Volume 5 Chapter 10 Confession
"My father, Richard, was the younger brother of King Tempest."
Hesitantly, the girl began to speak, and Al quickly tried to kneel down. However, she stopped him.
"Please, just listen to me until the end..."
Patricia was the niece of the King of Tempest. Her father, Richard, was the younger brother of the king, and her mother, Serena, was the eldest daughter of Count Senet, a noble who served the kingdom. Count Senet's land was near city Parker and had a rocky relationship with Margrave Rain.
In the Tempest Kingdom, the Marquis Prentis family had become more powerful and had been critical of the royal family in recent years. This created tension in the court. Around this time, Patricia's mother, Serena, brought her back to Count Senet�s territory.
About 6 months ago, the Count Senet's family received shocking news. There had been a big political change in the capital of the Tempest Kingdom. The current king was removed from power, and the Marquis Prentis took over as king. Around the same time, anyone related to the old royal family was captured and killed. Unfortunately, this included Patricia's father, Prince Richard.
After a while, the knights from Count Senet suddenly attacked. There were talks that Count refused to hand over Serena and Patricia, but the leader of the Count Senet knights complained to Joanna that the county, being loyal to the king, intended to attack and destroy without question. So, it was unclear if that was the truth.
Count Senet was suddenly caught up in war, and Patricia, along with her bodyguard Joanna, could hardly take any belongings and barely managed to escape over the Nash Mountains into Margrave Rain's territory.
"I'm like a plague to the Count Senet family, but I'm just scared... I relied on my family's words and ran away. I've heard about the people who became sacrifices along the way many times. If I had just been executed, maybe my grandfather and uncle would have been saved..."
"That's not true. Princess has worked hard to get here. You are the remaining hope."
Joanna, the knight, comforted Patricia, who had started to cry.
"That's why I don't deserve to be respected as a member of the royal family... Please don't kneel before me..."
When treated as a princess, it seemed to stir up Patricia's emotions, and Al didn't know what to do. From what he had heard, it must have been a very harsh experience.
"Um, is there anyone in this country you can rely on?"
Feeling uncertain if this tone was appropriate, Al asked. Then, Tara, who is the half-sister of Serena, Patricia's mother, was said to have married into the Viscount Lester family as a bond of friendship with the Margrave Rain family. It was suggested that she might protect her.
"Could it be that Mrs. Tara has children?"
"I believe there is someone named Sir Naresh."
Patricia appears to be Naresh's cousin. Al thought about how hard her situation must be. In the Tempest Kingdom, the new king might be trying to get rid of anyone related to the old royal family. They are probably looking for them very seriously. Al also wondered if the Viscount Lester family would really keep her safe. But after thinking it over, Al knew he couldn't just leave her. Whatever happens next is not just his decision.
"I'm in middle school and was in the same class as Sir Naresh. Let's think of a way to get to the border city of Lester. But, I can only do so much. After that, it will depend on Lady Tara. Is that okay?"
Patricia listened to Al's story and was shocked, bursting into tears again. She believed it was a sign from Lord Tempest. Al felt something special about the name "Tempest" and asked her more. Patricia explained that the first king of the Tempest Kingdom was linked to a famous magician named Tempest, who used golems. She then took out a pale blue crystal from her pocket that looked just like the one that belonged to Tempest's assistant. Al was surprised at how familiar it looked.
"What is that?"
"It's a magical tool from my royal family. Long ago, it was believed to contain Lord Tempest's soul and to give advice to kings. Now, it doesn't give advice or have any power, but I love that story. When I left the royal capital, my uncle gave it to me to show my connection to the Tempest family. There�s a legend that Lord Tempest's grave is nearby. We chose to travel this route along the south side of the lake instead of going to the border city of Parker, hoping for a miracle."
When Al asked if he could see it, Patricia handed it over, saying Mr. Al should keep it. She wasn't sure if it was okay for her to have it. Not knowing what was right, Al thought this story should be told to Malachi. This crystal might be an important key at that time.
"I see. I'll hold onto it for now. If you want it back, just let me know anytime. For now, you should eat that, and then it would be good to clean yourself in the nearby river before it gets dark. This place is a hot spring area, and they say hot water bubbles up in the river. If you can block it off and make a hot spring pool, you can relax there. Oh, but your clothes..."
