LP 2.6 The Lizard with a Tied Tail

Should I have just waited there earlier? Well, when I was little, if I seemed lost, I was told not to wander around looking for my governess but to stay put, that she would come find me soon, I think I remember hearing that…

Especially since in the castle, there are watching eyes everywhere…

It was when he reached that thought. A clattering sound came from somewhere. At the far end of the not-so-long corridor, a faint light flickered dimly.

When a long human shadow began to sway from the corner, Kosha had no time to think and simply shoved his body between the round pillars lining the corridor and the wall. It was so narrow that even a skinny runt like Kosha couldn’t fit completely, but there was no suitable place to hide at the moment.

Crouching his body tightly and holding his breath, the shadow grew larger and soon a person appeared at the end of the corner.

He was wearing a dark-colored hooded cloak, and contrary to the threatening shadow, his stature was not large. The clattering sound seemed to come from the old ring of the lantern swaying.

The shadow’s footsteps were hurried, and as it got closer, the face reflected in the dim lantern became slightly clearer. It was a woman. Clatter, clatter, the sound of the ring swaying grew more clamorous. Thanks to that, the sound of gasping and covering the mouth could be buried.

It was a beauty with abundant, curly black hair grown down to her waist.

A face Kosha knew very well.

The woman, with an anxious and uneasy expression, walked across the corridor without even noticing Kosha’s presence, and Kosha, holding his breath, followed her back with his eyes. Unconsciously, his lips twitched.

“Merda…?”

…But how could she, merely the daughter of the Osterwick blacksmith, be wandering around the heart of Ostbrahe Castle at this hour?

Even after she turned the corner and disappeared, it was only after a long time, when Kosha straightened his crumpled body and crawled out from between the pillars, that it happened.

Still unable to believe what he had seen, standing foolishly, in a moment a rough hand pulled his body sharply backward.

Reflexively, a scream tried to escape his mouth, but it was covered just like that. However, before he could even struggle, a familiar voice barked.

“What exactly are you doing here!”

With his mouth covered, only tilting his head back, the familiar face of a young knight came into view. From behind, he was hugging Kosha as if restraining him, covering his mouth with his hand.

Even though it was absolutely not hot weather, why had he sweated so profusely? His short-cut black hair was damply wet and stuck to his forehead. Anyway, since a familiar face had appeared, Kosha, feeling he was now saved, obediently relaxed his strength and stretched his body.

And Eydrick looked down at Kosha with a strange expression for a moment. But that scrutiny was not long. Confirming that Kosha was not resisting, he slowly released his arm.

“Hah…”

Eydrick sighed and rubbed his face. Kosha, standing quietly beside him, fidgeted and cautiously tried to speak.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to go back…”

“……”

“I was trying to go back, but I lost my way…”

I really only told the truth, but how truthfully it sounded was anyone’s guess.

---

“Have you finally gone insane? Right?”

An angry voice shook the reception room. Before him, Mylotte was kneeling with his head bowed. One cheek was already swollen, with a bluish hue rising.

This was a rare occurrence.

Lucian basically had no hesitation or reluctance in using violence, but it was rare for him to directly raise his hand unless the opponent was a soldier or someone with equivalent physical ability. At least, as long as he was ‘sane.’

It stemmed not from sympathy or consideration of the difference in strength, but from pride and arrogance, simply because it was a very undignified act.

Therefore, Mylotte was strictly not his ‘opponent.’ The last time he directly raised his hand against Mylotte was around when he was sixteen years old.

After nearly ten years, he raised his hand against Mylotte again. Very mercilessly. Even though it was something he had prepared for, for a moment his vision darkened blackly, and he wondered if his eyeballs hadn’t popped out.

Last night’s events did not proceed as Mylotte had planned in many ways.

Not only did the archive custodian, who was staying nearby, emerge instead of just some lowly soldier guarding the door, but also the fact that he was acting as if he knew something precisely at that time were all unforeseen occurrences. However, what was most shocking of all was the fact that the mage had vanished without a trace.

Of course, it would have been best if the mage had moved swiftly and escaped the archive together before the uninvited guest approached. But Mylotte simply could not trust the notoriously sluggish mage, so he had prepared a backup plan as well.

Ostbrahe is an old castle. The history of the main tower, built first, stretches back even to the mythical age.

Until the time of the Kingdom of Asilla, this place was used as a military fortress. It underwent numerous expansions and repairs over a long period before being declared the capital of Izelant, but traces of its past as a military fortress still remain in the main tower and several ‘old pillars’ built around the same time.

For example, secret passageways, mechanisms, traps, and the like.

With the passage of time, these were forgotten in memory and simply became part of the castle. However, not everyone truly forgot their existence.

Among the scholars Mylotte had gathered from across the country, there was one who obsessively studied only the blueprints of old structures. Led by that individual, the research team first restored the map of Ostbrahe’s secret passageways.

