Adopt 205

Episode 205

With that single remark, the mood of the meeting took a sharp turn.

“Certainly, if it’s the Five Nations Council…”

Cheshire’s eyes narrowed, as if weighing possibilities.

The Five Nations Council was an international peace organization founded by the five countries that had won the Sealing War some seven centuries ago.

There was the Holy Empire, built on faith in the divine;

The Magic Republic, a haven for scholars in pursuit of truth;

The Kingdom of Heroes, founded by the very king who was instrumental in driving the monsters from the continent;

The Maritime League, rulers of the world’s seas;

And lastly, the people of the Red Desert, wielders of unexplained shamanistic power.

Originally, their purpose was to safeguard the peace of the continent—and for the most part, they had performed this role admirably.

These days, soaked in peace as they were, the council had become little more than a showpiece for the strong to boast of their greatness,

‘But even so, their influence cannot be ignored.’

If we were going to escalate the situation, we had to do it properly.

That had been the conclusion Mikhail and I had reached together.

Luckily, everyone in this room was qualified to participate in the Council’s conference.

I picked up where Mikhail left off.

“If we bring up the prophecy, the Council will try to discern its truth,” I said.

If Giuseppe was right, the Holy Empire would likely do everything in its power to keep the truth hidden. But you can’t keep the sky from view with just a palm.

With Giuseppe’s foresight diverging from their goals—and, more importantly—

“I’ll be attending the conference too. If the temple tries to speak of fate, I’ll step forward.”

Not being bound to a destiny handed down by the gods, I was looking forward—quite eagerly—to giving the Holy Empire a piece of my mind.

After that, the meeting swiftly gained momentum.

The conclusion: with the backing of troops from the Council’s member states, we would annihilate the northern monsters within five years and cut off the roots of destruction.

By the time this was settled, dawn was already breaking.

So that we wouldn’t all emerge at once and draw attention, we agreed to leave the chamber one at a time at intervals.

First to depart was Giuseppe, then Sir Cherry.

When Cheshire moved to rise, Mikhail spoke.

“Tower Lord, I’d like to ask you to appraise something.”

One of Cheshire’s eyebrows arched high.

He was quick to sense that Mikhail and I had been waiting for this moment.

Tossing me a sideways glance of mild reproach, Cheshire nodded.

For someone addressing the crown prince, his manners were as insolent as ever—but Mikhail didn’t hold it against him.

Soon, a wooden box I recognized well was placed atop the table.

Click.

Inside the box was the same crystal I had seen once before.

A fragment of the first king’s memories.

The only difference this time was a fine crack that looked as if the crystal might shatter at any moment.

“I hear from Belinda you’re versed in all magic. I’d like you to investigate the magic circle inscribed in this crystal—specifically, the one made by a certain individual recorded within.”

We knew the first king had become a dark mage in the name of saving the world, but not the exact nature of the dark magic he had laid down.

That’s why we planned to ask Cheshire to analyze the original king’s dark magic circle.

‘For Mikhail, it would mean exposing the royal family’s secrets, but now is not the time to worry about things like honor.’

No sooner had the prince finished speaking than Cheshire, magic gathered at his fingertips, turned his attention to the crystal, then paused.

With eyes glinting gold, he glanced between me and Mikhail, then let a sly smile hide anything further.

“Master, you’ll hold my hand, won’t you?”

Placing his palm up on the table, Cheshire turned towards me and asked outright.

Typical Cheshire—just a glance told him everything vital about this crystal, and what precautions he should take.

The moment I nodded, my chair slid smoothly across the floor until I was right beside him.

With some reluctance, I placed my hand atop his and Cheshire laced our fingers together, reaching for the sliver of memory.

---

In short, Cheshire was not able to decipher the first king’s dark magic circle immediately.

“This guy was completely out of his mind. Who in their right mind would construct a magic circle so… perverse—ugh.”

Perhaps because he was a mage, Cheshire had a particularly hard time synchronizing with the first king’s memories. After retching a few times, he simply passed out.

Even in that condition, he didn’t release my hand, so I remained by his side, tending him.

I was about to wipe the cold sweat from Cheshire’s forehead, when Sir Cherry—seated across from me, on the other side of Cheshire—took the initiative, gently wiping his brow with a wet cloth.

“I didn’t know you were close with Cheshire, Sir Cherry.”

“I can’t say that I am.”

“Ah… Then I’ll do it.”

“It’s unnecessary. I feel more comfortable doing it myself.”

