TDAA Ch 34

“You went and caught a cold doing something you didn’t have to.”

“Something I didn’t have to do…?”

“Yes. Helping people you didn’t need to help, and now look…”

Siol looked up at Eorzen, who seemed hurt, and tilted his head. Not even knowing what he was talking about, he whispered to soothe Eorzen.

“Then next time, should I not do it…?”

If you order me not to, I…

As Siol unconsciously placed a hand over his own heart and mumbled, Eorzen froze. The heart he had been gently holding to check its beat began to pound erratically. As if bracing for an imminent pain. Reading that there was some secret in Siol’s self-deprecating tone and the thumping of his heart, Eorzen put on a gentle mask and pressed him.

“Even if I tell you not to, Sizool, you don’t listen…”

“No, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“If you tell me not to, Lord Eorzen, I…”

Tears streamed down Siol’s face as he answered blankly. Staring down in shock at Siol, who couldn’t even think to wipe them away and whose lips fumbled, unable to speak, Eorzen pulled him into a sudden, tight embrace.

“It’s my fault. I will never, ever tell you not to do something again…. Whether you do something or not, I will leave it to your choice, so please… please don’t cry.”

“I, I…”

“Hmm? I told you not to cry. No, you can cry if you want to, but I’d rather you didn’t…. The, the thing about not crying was just…”

Siol stared blankly up at Eorzen, who, immediately after saying he wouldn’t tell him not to do things, told him not to cry and then flusteredly spewed out a string of excuses. Then he let out a soft laugh. The feeble sound of laughter spilled warm breath onto Eorzen’s chest.

“I’m sleepy, Lord Eorzen.”

“…Yes. Let’s get some sleep.”

Eorzen’s hand wrapped around Siol’s back, pulling him into a gentle embrace. Leaning into that embrace, Siol began to slowly drift off to sleep. A serene peace, as if he had finally reached a place of perfect safety, enveloped him completely.

And Eorzen gazed at Siol with troubled eyes.

His mate had too strong a sense of responsibility. Siol sought to resolve even the wrongdoings of others who had used his knowledge, things he himself had not committed, and that had become a terrible tragedy for the blue dragon.

“Siol, let’s go back together. Hmm?”

Eorzen whispered into the ear of his mate, who was too deep in sleep to answer.

When he was asleep, when he was drunk and not in his right mind, Eorzen would hold Siol and plead. To leave this place and go back. To not worry about Nathaniel or the king, to return to his city, or to leave for the land of dragons, where they would look only at each other, roll around on the green grass, bite into peaches, eat food prepared by servants, go boating on the lake, and embrace above the clouds. He said he would give him as many jewels or mana stones as he wanted, so he could do as much research as he desired. In return, he asked to eat three meals a day together, to sleep together, and to be allowed to watch over him while he researched. Then he would give him anything, truly anything.

But whenever he whispered such sweet things, Siol would seem to waver, only to refuse in the end, saying he couldn’t, that he had things to do, that he was sorry.

Nevertheless, Eorzen could not give up on pleading for them to go back whenever he had the chance. If, even by mistake, Siol were to say yes, that they should, Eorzen intended to seize the opportunity, hold him tight, and soar into the sky.

“Ughh…”

Eorzen placed a hand on the forehead of Siol, who was mumbling something low and rubbing his cheek against his chest. The forehead, which had been hot all night, had cooled down considerably. He was no longer breaking out in a cold sweat or shivering while curled up. It was all thanks to Eorzen holding him and pouring his mana into him without reservation.

If he had been injured somewhere, he could have healed him in an instant, just as he had reattached Ryufen’s leg. But in a case of poor health like this, there was no way to help other than to pour in mana to boost his recovery.

He kissed Siol’s forehead and, out of habit, checked his heartbeat. The steady, vigorous beat of his heart, just like usual, reassured him.

Eorzen left Siol tucked in the blankets, slipped out, and tidied the traces of where he had been lying.

It was not yet time to reveal his presence. If his little wolf realized he was here, he would be scared out of his wits and unable to focus on what he had to do. If he refused even after being pleaded with again and again to go back, then he had no choice but to help him achieve what he wanted to his heart’s content.

He could not follow in the footsteps of the black dragon, who had become so engrossed in time with his mate that he ignored his mate’s wish, only to become unable to ever grant it.

But, but despite this resolve, Eorzen knew himself. He knew that when Siol fell into a deep sleep or got drunk again, he wouldn’t be able to resist pleading for them to go back. Even though he knew what the answer would be, he would whisper it like a prayer, wishing for a possibility that might not exist. Please, let’s go together.

Kissing Siol’s cheek one last time, Eorzen rose and gestured sharply toward the small window, less than a hand’s span wide. The mana that shot from his fingertips passed through the window, became a blue bird, and soared into the sky. Its destination was the land of dragons, and the recipient was his father.

