Chapter 15: The Shape of a Dream – 5
ㅤ”So, you haven’t found any useful materials after all?”
ㅤ”No, not yet. It would be helpful if we could experiment on rats or something, but with the Year of Calamity just ending, there aren’t many magical beasts around……”
ㅤ”Your Highness, Lady Lily, let’s take a break.”
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ㅤOne of the Magic Division members brought in a tea set. About a week has passed since the incident in the courtyard, and I’ve been making time in my busy schedule to visit the Magic Tower within the royal court, which also serves as the Magic Division’s workplace.
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ㅤThe Magic Division has a wide range of duties. They accompany the knights to deal with magical beasts, cooperate with the church to provide healing magic to the poor, go to magic schools to instruct students, replenish and inspect magic stones within the royal court, and many of them conduct research on magic and magical tools. Now that things have calmed down regarding the magical beasts, it seems that most of the members are spending their free time searching for a way to dispel Oswald’s miasma. I think he was truly trusted.
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ㅤA young man named Eddie, who cheerfully declined Lily’s offer to help, saying,”I’m the lowest-ranking member here!”, is one of those who admire Oswald. He was very surprised when I first came here, but when I offered to help with Oswald’s situation, he shouted,”Thank you!”in a voice loud enough to echo throughout the room. The Vice-Captain immediately rushed over and apologized for his lack of manners, explaining that he came from an orphanage, but he was so honest and likable that I didn’t mind at all.
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ㅤLily, leaving the tea preparations to him, said,”Excuse me for a moment,”and left the room. I assume she’s going to the restroom, so I don’t pry. I idly flip through the pages of the old document for which I had granted access.
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ㅤ”You’re deciphering this……Amazing, this is practically ancient language.”
ㅤ”The words themselves are still manageable. But many of the magical techniques that were mainstream back then are obsolete now. That’s the part that’s hard to understand.”
ㅤ”Hmm……”
ㅤ
ㅤAs I flip through the pages, there are indeed words I can understand. I’ve learned basic ancient language as part of my education, so if I look closely, there are parts I could probably read, but the pages that seem to be about magic are completely beyond me.
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ㅤ”I’m sorry that I’m not being helpful, even though I offered to cooperate.”
ㅤ”No! Um, we……we’re grateful to Your Highness!”
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ㅤEddie raised his voice again. I don’t know if it’s because of his voice or the scent of tea, but several other magicians gather around, as if drawn by it.
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ㅤ”That’s right, Your Highness. Thank you.”
ㅤ”Uh, yes, no, I haven’t really done anything……”
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ㅤI wave my hands in a fluster. I can tell there’s no lie in their words, so I’m rather uneasy because I don’t understand why they’re so grateful. So far, all I’ve done is grant them access to the literature; I haven’t offered a single useful piece of advice.
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ㅤ”It’s about Lady Lily.”
ㅤ”Huh?”
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ㅤI’m surprised by the unexpected words. The members of the Magic Division smile kindly at me as I tilt my head in confusion.
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ㅤ”We……To be honest, we didn’t welcome Lady Lily when she first came here. We had heard about the broken engagement, so we thought she was a woman who had abandoned the Captain. But she bowed her head and asked for our cooperation in dispelling the Captain’s miasma, and she was working so hard that anyone could see it. We immediately thought there must be some circumstances behind the broken engagement and her sister’s situation…….We were fools. We had been on subjugation missions with her many times and knew that she was a sincere and kind person.”
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ㅤEddie smiles, his eyebrows lowered. Another member continues, with a similar expression.
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ㅤ”We could see her becoming more and more haggard every day because she was working so hard. But there was nothing we could do. Healing magic doesn’t work on fundamental fatigue or lack of sleep. Even when we told her she should rest, she just shook her head and said she was fine……It was after Your Highness started coming here. Lady Lily seems to have had a weight lifted off her shoulders.”
ㅤ”Her complexion has improved too!”
ㅤ
ㅤI feel embarrassed as I watch the members nodding in agreement. I’m happy if I’m being helpful to her, but my offer to cooperate stemmed from the impure motive of liking her, and I was only able to be considerate because of my ability to see through lies. I just couldn’t forget the softness of her body when I instinctively embraced her that day, and I’m wishing for her well-being.
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ㅤNo, well, as I stammer, a voice like tinkling bells returns.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What are you talking about?”
ㅤ”L-Lily! Uh, it’s nothing important……”
ㅤ”……? Your Highness, your face is a little red.”
ㅤ”I-It’s nothing.”
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ㅤThe members chuckle as I turn away to avoid her gaze. This is so embarrassing……I have a bad feeling that they might have seen through my feelings too. Joshua’s words,”Your Highness is more transparent than you think, you need to be more composed,”come back to me.
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ㅤ”B-By the way! How is Oswald doing? Has his magical power recovered at all?”
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ㅤWhether she didn’t notice my clumsy attempt to change the subject or pretended not to, Eddie immediately answered.
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ㅤ”I hear his appetite has returned a little.”
ㅤ”That’s good. He needs to eat to regain his strength……Has anyone visited him?”
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ㅤWhen I tilt my head, everyone makes a troubled face.
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ㅤ”No, no one. The Vice-Captain is only exchanging letters with him.”
ㅤ”……? I see.”
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ㅤThat’s strange. Everyone is so worried about Oswald, and they’re even searching for a way to dispel his miasma. Oswald’s mansion isn’t far away, so it wouldn’t be strange if they were visiting him constantly.
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ㅤPerhaps sensing my confusion, an older member explains.
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ㅤ”Lord Oswald can sense people’s presence through fluctuations in magical power.”
ㅤ”Fluctuations in magical power?”
ㅤ”You could call it an aura……Everyone, to some extent, emits magical power as they live. Powerful magicians can sense the movements and identities of people through the magical power they emit.”
ㅤ”You guys can sense it too? Amazing.”
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ㅤI’m surprised and impressed to learn that this is why skilled magicians are sensitive to people’s presence. It’s something I, with my meager magical power, can’t even imagine. However, they humbly downplayed it.
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ㅤ”We can only sense if someone is nearby. But the Captain’s ability is on a completely different level. Even through a closed door, he can guess who’s doing what. I can’t count how many times he caught me slacking off and eating sweets.”
ㅤ”He’s that sensitive……?”
ㅤ”Yes. Normally, it’s not a problem, but when he’s not feeling well, or in a crowd where various magical powers are mixed, he sometimes gets overwhelmed.”
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ㅤWhen he’s not feeling well. Ah, I see.
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ㅤ”We all have strong magical power, so……”
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ㅤThey all smile, looking somewhat sad. They want Oswald to rest peacefully. They’re refraining from visiting him so that their magical power won’t affect his condition.
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ㅤ”We can’t visit him without a solution!”
ㅤ”He works too much anyway, he should take this opportunity to sleep until his eyes melt.”
ㅤ”I’ve never seen the Captain sleeping……Does he even sleep?”
ㅤ”He must sleep, surely……”
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ㅤMy heart warms as the table becomes lively with chatter. I glance to my side and see Lily smiling with her eyes narrowed, and the moment I see that, a different kind of warmth fills my chest.
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ㅤI think I really do love her. But I can’t tell her yet, not while she’s working so hard.
