Feeling unjustly accused for the crime of watching briefly, Zenon rose to his feet.
He thought to contact his master while he was at it. Nesi also followed him, reading the room.
"……."
Reaching a place some distance away, as Zenon connected the communication device, his master's resonant voice rang in his ears.
—You rascal! What on earth have you been up to!
"Why start nagging the moment we connect."
Zenon frowned, his ear stinging. As he pressed his ringing ear and grumbled, the master asked seriously through the communication device.
—Did you meet the Resurrected One?
"…Excuse me?"
—Tell me the truth! Did you travel with the Resurrected One!
"What kind of nonsense is that? I heard the Resurrected One was kidnapped by monsters. Didn't you hear the news?"
The words popped out before he could even think. But at the master's following words, Zenon's expression hardened.
—Then why did the Temple request to identify a magician walking around with a wolf!
"…From the Temple?"
—Yes! They sent a cooperation request to the Magic Tower! They said there was a magician traveling with the Resurrected One before she was kidnapped!
He hadn't really acted much like a magician…….
"…."
Zenon suddenly looked down at his clothes. His worn cloak had the Magic Tower emblem embroidered on it. However, it was so old that unless someone looked closely, they wouldn't notice it.
It was a cloak he had worn like a second skin since he was practically chased out of the Magic Tower with almost nothing but the clothes on his back.
Since wearing such a cloak was natural for a Magic Tower magician, not thinking about it had been a mistake.
'When I reach the city, I need to change the cloak first.'
With that resolution, Zenon first played dumb.
"Was there such a person?"
—You fool, I told you so many times not to get involved……!
It seemed his playing dumb wasn't working at all. Zenon narrowed his eyes.
"Then surely you didn't give them my information?"
—Are you mad! Of course I pretended not to know! Do you know how much precious alcohol I had to give to that slippery Morico fellow just for that!
"Wow, as expected of my master. You even have connections with that detestable Temple! With such strong connections, this disciple feels secure."
At Zenon's beaming smile, his master groaned while grabbing the back of his neck.
—Do you think they'll believe I'm pretending not to know? At best, it only kept their mouths shut for a moment. Don't you know the entire Magic Tower would be turned upside down if you get wrongly involved? So tell me honestly. Did you travel together? Did you just briefly encounter each other? Or was it just that your directions happened to be similar? It's not you, right?
Though his words said otherwise, he seemed convinced. Zenon clicked his tongue lightly and averted his gaze.
"By the way, when will my magic power seal release be approved? Please tell me the unsealing spell quickly."
—Forget it, you rascal. What release! Return immediately!
"Ah, why are you being like this?"
—If I release your magic power, what do you think you'll go around doing! Your brother alone wasn't enough, are you planning to cause trouble too?
Finally, the word "brother" popped out of the master's mouth. It was a bridle that inevitably appeared whenever Zenon acted up.
Scratching his forehead, Zenon expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Why bring up that person? It's been ages since he was expelled from the Magic Tower."
—Right, well said. Have you already forgotten why Dekin was expelled from the Magic Tower? It was all because he got involved in politics for no reason!
"If we're being precise, jumping into the gambling board wasn't the problem. The problem was that he lost. If that man's political maneuvering had succeeded, would the Magic Tower elders have driven him out? We all know they would have treated him as a national hero."
—What if someone hears you! You're saying things that could cause big trouble!
"You always said so too, Master. That those without ability sit in the Imperial Palace and disgrace magicians. That if even one Magic Tower graduate entered the palace, everyone would be shocked."
—No, even so, you—!
The master's face flushed red. It was visible even through the communication device, so in reality it must be worse.
Thinking the master might actually collapse, Zenon tried to smooth things over with gentle words.
"That's why I'm asking why you're getting angry for no reason. You're making this disciple who finally contacted you feel hurt."
—Enough, return immediately. I will not approve the magic power seal release!
"Master, I'm really not joking."
—Hang up, you rascal!
"No, wait. Master? Master!"
The communication was cut off coldly. Looking at the empty communication device that reflected nothing with bewildered eyes, Zenon pressed his forehead.
"Ha, really……."
The master must be truly angry. He considered contacting again but decided to put the communication device in his bag for now. Then he started walking quickly back to where he had been.
If the Temple had requested Zenon's personal information, if they caught him next time, the Magic Tower's position would truly become difficult.
Especially if he was caught together with Anneli, there would be no way out. That's why the master was urging him to return immediately before it was too late.
'But if we don't get caught, isn't there no problem? If I could just get the magic power seal released, escaping would be much easier.'
