“He will be here soon.”
‘…He is?’
Though I had sought out the easiest person to talk to, I was surprised that Elliot was in.
Given he was a Magic Division Commander in name, he must not be lazy every day, after all.
After standing for a while, Elliot, having heard the news, appeared in a hurry.
His appearance was eerily similar to when I first met him, only this time he emerged from inside the tower rather than from the outside.
No, his clothes being relatively tidy was also a difference.
As soon as he arrived, the man who had been guarding me quickly retreated as if escaping.
Elliot, who appeared hesitantly, also did not look happy.
It wasn’t laziness or annoyance at having his work interrupted.
He lowered the corners of his eyes like a puppy who had broken his owner’s precious item and was waiting for punishment.
“If you’ve done anything wrong to me, tell me now. I might forgive you if you tell me quickly.”
“……Didn’t you come to pick a fight?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Elliot rolled his eyes, seemingly hesitant to speak, but finally opened his mouth.
“I heard you have a good relationship with the healer.”
“Ah… that’s true, but I didn’t come to bring up the ball.”
At that, he visibly looked relieved.
However, perhaps due to his excessive relief, his relaxed expression could no longer conceal the annoyance he had been hiding, which was now fully exposed.
His face seemed to ask what other troublesome matter it could be if not that one.
“Then, what brings you here?”
Sensing that the conversation would be long, he led me to a table.
A wooden table and chairs located a slight turn away from the inside of the tower.
The spot seemed prepared for exactly this kind of situation.
As we sat down, a mage expertly brought us tea.
“The inside of the tower is complicated and potentially dangerous due to various spell formations and magic tools. That is why we brought you here, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Hmm. I see.”
A proper explanation came from the mouth of the mage who brought the tea.
In other words, the inside is dangerous, so they receive guests outside.
I nodded lightly, indicating that I fully understood the meaning, and he placed the teacups in front of us, smiled, and returned.
The gentle aroma of herbs wafting up and a small leaf floating on the teacup wrapped around my heart warmly.
Elliot took a sip of tea and then glanced at me, seemingly wanting to ask about my purpose.
“It’s about the area in front of the forest.”
“I recall having already thoroughly investigated and reported on that matter, but is there something lacking?”
I had only uttered one sentence, but Elliot’s reaction was sharper than a broken shard of glass.
However, I didn’t fail to understand his sharp reaction.
It meant, ‘Do I have to investigate again when I’ve already done it twice?’
“Not that. I was hoping you could bring me a certain type of grass that grows there.”
Of course, I hadn’t brought up the matter without any thought.
What immediately popped into my head was the grass Klen had shown me when we went to the forest entrance.
I retraced my memory of that time and began to describe it in detail.
“It’s a grass with three divided leaves, and it’s about this long.”
I roughly indicated the length I remembered seeing with my hand.
Elliot, who had been staring at me, said indifferently.
“Isn’t that an ingredient for an antidote? It should be in the East Tower.”
“What I want isn’t dried, but something fresh, just out of the soil. They said they didn’t have anything like that.”
I quickly added the latter, before he could assign someone else to go find out.
Since they must store various grasses in different ways, there was a possibility they might have it after all.
At that, Elliot’s face crumpled abruptly.
“Then you should have mentioned that to them… That is the East Tower’s role, not our jurisdiction here.”
He unreservedly exuded an aura of annoyance.
It wasn’t an act of disrespect toward me, but as he said, most matters concerning herbs or medicine are handled by the East Tower, and it wasn’t a task for his division.
However, I had my reasons for specifically asking him.
I pondered how to persuade him, then lowered my eyes to stare at the teacup.
And I conjured a sad thought in my mind.
Without even having to deliberate on what to think about, my mind began to draw a scene on its own.
Perhaps because of the person in front of me, the background naturally became the ballroom.
And Klen was holding another woman’s hand there.
And that woman happened to be Madeline.
And people were commenting on what a good match they were.
“Ah, no. It’s not absolutely necessary. Hmm, did something happen?”
“……!”
Only then did I fully regain my senses.
My mind, which had sunk into darkness, quickly surfaced.
It wasn’t just a sad thought; it was a scene where my heart felt consumed by darkness.
But it wasn’t reality.
It was something that hadn’t actually happened.
I hadn’t realized that a mere imagination could cause my mood to plummet so drastically.
The grumbling Elliot was now discreetly observing me.
Did I look that unhappy?
I quickly took a sip of tea to stabilize my emotions.
And after taking a deep breath, I slowly uttered the words I had prepared.
“Of course, I was going to ask them. But the healer is currently resting, so everyone is moving frantically.”
This time, Elliot’s shoulder flinched.
“We’re busy here too…”
His muttering was so faint that I could barely hear it even when I strained my ears.
But that was enough to know that his momentum had been broken.
Just then, Rodney, who had finished his task behind him, approached to report.
I waited for the distance to narrow so he could clearly hear our conversation before opening my mouth.
“It’s fine if there’s no one to go. I’m feeling well enough today, so I can go near the forest and find it myself.”
“No, do you absolutely need it right now?”
“Isn’t it obvious that I need it, since I’m asking for it?”
I answered with a bit of brazenness.
If he asked what I would use it for, I could simply brush it off by saying it was difficult to tell him now.
I could also ask Klen to cooperate and stick to the same story.
“But if you collapse, you won’t be able to receive the healer’s help.”
“Klen won’t punish you for letting me wander near the forest and collapse.”
Elliot’s expression crumpled.
He seemed to have fully understood the hidden meaning: if I were to wander near the forest and collapse, it would all be his fault.
“Um, if it’s alright, I can go get it.”
Just then, Rodney cautiously interjected into our conversation.
I forcefully pressed my twitching lips shut.
“But aren’t you part of the Knights Division? Would you be able to go?”
If I accepted his offer too quickly, my intentions would be too obvious.
It was strange for a knight to move to find grass when there were plenty of other people who could go.
I had to act as someone who had no idea what his position truly was.
So, I pretended to be worried and expressed a somewhat negative stance.
“Since I occasionally assist with matters here, they will understand.”
He immediately and eagerly took the bait I had offered, without any suspicion.
