Chapter 18: A smart Shelgadian might reward us.

The garden was spacious.

The turf that covered the ground was mixed with varieties so it would flourish in most seasons of the year. It would mostly wither in winter, but now, at the end of autumn, it was lush.

The two of them suited this space too well. They were more dazzling than the surrounding flowers.

“Excuse me… My father was looking forward to it all along…”

Fiona was apologizing for what had happened when Licia and Lessard had just arrived at the mansion.

You could say that Ulysses had been looking forward to this day for many years. Since Fiona’s life was saved, he had been dreaming about it.

Because of that, he strongly welcomed the two from the Clausel family.

He said he would show them around the mansion and forcefully took Lessard away, more so than usual.

Fiona worried that such a thorough welcome might make the other party shrink, but because Ulysses didn’t want to cut corners, that’s where they are now.

It was as if a royal reception awaited Licia.

Now it’s just Fiona and her, but she had a feeling like she became a princess.

“It’s okay. Seeing such a happy Marquis Ignat, I was happy too.”

“Ha ha ha… It’s a relief to hear you say that.”

Their slender legs stretching from their skirts stop in front of a flower bed that blooms autumn flowers.

“These flowers are beautiful.”

“These flowers only bloom in the autumn. Their name is—“

Unexpectedly, it was business as usual.

Licia, standing next to her, bent down a little and watched Fiona, who was bringing her face closer to the flowers.

Licia was a girl who knew Fiona’s charm more than anyone else, she was confident of that.

A lovely and beautiful figure of a lady in love, which can’t be directed towards other sexes. That must certainly be Fiona’s most attractive figure.

Even from a same-sex perspective, the sight of a noble lady falling in love like a town girl is so captivating that it feels bewitching.

“?” “What’s the matter?”

Fiona, who noticed Licia’s gaze, looked confused.

Her figure was, as expected, too wonderful a girl.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ren visited the Ministry of Mysteries again yesterday.

Today he was visiting alone without Radius, but he was not nervous.

Ragna was waiting for him in the same room on the high floor as yesterday.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Ren was greeted by Ragna, who was sitting arrogantly, just like yesterday.

“Ragna-san, you are also called the director.”

“Yes, in the sense of this laboratory. I’m sometimes called a professor, but it’s no big deal. It’s just one of the many laboratories in the Ministry of Mysteries. That makes me think the Ministry of Mysteries is a strange bunch.”

“Strange bunch?”

“Don’t you think it’s strange that they welcomed a guy like me with director treatment?”

Remembering yesterday’s interaction, Ren responded more freely than yesterday.

However, he maintained a certain line and was careful not to misjudge the distance.

“Ragna-san may be unique, but isn’t your treatment due to the valuable wisdom and romance you pursue?”

“Oh?”

Then, Ragna seemed to feel better.

He loosened his cheek at the word he often uses.

“My eyes didn’t make a mistake. Ren, you really are a man who can understand romance. It was worth summoning you so early in the morning.”

“What’s the reason you called me?”

Ren steps towards the desk where Ragna is waiting.

“Do you have any interest in the old town?”

The old town is a topic of discussion since yesterday, a place where a mysterious mithril was unearthed. It is also a place where Licia made a detour to admire.

“I heard it’s a beautiful place, but that’s about it. I want to see it, but I don’t know much about the actual condition there.”

“It’s an interesting place. Many of the buildings submerged in water are made of stone, and quite a few retain their original shape.”

This scene of houses remaining under water. The sight of various small fish swimming was almost fantastical.

“There still seem to be rare items lying dormant.”

“Yes, exactly!”

Ragna’s excited voice.

“It’s said that Eupheim of that time was more bustling than the capital. It was a key point of trade, a place where new technologies from inside and outside the country crossed paths.”

“Huh… so there are sunken research facilities?”

“Of course. There were quite a few.”

That’s the reason why it’s under public management. It’s also well understood why the Bureau of Mysteries conducts regular investigations. Ren was more interested in this than in the dead mithril from yesterday.

“At that time, the Seven Heroes were rising. That means it was the era when the techniques of Mirim Altea, also known as the god of magical tools, were in full force.”

“So you mean there might still be defense mechanisms created by Mirim Altea?”

“Yes, there are magical tools that she created herself in large mansions and research facilities. They protect the buildings as a whole. Even after hundreds of years, it’s difficult to break through her technology. That’s the main factor that takes time.”

Listening to the story, Ren’s heart was also stirring. The mostly submerged town seems to hold more heritage than Ren imagined. Ren thought about the places protected by the defense mechanisms created by Mirim Altea.

