TYND 108

“Would it be alright if I had a conversation with the Archduke and Grand Duchess for a moment?”

Those who had been speaking with them first quickly withdrew. Theon, confirming the high priest’s gesture, spoke to Erhen.

“Erhen, I’ll speak with the high priest for a moment. You greet the distinguished guests here in my and the Grand Duchess’s.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Don’t worry. I will greet them with a polite and courteous, dignified and weighty, and sometimes witty and humorous appearance of a great successor.”

Those words really made it impossible not to worry.

If Ultje and Jay hadn’t sent Theon reassuring glances from either side of Erhen, Theon wouldn’t have left his post.

Theon, Rothy, and the high priest’s party headed to the second floor of the banquet hall, which was used for confidential conversations.

Leaving guards and attendants in the corridor, only the high priest, the castle’s priest, Theon, and Rothy entered the room.

“Rothy, sit down.”

Theon naturally pulled out a chair first, as if he had come in solely to seat Rothy. Having met and conversed with too many people, Rothy sat down with a slightly dazed expression.

The high priest sat across from them and smiled.

“Our Grand Duchess seems tired. I sometimes give blessings to hundreds of believers in a day, and after doing that once, I lie down for days unable to do anything.”

“Hundreds of people…? That must have been really difficult…”

“It was both rewarding and exhausting. Come to think of it, I’d like to give Our Grand Duchess a blessing someday too. I’ll visit personally, so if you could tell me when you’re available…”

“High Priest.”

Theon frowned.

“Don’t attach the modifier ‘our’ to my consort.”

“I made a slip of the tongue. I used a modifier that shouldn’t be attached to someone’s partner. I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Also, the High Priest should speak informally to my consort.”

“That’s…”

The high priest had started using honorifics with Rothy after learning he was a Living Trimulle.

Actually, the temple people didn’t even need to come today. There was no reason for even the high priest to attend and celebrate the establishment of a mage organization. So they hadn’t planned to send invitations, but the high priest had sent a priest to express his desire to attend, so they had written the invitation belatedly.

Even at the ceremony, the high priest had only exchanged perfunctory greetings with the head mage of Rothiar and kept hovering around Rothy.

He had no interest in the North’s first mage organization or anything else—he had simply come to see the Living Trimulle once more, the direct evidence that Seara loved humans.

“If you carelessly use honorifics with my consort even outside, there will be those who find it strange. You were the one who said to keep it secret. Rothy and I don’t mind being discovered.”

The fact that Rothy was a Living Trimulle was intended to remain an eternal secret.

Being a Living Trimulle was the most certain and direct evidence that Seara was still watching over humans. However, no matter how great Seara’s grace was, the fact that she had created a ten-year-old child for the purpose of saving humanity and made that child suffer for years couldn’t be erased.

When the existence of this natural being became widely known, would everyone really only give thanks to Seara?

It could potentially become a major blemish on Seara.

An existence that could become the single flaw in the god they worshipped.

It was fitting that he should disappear into the shadows of history.

“I understand. There’s no need to provoke unnecessary curiosity in others. I’ll restrain myself.”

Even as the high priest said this, he sent sticky glances toward Rothy.

It wasn’t the gaze one would give to the youngest archmage, nor to a capable Grand Duchess, nor to a lovely boy who closely resembled a snow fairy.

It was a gaze directed at a Living Trimulle.

Sticky, dark, and damp.

“High Priest, you’ve been testing my patience since earlier.”

Theon openly displayed his displeasure.

He sharply raised his aura. The castle’s priest jumped to his feet.

“Your Grace the Archduke! How dare you spread your aura before the High Priest?”

“If you don’t withdraw your greed toward my consort, it won’t end with just spreading.”

“Are you threatening us now…!”

Rothy, who had been drooping drowsily, was startled by the murderous atmosphere and raised his head.

Squeak! He quickly tucked the ferret, which was bristling its fur as if to join this fight, into his embrace.

Then he looked back and forth between Theon and the high priest before quietly taking hold of Theon’s hand. Even as Theon grasped Rothy’s hand in return, he continued to glare at the high priest until the end.

The high priest sighed.

“Gir, sit down.”

The castle’s priest sat without lowering his guard.

“Archduke, can’t you understand? I’m a priest who has lived my entire life serving Seara, and His Grace Grand Duchess Rothy is someone Seara personally created and sent down… When someone directly touched by Seara’s hand is before my eyes, how can I not look?”

At this moment, Theon decided to drive the high priest away. Just as he was about to rebuke him sharply, Rothy firmly grasped Theon’s hand.

