Adopt 196

196
At my words, Sir Cherry (presumed) hesitated, seeming to nod up and down, then shook his head from side to side.

Watching this ambiguous gesture, somewhere between a nod and a shake, I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

It was almost admirable, how this man, who once thought a mask would be enough to hide his identity, put so much effort into concealing himself. Hiding his face and voice, even refraining from using his frozen aura, just in case.

For Sir Cherry (presumed), it was quite impressive.

‘No, really, why am I even impressed by this?’

Steeling my expression so it wouldn’t betray me, I addressed Sir Cherry (presumed) again.

“Is Leo well?”

Nod.

“You really won’t take off that hood?”

Nod.

Still answering with nothing but nods, he looked down at me as I crossed my arms, studying him.

I let out a sigh, speaking to this innocent man who still seemed to believe his identity hadn’t been uncovered.

“If you really wanted to pretend to be someone else, you shouldn’t have reacted to Leo’s name.”

“……”

“Aren’t you ever going to answer with words?”

At last, Sir Cherry slowly pushed back his hood.

The rain had completely stopped, and even the wind had died, leaving an odd quiet all around us.

Above, the night sky glowed faintly with the first light of dawn, showing through the clouds parted in a perfect circle like a stage spotlight.

It felt as though we’d stepped into the eye of a storm.

Because of that, there was no difficulty seeing Sir Cherry’s face as he revealed himself.

It had only been about a week since I’d left the capital.

Yet facing him now, it felt as though years had passed, and my heart swelled unexpectedly.

The moment I saw his face, an image of Leo’s smiling face—something I’d thought of night after night—flashed vividly before me, and longing washed over me like the incoming tide.

Stifling the swelling emotion, I forced my voice to stay cool and distant as I asked,

“Sir Cherry, wasn’t there something you promised me?”

Before leaving the capital, I’d made Leo promise not to get into trouble.

Somehow, I also remembered getting the same promise from Sir Cherry.

“…Are you announcing you’re about to cause trouble right now?”

“That is not my intention, but…”

Looking at him now, it seemed less like a warning than a confession that he already had.

Especially now, when even Cheshire was involved.

So naturally, I expected Sir Cherry to offer some kind of excuse.

“I missed you very much.”

He said it with the calmest face, as if nothing was amiss.

“What…?”

Caught off-guard, he seemed to realize his mistake and hurried to explain.

“…That was a slip. I meant to keep it to myself.”

“……”

“Leo is well. He eats three meals a day, has not been late even once, and earned outstanding marks on his last examination.”

At the mention of Leo, the tension in my rigid shoulders melted away.

Then, Sir Cherry reported on each household member in turn.

“Vivian has developed a new magical tool that’s proven quite popular. Terry is managing the household’s affairs smoothly, and in your brief absence, he managed to drive off distant relatives nosing around the estate with remarkable efficiency.”

“I’m glad to hear everyone’s doing well.”

I pretended not to notice Sir Cherry’s earlier slip and responded.

He corrected himself.

“Unfortunately, I myself have not been so well. Lady Blanche’s absence has been deeply felt. I have missed you, Lady Blanche, very much.”

Up until now, his tone had been somewhat formal, but in that moment, his expression crumbled just a little.

“So I am relieved to see you again before too long has passed. Had you suffered even the slightest injury… I would have committed an unpardonable sin.”

For a moment, a dangerous glint flickered in Sir Cherry’s red eyes, just as it had when he’d been half out of his mind in the forest of wards.

I quickly placed my hand over his eyelids and cried out,

“C-calm down, Sir. I think that one slipped from your thoughts again.”

I cautiously lowered my hand after a moment, swallowing hard. The threatening aura was gone, his gaze now no different than usual.

Sir Cherry let out a soft sigh and finished,

“That was no slip. I meant every word.”

How is it that he can say such things so nonchalantly now, without even a blush…

I’d finally grown used to his forthright way of speaking, but a brief absence was all it took to undo every bit of it.

Unconsciously, I turned my face away to avoid his steady gaze—and met Ophelia’s eyes, her face flushed as she listened in on our conversation.

With an awkward smile, she began inching away.

