Chapter 44

Right before Elric escaped from the True Palace of Blue Fog,

"This guy, even if he falls, he falls into a place like this...!"

Sean was cursing vehemently at Elric, who suddenly disappeared.

The True Palace of Blue Fog.

Why does it always have to be here where everything gets messed up?

Even if he wanted to rescue him, he didn't dare to try.

That place would require the skill of a 6th-circle Magician to even attempt to get out of.

Normally, it was just a maze-like magic circle where one could easily get lost, but depending on the circumstances, it could become a secluded place where poison was mixed into the fog or illusions were used to slowly kill trapped targets.

It required either Sean's grandfather himself to retrieve them or someone who knew the layout well enough to go in and bring them out.

In fact, a vassal who had just received Sean's command had entered.

There was nothing to do but wait for them to safely come out together.

So, he was just idly kicking his feet.

"Puhaa!"

Suddenly, Tasha, who was next to him, burst into laughter.

What was so funny? Sean glared at his sister.

Normally, he would have just ignored her and moved on, but now he couldn't help feeling unsettled that she was mocking his friend rather than him.

No, more importantly, why was she even here in the first place to 'greet' them?

Normally, even if someone from the imperial family appeared, she would just send a servant, without even considering moving herself.

Why did she even bother to take an interest in Elric?

"Why are you laughing?"

Though his tone was heavily tinged with irritation.

Tasha, on the other hand, seemed to find her brother's irritation rather cute.

"Because you're cute."

"What?"

"Even though you say you hate him, your expression says you're worried sick, isn't it?"

"..."

"To make my usually indifferent little brother worry like this. Even the Radiant Star Duke would be surprised, right?"

Instantly, Sean's face flushed red.

"W-who's, who's worrying...!"

Sean struggled to contain his outburst, refraining from shouting out in frustration.

Tasha's laughter seemed on the brink of bursting forth at any moment. He realized too late that he had played into her hands.

"Anyway, don't worry too much."

"I told you, who's worrying...!"

"Fine. Let's say that's true. But don't you think you don't really know your friend well?"

Just as Sean was finally calming down, he found himself furrowing his brow again.

"What do you mean?"

"The True Palace of Blue Fog. It's definitely frightening. But do you really think your friend can't get out of there?"

"…!"

In an instant, Sean's eyes widened.

It felt like he had been struck hard in the back of the head by something.

Tasha's smirk grew even wider.

"Wanna bet?"

"...What kind of bet?"

"Whether he can make it out or not."

"I'm betting he can."

"Do you have a conscience?"

Tasha chuckled incredulously, but Sean remained tight-lipped.

It was only for a moment that he was swayed by the fact that their great-grandfather had intervened.

In reality, Elric was a survivor, even in the treacherous dragon's nest.

No matter how formidable the True Palace of Blue Fog was, Sean couldn't help but wonder if it was as dangerous as the places plagued by dragon sickness and rampant dragons.

'But seriously, how come you've never even talked to Elric...?'

Whether Tasha knew about Sean's thoughts or not, she spoke while gazing towards the thick fog.

"I'm also betting on him getting out... it doesn't seem fair to bet. How about we decide on how long it takes for him to come out?"

"12 hours."

"Is that just a guess?"

"So what?"

"Anyway. Shouldn't you calculate these things since we're supposed to be magicians? It's 10 hours and 12 minutes. It'll take about that long."

With that, the two locked eyes.

Boom!

As expected by both of them, Elric successfully emerged from the True Palace of Blue Fog on his own, without any special rescue.

However, if there was one thing they both got wrong...

"…."

"…."

The fact that it took less than an hour for him to escape was the point they both got wrong.

It was precisely 46 minutes.

* * *

Back to the original timeline.

From Sean's perspective, it was only natural for the question of whether he could become a magician to come up.

In fact, even the smartest magician would need at least 24 hours to analyze and derive solutions from the True Palace of Blue Fog.

If it didn't take that long, it would require even more time.

