which sucks the lifeblood from the empire's people, should be saying?"
"L-Lifeblood!" Lucanel's face flushed as he raised his voice.
"Your Highness! You go too far! Our temple would never—"
"Claims of integrity are only valid when the temple is actually fulfilling its function."
"..."
"..."
The air in the drawing room grew cold.
Elbadin met Lucanel's glare with a look of contempt before slowly speaking.
"Everyone, leave."
"Yes, Your Highness."
At Elbadin's order to dismiss them, Riat and the escort knight promptly left the drawing room.
However, the two acolytes the priest had brought with him hesitated, looking to him for guidance.
The priest said to the acolytes,
"You two, go out and wait as well."
"Yes, sir."
And so, only Elbadin and Lucanel remained in the drawing room.
In the cold silence, the two men merely exchanged sharp glances.
Then, with a sigh...
Lucanel let out a short sigh, closing and then opening his eyes.
Only then, with a much more relaxed expression, did Lucanel speak.
"I apologize for visiting so suddenly."
"No, it's fine. You must have had a good reason to come in person."
Lucanel gave a faint smile at Elbadin's words.
The atmosphere was completely different from moments before, when they had been on guard and at odds with each other.
In truth, while Lucanel was a priest of the temple, he was also a man of the grand ducal house, having infiltrated the temple on Elbadin's orders.
Lucanel had been secretly monitoring the relationship between the imperial faction and the temple faction, reporting on the situation.
To avoid suspicion about his connection to Elbadin, he did his utmost to avoid meeting him, communicating only through encrypted letters.
And yet, this same Lucanel had come to the grand ducal estate in person.
Lucanel continued, his expression growing somewhat serious.
"Yes. I determined the matter was too grave to be handled by letter."
"Did something happen at the temple?"
"To be precise, it happened within the imperial palace."
Within the imperial palace? Elbadin's head tilted slightly.
"This morning's report said nothing out of the ordinary was happening at the palace."
"Yes, that's likely true. This is something only the High Priest, myself, and a very small number of others know about."
Lucanel continued without pause.
"A new magic department has been created within the imperial palace."
At that, Elbadin's eyes narrowed faintly.
"Departments are often dissolved and created. That's common enough."
"It is. But the problem is..."
Lucanel's expression grew even more serious.
"The personnel filling this magic department are not mages from the Magic Tower."
"Then who?"
In response to Elbadin's question, Lucanel slowly shook his head.
"Their identities are unknown."
"..."
Their identities are unknown?
"So you're saying they're allowing unidentified individuals into the imperial palace..."
"That is correct."
"I imagine the Empress is behind this."
"Indeed. And."
After a brief pause, Lucanel spoke again.
"They say they intend to use these unidentified mages to find talented individuals with special abilities."
"..."
"In other words, they plan to create a group like the House of Grand Duke Descartes' Elite Corps."
Elbadin's eyes narrowed. He tilted his head and muttered,
"Their intentions don't seem pure."
"Yes, which is why His Majesty the Emperor's permission has not yet been granted."
"He won't grant it easily. His Majesty made a promise to me."
"That is a relief. ...Ah, right."
Lucanel took out a document he had prepared.
"This is a list of the children who entered the temple this year. Unfortunately, there were no children who were exactly eight years old. But abandoned children often have uncertain ages."
"...You've done well."
Children with divine power go to the temple, not the grand ducal house. Elbadin was preparing for the possibility that his child might have been born with divine power instead of an aura or mana.
Elbadin went through the list from the envelope Lucanel had handed him, one page at a time, and said,
"If, by any chance..."
"Yes."
"...if you are in danger of your identity being exposed, leave the temple without hesitation."
"..."
Lucanel looked surprised for a moment, then answered with a faint smile.
"Of course. I am a man who values his own life above all else. I intended to do so even without you telling me."
At that, Elbadin let out a short, faint laugh.
"Hardly."
*Haha,* Lucanel laughed at his words before asking,
"Ah, I hear a new child with a special ability has arrived?"
"Has the rumor already spread to the temple?"
"Both the imperial family and the temple are watching the grand ducal house's situation closely. So, what kind of child is it? Do they have an aura? Or mana?"
"It seems you haven't managed to find that out."
"Don't even mention it. We only realized a new child had arrived because we saw the carriage heading to the estate. It's difficult to find out anything that happens inside."
Elbadin nodded.
"It will be revealed soon enough anyway, so it's better if you don't—"
Just then, Elbadin stopped mid-sentence and whipped his head around to look at a window.
"...Wait."
"Yes?"
Elbadin cut Lucanel off, raising a finger to his lips. *Shh.*
As Lucanel fell silent with a tense expression, Elbadin rose cautiously from the sofa and walked toward the window with deliberate, quiet steps.
Watching him, Lucanel tilted his head.
'What is he doing?'
He didn't know the reason, but Elbadin's expression and cautious movements created a suffocating tension.
*Gulp.* Lucanel swallowed dryly, his eyes fixed on Elbadin.
In that moment.
*Click—!* Having reached the window, Elbadin threw it open without warning.
*Whoooooosh—.*
As the window flew wide open, a cold wind rushed in violently.
Elbadin's hair whipped around, and the indigo curtains on the window billowed.
"..."
Elbadin slowly scanned the surroundings with just his eyes, then closed the window and returned to the sofa as if nothing had happened.
Lucanel, who had been silent until then, asked in a low voice,
"Was someone outside the window? Don't tell me a shadow sent by the imperial family followed you?!"
Elbadin sat back on the sofa and answered Lucanel's question calmly.
"It wasn't anything like that. It was just..."
Elbadin's red eyes glanced toward the window for a moment before returning.
Just a rather curious...
"It was the wind."
***
At that same moment.
[Gasp, pant, pant, pant—!]
Cookie, who had taken refuge on the floor just below the drawing room windowsill, gasped for breath.
[Phew, damn it! I thought I was caught!]