Chapter 583: Secret Magic
Once the meal had settled a bit and the atmosphere grew calmer, I decided to go apologize to the Forest Spirit.
It might have been a little impolite to leave mid-meal, but I pushed my chair back anyway and made my way over. The Forest Spirit was surrounded by researchers, chatting animatedly. Judging by the intensity of their gazes… they had probably locked onto the Spirit as a prime subject of observation.
“Forest Spirit, thank you for your help earlier this morning.”
“No need to concern yourself with that,” the Spirit replied lightly, waving a hand. “Given the bond between you and me, such things are trivial. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I never imagined such a creature existed there.”
With that, the Forest Spirit bowed its head.
I hurriedly stopped it.
This wasn’t good—I wanted to maintain a cooperative relationship with the Spirit moving forward. Establishing some kind of hierarchy here would only complicate things.
“Please, don’t do that,” I said quickly. “We’re on equal terms, aren’t we?”
“Fufu… indeed, you’re right,” the Spirit chuckled. Then its gaze sharpened slightly. “That said… that magic of yours was quite something. No wonder, given that it consumed such an enormous amount of your mana. However—though it may be odd for me to say this—you should refrain from using it too often. If even the slightest mistake is made in its use, it could have adverse effects on your body.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
…Thanks.
So that’s what this is.
The Spirit had deliberately brought this up—to discourage me from using that magic again.
Which means…
Yeah. There’s no doubt about it.
The Forest Spirit knows.
Knows that I’m something like a divine apostle.
Maybe it even received some kind of message from the gods themselves.
If that’s the case… then honestly, that’s a huge relief. It means I can rely on the spirits and consult them without holding back.
Our eyes met briefly, and the Spirit gave a subtle nod.
…Yeah. No mistake about it.
After that, the conversation shifted to the magic I had used.
The researchers, unsurprisingly, were deeply curious about it. I carefully avoided mentioning anything about its purification properties and simply described it as a high-tier fire-attribute spell.
“To think such advanced magic exists… astonishing,” one researcher said. “Julius-sama, where did you learn such a spell?”
“That magic is a secret technique passed down within the Heine margrave family,” I replied smoothly. “So, if possible, I would appreciate it if this matter were not spread any further…”
“A secret technique! That explains everything. Yes, of course—we swear not to speak of it.”
“Same here.”
“Likewise.”
Even those who had been eavesdropping nearby quickly voiced their agreement.
…Good. That settles that.
Of course, the whole “Heine family secret technique” story was a complete fabrication.
I’d better inform Father as soon as I return. He’ll probably scold me, but we’ll need to get our stories straight.
“Julius-sama… was what you said earlier true?”
As I returned to my seat, Fabienne leaned in and whispered softly.
…So she heard that, huh.
Making sure no one else could overhear, I leaned close to her ear.
—Her nape.
Why does it look so… alluring?
No, no. Focus. Stay calm.
“Of course it was a lie,” I murmured. “I’ll probably get scolded by Father when I get back.”
“I thought so,” she said with a small nod. Then, her expression sharpened with quiet determination. “In that case, I shall accompany you to meet Father. I will explain that you were justified in using that magic.”
Ah.
That look…
Even if I told her no, she’d absolutely insist on coming.
And if I tried to refuse forcefully, I’d just end up making things worse.
“That’s… incredibly reassuring,” I admitted with a wry smile. “In that case, I suppose I’ll just have to build up enough achievements so I won’t get scolded.”
“…Please do so in moderation,” Fabienne said flatly. “Otherwise, Father’s stomach may develop a hole.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already given him some very effective stomach medicine.”
…Ah.
Fabienne’s face just turned into that expression.
Like a Tibetan fox—utterly unimpressed, as if silently saying, That’s not the point.
…Guess I missed the mark.
Just to be safe, I explained things to Lionel as well.
His face turned into the exact same expression.
Why?!
When I told Nero, on the other hand, he looked at me with sparkling, almost reverent eyes—like “As expected of Julius-sama.”
…That reaction is its own kind of problem.
At this point, Nero has basically become a full-fledged Julius devotee.
Maybe I should grant him a title.
Yes—Cardinal Nero has a nice ring to it.
Dinner passed pleasantly as we chatted.
From the bits of information I gathered, the purification efforts were proceeding smoothly, just as Sophia had said earlier.
After I was taken away, they avoided going near heavily contaminated areas. However, there were plans to properly investigate the state of the mountain again.
The Forest Spirit supported that idea, and it was decided that the group would split into two teams the next day—one heading to survey the mountain.
Naturally, Erwin-sama would be part of that team.
As for Sophia-sama… she’d be staying behind.
“I think I’ll join the group working on restoring the greenery tomorrow,” I said.
“I believe that is a wise decision,” Fabienne replied, visibly relieved.
…Yeah.
I already knew, but Fabienne clearly doesn’t like seeing me fight.
I might feel confident handling most situations, but from her perspective, combat always carries risk.
And she’s not wrong.
The next morning, over breakfast, we reviewed the day’s plans once more.
The mountain investigation team would consist of the researchers, along with Erwin-sama and the Forest Spirit. Since there was a chance of combat similar to yesterday, they were preparing to equip themselves with heavy gear.
…That sounds exhausting.
I’m really glad I’m not on that team.
Meanwhile, our group—the land restoration team—would continue purifying the areas around the village, working outward step by step. At the current pace, it seemed the purification powder would run out by around noon.
Once that happened, we’d return to the royal capital.
“I will assist with the purification work as well,” Sophia said.
“Thank you, Sophia-sama. Please just be careful not to get injured.”
“It will be fine,” she replied with a gentle smile. “And even if I am injured, we have the potions prepared by the alchemists.”
She had already changed into simple commoner’s clothing—something she didn’t mind getting dirty.
And judging by how naturally she wore it…
This wasn’t her first time.
Somewhere in my mind, an image solidified:
Sophia-sama = tomboy princess.
“Leave the mountain survey to us,” Erwin said firmly. “If anything happens, we’ll report back immediately.”
“We’re also bringing plenty of potions,” one of the alchemists added. “There should be no issue.”
“Please stay safe,” I said.
With Erwin-sama—wielder of the holy sword—there, it was hard to imagine anything going wrong.
Creatures like that blackened giant tree couldn’t be all that common.
And more importantly—
He was the one who had slain the Bone Dragon.
There’s no way anything more dangerous than that would appear.