Old Memories (7)
Brione murmured the name Mideronde to herself as she examined the orb.
"What's that? A person's name? Someone you know?"
"Hold on. I'm reading it."
Brione spun the orb around, squinting at the inscriptions etched into its surface. Her brow furrowed.
"For starters, this is definitely magic. Ancient magic, from a really long time ago."
"I already knew that much. What I want to know is whether you can dispel it or not."
Brione clamped her mouth shut, as if the words were hard to force out. I didn't need to hear her say it—I could tell she couldn't undo the spell.
I rubbed my chin, sinking into thought for a moment.
"Hmm... So, is there no magic that makes you age? If we hit you with that, wouldn't you go back to normal?"
"No such magic exists, Bertrand."
"It doesn't make sense that there's magic to make you younger but nothing to make you older..."
"It's not so much that it doesn't exist—it's more accurate to say it's been lost."
Brione explained it like this. Long ago, in ancient times, the first mages could perform great feats like turning back time or resurrecting the dead. But those spells defied the laws of this world, so the casters had to endure massive backlash. Over time, that lineage died out, and now even the methods and incantations have been completely forgotten.
"So if I just tough it out for a few years like this, will I start aging normally again?"
"Honestly... I don't know. Maybe like you said, or maybe you'll stay stuck like this, or keep getting even younger. No one knows."
"We're fucked then."
"Wait. I haven't finished reading yet."
Brione flipped the orb upside down and peered closely at the tiny script on the bottom. Soon, a faint glimmer of hope lit her face.
"It says here... the mage who made this orb can dispel the spell. Hm... 'If there's a problem, come find me,' or something like that."
"Really? Then let's go right now. Wait... hold up."
I was about to leap off the chair when something felt off about the story.
"You said this is ancient magic whose lineage has died out. So how could the original caster still be alive...?"
Brione held out the orb so I could see the inscription.
"This name, Mideronde."
But no matter how I looked, I couldn't make out what those letters said. So what?
"It's the name of a mage I know."
"What...? What the hell does that mean? She was alive?"
"No, not like that... Any mage who's studied magic has heard of her. She was active even before the Revenge King's era."
Dead? Why is everything so damn complicated? But it wasn't time to give up yet.
"There's a place where this Mideronde mage used to stay."
"And?"
"Legend has it there's a hidden research lab somewhere there. And it's not just some baseless tale—there are historical records of her setting up a base and operating in that area."
I fell silent, lost in thought. Brione was a genius mage who'd become a royal court mage at a young age. If even she couldn't crack this spell on the spot, that tracked. The only lead we'd found so far was that inscription telling us to seek out the caster. But this Mideronde was someone from thousands of years ago, recorded only in history books—long dead by now. The flimsiest clue left was this supposed hidden lab... which might not even exist, and even if it did, we could end up chasing shadows for nothing.
Still... honestly, what other options did we have? Soup or risotto, we had to check it out. With a black mage, a regular mage, and even the Holy Sword on our side, it wasn't like we'd be charging in blind. The Goddess... well, she made a point of not intervening in the real world except for those rare 'occasional' moments, so we'd set her aside...
"Alright, let's head there. Better than sitting around twiddling our thumbs."
"You're right, Bertrand. I'll tell you where it is, then..."
"What're you talking about? Why tell me?"
Brione blinked at me, not grasping for a second.
"You're coming with me, obviously. How are we supposed to find an ancient mage's lab without a mage?"
"Sure, but... it's pretty far away. Being away from the palace for that long..."
Unlike her usual confident demeanor, she trailed off hesitantly.
"Then take a vacation. You're a civil servant, right?"
"Well..."
Brione stopped there, rubbing her brow with a troubled look. Idi, who'd been sweating bullets and eavesdropping, finally spoke up slowly.
"Bertrand... Brione seems to have some issues... Let's just go by ourselves... I'll protect you..."
She glanced at Brione.
"Anyway... at night, it'll just be the two of us... we can play as much as we want..."
Brione whipped her head around and glared at Idi. Idi couldn't hold the stare-down and shyly looked away.
"Bertrand."
Brione's tone sharpened.
"Wait here. I'll go get vacation approval. Don't move a muscle till then."
Before I could respond, she flung her robe and bolted out of the room. As the door slammed shut with a bang, a baffled me turned to Idi, who drawled slowly.
"Hehe... Now I can take you away..."
"You didn't say that on purpose, did you?"
"Uh-huh... I figured Brione wouldn't like you being alone with another girl... So I poked her on purpose... Did I do good...?"
Damn... Never thought I'd live to see Idi stirring up jealousy in someone else.
"But... when do you think Brione'll be back...? Maybe we have time to finish what we were doing...?"
Idi licked her lips, eyeing my crotch.
"Pack your bags. She'll probably be back soon."
"Hope she doesn't come back pissed..."
We hurriedly packed so we could leave the moment Brione returned.
Back at the palace, Brione climbed the stairs upward. She paused before the floor with Elua's office, taking a deep breath.
"I can do this..."
Steeling herself, she walked slowly down the corridor. Palace officials who recognized her greeted her, and she replied half-heartedly. Her mind was too busy rehearsing what to say to Elua.
Soon, she reached the door to the queen's office. Heavily armed guards gave her a quick pat-down—pointless for a mage, but protocol. Confirming nothing amiss, one guard entered the adjoining antechamber to announce her arrival. The queen's personal aide went inside and soon gave the okay. Brione passed through the side door into the office.
Elua sat at the massive desk in the center of the spacious, pristine room. She lounged sideways in her plush chair, legs crossed, reading reports. Fresh scabs crusted another new scar on her wrist. Behind her stood Grancis with her vacant eyes, holding a glass bottle of drink like a statue, utterly motionless.
The door creaked open, and Elua's slit-pupiled snake eyes slid over lazily. Grancis didn't twitch a muscle. The eerie sight made Brione shudder briefly.
"Your Majesty."
Brione bowed deeply.
"What brings you here so early, Brione?"
"Nothing urgent, Your Majesty... I came in person to request a short vacation for personal reasons—about two days."
Elua set down her report and smiled. It was meant to be kind, but with those serpentine eyes, it always came off creepy.
"I see. And what might this personal matter be? Are you ill?"
"No, nothing like that... It's so utterly personal, I'm embarrassed to even mention it to Your Majesty..."
Feeling sweat soak into her back, Brione bowed even deeper. Everyone knew the queen's ties to Bertrand—she couldn't spill the full truth.
Elua just watched her with that smile. Sweat beaded on Brione's forehead under the gaze. After an agonizingly long moment (mere seconds, really), Elua spoke.
"Very well. You've served at my side without a single day off since the coronation and oath of loyalty. I was already planning to give you some time soon."
Her voice was soft and silky, yet chilling to the bone.
"Vacation granted. Rest well and return ready to work even harder, Brione."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Brione steadied her trembling body and expressed her gratitude as calmly as she could.
Elua chuckled lowly and held out an empty glass from the desk. It was the one Bertrand had used at a banquet long ago. Grancis emotionlessly filled it from behind.
Elua swirled the drink before her eyes and asked.
"By the way... are you planning to meet Balder, Brione?"