IQBSA 12

Chapter 12

Before I knew it, the forest, bathed in a bloody sunset, was filled only with a chilly wind, exuding a desolate atmosphere.

However, as long as the Magic Tower Lord was with me, I had no fear of assassins, so I charged into the forest without hesitation.

Soon, the remnants of the cake, strewn pitifully across the ground, came into view.

*’Where did the sword go?’*

I searched the surrounding area, even rummaging through the cake debris, but the sword was nowhere to be found.

“It definitely flew in here and got stuck… but it’s gone.”

“They must have retrieved it. Thorough.”

Feeling deflated, I held up the box, which had been torn to shreds by the sword.

“Look at this. There are sword marks here.”

Anyone could tell they were cuts from something sharp. The assassin might have taken the sword, but they couldn’t do anything about the slash marks left on the box.

Roakin walked in the direction he had indicated the sword came from. Soon, his gleaming violet eyes slowly swept over the surrounding forest area.

Wherever his gaze passed, the bushes and branches flattened themselves against the ground, clearing the view. But even with such precise detection, nothing appeared, and Roakin tilted his head to the side.

Then, Roakin returned to me, who was standing dazed beside the cake debris, and spoke.

“There’s nothing. They got away.”

We thoroughly searched the entire forest area, but we ultimately failed to find the assassin.

It was dangerous to remain in the forest as darkness began to fall, so we needed to move locations first.

I arrived at the front of the house with Roakin.

“Hmm…”

I casually opened the door, then immediately slammed it shut again.

This was because the leftover ingredients from yesterday’s plant growth potion and various manufacturing tools were strewn haphazardly across the living room.

“Just a moment… Please wait here.”

I left Roakin standing right in front of the door and went in alone, beginning to tidy up the living room with swift efficiency.

I had only planned to stop by the dressing room and clean up afterwards – who knew it would end up like this…

Proper cleaning would take too much time, so I chose to bundle everything together and hide it out of sight.

After completing my covert operation, I wiped the sweat from my brow and opened the door again.

“Tower Lord, you can come in now.”

Roakin, who had been standing with his arms crossed, facing the forest, turned his head at my call.

“Finished cleaning?”

“…Would it kill you to just pretend you didn’t see anything?”

“I saw it all, so there’s no need to.”

Roakin smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting in a teasing manner, and stepped inside the doorway.

Then, without me even guiding him, he found the table on his own and took a seat. As if he’d been here before.

*’What’s with that naturalness?’*

I tilted my head curiously and sat across from him at the table. Roakin then resumed the conversation about the assassin incident that had been interrupted.

“The first one you dodged, and the second you blocked by throwing the cake box?”

“Yes.”

“…And that actually blocked the sword?”

“…It did, didn’t it?”

At my words, Roakin let out a disbelieving chuckle.

“Is there anyone specific you suspect?”

“Not yet.”

Without any evidence, it was too risky to point the finger at the Empress of the Empire.

What would I even say if Roakin asked why I thought that?

*’Because I read it in a romance fantasy novel called <How to Wake You from the Curse> before I possessed this body.’*

― I couldn’t exactly say that.

But regardless of who believes it or not, as someone who read the original work, the Empress was indeed the most suspicious to me.

Aside from the Empress, Serpine didn’t have anyone else who would bear such a grudge against her. That was the same whether I recalled the original story or my own memories.

*’Am I missing something?’*

Feeling doubtful, I asked in a suspicious tone.

“Does anyone else besides you, Tower Lord, know I’m here?”

It was fortunate that Roakin knew this place and showed up at just the right time to save my life, but fundamentally, wasn’t this the very reason the assassin had discovered my location?

Someone with connections to the Empress must have known that Roakin visited my house and secretly tipped them off.

Avoiding my piercing gaze, Roakin carefully opened his mouth.

“…Lucifer?”

*’So it was you, Lucifer, who brought the Magic Tower Lord into this.’*

I wondered how Roakin had found this place; it seemed Lucifer the cat had been playing spy.

Filing away the painful lesson that I should watch my feet as well as my back when fleeing next time, I asked again.

“Is Lucifer the only one?”

“No. There’s one more. Eliser Hilbreath knows too.”

“…Tower Lord, why don’t you just go ahead and post my address everywhere?”

“Don’t worry. It really is just those two. I told Eliser only in case of an emergency.”

Listening to Roakin’s excuse, it did make some sense.

Eliser was the one who had temporarily filled my position, and it was only natural for Roakin to give that much of a hint to Eliser, who was, albeit temporarily, fulfilling the role of a secretary.

*’There’s no way that arrogant familiar, who only snorts at anything outside its master’s orders, would obediently follow the Empress’s commands either.’*

And Eliser was far too timid to participate in conspiracies and act as a spy.