That map, after several risky trials and errors, was now almost perfectly verified, and it was something knights like Eydrick, who mainly undertook special missions, had memorized thoroughly.

The first tower of the East Wing was originally the ‘eastern pillar’ of the main tower and was also a section where secret passageways extended. So, it would have been fine even if the mage moved sluggishly. While Mylotte bought time, Eydrick could move through the walls and extract the mage.

And Mylotte bought time quite splendidly.

The problem was that the mage Eydrick went to retrieve… was not there.

“…The palace ministry agreed to have Selden coordinate the story. It was a matter discussed beforehand, and there should be no grounds for picking a quarrel from that side.”

Mylotte reported slowly. As he spoke, the inside of his swollen cheek throbbed, causing his pronunciation to be slightly slurred. The taste of blood swirled in his mouth.

But he didn’t feel that unfairly wronged. If Eydrick had ultimately failed to retrieve the mage, it probably wouldn’t have ended with just this.

I admit I was rash in last night’s affair, Mylotte acknowledged calmly. Perhaps he had been somewhat impatient due to the rapidly changing military environment, the lord’s condition showing no sign of improvement, and yet feeling as though he was distracted by trivial matters.

Or… perhaps that unusually impulsive and hasty decision was also influenced by the ‘mage’?

In many ways, it seemed he had overlooked the fact that the other party was not ‘human’.

“I admit all my mistakes. I will accept any punishment. But, Your Highness, on this point, I must insist.”

Mylotte forced down the blood pooled in his mouth and continued.

“Setting aside how the mage knew about that secret passageway. According to the verified map, the lower-level space of that archive is a place people cannot enter or exit. It’s a place where ancient traps still remain; if you misstep even a single foot, you cannot even come out alive. You know the Gykrux mages tried to nullify them but gave up and left, don’t you?”

“……”

“Moreover, the door the mage claims to have used is now a completely sealed-off place.”

Nothing makes sense. Mylotte added, bowing his head.

“Even putting aside the fact that the mage was found wandering near Bastian’s private quarters, Your Highness. We must reconsider whether he truly is an innocent mage who knows nothing. The fact that the treatment keeps being delayed—”

“Milot Koherbun.”

A low voice heavily cut off the words.

“You acted unilaterally, and part of that was insubordination.”

“……”

“Confine yourself for a fortnight and await further punishment. Submit reports through Renata or Gosrick.”

An unmistakable irritation seeped from the voice.

It was only natural for his mood to be this twisted, having to reprimand those below him one after another as soon as he opened his eyes.

Today, he awoke to the most unpleasant and bizarre morning since the Mage had replaced his sleeping pills. First, his body felt heavy—not due to muscle pain or signs of a cold, but literally as if something was pressing down on him.

For a moment before opening his eyes, he wondered if it might be the Mage.

He often suggested to the Mage that he should stay and sleep, though it was more an empty courtesy than genuine intent… Still, if the Mage were to lose his composure and actually agree to stay, he wouldn’t necessarily refuse.

Obviously, the Mage wouldn’t be so quick to say yes. It was possible that after putting him to sleep, the Mage had agonized over it and then quietly lay down beside him once. Perhaps he had unknowingly fallen asleep. Or maybe while sleeping, he had tossed and turned and climbed onto him…

But that thought had to be discarded immediately upon arising. His sensitive nose detected an unpleasant odor.

The musty smell of old leather and paper.

The Mage’s body emitted a subtly sweet scent. At first, it was almost imperceptible unless he focused, but once he noticed it, it gradually became clearer, and now he could distinguish it even with his eyes closed.

As soon as he realized this, Lucian opened his eyes and discovered eight old, thick books scattered haphazardly over his body and the bed.

It took him some time to grasp the situation.

Five of those eight books couldn’t even be opened, and three could be opened but were written in an extinct ancient language.

The only plausible source for such absurd items was obvious. Without even properly dressing, he rushed out and immediately ordered the Mage to be brought to him, but after a long wait, the servant returned alone with an embarrassed expression and relayed an astonishing story.

“…You coordinated with the palace department? Do you not know whose side they fundamentally are on? Are you sane? Who exactly is increasing my workload right now? If the work is overwhelming and you’ve gone mad, tell me now. I’ll send you back to Callot immediately.”

Recalling all the events of that morning, irritation surged again, and words poured out uncontrollably. Mylotte silently bowed his head, and Lucian, as if forcibly suppressing further words, sighed and swept his hair back.

“You… are prohibited from meeting privately with the Mage until separate permission is granted.”

“……”

“If you understand appropriately, leave. For half a month, don’t even show your shadow; stay secluded on your own.”

Mylotte seemed to want to say something, parting his lips slightly, but then deeply bowed once and withdrew from the room.

