Chapter 69
Excited, he hurried to the desk and grabbed a couple more straws. Taking a bottle that Raelin had quickly pulled from the basket, Laine bent a straw and stuck it in, then eagerly took a sip.
“Ah ha, like this even patients or little children could easily drink something! So that’s what this is! I never knew…”
Nodding repeatedly as he drank the beverage, Laine looked up with a big smile. Kiara gave a faint smile in return.
‘…Such a childlike person.’
It was kind of cute that something so small could make him so happy.
Well, if he’d been curious since he was little, maybe it was a relief.
Now curious herself, Kiara spoke up.
“By the way, those…”
She glanced sideways at the tubes displayed like ornaments on the desk and continued her question.
“Since when have those been there? And who put them there?”
“That’s obviously…!”
Laine, getting excited again, seemed a bit thirsty and took another long sip of the drink he’d been having. Then he answered.
“Obviously, it was the Witch herself!”
“…Huh?”
Kiara’s eyes widened. Was he really saying there was another witch? Now that she thought about it, Ael had mentioned sometimes meeting witches. She tilted her head in confusion, and Laine gave a sly smile before starting to explain.
“Besides the Black Forest of Altnebra, there are a few other places across the Empire where witches appear. Of course, the only place where a powerful witch with great magic, the Red Witch, appears is the Black Forest. Thanks to that, Altnebra has received the blessings of the Red Witches for hundreds of years. This tube here is said to be a legacy left by one of the Red Witches…”
“Oh, then what about those magically enchanted books?”
Kiara cut in with curious eyes. If there really were witches with that much power, maybe she herself could wield such magic.
But Laine shook his head, disappointing her hopes.
“I don’t think so. Those were probably made by one of the more powerful sorcerers, you know. Nothing major.”
At his casual tone, Kiara gave a look of disbelief.
Why does he treat a bendable straw as if it’s something more incredible than a book that automatically goes back onto the shelf?
Sure enough, Laine, genuinely fascinated, muttered quietly as he carefully pulled out the straw from the bottle and examined it.
“…Even the hot spring in the palace bathhouse is the masterpiece of one of the witches…”
“Ho-hot spring?”
“Well, it’s not really a spring. If you turn the handle, hot or cold water comes out. Come to think of it, even the washing tub and some things…”
After counting off the witches’ achievements on his fingers for a long time, his voice suddenly dropped to a low tone.
“The witches and the Altnebra royal family have maintained a good relationship. That is, until the House of Grandilgale stole a witch from us.”
His low murmur sounded strangely gloomy, as if recalling some injustice. Kiara looked at Laine with uneasy eyes. Without even glancing her way, his eyes darkened to a deep indigo, almost navy blue.
In a low voice that matched those deep eyes, Laine muttered again to himself.
“I thought maybe this time, since the Red Witch has appeared for the first time in decades, we’d be able to keep her as ours… But of course, she was stolen away. Because of that foolish Blaine.”
Kiara stared at him silently for a moment, struck by how casually he spoke about stealing and being stolen, as if she were just an object. Then Laine quickly returned to his good-natured demeanor and shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway, the idea is to teach each other our written languages. What do you think?”
Kiara looked at him, dazed, as he smiled brightly from ear to ear.
His expressions and even the color of his eyes shifted so quickly, it felt almost like two different people were living inside one body.
But only for a moment — glancing again at the shelves packed with books, Kiara gave a nod.
“I knew it. I thought you were the kind of person who, like me, enjoys the pursuit of new knowledge.”
Laine beamed wide enough to show his teeth, clearly pleased, and Kiara gave him a slightly awkward smile in return. Something had been bothering her since earlier, but this wasn’t a bad offer. She was being given a chance to learn how to read, after all.
And frankly, Kiara had been treated all her life like some kind of walking misfortune magnet. A little weirdness in exchange for literacy? That was a trade she could endure.
“Well then, you two can discuss the details later. For now, why don’t you eat something? Kiara, you haven’t had a proper meal all day, have you? And Laine, you haven’t had dinner either.”
Raelin, who had been watching the two, finally relaxed and picked up the basket again. She seemed ready to set the table, glancing around until Laine gestured toward a table.
“Set it over there. There.”
“…Isn’t that… the reading desk? It’s got some rare books on it…”
Raelin looked reluctant. Though she used the books as an excuse, her real hesitation seemed to be the magic allegedly bound to the desk. She clearly didn’t feel comfortable about it.
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