Or rather, there would be plenty of them for whom finding a solution was outright impossible.

It wasn't just some trinket made by their great-grandfather.

If even he had decided to reinforce the formula, it could have gone on indefinitely.

Sean had said 12 hours simply because he had high regard for Elric, and he had just cut it in half, but to others, it would seem utterly insane, like he was saying, 'Are you out of your mind?'...

And he managed to deal with it in less than an hour?

Tasha was already in shock, frozen in disbelief.

Sean couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his sister, whom he'd never seen like this before.

'How long did it take for sis to find the solution to the True palace? Was it 4 hours, or 5 hours? It seemed like that.'

Even Tasha, regarded as a rare genius, broke the record. Would there be anyone to surpass her in the future?

In any case, that's why he asked if he became a magician.

"Well..."

Elric's answer was a masterpiece.

"I don't think we're quite there yet."

"T-the chin-up bar?"

"…!"

"Just a little more struggling here and there, and it might be possible."

"…."

Sean couldn't help but glance at Tasha for a moment.

And sure enough.

As if she hadn't been frozen just a moment ago, Tasha's eyes were now burning with intensity.

There was even a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

'She's... fired up again.'

Sean could tell that his sister was fully immersed in the thrill of competition.

Throughout her life, there hadn't been any worthy opponents among her peers, and even most seniors were usually beneath her. But now that she had encountered a stimulating adversary after a long time, she seemed intrigued.

From the beginning, she was the embodiment of competitiveness, always bouncing back higher with every push, and eager to defeat any opponent she encountered, just as Sean had guessed.

And just as Sean had suspected.

Tasha was thoroughly enjoying herself.

While her initial interest in Elric had stemmed from her fascination with dragons.

At this moment, things had changed.

"This guy, he's interesting, isn't he?"

Was that why?

With a more haughty stride, she approached Elric and extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Even though Tasha didn't introduce herself, she greeted him with a smile, as if expecting him to already know who she was.

"Yes. Nice to meet you too. Sean, where are we heading? I'm feeling a bit peckish, perhaps from wandering around."

"…?"

Contrary to Tasha's expectations, Elric simply nodded briefly and then turned to Sean, indicating his hunger with a gesture.

Could that be it? Naturally, Tasha couldn't help but feel skeptical, but Sean, holding back a smirk at Elric's understated response, resumed guiding them.

"Sure... Follow me this way. My family's all waiting."

* * *

To be precise, the invitation Elric received was not from the 'head' of the Nerester Family.

It was an invitation from the Nerester 'Lineage'.

『Hmm? Isn't that the same thing? What's the difference?』 

Mephistopheles chuckled after hearing Elric's explanation.

[There's a big difference. A very big one.]

『How so?』

[The former is an invitation from the head of the Nerester family, a member of the hexagram, to dine with the head of the Melvinger family. It's a meeting of heads of families.]

『Hmm?』

[On the other hand, the latter is more like an adult inviting a friend of their child to have a meal together. Here, it's placing me in a lower position.]

『Someone like Nerester family lowering Melvinger family?』

During Mephistopheles' prime, the Hexagram of Magic Tower wouldn't dare to compare themselves to the Melvinger family.

Certainly, even back then, the Hexagram were at the forefront of magic, and they were considered one of the main pillars alongside Melvinger.

However, that didn't mean they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Melvinger family, who was fighting the demons on the front lines of humanity.

They always took a few steps back, following Melvinger's lead.

To consider Melvinger as 'lower'?

For Mephistopheles, it was mind-boggling.

[That's politics for you.]

『Hmph! Still caught up in formalities and political maneuvers, just like you humans always have been, huh?』

Mephistopheles couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort.

As the one who only acknowledged Melvinger, it felt like he was being disregarded as well.

But Elric shook his head.

[No, that approach won't work.]

『Why is that?』

[Because Melvinger doesn't have the power right now.]