Was that a note of jealousy I heard in his voice, or was it just my imagination?

“I’ll see to the patient. If you could take three steps—no, five steps—back should the mage let go of your hand, Lady Belinda.”

…No, that wasn’t imagination.

‘There’s no need to be wary of Cheshire.’

With a slight pout, I watched Cherry’s careful nursing, and then impulsively reached across.

“Don’t be so put out. Here, you hold my hand, too. That’s only fair, isn’t it?”

“Fair… That’s true. That does seem fair.”

Soon his fingertips touched mine.

His thick, steady fingers slowly threaded between my slender ones, and the sensation was so strange and intense my toes curled.

Then, just as our fingers were fully entwined—

“…What do you think you’re doing over my head?”

At some point, Cheshire had awakened and was glaring at our hands hovering above his face.

I quickly pulled my hand away, feigning nonchalance.

“We were just discussing the meaning of fairness. Anyway—are you feeling better?”

“…Not really. Master, I’m so weak I can barely move. Could you help me drink some water?”

He gazed up at me with fever-bright eyes, pleading.

I reached for the cup on the side table with a nod.

“One moment—”

But again, Sir Cherry was faster.

“Here it is.”

“Mm!—cough, cough.”

Without hesitation, Sir Cherry grabbed Cheshire by the collar, propped him up, and held the cup to his lips.

After barely managing a sip, Cheshire glared daggers at Cherry, then rose with a sigh.

Thankfully, he looked somewhat recovered.

“The magic circle I saw in the first king’s memory is so complicated it’ll take some time to decipher. Multiple forbidden spells are triple-layered over each other.”

Cheshire seemed lost in thought, so I carefully took out a cash item and asked,

“Would you appraise this? It looks exactly like the brooch you have—the one that blocks a mage’s presence.”

Cheshire examined the item with care and pronounced,

“It’s a finely made replica.”

“Replica?”

“There’s a high-level spell that duplicates objects, provided you have the right materials.”

“I see.”

His words were an important clue for me.

No matter what, magic can’t create something from nothing.

In other words, cash items aren’t conjured from thin air, but are existing replicas summoned by the system window.

That means, somewhere, unsummoned cash items must be stored.

And I could think of one very likely place where they might be kept.

---

“Your Highness, are you on your way to see His Majesty?”

As Mikhail strode down the palace corridor, a woman with a sweet, lingering voice called out to him.

Suppressing a sigh, he turned with a broad smile.

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

He bowed lightly, to which she replied with a laugh as clear as silver bells.

“It’s been more than ten years since I became your mother, yet you refuse to call me Mother and always remain so formally distant. It hurts, you know.”

The queen retained a youthful beauty that belied her status as anyone’s mother. Those who didn’t know the truth might easily mistake them for siblings, not mother and son.

“Forgive me. I have only one mother, so the word doesn’t come lightly to my lips.”

His gentle refusal brought a faint crack to her smile.

But, aware of the maids behind her, she quickly composed herself and asked, concern in her voice,

“You look weary. Have you been roaming at night?”

He had thought he’d slipped away unnoticed, but it seemed the queen knew of his nocturnal absences from the palace.

‘I’ll have to replace my staff.’

With the queen’s son—Mikhail’s half-brother—growing older, Mikhail’s once-unshakable position was beginning to waver.

The queen, the true power in the palace’s domestic affairs, had started planting her own people around him.

He had to find a way to prevent the prophecy, secure his succession, and attend the Five Nations’ council to handle foreign affairs.

Even three bodies wouldn’t suffice, yet Mikhail gave a relaxed smile.

“Who knows? Perhaps I was out with my beloved younger brother. Hasn’t he been spending more and more nights out at parties?”

At this gentle dig at her son’s behavior, the queen’s face twisted briefly. Mikhail bid her farewell with perfect manners.

Once he turned away, the smile on his face changed—no longer the one he wore for the queen.

Before, such minor emotional wear and tear would have made him only more anxious.

But he was no longer alone, and no longer a wanderer with no path or destination.

In his ears, Belinda’s voice from another night echoed, guiding him onward.

“I have a favor to ask, Your Highness. I’m certain the first king’s treasure is hidden somewhere in the palace. If you hear rumors or see anything suspicious, let me know.”

“He was a great mage, so he wouldn’t have hidden it by ordinary means. Don’t try to shoulder this alone—let’s work together.”

With Belinda’s voice as his guiding star, Mikhail strode forward without hesitation.