NOVEL NEXT Ch. 27
<190 days until the blossoming of the Magic Flower Actrias.>
A few days after entering the palace, Deltain, who always accompanied Agnes during her medical examinations, tilted his head in confusion at her expression.
“Where does it hurt?”
“… huh?”
“You don’t look well.”
Indeed, Agnes’ complexion, which was never great to begin with, had now turned a deathly shade. Even though there weren’t any other changes in her physical condition, it raised some doubts.
Agnes hesitated for a moment, then muttered something.
“Deltain.”
“What?”
“What would you think if your friend was your mother?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“… no, nothing.”
Disgust flashed across Deltain’s face.
“Are you really wasting your time on such thoughts? Focus on reality and stay within bounds.”
“Yeah, there are boundaries. But, why…?”
Agnes furrowed her brow. Deltain noticed the odd expression on her face but didn’t pursue it further.
After all, it wasn’t the first time she had said something strange.
Not wanting to give himself a headache by worrying about it, Deltain decided to change the subject.
“Your body will gradually start feeling better. Since the magic flower has developed resistance to drought, draining mana will no longer have an effect. As your mana replenishes, so will your vitality.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, and I won’t be coming for the next ten days because I have some commitments.”
Agnes turned her gaze toward Deltain.
Deltain continued, still looking at her wrist.
“I have to attend a banquet.”
“A banquet?”
“Yeah, it’s work.”
Deltain’s tone was indifferent, but Agnes found it irritating.
It was because of something Elina had mentioned a few days earlier.
– He’s handsome, isn’t he? Count Hebron. I remember many ladies at the banquets used to wish they could strike up a conversation with him.
‘… annoying.’
Agnes didn’t worry about Deltain being swayed by someone. But she couldn’t help feeling irritated at the thought of others eyeing what was hers.
She wanted to throw a tantrum, but…
‘… patience.’
Trying to control Deltain’s actions wasn’t a good strategy. Not yet.
Unlike when she had succumbed to temptation and had an excuse, showing such behavior now could have a negative impact on their relationship.
Agnes knew she needed to use the remaining 190 days more strategically.
“Alright, have a good time.”
Agnes smiled as she said this, and Deltain looked at her.
“It’s unusual for you not to complain.”
“Why? Were you hoping I’d try to stop you?”
“Not at all.”
“I’m letting you go because I have confidence.”
Agnes scratched the spot on Deltain’s wrist where the trace of thornbush tattoo was visible.
“No matter where you wander, you’ll always come back to me.”
“… that kind of confidence is almost pathological.”
“I’m just stating a fact.”
Agnes giggled as she added.
“I wait for you every night. For when you sneak in.”
Deltain let out a dry laugh.
“Keep waiting. Let’s see if I ever go first.”
“Who knows.”
Tap. Tap.
Agnes continued tapping her finger over the tattoo, her smile growing.
‘Yes.’
This much was appropriate.
Slowly increasing the threshold of what he would tolerate, pushing boundaries, and restricting his actions—only after she had become more special to Deltain.
“It’s a shame. If I could, I’d go with you.”
“…”
At that moment, a contemplative look crossed Deltain’s face.
Agnes tilted her head in curiosity as Deltain continued.
“… I’m thinking about it.”
“Huh?”
“A way to make you walk. You threw a tantrum about wanting to go out when you were tempted. I said I’d help you with that.”
Agnes’ eyes widened.
“Oh…”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m doing this because I don’t want to see you whining again. Besides, researching this might also help me find a way to suppress the magic flower… yeah, it’s just a different approach.”
Deltain finally looked satisfied after speaking.
He found it a pretty convincing reason.
Even though Deltain himself was uncomfortable with how much he cared about this, the reason he had just come up with was a good excuse.
Of course, to Agnes, this was a positive sign.
The frown he had before, now replaced by a faint smile, along with the loosening grip on her wrist, the relaxed breathing, and the easing posture—all of these were clues that allowed her to glimpse deep into his emotions.
‘It was faster than expected?’
The feedback was quicker than she had anticipated. Agnes tried to figure out the cause.
Was it because they had been physically close? Or was it due to some other external factor?
Whatever the reason, it was something she could count as good news, but Agnes wasn’t content with that.
‘I’ll need to figure out the cause and focus on it intensively.’
Since the answer wouldn’t come immediately, she’d have to spend more time contemplating it. Agnes buried her thoughts deep in her heart and spoke.
“I’m excited about that.”
“… what?”
“It almost sounded like a confession. Saying you’d help me walk.”
“It’s not good to twist people’s words to fit what you want to hear. I clearly said it was about approaching the magic flower differently…”
“Even if you say that, I wouldn’t understand. I don’t know anything about magic.”
“If you don’t know, then study.”
“I am studying.”
Agnes grabbed Deltain’s wrist and brought it close to her mouth.
Her tongue flicked out and licked the tip of Deltain’s finger. At Deltain’s startled reaction, Agnes smiled with the corners of her eyes.
