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TL: ALT
Chapter 2 – Maurice’s Lie
More time passed than Wataru had expected while he was asking Maurice about the teleportation circle.
The sky turned crimson and cast long shadows across the academy.
The hallway grew quieter and quieter, with hardly a soul in sight.
Most of the students had probably already gone home.
Wataru left the academy grounds and found the carriage he had left parked there. Apart from a few others, however, there were hardly any other carriages waiting.
He had to return the carriage and the dress.
These shops were often used for dinner parties and other events, so they were still open late at night.
On the way back, he noticed that Aire, who was usually so talkative that she was almost noisy, was silent.
They got into the carriage, thanked the driver for waiting for them, and set off.
“Aire, is something wrong?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“But you’ve been quiet since we got in…”
“I-I’m not always talking, you know!”
“Really? Then when do you stay quiet?”
“Wh-When I’m eating.”
Aire answered nervously, but it wasn’t a very good answer.
In fact, she tends to be even livelier and noisier during meals.
“Ah, you shouldn’t lie. Right, Mariel?”
“Yes, you smile and talk about your food a lot while eating.”
“Mmm…”
“What’s ‘mmm’?”
“Then this.”
“Eh? Huh!?”
“Ara, you kissed Master…”
Aire suddenly smiled and hugged Wataru.
Their lips met, and she held his head.
Wataru felt her soft tongue slip between his lips.
He froze in surprise for a moment but wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
He entwined his tongue with hers, enjoying the sensation of their tongues touching.
As the carriage pulled by Hyupos clattered along, the sound of their kissing echoed.
They relished the slippery, slimy feel of each other’s tongues and exchanged saliva.
After they were breathless from kissing, Aire pulled away.
She smiled triumphantly, looking nothing like someone who had just shared a deep kiss.
That was probably another one of Aire’s charms.
“Hehe, how was it? You can’t even say anything, can you?”
“All right, all right. I give up.”
“Yay! I won!”
“Hmph. And you were moaning like that the whole time.”
“Wh-What are you talking about?!”
Aire’s face turned red, and she looked angry. But that was much better than being silent.
She must have wanted a chance to talk because she sighed and began to explain why she had been silent.
“I think he’s lying.”
“What? You mean Professor Maurice from earlier?”
“Yes, him.”
Wataru was surprised by her unexpected words.
From what he had heard, at least, he didn’t think the professor was lying or being dishonest.
“What makes you think so? Was it his heartbeat or body odor?”
“No, his heartbeat, body odor, sweat, and everything else were completely normal. He’s a skilled magician.”
“Oh, that’s right. He pulled the paper I drew without touching it! That wasn’t a coincidence; it was magic!”
“When I asked the teacher about it, he said it was just a trick. But is he really that skilled?”
“At that distance, he’s unbeatable. But magicians are most dangerous in their workshops. At the academy, where I have to protect Master and Mariel, I’ll have to try my hardest to beat him.”
“That’s…”
Wataru was speechless.
He had seen enough of Aire’s abilities to know what she was capable of.
A person who could make Aire take him seriously?
He must be incredibly powerful.
To Wataru, he had seemed like nothing more than an intellectual man devoted to his studies.
How could he have been so blind?
“But why would he lie and you say he’s a magician?”
“He said so himself. He said there are magicians who can still use teleportation circles.”
“Oh, I see. But isn’t their perception blocked?”
“I don’t know, but I think there’s a spell that makes it difficult to be affected by such things.”
“Magicians are good at finding lost items, so it’s possible they’re using that ability or something similar to find the circles.”
“Don’t just take a magician’s word for it.”
Would a magician skilled enough to make Aire wary really ignore the usefulness of a teleportation circle?
He was certain there was one in the royal capital, so it wouldn’t be strange if he knew its location.
Aire’s reasons for being wary were slowly becoming clear.
But then why did he lie and try to get Wataru to search for the teleportation circle in the royal capital?
One question is answered, and another arises.
“Is he testing whether we can find the teleportation circle or use it?”
“That’s possible. He may have suspected us.”
“Suspected us?”
“Yes, it goes without saying that information about teleportation circles is valuable to those in power. Even as a former noble, I knew of their existence, but I didn’t know what they were or how to use them until I met you, Master.”
That’s right, Wataru thought.
At first, he was very surprised.
Even Mariel, a noblewoman from a family established since the founding of the country, didn’t know about them. Perhaps he should take what Maurice said with a grain of salt.
“You’ve brought in something valuable just for knowing it exists. On top of that, it has mysterious characters written on it that he’s never seen before. It could be considered a valuable discovery, but it could also be viewed with suspicion.”
“I see. So he’s trying to confirm whether they’re really the ruins of a teleportation circle or a fraud.”
“Yes, but it’s just a guess.”
“No, I understand. Either way, if there’s a teleportation circle in the capital, I definitely want to find it. If it can shorten travel time, then nothing more needs to be said.”
“Right, but how are we going to find it?”
How do you find something unknown in a city?
Aire’s direct question left Wataru and Mariel speechless.
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My guess is they will eventually find the teleportation circle in the capital. Thanks for the treat.
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