"Rusalka?"
At Xenon's question, his master, Sesian, clicked his tongue loudly.
"Yes, that one, you brat! I told you to study properly when you have the chance!"
When Sesian scolded him, Xenon immediately drooped his eyebrows as if wrongly accused.
"There are more than just one or two monsters. How am I supposed to memorize them all?"
"I can do it, so why can't a young fellow like you!"
At Sesian's rebuke, Xenon made a face that suggested he had much to say. However, instead of arguing back, he changed the subject with a suppressed voice.
"Anyway, I think that might be the culprit."
"If it's Rusalka, you should know about it too."
"I only read a little about fallen fairies. I don't know about Rusalka."
"Fallen fairy is another name for Rusalka, you fool! Did you stop reading halfway through?"
Xenon seemed to want to quietly move past this, but Sesian began pointing out Xenon's academic status once again.
Looking at Xenon with some pity, I quietly interjected and spoke to Sesian.
"I thought the Temple had greater authority regarding knowledge about monsters, but it seems the Mage Tower also conducts deep research."
At the mention of the Temple, Sesian's face twisted sharply. He revealed his feelings openly on his face and spoke to me in a strong tone.
"The Mage Tower focuses quietly on research, so people simply don't know about it. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say all the world's knowledge resides in the Mage Tower! Those damn Temple folk just spout fancy words! They're the type who'd survive with just their mouths even if the world collapsed."
At his hostile words, I glanced at Samuel's complexion.
As a zealot and an incredibly devout clergyman, I thought he might immediately try to fight Sesian, but fortunately, he stood calmly in his place.
Or perhaps he was letting all of Sesian's words go in one ear and out the other.
Rather than wear myself out picking fights over every single word and phrase, I thought that was actually better.
Having determined that Samuel wouldn't cause a disturbance, I cautiously agreed with Sesian.
"I see. So that's why you know so well about the monster called Rusalka."
When I readily agreed with him, Sesian nodded with a softened expression.
"Hmph, naturally. We know far more about rare monsters than the Temple does."
"As expected of the Tower Master, your learning is profound."
"Well, hm, hmm. I suppose I am something of that sort!"
A faint smile passed across Sesian's stern face.
Watching from the side, Xenon covered his face and muttered with a sigh-laden voice.
"……Master. As your disciple, I'm a bit embarrassed."
"You shut up!"
Watching Sesian with narrowed eyes, I organized my impressions of him internally.
'Similar to Xenon.'
Hmm, I had a rough idea of what kind of person he was to deal with.
The Mage Tower was a closed group with almost no external interaction, so it seemed fine to flatter him within reasonable bounds.
'And since he seems to have no immunity to this sort of thing, that's even better.'
Softening my voice was nothing difficult. If I could smooth a difficult path with just this manner of speaking, why wouldn't I do it?
"My knowledge is shallow, so if I could seek learning from you, I would be pleased."
"Hmph…… The Mage Tower does not mistreat those who seek knowledge."
At Sesian's words, Xenon opened his mouth with a disgusted expression.
"Since when?"
"It's always been that way, always!"
Neshia and Gamon said the appearance of the two was endearing and welcomed this noisy conversation greatly.
Through the wolves' reactions, I could infer how they lived in the Mage Tower without needing to ask.
And naturally, Sesian, who had no way of knowing what the wolves were discussing while looking at them, was busy harassing Xenon until another mage subtly reminded him of my presence, and only then did he come to his senses.
I smiled faintly at Sesian, who was avoiding my gaze with an embarrassed face.
"If you could tell me exactly what Rusalka is, it would be of great help in resolving this matter."
Sesian cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back. He seemed to be contemplating for a moment, but it wasn't long.
"I'll tell you just this once, for the sake of my disciple's face."
Though he was trying to maintain a composed expression, his neck was slightly flushed, suggesting he was inwardly pleased.
Sesian opened his mouth.
"The reason it's classified as a rare monster isn't simply because its population is small. It's because it's a monster with intelligence."
"Intelligence?"
"Yes. It can even mimic human speech and form. So ignorant humans mistake it for a fairy. Then only after suffering ordeals do they go around claiming they fell for a fallen fairy's pranks."
A monster that can mimic humans. It gave me chills somewhat, and I found myself rubbing my arm unconsciously.
"That creature is so fearful and wary that when it encounters humans, it puffs up its body to appear larger and threatens them."
「It had a large, black body and lunged at me.」
Heinry had said that. So he swung his sword immediately, but it slipped as if cutting through empty air.
