chapter 43
043. Stone of Truth (5)
“By the way.”
“Yes.”
“If you are a wizard, aren’t you well versed in things from the age of magic and ancient times?”
“As it should be.”
Gunther nodded at Veris’ voice, which somewhat evoked the heavy atmosphere.
“Then let’s investigate together.”
Questions bloomed on Gunther’s face at Veris’ declaration.
“You mean an investigation?”
“A place I saw in the dungeon I entered earlier. I guess there must be something else in there.”
It was only after the explanation continued that Gunther seemed to understand why Veris had said that.
The city that the party faced in the underground dungeon of the academy where they went down to clean the dungeon in the past. There, Veris returned with only the ring retrieved.
Of course, Veris didn’t have to do that either. It was because I decided to return because I was worried that my colleagues might get hurt.
So, Veris seemed to be thinking of going there again.
“That means… ….”
“Yes. We need to minimize the number of people this time.”
It was clear that he would not accompany Gunther, Arwen, or Cecilia. Gunther couldn’t help but put on a sad expression.
“Still, how could I… ….”
“Just.”
“Yes?”
“Just to be honest, I think it will get in the way.”
As if he was influenced by Cecilia, Gunther cried at Veris’ low answer, who was overly frank.
Interrupt, hinder. Of course, Gunther knew very well that he was cute in front of Veris, putting the words of the Empire’s swordsmanship genius to shame. However, it feels like being abandoned by the person you promised to serve for the rest of your life.
In the end, seeing Gunther’s hopeless eyes, Veris let out a small sigh.
“If I see something good, I’ll give it to you too.”
“Yes?”
“You were very sorry the other day. So, if I get a weapon like a sword, I will give it to you.”
“I believed! Older brother!”
Bung!
Veris, who had kicked and blew Gunther away with his arms outstretched, let out a devastated laugh.
As expected, sword wielders are just as weird as wizards.
“No, my sister just said she wanted to meet my older brother.”
“Me?”
Gunther shook his butt and dusted it off, nodding his head.
“Anyway, hyung-nim doesn’t even think about pushing or pulling.”
“That is not true.”
“Then, how about meeting your sister first?”
“Hmm.”
Veris stroked her chin.
Beatrice Von Haruen. She probably doesn’t have any memories or relationships with her, so why does she want to meet her?
In addition, judging from the personality of the dean, who is a small person himself, he must not have spilled the whereabouts of the ‘Stone of Truth’.
‘Is it just curiosity?’
Veris couldn’t help but frown at Jeong alone’s sudden opinion.
Of course, there would be no reason to refuse to meet her normally, but the current situation is the same, and she is the carrier of the artifact sent from the Mage Tower.
* * *
“So, that’s when he appeared and shouted!”
“How do you mean?”
“Power…… Overwelling? What was that? It really made my heart beat.”
What do girls of this age say when they get together?
Of course, there was a high possibility that the stories about studies and family would be the main ones. However, the first sound that pops out of them is, of course, related to love.
Beatrice had an inappropriately excited face.
I was listening to how Berris and this saint Cecilia met in the past. Indeed, he had a strange atmosphere at first impression, but he had extraordinary strength from the cotyledon.
“Since then…… I’ve been waiting all this time. Of course, I think it was fate that I met him again here.”
Cecilia raised her hands to her cheeks with her cheeks dyed red. At that, Arwen was sending her eyes full of displeasure with her, and Beatrice could only stare at her with her mouth slightly open.
‘Me and…… It’s different.’
To put it mildly, unlike Arwen, whom she had talked about earlier, and Cecilia, whom she had just talked about, Beatrice did not have any significant memories with a man named Veris.
But now, listening to these girls…… Isn’t it a heroic story that a young girl can fall in love with?
Arwen, she says he saved her from her evil slavers.
Cecilia, she said he saved her from the wicked cult of demons.
Then what about yourself?
…… Sadly, Beatrice had no such connection. It’s just that families and families, marquises and counts, will connect their children…… It was used as a political tool to the point of being horrendous.
It was nice to come to a place called a cafe with two girls I met by chance, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable hearing this fact.
“What about Beatrice? Doesn’t he like anyone?”
“…… I am.”
Cecilia’s innocent question quickly flew in, whether or not she knew how Beatrice felt.
The person who is betrothed to the man they were talking about is herself. Aren’t there many corners where it takes a long time to say that?
So she had no choice but to decide. Of course, there were times when she couldn’t sleep at first, that is, when she was young, the fact that she met Jeong alone. But she didn’t have a heart anyway after coming back now.
“It was ‘there’.”
“That… ….”
Cecilia and Arwen, who had noticed the meaning of Beatrice’s words to some extent, could see them looking at each other with pity.
The remorse he felt. But Beatrice thought. On the contrary, she said that telling her everything honestly could be an act that would hurt these two girls.
However, Beatrice’s heart had no choice but to face a major ups and downs.
Her cause was her pretty elf named Arwen, who kept turning her head to her own shoulder during her conversation.
