Kays Translations

Chapter 106: The Maker of the Silver Ring

 In the morning, I woke up to find Henry asleep next to me.

　Huh?　Why was that?　Ah!　Was it because I forgot to put up the barrier, and so he couldn’t go home?　If so, I’m so sorry.

　I quietly got up and dressed so as not to wake him up, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. When I looked in the mirror, my eyes were swollen from crying too much.

　I made a breakfast of egg sandwiches, liver patty sandwiches, sausages, and leftover vegetables.

　Illustration (By Mitemin)

　I hope nobody comes until Henry goes home. The six a.m. bell just rang, so I don’t think anyone will come, but I’m still worried.

　Once engaged, you cannot get married for a year. This is a rule for the nobility that says, “Refrain from any relations that could result in a child.” The current situation, which seems to be breaking this rule, is quite bad.

　I laid out breakfast and went upstairs to wake up Henry.

“Henry, wake up. You have to go back to the dorms and change into your uniform, right? You have to get out of here quickly.”

　When I called out to him, Henry’s eyes snapped open. His clear green eyes looked up at me.

“Why am I in your bed?”

“I would like to know that too. Please get up. Breakfast is ready.”

　Henry gets up and flops down the stairs, boots in hand, barefoot . His shirt and pants are all wrinkled. I wonder if I can use magic to get rid of those wrinkles. I’ll think about it next time.

　In the middle of eating breakfast, Henry suddenly said, “Oh, I see.”

“I remember now. I fell asleep while holding your hand. I woke up in the middle of the night, and was thirsty so I went down to the kitchen to get some water, and then naturally I went to your bed…or so I think. It’s a vague memory, though.”

 “I really appreciate your concern. I don’t think anyone saw, but if by some chance the Howler parents find out, I’ll be so embarrassed that it will shorten my life…”*

 　Henry ate vigorously and said, “If my parents find out, I can just apologize.”

　It’s not true. I would be so embarrassed that I would die if people misunderstood us as “two people who couldn’t hold out for a one-year deadline.” I don’t have the courage to say it, though.*

　After finishing his breakfast, Henry repeated, “Please install the lock quickly,” and returned to his lodgings.

　I went to the Guards, explained the situation, and then went home and resumed my normal life.

　At two o’clock in the afternoon, Henry came over for lunch, and shortly afterwards a carriage arrived. It was Sarah who came down. She said, “I just have some business to attend to for now”

　After I was seated next to Mr. Henry, who was eating, and Sara sat down across from me, She started the conversation.

“An old letter from Liyol was found last night. My husband would like you to read it. Also, he said that when you have time, if you could repair a wall with transformation magic.”

“Repair the walls?”

“Yes. Last night, my husband said he had a headache, so he drank the potion that you had given him the other day. After that,  he was in a good mood, saying,  ‘I feel great,’ and started practicing transformation magic  He had been able to transform small things in the past, but he decided to try something bigger, and so…… he turned the entire inner wall of the study into a hodgepodge of dirt.”

 　　Sarah’s mouth was turned down in a frown.

“I understand. I will come to the house tonight.”

“I want to come too.”

“Both of you please come. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

　In the evening, Victor stopped by, saying he was on his way going around on patrol.

　Victor told me that the two bandits said they had no employer. He didn’t ask me anything about the silver ring, so I didn’t say anything either.

　He says that the bandits would probably be sent to forced labor for several years.

　At night, Henry and I visited Mr. Glidden’s house. Henry brought the silver ring with him.

　When we were led into the study, part of the wall had disappeared quite a bit, revealing the wood inside. There was a pile of dry earth on the floor, so half of the transformation magic was successful and half was unsuccessful.

　The teacher looked at the silver ring that Henry was holding.

“Henry, what is that?”

“It belonged to the men who broke into Mai’s house last night. It’s probably a magical device that seals out magical powers.”

“Intruders?　Oh my goodness!!”

　Sarah said this with a frightened look on her face, and Mr. Glidden’s face turned bitter.

　

“A woman who can make potions more effective than the Magic Department’s. And who lives alone. Rumors about Mai have spread like wildfire. There are even people who are thinking of locking her away and forcing her to work for them.”

“Actually, it’s not just potions. I encountered a fire on Market Street and used magic in front of a lot of people. Some of them must have known that I’m the owner of ‘The Hideaway’.”

 “You’ve been flamboyantly conspicuous again,” said Mr. Glidden, looking at me.

“Well, even if you hide it, Mai’s power will become known sooner or later. And among those who do find out, there will surely be some who will innocently tell someone where you live. You should sleep with a barrier around you at night.”

 “Actually …….  I put up a barrier and went to sleep, but it seems to disappear in the middle of the night. Up until now, the barrier would remain until morning, so I felt safe.”

