Chapter 37.1
At first, Leo wasn’t that motivated to know where the Lady of the Lake lived . In fact, he was a bit depressed because Albert forced him to return to the academy without saying goodbye to his friends . But after counting his copper coins and polishing his precious Kar-sama, he returned to normal .
And that’s when Kai returned with the information that Chris and “Leo” had successfully met each-other . The real Leo was really happy when he heard . He sent a letter to Leena on that same day, asking how he could contact Chris, plus what was the routine of the water mages working under Oscar’s brother, Francis .
Leo also mentioned in his letter that he wanted to talk about their new deal*, but Leena’s reply was just a meager “Please, come visit us again anytime you want,” which left him a bit frustrated . (*Tl/n: Ch-32 . 1)
However, Leo remembered what Hannah said about exchanging encrypted letters . That was indeed the best way for them to talk more frequently without creating suspicion, which meant that Leena’s ambiguous reply was a codded message .
(I see… in other words, she’ll tell me what I want to know the next time I go there to visit them . )
Leo understood Leena’s codded message, but still, he was a bit uneasy about his current situation . He wanted to know what the water mages were up to, because he wanted to finish his current task and teach the kids of the orphanage how to knit magic crests to sell them to Francis . After all, even if he had to stay in Leena’s body for the rest of his life, Leo wanted to, at least, help his friends and enjoy the spirit festival with them one last time, before going back .
Well, Leo hadn’t given up on Albert yet . He still wanted to prove that the prince was actually a good guy . And after doing that, he would be able to go back to his body and enjoy an everlasting business relationship with the Bernstein company .
But with things the way they were right now, it would be difficult for Leo to convince Kai to go visit the orphanage with him again, after all, every time he mentioned that place, the young butler would turn blue and say that that place was dangerous . And to make things even worse, he didn’t know why Kai was acting like that . Maybe his first hangover traumatized him, or something like that . Anyway, that was troubling . At this rate, his plans would come crashing down .
However, worrying endlessly over something that he couldn’t control wasn’t Leo’s style, so he went to the library to find some books about the Lady of the Lake that Chris had mentioned .
But, as expected, those books were too difficult for him . So he did what a “normal” person would do and turned the library inside out to find an easier book . However, he still didn’t find anything relevant that made sense, after all, the majority of the books only had depictions of the Lady of the Lake’s beauty, or how powerful she was… but none of them mentioned where she lived .
The only thing he got from scavenging the entire library was the name of a weird lake to the north of Richard, which was called The Shining Lake .
(Why the hell would I want to know about a f**king shining lake!? Do your job properly you sh**ty writer!)
For Leo, who didn’t particularly like fiction, reading an entire book entitled The Lady of the Lake, only to find out that the entire book was about a shining lake, was a bit irritating .
Leo couldn’t even concentrate during his tetime with Bianca because of that . And he also forgot about the magic recital that he was suposed to attend, which was a rare occurrence, after all, to him, knowledge was more valuable than money, since he could use that knowledge to gain even more money .
But unfortunately, Leo was running out of time . The Spirit Festival was right around the corner and he had to find some clue before then .
And it was at that moment that Leo remembered about the existence of a wild, and wise*, Head Priest . Well, it was thanks to Bianca though . If she hadn’t mentioned that a priest needed to accompany them throughout their field trip, then Leo would probably still be searching for a book about the Lady of the Lake .
(I forgot about Gustav-sensei! He’s almost a sage*, so he probably knows where the Lady of the Lake lives!)
(*Tl/n: Sage can also mean Wise Man in Japanese, so I changed the first one to Wise to make more sense . )
However, Leo didn’t know if speaking with Gustav was a good idea .
Sponsored Content
After what happened last time, the kept avoiding each-other . But he couldn’t just give up this late into the game, so Leo steeled his resolve .
