READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 62
It seemed there had once been a more grandiose form to this ceremony, but it appeared the envoy had rejected it.
Nepanek, it seemed, was eager to dismiss the whole affair. However, as Alfred, welcoming a close aide of the divine king from a foreign land, he couldn’t simplify the welcoming ceremony any further.
Symbolizing an unchanging friendship, they exchanged flags adorned with their respective crests. After a brief exchange of welcome remarks, the ceremony promptly came to an end.
Naturally, no one made any blunders during the ceremony.
The only ones who spoke were Alfred and the envoy, the Chief Magic Consultant Nepanek, and since there was no complex procedure or order to the ceremony, it was hardly surprising.
After days of tedious practice morning and night, the soldiers and knights quickly disbanded, leaving only the escort behind as soon as the ceremony concluded.
“Shall we disband as well?”
“No, we still have work to do.”
“Excuse me?”
Regardless of Karem’s confusion, Catherine moved forward towards Adobice without hesitation.
Even Olivier, who hadn’t been seen closely before, seemed to have joined their group without anyone looking for him.
Then, something magical must be getting checked.
Karem had enough sense to figure that much out.
A fleet of this size moving with an envoy was no trivial matter. Naturally, the ship must have been stocked to the brim with supplies to prevent massive consumption just from moving.
And the presence of numerous merchants disembarking from other Adobice ships solidified Karem’s thoughts.
“Excuse me. Are you Sir Atanitas, the Chief Magic Consultant of the Duke of Iceland?”
“Yes. You recognize me well.”
“I received guidance from His Grace the Duke’s office moments ago. You’re a different person from last time—”
“I’m the newly appointed Chief Magic Consultant.”
“Oh. Then what happened to the previous ones—”
“The former and his subordinates reportedly perished in the north.”
A Dark Elf woman, who had come to guide Catherine onto the transport ship, hesitated for a moment, but upon her urging, she promptly used her beautiful staff to lead the group inside.
The sailors and workers, busy with their own tasks, instinctively stepped aside so they wouldn’t hinder their movement.
Karem wondered if it was really okay for him to follow. But if it were an issue, surely someone like Catherine or Mary would have stopped him, so the boy quietly moved inside the ship.
During the conversation between Catherine and Olivier and the Dark Elf woman, Karem noticed she was also a wizard.
Though the materials and designs differed, the structure and shape of her staff looked strikingly similar to Olivier’s.
The Dark Elf woman guided them to the storage and then left, presumably to handle her duties.
“By the way, there’s quite a lot here.”
Karem murmured as he surveyed the interior of the storage. The square passages made for movement were packed with large and small wooden boxes and sacks, filling the place to capacity.
“With two wizards present, it seems we’re checking the magic materials?”
“Yes. After all, this kind of thing requires quality checks to be done personally.”
Olivier stroked his beard, looking a bit annoyed, and frowned.
“Quality checks, huh? This isn’t exactly our usual level of work.”
“It’s unavoidable. Old man. If the lower ranks can’t handle things, the upper ranks have to struggle.”
“My, if it weren’t for the greed of my previous employer, I would have been leisurely researching while managing the lower ranks. What a hardship this is.”
“Stop venting about the gloom of menopause. It’d take at least half a day to check all this.”
“You sure are rude to your master.”
However, he agreed it would indeed take half a day. Olivier raised his staff into the air, rolled up his sleeves, and began checking the contents of the nearby sacks and boxes, following Catherine.
Then, a while later, feeling a bit bored, Karem slyly asked Mary who stood next to him.
“Mary, is there anything we can do?”
“Karem, can you use magic?”
“No? What about you, Mary? You’re a House Fairy, after all.”
“Well, I don’t necessarily not use magic.”
“Oh, really?”
It was a startling reality. Now that he thought about it, even though Mary wasn’t visible in the Wizard’s Tower, if called, she seemed to pop up instantly from here and there. There were also times when she appeared out of nowhere just by turning his head. Thinking back, there had indeed been many suspicious moments, was all of that magic?
Mary glanced away, as though she had caught Karem thinking she had deceived him.
“However, the magic of House Fairies is quite tricky, with vague conditions and uses. In the current situation, it wouldn’t particularly benefit the Contractor or Olivier.”
“Then what can we do?”
“We can’t do anything. Just munch on some Crumble. I mixed in some nuts.”
As Mary opened a plush silk pouch, it was filled with large and small crunchy brown and beige clumps that looked crispy just by looking at them.
The rich aroma of butter and sugar penetrated the dry wooden smell of the ship and the faint salty air, causing Karem to feel the emptiness in his stomach after finishing breakfast.
Without hesitation, Karem grabbed a handful of Crumble and tossed it into his mouth.
It was bound to be delicious. Crumble was practically the most delectable crunchy outer layer of pastries and pies collected into one.