Thinking that, Zenon tilted his head.
"That old man just adds unnecessary worries as he ages, really."
In truth, he knew the master disliked this so much because he had lost a precious disciple. He also knew the master was being sharp because he couldn't let Zenon get entangled too.
This was all because of his brother.
Zenon thought of his older brother Dekin, who had been expelled from the Magic Tower.
His brother, who had been selfish since childhood, ultimately disobeyed the master's orders and got involved in politics. Since his brother had always found the Magic Tower stifling, even Zenon thought that world suited Dekin.
'There were many people who disliked the stuffy atmosphere of the Magic Tower, not just Dekin.'
Dekin went out into the world bearing all their expectations, and failed. The Magic Tower, which had been watching Dekin's actions with half-doubt, immediately expelled him.
By concluding it as 'individual transgression,' they avoided the Magic Tower getting involved in politics, and the closed atmosphere became even more solidified.
Zenon was different from Dekin. Zenon wasn't the type to voluntarily walk into dangerous places.
Magic Tower life, which was moderately peaceful and fine if you just did what you were good at, wasn't bad.
Many magicians viewed the 'trial training' he was currently undertaking as sightseeing, but Zenon accepted even this as just training.
If it hadn't been a procedure he absolutely had to do, he wouldn't have come out.
The master and other elders evaluated this tendency of Zenon as 'suitable.' Zenon himself had thought so too. That he was a 'suitable' person for the Magic Tower.
"Zenon?"
At the voice calling him, Zenon snapped to attention. Anneli was looking back at him with delight, having apparently finished her conversation with Palides.
"Palides can cook, apparently."
The change in expression was small so he didn't notice at first, but now he knew. Anneli was quite excited right now. Her violet eyes were twinkling particularly bright.
"Now you don't have to be solely in charge of meals."
Zenon looked at Anneli with a strange gaze.
Surprisingly, he didn't want to sympathize with the excited emotion hidden beneath her calm voice.
Because he knew that cooking was the most decisive and absolute reason she had hired Zenon.
Now he doesn't have to cook?
Then the most important reason for traveling with Zenon would disappear, and Anneli was happy about that?
"It's not simply about cooking, is it."
Zenon, crossing his arms, seriously objected.
"If there's no head, how can you confirm the taste?"
"But they say the cooking skills are excellent?"
"That may have been true when there was a head. Because you could confirm the taste."
"That's……."
Blinking in bewilderment, Anneli glanced at Palides. Palides was clutching his helmet with both hands as if surprised by Zenon's words.
"Aah, come to think of it, I can't taste anything. Captain!"
Contrary to his horrifying appearance, that Dullahan's mental fortitude was terribly weak. At the sight of Palides despairing and tearing up, Anneli quickly patted her shoulder.
"No, I can check the taste for you."
"Just preparing the ingredients from the side is fine. I'll do the cooking."
Anneli, who had been patting Palides, looked at Zenon with unexpected eyes.
"Will that be enough?"
"Yes, that will be enough. You didn't bring him along to cook, did you."
Anneli, who had been looking at him with round eyes, soon nodded. Then she focused on comforting Palides.
"…."
Zenon quietly gazed at such Anneli.
The Empire's wicked woman. The Crown Prince's ex-fiancée. Roam's second daughter. God's Resurrected One.
She had all kinds of titles, but none of them suited the woman before his eyes. Also, among all the appearances he had seen while traveling, almost nothing supported the public rumors.
「Because you wouldn't want to get involved with me.」
Suddenly, the words Anneli had decisively spoken in the early days of their journey came to mind. That he wouldn't want to get involved, she had sincerely believed that at the time.
Anneli is quick-witted. So by now, has she realized?
That the hasty conclusion she drew was completely wrong.
* * *
'Everywhere is busy with the harvest festival.'
I don't know how many times this exclamation has been, but it can't be helped.
'I didn't know the atmosphere would turn around this quickly.'
Perhaps to hide the Crown Prince's disgraceful anecdote, the Imperial Family encouraged the harvest festival on a large scale.
Thanks to that, the unsettling atmosphere caused by the search parties chasing the Resurrected One and the reinforced guard was alleviated.
It seemed they had tacitly agreed to conduct the search loosely, at least during the harvest festival period. Since it became easier to hide among the crowds, it was a welcome situation for me.
Moreover, since the news of the conspicuously appearing Resurrected One was unclear, public interest seemed to be waning.
Being kidnapped by monsters, protecting citizens from monsters—these were all just words, so naturally. Even the available video recordings didn't show any particularly splendid achievements.