TUSM 9

Chapter 09

Munch, munch.

“Hm.”

The oranges that had once filled the basket were already down to the bottom.

“…Should I have helped out a bit after all?”

Once my stomach was reasonably full, it was time to worry.

The farmer I’d run into at the orchard earlier kept floating through my mind. His face, dark circles drooping all the way to his jaw as he hacked out cough after cough.

That was definitely the influence of dark magic.

Some forms of dark magic caused harm simply by manifesting. Like that polluted aura that had spread beyond the orchard earlier.

He’d been working the whole time with nothing but a fence separating him from land where contamination was slowly seeping up. There was no way he hadn’t been affected. I guessed there were quite a few people in the territory in similar condition. Some might even be worse.

“That’s a problem….”

I’d restored the land, sure—but I couldn’t use magic every time to grow trees and make fruit bear.

That all consumed mana. And it was exhausting.

Which meant farmers like that man needed to keep working hard so I could continue eating fruit for free.

“Yeah. I should do something.”

After finishing the last orange, I stood up.

One of Charlotte’s other specialties was potion-making. The potions she made were unparalleled in effectiveness. Nothing sold on the market could compare to her work.

“Now where was the alchemy lab again?”

If I remembered correctly, the grand ducal castle’s alchemy lab was somewhere beneath the main keep.

As I walked through the underground corridor, rummaging through my memory, I suddenly came to a halt. A familiar figure appeared in the distance.

“Oh my god.”

I hurriedly ducked behind a pillar. Peeking out again to double-check, I realized I hadn’t imagined it. Cayrus, dressed in a shirt, was walking toward me from the end of the corridor.

Why is he here again?

What terrible timing.

I squeezed myself back behind the pillar. There was absolutely nothing good to be gained from running into Cayrus.

I’ll just hide until he’s gone.

“And what kind of bizarre behavior is this? Playing at being a mouse?”

“Eek!”

What the—?!

When did he get here?

He was just over there a second ago!

Before I realized it, Cayrus was leaning against the pillar beside me, smiling. His red lips twisted upward.

“…H-Hello?”

“Oh? So the little mouse can speak human language.”

Without realizing it, I hunched my shoulders and shuffled sideways.

“What brings Your Excellency all the way down here?”

“I should be the one asking.”

His cold gaze slowly swept over me from head to toe.

“If you’re not a mouse, then what business could you possibly have in the underground of the main keep?”

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

I know that look.

That’s the he’s-looking-for-a-chance-to-kill-me look.

“I-I’m really not here to do anything weird….”

“Then state your business.”

He’s terrifying. Seriously.

I hesitated.

What I was planning was constructive—but there was no way I could honestly tell Cayrus where I was headed.

He’d definitely suspect something.

I forced the corners of my stiff mouth upward into an awkward smile.

“Well… a hobby?”

“Ah.”

Cayrus nodded.

“Less than a week after being exiled from the capital, and you’ve already picked up a hobby in a new territory. Impressive. I’m curious what kind of hobby it is.”

He stepped closer.

“Shall we go together?”

“No?”

Am I insane?

“Oh dear. Did that sound like an invitation?”

Cayrus deliberately closed the distance even more. His long eyes curved pleasantly. It was a remarkable talent—to smile so gently while radiating such a chilling presence.

As I backed away step by step, I realized there was nowhere left to retreat and turned my head.

“…Aren’t you busy?”

“Not at all. I just caught the dark mage I’d been tracking. I was on my way back after throwing him into the dungeon.”

Ah. I see.

“Lead the way.”

It sounded like a final ultimatum.

In the end, I had no choice but to start walking slowly. Cayrus followed three or four steps behind, smiling lazily.

“Actually, I like exploring. I don’t really have a specific destination—I was just looking around the castle.”

“I see.”

“Magicians are naturally curious.”

“Oh?”

He’s not even listening.

I hurried upstairs to the first floor and began wandering all over the main building.

Even as I opened and closed about twenty perfectly normal doors and circled the corridors three times, Cayrus stubbornly stayed right behind me.

When I was just about out of excuses, I turned to face him.

“That’s really all there is to it….”

“Oh? So your newly discovered hobby is rummaging around the main keep?”

“If you put it that way, I guess?”

“Then when were you planning to stop by the alchemy lab?”

“…What?”

What?

“…You knew?”

Instead of answering immediately, Cayrus stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“Well, there are only two paths in the underground of the main building—one to the dungeon, and one to the alchemy lab. Ah, were you heading to the dungeon? If so, I could take you there right now—”

“No!”

I denied it in a panic.

Cayrus laughed, clearly amused.

So he knew all along and was just toying with me. For the first time, I genuinely found him obnoxious.

“Then lead the way properly this time.”

He jerked his chin.

Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked, “But… you’re not going to stop me?”

“Why would I?”

“…I’m going to make potions.”

“I know.”

Cayrus smiled faintly.

“And why would I stop you? If you get caught doing something suspicious, that would make for an excellent excuse to execute you.”

Of course.

I knew he’d think like that.

Predictable jerk.

“I won’t stop you. I told you before—if you want to use dark magic, you’re free to do so.”

He was practically encouraging me at this point.

My body shivered.

I really need to get some kind of contract written up soon—magically notarized so he can’t break it.

But for now, there was nothing I could do. Even if I made another excuse and tried to slip away, Cayrus would obviously keep watching me.

So in the end, I headed to the alchemy lab with Cayrus tagging along like a lump.

It’s not like I’m doing anything shady. I’m just making potions that’ll help the farmers’ health—no reason to be self-conscious. I’m completely justified.

Coincidentally, the alchemy lab was empty. The servant in charge must have stepped out briefly.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The farmer’s condition was essentially a form of poisoning. So all I needed to do was mix an antidote with a supplementary potion that increased mana resistance. Fortunately, while the technique was tricky, the ingredients themselves were ordinary.

I gathered the necessary materials while keeping an eye on Cayrus.

Despite barging in so insistently, he didn’t actually seem very interested in me. Sitting on the desk with his arms crossed, he simply surveyed the lab.

Is he really just waiting for a chance to cut my head off? What a nasty bastard.

“I’ve got everything.”

“That was fast.”

Cayrus glanced at the basket of herbs in my arms.

“So, what are you making?”

“You’re quick to ask.”

Since I didn’t particularly want my life threatened again, I answered honestly.

“Something like an antidote. From what I saw earlier, the people working in the orchard have been exposed to dark magic for quite a long time. I’m going to give it to them.”

“…You are?”

For the first time, genuine confusion appeared on Cayrus’s face. This time, instead of confessing it was for the sake of my stable meals, I just shrugged.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Cayrus stared at me, and I stared right back at him.

When he’s not openly hostile, he’s actually quite striking. Jet-black hair like polished ebony, eyes that gleamed like gold. Maybe because his sharp features were so different from Fabian’s, my gaze kept lingering.

My eyes paused on Cayrus’s pale complexion.

“What, suddenly noticing how handsome I am?”

Creepy bastard.

“…Just wait a moment.”

I set the basket down and walked back to the center of the lab.

Along with the herbs I’d gathered earlier, I took out a few additional ingredients.

I could feel Cayrus’s persistent gaze drilling into my back.

The pressure was unbearable.

Let’s finish this quickly.

I ground the ingredients together, then boiled them in a pot. When the mixture changed color, I poured mana into it. A blue aura spread out, and the distilled liquid flowed into a small vial.

The completed potion shimmered with a clear, pale violet hue.

I held it out toward Cayrus.

“Here. Drink.”