I arrived in Roton, one of the cities of the Empire.
I’m not particularly fond of the Empire, but with Leo, the master of the city, giving me the green light, I was free to roam around Roton.
“This way.”
Following the servant’s guidance, I entered the reception room.
Inside, I saw Leo, dressed in a flashy outfit, rolling the crystal I gave him around.
He was quite a little kid for the master of a marquis household.
If someone unfamiliar saw him, they could easily mistake him for the marquis’s young lady.
“Ah! You’re here!”
She smiled brightly, approaching me like a little puppy, taking my hand and leading me back to the table.
I didn’t resist and got dragged along.
The servant, seemingly accustomed to this scene, bowed his head and presented two cups of tea in front of us.
“It’s tea made from herbs that only grow in the southern part of the Empire, including Roton.”
“Thank you.”
“And the marquis…”
“Yeah! Me?”
Thud.
The servant handed me a cup of tea that was a little different from the one I was drinking.
Leo puffed up his cheeks and shook his head.
“No! I don’t want it! It’s bitter!”
“That’s not possible. There was an order from the marquis.”
“No! I’m the marquis, what are you saying!”
“You said that six hours ago.”
“Still, no! I can manage just fine without it!”
Six hours ago…?
This conversation was a bit confusing when suddenly I recalled the penalty that Leo had.
‘Was it the penalty that made him turn back into a little kid?’
It’s not like he loses his memories, but it’s clear that his decision-making changes significantly.
That tea must be to mitigate the penalty.
It was probably prepared beforehand to prevent him from being consumed by the penalty.
Leo was shaking his eyes in agitation, pushing the tea away.
The spilled tea sloshed and dampened the table.
“I’m not drinking!”
“…That tea costs 30 gold.”
“60,000 is nothing!”
60,000 won for a cup of tea?
Even if it could erase the penalty, isn’t that a bit excessive?
“Lady Lily! I can speak just fine. And just to clarify, just because I’m like this doesn’t mean my intelligence is, uh, dropping! I remember this tea too!”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Anyway!”
This is way worse than before.
When I first met him here, he was somewhat normal.
He must have been in Deoen for a much longer time than back then.
“Anyway, the reason I called you is…”
“How about you try drinking it anyway?”
Slowly, he extended the tea that had spilled a bit.
I pour a bit of the tea that has dripped down again.
Leo’s pupils tremble.
“I hate bitter things…”
“You need to come back a bit before we can discuss serious matters. Of course, I don’t mind this state of you.”
Even little Leo is quite cute.
But since he mentioned the mana stone “problem,” something must be going on.
“Something that’s important enough to prepare tea for.”
Gulp.
Leo lets out a big sigh, gripping the teacup like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
“Erina…”
“Yes, Marquis.”
“I, um, could you pass me some sugar…”
“No, Marquis. You said that adding impurities to the tea would reduce its effectiveness.”
“…Ugh. Damn past me!”
Huff! Leo, as if resolved, gulped down the tea.
Cough! He almost spat it out but somehow, being in such a situation felt fairly familiar to him, and he swallowed it all.
Some of the tea dribbled down his chin.
The servant quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped Leo’s mouth.
Leo shivers.
Has it been about 30 seconds? His pupils steadied as he glanced up at me.
“Ha… this is so embarrassing…”
“Leo?”
“Ah, ugh… hello…”
Leo’s face rapidly turned crimson.
Does he remember everything that happened earlier?
A curse that keeps him with this personality in exchange for gaining near-ultimate power.
It seems like a great deal, but seeing him like that is quite pitiful.
“Haah… Erina. Please step outside.”
“Okay.”
The servant handed Leo the same tea again, then closed the door to the reception room as he stepped out.
Just the two of us sitting in the now quiet reception room.
“…Is this our first time seeing each other like this?”
“Yes. It is.”
*Ahem! Well then, let me introduce myself properly. I am Leo, a spirit sorcerer of the water attribute and Marquis of the Empire.”
Unlike earlier, Leo now looks at me with pretty cold eyes, extending his hand.
Though he still looks like a child, he carries a noble’s grace.
I shake his hand.
“I’m Lily Elbrite. Well… I don’t have any titles. Just someone who uses a lot of random stuff.”
“That doesn’t seem random at all.”
Leo stares at me with a blanked expression.
If he’s learned to manipulate mana with condensed stones, that’s only natural.
“The movement of mana is just the beginning.”
I still have a mountain of things to teach him.
