Tamed #2
“Mmm… that smells good.”
Hurk grinned, the corners of his mouth curling as he flipped what looked like hamburger patties on the grill. The rich, savory aroma of searing meat filled the palace kitchen, and that was reason enough for his satisfaction.
“It really does,” Edgar agreed, crouching beside him at the grill, a matching smile tugging at his lips.
This had become part of Edgar’s daily routine: he would roughly describe a dish he was craving, and Hurk would experiment through trial and error until he got it right. The palace staff usually ended up delighted by the results, and the meals themselves had grown far more abundant and interesting because of it.
“Taste isn’t half bad either.”
“Right? I’m reaping the benefits of the head chef’s skill again today.”
“Ahem! Well, I do what I can… But more importantly, where do you even dig these ideas up from?”
“They just pop into my head.”
“A genius of inspiration, that’s what you are. A genius.”
The two men chatted idly while sampling the test batch of tteokgalbi. Edgar’s casual deflection of the question felt completely natural by now.
“So you’re in here again today?”
Right in the middle of Hurk’s pondering over the seasoning for the tteokgalbi, Freesia poked her head into the kitchen without warning. Her sudden appearances had become so routine that neither man was particularly surprised anymore.
“Oh? Your Highness!”
Both men rose and bowed. Their manners were impeccable, but there was no fluster in the gesture.
“Yeah. What’s that smell, though?”
“We’re calling it tteokgalbi. Testing it out to serve for lunch.”
“Is that so? Let me guess—this guy begged you to make it again.”
Most of the unfamiliar dishes that appeared these days originated from Edgar’s requests. Freesia knew that perfectly well, so her reply came out utterly flat.
“Here to collect this guy again today, Your Highness?”
In terms of palace rank, Hurk and Edgar were more or less on the same level, so they settled hierarchy by age. That was why Hurk freely called him “this guy.”
“Yeah. Anything left for him to do? If there is, leave him to it.”
“No, take him. From here on out it’s work I can handle alone.”
“Really? Thanks.”
Freesia gave a short laugh, nodded, and led Edgar out of the kitchen. They walked through the palace for a short while until they reached the hall where Edgar was staying.
“Is there something you need me to do?” Edgar asked as he seated the princess at the table and brought out freshly brewed tea. Sometimes she came just to talk; other times she arrived with tasks in mind.
“Hmm? Well… if you want to get technical, there is something I need from you.”
“As long as it’s not too difficult, I’ll manage.”
He would give any request his full effort, but there was no point if the task lay beyond his abilities. Edgar put a theatrical whine into the words, and Freesia’s mouth twisted into a wry little smile.
“Anyone listening would think all I ever do is dump impossible jobs on you.”
“Ahem! My apologies.”
At her mild scolding, Edgar across the table immediately tucked his tail between his legs. Their relationship had grown comfortable enough that the whole exchange felt more like teasing than genuine complaint.
“No need to apologize. Anyway—starting now, I want you to learn sorcery.”
“Sorcery? Me?”
Edgar’s head tilted in confusion. Freesia answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah. But…”
She laid out the reasons he needed to learn it, along with the conditions Iris had set, without leaving anything out.
Sorcery, huh.
Edgar had always assumed sorcery was the exclusive domain of the Yo clan—something only they could use. That was the impression the game’s lore had left him with. From the way Freesia spoke, however, that assumption was apparently wrong.
“Can a human even use sorcery?”
“Sorcery is a system the Yo clan developed on their own, but that doesn’t mean only the Yo can use it. That’s why I’m asking for your decision.”
She said she was asking, yet her tone and expression made it clear she was all but ordering him to learn it—together with the condition that he would live as one of the Yo rather than as a human.
Sorcery… sorcery…
The coercive terms were not actually a hardship for Edgar. He had no close ties among humans, and the people he had befriended in Yo territory far outnumbered them. He also carried a heavy debt of gratitude here. On top of that, the simple curiosity of what it would feel like to wield sorcery sealed his resolve.
“Then I’ll be in your care.”
Edgar bowed his head politely. Freesia crossed her arms and smiled—a strange little smile that mixed relief with quiet pleasure.
“Good. Starting tomorrow, come to my chambers. It’s only proper that the student comes to the teacher.”
“That does make sense. Understood.”
Edgar lifted his head and answered in a stiff voice. The sudden tension of realizing he was about to learn sorcery straightened his spine.
Once the princess left, Edgar went straight to find William. Though Edgar had been given a private hall as a guest, William lived outside the palace walls—close enough that coming and going was easy.
“The princess herself is going to teach you? Well now. Looks like you’re moving up in the world.”
The moment Edgar finished recounting what had just happened, William slapped his knee in open astonishment. A human learning sorcery—and from the princess herself—was an extraordinary exception.
“Moving up?”
