The Frog of the Lake
When Lawrence mentioned a fallen noble house, Angela’s face went cold.
Francois tugged at her sister’s sleeve.
When their eyes met, Angela shook her head, as if telling her not to.
At her older sister’s reaction, Angela let out a sigh.
“I understand what you mean, Lawrence. Our Valentina family used to be a prestigious house, too. But it isn’t anymore. To be honest, I think you’d be better off looking for someone else, even if it’s only for now.”
“To travel the north, I need a guide I can trust. Especially if I’m going any farther north than Winterglen, I’ll desperately need the help of a Sherpa from one of the minority peoples, or a Watcher.”
“Even so….”
As if she could think of nothing else to say, she trailed off.
But Francois was different.
She understood exactly what Lawrence was trying to say.
“You’re looking for a Watcher from a fallen noble house.”
Lawrence nodded.
There was no guarantee he could find a Sherpa in the north.
The guides he could hire in Winterglen only knew the area around the town, he had been told. In other words, the road to whatever palace lay somewhere in the north was still far out of reach.
“I judged you wrong, Lawrence. In the end, you’re no different from anyone else. Just like those nobles who are forever scrambling to snatch up even the smallest scrap they can get their hands on.”
“I’m sorry for making such an unreasonable request.”
“Wouldn’t it be enough if you just left us alone? The Valentina family is already….”
“Angela.”
Francois cut her off.
“Enough. You know he’s not that kind of person.”
“But, sister…!”
“Lawrence isn’t someone who knows no manners. He’s asking politely and with proper respect. He’s not like the nobles who approach people only after they’ve seen their background. You know that as well as I do. We were the ones who approached Lawrence first.”
As though soothing a younger sister, she continued slowly, “A true noble house carries its proper responsibilities and duties. Even if our family name has been dragged into the dirt, the pride in our hearts has not yet been defiled.”
“I don’t understand why you care so much about that empty pride. Responsibilities and duties? What are they even supposed to mean? No one recognizes us anyway. No—if it were only that, we’d be lucky. Everywhere we turn, it’s nothing but people trying to use us. Look at us now. You and me both! We’re just using this little convent as a place to hide!”
Angela raised her voice.
Unable to keep her anger down, her lips trembled.
“All the more reason to protect it. If we, who were once a noble house, don’t fulfill a noble’s obligations, then who will bother to preserve them?”
“…….”
Angela opened her mouth, as though she had something to say.
But in the end, she said nothing and closed it again.
She averted her gaze from Francois’s silent stare.
“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”
“I’m sorry. And thank you, Angela.”
Angela sat on the windowsill.
Turning her head toward the window, she gave a sniffle.
“Lawrence. One of our family’s survivors definitely headed north. There was no other choice at the time if they wanted to escape the disaster hanging over our house. My brother, too. And the rest of the household. But we don’t know whether any of them survived. And we certainly don’t know whether they reached their destination safely and became Watchers of Winter.”
Francois reached into her robe and took something out.
A pink handkerchief.
Like the one Lawrence had once received from Lurizisa, this one also bore a clear family crest.
“A hawk flying through the heavens. It’s the crest of the Valentina family. As long as this wing is not broken, it carries the meaning that we can fly freely wherever the wind reaches.”
An eagle embroidered in silver thread.
The hawk had such a noble air about it that it seemed to be gazing toward some distant place.
“When you reach Saint Wall, please show this handkerchief to whoever is in charge. If anyone remains who still has ties to our family, they’ll surely lend you a hand.”
“Thank you, Francois. I won’t forget this kindness.”
“It’s too soon to be thanking us. This is all we can do for you. What happens after that is up to you, Lawrence.”
All they could offer was the barest of bridges.
Winning cooperation from there was entirely his burden.
“There’s only one thing I’d like you to promise.”
Surprisingly, Francois stepped closer to Lawrence.
She, who had always hidden behind bookshelves, now met his eyes directly.
The hand offering the handkerchief trembled ever so slightly.
“This time, we listened to Lawrence’s request. So next time, I’d like Lawrence to listen to ours.”
“I promise you here and now. Since you’ve granted my request, I won’t turn away from either of your requests in the future.”
