Duke, Please Repent!

What did I just hear? Really? All those wads of paper are real scrolls?

 “It was also made quite well. I guess it was ruined by the penetration of a reagent mixed with magical power…”

 “Oh, can you recognize?! I made it!”

 “Yes, but I’m not a magic expert. First, I can look at the layout of the magic circle and the vocabulary of the sentences used…”

 Producer. I didn’t expect it to go that way…?

 What about the spells given to serpence and the scroll makers who he thought were scammers, and what materials they used?

 We were talking about something, but nothing came into my ears. The only thoughts floating around in my head.

 ‘How much does it cost to pay for all that?’

 … just thinking.

 How much is Zion’s salary? He’s a duke’s aide, but it’s a lot of work to make these, isn’t it?

 “Why are you walking around with all these things, is it okay if I ask?”

 “I was on my way to the castle of the lord to apply for an investment, but…, but it was all ruined…”

 The woman wept bitterly. That was really crying.

 Somehow, it seemed that there was too much sincerity, and it seems that I used Serpence as the standard.

 ‘She went to apply for an investment to the lord, by the way ….’

 If it’s the lord of this land, he’s Serpence, right?

 “Calm down for now, why don’t we change places and talk?”

 Serpence lifted her up, and carefully poured her divine power. She looked slightly surprised.

 “Oh, you’re not a wizard…? Are you really not an expert?”

 Serpence replied to her question with a smile without saying a word. At the same time, the inn where she was staying was a pub near here, and it was decided we’ll continue the story on the first floor of that place.

 “First, let me introduce myself, my name is Solertia Reseratus.”

 Now that she has just become independent from her teacher, it appears that she has gone to the lord’s castle to receive an investment to open her own shop. She feared that they might ask to check the scrolls she made in advance and how they were being made, so she grabbed a lot of reagents and went to visit them fully prepared.

 But what came back was that she needed to follow the established procedures.

 “I mean, I didn’t hear that there was a procedure! Even Master said that if with my skills, I would be welcomed if I just went looking…”

 “That’s rarely the case.”

 “…After all, I shouldn’t have believes in the words of a nobleman who ate mostly and crawled in the shop!”

 At Serpence’s denial, Solertia burst into anger.

 Even after submitting her application for investment, she needed to do a process to verify her identity or something. Because of that, it takes a few days for the documents to reach Serpence, but he doesn’t stay very long in the Prasidus Territory.

 If she missed this opportunity, she had to wait a full month or go to the capital to go through the procedure again and wait.

 However, blinded by her desire to open her own shop as soon as she could one day, Solertia made her choice.

“According to the rumors, I heard that Duke Prasidus was kind enough to be arrogant…”

 He’s confident in his skills, and he’s…  No, he’s the Duke of Prasidus, famous for his generosity. Thinking that he would not meet her if things got long, she said she was gonna pound on the castle gate.

 “It was all a lie…! I’ve heard that he’s staying at the castle this week! I’ve also seen the duke’s carriage go in! It’s a ridiculous excuse for them to say that he’s away, right?”

 Solertia slammed the table with her fists, showing her anger. I glanced at the ‘luxurious’ Duke Prasidus. His mouth, which was not covered by his hood, maintained a gentle smile without the slightest trembling.

 “If Mr. Zion could come with me and tell them how wonderful these scrolls are… Oh, they wouldn’t believe it! Who would accept an investment application after seeing a broken scroll! It would be great if the Duke could read scrolls like Zion-san!”

 She ‘banged’ her head on the table.

 Judging by what Solertia said, I guess. It seems that it’s not common for a person who is not a wizard to interpret the magic circles drawn on the scroll.

 ‘Hell, Serpence, why did he learn such a thing?’

 After becoming the master of the Holy Sword, did he plan to do it all by himself without a friend…?

 “Ummm… If it’s okay with you, can I see the other things?”

 “Yes, it’s fine. We’ll have to throw it all away anyway… Oh, don’t tear it apart! It might explode.”

 “I’ll be careful.”

 In a world where magic comes out of paper, it’s kind of like exploding paper. Still, I was curious about how the scroll came about. I went to Serpence who was holding the scroll, and glanced over his shoulder to peek at the contents. Even if I search through Zion’s memory, the magic characters that cannot be interpreted are written in tiny sizes, and there are many unrecognizable circles and lines.

 “I don’t think you’re able to draw something like this on the spot!? It seems like it will take a while?”

 “There are some simple ones. Or I can stay for a few days and make them…”

 Solertia answered my question in a confused voice. Then, for some reason, she, who had been lying on the table with her cheek, suddenly raised her head and looked at me.

 Maybe it was because she banged her head on the table earlier? There was a slight scratch on her forehead, and the area around it was also dyed red. How hard did she hit it?

 “What are you going to do now? Take responsibility!”

 “What should I do now? Take responsibility!”

 Solertia demanded responsibility from me, and I passed it on to Serpence. He turned his head, ‘What’s with all these guys?’ and I stared at him for a moment with longing eyes.

 “Uh-huh…. I can’t help it, so I’ll take responsibility.”

 “Yes?! You will Zion?”

 At Serpence’s words, Solertia looked at him with eyes full of questions, ‘How?’ and ‘Why are you?’

 “However, I want you to prove that you are the one who made these scrolls. If that is possible, I will reward you and introduce you to a suitable sponsor. There is nothing other than that.”

 “Really…?”

 Serpence lightly placed his fingertips on Solertia’s forehead, who was making a blank expression as if in disbelief. He healed the scratch on her forehead and had a benevolent smile.

 “Yes, really.”