The Witch and the Doll Swear

The name of this town is Sula.

The area is small, just like the Shetis that the girl glanced at after getting off the train. The house has whitewashed walls, flat and dense red tiles, and the church in the center of the town has scaffolding on the top third. The magician's tower is on the remote side of the town.

Bars, markets, banks, alchemy workshops, blacksmith shops, hospitals, and several small squares. The streets are made of blue-green bricks arranged in a circular mosaic pattern, and fountains splash crystal water at the intersections of the streets.

This is the youngest town in the Holly River Valley. It is still small in area, but it has a lot of facilities.

Even if the family that founded the town is in danger, only a slight depression can be felt in the streets.

"Miss Alice, will I look strange..."

Walking out of a certain room in the mage tower, Tina held on to the stairs stiffly, like an alert rabbit, looking around while walking back to the lobby on the first floor.

Not to mention strange, the girl looks so suspicious now. If there weren't a few people in the association, and the receptionist in front of the reception desk had her back turned to this side, Tina would have already become the focus of people's attention. .

"Calm down, Miss Tina, no one knows."

Alice, who was held in her arms, straightened her crooked headscarf somewhat helplessly, trying to calm down the girl with words.

"I-I know, but."

——I have never carried so many gold coins with me.

But Tina couldn't calm down at all.

She knew that magicians could be said to be the richest group of people on this continent. The Magician Association was even richer than the bank's vault, but when this wealth was passed through the magician, the gold coins were packed into a box. After the ten-piece square array was displayed, and the height of the square array was also increased to ten pieces, Tina was completely petrified as if a snake-haired witch had given her a devilish wink.

It was the first time in her life that she saw such a large amount of money.

Then, after Alice confirmed the amount, the magician who was responsible for contacting this aspect of the Magician Association closed the box, sealed it with magic and handed it to Tina. She realized that this huge gold coin would be brought to the winery with her own hands. Petrification turned into constant trembling.

"Ai, can Miss Alice take this ring and go back to the manor first? I, I think I need to slow down..."

"Olympion is considered the territory of the Holy Church. A flying doll will cause a commotion."

"Uh, uh..."

Tina tried her best to maintain a normal walking posture. As soon as she reached the rest area of ​​the lobby, where the magicians ran a small coffee bar, the girl sat down on the sofa as soon as she arrived. Looking around, I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my throat.

——Calm down, Miss Tina, no one knows that there are 1,000 gold coins in your space storage ring, and no one will come to rob it. It is very safe here.

The two receptionists who provided guidance and help when they entered the Mage Tower and indicated that they needed to withdraw money were doing something with their heads down. Two men not far away were talking, and no one looked here.

So Alice pretended to be an ordinary doll in Tina's arms, talked to the girl through a spiritual link, and comforted her with some dumbfounding.

"But……"

Tina held the ring on her hand tightly, unable to calm down at all.

"So, there are not many wines from local wineries that can stand out in tastings. The Brandy Winery is a winery in the Glory City after all. It is said to have a history of several hundred years."

"There are also many historic wineries in the Holly Valley. Although it was messed up like this, alas..."

The other people sitting in the small sitting area were not wearing magician costumes. The two men closest to the girl and the doll were also sitting on the sofa in another circle, seeming to be talking about the upcoming evaluation meeting.

——I, I also know, but this money is too much...

——Calm down, Miss Tina, it’s only 1,000 gold coins. It’s more than this amount to buy an antique at any stylish auction, or to buy a piece of land to build a small town with complete facilities and magical protection.

——Such a metaphor makes people unable to calm down at all!

Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale.

In the end, Tina simply closed her eyes, but this way the girl always felt that there were many eyes peering at her from all directions, just like the wolves staring at her in the dark at night - Damn it, why did she think of that thing again? Something happened?

The thoughts that were about to calm down became unsettled again because of this chilling association.

Looking at such a girl, the little doll had no choice but to sigh helplessly and put the plan of "making Tina adapt to large amounts of money" on the agenda.

"Miss Tina,"

But even if it goes well, that will happen later. How to calm down Tina from the tension of carrying a huge amount of money? Alice, who wants to help the girl, is also in trouble.