There were never many options to begin with.
Ask the Mistra Merchant Group to find him a noble, or ask Angela and Francois, who came from the Valentina family.
Lawrence judged the two nuns before him far more trustworthy than becoming indebted to the Mistra Merchant Group.
He had only spoken with Oswin for a few hours.
That was different from these women, whom he had met face-to-face over the past few months and come to know through direct experience.
At the very least, the Valentina sisters knew the meaning of propriety.
“Good. I’ll trust you, Lawrence.”
At the reply, given without hesitation, Francois smiled.
* * *
“A ritual magic spell, you say?”
“Yes. I’ve also heard it called an inscription rite.”
Cedric, seated across from him, rolled his eyes without making a sound.
“I don’t remember the exact name of the magic either. But it’s said to be essential for ladies who want to make their debut at a salon.”
“Essential? Why?”
“For families that place great importance on blood, the question of chastity is a very important one. Especially for houses called prestigious, there’s a certain dignity expected of them. A noble young lady is not the same as some country girl. The minimum requirement for attending a salon is purity. The magic that can determine that is ritual magic.”
“…….”
“People of high rank often compare ladies to human resources. The easiest way for two families to build friendly ties is to mix their blood with one another. It’s an unfortunate thing, but that is the darker side of noble society.”
Nausea rose in him.
A person was not an object.
The noble world, which could only look at people in such terms, was revolting.
“It’s a spell considered essential in noble society. If you’re aiming to become a territorial mage, Lawrence, I think it would be good to learn it.”
Lawrence did not answer.
After wetting his throat with milk, he let out a long, low breath.
“Have you met Miriam?”
“Miriam?”
According to Lionel, Miriam had vanished after meeting a blond handsome man. Coincidentally, the blond handsome man in question was Cedric, sitting right here in front of him.
And Miriam had said she knew Cedric personally.
Could the two of them have met there?
“How do you know Miriam, Lawrence?”
“We crossed paths briefly while I was traveling to the Magic Tower. Since she’s a bard, she really can sing.”
“Hahaha. Of course. Miriam’s singing is amazing.”
Cedric laughed as if he had been the one praised.
“But the last time I met Miriam was at least three years ago.”
“So you haven’t seen her?”
“No. I only found out she was in Mistra because you told me just now, Lawrence.”
“…….”
It wasn’t Cedric?
Then who on earth had taken Miriam away?
What had happened that she left without giving any warning at all?
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure you needn’t worry too much. Miriam is a woman like the wind. I’m sure she’ll appear before Lawrence again as though nothing ever happened.”
“I hope so. I only pray it wasn’t something serious.”
Thinking it over wouldn’t change anything.
After calling for Rada, Lawrence ordered more milk.
“I’ll be leaving Mistra before long.”
By the time he had nearly finished the meal, Lawrence spoke up.
The request to head for Winterglen was already only a week away.
The easy days he could spend like this would soon be over.
“The north is full of unknown dangers. I do hope you’ll be careful, Lawrence.”
Cedric did not offer farewell in so many words.
He, too, had no doubt that they would meet again someday.
“Until we meet again, I hope you’ll be safe as well, Cedric.”
“You needn’t worry about me. Next time, I’m thinking of going to the royal capital. If there’s anywhere with better public order than Mistra, then I’ll be fine.”
Lawrence extended his hand across the table.
Cedric, smiling awkwardly, took it.
* * *
When Lawrence opened his eyes, he realized he had arrived in the Spirit World.
The damp smell of earth tickled his nose.
All around him hung the fragrance of flowers he did not know.
The faint song of a small bird drifted through the air.
And beyond the swaying branches, the sky glowed with a brightness almost too vivid to be real.
Passing through trees that stood like solemn sentinels, he came upon a lake.
The lake, revealed between the trees, was where the neighbors of the Spirit World were playing.
All at once, Dragon Valley came to mind.
He had wandered through many different dream realms since then, but nowhere had been as peaceful as the place where Acheron and Veles had lived.
And yet the scene before him today felt strikingly similar to that day’s view.
“This way, beloved child!”
“Come play with us!”
It filled him with a feeling of nostalgia.