“It’s not uncommon for magic to disappear unconsciously while sleeping. It’s more impressive that the barrier can remain until morning without any measures being taken. From now on, when you put up your wards, say in your mind ‘until sunrise’. I’m sure you will be able to do that.”

 I didn’t know there was a timer setting like that.

“If you specify a time limit, the magic should continue to flow into the wards even subconsciously. Of course, it’s not something someone with a low amount of magical power can do. Now, let me borrow that magical tool.”

 　Mr. Glidden holds the silver ring in his hand and brings it close to his face, taking a close look at the letters and symbols engraved on the surface and inside.

“Amazing ……. This is a magical tool made by my father. It has my father’s mark engraved here. He was a member of the castle’s magic department when he was young. Somehow one of these disappeared from the castle. I thought it must’ve ended up gone on the black market, but it’s a blessing that it turned up. Mai, can you make this disappear here and now?　If this disappears, my father and I can both rest easy.”

 “Okay,”

　Using transformation magic, I turned the silver ring into powder. After Sarah swept it up with a broom and dustpan, the teacher instructed her to “scatter it in the garden,” and she left.

“My father had done everything he could to find this. Until the moment he passed away, he kept repeating, ‘I can’t bear it If the magical tool I made is misused.’ Thank you, Mai.”

 “ I am glad I could be of help.”

“I knew my father’s suffering, and I also saw Liyol’s suffering up close. That’s why I didn’t serve anyone or belong to any group. Mai, you may be called upon by the country someday, but think carefully before making a magical tool. Even if the person who made it dies, the magical tool will remain.”

　When Sarah returned, Mr. Glidden picked up some papers from the desk and handed them to me. Three folded sheets of letter paper. No envelope.

“Mai, this is what came out of the wall. It’s definitely Liyol’s handwriting.”

 　I took them and opened them. The first one said, “I am alive and well,” in these letters. On the second one, it’s the same text,  appended with the words, “I got married.” On the third piece, the words “I have a grandchild. I am happy.”  was added. There is no indication for either my grandmother or Mr. Glidden’s name.

“I wondered why it was inside the wall, and then I realized. This room was renovated after Liyol disappeared. It was painful to see the spot where her blood had been, so a wall was built to separate the large room into a library and study. My desk used to be where that wall was. Liyol had delivered a letter to me precisely. Mai, please keep those letters.”

“Thank you. I will take them.”

　Then I unleashed magical power on the powdered soil on the floor and transformed it back into a wall.

　The repaired wall had no visible seams no matter how you looked at it. Sarah was very pleased. Mr. Glidden, who was watching me closely, said something unexpected.

“Mai, I’m going to put an end to our weekly magic lessons. You can move forward on your own now. I’m afraid that my involvement may just get in the way of your free thinking.”

“Huh? Are we done already?”

“I have thought of something I really want to accomplish. From now on, whenever there is something you want to know, come and ask me. You can ask me questions using message magic. Oh, by the way, were you able to talk to Liyol?”*

　I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you something.

“I was able to send messages, but I couldn’t hear my grandma’s voice. When I use message magic on other people, I can hear their presence and the sounds around me, but with my grandma, I couldn’t hear anything at all. It was like a tunnel was closing in. So both times I just gave her a one-way message and that was it.”

 Mr. Glidden tilts his head.

“That’s strange. How much magical power are you using, Mai?”

“The first time, I used all my magic power until it was completely depleted. The second time, I used about half my magic power.”

“Well, maybe you used too much magic power. Listen, let’s say you’re ringing the church bells. Even if someone speaks right next to you, you can only hear the sound of the bell you’re ringing. You may be putting a lot of magic into it because you think the distance is too far, but is it really a matter of distance?”

“Ah.”

　Is that really the case? Maybe the layers of mille-feuille  and the grapes exist very close to each other? my parallel world theory. Oh, maybe I was right.

“Now, try to cast a message spell to Liyol here. I’ll see if the magic power is adequate. I want to hear her voice, too.”

“Yes, please!”

　I stood with my feet shoulder-width apart. The teacher immediately warned me, “Don’t strain yourself.” I relaxed my whole body, shook my arms, and took a deep breath.

“Well then, here we go.”

　While looking at Mr. Glidden, I pictured the Buddhist altar and cast a message spell with the same amount of magic power as when I’m talking to Henry. Then, I felt a rough presence coming from the other side.

　Is this a two-way conversation pattern?

“Grandma, can you hear me? It’s Mai. Please respond if you can hear me.”

“Mai? Mai! It’s me! Are we able to talk to each other today?”

　My Grandma’s excited voice drifted through Mr. Glidden’s study.

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