Chapter 70

#070 There Is No Evil Spirit in the World (4)

"Look closely. It seems the spirit is trying to strangle the princess."

Shocked by the author's problem-solving method, I blurted this out to the prince.

He didn't realize I was stunned and responded seriously.

"No."

"Why are you so decisive? Are you a cucumber?"

"What nonsense?"

It seemed he was just picking up any comment that came to mind, surprised by Kristel's song.

"Unfortunately, the princess cannot join us."

"Good."

The cool breeze of the North Sea tousled our hair as if teasing us, then drifted away.

"No... Is this even possible?"

I sat on the mat in the grass, looking up at the top of the bell tower.

I kept taking deep breaths, feeling frustrated.

The white cliffs looked peaceful, as if nothing had happened, as if the spirit had never caused any trouble.

Kristel, who had calmed the 'Ark of Breeze,' didn't seem to care much about the outcome.

She sat across from me, calmly finishing her crème caramel with a fresh expression.

She has strong mental fortitude. She's the protagonist, after all.

"You must have been quite surprised."

Cardinal Boutier, sitting next to me, took a glass bottle out of the picnic basket and handed it to me.

It was spearmint tea.

"Thank you. Is His Highness alright?"

I asked. In fact, I was the most surprised of anyone here.

The cardinal had the presence of mind to take the picnic basket with him even as we left the bell tower.

When we calmed the spirit and came down to the ground, he had already spread out the mat on the grass and was waiting for us.

I was worried that Kristel might be seriously injured or have a major awakening, but it seemed I was the only one who was genuinely concerned.

"I trusted the two of you. But I didn't expect the duke and the pirates to come along."

The cardinal answered gently. I couldn't help but smile wryly.

While I was trekking the cliffs with the two adults, the protagonist had an adventure at sea and ended up here, which was a remarkable coincidence.

But I knew this was the author's arrangement.

Even though I wanted to take a vacation away from the protagonists and moved without them, I still got entangled in their narrative.

Moreover, the group's safe exit from the bell tower was largely due to the appearance of the two.

I was destined to die entangled with them, but this time, I was safe thanks to them.

My heart felt like a maze, complex and tangled.

"Is the spirit going to be alright like this?"

So I deliberately asked another question. The cardinal looked up at the bell tower with her beige eyes.

A giant wing, shimmering in a light purple, was gently swaying in the wind.

Although the spirit wasn't a living being, it seemed to be in a good mood.

The ark, which had tightly embraced Kristel and then let her go, had been rustling like this ever since.

It showed considerable interest in the prince and even obediently gave me its feather when I reached out again.

It was an amazing change.

"Probably. We'll have to keep an eye on it for a few more days. That child has been living on the cliffs for a long time without choosing a master."

"No master?"

The cardinal read the unspoken question in my eyes and continued her explanation while drinking coffee.

"Alexandre, well, was more like a friend to the ark. Neither Frederic nor I fully understood their relationship. How could we?"

"..."

"The ark is different from other spirits. Even the 'Sword of Mars' and the 'Divine Bow of Trees' have strict criteria for choosing their masters, but this one is unique."

I sipped the tea and quietly reflected on "Eve's Great Adventure."

If the in-game description of the ark as 'a free bird' truly referred to its whimsical nature, it made sense.

It seemed that while a human could win the ark's heart, they could never become its eternal master.

As evidence, the ark didn't follow Kristel to the ground and didn't cling to her any longer.

"Still, I didn't expect it to react to the princess's voice."

"Yes, it was surprising. The lullaby reached down here, and Alexandre sang it better."

"Are you talking about me now?"

The noble lady of the ballad, who was eating a baba au rhum, looked at us with wide, slate-gray eyes.

Yes, the protagonist can be tone-deaf.

Ironically, this might have been a big charm for many 'Retired Duke' readers.

My scalp tingled, but there was no Jeon Seo here to listen to my complaints.

"Just now, I was saying that the princess's singing was excellent."

"Hmm. I've heard that a lot. Thank you."

Kristel blushed a little and looked for her iced Americano.

