As for what happened since then, I'm going to try my best to give you a comprehensive summary, even though it's too much to explain.
First of all, the details I learned by magic from the doctor, as a result of some random sorting.
It was decided that the best way to cure Augusto-san's mother, Vaneila-san, was to surgically remove the foreign body and use the Last Elixir to cure her.
However, I heard that the elixir can only be used after removing all the magical stones from Vaneila-san's body, so that was one of the problems.
In addition, even if you do your best to remove all of them, they'll probably reappear, so it's useless unless you break the underlying curse.
It would have been nice if I could use light-attribute magical purification, but I have no idea what that is, so there was nothing I could do.
The doctor said that the elves living in the forest beyond the mountains surrounding the country might know how to make the elixir.
And that I could also learn the magic of purification there, so I decided to pay a visit to the elves' home later.
If possible, I'd like to beat ‘em to a pulp.
I'd like to throw my long-standing grudge at him with all my might.
No, I haven’t got to the point of getting on to the years, but that's okay.
In the meantime, I'm sorry to say this, but if I leave her like this, her condition is going to get worse and worse.
So, after consulting with the doctor, we decided to have her stay in a state of suspended animation.
The doctor applied a little bit of the time-stopping magic that Augusto-san had used to preserve Julia-sab's body, but a slightly degraded version instead.
It seems that if you stop time completely, time will pass all at once when you release it, so a slightly degraded version is just right, not as if time hasn't advanced, but rather it has advanced slightly.
In addition, when I asked them why they didn't use this method twelve years ago, they replied with a complicated look on their face, "I learned this magic in the village of the elves."
I'm not sure how Augusto-san created the magic to stop time, if that's the case.
I thought so, but that was a product of Augusto-sab's love, so perhaps it was inevitable.
Maybe it's a delusion, or maybe it's just that human emotions can be very powerful at times, like the power of a fool in a fire.
I'd like to get some knowledge from the elves for now, since I have a vague idea that there are many things I can learn from them.
I've heard that there's more knowledge about magic in demon countries and the like, but I've heard that they're dark-oriented reinforcers, so I'll leave that aside for this time when I want medical knowledge.
I want to know how to perform time stopping magic, light magic if I can use it, and most importantly, how to make the elixir.
I want to make sure I have at least those three things.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm sure my body will be able to handle it.
Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and take all the knowledge from the elves. Let's go for the knowledge mugging!
This information is from Alfred-san's ....... It's kind of uncomfortable and hard to call him, so I guess I'll go back to calling him that. It's good, it's long. Okay, okay.
Ah, what was it again, right, information.
I've shared the information about Vaneila-san, including her current situation, with the butler-san.
So, I think the butler-san will share the information with the others.
He said that he would adjust the schedule and make an arrangement for us to visit the elves in our free time.
At that time, I remembered something, so I decided to ask the butler-san about it.
"What happened to that thing?"
"The citizens' lockdown?"
No, not exactly, but there was that too! I forgot about that!
But it's hard to say that it's not, so I'll just go with it!
It's also my fault for forgetting the subject!
After all, rather than that damned ball guy, this is more important! It can’t be helped!
In order to distract my mind, or rather to deceive myself, I picked up the documents on my desk, looked through them, and opened my mouth as if it were nothing.
"Have you made any progress?"
"No, as you know, once the representatives came to the museum, they issued a statement saying that we should not punish them, and then nothing."
Hmmm...
I feel like I don't remember at all, but I have a faint memory of it, so I think you must've probably told me in a report or something. I had forgotten. Uhm.
"What's your situation now?"
"Yes, I saw that Foxface-san was having a secret meeting with what looked like a representative of the holed up citizens."
The one who answered my question was Cinza, who had come back once to share information with me.
I don’t get it, but I called his name and he came back. I don't know what's going on, but he heard me and came back in an instant. That's scary.
No, wait a minute, what?
What? When you say Foxface-san, you mean that person, right?
