Chapter 37: Kyrias and Henry

　Kyrias walks into the large room where Henry is. His face was filled with excitement.

(Mhm. I have a feeling this is going to be extremely troublesome and bothersome.)

“What are you doing at this time of night?”

“The potion that you brought to the flood site, who made that?　I want to meet the person who made it. Let me meet them.”

　In the few moments before Kyrias finished speaking, Henry thought about how best to respond.

“Circumstances prevent me from saying anything. Was there a problem with the content of the potion?　If so, I apologize.”

“Huh? Did you bring that potion without knowing what was in it?”

　Kyrias pulled out the chair next to Henry and sat down, looking at him with a twinkle in his eye.

(If I do say so myself, Kyrias is a curious kitten at times like this. But this kitten can’t be trusted at all. Not only is he intelligent, he is one of two of the most skilled Wizards  in the country. And he is the youngest and most beloved son of the Marquis Halford family.)

　When Kyrias became the castle’s resident wizard, he declared to those who tried to treat him with the same respect as a member of the Marquise’s family,

“I am not here because I am a member of the Marquise family. I became a wizard of the castle through my own ability. So please treat me without any concern for my status.”

　Henry treats him without any concern for his status because Kyrias said so.

“Why are you silent? Who is it that you want to hide, Henry?”

“Stop trying to probe me.”

“If you don’t tell me, it will cause trouble for both you and the person who made the potion. It’s true.”

　The potion was made by Mai, who is quite a skilled magic user. I don’t think the quality was bad. Even if the quality was bad, as long as it wasn’t poisoned, it wouldn’t be considered a crime since it was a donated potion. That’s why there are appraisers.

(If so, was it the bottle that was the problem?)

　Henry decided to corner Kyrias.

“There was a problem with the bottle. That’s my mistake. I’ll make it up to you.”

“It couldn’t have been your fault. The bottle was made by magic.”

(Someone saw through it!? But it seems like it, it must have been someone else who saw through it.)

“Why do you want to hide this person, Mr. Henry?　Are you close to the wizard?　Is that person hiding the fact that he/she is a wizard?”

　Kyrias keeps getting more and more to the heart of the matter.

(Kyrias is a smart guy. If I say something stupid, he’s going to use it as a stepping stone.)

“Maybe it’s someone related to the Howler family, Girsch-san or Mai-san?　No, I don’t think it’s Girsch-san. Maybe someone related to the Howler family?　Miss Mai?　Which one?”

　I tried to delude him and he tried to do the same back.

“There’s no point in trying to corner me. Don’t drag in people who have nothing to do with it.”

“I know you’ve helped me a lot, Mr. Henry, and I know you’re a tight-lipped guy. So I’ll tell you something special. There is a secret about the bottles used by the Magic Department. The bottles that Mr. Henry brought in are privy to that secret. If it gets out, it is an act punishable by the state.”

(It was a bottle after all. It must be a secret between the Magic Department and the Military. No, then, the Prime Minister must have had something to do with it. Did he put some kind of mark on the bottle? I screwed up. I should have stopped her from bringing it in. This is my fault.)

　Henry had not yet been able to get much information out of the military, and now he felt very sorry about that.

　Seeing Henry’s silence, Kyrias stepped in further.

“Grandmaster  Glidden wants me to go get the wizard who made those bottles. If I don’t bring him with me, it will surely be very troublesome. Once he says something, he’ll never give up. I can say that with confidence.”

“Wait a minute. Is that what he’s saying?　You should have told me that first. I’ll meet with him. Right now is fine.”

“You won’t do. Mr. Glidden wants me to call the wizard who made the bottle. He thinks it was his ex-lover who made the bottle, but it can’t be. That can’t be true.”

(That’s not a complete misunderstanding. You’re going in the right direction.)

“Take me with you first. I need to talk to Mr. Glidden. Then everything will be decided after that.”

　Henry doesn’t want Mai to hear about Liyol’s past.

　Her grandmother was sold, worked and sent away by her parents. And now Mai is here, enduring loneliness and moving forward with a smile on her face. I don’t want to break her heart by telling her about her grandmother’s tragic upbringing.

　Kyrias looked up at Henry with a surprised look on his face as he stood up.

“Why do you want to see Mr. Glidden so badly?”

“Depending on what I discuss with Mr. Glidden, I will introduce the potion-maker to him. But I would like to avoid having them meet suddenly. That is non-negotiable. I know it’s late, but can I meet him now?”

“Hmmm… I understand. I don’t know what he will say, but let’s just go there.”

　And so Henry and Kyrias set out for Mr. Glidden’s mansion a little after eight o’clock in the evening.

　Hearing the footsteps of two horses entering the property, the old woman opened the door and came out.

“Hello, I’m back. Please put me through to teacher.”

“just a moment please”

　The old woman said this expressionlessly and walked up the stairs. Soon Mr. Glidden’s permission was granted and Henry and Kyrias entered his room, where Mr. Glidden looked at Henry with a scowl.

“Kyrias, I thought I told you to bring the wizard who made these bottles?”

“This man is acquainted with the wizard, sir. He insists on talking to you, sir.”

“My name is Henry Howler,and I would like to have a few words with you before I bring the person you wish to see here.”

　In the middle of our conversation, I noticed that Glidden was cradling a bottle of potion in his hands as if it was very important to him.

I once read in a book that “Among wizards, there are a very small number who can read the traces of magic used.” According to the book, the traces left behind by different wizards are all different.

　The old wizard must be able to sense his former lover through the bottle Mai made.

　As he watched the old wizard, an unfamiliar emotion suddenly welled up within him. Henry, who had always lived his life unaffected by emotion, was shaken by this sudden emotion.

(If Mai-san suddenly disappeared, would I be sad like that, holding onto the things she left behind?)

　There was something in the old wizard’s appearance that made him think so. Henry’s heart ached.

“What do you want to talk about? You want to talk about the Wizard who made these bottles?”

“Please allow me to discuss this with you alone. Kyrias, I’m sorry, but could you please leave the room?”

“Huh?　No, you can’t do that. As the head of the magic department, I will be present.”

　He had been certain that he would say that, so Henry rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Kyrias.

“I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave your seat.”

“Hey, wait, wait a minute. Raise your head.”

“Please, Kyrias. This is it.”

　The normally jovial Kyrias spoke quietly to Henry, who kept his head down.

“So that means you don’t trust me, right?　 You think I’d be so quick to reveal information about the people you want to protect, Henry. I will certainly report anything that could be detrimental to the country. It is for the protection of the wizards who work under me.”

　Mr. Glidden looks at Kyrias and Henry with interest.

“Although I reluctantly accepted the position, I’m not taking it half-heartedly. But I am willing to listen to your opinion as long as it does not harm the country. I have that much sense. Don’t make a fool of me.”

　Kyrias, who usually behaves like a big child, is exerting a strong pressure on Henry. Still Henry is eminent 

　If Kyrias finds out about Mai’s magical powers, she may get into trouble. He might persistently try to get Mai to join the magic club, even if she doesn’t want to.

　If he were to use the power of the Marquis Halford to set things up, he would not be able to resist on his own.

　He would like to think that Kyrias would not do such a thing, but when it comes to matters of magic, wizards are different .

　Henry raised his head and looked back at Kyrias, who was staring at him, and tried furiously to think of the best course of action, when the old wizard’s laughter interrupted them.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Hilarious, hilarious. It’s been a long time since I saw young people fighting each other. Youth is a wonderful thing. Henry Howler, I will talk with you. But please  have Kyrias present too.”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter