Chapter 76

Removing the gloves for the transfer magic, I intertwined my bare fingertips with Noah's.

Noah, facing Claudia, had a somewhat awkward expression. Even as Claudia asked him questions, he turned his head away.

"Still, how did you manage to find the hidden location of the victims, and when did you do it?"

"Hehe. Well, how did I do it, I wonder?"

Noah looked up at her and chuckled, gripping her hand tightly.

"I'll teach you the theory later. ... Shall we go out?"

With the transfer magic activated, their bodies floated gently.

In the next moment, Claudia and the others had been transferred to a certain barrier.

"This is...?"

Noah looked up at the building in front of them.

The tower standing in the night was a sturdy stone structure.

Even from this vantage point, the top of the tower was far above. Noah counted the windows from below and frowned.

"It's a nineteen-story building. Quite tall."

"Oh, our tower at home is twenty stories. We win."

"What are you competing about...?"

Noah then touched the stone wall of the tower with his large hand.

"It doesn't seem to be made by magic. This tower was built by human hands."

"Noah, you are truly excellent. You've come to understand this much already."

"Of course, I must not be ashamed of what I have learned from you."

He said it as if it were the most natural thing, but Noah had only become Claudia's servant two years ago. Achieving such growth in such a short time required extraordinary effort and talent.

"Create a light? Let's go inside."

"...Understood."

Noah sighed because he didn't want Claudia to go inside.

However, this servant was loyal to Claudia's wishes.

"I will go first. Princess, please conserve your magic power."

"I'm counting on you. — Let's go."

Noah took one of the lanterns he had created and stepped inside through the door unlocked by magic.

The inside of the tower was cold and very dark.

Noah, standing in front of Claudia, raised the lantern in his hand.

What was illuminated was an empty scene with only a red carpet laid out.

"...There's nothing on this floor."

Her voice echoed slightly. Claudia and Noah were fine, but others might find it very eerie.

"There are stairs over there. May I take your hand?"

"Yes."

Taking Noah's offered hand, they headed towards the spiral staircase visible in the distance.

"Please be careful of your footing. ... Slowly."

"Hehe. Thank you."

While smiling at the worried servant, they quickly reached the second floor. However, Noah stopped abruptly in front of them, preventing Claudia from moving forward.

"Noah?"

"..."

Peering around his broad back.

"—Oh."

There was a large carpet laid out, just like on the first floor.

The difference was that there were also pieces of furniture and a person. However, this 'person' did not notice them, nor did they react or call out.

A woman was sleeping on a canopy bed.

"Noah?"

"..."

Implied by her command to pass through, Noah sighed softly and held Claudia's hand. The way he held her hand conveyed a determination not to let her go no matter what. Feeling touched by this, they approached the bed together.

"...What a beautiful princess."

The woman looked to be around eighteen years old and had rich silver hair.

Long eyelashes, a straight nose, a small mouth, and smooth features.

Even in her sleep, it was clear that she was very beautiful.

She looked like a finely crafted doll, but the decisive difference was that she continued to breathe gently.

"Is this the princess who is said to have fallen asleep first, eight years ago?"

Claudia gazed at her and quietly lowered her eyes.

"...A deep curse."

Her innocent sleeping face was almost pitiful.

Were they at least able to have happy dreams?

"..."

Noah's brows were still furrowed, but after floating the lantern in his right hand, he touched the bed.

"...The sheets are dry and there's no moisture. In this season, Clingate is more humid than Abinoia. If the tower is in this condition, it means that someone regularly enters the tower to change the sheets."

"Noah, it's not just during the humid season. I change the sheets every time I take a nap."

"I use magic, so it doesn't require much effort. Besides, it's only natural to provide a comfortable environment for the princess to sleep in."

Noah said this and took the lantern back in his hand.

"The intention behind the preparation of this bed is likely the same."

"I don't think it's the maids who come and go. This is something the royal family of this country wouldn't want to leak out. I only heard rumors about this curse at a night gathering where only the royal family could attend."

Claudia, who had transformed into an adult, had gathered the rumors there.

"Even if we could detect this curse, it would have been difficult to completely block the rumors, but it's not as widely known as one might think."

Claudia knelt beside the bed.

"I'm sorry. ... I'll just touch you a little."

She spoke to the sleeping woman and cupped her cheek.

"I can sense Seawell's magic."

At her whispered words, Noah sighed.

"Then, the first king of this country..."

"...To forcibly lift a curse, in principle, one must destroy the cursed magical item or the curse itself. However, if I can skillfully connect with Seawell's magic, I might be able to wake her up."

Claudia closed her eyes and focused on searching for the threads of magic.

'Seawell'

His image appeared in her mind. She called out to him, extending her hand as if to beckon him.

The silver-haired young man turned around and reached out his hand to her, just then.

"—!"

Something snapped, and Claudia reflexively pulled her hand back, blinking repeatedly. Noah, who had instinctively pulled Claudia closer, looked at her.

"Princess. What just happened?"

"—I was rejected."

She whispered, looking down at her fingertips.