82
4 Estio
- Episode 6
"Ah, so 'Lantana' is my nickname. My mother gave it to me when I was young. My mother often said that I looked like a pure white lantana flower."
I don't know what Lantana flower is, but looking at her, I can guess that it is a plant with a bouncing cuteness. Lantana took her hand over her hair.
With a click, the ribbon hairpin was untied.
Then, to his surprise, his green hair, as fresh as a leaf grown in a flowerpot, was instantly covered with a dazzling light.
'Color Change Enchantment!'
In Lubarjan, there was an advanced magic that changed the color of hair or eyes with a magical effect. Mubin, who later found out that the hairpin was enchanted, took a deep breath.
As soon as the pin was removed, the true face that had been hidden by magic was revealed. A jewel-like silver hair that symbolizes the Lubarzan royal family.
"My real name is Marisa S. Lubarjan Arconia."
She was the first princess.
"I'm sorry for the test. I'm the client who called you here."
Mubin's guess that they wouldn't even recognize each other's face if they met was right. Moobin touched her head with a feeling of being eaten.
'Damn it, what kind of princess is opening a flower shop!'
The duke was also a temporary combat member of the guild, but he couldn't see the chaff on my face.
Parker immediately fell to the floor without cleaning out the spilled teacup, and Kai also knelt down next to him, setting the example of a princess.
Only Estio, who knew the identity of the princess from the beginning, was calmly facing her. Princess Marisa was very happy to see Estio who did not avoid her gaze unlike her others.
"Estio."
"Yes."
"I am currently looking for a traitor who betrayed His Majesty the Emperor. The candidates have been narrowed down to three, but no further evidence is coming out.
But I'm not sure about the heart attack. There is only one person who can be sure of that.
The princess's expression darkened.
"If it is revealed that the imperial family was suspicious of the candidates, the repercussions will be out of control. This must be done in secret, so I... as 'First Princess Marisa' I cannot command you."
This was the reason why she had not yet been able to assert her authority as an imperial family. The princess chose her request instead of her order.
"Could you please help His Majesty the Emperor Luvarzan?"
"The request has already been accepted."
Estio gave an answer with a calm tone as before.
"Tell me who I should read."
* * *
There are a total of three people who the princess asked Estio to determine.
<Earl Endymion> and <Duke of Delphia>, and finally.
' <The Fifth Prince Girsh I. Lubarzan Archidion>.......'
At the age of 14, he was the youngest prince among the members of the royal family holding the right to heir to the throne. Girsch was also the only brother of Princess Marisa. Because all the other brothers were half-brothers.
The current emperor had five more concubines except for Empress Frisia, who bore Marisa and Girsh. Only the blood and blood born between them are twelve, including the prince and the princess. There were even children born in the same year and in the same month as twins.
The eldest daughter, Marisa, had never met her half-brothers, but she cared for her as much as her younger sister, Girsh. Her 5th prince, Gir Shu, also followed her so well that she would die if it were her older sister.
The two were known as good siblings, which is rare in the Imperial Palace, and Mubin muttered while touching the white petals.
"It's amazing. His Majesty Marisa must be suspicious of His Majesty Girsh."
A small and cute flowerpot that I received as a gift from a flower shop contained a single flower. It was a crystal flower the size of a thumb.
"Anyway, it's like a damn bean flour family."
At that moment, Ahur cried out.
"Yah! Stop tormenting the powerless flower!"
"I'm not bothering you."
"He hates it!"
Ahur was very interested in the new plants that he had brought in. He actively worked around it to protect the little flower he had placed on the window sill. Of course, Mubin was the only object Ahur was wary of among his party.
Mubin, who had been troubled by the cactus, turned and confirmed the truth.
"Estio, are you telling me you hate this crystal flower now?"
"...I don't know. Plants, unlike humans, can't hear well until they have the will to speak."
