CH 96

[Nuna! I’m back after taking care of it! I didn’t feel good, but I poured the potion well on his face. I was very upset, but I even checked that I had healed the wounds!] 

Even though Dell approached with his tail wagging, Serdel’s mind was blank.

[Nuna?] 

Dell, who came close to her, tilted his head. 

[Nuna…] 

Dell’s ears and tail drooped down.

[Dell will go to the corner over there and be quiet…] 

The boy, who was stumbling and walking with heavy footsteps, soon whimpered.

As if he misunderstood that Serdel was so angry that he turned away, Dell fell asleep after squatting in the corner for a while. 

Until then, there was no response from the communication tool.

Her insides felt burnt. (It’s an idiom meaning to worry about something and be fretful.)

******

The darkness that had fallen ended all of a sudden.

Serdel, who stayed up all night with wide eyes, opened the door to the terrace. Goosebumps arose as the cool air of the early morning touched her skin. 

Whooo—.

After taking a deep breath, she exhaled for a long time.

How many times has she repeated the same actions to try and soothe her anxious heart? 

The cold air chilled her.

Whoo. 

She stepped off the terrace with one last breath and reached for a communication tool on her desk.

‘Please, please pick up’

‘Oraboni.’

She prayed earnestly in her heart, but the light of the communication tool didn’t change. It was the same with Addis and others.

Is the battle continuing without even a moment to break? 

Is that why no one can answer her call?

Or did the forest situation change rapidly, and smooth communication become impossible?

She was frustrated because she didn’t know the situation.

‘How nice would it be to have a foresight dream at times like this!’

It’s one of her abilities, but why can’t she control it as she wants? 

‘It would be very convenient if I could see into the future whenever I wanted.’

The nervousness that began to happen once didn’t subside easily and eventually led to dissatisfaction with her ability. 

The more she did, the smaller she felt.

‘Everything’s gonna be alright.’

Yeah, it’s going to be fine.

Because it’s a very unpredictable forest, communication will be difficult for a while.

No news is good news.

Isn’t no news also bad news?

She was pressing her chest, and a maid came in.

“Lady, I have prepared water for you to wash.”

When she washed her face, her hair, which had just been dull, became a little clearer.

Aside from that, she didn’t touch the food. 

She couldn’t even fit a spoonful into her mouth properly. She choked at the thought that everyone might be enduring the worst when she was at home.

“Lady. Your complexion doesn’t look good. You’re not in any pain, are you?” 

Looking at Serdel, the maid asked cautiously.

“You barely eat—”

“It’s okay. It’s just that I don’t have any appetite today.”

In the end, Serdel bit the food she had barely touched. 

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

“That’s good.”

“Wait a little bit! I’ll hurry up, clean this up, and get in a delicious tea! Oh, and I’ll bring some sweets. It could make you feel better.”

As she said, she glanced at the newspaper placed near Serdel.

She seemed to think that the master was in a bad mood due to the noisy stories with Count Maient continuing day after day.

The maid hurried out, pretending to be bright.

Left alone, Serdel approached the desk again.

She swallowed her mixed feelings and touched the communication tool again.

“Don’t tell me my communication tool is broken.”

She shook the communication tool she had picked up. 

She looked over and over again.

It was clean without a crack.

It was then. 

With a short light, the communicator lit up. 

[….]

“…Father?”

She saw Cartal. 

[…I thought it was broken…. So It wasn’t. I haven’t been able to contact Addis and Redan for days.] 

“…It’s the same here.”

Serdel’s answer darkened his complexion.

He was pretending to be calm so as not to show his anxious expression, but there was blue protruding from the back of his hands. 

[Nothing will happen]

“Everything’s going to be fine.”

She wanted to reassure him.

It was the same for Cartal, and at the same time, she was dazed by what was said.

[Since there’s Addis, Redan will be safe]

“Since there’s Unnie, Oraboni will be fine.”

Cartal and Serdel’s mouth shut. There was a moment of silence.

Come to think of it, this situation was kind of like that.

If she leaves this room and moves a little, she can see his office. It was rather funny that they were doing this with a communication tool.

“Don’t worry, father.”

[Yeah.] 

“Did you eat?”

[I already ate. How about you?] 

“I’m eating deliciously too, and I’m waiting for tea.”