Gustav was a kind man… he even forgave Leo for flooding the main hall of the cathedral . If Leo explained what was happening and asked for his help, Gustav would probably help him . But to do that, Leo would need a new magic crest, so he made a new one and added an extra line to the crest like he did the last time . However, instead of writing “Glory to the Spirits” on the outer circle, like Albert taught him, Leo wrote “Glory to Carnelian, the Lady of the Lake . ”
Well, the new magic crest was a gamble though . Leo didn’t even know if it’d work properly or not . But if he wanted to borrow the power of the water spirits, then he at least had to pay his respects to their Queen .
It was a good thing that Chris told him the real name of he Great Spirit of Water . Now he just needed to know where she lived, then he would be able to help Francis and earn a lot of money–
(–But to do that, I’ll need Gustav-sensei’s help . ) – Thought Leo, gently clutching the magic crest against his chest, as he entered the church .
“You want to know where is Lady of the Lake?”
Gustav frowned as soon as he heard what the little girl in front of him said .
He had just finished his outdoor class and he wanted to rest for a bit before going to bed, so he sat down in one of the benches . However, as soon as he did that, Leonora entered the church, then she knelled* in front of him and asked something really unexpected .
(*Tl/n: Leo was sitting in Seiza, but knelled was better, so I changed it . )
Gustav was a bit troubled by that, so he tried to make her stand up, but Leonora refused . She just stayed there, sitting on the hard floor, while staring at him .
(Haaah∼, why is everyone asking me the same thing? It’s not like I have the duty to know where she is…)
Gustav was also searching for his sister’s contracted spirit, the Lady of the Lake, with the help of the Holy Knight Order . However, the Great Spirit of Water was a bit eccentric . She liked to stay alone most of the time, so it was hard to find her . Although it didn’t stop the Holy Knights from searching the whole country just to find her .
Thanks to that, their latest discovery finally pointed towards a specific place, the Korwitz Forest, which was a welcome coincidence, since that was the destination of the field trip for the primary students .
Gustav was planing on using the field trip as an excuse to search the forest . It was the perfect plan . His only problem, however, would be the students themselves, since he had to keep an eye on them . But if he managed to find the Lady of the Lake in time, then he would be able to solve the current problem before it was too late .
Well, with that in mind–
Sponsored Content
“–What are you gonna do with that information?” – Said Gustav, in a slightly annoyed tone .
Leo noticed that Gustav was a bit irritated, so he quickly began his explanation .
He talked about the poor people who only had dirty water to drink, the lack of clean water and the inflation, the flower buds that probably wouldn’t flourish for the Spirit Festival and the difficulties of having to go to the nearby river just to get clean water .
That’s why Leo wanted to know where the Lady of the Lake lived . With her help, he would be able to help the citizens of the Empire, and Gustav knew that, after all, he was trying to do the same thing… however, he couldn’t simply accept that those acts of kindness were genuine .
At first glance, Leonora looked like a good-natured little girl, but maybe there was something more to that facade . From Gustav’s point of view, she was doing those things just for the fame and the praises, or maybe, like every other girl, she just wanted Albert’s undivided attention .
(No… that’s wrong…)
In fact, Gustav knew he was being blinded by his rage . He was so desperate to find fault in the little girl’s actions, that he didn’t even notice he was becoming the same evil he swore to destroy .
Everything Leonora said was the truth . She was genuinely concerned about the common people . That wasn’t a lie or a facade either . She had the eyes of someone desperate for a solution… yes, the same eyes he had a while ago . Besides, there was no audience to see her acting all noble . The only ones present were the two of them .
(Does she really know… what she’s getting herself into…?)
Most people would do good deeds just for the sake of standing out . And as a Holy Knight, Gustav was tired of seeing that fake justice… he despised it . But that wasn’t the case with Leonora . She wanted to help those people from the bottom of her heart . Gustav even felt compelled to praise the little girl for her dedication… however, he didn’t do that .
Although he knew Leonora was driven by her strong sense of justice, Gustav still couldn’t bring himself to fully trust her . After all, it was the first time, in his life, he ever failed to judge a person’s character .
On the other hand though–
(It worked! I knew Gustav-sensei would take the bait!)
–Leo was happy to see that his plan was a success .
Well, his relationship with Gustav had become a bit awkward because of that last conversation, so Leo knelled in front of him as a way of apologizing, before asking what he had to ask .