Estio, who stared at the crystal flower, answered the truth. Perhaps because it was suddenly put in a flowerpot and moved to an unfamiliar place, there was no whispering from the tiny crystal flower.
"Look, you're not saying anything."
"It's squishy, squishy. Can I just touch you if you don't speak? Are you ignoring plant rights now?"
"Um? Do plants have human rights?"
Of course it wasn't.
However, Mubin was afraid of a cactus with sharp thorns as if it were going to sting at any moment, so he put his hand holding the crystal flower down first.
They had left the flower shop of Princess Marisa and returned to the guild building.
Estio accepted the quest on the spot. However, at best, he could not enter the Imperial Palace after meeting the princess secretly.
The client, Princess Marisa, paid the advance payment and exchanged only the contract for the request, and then sent Estio and the others back. Instead, she said she would send her an official invitation soon.
Mubin sat down on a chair and wiped his sword.
"Are you really okay? The Imperial Palace must be like a real battlefield."
"As long as you belong to the guild, you don't want to accept quests."
when was it Estio rummaged through his memories for a moment. On a cold winter day, when he saved Ice Drake from the animal shop and received his first guild coin as a reward, he felt a strange sense of liberation for the first time in his life.
'Great! From now on, you belong to the Ignis Guild.'
The sense of belonging that he had tasted for the first time instantly colored him.
A sense of being tied into one guild, tied into a team that moves together, and having a place to return to when work is done.
The relief that came from that sense was much sweeter than I had vaguely imagined.
It was different from when I lived in a cold and dim attic, not knowing whether he existed or not.
The satisfaction that the guild gave was like a hungry child finding meat and wasting his stomach.
So now was not the time to discern whether the meat caught in the hand was raw, cooked, or spoiled.
"Moobin..."
After a little hesitation, Estio left a word like a clear blueprint.
"You may return to the manor."
"Yeah?"
Mubin almost missed the sword he was polishing. Parker looked at him sadly, who had climbed the portal four times to the capital.
Mubin shrugged his shoulders.
"Ugh, I don't quite understand right now. Isn't it really dangerous from now on? How are you going to deal with it if I leave?"
"I'm sorry to bother you. If I had known you were a client who had to enter the Imperial Palace, I wouldn't have called you."
"Aha."
Mubin, who had attained enlightenment, snapped his fingers.
The reason Estio dared to send Mubin back at this time was because the location of the request was decided to be the Rubarzan Imperial Palace. She knew that Mubin was reluctant of her emperor, and she knew that everyone gathered here.
"Estio."
Moobin called for Estio with a serious face. As their dark blue eyes met their gazes, a mischievous smile crept out of her lips.
"Thank you for taking care of the family's situation like this ground soybean meal, but it doesn't matter to me. I didn't avoid it because I was afraid, but because I was dirty."
It was a dangerous statement, but Mubin revealed his true intentions without hiding it. Now, the master Heiga served was not the emperor, but the dark blue-eyed young man in front of him.
"If that's the reason, don't worry too much."
"......All right."
That's what I was, and I had nothing more to say. Estio did not hold back any further and let Moobin do what he wanted.
Tuk, Tuk Tuk.
After the two of them talked, a faint noise was suddenly heard in the quiet room.
It was the sound of dripping water.
"Wow, it's raining!"
The weather hasn't been that bad since morning, but in the end, a hole in the sky opened up.
A cool drizzle of rain began to pour in to cool the ripe summer air. The rain, which started to pour once, gradually became heavier and covered the streets in an instant.
"Hey, it's cold!"
The cactus trembled due to rainwater pouring in through the open window with no time to defend itself. Ahur jumped out of the water and ran back to the window.
「Someone please take care of our Sujeongi. Sobbing."
Unlike Ahur, it was because of the crystal flower that could not move voluntarily. Meanwhile, Ahur, who even gave him the name 'Sujeong-i', wandered around the crystal flower pot. Seeing the cactus restless because of its weak branch strength and lack of strength to move the flowers that are getting hit by the rain, Kai burst out her laughter.