*’Then where did the leak come from?’*

Just as I was falling into confusion.

*Thud* ― The house vibrated with a booming sound as if it were about to collapse.

“…?”

What now?

I pricked up my ears to pinpoint the source of the sound. When I was certain it came from upstairs, I sprang up and ran towards the stairs.

But still unsure of the situation, I hesitated, my eyes darting around, when I spotted a figure from the opposite direction.

Soon, a head of pink hair came into view.

“…Eliser?”

As the old saying goes, speak of the devil. It was Eliser Hilbreath.

“Why are you coming out from there?”

“Oh dear. I miscalculated the coordinates and ended up on the second floor.”

Eliser pushed up her glasses and sniffled sheepishly.

Hey. The floor number isn’t the issue right now.

“Who said you could teleport into my house?”

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry to deliver some news.”

Eliser, who had been craning her neck to survey the house, suddenly brightened.

I was about to say something else, but Eliser completely ignored me and went straight to Roakin.

“As I thought, you were here!”

“What? Why are you here?”

Roakin, acting as if he owned the place, leaned back in his chair arrogantly and greeted Eliser.

*’You bastards… This is my house.’*

Why were they coming and going as they pleased without the owner’s permission?

The sight of the two of them casually meeting in my house left me utterly dumbfounded.

“We have a big problem, Tower Lord.”

Eliser said with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

What kind of news was this laid-back person about to deliver with such a heavy atmosphere?

Remembering Roakin’s words about informing Eliser of his location in case of emergencies, I decided to hear the story before assigning blame.

Roakin, sensing something was amiss as well, asked in a more serious tone.

“What happened?”

“I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly collapsed.”

*’…Here it comes.’*

Even though I had somewhat expected it, my heart still sank the moment I heard it.

Meanwhile, Roakin, showing little surprise, replied nonchalantly.

“The Crown Prince collapsed, you say. Who told you?”

“I’m on my way after just receiving a message from Knight Commander Karis Rill.”

“What happened? Is it serious?”

“I don’t know the details, but apparently he’s been unconscious since yesterday.”

*’Did the Empress use poison again?’*

From Eliser’s brief account, it seemed the same method had been used.

I never made a potion for the Empress, so if the Crown Prince collapsed, she must have commissioned someone else.

So, did I succeed in changing the original story?

*’No. Then why is the Empress trying to kill me?’*

Why send an assassin all of a sudden!

I quickly erased the brief wave of relief that had washed over me.

“I came to tell you because I thought you should return to the Magic Tower first.”

“…I suppose I should.”

Roakin rose from his seat, gazing out the now-darkening window.

He then turned his gaze to me, looking somewhat uneasy, and spoke.

“I’ll set up a barrier. Don’t step a single foot outside until I come back tomorrow morning. We’ll continue our conversation from today then.”

I was feeling uneasy anyway, so it was a huge relief that he offered to set up a barrier himself.

But was it really okay for me to stay here?

While a barrier from the Magic Tower Lord would be difficult for anyone to break, I couldn’t stay cooped up inside forever, not knowing when another assassin might appear.

*’Anyway, the date the commission request was supposed to arrive has already passed.’*

I had run away thinking I’d somehow wash my hands of the problematic commission. But now that the Crown Prince had collapsed, running away was meaningless.

Besides, with someone trying to harm me, the Magic Tower might actually be safer than this place now.

I glanced at the moon hanging outside the window and then spoke.

“Roakin, I’ll go with you too.”

Roakin, who was walking away with Eliser, stopped and looked at me with questioning eyes.

“…You want to go together?”

“Yes. Please take me to the Magic Tower as well.”

“Hmm.”

Roakin seemed to ponder for a moment, then called out to Eliser beside him.

“Eliser, you go on ahead.”

“Why? Are you two going to have some secret conversation, leaving me out?”

“Don’t test my patience.”

“Yes, sir. See you at the Magic Tower, Serpine.”

Seeing Roakin’s deeply furrowed brow, Eliser yelped and offered me her greetings.

Soon, a complex teleportation magic circle rose on the floor, and Eliser vanished in an instant.

Once Eliser had completely disappeared, Roakin asked as if he had been waiting.

“You said you were looking for your family… what made you change your mind all of a sudden? Is it because of what happened earlier?”

“That’s part of it. And I thought about it – I still have some urgent matters to attend to back at the Magic Tower.”

First, I need to check if the commission request arrived.

Regardless of my acceptance, if the Empress had sent a poison commission request to the Magic Tower, there was a chance she might want me dead out of anxiety.

“So that means you’re not completely returning, then.”

“…We’ll see.”

Roakin looked dissatisfied with my answer, but fortunately, his reply was positive.

“Alright. Let’s go back.”