Silence descended upon the reception room, which from early morning had resembled a storm passing. A servant, gauging the mood, brought chilled tea with lemon and mint, and he drank about two cups of it straight down.

The forced sense of refreshment induced by the drink did not improve his mood.

As Lucian was about to rise from his seat, placing the cup down as if tossing it onto the tray the servant held, he suddenly paused. He was currently dressed only in a shirt with a generously cut overcoat loosely draped over it. If he were going directly to his office, it wouldn’t matter to wander around like this for a day…

After pondering briefly, Lucian turned his steps again.

“Prepare clothes until I come out after washing.”

He ordered the servant as he headed toward the bathroom.

---

Kosha was ill.

On the way back to the West Wing after the dramatic reunion with Eydrick, Kosha, who had been walking fine, suddenly collapsed unconscious. If Eydrick hadn’t quickly caught him, he might have cracked his skull and died.

After being carried back to his room by Eydrick, he suffered terribly, hovering near death and groaning. His whole body throbbed painfully, and his fever rose and fell repeatedly; he had no clarity of mind at all. Amid this, Mylotte came and asked something… He tried to answer properly, but his memory was fragmented and intermittent, so he couldn’t be sure.

While repeatedly falling asleep or unconscious, he vaguely thought he saw Lucian, but couldn’t be certain if it was a dream or not. The expression he glimpsed seemed extremely unpleasant, so he wished it had been a dream.

There was no one to tell him it was acute mana deficiency sickness, nor any relatives with compatible mana wavelengths to share their mana for emergency treatment. The poor Mage simply had to suffer through it, thinking his weak body had caught a chill from the cold wind.

When he slowly regained consciousness, he couldn’t tell how many days had passed. His body felt light, but his mind was foggy.

He tried moving his stiff arms, which felt like they had solidified from lying down too long… and something rustled between the blankets. Kosha wondered if he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes. But it wasn’t an illusion.

Clambering up was a shimmering green lizard.

It stared at Kosha with an utterly expressionless face.

“You’re still here…?”

Kosha awkwardly spoke, unsure how to react.

“Why did you disappear back then? I almost got lost and was in big trouble…”

Of course, there was no reply.

“…But what are you? A Magical Beast? Were you living in that archive?”

It was a bit strange for a Magical Beast—that is, a Magical Creature—to be living in present-day Izelant, right in the heart of the capital.

The lizard didn’t answer. Hmm… how should he communicate? Kosha was pondering this when—

“What are you doing?”

A strange voice came from beside the bed. No, it wasn’t an unfamiliar voice—just one he hadn’t heard in a long time.

Lifting his head while still lying down, he saw a man as tall as a doorframe looking down at him with a fierce expression. His blond hair was streaked with gray, and his beard was more neatly trimmed than the last time Kosha had seen him.

“Sir Gosrick…!”

It was a face he hadn’t seen in a long time. Kosha felt an inexplicable joy and tried to smile, but Gosrick recoiled as if he’d seen something unpleasant and waved his hand dismissively. Then, he dragged a chair over with a scrape and plopped down beside Kosha’s bed.

“What on earth were you muttering to yourself about?”

To himself? Kosha, who hadn’t been alone, was startled and turned his gaze. But there was nothing where the lizard had been.

Where did it go?

“…Just, uh, I think I was seeing things.”

Kosha blinked a few times and answered in a dazed voice. Gosrick frowned. His thick, pot-lid-like palm suddenly covered Kosha’s forehead. “No fever,” he muttered, then began examining Kosha from head to toe.

Feeling a bit awkward lying down in front of someone, Kosha propped himself up with a pillow and slowly sat up. Gosrick clicked his tongue, looking somewhat relieved.

“Don’t go muttering to yourself like that. You’re already suspicious enough.”

“Yes…”

Kosha obediently nodded.

“How’s your body? Any pain?”

“I’m fine. I think I’m all better now.”

Though he was still a bit weak. It was only natural, given he hadn’t eaten properly while sick. He had no appetite, likely due to the lingering effects of the illness. More importantly, Kosha looked at Gosrick.

“But what brings you here, Sir Gosrick?”

“What brings me here?”

Gosrick laughed—a short, humorless sound.

“Good question. How did I end up here like this?”

It was a puzzling response. Kosha glanced around. Originally, it was Eydrick’s role to keep an eye on Kosha, but seeing Gosrick here… had something happened to him? A sudden worry crept in.

“Eydrick…”

“Who?”

“Did something happen to Sir Eydrick?”

Gosrick stared at Kosha with a strange expression.

“You really…”

“…?”

“Never mind. Eydrick? Something happened, alright.”

Before Kosha could react, Gosrick abruptly stood up from his chair.

“Wait here quietly. I’ll bring him.”

So Kosha waited quietly, hoping Eydrick hadn’t caught a cold while carrying him back.

But what appeared shortly after wasn’t Eydrick.