A Gift of Snails
After finishing breakfast, we headed to the place we'd promised. "Here we are. Your first time here, right?" Holding Edel's hand, we arrived at a small garden behind the castle. It helped with mana recovery and gave her a break from the stuffy indoors.
The kid who'd been staring at the ground the whole way perked up at the faint floral scent and started looking around. Flowerbeds lined both sides of the path, bursting with spring blooms, colorful butterflies fluttering above them.
"Whoa…."
"Abela takes care of this garden. Pretty, huh?"
She nodded, mouth agape.
"Shall we walk?"
"Yeah!"
Hand in hand along the path, Edel pointed at a white flower. "Daisy!" Then at the pink one beside it. "Tulip!"
She started calling out every flower's name, full of energy—a rare sight that brought a smile to my face.
"You know your flowers."
"Hehe."
She grinned shyly. "It's in books."
"Is that so? What about that one?"
"Hmm… Oh! Daffodil!"
"Ah, thanks for telling me."
We circled the garden a few times before sitting on a crude bench that clashed with the surroundings. Edel hummed a tune beside me, swinging her legs back and forth. I watched quietly, not wanting to make her tense up again.
We sat there for a while, listening to the birds chirping, until Edel suddenly jumped up. Her legs still wobbly, she staggered briefly but steadied herself and headed back toward the flowerbeds.
"You okay? Want me to come?"
"I'm fine."
Her gait was still unsteady, but I let her explore freely. She sniffed the flowers, held her finger high hoping a butterfly might land—then crouched down, peering intently into the blooms.
She reached in repeatedly, gathering something in her hands, then glanced my way. Alternating looks between her hands and my face, she shuffled over with them cupped together and held them out to me.
I instinctively offered my palm, and she placed whatever it was inside.
"……."
A slimy sensation. I looked down. Snails?
Three tiny snails wriggled on my palm.
"What're these…?"
"Hehe."
She beamed shyly at me. "A gift."
Then she scampered back to the flowerbeds. I stared blankly at the squirming trio.
What the heck?
Is she pranking me? Or is this really a gift? But why snails of all things?
I pondered her inscrutable intentions for a good while.
"……."
Whatever it was, I rationalized it as her opening up a bit to me and let it go. Unable to toss away her "gift," I clutched them tightly and returned to the castle with Edel.
This should do.
I dumped Edel's gift into a glass jar I'd makeshifted with dirt, twigs, and leaves. No choice but to raise them now that I'd brought them back. I spritzed some water in and set it on the desk corner.
What would humans think of the Demon King raising snails on top of kids? Even I felt pathetic, letting out a faint chuckle.
"……."
Still, a gift. Edel seemed to be settling in well here, so I'd been wanting to give her something in return—and now I had the perfect excuse.
Book? Jewelry? Clothes? As I mulled it over, the door opened and Edel entered.
Perfect timing. I was about to ask what she wanted but decided a surprise might be better. "What's up?"
She held out the book she'd been hugging. "Already finished? Come pick another."
I scooped her up and showed her the shelves. She leaned into me comfortably now, selecting her next read.
"That one?"
She nodded, clutching the new book. I set her down. "Enjoy it."
She smiled at me, heading out—then spotted the jar on the desk and paused.
"Curious? Come take a closer look."
She approached, peering inside. Spotting her gift, she grinned brightly at me. Sticking her face right up to the jar, she asked, "What's their names?"
"Names? Haven't given them any yet. Want to name them, Edel?"
She pondered briefly, then pointed at each one. "This is Ellanoa. This is Beatrice. This is Angelica."
"…Got it."
"They're all princesses."
Fancy names for snails, but I'd never call them anyway, so whatever. After a few more minutes of inspection, she left.
"Have fun reading."
Unlike usual, she glanced back with a smile before bolting away.
Time passed, and the day promised with the pub owner arrived. "I'll be back. Eat breakfast without me."