“…… Wind, are you sure?”
There is obviously nothing on Arwen’s shoulders. So, why is that girl acting like that?
‘Elementalist?’
Beatrice finally gave an answer. There was a high possibility that she was a person who had made a contract with the spirit, a being that only a select few were not even allowed to see.
Come to think of it, it was a very unusual thing. I had learned in the past that spirits who became disillusioned with the appearance of elves that were different from the front and back cut ties with elves, but was that book wrong?
“Miss Beatrice.”
“…… Yes?”
Arwen, who had been conversing with the thing that would exist in the air for a moment, turned her head to look straight at her. Unable to comprehend the current situation, Cecilia was looking at Arwen and Beatrice alternately with innocent eyes.
“You…… Are you the sister of Sir Gunther von Haruen?”
“…… How do you do that?”
Beatrice’s short answer contained many changes of heart.
To tell the truth, it wasn’t Beatrice who approached the two of them for the sake of their status or fame. She just happened to fall in love with the personalities of the two girls she met on the street and just thought that she would like to drink tea at a cafe together…….
“The kids who signed a contract with me told me.”
Beatrice’s face was soaked in sadness at the words that could grasp her general situation.
In the end, no matter what her intentions were, isn’t this situation the worst?
“That, that means…… Are you saying that this is Veris-sama’s fiancée?”
“Let me tell you.”
In the end, Beatrice decided to tell her everything.
Actually, Beatrice had never experienced anything like this in the Mage Tower. But strangely, from the moment she came to her academy, she felt strangely emotional back to herself.
The agitation she sees now is obviously very different from her usual.
“I…… As you heard, Beatrice von Haren. She is the daughter of the Marquis of Haruen, and a magician belonging to the Mage Tower.”
Could it be because she confided something she already knew? Arwen and Cecilia quietly listened to her as they lifted the car.
“The purpose of coming to the academy is simple. To be in charge of the retrieval and transportation of the artifact, the Stone of Truth.”
“The Stone of Truth… ….”
“…… What a surprise.”
The two girls, who had already witnessed the artifact’s power firsthand, nodded awkwardly. Probably because the girl in front of them is most likely looking for the whereabouts of the artifact.
However, to say they don’t know the world, the two of them, who had already gone through all the hardships at the academy, were trying their best not to show off.
Besides…… I was cautious because this job was directly related to Veris.
“I didn’t mean to lie to you two. I heard from Gunther that you two are close to Veris-sama…… She just thought there was no need to reveal it.”
At Beatrice’s confession, Arwen and Cecilia slowly nodded their heads.
It wasn’t exactly wrong either. Surely, if she had stretched out from the beginning that she was Berris’s fiancée, bad eyes would have been blown away.
“So.”
“Yes?”
“Miss Beatrice, what do you think of Berrys?”
A fastball that flies without even measuring distance. At that, Beatrice was on the verge of losing her mind.
Even Beatrice, who has a cold personality, already knows that these two girls have great affection for Veris.
Even so, she would never have thought that a saint would ask such a straight-forward question.
“I… ….”
Gulp.
As I secretly looked at her, I could see that Cecilia, who had spoken her words, and Arwen, who was waiting patiently for her, were looking at her with nervous eyes.
“I like him…… I don’t.”
In the end, Beatrice calmly vomited the truth.
No, I like it in the first place. I hate it. It was too far away from anything like that.
We just saw each other overnight as if we were passing by when we were very young. If there was no strong opposition from her family, he wouldn’t have to marry Beatrice, and he would have thought about ending the arranged marriage.
“Is it true?”
“…… ?”
However, the unexpected voice came from the elf girl who was quietly observing the situation.
What she had now was neither jealousy nor vigilance.
This was clearly a question.
“This is very strange. I haven’t lived a long life, but I know that the human heart is not so judgmental.”
“… ….”
Cecilia, as well as Beatrice, quietly listened to Arwen’s words.
Serious Arwen. Arwen with such a face was awkward for Cecilia.
“It sounds really funny to me, but…… Berrys-nim does not reject the approaching relationship.”
“Arwen?”
“Therefore, it means that there is nothing wrong with trying to run away from an arranged marriage as if rebelling against the past.”
“… ….”
At Arwen’s clear reaction, Cecilia shut her mouth tightly.
Apparently, when she left the mansion, who made a fuss about Veris that she might have another woman, now?
She turned her head and looked at her dark-haired girl. Then, the appearance of the slender girl that I saw was obviously giving a sad impression to be called the great wizard of the empire.
“Me too…… I was thinking of meeting him. I heard that Gunther is arranging a meeting…… That’s all…… It is.”
At Beatrice’s slightly trembling voice, her two girls looked at her in silence.
However, that gaze contained compassion, not the same vigilance as before.
In fact, even the recently appeared princess Maria was unmistakably strong enough to make Cecilia and Arwen nervous. What kind of person would like my man to have more women?
That said, this girl…… Something looked painful. A lot of it too.