Chapter 89

Alfred made me two Evil-Banishing Necklaces, one a prototype and the other a finished product. I was able to confirm their performance, but first, I need to report to the castle.

The kiss of the Alraune is not something that can be made public, nor is it known, but if there are no countermeasures... extreme reactions might occur, such as seizing the alchemists and pharmacists.

So... first, I need to prepare countermeasures to prevent any dramatic reactions, or it will be difficult to lay the groundwork. If the Marquis family is involved with the secret potion, they might seize the creators or crush the main culprits.

"Sorry, but His Majesty has entered the ritual to protect the kingdom and will not be available for audiences for the next three days."

I headed to the castle with this in mind, but the minister who greeted me said this.

"The ritual to protect the kingdom, you say?"

"Yes. If you come during His Majesty's absence, I am to inform you."

The ritual to protect the kingdom is a ceremony to prevent the town of Termwillis and the castle Theorem from turning into a labyrinth, keeping them in their current form. The king will be confined in the "Sanctuary" in the castle Theorem's keep for three days to perform the ritual. This seems to be a secret ritual that only the royal family of Termwillis, or rather, those who have inherited the throne, can perform. During this time, the door to the Sanctuary will be sealed, making it impossible to enter or exit from the outside.

With King Melvin absent for three days, the question is who I should talk to. Given that I don't know who is connected to whom, the number of people I can confide in about the secret potion and its countermeasures is limited. First, King Melvin, Prince Albert, and Princess Marlene. The Knight Commander might also be an option...

However, it would be a strange process to present the item made by Prince Albert to the prince himself. If the prince, who is well-versed in the palace's internal affairs, can take action, he will. The fact that the necklace can be produced independently is significant. He should be able to make the necessary number and distribute them to important people.

So... when I was led by a maid to the king's tower, chairs were set up on the terrace, and Princess Marlene was sitting there. Her feet didn't reach the ground, so she was swinging them slightly while holding up a paper airplane she had made before, letting the sunlight shine through it. She was squinting with a happy look, but this felt like a moment I shouldn't interrupt. The paper airplane was something I had given to Marian in the workshop.

There was nowhere to hide, so I thought about waiting a bit and coming back, but then Prince Albert appeared from a nearby door.

"Marlene, that's something important you got from Theo, right? It's fine to bring it out, but be careful it doesn't get blown away by the wind—"

Prince Albert froze as he spoke, having made eye contact with me across the courtyard. If he hadn't said that, I might have been able to pass it off as something borrowed from Marian or something I made separately.

"Um..."

"First, can you explain the situation?"

"Really, I'm sorry."

Called by Prince Albert and Princess Marlene, I was invited into a room and bowed to by Prince Albert.

"If it becomes known that you and I have a lot of public interactions, it will draw attention. I am a royal, but my position is weak. I've been trying to change that by using this ring to alter my appearance and going out into the town to engage in various activities. Please forgive me."

Princess Marlene looked like she might cry, but when I smiled and said it was okay, she smiled back. Prince Albert also seemed relieved by my reaction, but his smile gradually became strained.

"You don't seem very surprised. Did you notice a long time ago?"

He must have realized why I hadn't asked before. I couldn't say I had known from the beginning through BFO, so I pretended to have had a vague idea.

"Well, the atmosphere is the same, so I kind of had a feeling. I thought you would tell me eventually when you brought Princess Marlene to the workshop... Don't worry too much about it."

"Still, it's different to be found out and to confess on your own, isn't it?"

"Is it that different?"

"Yes, it is..."

Princess Marlene looked at the dejected Prince Albert with concern.

"Ah. I failed. There are a lot of balls in the fall, and since Princess Rosemary often leaves the king's tower, I got careless."

That makes sense. It's like the proverb about the cat playing when the mouse is away.

"The reason I didn't tell you... is that I feel more relaxed and at ease when I'm in the workshop as Alfred. I was hesitant to confess because I thought it would be impossible to continue as before. If you had noticed, it would have been meaningless."

"If that's the case, can we continue as before when you're Alfred? I'll change my speech when you're the prince."

"That would help a lot."

Prince Albert smiled wryly. Princess Marlene, on the other hand, seemed in a better mood, perhaps because she no longer had to keep a secret. She came up to me, took my hand, and smiled.