Siol’s heart, which had pounded ferociously as if believing something unfortunate would happen if Eorzen stopped him.

Eorzen had a premonition that Siol’s anxiety was connected to the curse he had placed on him, and to the feel of Siol’s heartbeat in his palm when he had lost and regained his mana.

It was a terrible premonition that chilled Eorzen’s heart, but he could not pretend not to know.

His father, an ancient dragon who had lived for a long time, would be a good advisor.

“……”

A good advisor….

Frowning at the disbelief that flashed through his mind, Eorzen ended up clicking his tongue and sending another blue bird. This time, it was a message for his mother, stating that he had finally found his mate and had requested help from his father as he needed advice.

Now, even if his father wanted to burn the messenger bird and pretend not to know, claiming he didn’t want his time taken up by his son’s affairs, it would be impossible to execute his scheme. Because in front of his mother, he was a dragon who would do his best to pretend to be a good dad.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

“-Luber? Luber, why are you sleeping here?”

Luber, who had been crouching and shivering in front of Siol’s laboratory door, opened his swollen eyes and lifted his head. The maid Ronia, dressed in thick clothes, was looking down at Luber with a bewildered expression. Not just her, but the old gentleman standing beside her also wore a look of incomprehension. When the old gentleman met Luber’s eyes, he gave a nod of his chin in greeting.

For a moment, Luber’s eyes lost focus and went blank before returning.

“…Uh. …Doctor!”

Luber shot up from his spot and called to him.

“Why are you only just getting here? It’s already morning!”

“Luber, do you have any idea how much it snowed last night? I went to fetch him, but there was so much snow and the wind was so strong that we simply couldn’t come back. So we stayed the night at his house and just barely made it here.”

“Ah…. It snowed a lot…”

Luber, who had been crouching and shivering in the hallway all night, had no way of knowing what the weather had been like.

Ronia fussed that it was the first time the snow had piled up so much this year. She said the snow had reached chest height, and they almost couldn’t make it back in the morning, but were finally able to thanks to the knights who came to get them. True, if she had been alone, she might have been able to return wearing snowshoes, but it would have been difficult to make the elderly doctor take such a risk.

“Why are you here, Luber?”

“Uh…. I must have dozed off while I was nursing him. I came out for a bit because it was too hot.”

“You can fall asleep in a place this cold?”

“I was really tired!”

“Aish. The lord will be so pleased to hear you fell asleep while nursing.”

“No, please keep it a secret.”

Luber, who had boasted loudly to Lord Meric last night that he would be the one to nurse Siol, grabbed Ronia’s skirt and pleaded. She found Luber pathetic, pitiful, and cute all at once, and could only shake her head.

Knowing from long experience that this was a sign she was half-convinced, Luber grinned widely as he opened the laboratory door and guided the two inside.

“Luber, how is the patient’s condition?”

“Ah…. The fever is…”

What was Master Siol’s condition again?

He felt like he had definitely worked hard nursing him all night, but he couldn’t properly remember what he had done. While Luber was hesitating, the doctor, without waiting for an answer, approached Siol, who was lying on the rugs in front of the fireplace.

He opened his large bag and took out various items, then checked Siol’s temperature, looked for any rashes, and opened his mouth to examine the inside.

“Doctor, how is our Master Siol?”

Luber asked, having trotted along right behind the doctor.

“Hmm…. It seems you did a very good job of nursing him, Luber.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, his fever has almost completely gone down, and there don’t seem to be any particular problems. However, his body seems a bit frail…”

“That’s right. He’s usually a bit weak, but he came in soaking wet yesterday, so I was really worried. I bring him food diligently every day, but for some reason, he keeps losing weight. Is there anything we can do?”

“This doesn’t seem to be weakness caused by a specific reason, so there’s no easy answer. He needs to not be stressed, eat his meals regularly, and sleep well to get healthy, but the patient doesn’t do that, does he?”

“…No. He’s always worrying a lot, and he only eats if I make sure he does, otherwise he’ll starve all day. And he never sleeps well.”

“Then of course he can’t be healthy…”

The doctor clicked his tongue and rummaged through his bag. He looked through compartments containing dried herbs and powders wrapped in paper, then took out a few packets of powdered medicine and handed them to Luber.

“This is a fever reducer, and this is a medicine to stimulate his appetite, so make sure he takes them after every meal.”

“Yes!”

“Honestly, I thought his condition would be quite bad, but his fever is all gone, so there’s not much I can give him. That’s a relief, Luber.”

“Yes! It’s such a relief. Yesterday, I really thought he was going to die. Well, it’s all thanks to my nursing, of course.”