『....』

[No matter how much people talk about Melvinger making a comeback, the central powers won't see it that way. They'll just see it as a hyena sneaking back in to reclaim its territory after being thought to have disappeared. Even if you lift it up high, a hyena will still be a hyena, right?]

『A hyena?』

[Well, a hyena with the potential to become a tiger if given the chance. That's how they'll see it. No matter how much I boast about my abilities, right now, I'm just another ordinary being, aren't I?]

『Hmm.』

[So, I need to excel even more. I need to climb higher.]

『Then, couldn't you see it as being scorned by your friend's father? Why did you accept the invitation?』

[Well, pride doesn't feed you, does it?]

『Hmm?』

[Privately, even though it's my friend's house, it's still an obstacle that I'll have to overcome eventually. So, don't I need to see it for myself? What kind of place it is, what the atmosphere is like, the level of the magicians, what kind of person the leader is... I need to see it firsthand, don't I?]

『Haha! That's true, you're right.』

Mephisto nodded vigorously at Elric's words.

Indeed, no matter how much research or reports you receive, ultimately, seeing things with your own eyes surpasses it.

[Thanks to that, I was able to see things like the True Palace of Blue Fog and get an idea of the structure of the magic of the Nerester family. I got plenty of ideas. Just coming here was a profitable deal.]

『Indeed, it seems so.』

Just like the conversation Elric had with Mephisto.

Elric was greatly satisfied with accepting the invitation.

Despite their words placing him 'below', he didn't feel that way at all.

Rather, he felt respected.

The food was excellent, and the hospitality was polite.

The atmosphere was warm.

Besides the hosts, Sean and Tasha, and those unavoidably absent due to work, Sean's siblings were all present.

'I heard Sean has younger twin siblings, and it seems they're them. But... why are they acting like this?'

Elric heard that Sean had three brothers and two sisters. Sean was the third eldest, with two older brothers and one older sister, and two younger siblings.

The twins, Lil and Tom, were now about ten years old. As typical for children their age, they didn't stay quiet during the meal.

What was intriguing, however, was that their eyes were always fixed firmly on Elric.

From those cute and round eyes, it seemed like a shower of stars could pour out at any moment, making Elric feel somewhat overwhelmed.

"Hoho! Lately, the kids have been singing Lacente Hero songs a lot. But meeting you like this must be quite fascinating, isn't it? You must feel quite overwhelmed."

Daisy Nerester, the hostess of Nerester House, smiled gracefully as she affectionately ruffled her youngest children's hair.

She continued to be respectful when dealing with her son's friends. Elric even suggested she relax a bit, but she refused, saying that proper etiquette should be observed, especially in such gatherings.

Elric heard that she was the daughter of a marquis.Her speech was graceful, and her behavior was cultured.

Despite being the only commoner in the Nerester family who couldn't use magic, it seemed like she was highly respected within the family for some reason.

"What are we doing!"

"Right, right! I didn't do anything! If anyone's at fault, it's Lil!"

"Me? Hey! What did I do?"

"Ehehe. He hates it when you look at him like that!"

"But you were looking at Elric oppa even more! You spilled spaghetti everywhere!"

"I did not!"

"You did!"

"See! As you can tell, there's never a quiet moment around here. Remember what Mom said? We should be quiet during meals to be good kids, right?"

"Right! Lil will be a good kid!"

"Me too! I'll be a good kid too!"

Elric couldn't help but smile as he watched the energetic children running around.

"No, I wish I had known that Sean had such adorable siblings. I would have visited more often."

"Really? I appreciate your kind thoughts."

After the heartwarming meal was over, Daisy asked Elric's understanding, saying that she had to put the two children to sleep, and got up first. Lil and Tom protested, saying they wanted to play more with Elric, but they couldn't escape their mother's firmness.

And then,

"Did you enjoy the food?"

Guy spoke up quietly as he set down a coffee cup for dessert.

It was the first word he uttered since the meal started.

But,

『Is this Guy really human?』

Mephisto was glaring at Guy.