The little doll hesitated for a long time until Tina started her third round of abdominal breathing. Realizing that this would never end, she helplessly sang a [Mechanized Mind] silently and released it on the girl's body.

Tension and sensibility were immediately tied to the reins of reason. After the way of thinking was reversed by the power of magic, the girl opened her eyes and looked at Alice with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

Outstanding effect.

Now that I have done this, I can only hope that the feeling of tension will not be like sadness, the more suppressed, the worse it will be...

"...Magic is really convenient..."

The girl who didn't know what the little puppet was hesitating about, just felt that her thinking became clear and logical, and she easily sorted out the two things that she had an unprecedented huge sum of money and that she was afraid There was no convincing connection at all, and even the illusion that everyone seemed to be staring at her disappeared.

—Let's go, Miss Alice, Miss Liliana is still waiting.

The girl holding Alice stood up from the leather sofa.

"Speaking of which, didn't the winery that won the royal capital's tasting last year not find out the secret from the gold cup?"

After the tension eased, even the words that passed by my ears no longer seemed to hide something, and became more like the chatter of idlers when they have nothing to do. .

"No, even if there are those wineries, they definitely won't say it, but I think it's hanging."

——That's right, it's just chatting, there is no greed or conspiracy in it, it's just that I am being passionate.

"It's not surprising that those mysterious magic emperors like to hide something in their favorite things, but that cup has been in the hands of countless people for hundreds of years. Is there any secret that has not been touched yet? Is it clear? And who is the owner of this cup? The so-called immortal Sandro! That undead emperor, a dead person, can a dead person drink? This is a gimmick, and the brewers union used it to bluff people."

"...?"

In Tingna's arms, the little puppet's golden eyes revealed a look of astonishment.

The girl who was about to step out of the gate of the Magicians Association stood at the door and almost turned her head back.

--Do not look back.

But Alice's reaction was still much faster than Tingna's. Her words stopped the girl who subconsciously wanted to turn her head to look at the place where the voice came from.

——An overly violent reaction will attract the attention of interested people.

Under the gesture of the puppet, Tingna quickly moved her frozen body, left the gate of the Magicians Association, and then walked on the street with a normal expression.

—Miss Alice, those two men were talking about—

Of course, in the spiritual communication, the girl is not calm at all.

——Well, Alice also heard clearly that they were talking about [Immortal] Sandro.

——Why do they know this name?

--Eh? Sandro is still very famous on the mainland.

Compared to Tina, Alice was much calmer. She was not particularly surprised when the name of the magic emperor of the magic empire era came out of the mouths of two very ordinary people.

After all, until now, the most famous magic emperor that even ordinary people know is [Dark Sage] Elmeia, one of the strongest necromancers on the mainland, and [Immortal] who has an army of undead. Sandro was gone.

The former one was the great sage who betrayed the empire and created the Magnus seven-wing magic system. Today's City of Thousand Towers is the floating city she used to be. The Association of Magicians was also established with her help. The empire was destroyed. In the tenth year since the establishment of the association, the founder of modern magic disappeared mysteriously. Where she went is still an unsolved mystery on the mainland.

The latter... The controller of the Empire's Legion of the Dead holds the lifeblood of the empire's gold output. In the Battle of the Rebels, one man per city, an army of the dead overwhelmed the Templar Church army, which had already occupied almost all of the empire's ground territory at that time. The undead king driven to death...

But compared to these achievements, he is so famous because he was the first magic emperor to fall...

Although Mika, the King of Witches, was wiped out by the Church of the Holy Church, not many people knew of its existence, but he was the first to be killed—this was widely known.

At the same time, she is also the one who has a lot of connections with Liliana and Alice.

—What did those two men say? Miss Alice, remember? I think I heard something about a gold cup and a secret or something.

Therefore, after overhearing their conversation, Ting Na was completely stunned as if struck by lightning.

——They said that the champion of the winery tasting in the kingdom will get a gold cup, and it is said that Sandro's secret is hidden in that cup, and the annual champion can hold the gold cup for a year, which can be analyzed from their conversations only these.

—What does Miss Alice think?

Concentrating on the conversation with Miss Doll, before she knew it, Tina had reached a certain crossroad in the town.

