“...And what about Hamel?”
“Why would you bring up Stupid Hamel here?”
“No, well…. I just feel like he’s also a great person worthy of respect.”
“Why should I hold any respect for him! Just grab any passersby and ask them! Between the Great Vermouth, the Wise Sienna, and the Stupid Hamel, if you asked them to pick the one they most respected, as long as they’re not some lying attention-seeker, there’s no way they’d say they respect Hamel.”
“...Cough…,” Lovellian let out a low cough at Melkith’s outburst. As Gilead’s words about how he most liked Hamel ran through his mind, the Red Tower Master hesitantly spoke up, “...Ahem…. Eugene, if you don’t have any desire for a staff, then—”
Melkith interrupted him, “Hey you, don’t say anything pointless and just keep quiet.”
Ignoring her, Lovellian continued, “Among the artifacts collected by the White Tower Master, there’s one that’s extremely rare and precious.”
“I told you to shut up!” Melkith screeched. As if something was responding to her cry, her curly hair started to rise upwards as an electric current surged through it.
“It is strictly forbidden to commit any acts of violence within Akron,” Lovellian reminded her.
Melkith threatened him, “As long as you don’t spout any nonsense, I won’t need to do anything violent…!”
“What nonsense?” Lovellian defended himself, “I’m just going to give Eugene some advice so that he can make an informed choice.”
“I’m also quite curious about what he has to say,” Eugene spoke up with a grin.
Eugene also wanted to see Melkith summon the Wind Spirit King, Tempest. But if he could also get a rare treasure on top of that, he’d be bursting with happiness.”
Lovellian began, “Well… there’s this artifact called the Cloak of Darkness—”
“I said shut up!” Melkith repeated once more.
“Why do you sound so upset? When, as far I know, you haven’t even used the Cloak of Darkness once in these last ten years?”
“You…. Do you know how much I went through to get my hands on that cloak?”
“Isn’t it better to lend it to someone who needs it and get what you want in return instead of just leaving it lying around unused except for ornamental purposes?”
Once again, Melkith was left speechless. She dug her fingers into her floating hair as she was caught in frustrated anguish.
“What exactly is the Cloak of Darkness?” Eugene asked curiously.
“...It’s just a winter cloak. Since it’s got fur all over it, it’s quite warm…. Th-that’s all there is to it,” Melkith stammered as she avoided giving a real explanation, but Lovellian was kind enough to explain in detail.
“You know about Gedon’s Shield stored in the Lionheart treasure vault, right?” Lovellian confirmed. “Although it’s not really on the same level, the cloak can do something similar. If you direct a frontal attack into the inside of the cloak, you can redirect it back in any direction you want.”
“I-it’s not that versatile,” Melkith desperately tried to downplay it. “Strictly speaking, it relies on a rebound instead of a reflection. If you don’t calculate the spatial coordinates correctly and guide the path of the attack with mana, you won’t really be able to send the attack back in the direction you want it to go.”
“In any case, it has some of the highest levels of spatial magic. You might not be able to get familiar with it right away, but if it’s with your talents, Eugene, I believe that you’ll be able to use it soon enough,” Lovellian assured him.
“You…! You, just why do you keep blowing such hot air? Does the Cloak of Darkness really look all that easy to grab?” Melkith’s shoulders trembled as they heaved up and down.
“That’s not the only way you can use it,” Lovellian continued, ignoring Melkith’s latest outburst. “The outer surface of the cloak is also enchanted with high-level defensive spells. You can easily block an offensive spell of the Fifth Circle just by wearing it.”
“...But that also depends on your own mana,” Melkith sulkily added.
“All in all, it’s a very convenient artifact. Also, Eugene, do you still enjoy using various different weapons?” Lovellian asked, showing no signs of having heard Melkith.
The Head Wizard recalled the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony he had spectated a few years ago. Although the current Eugene only wielded Wynnyd by itself, during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Eugene had skillfully wielded both a shield and a sword together. Not only that, he had heard from Gilead that Eugene was also very good at handling spears.
Eugene pretended modesty, “Well, it’s not like I use multiple weapons just for the fun of it. But if I have them, I’ll use them. Though I currently only have Wynnyd on me since it’s inconvenient to carry multiple weapons.”
“Haha! If that’s the case, you’ll really love the Cloak of Darkness. That cloak also has the highest levels of subspace magic imbued into it. There’s nothing complicated about it. Just put some things into the cloak… and then you can take them out whenever you need them,” Lovellian revealed dramatically.
“This son of a bitch…!” Melkith cursed as she raised despair-filled eyes to glare at Lovellian.
“That sounds great,” Eugene nodded his approval with a broad grin. “Let’s trade for the Cloak of Darkness instead of a staff. Ah, but not right now. I still need to request permission from the main family.”
“I — I still haven’t agreed to this,” Melkith spat out with desperation in her heart.
However, Melkith was the one who had the most to lose by not making this deal, not Eugene. Or at least, that was how Melkith felt. Even in her dreams, Melkith couldn’t have imagined the fact that Eugene was extremely eager to speak with Tempest once more.