“P-please, go ahead with your conversation. I really should secure the Red Tower Master more thoroughly…”

Though the Red Tower Master was already tightly bound with a sacred relic, Ophelia, clutching a thick rope, began needlessly winding it around him anyway.

---

“Magnificent, Lou!”

“Genius!”

“Our youngest tower master, as expected!”

The wizards of the tower applauded as Cheshire safely deactivated the magic circle on the magic device.

With most of them elderly, they doted on the youthful—almost childlike—Cheshire as if he were the grandson they’d acquired in old age.

“Enough.”

Cheshire, arms crossed, snapped irritably.

Still, the wizards could not hide their pride, and preened for the priests watching some distance away.

Watching, Cheshire pressed a hand to his forehead.

‘I never should have brought those old men.’

They were the wizards who had backed Cheshire in becoming Master of the Grey Tower.

Exceptional in skill, they were also well-acquainted with the Red Tower Master, which was why he’d brought them on this journey, but now it seemed he’d made a grave mistake.

Once the chase for the Red Tower Master devolved into hand-to-hand combat with the black magicians, these elders—fine wizards, but physically ordinary old men—suffered more than enough for one adventure.

But that wasn’t all that bothered him.

‘Sending that blockhead from up north to the master’s side with my own hands…’

It was a decision that stuck in his bones, but at the time, there’d been no other way.

There was no one else besides him capable of deactivating the explosive magic device’s circle, which could detonate at any moment.

While he waited anxiously for news from Belinda, he finally saw her group appear through the thinning rain.

“Master!”

Overjoyed, Cheshire rushed over—only to immediately spot Caesar standing at her side, as if it were completely natural.

Cheshire brightened his smile on purpose and seized Belinda’s hand, murmuring softly,

“Your clothes are soaked, master. What if you catch a cold?”

Then, with magic, he dried her heavy, rain-soaked garments and summoned an umbrella.

He tilted it toward her, standing close by her side.

“Louise, why use magic for—”

The wizard’s question—why use such a primitive tool as an umbrella when he could simply repel the rain—died on his lips under one of Cheshire’s sharp glares.

“Ah, my back… The rain makes my knees ache too… ahem.”

Thankfully, the wizard wasn’t so oblivious. Rubbing his back, he moved away from Cheshire.

“How is the situation?”

Giuseppe answered Belinda’s question.

Of the six black magicians, the High Priest had looked into the pasts of four.

Of those, two had formidable skills with the sword and managed to break free and escape.

The only ones whose pasts remained unknown were the Red Tower Master and the black magician suspected of creating the explosive device.

The whereabouts of the two fugitives were troubling, but for the moment, the Red Tower Master was securely in custody.

Everyone sensed that the end was finally in sight.

But when Giuseppe searched the Red Tower Master’s past to determine the location of the explosive device, problems arose.

Just as he summoned the Celestial Spear to end the black magician’s life—

“We will take custody of this man in the Mage Republic.”

Cheshire stepped in front of the Red Tower Master.

Instantly, any fleeting sense of comradeship among the priests and wizards dissolved into chaos.

“What’s this nonsense! Black magicians are to be executed on the spot, as the law requires!”

“He is a criminal of the Mage Republic and it stands to reason that we handle his punishment ourselves. He must be returned to our homeland to face justice.”

“What rot! Are we to trust the very nation that produces the most black magicians?”

“How dare you! Is it not your side, using the name of your god, that executes innocent wizards as black magicians? Don’t think I don’t know!”

“How dare this decrepit fool speak the name of God! Return the favor—my healing of your back—at once!”

“And do all priests weigh profit before charity? Bah! Take him if you must!”

The scene devolved into a marketplace quarrel, just as violent rain began to lash down once again.

The eye of the storm had passed.

The mood heated, sharp enough that it seemed they might draw weapons at any moment.

As gold light flickered in the eyes of Giuseppe and Cheshire, silently glaring at each other—

“Enough! That’s enough!”

Struggling to keep a lid on her anger, Belinda shouted.

“You’re not children—what are you all doing?”

With a look of utter exasperation, Belinda stepped between Giuseppe and Cheshire.

Then, with the sternness of one scolding a child, she declared:

“I’ll act as guarantor. Shake hands and make peace, both of you.”