NOVEL NEXT WORLD The Nerd Turned Out To Be The Tyrant
Chapter 126
It was an offer that Luce had no reason to refuse.
“I’ll do that. It’s my job, after all.” “Oh my, thank you so much. It would have been really difficult if you had refused.” “You’ve been working hard. Here, I brought this because I thought of you. Please eat one when you feel hungry while working.” With a polite greeting and a few glucose candies, the supply officer rolled up her sleeves, saying that she would do her best to accommodate her. Thanks to this, she was able to stay under the temporary barracks that blocked the sunlight. The knights came and went from the barracks, but they weren’t complaining of side effects as the vice-captain had thought. They were people who usually complained of headaches or stomach aches, and most of them received business cards from the 『Mura Garden』. Who would have thought that they would set up a mobile sales office in the palace of all places? Luce, who was laughing inside, asked a few questions while giving advice. “How do you usually treat people who are sick? Don’t the Knights have a dedicated apothecary?” “We do have basic medicine, but low-ranking knights like us don’t have access to it.” “But there could be injuries while dealing with external intruders, right? Shouldn’t you be prepared for that?” “That kind of thing is so rare… I mean, who would be bold enough to sneak into the palace?” The knight, who was deep in thought, said. “Oh, knights who get seriously injured during sparring usually go to the infirmary under the captain’s direction. After that, they recover as if they were washed clean.” “If you listen to what he says, it sounds like the captain is escorting us.” “The palace apothecary is so busy and doesn’t treat just anyone. I think the captain is worried that our knights might be rude. Well, as you might know, there are many people who spread nonsense about apothecaries.” “It seems they usually only attend to members of the royal family. Wow, I wonder if I could work at the palace as an apothecary after a few decades of experience. How many years has that person been working here?” “Well, I’ve never met them in person either. But it seems like they change quite often. You should gain some experience and give it a try yourself.” “Changes often?” “Every time the ones who receive treatment come back and describe the person, it’s always someone different. The current one, for instance, is a man with a mustache.” The palace apothecary is Radanum. Since Abel has declared it, it can’t have changed. However, the reason the knights’ memories are all different is probably. ‘I think he mixes up their memories in exchange for the treatment. That’s why the secret about the wizard living in the palace didn’t leak out for a long time.’ The thought of never asking for anything from him solidified in her mind. A wizard who even turns requests for healing into wishes, Luce swept her goosebumps off her arm as she painfully understood the description in the legend that was sometimes kind and sometimes bizarre. Was it the wizard’s malice that caused the loss of their memories, or was it the result of someone’s wish? Perhaps their past self had sacrificed their memories in exchange for a wish. Was it the wizard’s malice that caused the loss of their memories, or was it the result of someone’s wish? Perhaps their past self had sacrificed their memories in exchange for a wish. Buried beneath her chaotic thoughts, Luce took out her notebook. Despite Luce’s insistence that he return first, Isaac firmly refused to leave. He watched Luce as she filled a page of her notebook and then asked, “Are you writing a diary, Luce?” After realizing that the wizard had stirred up her memories, Luce began keeping a journal. Even if the memories of writing the journal were eventually altered, it was a minimal safeguard she could rely on. “Yes, there are many things I want to remember these days.” “I hope today’s hunting festival will be a pleasant memory.” Luce, who laughed bitterly, didn’t have much of an answer. “Everyone, get to your positions!” The surroundings became noisy. The knights who had filled the barracks withdrew like the ebb tide and headed to their respective positions. Luce, who had stuck her head out of the barracks, looked at the platform. The golden light pierced Luce’s eyes. As the figure emerged from the light, Luce swallowed nervously. It was a familiar face, a face she had expected, but she secretly hoped that it would be wrong. If her expectations were wrong, no one would die at this event today. However, Abel, a boy suffering from insomnia, and Delmar, the prince of the empire, declared the start of the hunting festival just as Luce had imagined. A sound of drumming