Al started to suggest a hot spring, but halfway through, he realized various things and ended up regretting it.
"Thank you. I haven't even been able to wipe my body for a while, so this helps a lot."
Joanna sensed the atmosphere and interjected. After observing for a moment, Al continued speaking.
"If Orson, ah, it's my friend are doing well, I want to go to the village at the bottom of the mountain tomorrow morning. We should get there by noon. Since our clothes might attract attention, I think you two should wait outside the village. Orson and I will go in to find food and clothes."
When Al moved with Gabby, it took about 4 hours one way. He's worried about how fast Patricia can move, but if they leave early in the morning, they should arrive by noon. Whether they can stop by the village or town will depend on the information they can get there.
"Ah, that helps a lot. O Lord Tempest..."
Patricia and Joanna looked at each other's faces for a moment, then immediately hugged and broke down in tears from relief and happiness.
* * *
After finishing the meal, Al saw off the two as they headed to the river to clean themselves, then hurried past the sleeping Orson and returned to the stone coffin's resting room where Malachi was. He placed the crystal he received from Patricia next to the goblet and the wine flask on the altar, then carefully opened the lid of the coffin. He touched Malachi's crystal.
'You came back quickly. But that assistant device... Did you understand what it was and bring it back?'
Malachi's voice seemed a bit tense. It was different from the calm way he usually spoke. Al conveyed what he had heard from Patricia to Malachi.
'Is that so? I see. So, the assistant of Lord Tempest gave advice. Hmm, it seems that the mana is completely depleted now. If it stays like this, even if we replenish the mana, it will be reborn as a new assistant and will never return to its original state.'
If they start to give mana when it's completely depleted, it becomes a new assistant... Maybe what Al has is something similar. There are too many things he doesn't understand. For now, let's focus on the current situation.
"I think it's related to Tempest, but what about this crystal?"
'Ah, it's the assistant of Lord Tempest's companion. But, I see, if we can restore this assistant, we might understand how the Tempest Kingdom was formed and why this assistant stopped being used. That said, I've never done a restoration, only a reset. I'm not sure if I can do it well, and it will probably take time. Can I take it with me?'
Al thought for a moment and shook his head.
"That's an important item, so I can't do that. Plus, I don't know when I'll have to return it."
Thinking about Patricia, who cried because she felt unworthy of the royal family, Al couldn't act on his own. Malachi looked a bit disappointed and asked if it was really okay, but it couldn't be helped.
'However, to think that my lord's descendants built a kingdom without me knowing. How strange. And if I hear that Lord Tempest's bloodline might end, my lord would probably lament that. Is there any way we can help that girl? For example, if she's about to be executed, we could save her...'
"That is..."
If that happens, Al would also have to flee. It seems impossible.
'If you need a place to escape to, you can use my master's research tower. It should still be usable.'
"Research tower? Still usable?"
Al was about to say it was impossible, but Malachi's words made him curious. Could there really be something useful left in the research tower of a famous ancient magician who made golems?
'Think about it. The flask that produces alcohol has been working fine. That's proof it's still usable.'
Malachi said that it was possible to make water from nothing, but making alcohol was not. Al could only reply, "Is that so?" The alcohol in the flask came from grapes that were grown, harvested, crushed, fermented, pressed, stored, and aged in the research tower. It was then magically filled into the flask. Al wondered if this was true, but Malachi proudly claimed it showed Tempest's skill as a golem user.
And the fact that alcohol was still being produced meant that the parts responsible for those processes had not stopped functioning over time, so according to Malachi, the research tower should still be usable.
"Where is it... and how do we get there?"
'You are a magician, correct? It may take a little while, but if you use the "Fly" spell, you should be fine. When you get there, look for a spare teleportation tool in the research tower. You can use it to help Lord Tempest's daughter escape easily. Since my master created it, it should work well, but it's a good idea to check if the daughter is okay first..'
If the teleportation magic tool is still there, there might be various other things left as well. I haven't learned the 'Fly' spell yet, but if I can remember that, I should be able to reach the ancient ruins...
"I see. I'll do my best. So, can you tell me where the research tower is?"
Unable to resist the temptation of the ancient ruins, Al answered like that.
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