If it had originally disguised itself to appear large, it made sense that there was nothing to cut.
"That creature is a mental-type monster that steals the dreams of its prey."
"Does stealing dreams mean the same thing as never waking from sleep?"
When I asked cautiously, Sesian rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment.
"Actually, according to known information, the longest one loses consciousness is 3 days at most."
"3 days have already passed."
"……Hmm, there might be something unusual then."
I couldn't tell Sesian honestly, but I could roughly guess what that 'something unusual' was.
Authority. The power Mori would have given to that monster was likely the problem. It would have strengthened the monster's power or caused some kind of change.
"Is there no way to forcibly wake them up?"
"The most certain method is to kill the Rusalka that stole the dream."
In the end, it meant we had to encounter that monster to resolve this.
Blinking slowly, I pushed away my fatigue and smiled.
"Thank you. That was a great help."
I had tried to maintain a friendly attitude, and it seemed to have worked well, as Sesian's attitude had improved significantly compared to the beginning.
Of course, his face still showed that sternness, but how should I put it?
Though he kept clearing his throat and putting force in his voice, that sharp wariness from the beginning was no longer present.
"Hmph. The Resurrected One is surprisingly well-mannered, contrary to worldly rumors."
Seeing that the conversation seemed to be ending, Xenon quickly interjected and gave his master a meaningful look.
"Master."
"You and I need to have a word."
Without even listening to Xenon's answer, Sesian pulled him along and created distance from me. At his openly relocating attitude, Xenon looked at me with what seemed like alarm.
I nodded to him to indicate not to worry and to go ahead, then lifted my head slightly.
I saw a crow that had been circling the sky in a round pattern cry out long and fly somewhere.
It was toward the Crown Prince's Palace.
* * *
Thwack! Crash!
"It's all wrong!"
Maksel threw a book that had been placed nearby. The statue hit by the book shattered with a loud noise.
At the sound of fragments scattering in all directions, the shoulders of the maids standing in the corner of the reception room stiffened. Fearing they might offend their master's temper, they couldn't even breathe properly.
Maksel shouted.
"The Mage Tower's guarantee? We shouldn't have let them receive such a thing in the first place!"
"Your Highness."
If it became certain that this incident was the work of a monster, it would reveal that Anelli had not fulfilled her proper role. That was what Lilia had said.
It was also Lilia who had said that if the Temple and Mage Tower gathered in one place, they would surely cause trouble and clash with the Emperor as well.
Just as Lilia said, the Temple and Mage Tower had clashed with the Emperor. However, the result was simply not what they had hoped for.
"The Mage Tower guarantees the Resurrected One's divinity? You brought them in to do something this ridiculous?"
Lilia, who had been watching Maksel seething, signaled the maids who were standing with their heads bowed low to leave.
Confirming that the maids who had been watching for cues rushed out, she spoke to Maksel in a gentle voice.
"The Mage Tower was never on our side anyway. The same goes for the Temple. Above all, they won't have any influence on the struggle for the throne. His Majesty won't stand for that."
"What good is all that? We gained nothing from this incident."
"That's not true. Her Majesty the Empress is still unconscious, and the First Prince has lost his place to rely on. Though my little sister is God's Resurrected One, God doesn't choose the owner of the crown, does he?"
Maksel, who had been glaring out the window with a frightening face, turned to look at Lilia. His face, terribly distorted, was more menacing than ever.
Lilia hesitated briefly at his unfamiliar expression, but soon smiled as if nothing was wrong.
"Your Highness, my little sister believes she will become the Little Duke of Roam, but that's impossible."
"She has raised her value through this incident."
"But Roam has the Duke of Roam and the Duchess of Roam. They won't want an uncontrollable heir. And Crown Prince, my prophetic ability has returned."
Lilia stepped over the broken fragments and approached Maksel's side.
She wrapped her hand over Maksel's clenched fist and whispered quietly.
"My little sister won't become the Little Duke. Seiry will claim that position."
"……Roam's third child?"
"Yes. In the end, Roam will stand behind Your Highness and support you. That's the future I saw."
Maksel had also noticed that the relationship between the Duke of Roam and Heinry was suspicious. Because of that, he didn't seem to easily believe it.
Lilia didn't try to force him to believe. Instead, she continued in a gentle tone.
"But Roam's support alone isn't enough. The First Prince won't give up easily."
"After staying quiet for years, naturally he won't retreat easily."
"Yes, that's why, Crown Prince."
Lilia moved a little closer to Maksel and lowered her voice.
"We need military forces."