In the cold wind, there are not many people walking on this street, and there is no one on the benches surrounded by the fountain. There is only a small flower garden in the middle of the street, only the shrubs that are still green in severe winter suck the cold in the air. of mist.

Tingna quickly came to the bench and sat down, placed the doll on her lap, staring at the pair of confused eyes.

——Is it just a silly legend like the man said, or is there indeed some secret that may be hidden?

Although there is no one around, but out of caution, this conversation is still in the spiritual link.

——Miss Tina intends to investigate?

Alice didn't answer the girl's question, and those golden pupils looked seriously at the girl's blue eyes, and immediately revealed the calmness and caution that had been disguised.

...Shouldn't it be better not to meet eyes like that?

What she was thinking in her heart was exposed in an instant, and from the eyes of the doll, Tingna saw the panic and helplessness on her face.

Ting Na blushed a little, but this blush did not escape those golden pupils.

She nodded with an almost imperceptible arc.

——But Lily hopes that after Miss Tina and Alice take out the gold coins, they can go back quickly, okay?

——But, this might be a clue that Miss Liliana and Alice didn't notice when they came here before.

——That's why Lily should be notified as soon as possible?

——Yes, that’s right, but…

--but?

--but……

"After I find out if there is such a thing, I will tell Miss Liliana. Miss Liliana and Miss Alice don't have to come again. Wouldn't this save time?"

Intertwining her fingers, Ting Na was a little embarrassed and said in a low voice.

She was a little afraid to face the sight of the puppet, for fear that those golden eyes would look into the depths of her soul and say what she was thinking in her heart.

Although it was not something that should not be known, nor was it a bad plan if it was known, but...

The girl still hopes to have a little secret and abacus of her own.

People always have a little privacy of their own, don't they?

——That's what I said.

Looking at the girl's sea-blue eyes for a long time, Alice lowered her eyes slightly. She didn't catch the girl's wandering eyes tightly, as if she didn't plan to explore why Tina wanted to do this...or she already knew what she wanted to do. to know.

Thinking of this, Tina's chest was pounding, but she didn't dare to ask, and could only look at Alice nervously until she chuckled and nodded——

——If it is true that there is some secret, it will be investigated in the future. If it is just the nonsense of drunks, it will save the time to come here to confirm this point.

The little puppet said so, and patted Tina's stomach with her little hand—maybe Alice wanted to float up and pat the girl's shoulder, but it would be terrible if she was discovered, so she patted her stomach.

——However, how does Miss Tina plan to investigate?

Realizing the meaning of these words, the girl's expression seemed to flicker brightly.

"Eh? Ah, I was thinking, go and see the library in the town. If there is such a thing and not just a rumor passed on by people, there should be a document about it. As for the library's The location...ah, sorry! The lady."

Along the street, the blond woman who was talking to a man who seemed to be a friend—or a lover turned her head and looked at standing up from the fountain with some confusion. She seemed to be about the same age as herself and was well-dressed. A girl in a suit but holding a gorgeous nun doll.

After listening to the question asked of her, the woman blinked and pointed in one direction of the town.

"It's right there."

Following her fingers, she raised her head and looked at Ting Na, who was still covered with scaffolding under the sky. She was slightly taken aback, and even her smile was a little stiff.

"...Is it there? Thank you very much for your help."

"You're welcome."

The lady and her male companion did not notice the slight change in the expression of the girl who claimed to be a foreign tourist, and after the two left.

Ting Na's expression darkened silently.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Should have thought of it earlier.

The area is small, the degree of development is not high, the existence time is not long, and there are no colleges and academic institutions.

In the above types of towns, it is difficult to see independent libraries. In such towns, the home of the mayor is generally a repository of classics and history.

If there is a magician, then most of the magician's residence will take on the function of storing documents.

If magicians and churches exist at the same time, then, depending on the comparison between the forces on the magic side and the church side, determine which institution can store those precious histories—the Church of Virtue is an exception.

"May the Holy Light and Holy Fire bless your path. Is there anything I can do to help you? Miss."

"...I want to check the local literature on winery tastings."

And Olympian Kingdom, Holly Valley, here, is the site of the Holy Church and the Church of the Eternal Flame.

The beliefs of light and fire have certain commonalities. For this reason, the church here has the belief of both holy light and holy fire.