"Yes. Take care."
I headed back to the pub in Depiros. Inside, a cacophony assaulted my ears. At the counter, the owner greeted me warmly, recognizing me.
"Oh! Back, friend. Doing well?"
"…Where's the guy you mentioned?"
"Haha, impatient! Through the back door, second room."
He pointed to a door behind him. Following, I entered a narrow hallway. His voice trailed after: "He's a bit off, but skilled—no need to doubt."
Off?
Uneasy, I closed the door. The noise faded into silence. I found the room and opened it.
"Heh heh heh. Looking for me?"
A boyish young man sat there.
"……."
"Cat got your tongue? Before the genius mage ruling these shadows—Jackal himself!"
"…Wrong room."
I turned and shut the door. Clatter erupted beyond it, then it creaked open.
"Uh, excuse me… you found the right place…."
"……."
"You're here for the tower investigation and document decryption, right…?"
"Haa…."
I went back in with him.
"Hehe… Lucky you, meeting me."
We sat at the lone table. He cleared his throat. "I'm an elite with 100% success rate. A genius mage."
I glared as he rambled. "The famous Jackal—"
His chest deflated. "…Or just Ron."
"……."
Three gold coins for this?
Off, but skilled. The owner's words and his survival here suggested talent. I'd give him a shot, but doubts lingered.
I called softly. "Ron."
"Jackal if possible…."
"Ron."
"Yes!"
"You can investigate the tower and decrypt documents?"
"Specialty! What do you want? Secret experiments? The tower master's scandals? Ties to the pope?"
I spoke. "Everything on the witch of the Black Tower."
"……."
Silence. Then Ron: "Heh heh heh. That could be a long contract. Cool?"
"Money's no issue. And decrypt this."
I placed the paper bundle on the table. He pulled tools from his bag, examining each sheet.
"Ooh! Where'd you get this? Not flat seal—3D seal! Which means—"
"How long?"
"Hmm. Depends… Could take years per one."
"Long."
"But Jackal here? One year max!"
"…Cost?"
He held up three fingers. "Long-term deal, first like this—special discount."
"You can do it?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am? The unparalleled seal expert, Jackal!"
"…Fine."
I tossed three gold coins. "No info already?"
"Hmm… Honestly, no witch mentions in Black Tower docs yet."
"I see."
"But one clue! The massive explosion left no trace, right? Before collapse, suspicious mana stone shipments flooded in—huge quantities, fully charged. All for one unnamed experiment. Smells fishy, huh?"
"……."
"Explosion from that experiment. Sole survivor? The witch. So…."
"High chance she's linked."
"Exactly! Dig into the experiment!"
Solid pitch. But… "Can you?"
"Obviously! You came here knowing it's tough, right, customer? Uh, what do I call you?"
"Kyle."
"Kyle, yeah! Trust this Jackal! New leads in three months!"
"…Alright. Full moon in three months, here."
"Yes sir!"
I left with his send-off. "Take care, Kyle!"
After Ron and other errands, I returned home. Sun high—lunch soon. I hurried to Edel's room.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes."
She sat reading. "Enjoying the book?"
"It's fun."
"Good."
Gauging the moment, I offered the hidden item. "Here—for settling in and your gift last time."
Her eyes flicked between me and the pouch.
"Take it."
"……."
She took it gingerly. "Wanna open?"
She nodded, peeking inside—a small brooch.
"It's a brooch. Pins on clothes like this. Here."
I attached it to her short cape. "How's it look?"
"Hehehe."
She grinned, admiring it. Hope she likes it.
Hard to read her silent smile, but probably yes.
"Gotta sort some things. See you at lunch."
She nodded. As I turned—
"…sir."
Her voice? "What'd you say?"
Just smiling. I smiled back and left.
Lunchtime came; Abela called. Edel was already seated.
"Hi, Edel. You were wa—"
Words caught. The brooch I'd pinned… gone.