She didn't even realize she was tone-deaf.

I nodded quietly and gazed at the bell tower again.

According to the duke's book, the ark had been there since the beginning of time.

The bell tower was built much later by the empire to house the spirit.

The temple next to it was also built at the same time.

There was a legend that the ark, pleased by human prayers, chased away pirates and enemy armies approaching the empire with storms.

If the creature wasn't as capricious as a deity, it could calmly fulfill its former role in that spot.

"Anyway, it all worked out well."

I muttered.

A close friend who had left the world and closed his heart for a long time,

awakened by my ether and struggled with the approach of strangers,

and finally calmed down after hearing a lullaby with a voice similar to a friend.

Despite its title as a deity's power, it behaved like a puppy or a child.

It was a bit pitiful.

I popped a profiterole into my mouth.

The crisp and sweet treat made me feel even more alert.

"Where did Demi go?"

Only then did I realize that one of the lesser pandas was missing.

I looked around carefully.

Emperor Frederic and Sir Elizabeth had already left to deal with the pirate ship.

Especially the viscount had to report the pirate ship's arrival in Evelyn and the duke's boarding.

The protagonist, who caused the accident, was leaving the explanation to her close aides.

A few knights who had been on the ship also left one by one, like sausages.

"Not there... "

Sir Johann Heins, the teacher of the two protagonists, was lying on the grass far away, sleeping.

I turned my head in the opposite direction. Lea and Perry were with the prince near the forest.

They seemed to have finally found a way to entertain him after pestering him for a while.

What is that, just a ball?

"You can even make toys with fire."

Kristel said admiringly.

She didn't know he had such skills because he always attacked her.

The prince, who had been checking for signs of the beast around his father's grave, threw two fire bouncy balls to the lesser pandas and then focused on his task again.

The divine beasts often showed affection to the prince.

They seemed to have fond memories of traveling together in the Sarnez duchy.

"By the way, why is the prince wearing fur during his summer vacation?"

I asked suddenly.

Strictly speaking, he's not even the Grand Duke of the North. Why is he sticking to the concept?

"It's Alexandre's legacy. He was very sensitive to the cold in his lifetime."

"Wow. I almost want one for myself."

I quickly added. The cardinal laughed out loud.

"Call me Duke Evelyn when we stay here. That's the agreement."

"Got it. I understand."

I took a small breath.

I once thought that the national secretary, Alexandre, might be Duke Evelyn, so connecting the prince and Duke Evelyn didn't feel too awkward.

It's just a bit embarrassing.

"Will the duke become the Grand Duke in the future?"

"No."

The cardinal smiled as she took the profiterole I offered.

"No?"

Kristel and I stared at the cardinal.

I had a vague idea.

The "Biweekly Liester" once described the Grand Duke as 'a man who abandoned his ducal title for love.'

He might have forsaken his family to become the national secretary.

"The Blanquer duchy is an ancient family of mages in the eastern empire."

Unable to withstand our gaze, the cardinal finally spoke with a smile.

A custom-made lesson for the hostage, who was unfamiliar with the empire, and the princess, whose memory was incomplete, followed.

"As you know, the inheritance of property and titles on the continent is primarily through the eldest. Alexandre was the eldest of the Blanquer family and a promising mage. He was widely known as a genius who would elevate the duchy. When his secret engagement to Frederic was revealed, even the collateral branches of the duchy rose up in opposition."

"They didn't want to lose such a valuable talent to the royal family."

"Yes, but Alexandre was a very stubborn person. He packed his bags and ran away the day before he was to become the viscount."

"Wow, romantic."

Kristel said. The cardinal smiled bitterly.

"He was young. After that, Frederic urged the late king to arrange a royal wedding. What could they do if they both loved each other?"

"Then what happened with the duchy?"

I asked, intrigued.

There was a reason the protagonist in "Eve's Great Adventure" series had the surname 'Blanquer.'

"The Blanquer family has maintained a good relationship with the royal family for a long time. Given that their territory borders the new nation, the royal family's support and