Chapter 26
Ceres needed to go inside the shop.
“…Excuse me.”
A faint voice stopped her just as she was about to open the door.
It was a voice devoid of strength, enough to evoke pity from anyone.
“No food.”
But Ceres found it more annoying than anything. Besides, there really wasn’t any food left.
When had there ever been leftovers?
Today, even that Black Guild Leader had barged in at closing time and wiped out everything. He had left reluctantly, his wistful eyes full of regret.
“…Excuse me.”
As she reached for the door again, the man gently tugged at the hem of her clothes.
He slowly lifted his head and looked at her.
“……”
Ceres clicked her tongue as she locked eyes with him.
A youthful face, likely in his early twenties.
A perfectly able-bodied young man resorting to begging?
“I’m looking for something.”
Ceres frowned, thinking he might be picky about his food, but his next words made her blink.
“Have you seen my Blue Stone?”
“…Blue Stone?”
What was this odd yet strangely familiar term?
Ceres scrutinized the man more closely and suddenly realized why his face looked familiar.
It was the man illustrated on the front page of the 3-gold book Yulia had chosen earlier.
‘…Tower Master?’
***
“Is there still no word from Chaian?”
“No. He’s still missing.”
“Ugh.”
Aserian clicked his tongue repeatedly, while Luka, Chaian’s assistant sitting across from him, remained as calm as ever.
“Let’s get this straight. He’s not missing; he’s been slacking off for days.”
Luka quietly picked up his teacup, unfazed by Aserian’s complaint.
“Luka.”
“Yes?”
“Luka.”
“…Say it.”
Recognizing what Aserian wanted, Luka’s tone shifted naturally.
Luka Tsuhassel.
A long-time friend of both Chaian and Aserian, someone who had been by their side since childhood.
“Where do you think that fool is now?”
“Probably crawling around somewhere, desperately searching for his Blue Stone.”
The day Chaian learned his long-sought Blue Stone had been lost, he locked himself in his room and cried for days.
‘My… my Blue Stone… ughhhh…’
‘Luka, here’s the construction invoice for last month’s tower repairs. Please get Chaian to approve it by next week.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll handle it today… Chaian, could you cry over there?’
While Chaian’s lamentations echoed like a dirge through the walls of the tower, no one paid him any mind. They simply cast noise-canceling spells over their ears and got on with their work.
So it wasn’t surprising that no one noticed when his crying stopped.
By the time Luka looked up, all that remained in Chaian’s seat was a note reading: ‘I refuse to accept my parting with Blue Stone.’
The memory alone made Luka’s neck ache as he rubbed it vigorously.
“At least he finished preparing the Black Forest alarm devices before leaving.”
Fearing the consequences of abandoning that project, Chaian had fortunately left detailed instructions for their production. The first batch had been distributed without issue.
“What’s so special about that damn Blue Stone, anyway?”
“You know how he gets. Once he’s obsessed with something, he’s completely irrational. He’s the second-most insane among us.”
“There’s someone worse? Who’s the first?”
“You.”
The casual reply left Aserian unable to argue.
“Why’d you even go work under a guy like that? You turned down my offer to become my adjutant.”
“Because he needed me more. You know what he’s like. He’d go over two weeks without drinking water when deep in his research.”
He couldn’t let his friend starve to death, after all.
***
“Excuse me.”
“No food left.”
“That’s not it…”
“No Blue Stone… tch. No Magic Stone either.”
“That’s not it either…”
“Then what?”
“Can I have some more honey?”
Some people have a knack for irritating you just by existing.
Looking disheveled and starved, Chaian was now asking for honey after rejecting the tea for being too bitter.
Slam.
Ceres placed an entire jar of honey on the table. Chaian beamed, happily scooping spoonful after spoonful into his tea.
‘Is he actually drinking that?’
Ceres liked sweet things, sure. But that level of sweetness? Absolutely not.
Sip.
“Ah, this is great.”
‘As long as he’s happy.’
“Drink up and get out.”
“But I still have a little left.”
“Hurry and finish it. I’ve got work to do.”
“By the way…”
“What now?”
“Why are you so rude? We just met, didn’t we?”
Ceres stopped mid-step toward the kitchen.
“Hey, beggar.”
“I’m not a beggar…”
“Who let you into the shop after hours and gave you free tea?”
“You did.”
“Who gave you 3-gold honey for free?”
“You did.”
“And who should shut up and keep quiet?”
“…That’d be me.”
Satisfied, Ceres turned around and resumed walking.
“But…”
“What now?”
“You really don’t remember where you lost the Magic Stone?”
“No. If you ask me one more time, that’ll make it ten.”
Allowing Chaian inside after hearing about his week-long search for the Blue Stone had been a mistake. He had since bombarded her with endless questions about it.
“How could someone lose something like that?”
“Exactly. How could someone lose something like that?”
Chaian’s casual tone barely fazed Ceres. After all, they weren’t planning to meet again after tonight.
Deeming further conversation pointless, she retreated to the kitchen.
He’d leave once he finished the tea… hopefully.
***
“Has he not eaten anything today either?”
“No, sir.”
Persian Duke Kainel’s aide, Del, sighed at the sight of a full plate being returned untouched from his quarters.
Kainel had always been a picky eater. But lately, he hadn’t been eating at all.
He wasn’t sleeping much either. Del worried Kainel might collapse, though he knew better.
‘He’s not the kind to fall easily.’
Which made it all the more concerning. Kainel cared so little about his well-being that he wouldn’t notice even if his body fell apart.
“Is there no food His Grace particularly enjoys?”
The royal head chef, sent by Emperor Devrica himself, was growing equally frustrated.
While he had successfully catered to the royal family’s tastes, he had utterly failed to satisfy Kainel’s.
—
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