TYND 57

TL: motokare

“Your master was wrong. You’re an archmage, and I’m an Aura Master, but we get along splendidly.”

The darkness that had clouded Rothy’s face lifted, brightening like night giving way to morning.

“That’s right… We do get along well.”

Rothy rubbed his cheek against Theon’s while he enjoyed Rothy’s soft, fluffy hair. 

Scree~

The weasel that had been licking the back of Rothy’s hand raised its tiny head. Sensing that Rothy had completely calmed down, it stopped licking and flopped down onto his wrist, looking like a tired parent who’d just finished working hard for their child. 

“Even Chi-chi. The three of us get along well, right?”

Scree……

Rothy picked up the weasel carefully and covered its soft belly with kisses. That was when the commotion started.

CRASH!

The sound of dishes breaking could be heard. Theon immediately pulled Rothy into his arms, while Zey, Xeon, and Chungnip rushed to their table. 

Then came the shouting.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Of all the people, it had to be a dimwit like you!”

A sharp, irritable voice was scolding someone harshly causing all the guests in the restaurant to murmur. 

“Goodness. That gave me a shock. What was that?”

“What’s going on?”

“Look over there. Seems like that child caused an accident.”

Near the entrance, ruined food and broken dishes were scattered about, and a boy about Rothy’s age lay sprawled in the middle of it. Rather than helping the boy up, the adult staff member stood with hands on their hips and was scowling. 

It was an unpleasant scene. 

The other guests kept glancing toward Theon’s group. As the highest-ranking person in this space, he had a duty to stop such behaviour. Chungnip quickly went over and helped the boy up first.

“Are you alright?”

He was a somewhat scrawny boy, looking underfed, with dull brown hair. The boy hung his head as he tried to hold back his tears. 

“What’re you crying for?”

“Look, it seems he fell while carrying something. He’s still a child. Mistakes happen. Don’t be too harsh on him.”

“He’ll be seventeen next year. Under imperial law, he’s practically an adult.”

“That doesn’t mean you should scold him in front of the customers. You’re making everyone uncomfortable.”

“Oh, fine. I’ll scold him in the storage room where the customers can’t see instead. Hey you! Follow me!”

Wait, that’s not what I—”

Chungnip was taken aback. What kind of person was this? 

Theon’s group had no intention of flaunting their status, but they were the most important of all guests at the academy. If this employee kept acting so rudely towards important guests, he’d be the one to regret it later. Chungnip’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. 

“I’m sorry…”

The boy wiped his tears with his fist and weakly pushed Chungnip away. Then, he limped slowly towards the man, struggling in his steps. Chungnip caught him when he nearly stumbled. 

“Where are you hurt?”

“You little shit, are you faking it?”

“Hey, enough already! Everyone’s watching.”

“You’re just an outsider, it’s none of your business!”

By this point, Zey and Xeon had also stepped forward. Theon, however, still hadn’t moved. He was just watching what was happening from far away when Rothy tapped his shoulder. He wanted to be put down. Theon frowned but carefully set him down. The moment his feet touched the floor, Rothy dashed towards the commotion.

“Chungnip, wait… Don’t move!”

“Lord Rothy?”

At first, everyone thought he was simply stepping in because the situation reminded him of his own past. But that wasn’t it. Rothy grabbed Chungnip’s arm and pulled him away from the boy. Then he casted a spell. 

Whiiir—

Chungnip’s wrist felt hot. He knew this spell well—it was a dispelling spell meant to remove hidden enchantments. Chungnip turned to Rothy in confusion, wondering what was going on. But Rothy was even more confused than he was. He cocked his head and asked the boy,

“Why did you use curse magic on Chungnip?”

11. WAIT

“If it hadn’t been for Lord Rothy, I would’ve—”

Outside the underground prison in the archduke’s estate, Chungnip dragged a shaky hand down his face. The thought of how close he’d come to death left him shaken. Zey rubbed his shoulders to comfort him. Both the boy and the man had been assassins.

He had no idea.

Theon would’ve figured out who they really were eventually, but by then the curse would’ve already spread through Chungnip’s body. As with human experimentation, the combat support dark curse magic ‘Envelop’ was now completely banned.

It’d only take three days for someone to begin rotting from their fingertips before overwhelming the entire body. The worst thing about ‘Envelop’, however, was how easily it spread. It passed through physical contact, and each time it moved to someone new, the curse spread even faster.

If it hadn’t been for Rothy… they would’ve been facing a terrible disaster. 

“They probably planned to hold those infected by the curse as hostages to kidnap Lord Rothy?”

