LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 71
Coldon was the center of the region of Iceland and the Duke’s territory.
It was clearly the town among the places Karem had visited that had the best security.
However, for Karem, who roamed the streets of modern Korea even at dawn, there were certainly flaws.
Regardless, Karem felt at ease.
After all, he was currently staying in Winterhome, otherwise known as the Duke’s estate.
While it couldn’t be said for certain, who would be daring enough to invade the residence of a grand noble?
In modern times, with laws against home invasions, it was ingrained in Karem’s mind that he had to protect his body and property himself; thus, killing an intruder on the spot wouldn’t even be considered a crime.
No normal person would dare to sneak into Winterhome.
Yet, Karem encountered an intruder, who promptly shouted to announce their presence.
“Th-there’s definitely something suspicious about my attire, but—”
“Karem, are you alright?”
“Gyaaa!”
An elf, presumed to be the intruder, startled and dropped the bread in their hand while lunging toward the boy. By then, Mary had already appeared from behind Karem and subdued the elf immediately.
With a body slam, Mary knocked down the elf and quickly removed her katyusha, stuffing it into the intruder’s mouth before tying their arms with her apron.
In the meantime, Catherine and Olivier entered from inside.
Unsurprisingly, they both wore expressions of disbelief as they glanced at the subdued elf, their faces contorted in confusion.
Catherine made eye contact with Olivier and gave a nod toward the elf, prompting him to approach and inspect the intruder closely.
“The magical wave is stable. No doubt a wizard. Kitty, what shall we do?”
“Naturally, we must interrogate first.”
Catherine crossed her arms and spoke nonchalantly, but the elf could do nothing but mumble in response.
Though the pantry was empty, it wouldn’t suffice for an interrogation; hence, the tied-up elf was dragged out to Mary along with the others.
“By the way, I never expected a thief would come here.”
“Well, there are always valuables where wizards reside; it’s common for thieves to wander in.”
“Even in the center of a duke’s estate?”
“Child, regardless of intelligence, people can be more foolish than you think.”
Well, there was no denying that.
Even in this age of reason and rationality in modern Earth, foolish events happened all over the world.
Like eating some electrically spinning corn and losing teeth and hair, or kicking a flaming ball and getting burned as the oil spread. There were also instances of people climbing places they were told not to, only to fall, or opening emergency exits on an airplane and causing it to make an emergency landing.
Thinking about it all, Karem was beginning to understand something.
Besides, didn’t Olivier just mention that this intruder was a wizard?
Surely, they managed to bypass magic and devices with some mysterious trickery.
Thus, the four residents dragged the intruder into the reception room.
The elf, forcibly seated at the center of the table, trembled in fear.
Naturally, it was to be expected since two grand wizards were glaring at them from both ends of the table.
Staring at the elf with a countenance devoid of emotion, as if they were looking down at a stone on the street, Catherine snapped her fingers.
“Alright. Let’s hear your final plea. Mary.”
“Yes, Contractor.”
Mary immediately pulled out the katyusha stuffed in the elf’s mouth.
“Ahhh! I-I’m not an intruder!”
“Oh, Kitty. You’re not seriously believing that, are you?”
“Of course not. Who would admit to being a thief? Elder.”
The elf’s desperate cry was met with serious exchanges between Catherine and Olivier, who took turns speaking.
However, Karem sensed something different in the feelings exchanged between the two.
In modern times, there were numerous reasons to be mindful of criminals’ rights, but Iceland was worlds apart from the current era.
Thieves would have their wrists cut off, scammers’ tongues pulled out, robbers could lose their noses, and murderers typically received the death penalty or something near it without hesitation.
However, beneath the voices of the two grand wizards in confronting the intruder, there was an underlying thrill and joy.
As they pondered how to punish the intruder, with every exchange of opinions, the elf trembled like a rabbit faced with a predator, and the two grand wizards watched with delight.
Truly, like master, like disciple.
“Sir Atanitas, aren’t you and Olivier getting along well?”
“Child, what nonsense is that? Me getting along with the elder?”
“Yet your demeanor now seems quite, um, how should I say it?”
Crumpling their face as if they had stepped in droppings while walking down the street, Karem instinctively sensed that this was not the case.
Olivier leaned back in his chair, amused by Catherine’s instantly sour mood.
“Well then, shall we end this before more misunderstandings arise?”
“Tsk, Mary.”
Catherine snapped her fingers towards the elf.
Though it was merely a gesture without words, Mary instantly understood the contractor’s intent and unbound the elf’s restrained hands.
The elf, lacking the sense to catch on, blinked in shock like a surprised rabbit at the suddenly changed situation.
“What’s going on…?”
“I just realized myself; would you like a long explanation, or should I summarize it?”
“Um, could you summarize…?”
“Ta-da! You’ve been deceived.”
At the boy’s words, the culprits who had been teasing the elf finally revealed their true feelings.
Catherine smiled as if she had succeeded, and Olivier closed his eyes, grinning with satisfaction.
Upon seeing the intruder, an exchange of meaningful glances occurred between Catherine and Olivier.
Their odd alignment of opinions was underscored by a sense of glee.
Reflecting on it all, Karem thought it was odd from the very beginning, just as he had predicted.
It became clear that the two were intent on tormenting the elf.
However, an unresolved curiosity lingered.
