Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

The old main residence, also known as the Great Round Tower, was built by Lord Hugo, the fifth head of the family. Initially, there were only castle walls surrounding that building and the surrounding moat.

From there, over the course of many years of renovations and expansions, the main residence grew to its current large scale.

Advancing over a wooden bridge and a drawbridge that followed, they arrived at the cylindrical building in the middle enclosure—the old main residence.

The moat, now a dry moat, was originally a water moat during the initial construction.

Inside the building, the air was cool. Passing through dim corridors, they ascended the winding staircase at the front.

“The intermediate levels haven’t been used for a long time. Only the rooftop is in use.”

Upon reaching the top of the staircase, they emerged onto a short colonnade. Sunlight streamed in through the columns, brightening the space we’re currently in.

“Exiting here leads to the rooftop. It has been called the Sky Garden for some time now, with seasonal flowers blooming, and waterways and basins arranged.”

Was this the reason why I could see greenery on the rooftop earlier?

“It’s much larger than I expected. And the breeze feels nice.”

Along the outer perimeter of the rooftop, instead of rugged parapets, columns were arranged in an arch-like fashion. The column were adorned with elaborate decorations, reminiscent of a colonnade surrounding the courtyard of a church.

From above the arches, evergreen vines and creeping plants dangled like curtains, swaying in the breeze.

Here and there, instead of plants, there were sculptures of large snakes winding around the columns. From the mouths of the snakes, multiple strands of white thread-like waterfalls were spouting, flowing down into the mosaic-patterned waterway encircling the floor.

“A waterfall in the waterway? Where does this water come from and where does it go?”

“It is drawn up from underground, falls into this waterfall basin, and then flows into the central basin through the underground water pipes beneath the floor.”

“Underground water, huh? Is it drinkable?”

“I’ve heard there’s a purification system at the bottom of the basin. The purified water used to be employed for domestic purposes and filling the moat in the past.”

In the past? The moat is entirely covered in green now. It must have been a dry moat with only grass and possibly shrubs growing for a long time.

“Why is it a dry moat now when water used to flow through it?”

“The reason is unknown. It is said that it was already a dry moat when the walls of the middle enclosure were built.”

“That’s quite a long time ago.”

Curious, I decided to go see the water basin.

In view was a flat hexagonal water basin adorned with wide white coping stones. It was quite large, with each side measuring about four meters.

In the center of the water basin was a statue made of smooth white stone.

Surrounded by large blooming flowers, a statue depicted a girl playing with birds and butterflies alongside a unicorn. Was the silhouette created by the sunlight also a deliberate design? The realistic sculptures, down to the smallest details, portrayed vibrant and lovely motifs. However, there seemed to be a touch of melancholy in the sculptures.

“What a splendid creation. It’s like real flowers and people turned into stone. What kind of stone is this?”

“It’s snowflake stone. The same material is used for the coping stones. Originally, it’s not suitable for flooring, so it has been magically reinforced. However, be careful not to step on it as we cannot predict what might happen.”

“Understood. I’ll be cautious.”

Cleaning seems like it would be quite a task, but is that managed through magic too?

“Why is the color different only there?”

There was a place on the pedestal of the statue that was shining in gold. However, it was reflecting sunlight, making it difficult to see from this angle.

“There are inscriptions buried in that place. You should be able to read them if you get closer to the water basin.”

Approaching, it became clear. A slightly inclined square golden plate, about 30 centimeters on each side, was embedded. Two lines of characters were engraved on it.

『My only one』
『I vow eternal love to you, my noble lady.』

Wow, how dramatic. Japanese people, especially the shy ones, could never say something like that. But for nobles, is this kind of romantic line normal?

Admiring the passionate vow of love in a sense, I lowered my gaze to peer into the water.

“It’s deep, so please be careful not to get too close.”

“I won’t get any closer. I’d be in trouble if I fell.”

Given the amount of water there, the depth seemed considerable. Even for adults, it might be too deep to touch the bottom. Since there was no railing, it could be dangerous if a child accidentally slipped.

Bending down cautiously, I peered into the water basin. Through the occasional ripples on the water’s surface, I could see several leg pillars supporting the pedestal on which the statue rested, and within the leg pillars, there was a faintly glowing sphere.

“Is that the purification device?”

“Probably. At least that part is said to play the role of a suction port.”

A suction port, huh? There might be something inside.

Bubbles were rising around the surroundings. Why were the little spirits gathering like that? It was hard to tell just by looking.

What could be there? And why there?

—Can’t tell

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a voice was heard. Not Faein’s voice, nor that of other small spirits. It was something more significant.

—Promised

A promise? With whom?

—Can’t tell

It’s a one-way communication, completely incomprehensible.

What is this voice asking for?