Lawrence sat down with the neighbors of the Spirit World at the edge of the lake.
When he dipped his bare feet into the water, a pleasant coolness ran through him.
It wasn’t too cold, nor did it feel sticky or heavy.
This was water one could never come across on the road.
A lake you would never encounter unless you were in the Spirit World itself.
There were no threats of any kind to be seen around the lake.
It was a safe place, much like the meadow where the fairies had once gathered.
“Play however you like!”
“You’ll play with us, won’t you? You will, right?”
Lawrence felt his shoulders loosen.
It had been a long time since he had dreamed of the Spirit World.
Perhaps this reflected his wish to rest for a while.
Setting his worries aside, Lawrence joined in with the neighbors of the Spirit World.
He didn’t do anything in particular.
He simply sat by the lake and went along with the flow of the moment.
Splash, splash.
As he kicked the water with his feet, the neighbors laughed delightedly.
Gentle ripples spread outward.
The dancing waves caught the sunlight and glittered.
In the distance, he could see a frog perched on a stem of leaves, drifting down with the current.
It was a frog so perfectly shaped it seemed painted on a canvas.
At the sight of its adorable little form, Lawrence unconsciously reached out a hand.
The frog sprang from the leaf stem and landed on his palm.
Its clear eyes looked up at him.
The sense that something was off came immediately after.
For some reason, the frog’s appearance was not unfamiliar.
He was lost in thought only for a moment.
There was only one frog he had recently been involved with.
Lawrence’s eyes trembled.
The identity of this tiny frog was the spirit, Bydyanoi.
“……”
Bydyanoi, who had once boasted an almost impossible size.
He could not tell why it had become so small.
And that was not the only thing that had changed.
The spirit, now in the form of a tiny frog, said not a single word.
“Bydyanoi. Is that you?”
“……”
No answer came.
It only looked up at Lawrence.
But there was no doubt it had heard him.
The cognitive concept did not tell lies.
The mouth that conveyed it must surely have delivered his intent as well.
Lawrence lifted his hand.
Meeting Bydyanoi’s gaze, he spoke.
“I was rude in the real world. I couldn’t tell you there that I had become aware of the cognitive concept.”
Invincible Caelo, one of the Four Knights of the Promise.
Yerina, an Inquisitor of the Celestial.
He had not been able to take the risk of speaking with a spirit in front of those two.
“……”
Bydyanoi still said nothing.
But this time, there was a reaction.
Bydyanoi leapt down from Lawrence’s hand.
Dropping onto the leaf stem, it turned and looked out over the lake.
Then it began.
The first to feel the change were the neighbors of the Spirit World.
Up until now, the neighbors who had been playing around the lake suddenly started fleeing outward.
Lawrence did not follow them.
The scene before him had stolen his attention.
The flow of mana generated by Bydyanoi swallowed the lake.
Droplets of water began to rise one by one from the surface, taking shape in the air.
It looked as though he were watching hail falling from the sky.
The difference was that the droplets, which should have been falling from above, were hovering over the lake instead.
The droplets rotated.
There was no spray of water scattering around them.
Instead, the droplets gathered at the center and accelerated, and soon they were dyed from blue to red.
He heard the sound of something snapping inside his head.
One point in his vision turned red.
Lawrence wiped the blood flowing from his eyes.
He understood what Bydyanoi had shown him.
He had seen and comprehended it.
The very same water gu he had dealt with in Frang’s holy ground.
The headache was not severe.
It was different from the Shadow Trap shown by the red eyes.
The mystery Bydyanoi had given Lawrence was Water Ball.
It was a different sort from the Water Ball he had received at the Magic Tower.
Compression of mana.
An unwavering center of gravity.
Even absolute destructive force.
The mystery reached through understanding and whispered of a new landscape.
Rain began to fall.
The Water Ball that had been floating above the lake dissolved back into droplets and scattered away.
Bydyanoi, perched on the leaf stem, watched Lawrence.
Its clear eyes were exactly the same as when they had first met.
Lawrence bowed his head toward the silent spirit.
That was the greatest respect he could offer to Bydyanoi, who had shown him a fragment of mystery.
---