Chapter 163: The Witch and The Contract of Magic (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: The Witch and The Contract of Magic (5)
Both Adel and the girl with the sword at her throat were frozen stiff.
Adel was thrown into confusion by a scene so different from what she had expected, while the girl seemed unable to fully comprehend the situation she was in.
And so, it was the third parties nearby who broke the silence.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Wh-what, who are you!?”
“Guards! Somebody get the guards!!”
To be honest, their actions could hardly be called wise.
If their loud shouts provoked the perpetrator, and the agitated culprit happened to swing the sword carelessly, the girl before them would meet a terrible end.
Adel, however, was an exception.
Having gone so far as to only knock out the guards who might have been in league with the culprit, there was no way she would brandish her sword against innocent civilians who knew nothing.
This isn't the place. I have to find somewhere else!
Adel quickly withdrew her sword and, leaving the bewildered girls behind, hurried up the next flight of stairs.
But on the next floor, too, Adel failed to find what she was looking for.
The third floor’s layout was almost identical to the second’s. Though there were fewer people than below, it was clearly a lived-in space.
It was a far cry from the bizarre space filled with countless doors that the mouse had seen.
The fourth floor had nothing that could be called a room; instead, it was a wide, open space furnished with desks and a lectern.
The fifth floor contained only a large bell and a wide, expansive window.
And that was the end.
There was no staircase leading up anywhere in sight.
“Where in the world…?”
A dazed mutter echoed emptily.
*
The next day.
The Donnengarten domain was in an uproar.
A mysterious assailant had stormed the Tower of Learning, managed by the lord’s wife, knocked out the guards, and roamed the interior before escaping.
The lord, enraged by the incident, ordered the culprit to be found at once, but the search ran into difficulties.
The guards hadn't even gotten a proper look at the attacker, who had rushed them out of the darkness, and the testimonies from the girls inside the tower were a jumble of contradictions.
“I-I think they had long hair!”
“No, they were wearing some kind of hood. And I think they had a large build.”
“Huh? Weren’t they small? Though the weapon seemed big.”
The guards simply assumed the girls couldn't remember properly due to the chaotic situation, but the truth was that it was the combined effect of the ‘magic mask that prevents proper recognition of one’s appearance,’ prepared by the Lennart family, and the ‘gem that blurs presence,’ given to her by Dorothea.
A master with keen eyes might have seen through it, but there was no chance for ordinary girls to discern Adel’s identity.
Of course, in this world, there's always suspicion, even without proof.
Given that this incident occurred on the very day Dorothea’s party arrived, it was perhaps only natural that suspicion would fall upon them.
However, the party was never actually interrogated.
“Well, of course. She’s not just any member of the Lion Duke’s bloodline, but a representative instructor of a dojo. Interrogating someone like that would be an immense burden. Especially without any physical evidence.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says the lord didn't seem like the type to care about such things!]
“He, for his part, seems to not have a shred of doubt that a ‘revered warrior of the Lion Duke’s bloodline’ would ever do such a thing. Which, I suppose, is why the other vassals are even more hesitant to speak up, despite their suspicions about us.”
At Sophia’s words, Adel could only offer a dry, sheepish smile.
She didn't think her actions were wrong, since they were for the sake of rescuing someone, but that was a separate matter. Having to play along with the lord, who spent the entire breakfast talking about how he would ‘definitely catch the culprit’ and ‘show Adel the skills of Donnengarten’s soldiers,’ pricked her conscience something fierce.
It had reached a point where she suspected he might know and was just teasing her.
After some light conversation, the three turned their gazes to Dorothea, who had been sitting silently by herself on one side of the room.
With a deep frown, she was glaring into a water mirror. She hadn't slept a wink since last night and had been in that state the entire time.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if you’ve made any progress!]
“…I can tell the space is distorted. But the spell formula is just too bizarre. It’s not a matter of it being difficult or easy—I've never even seen this system of magic before.”
Just as a skilled swordsman knows how to deal not only with swords but also with weapons like spears and arrows, a skilled mage typically has some knowledge of schools of magic outside their own specialty.
Otherwise, a proper response would be impossible.
Yet, regarding the mysterious magic cast upon this tower—no, a power she doubted was even magic at all—Dorothea couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
The fact seemed to wound her pride considerably, and her face was sullen.
“Um, will Miss Rapunzel be alright? I heard it’s already the third day she’s been trapped in there, and she hasn’t been able to eat properly.”
Adel spoke while looking at the water mirror, as if trying to change the subject.
Upon hearing that the first rescue attempt had failed, Rapunzel had become quite disheartened and was spending most of her time curled up and sleeping.
Her cheeks had grown quite thin. At first, the ‘guards’ had brought her proper meals, but after several escape attempts, they had switched to giving her only a little water and grain powder once a day.
The party surmised it was a means to drain her of her strength.
“She’ll be fine for a while. The fact that they’re giving her food at all means they have some use for her alive. The trouble is, we don’t know what that ‘something’ is.”
“If it’s difficult for us to break in, how about we help her escape from the inside?”
At Sophia’s question, Dorothea shook her head. It seemed she had already considered the idea.
“I already had the mouse scout around. Just because you go down the stairs doesn't mean you can get to a lower floor.”
“What about having her escape to the outside?”
“It’s doubtful she has the ability to break through the walls, and even if she did, there’s no guarantee she’d land safely over here if she jumped.”
Dorothea clicked her tongue softly.
“Since it’s based on the same ‘tower,’ I feel like I could figure something out if I could just investigate the tower here.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says you should just investigate it yourself!]
“You think they’d let an outsider investigate in this situation? Tsk, if I knew it would come to this, I shouldn't have caused such a commotion.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says a change in perspective is important at times like these!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that you need the spirit to turn a crisis into an opportunity!]
