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Chapter 30
“Which snack do you like the most…? Cake? Macaroon? Eclair? Last time I saw you, you seemed to like cake the most. County Gloria is quite large and rich, so there must be some decent dessert shops. Shall we go when the time is right?”
“What flowers do women like the most? What flowers do you like?”
“But, isn’t it better to talk more than to be blunt?”
“What is ‘I like you,’ in your language?”
“…How do women prefer men to dress?”
Some questions seemed to be handed to her, though Jaeha could guess what he meant. That was a fake question, and the real question was what kind of snacks women like, what flowers they liked, and what style of men they like.
‘Although everyone has a longing for their ideal type, why is he doing something that doesn’t suit him?’
Jaeha didn’t like him suddenly pretending to be polite. In addition, she was even reluctant to Lady Count Gloria, whom she did not know her face or name.
‘…Isn’t he doing this with different emotions! I’m worried about the contract.’
What would happen to her contract if his interest in another woman would not cease for a moment? Shall they keep the contract, brazenly claiming that the body and mind are different, or ask for it to be terminated…?
It was difficult to pinpoint it, but Jaeha, who has become uncomfortable, and Hisran, who was watching her, eventually arrived at County Gloria.
“Welcome, Tower Master!”
The Count Gloria couple seemed to have been waiting for the magician of the Red Tower to come.
After a short greeting, Hisran and Jaeha were guided to the Lady’s bedroom, skipping the formal chatter. As they headed to her bedroom, they heard the account of her condition at the time of her collapse and of her illness from the Countess and her exclusive maid who took her by her side.
Though the priests who examined her daughter said that the cause was unknown, they said that the vitality was draining from her. Divine powers only kept the Lady alive, but could not raise her once she had collapsed.
“So, I thought that some magic treatment or remedies might be necessary. Please, please, Tower Master. I’m not saying this because she’s my daughter, our Elena, she’s a really pretty, sweet, smart kid. They recently said that she had a good magic affinity, so she wanted to be able to learn magic… I can’t let her get away in vain.”
“Magic affinity…?”
“Yes, yes. The nearby Red Tower branch told me so. I think it would be good to learn water and ice magic.”
Elena, lying in bed, was so beautiful that she was rumored to be a beauty in the neighborhood. The blonde hair, as if it had been neatly arranged by her exclusive maid, seemed to have been carefully crafted by God by melting gold, and her face was small and her features were distinct.
Seeing her slender body lying down like this, Jaeha felt sorry for her.
Jaeha, who looked at Elena, glanced at Hisran. Whether it was because of the seriousness of the matter and the Count’s gaze, or because of the extremely private tension, his expression seemed a little stiff.
The lady’s wrists, which were exposed through the blankets, were thin as she had endured for weeks with only water, rice gruel, divine power, and potions.
Hisran grabbed her wrist and pushed the mildest of all his magic into her body. After completing his search of the inside, Hisran tilted his head.
“I can’t feel any traces of magic or curses, nor even poison.”
“But, why can’t our Elena wake up?”
The Countess asked back in a weeping voice.
“As the priests said, life is draining out like a leak from a faucet that is not shut off properly. What… It’s my first time seeing it…?”
As each word came out of Hisran’s mouth, the Countess and the exclusive maid’s faces darkened. It was like hearing a death sentence.
Even though it was difficult to open her mouth because of the heavy atmosphere, Jaeha spoke carefully.
“You know, is there any chance that a strange parasite like a bug or venom is the cause?”
There were several such cases in the genre novels she had read, so she wanted to say this just in case.
“Venom…?”
“Like the Chinese Zombie, it’s a kind of poison bug that has been passed down through novels in the world I lived in.”
“Bugs, bug… I didn’t feel that kind of reaction in my body.”
“It could be a very small, cloaked or rare bug?”
“…Potions and bugs are Luna’s specialties, so I’ll have to get in touch.”
He accepted Jaeha’s opinion this time as well. Cast healing magic on Elena, he then left the bedroom to contact the red tower.
After sending the signal ten times, Hisran was able to connect with Luna’s communication orb.
[ “An insect suspected as the cause? Maybe it’s Rigor? It is said to be extinct.” ]
“Rigor? I think I heard it somewhere.”
[ “It’s also called a false death bug. It looks like X. They say it can’t be caught even with detection or search magic.” ]
“Isn’t that the bug that warlocks used in the past?”
[ “That’s right, they aren’t even creatures made with black magic, although vicious things are just their taste. Besides, it’s just a kind of parasite, so neither divine power nor healing magic is effective. To what extent do they feel tingling or displeasure at the divine power of goodness and justice? So, in the past, it was often used for stealing sacrifices or for assassination.” ]
“If it’s a real Rigor, is there no way…?”
[ “In general. Though according to the eccentric wizard Hailey…” ]
If you feed the patient with the healer’s magic-infused blood for a few days and connect the body with kissing or have sexual intercourse to have the healer’s pure magic, you will be able to recognize the existence of the bug.
[ “After that, you can burn or kill the bug while protecting the patient’s body with pure magic.” ]
“If someone else does this…”
[ “Even though it doesn’t matter whether there are people who are willing to apply, Tower Master is the right person. The Rigor, you can’t ignore it. Although it is small, its vitality is so persistent that it must be burned. But, do you know that magicians who wield enough magic to protect the patient’s body while producing that level of magic are common? There are rumors that Tower Master is a eunuch, so sexual intercourse is impossible, so it’s only kissing.” ]
“That’s not the problem!”
Hearing the long-awaited treatment from Luna, his expression hardened.
After his communication with Luna, Hisran, who had an interview with the Count couple, came to the bedroom assigned to her by Jaeha.
“How did it go with your question?”
“Rigor, there is a rare parasite that the warlocks used to assassinate in the past. There’s a good chance it’s that bug. Again, you were very helpful. I never even thought of parasites.”
“It’s good to know the cause. What’s the solution?”
“It sounds like it is good to approach with magic of purest nature, so it seems like I will have to work hard to refine my magic for a few days, and…”
Unsurprisingly, Hisran, who trailed his words, turned the topic around.
“Anyway, it will be difficult to see you because I’ll be stuck in the bedroom for a few days, so make sure you eat and sleep well. If there is anything inconvenient, tell the people of the county right away. I’ll put a simple barrier around the Count’s house, but I’d like you to stay inside as much as possible because the strength of the barrier is different.”
“Yes. Still, why don’t you talk about the cure?”
“Huh? Because it’s not that important…”
Jaeha, who felt puzzled, asked the question in various ways.
Nevertheless, Hisran did not open his mouth in the end. He entered the magic cycle from the next day, making it difficult to see his face.
‘It’s the same attitude in the carriage, and now, it’s very strange to hide even useless things.’
The county paid a lot of attention to Jaeha, Hisran’s assistant. They gave her a great bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and provided delicious food, sweet desserts, and quality tea in abundance every three meals. In addition, they attached a maid who served as a personal attendant.
A private maid…
Despite the fact that it was a little burdensome, she refused and accepted it only once because she thought it would be boring to stay in the bedroom without a TV, computer, cell phone, or friends for a few days.
Although the maid, Marie, was a little talkative, she was kind and meticulous. She even took a walk in her garden at her suggestion. The garden, which was said to have been cared for by Elena until she collapsed, was beautiful. It felt as if the gardens in Europe’s splendid palaces were reduced in size and moved here.
As Marie and Jaeha walked through the garden, she slyly praised the Young Lady, Elena, whom she served. She seemed to admire and like Elena very much.
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