Chapter 48
‘No wonder… I thought he was smiling a little too brightly when he first showed up.’
Clearly, he’d seen my note during a busy moment and decided it was the perfect chance to escape. No wonder he was in such a good mood—he’d freed himself from a mountain of work.
Was the mage threatening to punch Hist his closest subordinate, the Deputy Tower Master?
‘Tsk tsk, poor guy just got stuck with the wrong boss.’
I didn’t say a word, just stared at him with a pitying look. Catching my gaze, Hist turned his attention to the spirits.
“Hey kids, do you know of any herbs that are good for hair loss? If I find one, I’ll go down in history as the most successful Tower Master ever!”
[Oh~, how ridiculous~.]
[As if we’d know such things! Our master’s hair roots are lush and strong!]
[Waaah! A smack for every hair pulled out?! I don’t want Hist to die!]
“Enough with the chatter.”
I refocused his attention on me.
I did feel sorry for the Deputy Tower Master, but I needed Hist’s help too.
“Is that really the only thing in this greenhouse that caught your interest?”
“Huh? My interest?”
Hist glanced around the greenhouse again and then suddenly stopped, blinking rapidly before murmuring in a slightly trembling voice.
“Princess… that mirror…”
As expected, a mage like Hist recognized the mirror immediately.
I smiled faintly and replied, “It’s a royal treasure imbued with dragon magic.”
“H-How could something like that be here?!”
“You don’t need to know that.”
Gobard had found this mirror by pure chance in a palace ruin left to rot after a fire. Just luck.
But luck never came to me uninvited—so if something useful appeared, I had to seize it.
“With this mirror, we can enter the royal secret vault.”
“You mean the secret vault of Lorrenod?”
“So you knew about the vault too.”
“It’s not exactly a well-kept secret.”
Hist blinked as he muttered, “Even if you know about the vault, only the reigning Emperor and Crown Prince can enter because of the ultimate protective spell.”
“Right. It’s never been breached, not once since Lorrenod was founded.”
I casually agreed with his words.
“Who would dare break through a protective spell cast by a dragon?”
“A dragon? So it was the magic of the dragon! There were so many rumors—I wasn’t sure what to believe!”
As expected of a mage, Hist was very interested in dragon magic. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
“I visited the royal museum just to see a relic said to contain dragon magic! And now I find this here!”
With that excited shout, he dashed toward the mirror.
‘That wasn’t a visit—it was a break-in.’
What was the headline in the papers again?
“Eccentric Tower Master! Causing Trouble Again!”
But I had a favor to ask of him, so I let it slide. I waited patiently while he examined the mirror to his heart’s content.
Before long, he exclaimed in a thrilled voice, “This formula is unfamiliar…! So this mirror uses magic to bypass the vault’s protection?”
“Not bypass, exactly.”
To be precise, the barrier would fade briefly at calculated intervals, allowing one to sneak in unnoticed.
But I didn’t elaborate. No need to give him all the details.
“What matters is that this mirror lets us access Lorrenod’s secret vault, where all kinds of treasures are stored.”
“Wow—”
“Want to go?”
“Absolutely!”
Hist nodded enthusiastically.
“The vault must be full of magical artifacts Lorrenod looted—not just dragon magic! Even just seeing them would be…! Oh, wait. Just imagining it is making my heart ache.”
He muttered rapidly, closing his eyes and trying to steady his breathing.
His cheeks were flushed red with excitement.
I let out a soft chuckle.
‘As expected of a Tower Master—intellectual curiosity is strong with this one.’
Honestly, I’d been a bit worried.
What if he wasn’t interested in the mirror or the vault?
What if he refused my offer?
‘Because I’m the one who needs him, after all.’
But with him reacting like this, things would go much more smoothly.
I picked up a piece of Dimodi’s shard from the table—not the fake one Marin made, but the real thing.
“Every offer comes with conditions.”
“Huh? Conditions?”
He opened his eyes and looked at me.
I cautiously held out the shard to him.
“Ooh? There’s some fascinating magic in here.”
Hist took it and began examining it thoroughly.
“The flow of mana is similar to that of the mirror. So even dragon magic has a consistent pattern. Interesting.”
