CH 55

The materials are placed on the Transmutation Circle.

In addition to familiar materials, there is also the seven-leaf grass harvested recently.

Half of it was turned into seeds for cultivation, while the rest was used as materials for transmutation.

But even so, the number is not enough.

I really want to go gather more, but after the incident the other day, I cannot leave the royal palace for a while.

“I wonder when they will give us permission…”

“If you bring ten knights with you, I think you’ll be allowed?”

“That’s a bit… Yuren-kun!”

Before I knew it, Yuren-kun was next to me.

“Am I disturbing you, Aria?”

“Don’t surprise me like that.”

“You should be used to it by now. It’s always like this, right?”

That’s true, but when someone suddenly appears behind or next to me, or someone talks to me unexpectedly, it startles me.

Yuren-kun looks around the workshop.

“Are you alone today?”

“Yeah. I think Fusaki-kun is with Irina-chan, right?”

“Is that so? Did you have any plans?”

“No, I asked her to go play with her friend since it’s her day off.”

After receiving Irina-chan’s pure feelings, Fusaki-kun seemed to have decided to value himself as well.

But since it won’t change immediately, I thought I should help in any way I can.

On days off from work, make sure to play like a child.

Are they chatting away now?

I’m sure Irina-chan is also happy.

“Fusaki seems to be moving in a good direction too.”

“Yeah, thanks to Irina-chan.”

“Yeah, but it surprised me. You were the one who heard about his situation before I did.”

“Hahaha, that was just a coincidence.”

I just wanted to know, so I asked.

Yuren-kun also heard about it from Duke-sama on a different day.

“Considering Fusaki’s past, I can understand why he pushes himself like this.”

“Yeah, I really understand that.”

“I thought so. That’s why you were worried, right?”

“Yeah.”

There were other reasons why I was worried, but that was generally right.

It’s not like I can say that he resembled me and I was being presumptuous.

Anyway, it’s good news that he wants to take care of himself.

“…So? Aria works even on her days off?”

“Uh-huh.”

A Transmutation Circle in progress.

Materials lined up and scattered research materials.

I’m even holding a material checklist.

It looks like I’m working no matter how you look at it.

Yuren-kun says with a slightly mean smile.

“You want Fusaki to take care of himself, but what about yourself?”

“Ugh…”

“I’m pretty sure I told you to take a proper break on your day off, didn’t I?”

“…Oh, yeah.”

I remember being told that.

And it was a relatively recent memory.

“Before you worry about others, take a break yourself.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“That’s just like you, Aria.”

“Well, I don’t have anything to say to that.”

It’s like being told that you haven’t grown up.

I think I know it myself, but sometimes I can’t stop unless someone tells me.

In my case, Yuren-kun often makes me realize it.

“It’s good to be enthusiastic, but there are people who are worried about you, like you are, worrying about Fusaki. Like me.”

“Y-Yes, I will.”

“Really, be careful, okay? It’s your day off today, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have anything to do… on my day off.”

It might be an excuse, but I can’t go outside, and there’s nothing else to do.

Before I realized it, I was heading to the workshop as usual, and at first, I was planning to tidy up… or something like that?

“In that case, I’ll be your conversation partner. Fusaki and Irina are probably doing the same thing right now.”

“Well, let me ask you something.”

◇◇◇

Led by Yuren-kun, we moved to the conversation room in the royal palace.

I thought it would be better to talk at the workshop, but Yuren-kun said, “You might start working if we talk there.”

“T-That’s true.”

So we decided to move.

It was the first time I entered the room, so it felt a little fresh.

As expected of a conversation room, there were several chairs facing each other across a table, allowing a large group of people to discuss.

Currently, it was only Yuren-kun and me.

“I wonder what happened to the place where Fusaki-kun was born?”

“Is that what you suddenly want to ask?”

“Sorry, I’m just curious.”

It might have been a heavy topic as the first conversation.

I regretted it after saying it.

But it was still something I wanted to know.

“It hasn’t really changed. That place wasn’t originally a peaceful place for people to live. It was a boundary between countries, and conflicts were prone to happen.”

“So it hasn’t changed even now?”

“If you ask me if it’s changed, it has changed a little. My older brother is in charge now.”

“Yuren-kun’s older brother?”

A different word caught my attention than before.

Come to think of it, Yuren-kun has an older brother.

He’s the third prince, right? There are two older brothers above him?

“What kind of person is your older brother?”

“Well, if I had to describe Ash-niisan in one word, he’s probably the strongest person in this country.”

The Second Prince of the Salem Kingdom, Ash Salem.

He was the greatest swordsman in the kingdom and was also a magician.