Episode 57 - A
Conversation Between Two People
“Lady Illywia. Thank
you for inviting me.”
“I'm glad you're here,
Lynn.”
Illywia patted her
chest as if relieved.
“Good. I heard that you
went home early the other day. I was wondering if I had offended you in any
way.”
Apparently that was how
Duke had reported it to Illywia.
Lynn glanced at Duke's
face, who was standing behind her.
As usual, his chiseled
face was unfazed.
Lynn decided to save
him face and went along with the story.
“Offended? No way. I
would have liked to have been there more, but I had some plans. I was going to
say goodbye to Lady Illywia, but I missed my chance. I apologize.”
“Oh, no, no worries.
I'll be able to talk to you again anyway.”
“Lady Illywia?”
Yuwen intervenes between
Lynn and Illywia.
“Oh, Miss Yuwen. You
also came, I see.”
“Yes. You remembered
me, didn't you?”
Yuwen said, sounding
thrilled.
“Yes, of course.
Yuwen-san is an acquaintance of Lynn's. And she's so pretty. The entire royal
family of Wyngarde must treat her with respect.”
“You don't have to
address me as "san". Please feel free to call me Yuwen.”
As soon as Yuwen sensed
the change in the way people looked at her, she felt good and tried to get into
Ilywia's good graces.
She seemed to be aiming
to show the people around her that she was her friend.
She smiled
affectionately, lining up her compliments and approaching her hand.
Yuwen spoke as if she
was trying to steal Illywia away from Lynn.
Illywia responded in a
friendly manner without showing any displeasure.
The two of them didn't
even look like close sisters.
In fact, Yuwen seemed
to want to be in that position.
While Yuwen and Illywia
were chatting, Lynn was idle.
My gaze suddenly fell
on Duke, who was following behind her.
He had a grim look on
his face.
Lynn decided to talk to
Duke.
“Um, Mr. Duke?”
“What is it?”
The Duke replied in a
rude manner.
I would like to thank
Lady Illywia for the clothes, do you know of anything she might want or be in
need of?
“....... Do you still
think that you are equal to Lady Illywia?”
“Well, I'm not really a
servant of Lady Illywia.”
Lynn said bluntly.
Duke looked startled.
Lynn continued without
a care in the world.
“In the past, Lady Illywia
told me that I needed to know myself and what I could give to others. Since
that day, I've been searching for what I can give to Lady Illywia, but I can't
seem to find it.”
Duke had a difficult
look on his face for a while, but then he let out a lonely laugh.
“There's nothing you
can do for Lady Illywia. She has nothing that needs to be replaced by others.
She was born with everything.”
Duke gets a distant
look in his eyes.
“As a matter of fact,
she doesn't even need me to guard her. She can take care of herself, you know.”
“That's not true.....。I'm sure Lady Illywia
is counting on Mr. Duke to help her out.”
“I appreciate you
saying so. But I know better than anyone that it's not true.”
Duke smiled as if he
had given up.
“No offense, but don't
try to be of service to people you can't reach, but try to be useful to people
who really need you. If you don't, it will be your own downfall. Chasing after
what you can't have won't do you any good.”
With that, Duke turned
his back on Lynn and walked away. He seemed to have stopped keeping an eye on Lynn.
There was a hint of sadness in his back.
The music on the floor
changed and people began to dance socially.
Lynn was allowed to sit
next to Illywia and watched the floor.
The two of them sat in
the upper section of the room, where it was easier to watch the dancing.
The Sylphs, spirits of
the wind, drifted around the two of them.
The wise participants
moved away from Lynn and Illywia so as not to look at them.
They knew that the
appearance of the Sylph was a sign that Illywia wanted to keep people away and
talk in private.
If they approached her
now, they might offend Illywia.
Sylph cast a spell on
the air around them to prevent their conversation from leaking out.
They were able to enjoy
their conversation without being overheard.
“Finally, we can talk
amongst ourselves.”
"Yes, I didn't
realize how hard it would be to talk to Lady Illywia.