“How to caress. How is it? Doesn’t it excite you?”
Smack!
Deltain slapped Agnes’s hand away.
His face had turned as red as an apple.
“… are you insane?”
“Oh, should I say I’m crazy about you here?”
“That’s the kind of line you’d hear in a third-rate romance novel. A seven-year-old might like it.”
“Then you must be seven. Little Deltain with a red face. Want some baby food?”
Agnes teased, lifting the collar of her shirt slightly.
Deltain’s eyes twitched. What followed was a hollow laugh.
“You really need to get checked to see if you have a mental illness.”
“I’m normal. I’m sure of it now. I’ve seen what real madness is.”
“What are you talking about?”
“More importantly, I’m looking forward to it. You said you’d make me walk again. If possible, do it within ten days. I want to walk arm-in-arm with you at the banquet.”
“Screw off.”
Deltain jumped up from his seat.
Even as the door slammed shut with a
She thought to herself absentmindedly.
‘Cute.’
A feeling she didn’t even realize she had.
The moment the maid entered through the closed door; Agnes forgot the thought that had crossed her mind.
—
Returning to the count’s estate, Deltain was still fuming.
Then, something greeted him.
“Count, a gift has arrived.”
Gerhart said, bowing deeply. In the hall of the count’s residence, large boxes as tall as a person were neatly wrapped and stacked beside him.
Deltain looked at the boxes, exhaling sharply.
“The aristocrats?”
“Yes, from Marquis Grovin.”
Marquis Grovin was known as the representative of the aristocratic faction. The reason he sent a gift to Deltain was clear, to win him over and expand his influence.
Since Deltain hadn’t yet rejected the gift or taken a negative stance against the aristocratic faction, they saw Deltain as a worthwhile investment.
Suppressing his rising anger, Deltain spoke.
The gifts from Marquis Grovin were always items that were hard to obtain with money.
“What are the items?”
“A few paintings, sculptures, and a magical herb from the polar region.”
“The polar region?”
“Yes, it seems they’ve obtained information about the item you’ve been searching for.”
“Ah.”
Deltain nodded. The polar region brought something to mind, the
Given that the other materials had intuitive names, he judged that this too was related to
That information must have leaked to them.
“I’ll have to say a word to Marquis Montbert.”
“Even an owl would struggle against Marquis Grovin’s grasp.”
“That’s no excuse. The contents of the request should never be leaked, no matter what.”
Though he said that, Deltain wasn’t actually in a bad mood.
The more groups searched for the DLC materials, the better.
‘There’s no way they could know what I’ll do with this.’
In fact, even Deltain himself didn’t fully understand what the
So, there was no real disadvantage in terms of information.
“Then the gift….”
“Well, it’s only polite to accept what’s given.”
There was no reason to refuse something offered for free.
Revealing his intention, Deltain began unwrapping the gift.
Gerhart would take care of displaying the paintings and sculptures, so those were set aside. What he was looking for was the magical herb from the polar region.
‘Just what I needed.’
Deltain had something in mind for Agnes’s mobility. Though Marquis Grovin hadn’t sent this gift with that intent, it was a rather pleasing gift for Deltain.
“Just send a brief thank-you note.”
“Will that suffice?”
“Yeah, they’ll fawn over the fact that the esteemed Count Hebron sent a letter.”
The aristocratic faction was a group that revered noble blood and noble achievements.
Of course, there was a hierarchy among them, and although Deltain was an outsider, he occupied the top spot in their hierarchy.
Deltain was well aware of that.
“They really are golden goblins.”
Gerhart sighed as he watched Deltain, who was chuckling while handling the deep blue magical herb.
“… then I’ll handle it as you’ve instructed.”
“Yeah.”
—
There was a room in the underground of the count’s residence that was far removed from the atmosphere of this world.
It was Deltain’s private laboratory.
Filled with various flasks and mechanical devices in an entirely white space. And the magical circuits he had designed himself.
This was a room where the knowledge that had advanced the continent’s civilization by ten stages was dormant.
Deltain was distilling the magical herb in the middle of the laboratory.
This was the material for the new magic engineering device he was creating.
‘Ten days.’
There was that much time left until the banquet.
Deltain reminded himself of his resolve to complete this by then.
‘I focus better with a deadline.’
It wasn’t so much for Agnes, but more about challenging himself.
He was a man who became strongest when faced with a challenge.
‘Which one should I try?’
He had five models in mind.
After finishing the preparation of the magical herb, Deltain drew his mana.
The deep blue mana filled the air, forming a blueprint.
It was a massive blueprint that covered the entire white space.
Deltain felt a pleasant tension.
Designing blueprints and creating miracles.
Whenever he did this, he could recall what kind of person he was before falling into this world, and he relished it.
Deltain raised his hand.
As he manipulated the mana, a gentle smile, unseen by anyone since his fall into this world, spread across his face.
At that moment.
An achievement greeted him.