[Yeah, and— don’t worry about Count Maient. Apparently, he’s going crazy because he was shocked by the Lord of the Wizard Tower; that arrogant guy must not be in his right mind because he was treated like that in front of so many people.] 

He clicked his tongue. 

[Tsk. They said that his aide also eventually turned his back on him, so he would not be able to hold out for long and will end himself. So, you can stretch out your legs and sleep comfortably. You have nothing to worry about.]

As Serdel nodded, Cartal finally ended the communication with a warm smile.

The sense of silence fell again.

The heavy silence felt more frightening today.

Perhaps now Cartal feels the same as her, being crushed by the heavy air.

She buried her head in her arms on the desk.

‘Isn’t there any way to understand the condition of the forest even if we are far away?’

– Knock knock. Hello, Young Lady. 

A low voice rang out.

Even though she raised her eyes, she couldn’t see anything, so she straightened her posture.

– I’m outside that door. The procedure was too complicated to get formal permission to come, so I came without permission, but I still find it difficult to enter Lady’s room at will. Knock knock, could you please excuse me?

Did he knock with his mouth? She couldn’t even laugh because she was dumbfounded.

“Come in.”

– Then excuse me. 

Serdel frowned at the Lord of Wizard tower that passed without opening the door.

His body was opaque, like a ghost. That was why he had no choice but to knock by mouth. 

“What a terrific excuse. What is it?”

– We haven’t seen each other since that day. I was worried, but you didn’t call me. Even if I want to ask with a voice in the wind, I want to ask after you face to face, but I think the Count will kick me out. I had no choice but to come to the state of my soul.

“…Come to think of it, I’m too late to say it. Thank you very much for that time.”

– I don’t like such formal greetings.

“Then what kind of greeting do you like?”

– Please buy me shoes.

The conversation seemed to go to the mountain, but it went on strangely well.

Looking down, Serdel looked at his feet. He was wearing the shoes when he lent them to her. 

– Oh, it’s a pity to leave it in the Imperial Palace. I bought a pair that was the only one left. ‘You have shoes, right?’ That’s not what you mean, are you? Buy me new shoes. It is good to go out by carriage. Ah, Young Lady. Have you ever flown in the sky?

“I know how it feels to be in the air because someone  jumped with me in his arms.”

As she escaped from the slave market, Blenn held her in his arms and jumped swiftly from roof to roof.

Back then it felt like flying in the sky.

And when she and Falden were alone in the forest, there was a time when he jumped from a high tree while he was holding her. 

At the time, she felt like she was falling. 

– ….

The Lord of the Wizard Tower looked at Serdel with dissatisfied eyes. 

– Have you ever been spun around in the air?

“Is that a new kind of torture?”

– Well, I’m hurt. 

It’s just a conversation that doesn’t mean much, but at some point, the tension was released, and her mind calmed down a bit.

“I’ll buy you shoes soon.”

– Do you promise?

As soon as she nodded, he stepped up and pushed his face close.

It was so out of the blue that Serdel slightly backed up.

– Now, what makes you look like that?

“….”

– What kind of trouble do you have that you are so immersed in worry? Please tell me everything. I’ll help you.

“…I can’t get in touch with my sister and brother.”

– Yes. 

“I can’t get in touch with other people too. You know the Duke of Blendard, don’t you?

– Isn’t he the best knight in the empire?

“Yes, I can’t get in touch with him either.”

It must have been that something big had happened to the fact that even the strongest people couldn’t get her call. 

– You must be worried.

“So I’m looking for a way.”

– Hmm. 

With his chin raised, he went into thought.

The expression was so serious that she was grateful for some reason. 

Unlike when she was alone earlier, she didn’t feel uncomfortable or scared.

Serdel, who rolled her eyes, continued the line of thought that had been paused for a moment by the Lord of the Wizard Tower. 

She had put her own mark on the mine to make it easier to find when going into further development.

‘If I connect my mind to the power remaining on that mark, can I know the situation of the forest?’ 

But to do that, she had to be close to the forest, but this place was too far.

‘Will I be able to see the situation through this path—’

As she sighed, a good thought suddenly came to her mind.

Serdel raised her head.

– You have a good idea. You can tell me anything. I’ll be the Young Lady’s strength.