172 – Doubt (2)
As expected, it was unreasonable to even call Trisha.
Trisha’s serious expression becomes more serious. She felt like if she provoked her further, something bad would happen.
Is there no unity in the theater department? Rather than wrestling alone like the art department, we planned and collaborated with each other and became close friends.
Luna pursed her lips and raised the corner of her mouth shyly. It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her smile. Normally, I would have felt better, but in this dreary atmosphere, I had no time to do so.
“Hmph, do whatever you want.”
Trisha let out a dissatisfied word and turned her gaze out her window.
With that dissatisfied look on her face, she quickly took off her socks and threw them on the seat next to her. Trisha felt uncomfortable with pieces of fabric on her body and had a habit of trying not to wear them as much as possible. This was also a regular habit in her carriage, so it took a long time for her to get used to it.
The carriage passes quietly. Trisha can’t keep still and swings her bare feet back and forth. Then, she secretly placed the top of my foot on top of her as if it were her footrest.
This was something she always did when riding a carriage, but with Luna next to her, she couldn’t help but be a little conscious of it. Isn’t this a situation where she shares the same space with her guests?
Little by little, Trisha caught my attention, and soon she stretched out one of her feet and placed it on my thigh as if showing off.
Luna sat down with her hands on her knees and looked at her Trisha’s feet like a bug. Although it is an extremely normal behavior for Trisha, physical contact between men and women is probably not something that Luna is used to.
“What are these feet?”
“My legs are pretty!”
“Okay, okay, get off.”
“I walked a lot today and my legs hurt. I’ll put it on for a moment!”
Luna blinked her eyes slowly with an expression that made no sense as to what she was thinking.
The triumphant appearance of her comfortably touching her body and spouting nonsense seemed to have caused a culture shock to Luna.
You probably don’t learn by watching things like this.
***
The carriage stops in front of the main gate of Silverine’s mansion. We got off one by one and packed our luggage.
Soon, someone comes from the courtyard, holding on to the skirt and walking quickly.
It was Maid Lilia.
“Damian!”
She waved her arms widely and expressed her joy at me. It’s a very nice face to see after a long time.
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Trisha, who was behind her, snorted quietly as she saw her running towards her.
“Hmph.”
Now that I think about it, these two didn’t get along very well.
Lilia stood close to me and looked up.
“Damian, I was very worried when I heard the rumor that you had experienced a big problem in the principality!”
I raised and lowered my arm, made a gesture indicating that I was fine, and said.
“As you can see, it’s okay.”
When I look at Lilia’s face, I feel strangely sorry. She said that the only peer she was close to was me, since I was busy moving around.
How bored I must have been in this bleak castle. Even though Lilia was sad, she didn’t show it to others, so she had to be watched closely.
Lilia immediately shouted as if she was surprised when she saw Luna running behind me.
“Luna?!”
Then Luna waved her hand awkwardly. It seemed strange that these two had a friendship beyond just knowing each other.
“Did you two know?”
“Yes! Luna became friends with Silverine when she came to see us!”
Luna also supported what Lyria said.
“I received a lot of help from Lyria.”
As expected, Lyria did not express much joy to Trisha. She simply left a comment in a business-like tone.
“Damian’s friend is here again.”
“Yes, he is my best friend, so I will come often from now on.”
The two engage in a strange war of nerves again. Luna, Trisha, and Lyria all feel young, but Luna is more mature, while Trisha and Lyria still have a bit of a youthful energy.
Maybe that’s why there seems to be a strange sense of competition between the two. Even though Lilia is like that, Trisha carries something different on her shoulders. When will she be able to become an adult?
***
I stirred the pot, Luna turned her back to me and prepared her ingredients.
“Can you bring me some wyvern fruit?”
“… Huh.”
I couldn’t sense it because there was no presence, but it was so quiet that I turned around and saw Luna standing still with the requested item held out in front of her.
I don’t want to come next to you or give it to you or tap my back to let you know. If I hadn’t turned around, I think I would have stayed like that until the sun came up.
“Thank you.”
The tips of her fingers lightly touched each other as she handed over the requested ingredients. But Luna was startled and pulled her hand back.
“… “Is there anything else you need?”
“Yes, that’s enough. Luna, what are you trying to make?”
“Bedonia traditional meat stew.”
“Did you know you could make something like that?”
“Yes….”
Luna put her ingredients on the cutting board and started cutting them with her knife. As she heard the water sizzle and the rhythmic sound of the cutting board, she felt like she was building an ordinary home.
“Have you secretly prepared anything special?”
“Yes….”
“A murder potion or something like that.”
“… !”
The sound of her sword suddenly stopped. It was just a joke, but Luna froze in embarrassment.
“That… How did you know I borrowed it… ?”
“I saw it on my way out of the library.”
When I glanced behind her, I saw Luna raising her hand strangely and lowering her head.
