Chapter 4: Spring Palace (part four)

After that, I escaped from the pursuit of Klaus somehow and headed for the dinner party.

As soon as Klaus talked about the matter of the ruins during dinner, my father and Duke of Hafan stopped him very solemnly.

It couldn’t be helped. It is not a place where a 10-years-old child can go.

When the topic about the ruins came out, I found it secretly amusing that my older brother looked unruffled on the outside but was feeling anxious on the inside.

It is a good thing that I forbade Klaus to speak about the matter of Eduart-oniisama going into the Ruins of Visitor~~

When the dinner party was over, Eduart-oniisama was about to head to Lindis Magic Academy which is located in the central part of the continent through the Spring Palace’s transfer gate.

Transfer gates are located in the basement of important buildings and provide warp function by being magically connected to the gates at each sites.

My older brother received a key from father after the dinner party, he would use the one-time-key to go to the academy.

I suddenly felt uneasy because of my conversation with Klaus.

I wanted to hear about the magic spelled in this star crystal, so I caught up with my older brother who was holding a baggage in his room.

“Onii-sama, I’m sorry to hold you up when you are in a hurry, but can I ask you something about this necklace?”

“Hm, what about the necklace, Erica?”

“Klaus-sama was concerned about the magic inside this necklace. Very special magic.”

“Hee, a special magic, huh……please lend it to me, Erica.”

With his eyebrows slightly furrowed, my older brother was staring at the star crystal.

Eduart-oniisama spread out his leather handbag on the floor while crouching on the spot.

“Is that the Wunderkammer……?”

We sort our reservoir of gathered alchemists’ preparation items into a miracle room, Wunderkammer.

The leather bag seems to have an expanded interior space.

My older brother built a Wunderkammer inside it.

“Well, the magic for expanding space was very expensive……”

“That’s right……”

My older brother said so with distant eyes.

Incidentally, even the materials to create the kind of wands stored inside cost an enormous amount of money.

I guess this was quite a splurge, Eduart-oniisama.

I don’t know the specific price, but even if I just look at it roughly, I believe that I would have to sell off one or two silver veins that my older brother would inherit in the future.

“Well, I will investigate it now.”

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Eduart-oniisama picked out a piece of sugar maple wand from among the large number of short wands inside the Wunderkammer.

At the end of the wand was a piece of emerald.

On the part of the handle, there was a workmanship imitating a feather of a peacock made from mother of pearls.

Perhaps the core material was a feather of a peacock.

The length of the short wand was just about the length of a conductor’s baton.

In such a small tool, more than 50 charges can be put, or over 100 charges of magic if it is the finest wand.

How convenient~ I thought, but each one can only contain one type of magic.

To deal with every situation, countless short wands are needed.

So preparation is important for the western alchemists.

Eduart-oniisama swung the wand like a conductor.

Green light spread around my older brother and converged on his eyes.

With this, Eduart-oniisama’s eyes temporarily turned into Glam Sight.

The magic of an alchemist in this world is all done manually.

“I see. This is amazing.”

“How is it?”

“Because I found it at the Ruins of Visitor, I thought that the magic was of that era. But in reality, it is older. At least before Ignitia conquered the southern part of this continent.”

It was around 650 years ago when the founder of Aurelia arrived at this continent.

When the invading Ignitia destroyed Casketia and placed the southern part of this continent under their control, that was the story of about 150 years ago before that.

Together it would be 800 years ago.

Casketia was a country of vampires.

It was a dark nation where the vampire royalty and aristocracy dominated human beings like livestock—at least, that is how it was reported.

In other words, the magic put on this stone is likely to belong to the vampires of Casketia.

It is not necessarily the truth, though.

“It means that it is the magic used by the vampires.”

“Aah, I see.”

On this continent, vampire is considered a phantom beast which had gone extinct hundreds of years ago.

But, it seems that vampires would come out in the scenario which I had yet to complete.

“Fortunately it is safe for us. Because we, western people are all immune to magic of this kind. But—I’m afraid that both eastern and northern people are sensitive and will be affected by it.”

