Kays Translations

Chapter 44: The story of when Liyol disappeared

　The day after Mai and Glidden’s meeting, Henry and Kyrias visited his house.

　Sarah, who answered the door, simply said, “Come in,” and invited the two into the mansion.

　Glidden was waiting for them in his study.

"You're here. Now then, let’s talk about the rest of that day.”

　Glidden clasped his hands together and began to speak while looking down at his own hands.

“Liyol explained teleportation magic to me, but there was a big problem with the theory. The core of the magic was that it was a magic that choses who could use it. That was the magic that Liyol was best at, but I was not cut out for it. So I repeatedly told her, ‘I can’t do it. It would take me years to master that magic. And even if I spent years, there’s no guarantee that I’d be able to activate it as well as you.’”

“So what then?”

　Henry urged ahead without a second thought.

“In fact, when I tried to move the books based on that theory, I was unsuccessful. Liyol was at a loss, saying, ‘Even a wizard like you, Glidden, has trouble with some things, right?’ About two weeks passed like this, and then one, Liyol suggested a certain method,. “ I will take care of the parts that you are not good at, and you can take care of the rest. Let's try combining our magical powers. I’m already losing my strength and magic, so that’s the only option.’”

　Kyrias shakes his head in disbelief.

“It’s one thing if multiple people are casting the same spell at the same time, but to have two people share a complex spell that can send a human being through. And to try it out on a human for the first time? Of course it’s dangerous.”

　Glidden nodded repeatedly.

“That’s what I said too. I told her it was dangerous and that we shouldn’t do it. But Liyol said, ‘At least I want to leave a testimony that I was born into this world. My life is about to come to an end. Let me prove that my theory of teleportation magic is correct,” she said, refusing to budge. “ if I fail, it was just me being selfish, you won’t be held responsible in any way.. If I don’t test this theory now, there is no meaning in me being born,’ she cried.”

　In the silent room, Glidden took a deep breath then continued speaking.

“ don’t get me wrong. I didn’t help with the experiment because I was asked to. I helped as atonement. I was involved with Liyol for sixteen years, from the age of seven, when she was bought, to twenty-three. Yet neither I nor my father helped her for fear of retribution from Liyol’s master. Her master and I are equally guilty for robbing her of her childhood and youth.”

　As Glidden stopped speaking, Sarah approached him and put her hand on his back.

“It’s okay,. It is necessary for me to tell the truth to these two young people now. It’s the most important thing I have left to do.”

　　From there, Glidden calmly stated the facts.

　Following the theory that Liyol had constructed, Glidden drew a magic circle on the floor and Liyol stood in the center. Glidden concentrated his magical power and released it toward the magic circle where Liyol was standing. At the same time, Liyol also released magic.

　The magic circle began to glow blue, and everything, including Liyol, glowed blue. Unable to bear the brightness, Glidden closed his eyes, and after a few minutes he opened them again.

　The magic circle on the floor was gone, and Liyol, who should have appeared next to Glidden, was nowhere to be seen.

“The experiment failed. There were a few pieces of flesh and a fair amount of blood left where Liyol had been standing. I thought she  had been crushed and disappeared.”

　With fear and regret, he searched the back rooms and balcony, screaming Liyol’s name.

　Soon they heard heavy banging on the door and cries. Hearing Glidden’s screams, the servants rushed to see what was going on.

　When he did not open the door, the door was opened using the master key and the servants rushed into the room.

“When the servants entered my room, they were shocked at the sight of all the flesh and blood. That’s how the rumours about me came about.”

“Since Liyol had regained her health, perhaps the piece of flesh and the blood were the diseased parts.”

“Henry, you’re as good as it gets. I thought so too when I saw Mai. If Mai had been sent here by magic, it means that at seventy-eight years old, Liyol’s physical strength, energy, and magic were all in full force.”

　After telling the truth, Glidden let out a sigh.

“Did I fail? was it wrong to combine different magical powers? was there a problem with Liyol’s theory, or was Liyol’s magical power insufficient? Everything remains unsolved. Mai proved the correctness of Liyol’s theory, but I’m happy just to know that Liyol was living a happy life.”

　Glidden closed his mouth, saying, “That’s all I know.” Henry and Kyrias quickly left the mansion.

“Hey, Henry, even if Liyol’s theory was correct, as long as we don’t know why she disappeared, I think the teleportation magic based on Lyor’s theory is too dangerous to use.”

“I agree. Well, I don’t know much about magic though.”

　Henry only gave a curt reply, but inside he felt a chill of fear run down his spine.

(Mai-san is good at transformation magic. That was because Liyol, who had poured her knowledge into Mai-san, was good at it. Perhaps the core of teleportation magic is transformation magic.)

　And then think some more.

(Looking at the results alone, Liyol became healthy and lived a long life, but that was an incredibly lucky thing. She could have been sent deep underground or to the bottom of the ocean. If Mai-san had realized that the core of the teleportation magic was transformation magic, and if she had performed that magic with the single-minded desire to return to her original world: ……)

　Henry bit his lip hard as he inadvertently imagined the horrific outcome.

　Meanwhile, Kyrias wondered who was the master who had been treating liyol like a dark slave.

(Glidden-sama’s father was already a famous wizard at that time. There were only a few people that the wizard would have obeyed without complaint. He must have been a very high-ranking aristocrat or a wealthy merchant. Decades have passed since Liyol was bought, and the owner is now, without a doubt, under a gravestone. It would be futile for me to poke my head in and find her owner, or to inform his children or grandchildren of the fact. From what Henry said, Mai doesn’t seem to know about her grandmother’s past, and even if she did, she wouldn’t want any retaliation against that person’s children or grandchildren.)

　Henry and Kyrias were walking down the street at night, lost in their own thoughts.

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