“But I’m not the only one touched by Seara’s hand. Since Seara created all things in heaven and earth, just looking in a mirror would show someone directly touched by Seara’s hand.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And I’m not an object, I’m alive. I’m not some exotic animal either, and if you keep staring at me like I’m some interesting object, it makes me feel bad, and it makes His Grace the Archduke, who loves me so much, feel bad too. Then the atmosphere becomes murderous, and if the High Priest were driven out, rumors would spread that House Palsen has become enemies with the temple… It’s just a matter of being careful with that one gaze, but if you can’t be careful, things escalate like this.”

The white-haired high priest read hurt and worry in Rothy’s gentle expression and cautious tone.

The high priest quickly reined in his desires.

“You speak rightly. I’ll exercise restraint.”

“Thank you…”

“I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Rothy patted Theon’s hand with an expression that said, “It’s resolved now.”

Theon’s anger hadn’t subsided. But if he continued to lose his temper and show anger after Rothy had gone this far to resolve things, it would upset Rothy.

Theon grasped Rothy’s small hand and kissed the back of it. Rothy smiled bashfully.

Even though the high priest and castle priest were watching with wide eyes, it didn’t matter. Whether they found it difficult or not, Rothy was his partner.

“High Priest. Now tell us the main point.”

“Ah, actually I requested this private conversation because there’s good news. When we analyzed the trimule you donated, the results showed it was bone from the demon god that the Hero King defeated long ago.”

“There really was a demon god…?”

At Rothy’s question, the high priest smiled broadly.

“It was so long ago that everyone thinks of it as just a legend, but it really existed. If you come to the grand temple, you can view related artifacts too.”

“I see… Then there might really be dragons or fairies too.”

“We also keep the sword said to have defeated the demon god. You need a reservation to see it, but if the Grand Duchess wants to see it, I can arrange it immediately. You can even touch it if you’d like.”

“Thank you… Theon, let’s visit places later where legends say dragons and fairies appeared.”

“Sure.”

Theon found Rothy, who wasn’t taking the high priest’s bait, very endearing. The high priest continued with a slightly bitter tone.

“The bone that demon possessed is estimated to boast strength far beyond the magic stones found in dungeons. Naturally, the loss of aura and magic power would also be much less than with magic stones. No, perhaps it could store and release power with no loss at all.”

“……”

“If we make weapons from this, they would become the strongest weapons in Arasis history, unprecedented until now. The first sword made will be given to Your Grace. It’s the temple’s token of gratitude for the trimule donation and your silence for peace.”

“Please make one for Rothy too.”

“Oh, my.”

The high priest laughed helplessly at the honest request that came out without even a thank you, and Rothy’s eyes sparkled.

“I was planning to give you one even without being asked. I’ll make both a wand and a staff. Though I hope there will be no occasion to use such weapons.”

Theon, who had wanted to make a wand and staff befitting Rothy’s abilities, decided to forgive the high priest’s rudeness today.

There was no way Plant, the empire’s greatest and strongest mage organization, would be absent from the founding ceremony of the North’s first mage organization. If they were absent, it could be interpreted as expressing opposition to the North’s mage organization.

Conversely, by staying at the ceremony venue and banquet hall from morning until late at night without leaving, as they were doing now, people would think Plant actively supported Rothiar.

Harie Girin, who had brought a small number of Plant mages, held his position until the distinguished guests left and the banquet hall was cleared.

Though Theon was reluctant, he had to personally thank Harie. As he approached the Plant side with Rothy, who were preparing to leave, Harie smiled as if he had been waiting.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

“Thank you for staying all day.”

“It’s only natural as the head of the empire’s mages. Anyway, congratulations. And I commend you. You’ve become the first Palsen to awaken to the greatness of magic.”

“I didn’t do it to receive your praise.”

“I know. Actually, I’d rather praise Lord Rothy than Your Grace. No matter how much Your Grace wanted to spread magic in the North, without Lord Rothy, establishing an organization in just two years would have been impossible.”

“You’re right. Feel free to praise Rothy as much as you like.”

“……”

Harie made a sour expression then chuckled.

“It’s too late to start praising Lord Rothy, so I’ll postpone it for next time. Let’s meet at dawn sometime.”

“Let’s do that.”

Harie raised an eyebrow as if surprised he’d go along with the joke. But Theon wasn’t the only one who responded to that joke.

“I’ll join you then too.”

Chungnip said.

“I can’t miss out either.”

“Please invite me too.”

Jay and Ultje chimed in.

“I have quite a few things to praise as well.”

The guard mage also stepped forward.

“I want to join too…”

Rothy also cautiously raised his hand.

Under the gazes focused on him, Rothy said shyly,

“I really love hearing compliments…”

Needless to say, that honest confession made everyone’s expressions turn as warm and gentle as a spring day.