Kays Translations

Chapter 36: Marilyn, the appraiser

　Mr. Glidden’s house looked old, even though it was supposed to be well cared for. Kyrias looked up at the building and  muttered.

"They say that a house will deteriorate if left uninhabited, but it doesn't seem to be just a matter of ventilation and cleaning. If the head of the house is generally not well, even the mansion itself will appear to sink."

　Kyrias has a hard time with Mr. Glidden.

　He is an old man who is interested only in magic and cares close to nothing about anything else. He is aware that he is in the same boat, but Mr. Glidden’s passion for magic is far different from Kyrias’.

　When conducting magical experiments, it is common for Mr. Glidden to work without sleep or rest. At such times, his appearance was ghastly.

 “Master is asleep. I will call out to him, but you cannot see him unless he wakes up. Please wait here for a moment.”

　The old woman who answered the door was beginning to bend at the waist, and she was walking up the stairs while holding on to the railing. She clearly has back pain, since Mr. Glidden can make potions, maybe he should make one for her and give it to her to drink, Kyrias thought.

　After sitting in the chair for a while, the old woman slowly descended the stairs and said, “He will see you now” 

　Kyrias said, “All right,” and ran up the stairs.

　When he knocked on the door, a hoarse voice said, "Come in." The air in the room was stagnant. It was filled with the smell of medicinal herbs, parchment, and high-quality tea mixed in the air, and Kyrias thought, "Nostalgic." He remembers the first time he had followed his master into this room was when he was five years old.

　Mr. Glidden was sitting up with several cushions behind him, facing him.

“I came to visit you. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit you since Mr. Leesley went missing.”

“Who were you?”

“I am Kyrias, Mr. Leesley’s apprentice. I am currently the head of the Magic Department.”

“What can I do for you?”

　Mr. Glidden laughs, "Pfft.  “

“Visiting someone is something you do out of concern for their condition, but showing up out of necessity is not a sympathy visit. It’s just a hollow formality.”

(That's true. But it would be a bit blunt to say it.)

　Kyrias wants to punch himself for thinking about it a moment ago when he thought he had to come visit him.

“Don’t just stand there, sit down.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

　The bedside table was piled high with books, and there was nowhere to put the small box he was holding in his left hand. He had no choice but to place the small box containing the glass bottle on his lap and sit down in a chair near Mr. Glidden.

　Kyrias, who usually acts freely, behaved like an ordinary nobleman in front of Mr. Glidden. This was because it would shorten the meeting time.

“Jussel’s whereabouts are still unknown?”

“Yes. We can only hope that Mr. Leesley is still alive.”

“Prayers are useless. They don’t help anything.”

（I know. Oh, I want to go home now.)

　Suddenly, Mr. Glidden’s head darted around as if searching for something in the air, and finally his eyes landed on the box on Kyrias’s lap.

“What is in that box?”

“It’s potion bottles. I just wanted to check something.”

“Give me the box.”

　He rose to his feet and silently handed over the small wooden box to Mr. Glidden, who took it in his stained hands and, without asking, opened the lid and peered inside. He then placed his palm over the bottle.

“Impossible!”

　The old man’s face was filled with astonishment. Kyrias had never seen such a look on the old man’s face before.

“Sensei, what’s the matter?”

“Can you use your magic analysis skills?”

“A little.”

"A little? I see, even if you have as much magical power as you do, it's only a little. The castle's wizards only care about practicality and won’t let you do any research. Kyrias, where is the wizard who made this?"

“I believe the bottle was made by a glass blower.”

“No it wasn’t !”

　Mr. Glidden's eyes had been as stagnant as the air in the room a moment ago, but now they were shining brightly, and color had returned to his cheeks.

(What is it?　What’s wrong with that bottle?)

“This is not a bottle made by a glass artisan. Bring me the wizard who made this bottle. The one who made this is the one I have been waiting for for fifty-five years!　I have no doubt!”

“May I ask you that person’s name?”

"It's Liyol. Traces of her beautiful magic are clearly visible in this bottle."

(Liyol was the name of the lover he erased, wasn’t it?)

“What are you waiting for?　Bring me the creator of this bottle now!”

“Yes, sir.”

　He stood up quietly and tried to reach for the box, but was quickly darted

“I need those bottles, so please give them back.”

　Mr. Glidden resisted, but Kyrias was not about to give it up. He had no choice but to give him one bottle and leave the room.