Also because the headquarters of the Association of Magicians is located in the north, the power of magic has protected people from the severe cold of the northern winter since ancient times. Here, the attitude of the church is more gentle.

After hearing Tina's words, the blond youth smiled and guided the girl towards the corridor on the side of the church.

In the church, which is still under renovation and construction, the altar at the end of the rectangular hall enshrines the sculptures of the Holy Light Cross and the Holy Fire, which teach believers to "be as gentle as the morning light and as warm as candlelight."

"Is this lady a tourist from other places? The library is open to everyone for free, please go this way... Well, lady, do you feel any discomfort in your hands?"

However, this did not allow the girl to remain calm after seeing the cross of holy light on the robe of the gentle and smiling young man in front of her.

After hearing the young man's words, the girl who lowered her head and covered her expression with drooping bangs realized that the hands holding the doll were clenched into fists, holding five fingers tightly in the palms, as if to Fingers are all hidden.

"——?! No, nothing, nothing..."

"Really... If I offended you, please allow me to apologize, but if you have any discomfort, it is better to go to the hospital for a look. If the medicine is not effective, the holy light magic mastered by our lord bishop may be able to help you. Gotta be busy."

"No, no need, really..."

There was only real concern in the voice of the young monk, and it was because of this that Tina found it difficult to adapt.

After the young man pointed to the half-open door at the end of the corridor, she quickly let out a thank you squeezed between her teeth, and walked in past him, leaving the young man confused before he could put his hand down.

The pine door was pushed open and then slightly closed again. The middle-aged nun sitting on a desk in the literature room raised her head and looked at the girl who came in with a doll in surprise. Ting Na asked her about the Where was the literature of the winery tasting meeting on the bookshelf? Then she quickly walked into the bookshelf and disappeared from her sight.

—Miss Tina, is it all right?

--It doesn't matter.

The girl took a deep breath, hugged the doll with only one hand, and patted her face with the other hand a little harder.

Crack, crack.

The voice was not loud, and the coolness brought by the cold hands that had been exposed to the cold wind from the fountain in the middle of the street to the church in the center of the town made Tingna calm down quickly.

——I’m fine, it’s just because this guy from the church is doing such a disgusting thing behind his back but showing that expression...

——Miss Tingna, don't subjectively label everyone because of the behavior of a certain part of the group...

- I'm fine, it doesn't matter now.

Shaking her head, Tina took a deep breath.

Then her eyes moved to the bookshelves, to the thick leather-studded records, village histories, among the rows and rows of books with titles written in ink on the spines.

"..."

Among a pile of local annals and church classics, she saw a copy of "Continental Airship Flight Schedule". Tingna was stunned for a moment, then held out her hand with some hesitation.

—Miss Tina?

Then, in a hurry, he pressed on another book next to him.

"About the History of Kingdom Winery Tasting"

"...Ah, I found it."

After touching the spine of the book, Tina could see the name of the book clearly.

She immediately realized that this was the book she needed, so she took it out and opened it.

This book is not particularly thick, but it uses a leather-wrapped board as the cover. It is a bit difficult to hold it with only one hand. Tina had to put the doll on her shoulders first, and took the book to the nearby table with both hands. .

[New Year Festival, this is an annual festival held in all countries in the mainland. When welcoming the New Year, people from all walks of life will compare their most proud works. This is an activity to select the best craftsmen to make the best items for use in festivals. What is recorded in this book is the history of this activity in the Olympian Kingdom and the characteristics that distinguish it from other countries...]

When she opened the book, the first thing she saw was such a preface. Tingna quickly flipped through this part and the previous chapters introducing the origin of the New Year Festival and the judging party, which she also knew.

Now it is the 16th day of the moonless month, in order to use the best wine, the best food, the best sculptures, and the best fireworks to decorate the most grand festival of the year, people from all over the mainland The tasting session should also start, and the major workshops and manors in Yansha City should also enter the busiest season of the year...

The hand turning the pages gradually stopped.

Then, the yellowed pages turned again.

Alice didn't miss the girl's sudden movement, but she just leaned on Tina's shoulder and said nothing.

Since there is no table of contents, the content of each page can only be quickly scanned with these eyes, after flipping through the pages of the book.