“If you don’t want to, then it can’t be helped,” Eugene shrugged nonchalantly. “Anyways, I used too much brain power upstairs, so now I’m starving…. Head Wizard Lovellian, if it’s okay with you, would you like to have a meal together? We can talk about what I need to do as your disciple.”
Lovellian accepted the offer, “That sounds good to me. Although it isn’t that close to here, I know of a nice restaurant situated up in the sky, in one of the floating stations. Although the food there is delicious, the night view seen from its windows is even better than the food.”
“Wow. Come to think of it, I still haven’t gotten to see the night view that’s called one of Aroth’s Crown Jewels.”
“If so, then that’s great! Allow me to call an aerial carriage for us immediately.”
Ignoring Melkith, Eugene and Lovellian got to know each other better as they exchanged chit-chat. Melkith had just been glaring at this sight, but now she gritted her teeth and dropped her head in surrender.
“...F-fine, I get it,” Melkith reluctantly admitted defeat.
“Oh, you were still here?” Eugene asked in surprise.
He was just as he appeared, a cheeky brat. As Melkith glared at Eugene, she clenched her fists.
Melkith struggled to spit out the words, “...The Cloak of Darkness…! If that’s what you want, I’ll… I’ll lend it to you.”
“There’s no need to rush. Haven’t I already told you that I need to ask permission from the main family?”
As Eugene replied with a shake of his head, Melkith was unable to endure it any longer and started releasing shrill screams of rage, “Kyaaaaaah! Kiyaaaaah! Ukyaaaaah!”
“I could almost think that you were a crow…,” as Eugene shook his head in pity, he backed away from her.
* * *
Just as Eugene had expected, Gilead made no objections to loaning Wynnyd.
However, he did attach conditions. They absolutely could not risk destroying Wynnyd during that time, and an observer from the Lionheart clan would be attached to Melkith for the duration she was borrowing Wynnyd.
“An observer?” Melkith asked.
Having visited him in the early morning hours, a few days after they had last talked, Melkith’s face didn’t look all that good. Perhaps because she’d been under a lot of stress for the past few days, the dark circles under her eyes were very deep.
Melkith continued, “Will the Patriarch be coming personally?”
“Nope,” Eugene answered.
“Then who will be coming? Is it that guy, the Patriarch’s younger brother, Gion Lionheart?”
“How did you know that?”
“The Patriarch of the Lionheart clan’s main family wouldn’t be so carefree as to be called here and there on various matters. Since he’s already been called to Aroth recently because of his wastrel son… it would be ridiculous for him to return for something like this,” Melkith grumbled as she unclasped the collar of her cloak.
“Is that the Cloak of Darkness?” Eugene asked, pointing to the cloak that Melkith was wearing.
She had said that it was warm because it was covered in fur, which was exactly how this cloak appeared.
“...Cool, isn’t it?” Melkith bragged with mixed feelings.
“I think it would look cooler if I wore it than when Head Wizard Melkith wears it,” Eugene teased.
“I’ve always felt like you were an annoying brat, but this is…!”
“Don’t get too upset. Since we’re doing business with each other, wouldn’t it be better if there were smiles all around?”
“Shut it. So then, when will the Patriarch’s younger brother be arriving?”
“They said that he’d be here sometime around noon today… but Sir Gion isn’t the only one who's coming.”
“Then who else is tagging along?”
Melkith narrowed her eyes as she carefully brushed the fur on the cloak.
“The Lionheart clan’s Guardians will also be accompanying him,” Eugene replied with a tsk. “This will be the first time loaning out a treasure of the main family, and they’re also here to take a look at… Eward’s… my older brother’s incident.”
“....The Guardians?” Melkith’s narrowed eyes softened as she tried to recall the term. After a moment’s thought, Melkith smiled and nodded, “Oh, that’s right. You’re talking about the Hunting Dogs of the Lionheart clan, right?”
Calling them Hunting Dogs, although the Guardians wouldn’t appreciate these words, Eugene’s opinion of them wasn’t all that different from Melkith’s.
The Guardians of the Family Commandments — the Lionheart Clan’s Black Lions.
Although that’s what they were called, the Guardians’ role was no different from that of hunting dogs.
If a child from the collateral lines who had not attended a Bloodline Continuation Ceremony were to train their mana or pick up a real sword, or if the White Flame Formula, which was meant to be learned exclusively by the main family, was taught to a collateral descendent — the Guardians would appear to deliver the judgment for their crimes.
‘And as for black magic,’ Eugene recalled.
The practice of black magic was strictly forbidden by the Lionheart clan’s commandments. Although Eward hadn’t succeeded in practicing black magic, it was true that he had tried to start learning black magic.
As such, the Guardians had decided to visit Aroth to investigate this matter closely.
Gion Lionheart, the still-unmarried younger brother of the Patriarch, was a member of the Lionheart clan’s Black Lions.
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