“That’s likely. They would have taken him away in exchange for a cure as the condition.”

“It was my negligence. I’m a mage but I let my guard down and noticed nothing…”

“Chungnip, negligence’s something you talk about after something irreversible has occurred. But nothing happened, did it? So don’t blame yourself too much.”

“…Zey, I didn’t think you’d actually know how to comfort people.”

“You brat.”

Zey wrapped her arm around Chungnip’s neck. Caught in her thick forearm, Chungnip laughed. Then they straightened up at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Theon coming down with a stiff face with Rothy in his arms, swathed in thick furs. Their group had returned straight to the estate after the incident. Though the academy had its own prison, but since the assassins from the Mandate had targeted Chungnip specifically, rather than any academy students or staff, Baron Nymphea acquiesced to let them be imprisoned in the estate’s underground cells instead.

“What did His Imperial Majesty say?”

“I told him it was nothing serious. He’s too preoccupied with the newborn imperial heir to pay it much mind.”

“Ah… Right. Today was the birth. I was so distracted that I’d forgotten completely.”

It was the birth of his first child, and having just seen the newborn, it made sense that anything said to him wouldn’t register. Even though the imperial couple hadn’t married for love, they’d known each other since childhood and were fond of each other.

“Did the empress… have… a safe delivery?”

“Both mother and daughter are healthy. There’s no need to worry.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Thank you.”

Chungnip, who’d also grown up alongside them, looked relieved.

“Zey, PLEIN mages will be arriving tomorrow afternoon.”

“Those guys are coming again? Don’t tell me Harrié Geelin’s coming too?”

“Only a few who know curse defence magic will visit. They’re coming to create a defensive barrier, so prepare compensation.”

“I wonder if we can trust them… They might use the barrier as a cover for something else.”

“If they show any suspicious behaviour, Rothy will catch them immediately.”

Rothy, who had been listening quietly, was startled by the sudden mention of his name, but soon showed a determined expression.

“Yeah…! If PLEIN tries anything, I’ll spot it right away. Don’t worry.”

“Yes. I believe you, Your Grace.”

Rothy had already caught traces of curse magic that no one else detected. Though he was young, he was a reliable archmage. When Theon nodded, Zey took the lead, holding a lantern. Theon walked down the corridor of the underground prison carrying Rothy. Despite it being midsummer, it was cold enough for their breath to show. 

Screeee!

Chi-chi, however, seemed to enjoy the cold air and was busy scurrying excitedly across the floor. 

“Chi-chi, don’t go too far or you might get lost.”

Scree.

Watching the weasel crawl fearlessly across the cold, mossy stone floor, Rothy was worried. Theon on the other hand…

When was the last time that thing had a proper bath?

He made a mental note to throw it in the bath sometime tomorrow. 

The two assassins were locked in separate isolation cells. The soundproofing was so thorough that no matter how loudly they shouted, they couldn’t hear each other. All four walls of both cells were made of tremuhle magic-blocking walls, making telepathy magic impossible.

Of the four walls, the front one was made transparent so those outside could look in. Of course, those inside couldn’t see out.

“What do you think you’ll find out by locking me up? Damn it! Fuck! Imperial bastards!” 

The older assassin locked on the left kept pacing angrily, kicking the wall in frustration or spitting curses. Meanwhile, the young assassin locked on the right was…

“……”

He sat silently in the corner, knees drawn up, face buried. Rothy’s eyes were fixed almost like nails on the young assassin. It was already late, well past his usual bedtime, but he showed no signs of sleepiness. Theon clicked his tongue silently and shifted his standing angle. However, Rothy simply adjusted his upper body to keep watching the young assassin. Worried that he might strain himself, Theon positioned himself so Rothy could see comfortably. 

“Do you have any information?”

“They’re resistant to truth serums, so we haven’t learnt much…”

One of the guards answered. 

“But from what we gathered, they both appear to be fifth-grade mages. That’d likely make them second-rank assassins in The Mandate.”

“Second rank… that’s the highest-ranked assassins we’ve encountered so far.”

“That’s right.”

Zey clicked her tongue. 

“Looks like The Mandate’s getting serious now. With Ken Bane’s succession to the throne almost certain, they don’t think they need to be cautious anymore.”

“What should we do, Your Grace? Even if we set up a curse defence barrier around the estate, we can’t keep Lord Rothy confined here forever.”

Of course not. Keeping Rothy confined to the mansion wasn’t an option. But Theon had no intention of avoiding a fight that came his way.