Chapter 53

Assistant (＝Crystal)’s words cannot be heard by others, so to distinguish them, I decided to enclose them in double quotation marks (“”) instead of the usual quotation marks (「」).

“My father was Richard, the brother of King Tempest.”

The girl’s hesitant words made Al hastily try to kneel. However, she stopped him.

“Please, just listen to me until the end…”

Her name was Patricia, and she was the daughter born between Richard, the brother of the neighboring country Tempest’s king, and Serena, the eldest daughter of the Count of Sennet, who served the Tempest Kingdom. To the king, she was a niece. The Count of Sennet held his territory just beyond the border city of Parker and had been in a tense relationship with the Earl of Rain. In the Tempest Kingdom, the Duke of Plenitis, who had been serving as the prime minister for several generations, had begun to gain power, and especially in recent years, the head of the ducal family had openly criticized the royal family, creating an unstable atmosphere. It seemed that her mother, Serena, had returned to the Sennet territory with Patricia around that time.

About half a year ago, shocking news reached the Sennet territory. A coup had occurred in the capital of the Tempest Kingdom, the current king was deposed, and the Duke of Plenitis ascended to the throne. At the same time, all those who were of the former royal bloodline were captured and executed. Patricia’s father, the king’s brother Richard, was no exception.

Some time later, a knight squadron suddenly attacked the Sennet territory. There were rumors that negotiations had taken place to hand over Serena and Patricia, but the count refused. However, the captain of the Sennet territory’s knight squadron, Joanna, complained that the intention was to destroy the territory without any negotiation, as it was originally loyal to the king. It was unclear whether this was true.

The Sennet territory was suddenly plunged into war, and Patricia, along with her guard Joanna, managed to escape to the Earl of Rain’s territory, barely crossing the Nash Mountains without much of their belongings.

“I was like a harbinger of misfortune to the Sennet family, yet I just ran away out of fear… I heard about the people who were sacrificed along the way. If I had been executed, perhaps my grandfather and uncle could have been saved…”

“That’s not true. Princess, you managed to come this far. You are the remaining hope.”

Joanna, the knight, comforted Patricia, who had started to cry.

“Therefore, I don’t deserve to be treated with respect as a member of the royal family… I don’t want you to kneel to me…”

Patricia seemed to become emotionally overwhelmed when treated as a princess, and Al didn’t know how to handle the situation. From what he had heard, it seemed she had gone through a very harsh experience.

“Um, is there anyone in this country we can rely on?”

Feeling uncertain about his tone, Al asked. Patricia mentioned that her mother, Serena, had a half-sister named Tara, who had married into the Viscount Lester family as a symbol of friendship between the Earl of Rain and the Sennet family. It was said that she might protect them.

“Does Lady Tara have a child?”

“I believe there is someone named Narish.”

Patricia was Narish’s cousin. Al imagined that she was in a very difficult position. The new king of the Tempest Kingdom was likely trying to eliminate all those of the former royal bloodline. They would be searching for her with all their might. It was uncertain whether the Viscount Lester family would protect her. However, after hearing her story, Al felt he couldn’t abandon her. Regardless, the decision about what to do next was not his to make.

“I was in the same class as Lord Narish at the intermediate school. I’ll try to think of a way to get us to the border city of Lester. But I can only do so much. After that, it will depend on Lady Tara. Is that okay?”

Hearing Al’s words, Patricia was surprised and then cried again, saying it was the guidance of Lord Tempest. When Al asked about the term “Lord Tempest,” she explained that the founder of the Tempest Kingdom was a descendant of a famous golem mage named Tempest. She then took out a framed blue-white crystal from her pocket, which looked exactly like the one the assistant had claimed to be. Al was surprised by the familiar shape.

“What is that?”

“It is a magical artifact passed down in our royal family. It is said that in the past, Lord Tempest’s soul resided in this artifact and gave advice to the king. Now, it has no power and does not give advice, but I loved the story. When I left the capital, my uncle gave it to me as proof of my lineage. There is a legend that Lord Tempest’s tomb is in this area, and we chose this route south of the lake, hoping for a miracle, instead of heading to the border city of Parker.”

When Al asked if he could see it, Patricia handed it to him, saying he should keep it. She was unsure if she should keep it herself. Although he wasn’t sure how much of her story was true, Al felt he should tell Malaki. The crystal might be an important key.