Luber, under Eorzen’s spell and truly believing he had nursed him all night, shamelessly puffed out his chest, looking proud. Seeing this, the doctor smiled, and Ronia shook her head with a sigh of, “Oh, honestly.”

As the doctor packed his bag again and stood up, Ronia approached Luber.

“But why is he lying on the floor? Does he like it here?”

“I thought the bed area was a bit cold, so I moved him over here.”

“Aish, you dummy. Move him back to the bed. Right in front of the fireplace is too dry because of the heat. I’ll tell Tebi to bring some water, so put it on the fireplace to boil. That should help with the dryness. Also, prepare some drinking water so you can give it to him whenever he wakes up. I’ll prepare a meal and bring it down when I go up. And if he says he wants to wash, tell him he can’t right now. Instead, give him a towel soaked in warm water so he can wipe himself down.”

“Yes, yes.”

The maid let out a hollow laugh as she looked at Luber, who was listening obediently with sparkling eyes.

“Luber, are you really sure you nursed him well yesterday? You seem to know nothing about what needs to be done.”

“I told you I did! I wiped him down diligently and even put a cold towel on his forehead.”

Her expression was full of disbelief, but she couldn’t keep the waiting doctor waiting forever, so she didn’t question him further.

“Anyway, the lord specifically told me to take good care of him, so do a good job. If you can’t, tell me.”

Having said that, the maid hesitated, glancing at the doctor, then peeked at Siol, who was wrapped snugly in the blankets.

“What’s wrong, noona?”

“Well…. The truth is—I heard the story yesterday. That Master Siol… saved the children.”

“…He did?”

“…What do you mean, ‘he did’? You didn’t know?”

“I just saw the fire, reported it to the lord, and after that, I was just waiting at the mansion…. Master Siol came back soaking wet, so I didn’t have a moment to worry about anything else. Did Master Siol really save the kids?”

“He did. Earlier, the knights were carrying my cousin’s kids, so I asked, and they said Master Siol saved them when they were trapped in the basement of the lumber storage and about to die.”

“Master Siol saved your nephews when they were about to die?”

Luber asked back, startled.

Even though it was the lord’s order, he had found it strange that she was so actively attending to Siol, who had a poor reputation in the mansion. It seemed it was because Siol was the savior of her family’s lives. Come to think of it, it was clear that her influence was also why she had returned to the mansion at the crack of dawn, despite saying she couldn’t leave last night because of the snow.

Ronia fidgeted with her apron for a moment, hesitating, before she spoke.

“When he wakes up… will you tell him I said thank you?”

“Of course!”

As Luber answered cheerfully, Ronia and the doctor quietly exited the laboratory.

So Master Siol saved the kids at the lumber storage yesterday.

Feeling inexplicably buoyant, Luber hummed a tune as he went back to Siol. He was about to lift him, blanket and all, to move him to the bed when he paused. Siol was lying on his side with his face buried in the blankets, but the bit of his ear that was showing was astonishingly red.

“Master Siol.”

“……”

“Did you hear?”

“…Yeah.”

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

For the next four days, Siol was confined to his bed.

This was the result of Luber wholeheartedly embracing the doctor’s advice that even though his fever was gone and his dazed state had improved, it was better for him to recover more stamina before being active, given his frail body.

Siol could do nothing but eat, sleep, and read in bed, his every move monitored by the large puppy. And the maid Ronia actively supported Luber in this, carrying in food and snacks, and cleaning and decorating the laboratory.

Siol’s breakfast today was bread baked with lots of butter, a cream stew full of meat and vegetables, and a glass of fruit juice. Faced with a luxurious meal that seemed completely out of place with the domain’s situation, Siol awkwardly wiggled his toes.

“Wow…. Noona, you told me you didn’t have anything else to eat when I asked.”

“Luber, you’re cute, but not cute enough to part with my butter for.”

Luber felt a deep sense of betrayal at Ronia’s firm reply. Seeing his face on the verge of tears from the shock, Ronia burst into laughter and ruffled his hair vigorously.

“I’m joking! Her Highness the Princess took a bunch of the beastmen knights with her, didn’t she? Thanks to that, everyone has some free time to do things they couldn’t because they were busy. I wasn’t hiding food from you, so don’t cry.”

“Aish. Don’t tell such scary jokes next time, noona. You surprised me.”

“Alright, alright. We’re making sausages in the kitchen today, so come by later to sneak a few.”

“Okay!”

Luber, thrilled to receive key kitchen intel that could only be heard from a hands-on worker, forgave Ronia in an instant and nodded his head.

Thanks to Ronia, who didn’t hide her gratitude, Siol’s semi-basement laboratory was gradually transforming into a proper room. Curtains to block the cold wind were hung in front of a small window, a carpet was laid on the floor, wall hangings were put up here and there, and cushions were piled on the sofa. The accumulated dust was neatly cleaned up, and the stains on the floor were erased.