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Is this room soundproof?"

"Pretty much. It's a royal room, so it's designed that way. Marlene."

Prince Albert's tone was light, but the smile was gone from his eyes. Princess Marlene nodded and sat in a corner of the room where she couldn't hear the conversation. I thought it was a good idea to keep her away before discussing the matter, as he probably intended to decide whether to inform her after understanding the content.

"First, I'll explain why I had the Evil-Banishing Necklaces made. We discovered the existence of a magical potion called the Alraune's Kiss. The necklaces are a countermeasure against it."

I lowered my voice and showed the necklaces I had made. After explaining the effects and production method of the Alraune's Kiss, Prince Albert looked quite serious and thoughtful. He eventually spoke.

"So, you want us to make more of these necklaces?"

"Yes. For self-defense and to trusted individuals, please distribute them to important people."

"I understand. I'll go to the workshop and... probably stay up all night again."

The prince is going to be very busy. I know I'm the one bringing up these issues, but...

"By the way, can this potion help you pass a magical interrogation?"

"Probably."

For example, it would be easy to create a situation where the perpetrator claims, "I didn't know anything." If the magical interrogation is trusted, the culprit might escape. Even if an interrogation is conducted, the questions must be based on the assumption that this potion was used.

"There might be an enemy within the castle. I have my thoughts, but I can't be objective about this matter. For now, I won't say much until the ritual to protect the kingdom is over and my father returns. We'll focus on self-defense."

"I understand."

I understand the prince's thoughts, but the timing of King Melvin's absence is bad. It would have been good to hear from Catherine herself, but she wouldn't tell me the truth. When the effects of the potion were discovered, I was already in the dragon cage in the marquis's territory. My father mentioned that he would take additional measures against the marquis family and left a note for me before returning.

My absence means there's no risk of assassination, which could be seen as a good thing.

"I understand. I'll meet with someone who might know about the situation today."

"Alright. Be very careful."

"Yes. You too."

With the matter settled with the prince, I left the castle. The fortune teller Anastasia, according to Prince Albert, has connections with the court nobility but maintains a balanced relationship with everyone. She sometimes appears unexpectedly and then disappears for a long time, making her unpredictable. She is often at her mansion in the fall.

Her reputation as a highly accurate fortune teller is what caught my attention. If she is using the secret potion, she could easily know others' secrets and even predict the future by staging it herself. Of course, she could be a genuine fortune teller, but it's best to first hear about Catherine's behavior on the day in question. Whether she is innocent or guilty, I can both listen to her story and probe for information. I might even get a direct hit.

The fortune teller Anastasia's mansion is in the central part of Termwillis. It's a large mansion. When I knocked on the gate, I was greeted not by a human but by a doll—a magical creature.

"My name is Theodor Gartner. I would like to meet Ms. Anastasia."

The doll nodded and bowed with its hands on its hips. It's a very human-like gesture. I can't tell if it's being directly controlled or acting autonomously, but it must be quite high-ranking. I can't let my guard down.

The doll led me to a room in the back of the mansion.

"Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Anastasia Almendaris."

"My name is Theodor Gartner."

A young woman was there. Her age is hard to determine because her face is veiled, but her voice sounds young, perhaps under 20. She is mostly covered by flowing clothing.

The silver hair and brown skin around her eyes match the description I heard.

"Oh, you must be Theodor. I've heard a lot about you. What brings you here today?"

"Um, I would like to hear about the ball that took place at the marquis's residence the other day."

"Ah, that's fine. Please, have a seat. My morning client just left."

Anastasia gestured for me to sit at the table. A doll soon brought tea.

"Interesting. The dolls... are they familiars?"

"No, they are magical creatures, but not familiars."

Hmm, are they controlled by a subservience spell to obey commands? Unlike familiars like Caduceus, there's no limit of one per person, but they probably don't have a sensory link.

"Hehe, you're quite studious. They work very hard without complaint, so I find them very useful."

As I looked at the doll, Anastasia smiled under her veil. I took a sip of tea and finished it. After hearing my throat, she said:

"Hey—Theodor Gartner."

Suddenly, I stopped moving, dropped the cup on the table, and stared blankly into space.

"Ha, ha, ha."

Anastasia laughed at my abnormal reaction. This is not good.