“There’s a spirit sealed inside that shard.”
“Yeah yeah, and there’s a spirit sealed—wait. A spirit?”
He repeated my words mindlessly—then suddenly jerked his head up.
“There’s a spirit sealed in here?”
His dumbfounded voice made me laugh inwardly.
It was funny seeing the usually smug man who always teased me now looking utterly flustered.
The spirits picked up on my mood and giggled with glee.
[Hehe, how stupid!]
[He might actually be stupid~.]
[Even “stupid” feels too generous!]
“What? Why are you all laughing?”
Hist looked nervously at the spirits around him, who were snickering.
I could’ve told him they were mocking him, but I didn’t.
Because it was more fun this way.
“It seems the spirit was sealed using dragon magic. I plan to break the seal.”
“Oh—so this is the Earth Spirit you haven’t bonded with yet?”
“Correct.”
“So that’s why you haven’t made a contract yet… poor thing must’ve been so frustrated.”
Hist gently stroked the shard with a look of sympathy.
Seeing that stirred a strange, unfamiliar warmth in my chest.
‘Until now… I was the only one who knew of the spirits’ existence.’
Only I could see them, hear them, give them attention.
No one else had ever been able to witness their presence.
And yet suddenly—
‘So… someone other than me can care about them.’
That realization finally sank in.
I didn’t have to carry the quiet loneliness of being the only one who could see the spirits anymore.
‘…No.’
Even so, what use was this emotion now?
As I shook off the unnecessary thoughts, Hist spoke up first.
“I get it now. Your proposal is that if I break the seal, I get access to the vault.”
“Yes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t lift Dimodi’s seal with my own knowledge.”
I admitted that part honestly.
“But the Magic Tower is the repository of knowledge for the entire continent. You’re far more likely to succeed than I am.”
As I said this, I glanced at him sideways.
He frowned slightly and examined the shard again.
“A spirit sealed with dragon magic… this is new, even for me.”
The way he said it made it sound like a refusal, and I hurried to add more terms to sweeten the deal.
“If you accept this deal—”
“Sure, I’ll give it a try!”
…Well, so much for the carefully prepared conditions.
They never even made it out of my mouth.
I squinted at him unconsciously.
“What?”
“Huh? I said I’ll do it! And honestly, even if you didn’t offer the vault, I would’ve helped.”
“You’re saying you’d help me with no conditions?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Why? Princess, you really like asking obvious questions.”
Hist replied in the most confident tone.
“If someone’s in a tough spot, you help them however you can. That’s what friends do.”
I didn’t expect that answer at all.
As I struggled to form a response, he grinned.
“Not that I’m turning down your offer. No way I’m missing a chance to see the secret vault!”
That mischievous answer finally snapped me out of my daze.
“…If you can’t break Dimodi’s seal, don’t even think about it.”
“Leave it to me, Princess Neroli. I’ll make sure that spirit regains their freedom.”
I looked away from Hist’s determined gaze.
Honestly, he’d been the first person I thought of when considering how to break Dimodi’s seal.
‘He’s the Tower Master and has ties to the Holy See. He must know more than I do.’
But I’d delayed asking him until the last moment.
Because I wasn’t sure I could offer a deal tempting enough.
‘That’s why I waited until Marin finished copying the mirror.’
This would surely pique his curiosity.
Besides, I didn’t like the idea of entrusting spirit matters to someone else.
‘I delayed and delayed… until I couldn’t anymore.’
And yet, he accepted so readily.
‘Friend…’
I’d only used the word as an excuse, something to show others.
But was I the only one who thought that?
Today, he made me feel strangely different in many ways.
Uncharacteristically, I hesitated for a moment before saying:
“I’ll trust you.”
“Oh-ho. Is that sincere or just lip service?”
Hist raised an eyebrow at me.
That teasing tone irritated me, so I met his violet eyes squarely.
If he cared about being a friend, then I could meet him in kind.
“Yes. Because we’re friends.”
“Mmm! I like it when the Princess says she trusts me.”
“Good taste.”
If he brought results, I’d tell him I trusted him as many times as he wanted.
…And maybe even mean it a little.