“What kind of magic was put inside the stone?”

“I will say that it’s close to a fascination magic, but it’s more than that……yes, it seems to be spelled to evoke desire……it seems it is better for me to hold on to this stone a bit longer.”

Magic that evokes desire, huh?

Suddenly I remembered the tragedy of Klaus and Ann in 『Liber Monstrorum』. In the first place, why would the very polite Ann want Erica’s necklace?

—It was probably because of the desire evoked by this necklace.

“Erica, I don’t know if it can be my replacement, but here.”

This is the key of brother’s wonderful Wunderkammer.

The stored items are also equivalent to a lifeline for our family.

“Onii-sama, why are you giving such an important item to me?”

“Because you seem very uneasy. I have to go to Lindis Magic Academy for my friend. Actually, I’d like to be by your side……but I’m also needed there for something.”

“Onii-sama……”

“It’s alright, if there is nothing extraordinary, I should be able to come back by tomorrow morning.”

After he said that, my older brother went to Lindis Magic Academy through the underground transfer gate.

I headed toward the guest room of Spring Palace.

It was to confirm the safety of Klaus and Ann.

I didn’t care that my long dress entangled with my legs, I was running in the palace corridor at night.

Events that occurred today were floating in my mind one after another.

Ann’s smile, with dyed cheeks among the blossoming flowers.

Klaus’ sparkling eyes while looking at the magic of my star necklace.

The necklace with ancient magic—faint but bewitching blue light.

I want to see Ann’s smile and Klaus’ scowl as soon as possible to give me a peace of mind.

☆

The guest rooms that were used to accommodate the children of Duke Hafan were plentifully decorated with the flowers from the spring garden.

There was a fragrant scent of flowers in that room.

However, I couldn’t find the figures of Klaus and Ann.

All the maids serving the Duke of Hafan were put to sleep by magic.

I made sure that Ann was not confused among the sleeping maids, but she wasn’t there either.

—Perhaps this is the work of Klaus.

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Although he is only a 10-year-old boy, Klaus’ magical abilities are exceptional.

These women aren’t just maids, but maids who serve the duke.

In other words, they have some knowledge of magic.

If so, they should have a moderate magic resistance.

I believe that the maids were taken out by a powerful sleeping magic so that he could sneak away.

I wonder at what time this magic was used.

It is also worrying that the one who disappeared is not only Klaus, but Ann as well.

A person like Klaus must have headed for Ruins of Visitor.

Ten to one, no doubt.

For Ann, if fortune is on my side, she might be with the Duke and Duchess of Hafan.

(For confirmation, I should hurry up and see the Duke of Hafan or my father, shouldn’t I?)

It won’t be good if this situation becomes widespread and panic occurs.

I closed the door, crossed the corridor and headed for my father’s room.

I walked for about fifteen minutes.

I should have reached my father’s room a long time ago, but I ended up reaching the original room I set out from.

At this point, I understood that I was lost in a familiar place.

It is a magic that turned the palace into a labyrinth.

However, no matter how much an excellent mage Klaus is, he shouldn’t be able to use space distortion magic.

This is probably a Phantasmal Maze.

It is a magic that dazzles people as if they are inside a labyrinth by messing out their sense of direction and putting them under an illusion.

Because of this magic, Spring Palace seems to have been divided into several compartments.

I can’t even go to the Duke of Hafan or my father, the Duke of Aurelia, and the adults would never reach their children’s room.

For a 10-year-old to be able to master this complex magic……

I couldn’t hide my surprise at Klaus’ talent.

(I mean, this kind of careful preparation is too much, Klaus—!)

Taking a deep breath, I decided to calm down and think.

“Eduart-oniisama, it seems that I’ll have to use it this soon.”

I looked at the key to the Wunderkammer that I had received from my older brother earlier.

I put it into the keyhole of a suitable room and turned it.

This key itself is a magic item that can turn any door in this palace into a door that is connected to my older brother’s Wunderkammer.

When I opened the door, the Wunderkammer of the alchemist Eduart Aurelia appeared before me.