"Ahur-sama, crystal flowers are ordinary flowers, unlike cacti that live in the desert. Wouldn't you rather like them in the rain?"
"no! Our Sujeong doesn't like rain!"
Even after hearing Kai's gentle explanation, Ahur persisted.
"I'm sorry, is there any plant that doesn't like rain?"
Someone passed by Mobin who laughed with his nose and picked up a crystal flower pot.
"...It seems that Sujeong doesn't like it."
It was Estio. After he sympathized with Ahur, Mubin was loud and clapped.
"It seems that they are afraid of the sound of rain."
There was still no sound, but Estio was able to read the thin waves emitted by the crystal flower. Crystal flowers grown in greenhouses were not used to natural rainwater, as they only drank water from a sprinkler. So she was frightened by the sudden rain that began to fall.
Estio moved the crystal flower onto a shelf out of the rain.
"......thanks. The last seed left behind by the Black Clan...」
He looked down again and looked at the crystal flower.
"Estio? Why are you like this?"
"A flower."
The group who gathered their eyes following him burst into exclamation.
"Wow! It's so transparent!"
"I think it was a flower that changed color when it touched water."
"Hey, that's why it's called Crystal Flower. Isn't it cool?"
The petals soaked in rainwater had changed to transparent enough that the stems could be seen through. It really looked like a craft made of crystal. The moment when the crystal flower shines like a jewel is only for a moment when it is wet with water. The more it gets wet, the more transparent the petals become, and when it dries, it returns to a fine white color.
'Maybe the flower that Princess Marisa resembles is this crystal flower, not Lantana.'
The sound of rain hitting the window pierced through Parker's ears, who had been blindly deprived of the crystal flower.
"Ouch! The window!"
Parker, who came to his senses and ran quickly, locked the window without a leak. Then, suddenly, she glanced out into the rain-mistled street.
82
4 Estio
- Episode 6
"Ah, so 'Lantana' is my nickname. My mother gave it to me when I was young. My mother often said that I looked like a pure white lantana flower."
I don't know what Lantana flower is, but looking at her, I can guess that it is a plant with a bouncing cuteness. Lantana took her hand over her hair.
With a click, the ribbon hairpin was untied.
Then, to his surprise, his green hair, as fresh as a leaf grown in a flowerpot, was instantly covered with a dazzling light.
'Color Change Enchantment!'
In Lubarjan, there was an advanced magic that changed the color of hair or eyes with a magical effect. Mubin, who later found out that the hairpin was enchanted, took a deep breath.
As soon as the pin was removed, the true face that had been hidden by magic was revealed. A jewel-like silver hair that symbolizes the Lubarzan royal family.
"My real name is Marisa S. Lubarjan Arconia."
She was the first princess.
"I'm sorry for the test. I'm the client who called you here."
Mubin's guess that they wouldn't even recognize each other's face if they met was right. Moobin touched her head with a feeling of being eaten.
'Damn it, what kind of princess is opening a flower shop!'
The duke was also a temporary combat member of the guild, but he couldn't see the chaff on my face.
Parker immediately fell to the floor without cleaning out the spilled teacup, and Kai also knelt down next to him, setting the example of a princess.
Only Estio, who knew the identity of the princess from the beginning, was calmly facing her. Princess Marisa was very happy to see Estio who did not avoid her gaze unlike her others.
"Estio."
"Yes."
"I am currently looking for a traitor who betrayed His Majesty the Emperor. The candidates have been narrowed down to three, but no further evidence is coming out.
But I'm not sure about the heart attack. There is only one person who can be sure of that.
The princess's expression darkened.
"If it is revealed that the imperial family was suspicious of the candidates, the repercussions will be out of control. This must be done in secret, so I... as 'First Princess Marisa' I cannot command you."
