Episode 34.2

"I'm Lecan."

A bizarre silence seized the room after Lecan introduced himself.

Eventually Eliza turned her line of sight away from Lecan.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Over here if you would."

She pointed at a gorgeous sofa.

Eliza waited for Lecan to sit first. Lecan found it strange.

(When knight Torog came to see us back then.)

(He sat down first on his own.)

(Yet this superior of Torog, probably the highest positioned individual here.)

(Waited for me sitting down first.)

(What is up with this difference?)

There are other things bothering Lecan as well. Namely the adjacent room.

The adjacent room is an awfully spacious room, housing two highly skilled individuals, likely knights, and two mages with abundant mana pools. As well as many magic tool-like objects. Going up against those four, knight Torog and the slit-eyed man won't be easy. And that would result in turning everyone in this building into his enemies.

(I sense no hostility as yet.)

(Doesn't seem like they're trying to take it by force.)

(Guess I'll go with the flow for now.)

Lecan decided to sit on the sofa. But it's hard to due to the cramped space between his sofa and the table.

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka.com >

"<Float><Move>."

As the sofa seemed quite heavy, he cast <Float> before <Move>. He put the sofa down after floating it about half a step back.

Lecan sank his body down in the sofa, and put his right leg on his left knee. An ill-mannered posture before high-ranking nobles. And yet neither Eliza or knight Torog uttered even a word of disapproval. Which Lecan found weird.

Eliza sat down and signaled the slit-eyed man with her eyes. The slit-eyed man bowed deeply before leaving the room.

"But still, Marquis Palcimo really can be quite mean. He could have sent a word or two about dispatching Lecan-dono out here. Forget getting in your way, we would welcome you with open hands even."

"What are you talking about?"

"Still, you really cannot trust rumors, can you. I have heard many stories about how Marquis Palcimo's prized magic knights are hopeless in close quarter combat despite their excellence in magic. Or perhaps Lecan-dono is one of a kind?"

"Sorry, but I don't follow what you're on about."

He really doesn't. However, he's heard of this Palcimo before. Among all Grand Dungeons in Zaka Kingdom, Dungeon Palcimo the so called <Dungeon of Magic> is located at the south-eastern end. This Marquis Palcimo should be the ruler of Dungeon City Palcimo.

"Oh, if you take offense at us refusing Palcimo's request to have our knights dispatched there to aid you conquering Dungeon Palcimo in the past, please, you have got it all wrong. We had a situation at hand that disallowed deploying our knights outside."

"I reiterate, I have no idea what you're talking about. Sure you don't got a huge misunderstanding? I've got nothing to do with Palcimo."

Eliza furrowed her finely shaped eyebrows and let out a small sigh.

"It seems Lecan-dono had let your guard down at the Secret Appraisal room. You took a wand out of that overcoat enchanted with <Box>, didn't you? And yet that overcoat showed no indication of having a wand stored in it whatsoever before you took it out. And even after you put it back. That is simply not possible with ordinary <Box>."

Come to think of it, Lecan hadn't been thinking much whenever he used <Storage> since no one really paid attention anyway, but Lecan's <Storage> is wholly unlike the <Box> in this world.

(Oh crap.)

(I've been getting too negligent lately.)

(And after I went out of my way to make it look like <Comet Cutter> is put in a <Box>.)

(Yet I completely forgot about the wand.)

"You cannot find a <Box> like that anywhere. Anywhere besides Palcimo Magic Research Institute that recently developed the <Free Box (Raftaloof)>, that is."

(Oy oy.)

(That kind of <Box> actually exists?)

"We are not utterly clueless of what's going on at Palcimo, just so you know."

(Isn't that.)

(Her declaring they had sneaked in spies there?)

"I have brought your tea."

"Enter."

Knight Torog replied to the slit-eyed man who spoke from outside the room.

Two servants opened the door from both sides, then a maid pushing a wagon with tea went in the room followed by the slit-eyed man.

As the maid poured the tea, the slit-eyed man handed over a piece of folded paper to Eliza.

Once tea cups have been put on the table, the maid and slit-eyed man excused themselves.

"Please have a sip while it's warm."

"Fumu. Nice fragrance."

Lecan brought the tea cup to his mouth, with the steam stimulating his nose. A well-rounded drift of bitterness and sweetness with a depth to it wrapped Lecan.

Sipping a bit, it had a strong flavor with curious kickback despite its smoothness. A sharp flavor permeated the back of his tongue.

"Good stuff."

"I'm glad to hear that. By the way, it appears Lecan-dono's mana pool is even higher than our Marquisdom's finest mage. I'm wondering if there's anyone else with as much mana in the Magic City Palcimo."

Is there a magic tool to measure mana pool or something. Felt like that Yacklubend guy would probably make one. Or perhaps the mages in the room over have some sort of abilities to sense mana.

"Is that finest mage one of the two in the neighboring room, the woman controlling a big magic tool-like object on her seat, yeah?"

Eliza's expression froze up.