echoed through the air. The sound that filled the air was low and heavy like a funeral march. * * * “It seems that His Highness Prince’s hunting game has begun.” The rhythm of the bugle horn resonated through the air of the Empress’s Palace without leaving any gaps. Friedrich put down his teacup and looked at Diana across from him. Despite the news of her son’s first achievement, she remained expressionless. To Friedrich, she appeared not as a mother who cherished and loved Prince Delmar, but as a figure of power who heard of a rival’s accomplishment. On the contrary, that was what attracted Friedrich’s heart. He quietly approached Diana and made a pitiful expression. “I lost track of time while staying by Your Highness’s side. Unfortunately, I must head to the hunting grounds now. I had agreed to attend the prince’s hunting event with my father as well.” “I was thinking you might be skipping it, seeing you here. I thought you weren’t fond of hunting, Friedrich.” “Not just hunting, but all events no longer bring me the same joy as before. They take away the time I could spend with Your Highness.” He narrowed his eyes as he murmured. “However, since I need to observe the hunt in detail on behalf of Your Highness, I must endure this discomfort so that I can bring back more stories to tell.” Friedrich’s long fingers moved as if playing a musical instrument. “As you said, I do not enjoy hunting. However, even without interest, there can still be talent.” Soon, his fingertips touched smooth, moist skin instead of the velvet of the cushion. Friedrich leaned down. He lightly held Diana’s left hand and smiled purely, the exact opposite of his blatant behavior. “I promise, I will offer you my laurel wreath, Your Highness.” Friedrich, who had been acting like an obedient knight offering victory to his lady, stepped back solemnly. The door opened. He nodded to the tall servant who had been standing there and walked away in the direction of the hunting grounds. He didn’t know that Diana had seen him through the crack in the door that hadn’t closed yet. Friedrich was the only one who drank tea during tea time. Diana, who had been staring at the black tea that had cooled down without draining it, shook her hand. The maid seemed familiar with it and held up a towel, and Diana also wiped her left hand that had touched his lips with a towel. “Take it.” The maid holding the towel disappeared. Diana’s gaze, which was looking at the quiet reception room, stopped at one place. It was a portrait of her that had been painted right after the marriage was decided. The one on the surface of the cold black tea was her, and the young woman smiling in the portrait was also her, but the latter was unfamiliar. She suddenly wanted to tell the woman who was filled with excitement and thrill. Run away. Your married life is so miserable. What you dreamed of was someone else’s life, so don’t set foot in it in the first place. “Hunting festival.” Diana snickered. She hated hunting festivals. It was only natural, since she had met the emperor while being chased by a beast. She remembered the warmth of the blood splattering on her face and the sharpness of the fangs that were almost embedded in her throat. Nevertheless, the emperor held a hunting festival and had to have Diana sit next to him to see the whole thing. It was a tradition of the hunting festival that the victor must offer the spoils to their loved ones. The emperor always won. Thus, the severed heads of bears and the carcasses of wolves with arrows lodged in their skulls were regularly placed at Diana’s feet. The stench of blood and the gory eyes of the slain beasts were horrific, but the screams were always swallowed. She thought it was love. Foolishly. She thought it might be his way of showing affection, a form of cruelty unique to him, or perhaps a twisted way of commemorating their first meeting by the lake. But that wasn’t the case. She realized it when she saw the heir of a noble family who had failed to win one year. Instead of the golden laurel wreath given to the winner, the heir had shyly smiled while giving a small commemorative ring to his lover. The contrast was striking compared to the expression of the emperor, who would throw hunting trophies at her. “I never said I wanted a laurel wreath.” What I wanted was… “Are you lost?” That wasn’t it. With a short sigh, Diana wiped away her thoughts and raised her head at the sound of urgent footsteps. “Y, Your Highness!” Before permission could be given, the head maid appeared. She had lived in the palace for decades. Nothing could make the head maid hurry. Diana had a hunch. “Y, Your Majesty the Emperor…has disappeared!” Her heart sank. Hello! 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