Just like some time in his life on Earth, Siol anxiously darted his eyes around as he watched the scenery inside his laboratory change against his will.

After his master’s sudden death, Siol had to endure the humiliation of the alchemy research institute being downsized and its support being cut to less than a quarter. A man who wanted his guiding ability had completely renovated the dilapidated lab to look brand new and had taken care of the exploited Siol, but Siol had felt like he was being choked in there.

“Master Siol. If you need anything, please be sure to tell me.”

“…Yes. But… I’m fine.”

“If you tell me anytime later, I’ll help you with anything I can.”

But now, even though the room was changing without his opinion being asked this time too, he felt that something was different. That was why he didn’t feel like stopping Ronia as he watched her bring various things and transform the lab into a respectable room, her eyes sparkling, looking at him with gratitude at every moment.

Ronia bowed politely to Siol, who was sitting up against the bed, and left the room.

I never thought saving the children would come back to me like this. Siol, still sitting on the bed, stirred his stew and asked Luber.

“About Ronia…. What if the lord scolds her for doing all this?”

“Hmm? For what?”

“She keeps bringing me things.”

“The lord sent all of it, so why would she be scolded?”

“…Huh?”

Seeing Siol unable to hide his bewildered expression, Luber frowned.

“Ronia noona may be grateful to you, Master Siol, but she’s not the kind of person who would bring you stolen goods. Master Siol, don’t tell me you thought the mana stones you received earlier were also stolen by Ronia noona?”

“Uh… huh?”

“Aish, how could she steal something so precious! Ronia noona probably doesn’t even have the authority to access the place where the mana stones are kept. Of course the lord told her to bring them.”

Only then did Siol recall Lord Meric’s words about sending some mana stones when they returned to the mansion. Of course, he had said that, but he never thought he would actually give them. Because there was no reason for Lord Meric to be so kind to him. Surely he had just said it, caught up in the atmosphere, but he wouldn’t actually send them—that’s what he had thought….

“Ronia noona is so strict about separating public and private matters, you know. Even when I go to the kitchen to play, she never gives me sweets. She says sweet things are expensive, so only the master or the lord can eat them. Of course… of course she’s right, but…!”

Luber clenched his fists as if in frustration. It seemed he was quite resentful and vexed about not being able to sneak sweets.

Siol was about to tear off a piece of bread when he discovered a small piece of candy hidden inside. There was no way candy would end up here by mistake, and seeing as it was hidden, it really seemed like Ronia had put it in there for him to eat secretly….

He glanced stealthily at Luber, then carefully covered the candy again with the bread and asked while spooning up some stew.

“Lord Meric sent all of this?”

No way. Siol mumbled to himself.

The memory of the hostile reception on his first day of arriving in this domain came back vividly. But that had been a natural result, and because of it, hadn’t Siol willingly accepted that anger and contempt and lived cooped up in the basement?

“Of course!”

“Why for me…?”

“Because you saved the kids, Master Siol. Plus, you stopped the fire at the lumber storage from spreading to the nearby forest. They were saying the fire could have spread all the way into the domain if things had gone wrong.”

“…So he’s sending me all this stuff because of that?”

At his tone of disbelief, Luber, on the contrary, looked as if he couldn’t understand why he was so unable to believe it.

But for Siol, it was impossible to believe or understand. He had saved the child and prevented the fire from growing larger that day, but there was no way Lord Meric’s anger would be appeased by that much. Siol was the Alchemist of Death who had played a major role in the incident where Lord Meric’s close friend was murdered by his own brother; how could this be enough?

“I’m telling you it’s true!”

“…Then, is going to sneak sausages later also something the lord approved of?”

“No, that’s really sneaking…”

At Siol’s joke, which was meant to subtly change the subject, Luber, caught off guard, confessed the truth and then burst out laughing with a little “eheheht.” Listening to that childlike laughter, it felt foolish to keep worrying.

Siol truly didn’t understand the current situation. He still had a mountain of problems to solve, and what he did four days ago had solved none of them. The king still held the throne, Nathaniel was still alive, and Ladie was still nothing more than the leader of a rebel army. But, but why had Lord Meric’s attitude changed?

However, there was no point in continuing to mull over what intentions Lord Meric had for showing such favor. Siol decided to simply accept the lord’s kindness and not feel disappointed later when the lord withdrew it. Just like when he had eaten from the food basket someone brought him without any suspicion.

To simply accept both kindness and malice.

It was a thought that would have made Lord Meric very troubled, had he heard it.