—Miss Tina, stop.

The little puppet stopped the girl from turning the page from the spiritual link.

"Ah, yes."

At this time, Tingna also saw the text that should be their target.

[Different kingdoms give different rewards to the winners of the judging sessions. Even so, most of them are just gold medals and trophies, which can be included in royal items and other rewards in the next year. However, the Kingdom of Olympian is quite special. In addition to the honor and bonuses given by the royal family, the annual champion rewards will also award a special item as an honor from trade unions from all walks of life...Among them...]

Some rough paper was turned by the girl to the next page, and the next page, this book has a detailed introduction to Olympian's various industry appraisals.

Of course, these prizes, which are awarded to the winners each year, are also included.

From the anvils for the best craftsmen, who forge magical powers out of astral steel, to the sewing needles, for the best tailors, that make no stitches visible.

It is said that these are the treasures that Olympion’s former royal family took away from the short-lived Lion Empire’s treasury when they came to this land. They are the mysterious creations belonging to the ancient magic empire that Charlemagne the Lionheart spent his entire life collecting.

The royal families who had just arrived on this land sold these to a powerful local labor union in exchange for enough money, and only then did Olympian be established.

"And the item sold to the Brewers Guild, which was also very rich in this land at that time, was [Immortal Gold Cup]. It is said that this is a pure gold wine cup once held by the magic emperor [Immortal] Sandro. The wine poured into it will not go bad no matter how long it is left, and adding materials and water to it can turn it into a wine with different tastes after one night, and no one has cracked the principle so far..."

The girl frowned slightly as she read the records on the page.

"It is said that this is the most beloved wine glass of the magic emperor. It never leaves his hand. At the same time, there is a secret about him... It is said..."

——It is said.

In the sentence written in black ink, Tingna stared at the "supposedly" for a long time.

It can keep the wine from spoiling, and can turn the material into fermented rice overnight. A cup with magical power sounds amazing. There is no need to question its authenticity.

but.

According to legends, these uncertain words make it impossible to see any definite connection between the cup with magical power and the emperor of the ancient magic empire.

—Miss Alice, do you think...

Ting Na, who was about to ask Alice, suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

Cold sweat dripped down her back, and Ting Na turned her head abruptly.

— Could it be that his abnormal reaction was discovered?

Being so nervous, she turned around and saw only a steaming cup of drink.

"Little girl, are you okay?"

"Hey, I, I'm fine..."

The simple teacup was placed in front of Tingna, and the smiling woman pulled out a chair beside the desk where Tingna was, and sat down.

"Really, that would be great. Seeing you looking nervous and scared when you ran in, I thought something happened."

"No, that..."

She didn't seem to have prepared her own share, after pushing the steaming milk to the girl, she said this kindly, her cloudy blue eyes were full of concern.

"The little girl doesn't look like a local. Did she come here for a trip?"

"Huh? Uh, uh..."

"If you need any help, please be sure to speak up. Although this town is still young, everyone is a good person. If there is any difficulty, we can help you, please don't worry." Naturally, this The middle-aged woman chatted with Ting Na.

There is no reason for refusal.

No matter how much Tinna hated this group of people who did outrageous things under the banner of the Holy Light, Tinna knew that the abhorrent and painful heresy trial had a direct and tangible connection with the woman in front of her, just like that The cup has the same relationship with the magic emperor.

It's also impossible to say bad words to a woman of the same age as her mother. She can't refuse the kindness and doesn't know how to drive her away. Tingna can only nod silently while holding the warm milk.

The cathedral is not yet finished, and the spells to detect evil are not inscribed,

What Alice said in the spiritual link, now the little puppet explained it to Tina with a little helplessness and understanding. No one noticed that Alice looked like a living doll, and no one noticed A shadow fiend lord is buried in your shadow.

No one will send Miss Tingna to the heresy interrogation room. Alice said this firmly, in the spiritual connection.

The girl is really nervous.

...Speaking of which, do the locals know anything?

The girl who knew this herself suddenly thought of such a thing after drinking half of the milk in the glass.

Although she didn't expect the relevant personnel of the church to know about the "evil" magic, Tina raised this question in order to change the subject, and lied that she accompanied the eldest lady of the family to come here, because the eldest lady I am very interested in the market rumors circulating here and let myself investigate, but I can't find an answer that satisfies the eldest lady...