“Knowing how to use sorcery opens a lot of doors, career-wise.”
“Then can you use it too, Senior Appraiser?”
“Me? I can, but it’s not much help. Want to see?”
“Yes.”
Edgar answered as if he had been waiting for the offer. William stretched out a hand. What would come out? Edgar watched with eyes full of curiosity.
A thin stream of water began to trickle from William’s fingertips.
“Water?”
“Yep. Water. Handy when you need a drink or a wash and there’s none around.”
“Can you make it stronger…?”
“Nope. This is my limit. I can manage a few other things, but they’re all about the same level.”
William withdrew his hand; the water vanished with it, leaving only a small puddle on the table.
“I see.”
“Sorcery is all about sense. Anyone with poor sense can’t handle strong techniques. Some people never get the feel for it at all and can’t use even a drop.”
“What if I turn out to be one of those people?”
What if he received the teaching and still couldn’t use it? An ominous thought flickered through Edgar’s mind. William clapped him on the shoulder and laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry! When a real master does the teaching, the odds of properly learning shoot way up. And the princess ranks among the very best of the Yo.”
“She’s that remarkable?”
Edgar’s eyes went wide. He had expected that someone of her lofty station would have received excellent education, but he had never imagined she was one of the absolute elite.
“Remarkable doesn’t even begin to cover it. For example…”
William started to launch into an eager story, then suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He had nearly said something that should never leave his lips.
“For example?”
Edgar prodded him to continue. William gave a bitter smile.
“Sorry. That’s not for me to tell. You’ll find out yourself if the time ever comes.”
Whatever it was, it was not something to be spoken lightly—which meant it was something the speaker very much wanted to keep hidden. Edgar read the implication and simply nodded. He had no desire to pry if it meant souring William’s mood.
Come as soon as the morning sun begins to rise.
Following those words, Edgar forced himself out of bed in the early dawn. Since he could not rise on his own, he borrowed a servant’s help.
“Haaah…”
He yawned long and luxuriously while changing clothes. It had been a while since he had gotten up this early, and his body was not adjusting well. Back when he had worked as a porter, dawn risings had been routine. The thought that his lot in life had improved so dramatically drew a quiet laugh from him.
“You’ve arrived, sir.”
When he reached Freesia’s hall, the servant waiting at the door bowed. Having already been informed by the princess, the man showed not a flicker of surprise—only calm composure.
“Is Her Highness…?”
Edgar asked carefully. The servant lifted his head.
“She has already risen. She also instructed that when the Appraiser arrives, I am not to announce him but to send him straight in.”
“Ah… I see. Thank you.”
“Then please go ahead.”
The servant stepped aside and opened the door. Edgar quietly crossed the threshold, a small worry lingering that the princess might still be asleep after all.
“You’re here…?”
Fortunately, Freesia was awake. She greeted him with a stretch. Even though he had heard she was up, the relief that he would not have to wake her still washed through him.
And then he noticed her attire was nothing like her usual dress. The deep, generous valley of her chest was fully exposed, along with soft, snow-white skin. Having inherited the blood of the formidable Iris, Freesia’s feminine figure was equally abundant. Even the former companions of the party of the Seeker had been beauties in their own right, yet she outshone them by a wide margin. The stretch had even bared her underarms. Edgar could not look straight at the sight and hastily averted his gaze.
“Mm… why are you looking away? Is something wrong?”
Freesia asked in a voice still thick with sleep. Edgar shook his head quickly; his pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“No. Nothing at all.”
“Then why are you looking away like that…?”
She started to speak, then dropped her eyes. Taking in her own appearance with a tired gaze, she soon went wide-eyed.
“Ah… so that’s why.”
A faint flush rose to Freesia’s cheeks. She felt a little embarrassed, yet the feeling was not as unpleasant as she might have expected—which itself was strange. The situation was rather mortifying, after all. If it had been any other man, she would have scolded him harshly even if it had been an accident.
Is it because I actually like him…?
Freesia watched Edgar’s shyly averted face for a moment, then slowly rose. A story Iris had once told her flickered through her mind and vanished.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Sit there on the floor.”
Her finger pointed to a broad cloth spread across the floor.
“Aren’t you going to change…?”
“I’ll put something on when I go out. Just sit. We need to get started.”
Was this really all right? Edgar wondered, yet he obeyed without protest. The subtle heat still lingering on his cheeks refused to fade, but he did his best to act as though nothing were amiss.
Freesia approached in the bare-shouldered outfit and settled herself behind him. The fragrance that was usually trapped beneath her clothes drifted into his nose, making his heart pound roughly.
“Close your eyes.”
The moment she whispered from behind him, his already racing heart hammered even harder—so hard he almost feared it might burst.
Huh?
Then Freesia laid her hands on him and let mana flow. The wild thrashing of his heart began, steadily and gently, to settle.