CH 11

Nighttime.

The Mystic Will (Audiobook)

Many of those who work in the palace return home in the evening.

No matter how late it is, they leave the palace completely before the sun sets.

There was only one exception.

Freya, the palace magic tool maker.

She was the only one who worked at the palace until the date changed.

But now the exception has changed.

“Finally done with this… The rest is…”

Documents piled up on the table.

All of them are purchase orders.

In the palace, there is a job to order magic tools as needed, create them by the deadline and deliver them.

The basic work is managing and adjusting the already circulated magic tools.

Creating new magic tools is not frequently done due to the time and cost involved.

Because all of that had been entrusted to Freya, it had been several years since she created magic tools from scratch.

—Whose story is this?

Of course, it’s the story of the director of the palace magic tool maker.

“Only one hour left today? Are you kidding me…?”

She looked at the clock and doubted the time.

No matter how many times she checked, it had already passed eleven o’clock at night. 

No one is left in the palace.

Only she is left behind, continuing to work in loneliness.

A massive amount of work that she doesn’t know when it will end.

But this is her own doing.

She herself now experiences the suffering of having no one to rely on.

“Why am I the one in this situation…I am the director.”

Unlike Freya, she had a valid way to get out of this situation.

It was to admit her own fault and apologize to Freya.

If she reflects on what she has done to her and swears not to do it again, the kind Prince Julius will give her mercy.

She was not directly told that, but the director herself felt that it was highly likely.

Not executing it even though she is aware is her pride.

The director of the palace magic tool maker is proof of being the best magic tool maker in the country.

Her pride of rising to such a position doesn’t allow her to bow her head to others.

She silently continues to work.

Which will break first, her pride or her spirit? 

Will her physical or mental health break down first? Either way, there is no bright future for her now.

❂❂❂

The day after I decided to cooperate in finding the culprit who cursed His Highness.

I was alone, in the basement of the palace.

I will fulfill the job I have taken on.

In addition, I will find the person who cursed His Highness.

In my own way.

While checking the magic institution, I think about it.

Last night, I thought deeply about it.

How can I find the culprit?

There’s no way I’ll find them blindly.

If it were that easy to find them, His Highness would have already found them.

“First, I need to study more about the curse.”

I finished my work in the morning and headed to a certain place.

❂❂❂

“——I’m home.”

The Roster family mansion.

The place where I lived until recently.

The mansion where I should have been.

To be honest, I didn’t want to come here.

There are a lot of memories I don’t want to remember.

But this mansion is the most efficient place to investigate.

For better or worse, it’s a familiar place.

I walk down the hallway of the mansion. 

The servants who saw me momentarily looked surprised and then lowered their heads as if nothing had happened.

At least they maintain their manners towards me, so these people are better.

Ideally, I don’t want to run into Otoo-sama or Aria.

They would both be absent at this time, and my mother-in-law doesn’t come out of her room much, so it should be okay.

“… Unpleasant glares.”

I’ve been feeling them all this time.

Why did she come back?

What did she come here for?

That kind of gaze is felt from all over.

This is my home, where I grew up.

What’s wrong with coming back to my own home?

What’s so strange about it?

It’s really an uncomfortable place.

The palace is… being by His Highness’s side is many times more comfortable.

I ignored all the glares and headed to the study.

The study is at the back of the mansion.

It’s also where I learned to make magic tools.

“The smell of books… yes.”

This room is calming.

Because nobody uses it, it’s become like my own room.

Among the mansion, only this study allows me to relax and think things over.

“A curse, a curse… here it is.” 

Searching for books from the study shelf.

There was a study in the royal castle too, but it was narrower and had fewer books than here.

It was difficult to find books in a large collection, so I returned to my familiar home.

I picked up several books on curses and sat in a chair, spreading them out.

I have read almost all the books here.

However, books that I have only read once are easily forgotten over time.

Curses.

It is a type of magic that can cause death to a target by fulfilling specific conditions.

Conditions vary, but the simplest one is contact.

The curse is bestowed by touching the target.

By setting more complex and strict conditions, the effect of the curse can be significantly improved.

The most effective way to deal with a curse is…

“To neutralize the activator… maybe.”

In the end, it seems that the only way to save His Highness is to find the culprit.

The problem is how to find them.

When did the culprit designate His Highness as the target of the curse?

According to this book, the effect of the curse weakens if the activator is not within a certain range.

In other words, the culprit is near His Highness… at least they should be in the capital. 

“At least if I knew the motive or how the curse was cast…”

“——Oh my, oh my, I’m surprised to see you here.”

The door opened with a clatter.

Without even knocking.

If it were a servant, they would be reprimanded for such behavior, but not her.

With a high-pitched voice and a proud laugh, she called out to me.

“Hello, Onee-sama.”

“…Aria.”

My sister who took away my fiance from me.