Chapter 62
That woman......
*'She died, very honorably.'*
Declan murmured quietly.
"Purification is impossible?"
"Yes. Even a 5-star purification sorcerer couldn't do it, unless a miracle occurs."
"For now, station purification sorcerers and doctors near the subspace."
"But there's no way for outsiders to enter the subspace?"
"......Still, do it."
"Understood."
If purification sorcerers couldn't help, they had to seek alternatives.
These were people who sacrificed themselves for the family, for the Ortejo bloodline.
He couldn't just abandon them like this.
*'I need to investigate properly, what exactly happened.'*
He slipped out into the corridor, roughly dressed.
But then......
"Whoaaa! Grandpa!"
Iri, backpack on, trudging back from class apparently.
Still chick-like as ever in this situation. But he needed to warn her.
"I'm stepping out briefly, so stay put here. No causing trouble."
"Me? I-I've never caused trouble! I'm a good, upright child!"
A faint smile crept onto Declan's fatigue-worn face.
"Liar, always causing accidents."
"Not true! Look!"
As Iri's cheeks puffed up indignantly, Declan said,
"No good. Stay with your brother and his friend. Just play fun games inside the room, like normal kids."
With that, Declan swiftly departed.
Left alone in the corridor, Iri tilted her head.
"What's going on......?"
Grandpa looked so weary and lonely.
Left all alone like that, Iri pondered bitterly......
"Oh dear, little round baby! Why are you here alone?! Declan-nim said to stay with your friends!"
......but couldn't.
Grabbed dangling by the servants, Iri was taken to her room.
"Let's hurry!"
Iri was carried princess-style by the muscular maids.
*Wh-where are they taking me?!*
* * *
"This is moji......"
Karhen, Iri, and Seraphin.
The servants, caught off guard, had bundled the three idle kids into one room.
Seraphin muttered with a humiliated expression.
"Th-the servants dared to princess-carry me here!"
Next, seven-year-old Karhen spoke maturely.
"I walked here on my own feet. Because they told me to stay with Iri-nim."
Iri furrowed her brows and said,
"Why won't they tell us anything?"
"I heard rumors. The knights got hit by some poison and went off to die."
"Poison?"
As Karhen and Iri racked their brains,
the suddenly quiet thirteen-year-old Seraphin spoke up.
"Not poison, stasis. Seems someone got Magi Stasis Syndrome. That explains it...... now I get it."
*Wh-what?!*
"Don't look so shocked. I'm originally smart. It's a disease that slowly kills you, 'Magi Stasis Phenomenon' or 'Magi Stasis Syndrome.' They become magi itself, so they can't stay where people live. That's why they went somewhere deserted."
For the first time, Iri thought Seraphin looked competent.
"Hey, wanna know why I know so much about 'Magi Stasis Syndrome'?"
*'He looks kinda sad for some reason.'*
Iri said bravely,
"Huh? Of course I don't know?!"
"Then follow me. I'll tell you."
Seraphin glanced at Karhen and said,
"Y-you come too?"
"Pardon?"
"This is absolutely, absolutely not because I'm worried you'd feel left out! Abso-lutely not!"
Tch, grumbling, Seraphin strode ahead like the Academy's top student.
Marching off briskly, Seraphin.
Behind him, Karhen murmured, "What's 'left out'......" and quietly followed.
Even the ever-mature Karhen was seven, after all.
* * *
The place Seraphin brought Karhen and Iri to was a small corridor on the top floor of Ghost Castle.
Thanks to the adults being away handling the incident, it was quiet.
Arriving before the corridor lined with portraits, Iri gasped in pure admiration.
"Whoa! So this is what portraits are like? Totally different from the one Seraphin drew last time! Super duper cool!"
Seraphin halted abruptly.
"I-I'm good at drawing too!"
"Yes, Seraphin knows how to draw."
Cookie thought after a quick glance.
*That means he can't draw well.*
"......"
Seraphin pouted but said no more.
Instead, he led Iri and Karhen.
"Hey, about Mom. Remember? When you were in her belly."
"No way I'd remember that far back......"
"Hm, I guess? Mom and I sang to your belly every single day. Said we couldn't wait to see you."
Chattering on, Seraphin let out a "Hic."
"Ahem. Well, I never really wished for you to be born or anything. Just, y'know. Don't misunderstand."
"No misunderstanding."
"......What?!"
Hot and cold like jumping from cold bath to hot, Seraphin said,
"Anyway, I wasn't, but Mom waited a lot for you in her belly and loved you just as much."
Seraphin hadn't forgotten what his mother said.
And that day he was drawing the portrait.
He'd sensed Iri's expression was a bit off when talking about Mom.
So he just added that one line.
"Why no reply?"
"Just thinking."
To Iri, parents hating her was natural.
So 'Mom wanted to see you' felt unreal.
But right then.
Seraphin broached the main topic.
"Hey, the reason I know about Magi Stasis Syndrome is this. The White Knight Order this time got the same disease as Mom. Like our mom. So, that's why Dad went......"
Seraphin gazed at the portrait like he'd waited ages for this moment.
Then he rummaged through the small altar and offering box below.
"Y-you can't just touch that carelessly!"
"What's wrong? No one's here. And......"
Seraphin swallowed hard.
Uncomfortable despite his audacious meddling with the offering box.
"......Mom, before going to heaven."
"......?"
"She said she'd hide a 'way to cure the disease' under her portrait. So if someone later got the same disease as her."
"Got it......?"
"She said to give this cube to the smartest and most lovable kid in the world."
Iri's eyes spun.
*'How do you even find the world's smartest and most lovable kid?'*
That alone was a huge hurdle!