Four nights ago, Lord Meric witnessed a miracle. Siol discovering the fire and having Luber report it was within the realm of humans and beastmen. Hearing the bell that no one else at the scene could hear was within the realm of the beastmen.

However, summoning dark clouds and making it rain in sub-zero weather amidst a snowstorm was neither in the realm of humans nor beastmen. It was not even within the realm of mages who wielded mana. No mage Lord Meric knew could make it rain like that, ignoring the environment.

The sight of dark clouds being summoned and rain falling in sub-zero weather amidst a snowstorm could only be seen as the realm of a god. The scene where dark clouds gathered and a downpour eventually fell at Siol’s whispered request, instantly extinguishing the fire, could only be described as wondrous.

And so, in that moment, Lord Meric had no choice but to realize that Siol had been showing him favor all this time.

That small man, the one called the Alchemist of Death, could have swallowed this domain whole at any time. But he hadn’t, and had simply endured the punishment given to him. Even so, as soon as he discovered the fire, he reported it, and did not spare a precious treasure to save those trapped inside.

Only then could Lord Meric understand what Ladie had said. The meaning behind her words that the bomb was merely a tool.

Siol was not the villain Lord Meric had imagined. The claim that he had simply created alchemical tools while trapped in a laboratory, deceived by the king, was also not a lie the princess had told to protect Siol.

The beastman’s words, that just as you cannot hate a blacksmith because your kin was killed by a sword, you cannot hate an alchemist, pierced through Lord Meric.

What both the princess and the beastman knew, he alone had not.

Siol, unaware that Lord Meric was feeling guilt at the end of this train of thought and was alleviating that feeling by sending various supplies, simply accepted it all lightly.

“But isn’t it about time I went outside for a bit?”

“No.”

“I’m going to become a complete lazybones at this rate. I think I’m getting a belly, too.”

“You should! I didn’t realize because of your clothes, but I saw this time how incredibly thin you were. If my master finds out I left you like that, I’ll get into so much trouble!”

Siol couldn’t bring himself to argue and quietly soaked his last piece of bread in the stew. Luber was humming a tune and munching on cookies.

In the laboratory, where the sounds of conversation had faded and only the crackling of firewood could be heard, Siol suddenly felt a warmth that shouldn’t exist. He flinched at a hand on his shoulder and turned his head, but there was nothing there.

It’s definitely because of that dream.

That unbelievably vivid dream. The dream wouldn’t let him go even after he had already woken up.

Perhaps it was because of the traces of the dragon that seemed to fill the room.

Of course, it was all not real, but an illusion, a dream, a lie. But Siol could not forget the dream he’d had while he was unconscious. The warmth of Eorzen’s body felt while he was shivering from the cold, the gentle voice, the sensation of his back being rubbed—all of it was still vivid now.

It was as if Eorzen’s hands were still touching his shoulder, his back, his cheek, making them burn.

Why did he have such a dream? Why did he dream a dream where he acted spoiled, pleaded, and clung, his desires so transparently revealed? It was a dream where his desires were so clearly laid bare that he couldn’t even mistake it for reality.

When he closed his eyes, he felt as if the dream was replaying in his mind.

The desire to be trapped in that dream forever and the desire that he must not, fought a fierce battle.

He felt he could regain his sense of reality if he got some cold air, so he had pleaded to go out several times, but Luber had only repeated a firm “no” each time.

It was then. The clattering of horse hooves, approaching from a distance, began to grow closer.

“It seems Ladie is here.”

“Master!”

Luber was about to spring up excitedly but remembered his duty and sat back down beside Siol.

“You can go.”

“I can’t. I’ll get scolded by my master later.”

In truth, it was less about fearing a scolding and more a desire to do well because he didn’t want to be disliked. That must be why he committed acts worthy of a scolding from the large Eriad on a daily basis, only fearing Eriad when he was right in front of him, but tried not to commit any acts that would earn a scolding from Ladie in the first place.

How would Eorzen and Ryufen have been? Ryufen, who was brimming with a different kind of confidence than Luber, acted under the belief that Eorzen could cover for him no matter what he did. So when he got scolded as expected, he acted nonchalantly, but if he got scolded for an unexpected problem, he would get gloomy and whine to Siol. The first time Ryufen had done that was the day he had made Siol sick from overeating and gotten a stern scolding. The second time was after Eorzen went berserk, the day Siol went missing.

Siol, who had been momentarily lost in memories, let out a low groan, shook the thoughts away, and made a suggestion to Luber.

“Then shall we go see Ladie together in a little bit?”

“Uh…. Really?”

The tempted Luber leaned his body toward Siol and asked for confirmation. Just as Siol was about to chuckle and nod in affirmation, a rough shout echoed from outside.

The two held their breath and listened, wondering what on earth was happening. They couldn’t make out the exact words, but they could tell that it was Lord Meric and Ladie arguing.

