After being moved to Conrad’s palace, his situation improved a little, but he was still confined.
Noah was thinking, curled up in the cramped room.
He was reflecting on what Conrad had said yesterday.
“Would you like me to have you trained in magic or swordsmanship like me? I could arrange it right away.”
It was a tempting offer.
After all, he currently had no power whatsoever.
‘To survive, I must develop my own strength.’
Though his life had been short, this was something he had learned painfully through experience.
But Conrad wouldn’t just offer training for nothing.
Wasn’t there some scheme behind it?
From what he’d seen over the past few days, Conrad was cunning, befitting his lineage.
He seemed to enjoy belittling Noah and treated him as an object of ridicule.
‘He’s intelligent and possesses strong magical abilities.’
Despite being only a few years older, the difference in their levels seemed vast.
Still, it was better than being held by Osdel, that man.
Just thinking about those gloomy eyes made Noah feel like shrinking.
The opportunity to gain strength and escape would be while in Conrad’s custody.
Since he would be Conrad’s servant for 1-2 years.
One year? No, he needed to build his strength and escape within 6 months at most.
Noah bit his lip firmly as he resolved.
Whether it was possible without someone’s help, he didn’t know…
But for now, that was his best option.
Just as Noah was closing his eyes to lie down, he heard the sound of something scratching with claws.
“Pit!”
‘This… I heard this before, too.’
Last time, he had briefly hoped it might be the ferret that Liria carried around.
Hoping that she might come to help him.
But it had been a vain delusion.
Nothing like that had happened.
That sound was probably just a mouse he had misheard.
“Pit-pi.”
As Noah turned to his side, trying to ignore it, something dropped onto his face with a plop.
It was paper.
When he opened his eyes, a white-furred ferret was looking down at him.
Liria’s pet.
“Huh? …You.”
Noah’s eyes widened as he unfolded the note.
The round, scribbled handwriting was Liria’s.

「I’ll come rescue you soon. Just wait a little longer.」

***

The next day, a bag arrived at the entrance of Liria’s annex palace.
“Miss, an instrument case has arrived for you. It says you ordered it to be made, is that right?”
“Ah, yes, yes! That’s right, it’s mine.”
At Marit’s question, Liria quickly came out of her room and examined the bag.
It was an unexpected violin case. It seemed Jiana had chosen a bag meant for an instrument as a disguise.
She recognized it immediately from the teddy bear picture and Liria’s initials drawn on the outside.
“Are you planning to learn the violin?”
“Mmm, I became interested.”
“That’s a good idea. We should find a violin teacher right away. And we’ll need to purchase a violin, too?”
“Huh? Ah, I still need mental preparation!”
Since she had absolutely no talent for music and didn’t have the confidence to actually learn the violin, she brushed it off and dragged the bag into her room.
When she channeled mana into the small seal on the bag’s lock, it clicked open on both sides.
However, there were no documents containing information inside.
Instead, there was an object she had never seen before.
Its flat, round shape looked like a combination of a smartphone and a makeup compact from the other world.
It also resembled a tool used by magical girls in comics.
When she pressed it, the top part opened, and her face was reflected in what looked like a mirror.
“What is this? Surely not just a mirror.”
When she turned it over, the initials JJ were unmistakably written as the maker’s mark.
Then it started beeping and a pink light began flashing.
Jiana’s face appeared on the screen.
“I see you’ve received the bag properly.”
“Yes, but what is this? Could it be… a communication device?”
Liria had seen adults using communication devices before.
But those only allowed conversations through voice, not seeing each other’s faces like this one.
‘It’s just like a video call. Amazing technology.’
“Similar, but it’s a magical tool specially made to communicate only with me. I thought it would be good to share urgent information in real-time, so I provided this.”
“Wow, then we can easily contact each other from now on! Whoever made this must be a genius.”
Jiana’s lips curled up briefly at Liria’s smiling remark.
“About your first request—I almost came too late. Theo had already met Professor Matilda and had decided to participate in the research. He needed money for his sick sister’s treatment, so he was going to accept the substantial sponsorship.”
“Oh no, so what happened?”
When Liria asked with anxious eyes, Jiana replied with a bright face.
“Don’t worry. I persuaded him not to participate in that research. If you let me know the meeting place and time, I’ll relay it to Theo.”
“Really? How did he change his mind so quickly?”
“That’s a trade secret.”
“Ugh, that’s confidential, too?”
“I’m joking. As I mentioned before, Theo and I met while volunteering at an orphanage, and we’ve known each other for quite some time. We trust each other. I told him you were someone I vouched for.”
“I see. I need to prove the value of someone the Guild Master vouches for! Can I know what illness Theo’s sister has?”
“I heard it’s a disease where the muscles gradually stiffen. She’s now bedridden.”
Liria’s eyebrows drooped at the sad story.
“I understand. Then it would be best to meet him directly at Theo’s home. I’ll also look into ways to help with his sister’s treatment before I go.”
“He said he’ll be visiting his home in Roberg this coming weekend.”
“Great. Then I’ll go on Sunday at 2 PM.”
“Regarding your second request, Marquis Bishe is currently not at his mansion. I’ll let you know after I find out more.”
“Is that so? I’ll be waiting.”
“Finally, about your third request, Osdel von Roberg is quite a difficult subject to gather information on. We almost got caught several times during surveillance and stakeouts.”
Liria nodded while biting her nails as she listened to Jiana.
“Yes, he’s a very difficult opponent.”
“For now, I’ll share what we’ve found… It seems he has contact with the Magic Tower.”
“The Magic Tower?”
“Yes.”
The Magic Tower once contributed to the empire’s magical studies and magical technology development alongside Roberg in ancient times, but after the Tower Master changed, it became a corrupt organization driven solely by money.
In the original story, there was no connection between Osdel and the Magic Tower, but thinking about it, their interests might align.
“There’s probably corruption in the magical railway and Roberg Magic Bank that Uncle Osdel oversees. Could you find out those details as well?”
“It’s not impossible, but it will take considerable time.”
“That’s fine, even if it takes time. And right now, Uncle Osdel has probably gone to the Imperial Capital to resolve suspicions of ledger manipulation. If you could track his current location… we might find a clue? There’s a high probability he’s meeting with the official in charge of the ledger manipulation.”
Jiana, who had been touching her chin, nodded.
“Yes, thank you for the information. I’ll look into it. By the way, are you satisfied with the bag?”
“Yes, it’s super cute! Oh, by the way, did you send me this teddy bear doll and magical wardrobe?”
But Jiana shook her head, clearly hearing this information for the first time.
“It wasn’t me.”
“I see. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. When you provide the rest of the information, I’ll give you information in return.”
After ending the communication, Liria hugged the teddy bear and tilted her head.
‘Then who gave me the wardrobe and teddy bear…?’