Although I am a little sorry to say that, Miss Witch is not self-willed at all, but it is surprisingly convincing, after hearing about the matter she is investigating, about the Golden Cup of the Magic Emperor.

"Ah, so girl, are you interested in this?"

The middle-aged woman said with some surprise.

"Here, everyone knows about this cup, right?"

……………………………………………………………………………………

The witch closed the accounts in her hand, and put the thick book on the table.

"...everyone knows about it, right?"

Looking at the girl who was standing in front of her, embarrassed as if she had done something wrong, Liliana rested her chin with one hand and looked at her calmly.

The sky is already burning with a magnificent color of akane, the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room reflect continuous clouds, and the distant rolling hills are like a beautiful picture scroll.

According to the witch's plan, at this time, the three of them should have resolved the difficulties in the management of the winery and set off for the capital.

"That's right, at least that's what the nun said..."

A little nervous, but also a little excited, Tina didn't know why she was so excited, and stuttered a little in front of Liliana.

Because did I really do it? Did you really help Liliana and Alice?

"Calm down, Miss Tina, tell Lily about the investigation."

Alice sat in Liliana's arms, comforting her softly, and those words were also encouragement, allowing Tingna to reintegrate and tell some broken words.

The Emperor's Gold Cup, also known as the Immortal Gold Cup, is the largest and most famous wine producing area in the Olympian Kingdom due to the well-developed winery industry in the Holly Valley, so this story has a very high degree of circulation here.

The descendants of the Lionheart King who fled here sold the treasures brought out from the treasury to gather money in order to establish Olympion, and most of these treasures were collected by the Lionheart King throughout his life and came from the remains of the ancient magic empire.

Most of the utensils were bought by wealthy magicians, and the rest were bought by guilds and nobles in the area that was still the empire area at that time.

This cup is one of them.

At that time, the northern part of the mainland was classified as their territory by the already-strengthened Magicians Association. Even the local traditional religion, the Eternal Holy Flame, was quite withered, and the people's acceptance of magic was even higher than it is today.

So this incident did not cause any waves.

But as the lion's empire fell apart completely, magicians who didn't pay much attention to world affairs couldn't stop the refugees who poured in along with the war and the church's twice-weekly sermons. One after another in the territory of Olympian, they were shocked to find out after they had gained an absolute advantage and a leading position.

The grandest and most sacred festival of each year, the winner of the judging event that provides the best supplies, should be blessed under the holy light and the champion of the whole year gets the "cruel" and "evil" old saying magic A product of the Age of Empires—

—How can this be done?

They feel very uncomfortable.

They have made great efforts to drive these "evil remnants" from the land shrouded in holy light and holy fire.

Extensive research and extensive publicity, in the end, these guys actually dug out conclusive research from the church's forbidden library, and confirmed that one of the artifacts - that is, the immortal golden cup is indeed, and is related to the most evil It is related to the undead magic emperor, and may even have some secrets related to him...

Even the most demanding pedants can find no faults in the rigorous and rigorous description of the subject. Based on this, they publicized it with great fanfare, trying to change the habit that has been maintained for two hundred years.

"As a result, the power of magicians had just retreated at that time, and there were still many people who had a good impression of magicians among the people. This caused a big backlash from the people, and finally nothing happened."

When hearing this from the nun's mouth, Ting Na was stunned.

After repeating it now, the girl couldn't help showing a smile on her face, the Church of the Holy Church

"As Miss Tingna said, the cup is related to the magic emperor [immortal] Sandro of the ancient magic empire, which has been proved by the Church of the Holy Church and the Church of the Holy Fire."

"...It's just that the people didn't take it seriously...?"

"That's right."

The girl's words were actually not very long. After listening, Liliana narrowed her eyes slightly.

The sunset that leaked in from the window illuminated the witch's long eyelashes. She was thinking, but she didn't seem to notice that the girl sat on the chair by the long table, staring at herself and Alice with anxious eyes.