At the Tin Knight’s words, Dorothea shot it a look of disbelief.
“Are you just going to keep spouting whatever comes to mind?”
“Hmm, no, that might actually be effective.”
When even Sophia backed the Tin Knight, Dorothea listened more seriously to the ‘plan’ she proposed.
“…You think that will work?”
“It’s not like our suspicions will disappear if we just stay silent. Or are you going to give up?” Sophia asked with a cheerful smile.
Her demeanor suggested that even if Dorothea were to say, ‘I was never really obligated to save her anyway, so I’ll just give up,’ she would agree without any objection.
And for that very reason, Dorothea’s competitive spirit flared.
She nodded her head.
*
“Oh, are you serious, Lady Adelaide?”
“Yes. We would like to assist in resolving this incident.”
“Of course, we would be most grateful for your help, but…”
The lord wore a rather complicated expression at Adelaide’s proposal.
And to wipe every emotion but joy from his face, Adelaide recited the lines (prepared by Sophia).
“You welcomed us with the utmost sincerity, even though we arrived without so much as a proper promise of a visit. To repay this kindness, and to resolve any potential ‘misunderstandings,’ we simply cannot stand idly by.”
“Kindness, I understand, but what do you mean by misunderstandings?”
“This incident… don’t you find the timing a little too contrived?”
Adel narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin slightly.
Sophia had instructed her to put on as ‘haughty’ an expression as possible when delivering this line.
“…? Is there something in your eye? Do you need a handkerchief?”
“Cough. N-No.”
Adel gave up quickly.
Reciting prepared lines was one thing, but facial acting wasn't something she could pull off on the spot. Especially not for Adel.
Everyone has their own aptitudes.
After a small, clearing cough, Adel continued.
“When committing a crime, the surest way to avoid being a suspect is to prepare another suspect. An incident that occurred ‘coincidentally’ right after we arrived in this domain. Wouldn't people's attention naturally be drawn to us?”
“Impossible! How could the proud bloodline of the Lion Duke commit such a petty crime?”
“I am grateful for your trust, my lord, but others may not see it that way.”
At Adel’s words, the surrounding vassals furtively averted their gazes or covered their mouths with their hands.
She could have pressed them right there, but according to the script, that would be a bad move.
“Of course, I don’t mean that in a bad way. I would have been suspicious myself. I believe the one at fault is not the person who doubts, but the person who induced such suspicion… ahem, yes, that is what I believe.”
Adel briefly wet her lips with the tea in her cup.
Knowing the truth and spouting such brazen words was making her mouth go dry.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of people could tell such lies without a single change in their expression.
She worried that her clumsy acting might ruin things, but thankfully, the seemingly simple-minded lord moved exactly as she intended.
“Induced suspicion… so you mean the culprit deliberately chose last night for their deed, to direct suspicion toward you.”
“Yes. This is a scheme to drive a wedge between us and you, my lord, and a ploy to tarnish the honor of the Lion Duke’s bloodline. Therefore, we wish to cooperate in finding the culprit.”
“Ooh. In that case, I cannot possibly refuse. Please, do help us find the culprit, Lady Adelaide.”
While repeatedly bowing her head in her mind and thinking, ‘My lord, I’m so sorry,’ Adelaide excused her actions as all being for the sake of rescuing the girl and began the final steps.
“The culprit is said to have wandered the tower as if searching for something, so I believe there’s a high probability that a clue, or the ‘something’ the culprit was looking for, is in the tower.”
“But Lady Adelaide, my soldiers have already searched the interior from top to bottom and found nothing of the sort.”
“A physical search isn’t the only kind of search. We have a mage on our side who is skilled in these matters. If you grant her the authority to investigate the tower, I guarantee she will uncover its secrets.”
“Hoh, you have such a person? Ah, now that you mention it, I believe there was a woman carrying a staff. I see. They say many mages have eccentric personalities; I suppose that was the meaning behind her attire.”
The lord nodded as if he understood, muttering to himself.
Adelaide thought it was a good thing Dorothea wasn't here.
“Very well. Then, effective immediately—”
“—Please wait a moment.”
Just as the lord was about to grant permission, a woman who had been silent the entire time interjected.
The woman, who had a very demure yet intelligent air about her, spoke in a calm tone.
“The children in the tower are quite frightened by last night’s incident and the soldiers’ search. If strangers were to roam the tower again in this situation, the burden the children would feel would be by no means small. I ask that you please reconsider, my lord.”
“Hmm, my lady. It is not that I don’t understand your concern, but when you think about it, wouldn't finding the source of the problem quickly be what’s best for the children?”
“I am not opposed to the search itself. However, the children will need time to regain their composure. I ask that you please grant them a brief reprieve.”
“The lady of the domain is right, my lord.”
“For girls in the prime of their youth to experience such a thing, the shock must be considerable. You must grant them time to compose themselves.”
At the lord’s wife’s words, the vassals, who had been standing like folding screens until now, all began to speak at once.
Only the military personnel, including the guard knights, remained silent.
The lord wore a troubled expression for a moment, then glanced furtively at Adelaide.
“Ahem, Lady Adelaide. Would you be so kind as to grant us a reprieve of one day? After that, I will see to it that the tower is completely emptied so that you may conduct your investigation as you please.”
Adelaide bowed her head for a moment.
Outwardly, it might have looked like a silent protest to show her displeasure, but in reality, it was to hide her surprised expression.
The situation was unfolding exactly as Sophia had told her it would.
Feeling like the Wu commander who had just seen the prophesied southeast wind begin to blow, Adelaide accepted the lord’s words.