“Alright, I’ll keep it for now. If you want it back, just let me know. For now, eat something, and then clean up at the river before it gets dark. This is a spa town, and there’s a hot spring in the river. If you can dam it up, you can relax in a hot pool. Oh, but clothes…”

As he started to suggest the hot spring, Al realized he had overlooked something and regretted it.

“Thank you. I haven’t been able to clean myself for a while, so this will be a great help.”

Joanna, sensing the mood, interjected. After a moment, Al continued.

“I want to go to the village at the foot of the mountain with Patricia and Joanna tomorrow morning if Orson and the others are feeling well. We should arrive by noon. Since our clothes will cause a commotion in the village, I’ll go in with Orson to get food and clothes for the journey. The others can wait outside the village.”

It had taken about four hours to travel with Gabby. Al was unsure how fast Patricia could move, but if they left early in the morning, they should arrive by noon. Whether they could visit the village or needed to avoid it would depend on the information they gathered there.

“Oh, thank you. Lord Tempest…”

Patricia and Joanna looked at each other, then hugged and cried in relief and joy.

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After the meal, Al watched as Patricia and Joanna went to the river to clean up. He then hurried to the room where Malaki’s sarcophagus was placed, passing by the sleeping Orson. He placed the crystal he had received from Patricia next to the goblet and water flask on the altar, then carefully opened the sarcophagus lid and touched Malaki’s crystal.

“You came back quickly. However, that assistant device… Do you know what it is?”

Malaki’s voice sounded a bit tense, different from his usual calm tone. Al told him what Patricia had said.

“I see, I understand. So, that assistant gave advice as Lord Tempest. Hmm, it seems the magic power is completely drained now. If we try to replenish it, it will become a new assistant and won’t return to its original state.”

If the magic power is completely drained and then replenished, it becomes a new assistant… Perhaps the same thing had happened to the one Al had. There were too many unknowns. For now, he focused on the story.

“I think it’s related to Tempest, but what about this crystal?”

“Yes, it’s the assistant of Lord Tempest’s companion. However, if we can restore this assistant, we might understand the founding of the Tempest Kingdom and why the assistants are no longer used. However, restoration is different from initialization, and I’ve never done it before. I’m not sure if I can do it, and it will take time. Can I keep it?”

Al thought for a moment and shook his head.

“It’s an important item entrusted to me. I can’t do that. Plus, I don’t know when I need to return it.”

Thinking about Patricia, who had cried, saying she didn’t have the qualifications to be a princess, Al felt he couldn’t act on his own. Malaki seemed a bit disappointed but understood.

“However, to think that my master’s descendants built a kingdom without my knowledge. It’s a strange thing. And to hear that the bloodline of Lord Tempest might be cut off, my master would surely lament. Is there anything we can do to help that girl? For example, if she is about to be executed, we could save her…”

If he did that, Al would have to flee as well. It was impossible.

“If you need a place to flee, you can use my master’s research tower. It should still be usable.”

“Research tower? Still usable??”

Al was about to say it was impossible but was taken aback by Malaki’s words. A research tower from ancient times, a remnant of a civilization, still usable?

“Think about it. The water flask still produces wine, doesn’t it? That’s proof it’s still usable.”

According to Malaki, water can be created from nothing, but not wine. It’s only natural, but Al could only say, “I see.” The wine in the flask was made by cultivating grapes, harvesting, crushing, fermenting, pressing, storing, and aging them in the research tower, then magically filling the flask. Al was amazed that such a thing was possible, but Malaki proudly explained that it was proof of Tempest’s genius as a golem mage. The fact that the wine was still being produced meant that the processes in the research tower were still active, so it should still be usable.

“Where is it… and how do we get there?”

“You are a mage, right? It will take time, but you can use a flying spell. Once you arrive, there should be a transfer magic item in the research tower, so you can use it afterward. That way, you can easily move the girl who carries the bloodline of Lord Tempest. Since it was created by my master, it should be safe, but there might be some risks. It would be best to go there first and confirm if she can live there.”

If the transfer magic item is still there, other things might be as well. Al didn’t have the flying spell yet, but if he learned it, he could reach the ancient ruins.

“Alright, I’ll try. So, can you tell me where the research tower is?”

Unable to resist the allure of the ancient ruins, Al agreed.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to post twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays at 10 AM. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for correcting the typos. I always appreciate your help.

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On June 9, 2023, I received a comment that the name "Levi" appeared twice, both for the assistant and the guild. This was my mistake. I will change the assistant’s name from Levi to Malaki. I apologize for the confusion.