"...Until he died of illness, Charlemagne has been collecting props from the age of the ancient magic empire. He himself is a powerful Noble Phantasm-level powerhouse, but he knows nothing about magic. He never defeated me when he was alive. I said that sooner or later I will use magic to defeat me. Secondly, when I helped Charlemagne’s children escape from the capital and come here, they did take a lot of things with them.”

Not thinking... but remembering?

"...If you think about it carefully, there is nothing strange about the relics of a certain emperor among the things they took away." "Lily didn't care at all at that time."

"...Although the relationship is not very cordial, he looked into my eyes and took his last breath. In order for him to be buried quietly at least, I didn't have time to worry about other things..."

Tingna suddenly felt that the girl in front of her was far away from her.

This is not the first time.

Liliana and Alice recall their past, which has been written in history books and become the subject of operas and novels, but it is the footprints left by them. Whenever this happens, Tina will always There is a feeling of being left behind.

Moreover, probably because this matter was investigated by myself, this time, such feelings were stronger than ever.

Obviously it should be very close, and you can reach it just by standing up and walking a few steps, but it seems that you can't get close no matter what.

—Is it like?

——No, that's true, no matter what, you can't get close.

She couldn't help but put her hands on her chest, clutching the whalebone amulet around her neck tightly through the suit, Alice and Liliana recalled their relationship with the former royal family of this kingdom, history books will be tampered with, and the past will be hidden , but their memory will never deceive them.

They just remembered like that, and the girl just listened like that, fascinated.

——Boom! !

Until the door of the conference room was kicked open forcefully.

Tingna came back to her senses all of a sudden, holding the amulet on her chest and looking there.

The person who rushed in was Mary, the girl with the same flaming hair as her father, her expression was cold, and there seemed to be a pleasure of revenge in her fiery eyes.

From the door to the long table in the meeting room, she only took three steps, and each step stepped heavily on the expensive stones. The soles of the boots that fruit farmers often wear slammed, which interrupted Liliana's conversation with her. During Alice's conversation, the two pairs of black and gold eyes turned to see Mary smashing a cloth bag on the table.

"No one accepts your employment, my lord."

From the corner of her grinning mouth, Mary happily spit out such a sentence.

"During the busiest season, a grape grower earns two silver coins a day. My father and I paid five times this price, and went to the villages of the growers to hire them. From Upper Gas to Gerentine, no one If you want to be like Jon, no one is willing to accept the gold coins you donate."

After the words that seemed to be cathartic poured out fiercely, those fiery red eyes dimmed again.

"No one, no one wants to be stained with the curse of First, no one wants to."

The pleasure of revenge retreated, and the eyes were full of misery, but the confused colors finally turned into a relentless hostility.

Liliana silently glanced at the bag of gold coins that had been thrown onto the table. She raised her head, looked at the girl who was taller than herself, and shook her head.

"...Do you also think that this is a curse?"

she says.

But without waiting for Mary to answer, she went on, in a calm tone.

"...I heard that you once studied magic for a while."

"so what."

"...What they refused was your offer."

The subject suddenly changed again.

I don't know if it's disappointment, regret, or helplessness. The witch stretched out her hand to hold her gradually golden color, and then spoke to Ting Na.

Another kind of warmth different from the setting sun stopped the girl's heartbeat for half a beat, and the sudden thank you caught her by surprise. From the corner of her vision, she hurriedly looked away, and she seemed to see Alice smiling gently at herself.

"...Then, Miss Mary, please summon the remaining winemakers in the winery here, and bring the winning records of the tastings in recent years."

"What are you going to do again?"

"……nothing."

Completely, he didn't care about the girl's unabashed hostility.

The witch stood up from her chair and announced lightly.

"...In short, solve the problem of the winery first, how, if there is a chance, then go to win a prize."

………………………………………………………………………………………

Afterwords of a certain evening

"Well, Miss Liliana, can I... help?"

"...?"

"That's the one……"

"That's right, Lily, it was Miss Tingna who discovered the Jinbei information."

"...Well, it's very important information. The Golden Cup related to Sandro, although it is unlikely to have exactly the information we are looking for, there is no reason to let it go."

"Yeah……"

"So I have to stay here for a while, at least until the end of the tasting."

"...Huh? That is, when will..."

"About the last two weeks of this month...Miss Tina, what's wrong? Why that expression?"

"Eh, no, no, nothing..."