No matter how much I searched in my brain, that was the only person who came up among Augusto-san's subordinates.
Paul Cherbourg, the slim, Augusto-san's favorite, slightly troublesome type of old man.
"What do you mean by that, Cinza?"
"Didn't he betray ya'll?"
In response to the butler-san's question, Cinza replied in an offhanded manner, as if he was talking about something random, and I wanted to tell him to be more proper since this was a serious conversation.
The conversation wouldn't go anywhere, so I won't say it though.
............ But I see.
It's a betrayal. ...... Well, that's just the way it is.
After all, the contents are different.
I can't help but think that it's inevitable that this would happen, and that's why you can't do anything about people's feelings.
There's no way I can do that, and if anything, it's just arrogance.
“Wait, he's not the kind of guy who would betray us."
“Oh-, you don't know that. He's the perfect Master, everyone's dream, but inside he's a young woman! What a revelation.
Towards butler-san's suggestion, Cinza-san ......, somehow this is also uncomfortable, so let's go back, spy-san leaning against the wall as if it's too troublesome, replies.
“But even so Master, is alive"
"The soul is dead, you know?"
"That's ...... yes, but ……"
"Alfred, Cinza, that's enough."
"But ......!"
I interceded as I put down the papers I had finished looking at, and the butler-san stared at me as if he wanted to say something.
You can't blame him for being suspicious of his friends.
But don't fight with me here. Let's just get along.
If you're going to do it, please do it where I'm not around. It's not like I'm trying to mediate.
...... No, it's because of me.
"It's too early to discuss something we don't know anything about."
It seemed impossible to say that it was troublesome, so someone should praise me for returning it in a safe manner.
"……. Uwah, my apologies“
“I apologize for saying something so out of place"
It's great that they honestly apologize and listen to what I, a freshly minted greenhorn, have to say. If it were me, I'd lose my temper, but they're really great.
I'm sure there's a reason for this, but it's not the right time to ask, so we'll have to wait until a later date.
I just feel like I'm going to forget about it, but it's important and maybe I'll remember ...... sometime. Well I won’t blame ‘hem.
"I don't mean to blame you, but more importantly, where is Paul?"
Inwardly I'm grateful, but now is not the time, so I'll get to the point.
"I don't know, I think he went to the church where the citizens are holed up."
Spy-san's reply was light, but it was something that made me feel indescribably complicated.
Wow, are you serious?
"...... Well, when he comes back, we'll talk about it."
"I wonder if he'll come back ......"
Stop it, Spy-san, you're making me so anxious!
"You don't have to leave. There's no point in moving before you know what you're getting into."
"So, do you want me to ask Ernest for his opinion?"
“……. It has to be himself"
"All right, I'll do that."
I could talk to the older brother about it, but if I do that now, it would create something preconceived, I don't know.
"Did you tell Ernest about this?"
"Well, he's the one who knows, isn't he?"
No, I mean, it's important to share information.
"You can let him know we're aware of it."
"Yes, sir."
I'm sorry, but aren't you being too light?
It's not just your footwork, but your attitude as well.
What is this? I want to shake this guy.
I was a little disappointed, but I still had to do it, so I decided to give him some instructions.
"Let me know if there is any movement."
"Yes, sir."
I got the good boy's reply.
I was thinking, aren't you working too hard, spy-san? Are you okay with this?
I can't say anything, you look so happy. What's going on?
Eh? I left a lot to you, didn't I?
How are you doing with that? Are you trying your best to do everything?
I was curious, but spy-san disappeared before I could ask him, so I had no choice but to call it a night.
Oh well. I'll do my best to recalculate.
I let out a breath and picked up the quill on my desk.
"Wow, Master is amazing, he doesn't get upset at all."
"I'm sure you've inherited your knowledge and experience from Master, so it's only natural."
When the butler left the duke's office, he heard a frivolous voice coming from the ceiling right above him.
The only sounds in the empty corridor were the butler-san's calm voice and the sound of his regular shoes.
"And you are sure that's what you want?