Luber said, fidgeting restlessly.

“I think the lord and my master are fighting!”

Siol recalled the scene of the fight he had witnessed from behind a pillar a few days ago.

The argument between Ladie, who wanted to go save another lord, and Lord Meric, who was stopping her saying she didn’t need to go herself, had turned emotional, leading them to hurl thoughtless accusations at each other. Would it be any different this time? If left alone, wouldn’t they just fight again, throwing wild accusations at each other?

Siol felt a sense of responsibility for their fight. Didn’t it seem like Lord Meric had suffered quite a bit of heartache because of Ladie coming to save him?

“…Let’s go out, Luber.”

“Huh? But…”

“I said let’s go.”

As Siol got off the bed and spoke, Luber hesitated, at a loss, before quickly running to the wardrobe and bringing Siol’s clothes. It seemed he was worried Siol would go out in his pajamas. Siol obediently changed into the thick clothes Luber handed him. Only after he had put on a coat, scarf, and hat on top of that did Luber finally give his permission to go out.

For some reason, looking at Luber, Siol was reminded of the nagging Ryufen.

“Thank you, Luber.”

Siol said to Luber, who had somehow taken on the role of a valet, his words filled with gratitude and apology, and popped the candy he had been hiding into Luber’s mouth. Luber, startled by the sweet candy that suddenly entered his mouth, widened his eyes and followed Siol closely with one hand covering his mouth. A little clack could be heard as the candy hit his teeth.

By the time the two of them went outside the mansion, the fight had grown more intense. This time, the situation was the complete opposite of last time. Lord Meric was all ready to leave with his own knights and was about to mount his horse, while Ladie was blocking his way, holding the horse’s reins.

And around them, both humans and beastmen were at a loss, milling about in confusion.

Come to think of it, Lord Meric’s domain was currently being maintained by a strange power structure. The human knights followed Lord Meric, and the beastman knights followed Ladie. They usually cooperated and didn’t fight, but that was all because their masters got along. To be precise, it was because Lord Meric acted as Princess Ladie’s loyal subordinate.

Now that the balance was broken, they too had fallen into confusion.

“I told you, you can’t!”

“Let go, Your Highness.”

“No!”

“Are you telling me to just watch my people freeze to death, then?”

“That’s…!”

“Let go.”

Lord Meric firmly grabbed Ladie’s hand, which was holding the reins, and pulled it away. Ladie, at the firm refusal from Lord Meric, whose attitude had always been polite even when he expressed a differing opinion, lost her grip on the reins.

“…But to go buy firewood at a time like this, it’s too dangerous.”

“There will be monsters roaming outside, and the carriage will be slow because of the snow. But even if I have to take such risks, I must go. As I told you, with the remaining firewood, we won’t even last two weeks.”

“Then I’ll go instead.”

“…What on earth are you saying, Your Highness!”

Lord Meric, who had been speaking calmly until now, suddenly shouted.

“Does Your Highness have no awareness of who you are! What on earth…!”

Just then, Lord Meric and Siol’s eyes met. He faltered and stopped talking, and Ladie, wondering what was going on, turned her head and spotted Siol.

Siol had been concerned about these two’s relationship since last time. They clearly thought of each other as family and treasured one another, so why did they both only say things they didn’t mean, causing misunderstandings and getting hurt when they didn’t have to? That was why Siol stepped in between them.

“My lord, I told you, didn’t I?”

“……”

“My lord.”

Despite Siol’s prodding, Lord Meric just kept his mouth tightly shut.

Seeing this, Ladie couldn’t believe her eyes. Before she left, Lord Meric used to wear an expression as if he couldn’t stand it and wanted to kick Siol out of the domain. But now, he was shutting his mouth and looking away at a single word from Siol. It was so baffling she wondered what on earth had happened in the meantime.

When Lord Meric didn’t open his mouth at all, Siol turned his head to Ladie.

“Ladie, you’re doing this because you’re worried about the lord, right?”

“Well…. Yes…”

“You’re worried because you think of the lord as family. That’s why you offered to go instead. Right?”

“…That’s right…?”

Ladie had an expression as if she couldn’t understand at all why he was suddenly bringing up such an obvious thing, but she didn’t deny Siol’s words. However, Lord Meric looked surprised, as if hearing such a thing for the first time.

When Siol sent a pointed gaze toward Lord Meric, he too could not look away this time and opened his mouth.

“I am also worried about Her Highness.”

“…Pardon?”

“I also think of Her Highness as family, like a niece. Isn’t that natural! Aspard was my lord, but he was also my close friend! Is there anything wrong with thinking of my friend’s child as my niece?!”

“No, it’s not… wrong.”