“Yes, we are like the
princess and the boy. Like Orihime and Hikoboshi. We are in love with each
other, but the world separates us and we only see each other once a year. Oh,
what a tragedy.”
Lynn chuckled.
As always, he had no
idea how to really say it.
“Your friend, Yuwen, is
a charming and friendly girl, isn’t she?”
Illywia said as she
watched Yuwen dancing on the floor.
Now, Yuwen has been
approached by a young man of high rank and is dancing with him in a good mood.
Apparently, Illywia
liked Yuwen as well.
“Eh, yeah. Well, that's
right.”
(Although her attitude
changes 180 degrees depending on the person.)
Lynn sipped his tea,
blurting it out in his mind.
“You've learned to
drink tea.”
“Yes, the first time I
drank it, I was baffled by the bitterness, but once you get used to it, it's
addictive.”
“Fufu. You've matured a
bit.”
Illywia flashed her
characteristic mischievous smile again.
“How do you like it?
After attending these tea parties and interacting with senior nobles. Did you
make any connections that might be useful in the future?”
Lynn turned over,
blushing as if embarrassed.
“No, I can't really
talk about it in any detail. Everyone seems to be wary of me. It's like they're
trying to figure out whether they'll gain or lose by associating with me......”
“Have you noticed?
People are motivated by interests. Especially the people here are senior nobles
and royalty with complicated interests. They are not people you can promise
anything too lightly. In order for you to build a relationship with them, you
need to show them a great deal of benefit and gain their trust.”
“Trust.......”
“If you want to be
trusted as a mage, you need to have some achievements. In order to do so, it
will not be enough to achieve excellent grades at the academy. You must
graduate from the academy and achieve remarkable results on the top 100 floors
of the tower and above.”
“Do I have to go above the
100th floor?”
“Yes, you're right.
There is a limit to how much you can do as a mage while you are a student at
the academy. In order to operate outside the tower as a mage, you have to go
above the 100th level.”
Lynn thought about it
for a moment.
(100 floors huh? Then I
guess I'll have to take paid classes.)
“Lady Illywia. Thank
you very much. Now that I've listened to you, I think I can see my path a
little better.”
“Fufu. You're one wiser
person now.”
“Yes. I learned a lot.”
While replying to that,
Lynn felt uncomfortable.
(Senior nobles and
royalty will not act without interest and trust.)
But ...... Illywia-san
does a lot of things for me without interest.
I'm sure there's no benefit in working with me. (So why......?)
Lynn thought about it,
but didn't want to put it into words.
Having said that, I
felt like I would never be able to see her like this again.
“Did you like the
outfit?”
Illywia said, looking
at Lynn's red garment.
“I knew that outfit
would look good on you. I've been thinking about it a lot, trying to decide on
the right outfit for you.”
Lynn's clothes were
covered in a subtle crimson pattern.
The clothes were
constantly undulating and ripples were spreading.
The ripples move slower
than the waves rolling against the sea, expressing the grandeur of nature and
the leisurely passage of time.
Lynn had no idea what
this pattern represented.
I can barely tell it's Earth,
but I've never seen Earth with such a surface.
“Thank you very much
for lending me these clothes, they are beautifully patterned.”
“Isn't it? It's a representation of the desert.”
“Desert?”
“It's a land of only
sand and rocks that absorbs water everywhere. A harsh land where no plants or
animals can live. It's also a place where mages who have committed crimes in the
tower are banished.”
Lynn felt a chill run
down his spine just listening to the explanation.
“It's a scary place,
isn't it?”
“Yes, it's still a
beautiful place. They say that when the sun sets over the Alib desert, it turns
into an indescribable crimson. That's what the outfit is meant to represent.”
Duke, like the other
participants, was sitting at a distance, watching Lynn and Illywia.
I see. He's a boy with
a few strange traits. He's just the kind of boy that Illywia cares about.
(Although, ......)
Duke looks at Lynn with
pity.
(I'm also troubled by
Illywia's playfulness. She's going to throw you away as soon as she gets tired
of you anyway.)
Next time: Episode 58 -
The Rogue of Alfredo
