013 Little Guest (3)
The difference is:
My room in Juliet Palace resembles the central library on a university campus.
The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom outside, but I have to study indoors, and Benjamin and Canael and other attendants often enter and leave and make white noise.
From https://noblemtl.com
On the other hand, the confession at the Imperial Palace feels like a premium reading room that Eunseo attended until last year.
Although it is narrow and dim, the chairs are comfortable and there are partitions.
The only noise is the sound of my breathing and the sound of my clothes rubbing, so it is similar in that it makes me fall asleep a lot.
Little boy, why aren’t you here? did you go out today?
“’Controlling the flow of the ether is a simple act if it is simple, and a tricky act if it is difficult. The simplest training method is to change the size of the circle at will…’ That’s it too.”
I read aloud the textbook I had brought from my room to keep from drowsiness.
These days, there are times when I am confused as to whether I am in Ropan or in academy.
Except for the recently added confession sacrament, all I do at the Imperial Palace is sleep, eat, and study.
From https://noblemtl.com
Of course, that doesn’t mean I hate it.
It is a hundred times and a thousand times better to live like a thin, quiet, luxurious high school student than to die after being caught up in a love that is not even on sale.
Then you can go home.
I looked down at the floor.
I could see my circle, which spread out wide and protruded out of the confessional.
From https://noblemtl.com
On the first day of tutoring, I remembered the cardinal pressuring me, saying that he increased or decreased the size of his sanctuary at will.
Let’s try it, there’s nothing to do while waiting anyway.
I took a deep breath and then exhaled.
Gathering his mind, he let go of his powers, imagining that the etheric faucet was half closed.
– Tsutsutsu…
The sanctuary showed a slight hesitancy, as if it were a conscious being, and then slowly diminished.
As the diameter of the light source decreased, the inside of the confessional, which had been bright without a shade, became dark as if a mood lamp had been turned on.
“This is it.”
Another easy success I tilted my head.
When it comes to dealing with the ether, I have a feeling that everything I intend to do goes pretty smoothly.
It was the same when dealing with the assassin twins, and it was the same when the confession went well.
Are other priests like this?
Yesterday, I heard from Benjamin that the only priests residing in the Imperial Palace were me and Cardinal Boutier.
Even so, I am the only one who has been officially appointed, and the cardinal stays as the emperor’s partner.
Then there was only the cardinal who could talk to the people around him, and she was called the genius of the century, so it didn’t seem like an appropriate comparison.
Well, it’s good to be good at something.
There was no reason to interpret it badly, so I maintained a positive attitude.
Slowly going out, I closed the book and opened the picnic basket that Benjamin had brought.
When I see this, there will be people who will criticize me for making a living at the confessional, but I have no choice but to be a person who loses concentration when I am hungry.
“You put it here.”
The antipyretic and digestive medicine I had asked for from Canael yesterday was sitting in one of the baskets.
I couldn’t figure out what was in the round medicine box, so I opened the lid and smelled it.
There was a faint herbal smell. It looked like it was being applied to a scratch.
I have food, two bottles of tea, and some medicine.
For several hours, not a single ant, let alone a child, visits the confessional.
It’s dinner time in a little bit, so I thought I should wait another 30 minutes and withdraw today.
“Wow, that’s crazy.”
In the meantime, the calisson I took a bite was so delicious. I vomited up my upbringing without hesitation.
Sweets taste like fruit. Does it contain melon?
Taking a sip of ginkgo leaf tea here, it was fantastic that the bitterness of the tea held back the sweetness.
As I alternated between cookies and tea, my gaze suddenly turned to the line to the left of the confessional.
It was as if the tip had been cut off by the dagger thrown by the boy the day before yesterday.
I stopped eating and turned my eyes to the right.
A wooden spear with a sharp corner appeared through the knife.
It was then that I felt nauseous.
Confession is at this point, so why didn’t Sir Elizabeth say anything?
Maybe you don’t know yet?
However, it was difficult to understand that the prince had fallen and had not searched the surroundings.
You may have thought that you fainted due to health or mental problems, but it is a situation where you don’t know what happened to the person who was alone.
Sir Elizabeth, the commander of the neighborhood, couldn’t have looked around the area.
Did you know that you asked?
I was stunned at my thoughts and stiffened my body.
You pretended you didn’t know there was a cut in the confessional? why?
-smart
I was once again dazzled by the sudden knock.
It wasn’t a sound from the next room, it was a knock on the door of my seat.
“Hey, are you in there?”
A strange woman’s voice was heard. I thought for a moment and then opened the door.
The woman outside the door appeared to be in her mid-to-late thirties.
When our eyes met, she was startled and bowed her steadfast body.
“Oh, I see you, dear one. I, I can’t believe that there really is a prince……”
“it’s okay. But how do you know that I am inside…”
When I entered, there was obviously a sign that said ‘The priest is absent’.
“That’s because you can see this on the floor……”
I lowered my head following her fingers.
The circle, which had been reduced to the limit a while ago, had grown bigger and overflowed out of the confessional.
It seems that the callison was so delicious that I couldn’t control it…
“Oh, it was. Yes. I am being punished. Did you eat?”
I was embarrassed, so I picked up a word and served.
*
“I am blown away, my prince. You are giving royal food to someone like me… W, I will consider it as Holy Communion.”
what is communion
There was a sacrament of giving food to the believer, and it was probably related to that.
I had a vague memory of exactly what it meant and when.
I’ll have to study this properly too.