As he savored the buttery richness of the Crumble, a sudden explosion of sweetness broke through as he chewed, with the potent taste of walnuts lingering and the soft flavor of almonds wrapping tenderly around his mouth, while the delicate flavor of hazelnuts harmonized without overlapping.
And just when he thought it would get monotonous, the salty taste cleared his palate and he was back to the initial buttery richness.
Suddenly, Karem recalled his estranged parents.
No matter how much he thought about it, they had been a twisted bunch, but he couldn’t help but feel grateful for the healthy body they had passed down.
What if he had an allergy? He wouldn’t have even been able to eat this food, right?
“It’s been a while since I made this. How is it?”
“Pastry really suits you, Mary.”
“That’s only natural.”
As Karem sincerely complimented her, Mary’s typically expressionless face showed a slight smile as the corners of her mouth and eyes lifted.
Then, the sound of rummaging in the storage echoed clearly along with the crunching noise.
It was time for the breakfast he had eaten to digest, and his stomach was empty.
Moreover, in the storage, which maintained a strictly dry environment for the sensitive magic materials, the only smells wafting around were faint wood and a briny scent.
The sharp echoing sounds and smells abruptly broke through the air.
Catherine, who was checking the items, immediately got furious and stood up from her place.
“Those underlings are sitting and munching snacks without asking their superior first!”
“Technically speaking, we’re standing right now.”
“Silence! Just bring it over here! You old man!”
At her words, Mary swiftly grabbed a piece of Crumble and offered it, to which Catherine took it as if it were natural and began munching with all the pent-up frustration she had felt for the first time in weeks.
Before long, Olivier, who had been inside the storage, also quietly approached and took a place among them.
Unlike Catherine, Olivier munched on Crumble while grumbling.
“Oh, my back. When was the last time I checked this many magic materials? A hundred years? Two hundred?”
“Old man, can you seriously not remember already? The Moonlight Herb Calamity.”
“Oh, I remember that there was such a thing.”
At the words of his graduate, Olivier slapped his forehead.
As Karem glanced sidelong at the two’s private conversation, Catherine kindly explained.
An ancient vampire, long forgotten in the flow of time, had resurrected.
As the surrounding area turned into a night unlit by the sunrise during the full moon, a Subjugation Team was formed, and after fierce battles, it was reported that the vampire and its followers had been defeated.
“But what does that have to do with the calamity?”
“The Moonlight Herb originally shows up on nights when the moon is full and disappears underground by day.”
Catherine gestured to Mary, receiving another handful of Crumble. After swallowing, she continued.
“However, due to the endless moonlit nights, the grass that bloomed across the vast plains did not wither even as time passed, prompting sorcerers and merchants from all over the country to gather for purchase.”
“From all over the country? For what purpose?”
“For beauty potions made from the Moonlight Herb, which became a trend among women.”
Olivier interrupted Catherine’s words.
And Karem could grasp the meaning in an instant.
After all, regardless of time and world, a woman’s instinct was to willingly use anything for the sake of beauty, even if it meant consuming poison.
It was perhaps not the fondest memory, as Karem saw Catherine and Olivier bond, sharing frustrations.
They would say he had a foul mouth all the time, or that he was an old man struggling to survive, but they had shared a mentor-student relationship, so it wasn’t surprising that they would have some fondness, albeit begrudgingly.
Before he knew it, their complaints had turned into unresolved grievances over the seasons passed. Olivier had resolved some? Even grand wizards had limits when it came to two wizards being short-handed physically.
While Karem listened to the lamentations of the two magicians, he suddenly heard a voice from outside the storage.
Faint but familiar, suspecting it might be the Duke’s voice, he turned to Mary.
“That should be the Duke’s voice, right?”
Before Mary could speak, the door swung open as if answering affirmatively.
Nepanek and Alfred entered, leading their respective guards inside.
“So, you were here as Nepanek said. Catherine, and Olivier. We heard some sounds from outside. Was there a problem?”
“No, my lord. Indeed, Adobice is just as it is. I found no complaints whatsoever, Kitty?”
“Of course. I can’t believe how well-preserved everything is, even after such a long journey.”
The encounter of the Duke and the envoy was sudden, but Olivier and Catherine flowed into conversation with the same ease as a flowing river, like they had never complained or grumbled even once.
Considering they had just been loudly proclaiming earlier—no, perhaps that made them more cautious, right?
As Karem picked up the Crumble and tilted his head, Nepanek clapped his hands and turned to Alfred.
“This is quite fortunate. Your Grace, may we check the warehouses at the port with your two subordinates here?”
“Of course, that’s fine. Atanitas, Olivier, may I ask for your assistance?”
Naturally, the two wizards stood up unnaturally fast and readily agreed to the high nobility’s suggestion.
They had just been expressing their frustrations moments ago. Karem watched the two wizards with a hint of white-eyed admiration.
“Karem, that’s a rude gaze towards the Contractor.”
“Then I’ll only watch Olivier.”
“Then that’s acceptable.”