“I worry that Her Highness will die every time she goes to a dangerous place! I worry that I will lose Her Highness after losing Aspard! But Her Highness…!”

“…But a usurpation of the throne can’t be without danger!”

“That is why I am saying I will do it. Your Highness should please stay in a safe place!”

“I told you I’m worried about you too, Lord Meric?!”

“I have lived as a knight for a long time. So please leave the fighting to me!”

“What kind of bluff is that from someone who was complaining about a sore knee joint until recently? It’s my throne, so I will be the one to claim it!”

Siol looked back and forth between the two with a dumbfounded expression.

He had thought that after the two confessed their true feelings to each other, a touching embrace would follow, not that they would continue to shout and fight like this.

Human relationships really aren’t easy…. If those two were beastmen, this fight wouldn’t have continued like this. They probably would have confirmed each other’s feelings, then patted each other on the shoulder, saying, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” and then, fired up, would have agreed to go together and perhaps left the domain together….

No, maybe he was just projecting the personalities of the beastman knights too much.

Siol thought of Ryufen’s case. If Lord Meric were Ryufen—ah. No. All he could picture was Ryufen telling Ladie not to block his path, calling her weak, and leaving in a huff.

Then what if Eorzen were Ladie? No one would have been able to refuse the blue dragon’s command.

Both were completely unhelpful fantasies in this situation. Siol stopped his useless imaginings, thinking it might actually be a good thing that these two were human.

Looking around, he could see that things were a little better than before. The knights, who had been anxious just a moment ago, wondering if they were really fighting, were now just quietly ignoring their masters’ fight. There was even a hint of warmth in their gazes. Among the beastman knights, some could be seen yawning and dozing off, only to be smacked by their troop commander.

But that didn’t mean he could just let the two of them continue to fight. The cause of this fight, which seemed like it would never end, was the lack of firewood. Because the lumber storage had burned down a few days ago, the supply of firewood within the domain had become unstable, and Lord Meric was about to leave to solve that problem.

“Your Highness, of all people, should know well that there are paths that must be taken even if they are dangerous! You yourself are just returning from going out, saying you must go where you must go, even if I try to stop you!”

“Why is that coming up now!”

“I’m saying that just as Your Highness went, I must go too!”

“That’s why I said I’ll go!”

“You can’t!”

Watching the fight devolve into something like a children’s squabble, Siol let out a low sigh and called for Luber.

“Luber, can you go to my room, no, my laboratory, and bring some firewood?”

Luber, who had watched Siol research firewood from his side all this time, seemed to understand what he was planning to do with just those words, his eyes sparkling as he nodded. Then he trotted over to Eriad, who had returned from fighting in the war alongside Ladie, said something, got his head smacked, and then shouted something as if wronged, pointing a finger at Siol. Eriad’s gaze followed that finger and landed on Siol.

Siol instinctively shook his head. He didn’t know what Luber had said, but whatever it was, it wasn’t true. However, Eriad nodded, then led his unit and disappeared into the mansion with Luber.

“…What was that?”

He had a bad feeling.

And that bad feeling was perfectly right. A short while later, as Eriad’s platoon of large dogs began to file out of the mansion with their hands full of firewood, everyone’s gaze turned toward them. That gaze followed the movement of the group and eventually led to Siol.

Suddenly receiving the stares of so many people, Siol wanted to hide somewhere.

This was not what he had wanted. All he had intended was for Luber to bring one or two logs, and he would perform a small alchemy demonstration with them. He had no intention of putting on a conspicuous show with a giant pile of campfire wood like this.

“Master Siol! I brought this too.”

Luber came running with his tail wagging and held out a mana stone to Siol. It was definitely the mana stone he had carefully hidden by the head of the bed earlier. Siol hadn’t even asked for the mana stone, but Luber had brought it on his own and was now looking up with sparkling eyes as if asking for praise. Siol pressed down on the little dog’s head, stroking it.

“Tha…anks. Thank you, Luber.”

“Hehe.”

Even Lord Meric and Ladie stopped fighting and turned their gazes to the giant pile of firewood and to Siol. What’s more, the human knights, the beastman knights, and even the servants who had come out to see what was going on were all curious about what he was going to do.

There was no turning back. He really hadn’t intended to unveil it like this.

“…There’s something I’ve been researching ever since I came here…. I thought it might be helpful now, so I wanted to show you. It’s about how there are specific characteristics of wood that are good for firewood, so the research started from the idea of whether it would be possible to transmute existing wood to create firewood that burns longer and hotter. So…”

“Master Siol. It would be better to just show us what you’re trying to do.”

The person who cut off Siol’s long-winded explanation was Ladie, who had experienced such situations many times in the past. Recalling her time as a maid in Siol’s laboratory, she looked at Siol with an expression of fond exasperation, but also full of anticipation. Having seen the many tools the alchemist Siol created, Ladie couldn’t help but be expectant.