This was the reason why she had not yet been able to assert her authority as an imperial family. The princess chose her request instead of her order.
"Could you please help His Majesty the Emperor Luvarzan?"
"The request has already been accepted."
Estio gave an answer with a calm tone as before.
"Tell me who I should read."
* * *
There are a total of three people who the princess asked Estio to determine.
<Earl Endymion> and <Duke of Delphia>, and finally.
' <The Fifth Prince Girsh I. Lubarzan Archidion>.......'
At the age of 14, he was the youngest prince among the members of the royal family holding the right to heir to the throne. Girsch was also the only brother of Princess Marisa. Because all the other brothers were half-brothers.
The current emperor had five more concubines except for Empress Frisia, who bore Marisa and Girsh. Only the blood and blood born between them are twelve, including the prince and the princess. There were even children born in the same year and in the same month as twins.
The eldest daughter, Marisa, had never met her half-brothers, but she cared for her as much as her younger sister, Girsh. Her 5th prince, Gir Shu, also followed her so well that she would die if it were her older sister.
The two were known as good siblings, which is rare in the Imperial Palace, and Mubin muttered while touching the white petals.
"It's amazing. His Majesty Marisa must be suspicious of His Majesty Girsh."
A small and cute flowerpot that I received as a gift from a flower shop contained a single flower. It was a crystal flower the size of a thumb.
"Anyway, it's like a damn bean flour family."
At that moment, Ahur cried out.
"Yah! Stop tormenting the powerless flower!"
"I'm not bothering you."
"He hates it!"
Ahur was very interested in the new plants that he had brought in. He actively worked around it to protect the little flower he had placed on the window sill. Of course, Mubin was the only object Ahur was wary of among his party.
Mubin, who had been troubled by the cactus, turned and confirmed the truth.
"Estio, are you telling me you hate this crystal flower now?"
"...I don't know. Plants, unlike humans, can't hear well until they have the will to speak."
Estio, who stared at the crystal flower, answered the truth. Perhaps because it was suddenly put in a flowerpot and moved to an unfamiliar place, there was no whispering from the tiny crystal flower.
"Look, you're not saying anything."
"It's squishy, squishy. Can I just touch you if you don't speak? Are you ignoring plant rights now?"
"Um? Do plants have human rights?"
Of course it wasn't.
However, Mubin was afraid of a cactus with sharp thorns as if it were going to sting at any moment, so he put his hand holding the crystal flower down first.
They had left the flower shop of Princess Marisa and returned to the guild building.
Estio accepted the quest on the spot. However, at best, he could not enter the Imperial Palace after meeting the princess secretly.
The client, Princess Marisa, paid the advance payment and exchanged only the contract for the request, and then sent Estio and the others back. Instead, she said she would send her an official invitation soon.
Mubin sat down on a chair and wiped his sword.
"Are you really okay? The Imperial Palace must be like a real battlefield."
"As long as you belong to the guild, you don't want to accept quests."
when was it Estio rummaged through his memories for a moment. On a cold winter day, when he saved Ice Drake from the animal shop and received his first guild coin as a reward, he felt a strange sense of liberation for the first time in his life.
'Great! From now on, you belong to the Ignis Guild.'
The sense of belonging that he had tasted for the first time instantly colored him.
A sense of being tied into one guild, tied into a team that moves together, and having a place to return to when work is done.
The relief that came from that sense was much sweeter than I had vaguely imagined.
It was different from when I lived in a cold and dim attic, not knowing whether he existed or not.
The satisfaction that the guild gave was like a hungry child finding meat and wasting his stomach.
So now was not the time to discern whether the meat caught in the hand was raw, cooked, or spoiled.
"Moobin..."
After a little hesitation, Estio left a word like a clear blueprint.
"You may return to the manor."
"Yeah?"
Mubin almost missed the sword he was polishing. Parker looked at him sadly, who had climbed the portal four times to the capital.