"...... What are you talking about?"
A voice from the ceiling stopped the butler in his tracks.
"Master isn't your Master, so what's the point of serving him?"
Perhaps because the question was something that anyone could think of, the butler did not seem flustered or in a hurry.
However, the voice from the ceiling asking the question is somewhat blunt, lacking the usual lightness.
"I'm here because I'm in love with the 'current' Master, so why are you here?"
The tension was like a tense thread, and then there was a faint but definite desire to kill.
If he gave the wrong answer here, his neck and torso would soon part in tears, and he would feel as if the air had become heavy.
"I'm here for that person"
It was a quiet, yet somehow determined answer.
"Hmm?"
Behind the butler, a man in black landed on the wall of the corridor.
The man appeared without a sound and leaned against the wall.
"I certainly couldn't do anything about it.
I am a fool who noticed the change in the Master, but only saw the surface, and today I have only now realized that the soul is different."
After saying that, the butler looked out the window.
After saying that, the butler looked out the window and saw the blue sky, flowers blooming in early summer, and the city of Werstein in the distance.
The scenery was so tranquil that it was hard to imagine that there was a lockdown going on right now.
As the butler quietly gazes at the scene, he opens his mouth.
"That's why I have to believe in them."
"What do you mean?"
The dark clothed man raises one eyebrow dexterously, implying that he doesn't quite see what he's saying.
“Their strength is at stake."
“Stake?"
The man in black, who parrots the calm butler's words curiously, tilts his head loosely.
"I was afraid that if it continues like this, that person will also break down just like my former Master.
That's why I wanted to support them.
Therefore, I must not doubt them."
Crisp assertions, eyes full of determination.
The man's head tilted back loosely at the reflection in the window glass from the butler to the man.
" ...... it's fine as long as you know you're not feeling indebted to your Master or trying to serve him for no reason at all."
The man's question finally caused the butler to look back.
"...... Now that I think about it, on the day that person woke up, they asked me if it would be okay for them to live."
The butler stared at the man, muttering words that sounded like penance.
"I replied that I wanted them to live, no matter what it took."
The butler continued, his brow wrinkled and his dominant hand clutching his heart in a slightly painful manner.
"Even if I didn't know anything about it, I have said something cruel."
His voice was laced with regret and a handful of guilt.
Perhaps that's why the butler gently turned his head away from the man and stared at his hands.
"I'm sure it was because of my words that that person decided to live this way."
The butler then looked at the man once more, spinning his words as if he was letting out a sigh.
He stood straight and erect, looking like a model of the butler's profession.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty.
If I feel guilty about him, it's probably because of that."
The words he said so crisply were a response to the fact that he was able to look at himself, analyze himself, and judge himself calmly.
“That person is strong
They kept moving forward even while feeling the trust and family ties that normally would have crushed them"
Outside the window, the spirit of the wind is playing with scattered green leaves, but no one notices it.
"Such a person is relying on me. They ask my opinion and consult me.
To not respond to them would be to betray the Master."
"Why?"
The butler smiled slightly at the man's dubious sound and replied.
"The Master was a straightforward man.
He was more honorable than anyone else and hated crookedness. ...... In the words of his wife, he was "cold but hot"."
He recalled what could be considered a happy memory.
The butler's voice and expression were laced with a nostalgic melancholy.
"He is a kind, meddlesome man who cannot leave a person in trouble alone.
There is no way such a person could look at that person and leave them alone."
It was not an assumption, but a kind of analysis that he could understand only after having been with her for a long time.
The man didn't care to see the butler, and interrupted him in an unreserved manner.
"So you're saying you're not just doing your former Master favors?"
The butler seemed to think about it for a moment, and then calmly replied with a troubled smile on his face.
"I am aware that it is self-satisfying."
"No, if you start talking about that, I'm self-satisfying too."
"And I can't say that she doesn't have a trace of your Master in her."
"That's not to say that I don't have an idealized image of the Lord in my mind."