“There is also tea.”
I handed the woman three or four calissons, and poured ginkgo leaf tea into the small cup Ganael had brought.
She held out the glass through the crack of the broken wooden window and took it in haste.
I could see my fingertips trembling.
“Oh, it’s an honor, I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Oh my gosh…”
“Eat comfortably.”
I didn’t even bring it to eat alone.
I waited for the confession to begin, listening to the woman slowly biting the cake.
After a while, she wet her mouth with tea and broke her luck.
“Hmm, the last, last confession is 10 years… No, I think it was 12 years ago.”
“Yes, tell me.”
“My husband and I are working as a mountain keeper in the mountains behind the Imperial Palace. The Emperor’s grace does not make the work difficult. Occasionally, if we see dangerous wild animals, we kill them, check the trees for diseases, and if we find anything suspicious, we report it to the guards, and that’s it.”
“If you are referring to the mountain behind the Imperial Palace, are you referring to the mountain behind the Juliet Palace?”
“Yes Yes.”
I thought of the mountain behind my room, beyond the gymnasium.
When I first saw it, I thought, ‘There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer because there is a mountain here.’ I only thought about it, but I didn’t know that it was a place that even had a mountain ranger.
“But not long ago, beasts that looked like beasts appeared, and my husband and I frightened them and drove them out.”
“Are you magic?”
My startled voice grew louder in an instant.
It’s not near Bukhansan, and now you have to worry about the appearance of wild animals?
“It’s not uncommon. It’s a small mountain that stretches out of a big mountain range, so there are some people who come along the ridge. There is a strong barrier around the Imperial Palace, so dangerous people cannot come, and rabbit-sized ones who do not get caught by the barrier can only be seen if they can forget it.”
“Huh…”
A sigh of relief came out.
It’s unfair to die in someone else’s love story, but dying from a wild boar while taking a walk seemed more like lightning.
“Anyway, something like that happened… These little bastards ran away, then reappeared and reappeared over and over again. I’m not sure if other beasts have eaten it or not, so I’m really worried about them continuing to eat… So a few days ago, we started a fire and drove them out.”
I’ve seen it in a book.
Beasts have various abilities, but they are afraid of water and fire, so if you use them appropriately, you can hunt easily.
“After that, I forgot about it because I couldn’t see it. But today, while talking with the carpenters at the Imperial Palace… I heard that maybe they are not divine beasts.”
“Are you a divine beast?”
I remembered a verse that was written as if it came as a bonus in a book related to magical beasts.
‘Since time immemorial, when a divine beast appeared, a person with divine power led it to the divine creature.’ I guess that’s how it felt.
There were no illustrations to refer to the appearance of the divine beast, so I was thinking that it was just an oral tale.
“Yes, since the arrival of the Prince of Shinguk, Juliet’s court servants have only dreamed of good dreams every day.
“haha······.”
Both cheeks burned at the news that his dream taryeong did not stop in verse 1 and spread to every corner of the palace.
It seems that the servants should not be allowed to flatter them because they are young.
This is why early education is so important.
“I, too, have not even dreamed since the prince came, but I often sleep soundly or have a lucid dream. I lived as a mountain keeper for 20 years, but it was my first time seeing a beast that looked like that. I also wondered if it was really a divine beast to follow people.”
The woman, Agnes,’s voice was getting smaller and smaller.
“So I have come to ask for forgiveness. Maxim said that the sin of tormenting Shinsu was serious. I said it wouldn’t be my husband.”
maxim? Isn’t that the name of the carpenter who made my sign?
[That, um. First off, you did a good job of letting the little animals out without harming them. The Lord must have looked down on you.]
“Go, thank you, Prince.”
[Even if it were a divine beast, there would not have been anything that the mountain keeper and his wife could do differently. A divine beast cannot be tamed unless one possesses divine power. so······.]
When I suddenly tried to make up a word, a repertoire was attached.
It was not easy to beat the male sub and live as a professional.
[I forgive you. I know that this was done for the safety of the Imperial Palace. If this happens again next time, be sure to notify the Imperial Guard first. You may convey my words to Sir Elizabeth, the commander of the neighborhood. This is my penance.]
At my words, Agnes mumbled thanks again and again.
In the bright light, she seemed to cry a little.
*
I waited for 4 hours at the confessional, but the kid who threw a knife at the first face and stole my ether didn’t even show his nose.
My first and last guest today was Agnes.
“There are many books about magical beasts.”
So now I am standing in front of the table in my pajamas.
Back in the room, having dinner with Benjamin and Canael, I was washing up and going out to look at a new book.
It looks like I’m going to have a long game with the kid, so it’s better to focus on my studies as usual when taking a break.
“There are very few books on divine beasts.”
Is it like a real legendary animal?
If it were that way, Agnes would feel more comfortable.
– palak, palak
There was the sound of curtains flapping. The wind blew over the bookshelf.
Every evening, Canael would come and lock the door, but today the balcony door was wide open for some reason.
“I must have forgotten.”
I moved directly to the balcony, closed the door and pulled the curtains. It wasn’t cold though.
In Korea, there were quite a few chilly days in spring, but here it has been warm since March.
“Your servant did his job.”
······what?
“Having a decent amount of ether, it’s incredibly dull.”
At the roaring voice, I slowly turned around. I felt my body creaking.
A small body filled his vision.
Black hair like ink even when exposed to light, and purple-yellow eyes that became clearer with the light.
That damn kid was standing in the middle of my room.