Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 56

“Rubel can have some tomorrow when I bake another batch.”

I gave a small laugh and closed my heavy eyelids. A warm, nostalgic feeling wrapped around me, as if I’d gone back to my childhood.

***

The next day.

The carriage ran for a long time. I kept dozing off and jolting awake, repeating the cycle while staring out the window. Dawn’s bluish light turned into a bright, sunny morning, and the Magic Tower grew closer.

“….”

On the surface, it looked like any other morning commute, but the circumstances were different.

Because of all the things that happened yesterday, I was heading to work directly from Iella’s house instead of mine… and more importantly, facing Nardi had become a problem. I’d been pushing thoughts of him aside, but since our daily lives were so intertwined, the time to meet him again was already approaching.

How was I supposed to face Nardi?

Since we were inside the Magic Tower, should I just act completely normal, as if nothing had happened?

In this situation, it was almost fortunate we’d been in a secret relationship.

In front of others, we’d always acted like nothing more than teammates and seniors and juniors, so nothing on the surface would seem strange. I decided to treat things just as I normally would. With that thought, I got out of the carriage and began walking.

When I entered the Magic Tower’s research department and stepped into our lab, I saw Lupina and Mireille.

“Good morning.”

“Welcome, Eloise!”

“Morning.”

Nardi wasn’t here yet. I barely made it on time today, so it was surprising. He was always relaxed and punctual, and I’d never once seen him late.

Even as I changed into my white lab coat and prepared for work, Nardi didn’t appear. When the clock struck the hour, it was officially confirmed he was late.

“Let’s go to the lab as planned!”

“Let’s go.”

The two of them began getting the reagent cases as if it were obvious, which left me confused. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for Nardi and go together? He probably wouldn’t be too late. I looked between the lab door and the two of them before opening my mouth.

“Shouldn’t we wait a little? I think Nardi will be here soon. It might be better to go together.”

“Huh?”

Lupina’s eyes widened.

“What are you talking about, Eloise? Nardi went to the demonic beast subjugation.”

“….”

Ah, right.

My mouth hung open in shock.

Of course. Today was the day of the demonic beast subjugation. I’d been so mentally overwhelmed I’d completely forgotten.

“…I forgot for a moment.”

“Isn’t that too much, Eloise?”

Lupina laughed playfully, though she looked almost as flustered as I felt.

And I understood why. Judging from what she said back in the cafeteria, Lupina had probably figured out the relationship between Nardi and me. So the fact that I forgot he was going to the subjugation must have surprised her.

“…You’re right.”

Even to me, it felt unbelievable. I didn’t have a bad memory, so how could I forget something like this?

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly changed the subject.

“I’ll carry this.”

I picked up one of the reagent cases myself.

I spent several days busily.

Through letters, the queen informed me of the quantity of lactation-promoting potion she needed, and I had to mass-produce a large batch of the same magic potion. At the same time, my concern for my family’s safety never left me, so I made various magic tools as well.

Every day after work, I desperately wanted to go to Iella’s house, but I couldn’t. All the materials and tools needed for potion making were in my home lab, and we agreed that for now I should behave as usual. If I suddenly began visiting Iella frequently, when I hadn’t been able to do so often before because of the distance, the queen might grow suspicious after her threat.

Going back and forth only between the Magic Tower and my house, living busily like that, I finally managed to visit Iella’s home yesterday. Three days ago, I finished the lactation-promoting potion and sent a reply to the queen, and the day before yesterday, the queen’s messenger came to my house to retrieve the potion.

Since I’d at least finished one task, I completed a few magic tools and went to Iella’s house. Thankfully, all of her family members were safe.

“What is all this, Eloise?!”

“I made some more self-defense magic tools. I put in stronger magic than the previous ones.”

“What? You could practically run a shop with what you already gave us, so why? Have you even been sleeping at night?”

“Yeah. Unnie, look at this too. I made a magic signaler.”

I pointed to four small cube-shaped devices, like dice, each with a tiny button on one side.

“There are four in total: one for you, one for my brother-in-law, one for Rubel, and one for me. Each person should carry one. If a dangerous situation happens, just press this button.”

The moment one button on a signaler was pressed, the others lit up at the same time. A bright silvery white glow flickered so intensely it almost hurt the eyes.

“If someone is in danger and sends a signal, everyone else will know right away. I hope we never have to use it, but if the light ever turns on, I’ll come straight here.”

I couldn’t stay by my family’s side all day, but at the very least, I wanted to detect danger immediately and run to them.

“Alright. Thank you, Eloise.”

“It’s nothing.”

This was all I could do.

I couldn’t eliminate the root of the danger. All I could do was prepare for danger that might come.

I felt helpless.

“How about the queen? Did she contact you again?”

“Yeah.”

The previous day, when the queen’s messenger came to collect the potion, he handed me a new letter as if he’d been waiting for that moment. Another cursed invitation. Apparently deciding she’d given me enough time to think, the queen scheduled the next meeting for the following week. As always, the location was the queen’s palace, and the date and time were delivered as an order, not a request.

“He told me to go to the queen’s palace next week. The queen will definitely demand an answer.”

“Next week?! That woman has no patience. Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“Yeah.”

I’d agonized over it for days, but as difficult as the problem was, there was no perfect solution. I’d only come up with something that was slightly less terrible.

“I’ll just say I’ll make the poison and then not actually make it.”

“You’re going to pretend to make it?!”

“Yeah. I don’t know how long I can fool her, but I’ll deceive her as much as possible.”

For my family’s immediate safety, I needed to appear as though I was submitting to her authority, even if I wasn’t. I didn’t want to do it, but there was no other way. If I refused to make the poison, the queen would harm my family.

Since the queen was the kind of vile person who would use my family as leverage to threaten me, the only way to face her was to become just as vile. I had to blind her eyes with lies and deception.

“This seems like the best option for now. The queen won’t fall for anything half-hearted, so I’ll have to deceive her so thoroughly that it looks like real research.”

She’d definitely check the progress from time to time, so I needed to create something, a ‘fake’ poison that would look convincing enough to fool her.

“Right. Eloise, I thought about it too, and I couldn’t think of anything else either…. I’m just worried you’ll suffer too much.”

“It’s fine. Research is what I always do.”

“You’re an expert among experts, so you’ll fool the queen well. If you need any herbs or poisonous plants, tell me anytime. I’ve set aside the rare ones too, and I’ll give them all to you. This is exactly when having a family that runs an herb shop becomes useful.”

“Yeah, I will.”

I didn’t forget to add:

“Even if I accept the queen’s request… no, her order, don’t ever let your guard down. Even after I pretend to agree, the queen might still threaten me by targeting the family… we don’t know what she’ll do. That’s why I made more self-defense magic tools, and I’ll keep making them.”

“Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll keep this with me at all times.”

“Good.”

When I pressed the signaler’s button again, all the lights went dark at the same time.

“Make sure you teach the others how to use it too.”

“Obviously. But hey, are you really sleeping at all? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”