 I knew that if I ignored him, he would try to move me in some way. The trick is to keep quiet and do as he says with the least amount of effort.

“I know it’s not really Liyol, but… To find the person who made it,…… I actually want to go to Henry-san’s place as soon as possible, but to proceed efficiently… I guess I should start with an appraiser.”

　He hands over the bread with bacon to the old maid and heads towards the castle, on a road that was quickly darkening as the sun went down.

　Arriving at the castle, he entered the military building. He called out to a young man at the reception desk.

“Do you have an potion appraiser?”

“I think you mean Marilyn.”

“I don’t know her name. She was the one who checked the potions at the flood site. I need you to call her. Please hurry.”

“Yes, sir.”

　He didn’t remember the name of the appraiser.  He didn’t see the use in remembering the names of people he didn’t need to remember. A little later, a woman came running. Judging from the way she was munching away, she must have been in the middle of dinner. Kyrias thinks, “Now that I think of it, I’m hungry too.”

“Marilyn Sweeple, Kyrias.”

“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re eating.”

“Don’t worry about it. What can I do for you?”

“You’re the one who appraised the potion at the flood site.”

“Yes, sir.”

　A look of trepidation comes into Marilyn’s eyes. Marilyn was hired by the military because she had a fair amount of magical power and the ability to appraise things. Marilyn was panicking, thinking,(Did I do something wrong that will cost me my job? This is bad. I don’t want to lose my reputation or my income!)

“Who from the army brought how many potions?”

"If that’s the case, I have a copy of it."

　Marilyn took out the notebook she always carried with her from her skirt pocket. It was a worn-out notebook that showed at a glance how well it had been used.

“Corporal Walter McCall delivered fifty bottles to me from the military just after 8:00 a.m. I received them here in this building.”

“Is that all from the military?”

“Yes, sir. All the others are commercially available products that were donated. We keep a record of the names of those who donate and the number of bottles they donate. Would you like me to read them out?”

“Please.”

　Marilyn reads from her notebook with a serious expression.

“Fifty from Marquise Assar, fifty from Marquis Halford, thirty from Count Audoire, ten from Count Missouri, ten from Count Antworth, and forty from Head civil servant Henry Howler.”

　Kyrias’ face, which had been expressionless until then, became tense when he heard the number forty.

 “Who donated the potions that Mr. Henry brought?”

 “I was only told that they came from a donor. It was Howler-sama, so I can’t tell you any more than that. ……”

“I understand. But you didn’t record what was inside those forty bottles, did you?”

“Yes I did, sir.”

　Marilyn answered immediately, puffing up her nostrils a bit.

“The potions that Howler-sama brought in were all of exceptional quality.”

“Thank you. That was very helpful. You are very good.”

“Oh, oh, thank you!”

　Kyrias asks Marilyn, whose face was turning red with emotion, a question.

"Didn't you ever question the fact that  forty bottles of special grade potions were provided by someone other than the military?"

“Huh? …Ahh!”

　Kyrias turned an emotionless gaze to Marilyn, who was frozen with her eyes wide open.

“Well, I don’t blame you. Your job is to appraise. You’re not responsible for anything beyond that. Were you the one who returned the potion bottles?”

“No. The bottles were returned in pieces, and I sorted them by checking the marks on them. Since there were so many returned, I asked the military to return them.”

“Yes. Ninety bottles were returned to the magic department. Didn’t you think the number was odd when you were sorting them?　Maybe you got tired from doing all the appraisals at once?”

“Ninety ……. I am so sorry!　There must have been other bottles mixed in, weren’t there?”

“Don’t let up on your work until the very end. It is your job to check the number of bottles returned.”

　Turning his back on a very pale Marilyn, who was pale, Kyrias heads to the large room where Henry is.

"Let's hear it. Who is the wizard who can make the special potion and where are they from? Did they make the forty bottles at once or little by little? How did you get your hands on them?  I have so many questions."

　Meanwhile, Glidden was holding a bottle and muttering to himself with a dazed look on his face.

“You’re alive. If you are in this country, why don’t you come to me? I’ll take your slander as much as you want. You are alive. I’m glad, I’m so glad, Liyol.”

　Having whispered this, Glidden cradled the bottle in both hands, pressed it to his forehead, and wept quietly.

TL Note:

大部屋(Oobeya) is the Japanese word for large room, actors’ common-use room* this seems to be a sort of central room in the department .

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