Extra Story 7: In the Land of the North (1/2)
As a high-ranking wind spirit, Lynn's flight spell works by moving a semi-spherical barrier she created. To put it another way, it's like riding in a small invisible carriage, which's why it can move several people at once.
And now, sitting on one knee in such semi-spherical barrier that moving through the sky was Louis Miller, silently reading a book.
At first glance, he may look like a strange person reading a book hovering in midair while moving at high speed, but there's no one using flight spell in the vicinity, and fortunately, only the birds in the sky were watching this scene.
It would take several hours to reach their destination, even with Lynn's flight spell. The ever-busy Louis didn't like to waste time, so he used the travel time to read.
”You sure read some imposing book, Sir Louis. Whom do you intend to curse and kill?”
While keeping her body facing forward to maintain the flight barrier, Lynn turned her head around to look at Louis. Lynn may have been trying to imitate human gestures, but to Louis, it looked like an owl turning its head. To put it simply, it was uncanny.
”This is not some sort of spellbook. And keep in mind that I don't curse people I don't like, I beat them up directly.”
”That book doesn't seem to be written in this country's language.”
”It's a book written by the Empire, after all.”
After saying that, Louis flipped through the pages.
What he was reading now was a book concerning medical spell, a subject that was banned and restricted in this country. This book was also not allowed to be taken out by the general public, but he had taken it out with the authority of the Seven Sages.
”Lynn, I assume you have seen with your own eyes the assassin who broke into the chess tournament.”
”Indeed.”
”Did the assassin who was pretending to be Eugene Pittman use any kind of illusion?”
Lynn was silent for a moment as she thought about it, and then did the dexterous trick of shaking her head in a position with her head still turned back.
”No, that assassin might be a magician, but he didn't use any kind of illusion.”
The guards who had arrested the assassins had also confirmed this, so there was no doubt about it.
After all, using an illusion spell to create some deceptive image in the surrounding was very inefficient, in terms of mana usage. Louis himself may be able to maintain the illusion for a few tens of seconds, but to constantly maintain the illusion for several hours is first and foremost impossible with the amount mana humans have.
The only beings who were capable of impersonating others through illusion are those high-ranking water spirits who were good at this kind of spell. And the assassin who killed Eugene Pittman was not a spirit, but a human.
As Louis held the page he was reading with his fingers and fixed his misaligned monocle, he muttered to himself.
”The way that man impersonated Eugene Pittman… it was neither an impersonator nor a disguise. It wasn't any kind of illusion as well. The only thing I can think of is… body manipulation spell.”
Body manipulation spell refers to the art of pouring mana into a person's body to strengthen or change the body.
Originally, the purpose of this spell was to heal damaged bodies, such as returning altered organs to their normal form, but if it could transform damaged organs and skin, it would not be impossible to change the shape of a face.
However, body manipulation spell is considered forbidden magic——except in one country.
”Body manipulation spell has been lifted as part of medical magic in the Empire. If that's the case, there's a good chance that the assassin… is someone from the Empire.”
Casey Groove's attempted assassination of the second prince using the [Conch Flame] was related to the Randall Kingdom, a small country between the Ridill Kingdom and the Empire. And the assassin at the chess tournament had shown him the tail of the shadow of the Empire.
These two incidents that occurred in such a short period of time caused Louis to develop certain concerns. And to ascertain it, he had come all the way to the frigid north.
The scenery spread out below was speckled with white. A chilly wind may still be blowing in the capital, but in this area, snow has already begun to fall. And in the middle of the snow-covered mountains, far from human habitation, laid an old monastery on slightly open land.
”Sir Louis, I've come up with an innovative landing method unique to this land, may I try it?”
Hearing that suggestion from the beautiful maid, Louis frowned before glaring at Lynn.
”You want to release your flight spell in midair and use the snow as a cushion to land on?”
”It's as you say.”
”Are you a child who gets excited by snow? Stick to the safe landing.”
”Oh, that's a shame.”
Lynn responded with an impassive expression that didn't look the least bit disappointed, and slowly lowered her altitude.
In front of the monastery, a young sister was shoveling snow with a shovel in her hand. The sister was not surprised to see Louis coming down from the sky. She just held her hands over her eyes to look at Louis and Lynn.
Landing quietly on the snow, Louis stared back at the sister who was looking at him, then gave her a ”now, that's a surprise” response with a thin smile.
”I thought you were a very composed sister who wasn't surprised to see flight magic, but… it was you, huh.”
”I guess compared to the shock of crashing into the ground while spinning, it's kind of cute.”
Having said that, the daughter of Count Bright, Casey Groove, thrust her shovel into the snow at her feet.
＊ ＊ ＊
The elderly sister in charge of the monastery ordered Casey to show Louis and the others around and then retreated into the chapel, wanting nothing to do with them.
For these women who live away from the world, visitors from the outside—especially a man like Louis—are probably not welcomed.
The same seemed to be true for Casey, as she began to talk after having guided Louis and Lynn into the parlor without offering them any tea.
”So, what do you want from me? I think I've told you pretty much everything I can.”
Louis responded to Casey's brusque attitude with a mature smile.
”There's something I wanted to ascertain.”
”Our people had nothing to do with that assassination attempt. It was something my father and I did on our own.”
”You could believe whatever you think, at least… although your father seems to think otherwise.”
Casey's mouth quivered at Louis' indirect remark. Louis took out a wrapped cloth from his pocket and gently unfolded it on the table. What laid within the cloth were the remnants of red stones of various sizes.
”Do you recognize what this is?”
”…the remnants of the [Conch Flame] I used.”
Instead of correcting her, Louis smiled and continued with his words.
”Your father claimed to have bought it from a traveling peddler, but I suspect that someone from the Randall Kingdom gave it to your father.”
”…are you saying that the people of Randall had instigated my father?”
”Do you have any idea how much the [Conch Flame] costs? Forgive me, but it's not something the not-so-wealthy Count Bright can easily afford.”