Leo also knew that Gustav would still be a bit angry though, so he decided to appeal to the kind side of Gustav, while he explained why he wanted to know where the Lady of the Lake lived–
(There are two types of people, the ones who can sympathize with others and the ones who only care about themselves . Gustav-sensei is a priest, so he’s the first type . )
–And it worked .
Sponsored Content
It wasn’t a lie when Leo said he wanted to help the people in need, however, he wasn’t an “Altruistic Saintess” like everyone painted him to be . He was driven by money, so if someone paid him, he wouldn’t mind helping a lot of people .
In many ways though, Gustav was right about the little girl in front of him . She really had an ulterior motive to do those good deeds . However, he didn’t know that .
“…That prince …Albert will probably stop loving you if you help the commoners… is that alright with you?”
The Crown Prince was the one backing Francis, so if Leonora really pulled that stunt, she would be considered a rebel . That’s what Gustav was trying to point out .
In part, that was also supposed to be Leonora’s last test . If her goal was to grab the prince’s attention, then she would probably feel conflicted, which would give Gustav a reason to hate her even more—
“Huh—?”
—However, this was Leo, not Leonora . He wasn’t a maiden in love like Gustav was imagining . Besides, the prince probably wanted to kill Leo, so not being loved wouldn’t make much of a difference .
“—And where’s, the problem?”
“N-no way… are you really-!?”
‘Are you really going that far just to help them!?’ – Is what Gustav wanted to ask, but as soon as he saw the serious look on Leonora’s face, he fell silent .
Leo noticed the surprised look on Gustav’s face, so he used that opportunity to strike again while the iron was hot and showed him the new magic crest he had created–
“T-this is…!”
–And as he expected, Gustav became even more surprised .
“This crest, is still, a prototype, but it can, be used for, a long time—”
Even though it was a prototype, Leo made sure to strengthen the magic crest . He wanted to make sure it wouldn’t come undone even if it was exposed to a lot of water pressure .
“—Furthermore, I also wrote, the name of, the Lady of, the Lake, on the, magic crest, to make sure, it’d work, this time—”
To any onlooker, it was like Gustav was paying close attention to Leonora’s explanation, but in reality, he wasn’t . His eyes were nailed at the magic crest that she was holding .
(Oh, so he likes this kind of thing as well?)
It was a bit unexpected to see a muscular man staring so intently at an embroidered cloth . But if that’s what it took for them to become good friends, then Leo wouldn’t mind giving it to him—
“—ano… do you, want this?”
“You’re… giving this to me?”
“Yes . This is just, a prototype, so I, can make, another one . ”
—After all, knowing where the Lake of the Lake lived was more important right now .
(Besides, I don’t even know where is Car’s home, so I can give that incomplete crest to Gustav-sensei, and then, he’ll tell me what I want to know . )
To Leo, the magic crests worked like a normal letter . If you sent one to the wrong person, or to the wrong address, it wouldn’t work as you intended it to . In this case, however, Leo only knew the name of the person he wanted to send the letter . So it wouldn’t work as precisely as he wanted .
On the other hand though, as soon as Gustav got a closer look on what was written on the magic crest–
“T-this name…! How do you know this name!?”
–He grabbed Leonora by the arm and asked that .
“Eh…? T-that, hmm, an ex-priestess n-named Chris told me her* name… . ” – Said Leo; he was a bit worried that he might’ve angered Gustav again, so he stammered a bit with his words .
(*Tl/n: Leo is referring to Carnelian here . )
“A priestess named Chris!? Tell me more about her!”
(Eh…? R-really!? He’s interested in her!? I-I thought he liked men!?)
It was a bit unusual for Gustav, of all people, to be interested in women, so Leo was a bit confused at first . However, it didn’t take him long to figure out what was happening . Gustav probably got interested in her because she knew the name of a Great Spirit, and that, in itself, was a plus . After all, he lived for his creed, so marrying a woman as knowledgeable as Chris was a good thing .
However, while Leo was staring blankly at Gustav–
“What are you doing to her?”
–The front doors of the cathedral burst open… along with a cold voice .