“It sounds cool to call it an ‘unopened door’, doesn’t it?”

Ragna’s eyebrow twitched slightly, then he nodded.

“Yes… it’s incredibly cool… I want to open the door, but there’s also a part of me that rather hopes it stays unopened.”

“I get it. The part before opening it might be the most fun.”

“You have a good hobby. Very well, I’ll let Ren make the most expensive tea in this room.”

If their spirits were high, Ragna’s mood would improve even more. Although his language was still pompous, it was characteristic of him, and he could sense their distance getting closer. When Ren finished making the tea and returned to Ragna,

“I’ll give you something good as a bonus. I won’t charge you for it.”

What he pulled out from the opened drawer of the desk was an old, folded parchment.

“…What’s this?”

“A secret map… How about it? Aren’t you getting excited?”

There was no way he could say no. Taking the item referred to as a map, Ren immediately opened it. The map was neither too big nor too small. Holding it with both hands on either side, it fit within the width of Ren’s shoulders. The marks from being folded were deeply imprinted.

“Wait, is this the old town?”

“You recognized it?”

“I just guessed from the terrain. I’ve never been there.”

On the secret map, or rather, the map of the old town, several red marks were left. Notes like when Ragna conducted his investigations were also written.

“There are many doors closed by ancient magical tools. The red marks are buildings where they remain.”

“Huh… So you haven’t blasted them open or forced them open?”

“I understand the feeling of wanting to. You could check the insides with one shot. But, I want to avoid destroying the historical buildings and environment. In addition, it’s not allowed due to regulations established by imperial law.”

“…That’s not just an afterthought, is it? Just to be clear, I’m not interested in blasting anything open, okay?”

He only let out a murmur out of pure curiosity.

Neither more nor less.

“But why give me such an important map?”

“It’s my spare. I have a new one because this one got old.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m curious about why you suddenly gave it to me.”

“It’s a modest gift for Ren, who understood my sense of romance. There’s no other reason.”

“Thank you… I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to use it, but when that opportunity comes, I’ll make sure to use it.”

After saying that, Ren asked,

“But how do you investigate the submerged town?”

“Sometimes we use diving equipment, but in many places where defensive devices remain, there is air even if it’s submerged. If you actually go there, you can enjoy an interesting view.”

“So you’re saying we could enjoy it together if the opportunity comes to use the map?”

“Indeed. Reading a book isn’t fun if you know the ending ahead of time, is it?”

“Well, indeed.”

Aside from that, it was hard to describe the scenery.

It would be faster to see it in person, Ragna repeated.

“The only problem is getting permission to enter, I suppose.”

“You should think of it as a possibility. That map is a testament to the romance that Ren and I shared. It’s not particularly confidential since I wrote it myself, so feel free to use it.”

“Thank you. In that case, I’ll use it without hesitation.”

As Ren pocketed the map, he began to worry about being summoned so early in the morning.

There was definitely a reason other than the current conversation.

Ragna handed Ren several books about sacred magic and old myths.

“I’ve read all of these books multiple times.”

“Thank you, but… sorry, what language is this?”

“It’s a language used in the southern part of Martel continent, and the language of the beastmen who live in the western continent. Try reading it with a dictionary. It’ll be a good study.”

“Can you read it without a dictionary, Ragna?”

“After all, it’s just a language spoken by people and non-humans. You could learn to speak any of them in a few weeks.”

Ren decided to let it go because what this man was saying was out of the ordinary.

However, Ragna said that he didn’t expect more information than he shared yesterday. Still, he prepared these for when Ren might want to look something up.

Ren deeply appreciated it and decided he needed to buy a language dictionary somewhere.

“Oh, that’s right.”

Ragna put his foot on the table with a bang! and laughed.

He wore a somewhat provocative expression.

“If you manage to open the unopened door, I’ll give you a reward…”

“Whoa… you’re saying that thinking it’s definitely impossible, aren’t you?”

“About half. But if it opens, that would be nice in itself.”

“Are you serious? If I hear about a reward from the Bag Traveller, I’ll have high expectations too.”

“I don’t mind. When the time comes, I promise to give you something interesting from my collection.”

Ragna said that with a laugh.

Right after that, there were people knocking hurriedly on this room. Ragna answered with an annoyed look, and some researchers came in.

Apparently, his afternoon schedule was moved up, and Ragna had to leave already.

Ragna sincerely apologized to Ren, whom he had taken the trouble to call.

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