"I understand that that person and Master are completely different."
"I also understand the difference between ideality and reality."
The butler was finally overcome with annoyance as the man interrupted him to agree with him.
"Cinza, what's going on since earlier, weren't we talking about me."
"Hahaha, I'm sorry!"
The butler, who was further irritated by the man's attempt to make a laughing matter out of it, laughed without seeming to mind at all.
"I was just wondering if we were similar in any way."
"I'm not laughing at the resemblance between you and me."
The butler let out a sigh, revealing the wrinkles between his eyebrows that he had never shown in front of the Lord.
"I'm not sure what to make of this."
"You should realize that those three years make a fatal difference."
The man who had been stabbed in the back began to act as if he were blatantly looking away and diverting the conversation.
"I'm not sure what to make of this because it's a long story, but are you an enemy of Master? Or are you a ally?"
The wrinkles between the butler's eyebrows deepened at the words, but he didn't see the point of arguing here, so he answered while unraveling the wrinkles with his index finger.
"……If I become that person’s enemy, it means I will become Master’s enemy. That will never happen ever."
“Is that properly your will?"
"Of course."
It was a crisp declaration, full of determination.
"I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it. There was no falsehood in their eyes.
I, too, want to avenge the Master's death. I have no intention of sparing your cooperation for that purpose. Besides, ......"
“Besides?"
The man repeats his words as if to prompt him to continue what was suddenly cut off.
"...... That person's eyes are very similar to the Grand Master's when he was alive."
"Is that Master's father?"
"Yes, he passed away before he could reconcile with Master, but he was a clumsy man with a tendency to act on his emotions."
"Is that so?"
In response to his question, the butler chuckled with a distant look, as if thinking back to the past.
"Yes, but he was a strong man with the strength to stand up for himself and the eyes to see the path he should take."
“Hmm."
"It would be against my beliefs to disrespect a person who had the same eyes as the Grand Master."
"I see. I don't understand it after all, but it's okay if you're on my side."
The answer was indescribably simple.
If there was anyone here listening to their conversation, they would certainly have been deflated.
In fact, the wind spirits who had been watching with bated breath in a serious atmosphere just said, "Zuko!" and slid down the corridor one after another.
But the butler was not so kind as to let that be the end of it.
"What do you mean you don't understand after I've explained everything to you?"
The butler's voice trembled in frustration, and he gave the man a cold smile that would have frozen anyone who saw it.
Still, the man didn't seem bothered at all, and after picking at his ear with his pinky finger, he popped the removed ear wax with his thumb.
"I don't know what kind of person you're talking about, Grand Master."
It was a perfectly legitimate answer, but he had a bad attitude.
"I'm sure that's true, but you're a ……!"
“Butler-san is a ally, right? Than it’s fine"
Perhaps because he realized that his feelings were spinning out of control, he was completely resigned.
When the butler saw the man, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, collected the ear wax that the man had dropped, and smiled at him.
"...... Since you seem to be overwhelmingly uneducated, I will have you complete an assignment I will give you at a later date."
"Eh!? Study!? Why!?"
The man's eyes widened as if they were about to peel open, and the butler smiled at the man's exaggerated astonishment, carrying a blizzard behind him.
It was an illusion, of course, but the temperature was negative, so it would be the same.
"If you are going to live as his shadow, you need to have at least the necessary education."
"Hey, you know I can't go against you if you say that!"
"He was acting like a proper Master without any discomfort."
It's a smug look from the top.
The butler sneered at the man with a bad face that at this point could even be considered an evil man's face.
“Hahh-uh-uh, damn it ......!"
“Well, then look forward to it soon"
“No, I don't want to study!"
The empty corridor was filled with the sound of screams.
A/n: I'm sorry for the late update!
I'll update again around the end of the month, so please forgive me. I'm sorry for the delay. ˚‧º·(°இωஇ°)‧º·˚.
Thanks for the chapter!
Whoa! It's been awhile TL-san,Welcome back and thanks for the chapter!