When she looked closely, she saw that blood was flowing from her fingers. She seemed to have been startled and cut her hand with her knife.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
I took out a basket containing emergency medicine from the kitchen. There was something prepared in case of an accident when brewing potions or preparing ingredients.
I held Luna’s hand and checked her wounds. Her wounds were deep, as if they reached all the way to her bones. She must have been in a lot of pain, but Luna didn’t make a single sound.
“Stay still. “I need to stop the bleeding.”
I put Luna’s hand in her mouth and quickly stopped the bleeding.
And I felt her body stiffen for a moment. What can I do? There is nothing I can do as the blood is flowing so heavily that a pond is formed.
Silence continued for about a minute. When she was almost completely bleeding, I slowly opened my mouth.
And then I made eye contact with Trisha, who was standing at the entrance.
“… ?”
I didn’t know since when he had been watching me so silently. What business does he have here?
She clenched her fists and glared at us with her grumpy face.
“… Joy.”
Then he turned around and left.
The only thing that was wrong was that Luna cut her hand while cooking, so why are they glaring at people like they are criminals?
I disinfected Luna’s hands and applied her potion. She was turned to stone, covering her eyes with her free hand and covering the rest of her face with her hair.
***
The atmosphere at the table was desolate. Steam is rising from the well-prepared food, but no one wants to touch it. I didn’t expect something like this. It was quiet without a word.
Trisha still didn’t like something about her, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. Luna, still not getting used to the unfamiliar contact, lowered her head and continued to hold her hand. I was squirming.
First, I picked up Trisha’s plate and handed her the food.
“Okay. It’s lamb with the Duchy of Yulicia’s special sauce. “You like this kind of thing.”
Trisha answered with her sullen face.
“I never said I liked this kind of thing.”
“I said that because you eat lamb the best.”
“….”
I turned my gaze to Luna and said.
“Your fingers don’t hurt anymore?”
“…Ugh.”
There was a reason why I arranged for these two to come together like this.
It was none other than to find out the reason for the existence of the library in the labyrinth.
Even when I asked Professor Ella and Silverine, they just gave vague answers like ‘it’s still too early’.
“Is Luna still living in the Philion Library?”
There are two libraries in Eternia. There was a central library located on the campus and a Philion library that only those authorized to enter the labyrinth could enter.
No matter how much I searched in the central library, I couldn’t seem to find any information about the archives of princesses or elves. So, permission to access more valuable information was needed.
Luna lifted her head slightly and nodded her head carefully with a face that had not yet cooled down.
“Then Luna, do you know what books are kept in the library?”
Luna shook her head.
“Just like us, you haven’t received any information yet.”
“Yes, I don’t have permission to read… Are you curious about the purpose of that library?”
“Yes.”
“…I saw something strange in the Philion Library.”
“What is it?”
“I saw the librarians who had been dispatched to the North about 15 days ago returning to Eternia…”
“Really? What did you do here?”
“Twenty people were dispatched, but only sixteen returned alive. And what those librarians gained through their sacrifice… Were books.”
The only thing you airlifted while risking your life was a book?
“Hmm… That’s strange. Are books being airlifted from another country?”
Luna shook her head again.
“I could tell for sure. All the books the librarians brought were not ordinary. They were not in the continental language. They were not in the northern tribes’ language. It was definitely… Something else.”
“It’s airlifted from afar, so it won’t be a miscellaneous book.”
“I felt magic in those books. Magic cannot be contained like that in anything other than an ancient magic book.”
It certainly doesn’t look like an ordinary book.
Trisha also took a bite of her lamb and was listening to Luna’s story with her ears prickled.
Then, when it became quiet, she slowly opened her mouth.
“I think I’ve seen it before!”
“Trisha, you too?”
“Yes. I once stopped by the Labyrinth Library a long time before the entrance ceremony, and even then, people wrapped in artifacts brought a lot of books.”
Seeing that it was shown to students who were not deeply involved internally, it did not seem to be considered confidential. This means that we will naturally find out when the time is right.
It may be deeply related to the Masters class.
Will I be able to find information about Bibi’s illness there?
***
After a late dinner, Tricia was the first to get out of her shower.
Trisha walked up her stairs wearing one of her underwear and Damian’s long shirt. The circular staircase had small windows and did not let in much moonlight. For fear of being caught, she didn’t even light a candle. She only relied on the feel of her hands to move, leaning on the wall.
Her Trisha has only one purpose. She was going to occupy her room first before Damian finished washing up.
After she finished climbing the stairs, she stood in the hallway leading to Damian’s room, wary of her surroundings. Once she was sure she was safe, she breathlessly walked on. Because the hallway had large windows, my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.
As she went forward, she saw from a distance that there was something in front of Damian’s door, and she was confused for a moment.
She got closer and closer, and her shape became clearer. She sat still and held on like a wolf spirit was a gatekeeper.
When Trisha saw this, her steps suddenly stopped. She sighed in frustration.