Mubin shrugged his shoulders.
"Ugh, I don't quite understand right now. Isn't it really dangerous from now on? How are you going to deal with it if I leave?"
"I'm sorry to bother you. If I had known you were a client who had to enter the Imperial Palace, I wouldn't have called you."
"Aha."
Mubin, who had attained enlightenment, snapped his fingers.
The reason Estio dared to send Mubin back at this time was because the location of the request was decided to be the Rubarzan Imperial Palace. She knew that Mubin was reluctant of her emperor, and she knew that everyone gathered here.
"Estio."
Moobin called for Estio with a serious face. As their dark blue eyes met their gazes, a mischievous smile crept out of her lips.
"Thank you for taking care of the family's situation like this ground soybean meal, but it doesn't matter to me. I didn't avoid it because I was afraid, but because I was dirty."
It was a dangerous statement, but Mubin revealed his true intentions without hiding it. Now, the master Heiga served was not the emperor, but the dark blue-eyed young man in front of him.
"If that's the reason, don't worry too much."
"......All right."
That's what I was, and I had nothing more to say. Estio did not hold back any further and let Moobin do what he wanted.
Tuk, Tuk Tuk.
After the two of them talked, a faint noise was suddenly heard in the quiet room.
It was the sound of dripping water.
"Wow, it's raining!"
The weather hasn't been that bad since morning, but in the end, a hole in the sky opened up.
A cool drizzle of rain began to pour in to cool the ripe summer air. The rain, which started to pour once, gradually became heavier and covered the streets in an instant.
"Hey, it's cold!"
The cactus trembled due to rainwater pouring in through the open window with no time to defend itself. Ahur jumped out of the water and ran back to the window.
「Someone please take care of our Sujeongi. Sobbing."
Unlike Ahur, it was because of the crystal flower that could not move voluntarily. Meanwhile, Ahur, who even gave him the name 'Sujeong-i', wandered around the crystal flower pot. Seeing the cactus restless because of its weak branch strength and lack of strength to move the flowers that are getting hit by the rain, Kai burst out her laughter.
"Ahur-sama, crystal flowers are ordinary flowers, unlike cacti that live in the desert. Wouldn't you rather like them in the rain?"
"no! Our Sujeong doesn't like rain!"
Even after hearing Kai's gentle explanation, Ahur persisted.
"I'm sorry, is there any plant that doesn't like rain?"
Someone passed by Mobin who laughed with his nose and picked up a crystal flower pot.
"...It seems that Sujeong doesn't like it."
It was Estio. After he sympathized with Ahur, Mubin was loud and clapped.
"It seems that they are afraid of the sound of rain."
There was still no sound, but Estio was able to read the thin waves emitted by the crystal flower. Crystal flowers grown in greenhouses were not used to natural rainwater, as they only drank water from a sprinkler. So she was frightened by the sudden rain that began to fall.
Estio moved the crystal flower onto a shelf out of the rain.
"......thanks. The last seed left behind by the Black Clan...」
He looked down again and looked at the crystal flower.
"Estio? Why are you like this?"
"A flower."
The group who gathered their eyes following him burst into exclamation.
"Wow! It's so transparent!"
"I think it was a flower that changed color when it touched water."
"Hey, that's why it's called Crystal Flower. Isn't it cool?"
The petals soaked in rainwater had changed to transparent enough that the stems could be seen through. It really looked like a craft made of crystal. The moment when the crystal flower shines like a jewel is only for a moment when it is wet with water. The more it gets wet, the more transparent the petals become, and when it dries, it returns to a fine white color.
'Maybe the flower that Princess Marisa resembles is this crystal flower, not Lantana.'
The sound of rain hitting the window pierced through Parker's ears, who had been blindly deprived of the crystal flower.
"Ouch! The window!"
Parker, who came to his senses and ran quickly, locked the window without a leak. Then, suddenly, she glanced out into the rain-mistled street.