“…Anyway, I don’t have much time, so let’s get to the point. The penalty is so severe that ten minutes is the limit.”
“I’m going to tell you. The penalty is so strong that 10 minutes is the limit.”
“Merely 10 minutes?”
It’s not something that can be used multiple times, and this consumable costs a whopping 600,000 won, and it only lasts for 10 minutes?
Leo nodded.
“The racial penalty is just that severe. It’s a bit unreasonable, but… it’s the price of strong power.”
“The price…”
The price, huh.
Yeah, the price of power must exist.
I’m in the same boat.
“It makes sense.”
“Right? Anyway, there are two things to mention. One is that there’s a bit of a problem at the mana stone mine.”
“A problem… you say?”
An empire that holds most of the influence on the continent. And a mine ruled by Leo, who is called one of the strongest among the rankers.
What problem could occur in such a mine?
“They keep hearing a strange voice from deep within the mine, and because of that, the miners can’t extract any ore.”
“A strange voice?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not a spirit, but it’s presumed to be some undead-like ghost, and it’s not something I can easily resolve with my abilities. No matter how many spirits I send, I can’t figure out the cause.”
A ghost, huh…
What could be there that even Leo can’t sense?
“But if we just break everything, there’s also the issue of damage to the mana stone… it’s becoming quite troublesome, and I feel like the mana stone supply will become unstable.”
“Did you perhaps not manage to procure this mana stone as well?”
“No. I already secured today’s stash in advance.”
Leo flicked his hand, and a bolt of lightning popped into existence, dropping a box.
200 blue crystals—a bit more than before.
And he’s going to make it so they can’t even be sold by applying a ‘bound’ enchantment.
“At least today and next week…? I guess we can manage, but anything beyond that will be a bit tough.”
“Just getting what you’ve provided is a relief. I’ll send the payment right away.”
“Yes.”
Normally, we would have talked leisurely, laughing and dragging out the conversation, but since he’s in a serious mood, the pace was much quicker.
Leo, rolling the condensed stone, checked the deposited amount and continued speaking.
“So, there’s something I’d like to ask…”
“Yes?”
“I feel like Lady Lily might be able to do it.”
What is it? Before I could even ask again, a system window popped up in front of me.
[Sub – The Strange Voice of the Roton Mine]
Objective – Identify and eliminate the ‘strange voice’ heard at Leo’s mana stone mine, which belongs to the marquis of the empire.
Reward – 100,000 experience points, 300 gold, Leo’s trust (this reward may be subjective as the client is a user).
“…..What’s this?”
“…..What is this?”
“This is a quest. As a Marquis of the Empire, I can give you quests.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Yes.”
The user can give quests to another user.
Even though the rewards will come directly from Leo, it’s quite a fascinating feature.
“It’s better to get experience points for free than just asking.”
“…Does that mean experience points are separate?”
“Yes. I can’t just take away my own experience points.”
Leo smiles in a way that somehow makes me think having a title isn’t so bad after all.
“Of course, it’s not something you can just hand out to anyone; there are some restrictions. I can only give quests related to the Marquis family, and of course, no manipulation allowed.”
“That already sounds pretty good.”
“Is that so? Anyway, will you accept?”
“Hmm…”
I may not be a professional in exorcism, but I’ve dealt with demons quite a bit.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
Above all, if I can’t get the mana stone, I’ll be at a loss too.
[(Sub) Accepted the Strange Voice of the Roton Mine quest.]
[The reward cannot be changed unless there is mutual agreement.]
“It’s not something I need to do right away, right?”
“No. You can do it at your convenience. If it seems impossible, you can give up anytime.”
And…
Leo trails off, pondering a bit.
“And?”
“…Actually, the reason I called Lady Lily isn’t just about the mine issue. It’s also the reason I forcibly lifted the penalty.”
This seems to be serious.
What could it be?
Leo handed me a stone of condensation made of rock.
“…I saw something strange while I was transforming it. I couldn’t see it in detail because it was too fleeting, but the moment was so intense that the memory is still vivid.”
When you delve deeper into Deoen’s dungeon or quests, it’s not uncommon to observe someone’s memories or past.
Especially for Leo, who shares parts of his mind with a spirit rather than being human, such things happen even more often.
But that memory was more special than anything I’ve experienced so far.
A massive lecture hall reminiscent of a golden city.
Numerous students and colossal stones of condensation.
Standing in front of it… was a pure white something.
“I think I saw Lady Lily.”
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