Siol let out a small “ah” and nodded. In his nervousness, he had almost launched into a long-winded explanation that ordinary people would find difficult to understand.

Siol squeezed the mana stone tightly, then placed it down in front of the pile of firewood. He hadn’t intended to use the mana stone, but since it was here, he figured it was better to use it. Normally, transmuting this high-quality wood would allow for an exchange of about twice the amount of wood suitable for firewood. However, since he was offering a mana stone as a sacrifice this time, the result would be a little different. How efficient would it be? He felt a thrill of excitement.

He bent down and slammed both hands on the ground, and light began to shoot out from his fingertips. The light drew a circle and, inside it, drew a familiar magic circle. It was the same magic circle that had surrounded the lumber storage four days ago. The human knights and Lord Meric, who had already witnessed that scene once before, held their breath without realizing it and waited for what would happen next.

The piled-up wood seeped into the magic circle as if melting away, and then the mana stone disappeared, turning into a halo of light as if dissolving into the air. The halo swirled and was sucked into the magic circle. And for a moment, nothing happened.

Don’t tell me it failed?

During testing, there had been cases where the yield was a little low, but Siol had never failed. He darted his eyes around in a panic. If he offered a mountain of firewood in front of so many people and got nothing in return, everyone might be more than just disappointed; he could be judged as incompetent.

It was in that moment, as someone’s doubt began to spread to the whole group, that a pile of firewood began to pour out from within the magic circle. The pile of firewood, which shot out as if mushrooms were growing in an instant, didn’t stop even after surpassing the original amount, and continued to grow in volume. It swept over the surroundings like a flood. Until the people standing nearby had to step back, and back again.

When the pile of firewood, which seemed to be five or six times the original amount, finally stopped overflowing, Siol hesitantly straightened up and shyly peeked at the crowd.

“It’s… something like this…”

A silence, as if cold water had been thrown over them, enveloped the surroundings.

When the expected reaction didn’t come, Siol became flustered. He had thought that since they needed firewood, if he showed them this, they would surely be amazed, praise him, and be happy.

Anxiety spread through his chest. This alchemy was undoubtedly a great achievement. It was a splendid result that could immediately solve the firewood problem this domain was lacking. There was no way the people who had just seen the firewood multiply before their eyes wouldn’t know that.

If so, he could only think of one reason for this cold reaction.

Because the one who produced this result was ‘alchemy’, because the person who accomplished such a thing was the ‘Alchemist of Death’.

“Uh…. If you transmute the high-quality wood that grows here in Lord Meric’s domain, you can make it into firewood. Originally, the goal of transmutation in alchemy is to create a better result, but turning high-quality wood into firewood is, from the world’s perspective, like exchanging a good item for a worse one. So if it gives back the same amount, the trade isn’t fair, so it gives back the remaining value by adding more firewood…”

Siol endured the many gazes fixed on him and barely managed to add an explanation about his achievement. But in the meantime, he couldn’t bear the continuing silence, the gazes, and finally, overcome with fear, he took a step back. It was in that moment.

“Master Siol! You didn’t say it was this amazing!”

Luber shouted as he strode forward. As if that was a signal, the people who had been staring at Siol with blank faces began to stir, their faces flushed with excitement. There was even someone who, as if to check if it was really proper firewood, was splitting a log.

At the sudden change in atmosphere, Siol rolled his eyes with a bewildered expression.

“Well, it’s not usually this efficient, but since there was a mana stone this time…”

“The mana stone! I was right to bring it, wasn’t I?”

“…No, I… mean, yeah. You did well, Luber.”

Siol patted the head of Luber, who had his chin lifted with a proud expression. It wasn’t thanks for bringing the mana stone, but thanks for breaking the frozen atmosphere from a moment ago. This was why he couldn’t hate Luber, even though he regularly caused trouble.

There were no negative emotions like contempt or fear in the way the knights looked at the firewood that had multiplied several times in an instant, examining it with surprise. Seeing them inspecting the wood with only curiosity and amazement, and even plotting to try lighting a small fire to see if it was really proper firewood, Siol finally smiled in relief.

The silence from a moment ago wasn’t a reaction of contempt or disgust.

In the meantime, Ladie, who had stepped back a few paces because of the huge pile of firewood, ran up and asked.

“Master Siol! When did you prepare something like this? Huh?”

“You told me before. To do what I want to do. So I, wanted to make something that would be helpful to the people living in this domain…”

“That was only a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah. I researched hard since then.”

“I knew it. I told you, Master Siol. That whatever you want to do, whatever it is, will be a help to me.”

“Yeah, we… walk the same path, after all.”