Karem pointed at the still-dazed elf.
“So, can you tell us who this elf is now?”
“Still not catching on? You’ve got a blind spot in the strangest places.”
“Excuse me?”
“Naturally, they are the new contracted wizard.”
The Wizard’s Tower was a facility off-limits to anyone except for associates and invited guests.
For the two grand wizards to establish defense magic and devices there meant the elf was an associate.
And after hearing Catherine’s words, the elf had finally snapped back to reality.
“Y-yes! I’m Narque Escarna, the newly contracted wizard of the Felwinter Family since this spring! Nice to meet you!”
“Escarna. Indeed, they mentioned the first wizard to join in spring.”
Instead of clearing up misunderstandings, the flow only escalated as the elf was dragged along with their mouth shut.
It would have been understandable to be upset, but Karem could feel Narque suppressing his frustration.
It all felt somewhat familiar. Ah. That’s right.
Narque’s reaction resembled a typical response of a subordinate or graduate student helplessly caught in their superior or professor’s absurd joke.
“W-where is the contract…?”
The elf shivered and rummaged through their robes, producing a silk scroll stamped with the seal of the Felwinter Family.
It was the contract Karem had become well-acquainted with after seeing it for the third time.
“Isn’t this the same document that Sir Atanitas and Olivier showed?”
“But hey, child. Who are you?”
“I’m Karem, Sir Atanitas’s contracted cook. Pleasure to meet you. And that over there is Mary—Mary?”
Karem’s call went unanswered, as Mary was staring at Narque with intent.
Despite her blank expression, her eyes were sharp like blades, unmistakably conveying anger.
“Wh-why is that elf-like maid looking at me like that? It’s a bit scary.”
“Ah, did the Escarna handle the cleaning of the Wizard’s Tower while we were gone?”
“Um, well? I just had them sweep and dust a bit because it was too dusty?”
“That’s the reason. Mary is a House Fairy.”
“Uh, wh-what? What!?” Only then did Narque realize the nature of his actions.
Mary being upset was akin to a predator enraged by an invasion of her territory.
But Narque had something to say too.
“I-I didn’t know! No one told me about it! More importantly, it was so dusty that I couldn’t stay there without cleaning… right…”
“Hoo, your words are trailing off.”
“That’s because that house fairy is looking at me with such a scary gaze! I’m frightened!”
“Admittedly…”
Mary’s glare was more menacing than when Karem had occupied the kitchen.
The kitchen was just a minuscule part of the Wizard’s Tower.
On the other hand, the scope of her cleaning was likely the entire tower—huh? Wait a moment.
“You said you handled the cleaning. Would you mean with servants or maids?”
“No, um… I had our kids do it.”
“Our kids?”
Fearful of Mary’s reaction, narque suddenly stopped rummaging through his shabby cloak and began to mind his manners.
“Don’t mind me; I must first ascertain the subordinates’ major.”
“If that’s the case, my apologies.”
What Narque produced was a plump pouch.
As he untied the drawstring and emptied it onto the table, small bone fragments clattered as they piled up.
Gripping the pouch in his right hand, Narque formed a triangle with his fingers and recited words in a language Karem couldn’t comprehend.
Clack, clack, clack, clack…
The scattered pile of bones began to vibrate slightly, then all the fragments started to move as if invisible threads were tugging them.
Bones moving magically.
Karem accidentally uttered Narque’s major.
“A Necromancer?”
Starting from fingers, hands, arms, elbows, shoulders to toes, feet, legs, thighs, scapulae, ribs, skulls, and even wings—
Twelve tiny skeletons resembling mice and birds emerged on the table.
Only traces of the living remained as bones.
Narque lowered his hands and exhaled, glancing around nervously.
“Phew. Without my staff, this is all I can do…”
“Is it because no one told you that you’re a Necromancer?”
“Y-yeah, not exactly. Now that I think about it, I believe I’ve been given some warnings…”
“In that case, it’s partly Escarna’s fault. But will Mary be even more guarded?”
“W-well, that’s because I’m a Necromancer…”
“But I meant your reaction is a bit—”
“No! That’s not what I meant! You’re saying this group is small, meaning you cleaned up using little animal bones, right?”
Karem pointed to Mary, who was pinching her fingers beside Catherine.
Following his direction, Narque turned and let out a terrified scream.
Not a hint of light, just a chilling gaze full of emptiness.
With an expressionless face and a pale complexion, Mary stared at Narque as if piercing through him before she closed her eyes.
“Organization, laundry, cleaning, and so on.”
“Um…?”
“Those are all my responsibilities, and I will allow it just this once.”
“Huh?”
“Answer me!”
“Um! I’ll do my best to handle my work and loaf around as much as possible!”
What an assertive declaration for a piece of human trash.
However, Mary seemed satisfied with the very response she was looking for and nodded in agreement while lowering her agitated demeanor.
“By the way, Sir Atanitas, if you knew from the start, why did you keep dragging him in like that? Was it a prank?”
“Um, a prank.”
“Was Olivier in on it too?”
“Hehehehe.”
What a bunch of trash.
Karem looked at the two grand wizards, who appeared delighted at having successfully played a prank on a newbie, with a glimmer of white in his eyes.
The two grand wizards laughed darkly like professors who succeeded in recruiting a graduate student as their assistant.