Volume 3 Chapter 16 Owl’s Tale II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”A blonde beauty…?”
”Yes, these ‘glasses’ are a magic tool I purchased at a street market in the East End about 2 and a half months ago. It seems to have a will of its own. I tried infusing it with magic power during my battle with Oswald the other day, and it materialized as a beautiful girl, protecting me from Oswald for a certain period of time. Did Mr. Owl notice her manifestation?”
”―― Kian.”
Owl grasped Kian’s shoulder and adopted the most serious expression he ever had.
His brown eyes peered intently.
A piercing, searching gaze that felt intrusive.
He continued while casting a stern look at the ‘glasses’ tucked in Kian’s breast pocket.
”Those ‘glasses’ turned into the blonde beauty, correct?”
”Yes.”
”…I see. …I see. …Hm.”
”Mr. Owl?”
Owl gave a slight shake of his head.
”In fact, during that battle, all of us──myself, Aisha, and Oswald’s Knights──seemed to lose consciousness temporarily. Therefore, I’m unaware of the existence of the blonde girl you mentioned.”
”You lost consciousness…?”
”Yes. It was as if a powerful drowsiness came over us and we all dropped to one knee. First, Aisha, who was facing me, fell forward, followed by the rest of Oswald’s Knights collapsing one after another like dominoes. After confirming that, I blacked out. The only reason I was able to capture Aisha and the others without letting them escape was because I regained consciousness before they did.”
Owl continued, furrowing his brow.
”Probably, when Kian’s ‘glasses’ returned to human form, a powerful sleep magic was activated. Aisha and the others were so confused they didn’t even remember falling asleep.”
”Oswald was awake as usual though.”
”He’s a true monster. He doesn’t fit our standards. The sleep magic just didn’t work on him, that’s all.”
”I see. I had no idea such things were happening over there at that time. So, does that mean Her Excellency Maribel, Christy, and Liam, who was at the water hole, too…?”
”I think they might have been put to sleep without realizing it.”
”Is that so?”
Kian glanced at the ‘glasses’ in his chest pocket.
She was holding her own against Oswald, wielding a formidable weapon.
Moreover, to have such a unique ability in the realm──it’s nothing short of a threat.
(‘Glasses’, who exactly are you?)
There was no response from ‘glasses’, but instead, the Owl spoke up.
”A beautiful girl with golden hair, and the mysterious magic that puts everyone to sleep. An interference in recognition… There is one vampire that seems relevant. It’s a being mentioned in a fairy tale I heard from an ancient elf while investigating my own lineage.”
”Aren’t fairy tales just stories made up by humans?”
”It might be that the girl sealed in that ‘Glasses’ is the very being that inspired the fairy tale. ── Kian, are you familiar with the legends of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ or ‘Briar Rose’?”
”No, such stories are too far removed from me as an Azrael-born. I apologize for my ignorance.”
”Oh, not at all. The tale of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ itself is merely a creation passed down by bards through oral tradition. However, it is said that the princess who inspired ‘Sleeping Beauty’ actually existed over 5 hundred years ago──during the peak of the Night Clan’s power.”
Owl pulled out a staff and tapped it sharply on the brown ground.
White pebbles and dark soil writhed, and the image of a princess clad in a black-and-white dress began to take shape.
The signboard girl of ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’──Esther was good at drawing, but Owl was even better.
(Earth magic, huh? A skilled person. Having lived long, he must be adept at many things.)
While secretly impressed, Owl began to weave the drawing on the ground, speaking eloquently as he did so.
”A long time ago, there lived a beautiful princess named Talia in the vampire territory of the Empire of Night. The princess was the child of the Count couple, who had long been blessed with no children, and they made a pact with spirits to have her. There were 7 spirits in total, and as soon as she was born, they each bestowed their blessings upon her. However, one of the 7 was a demon in disguise, and instead of a blessing, that demon left the ‘Bride’s Mark’ on Princess Talia.”
”The Bride’s Mark?”
”It’s a sign that she would eventually become a wife. They basically marked their territory on a beautiful princess.”
”I see.”
So the demon unilaterally imposed a troublesome magic seal on her, just like Owl did to Maribel.
The demon truly lived up to its reputation as a real piece of work.
”Furious, Princess Talia’s father, the Night Count, ordered his subordinates and servants to exterminate the demon. However, that demon was an ancient being who had lived since a very old era, and it could not be completely destroyed by the laws of this world. Though they managed to break the ‘vessel’ the demon inhabited, the Bride’s Mark still lingered on Talia’s neck. This was proof that danger had not completely passed.”
Owl paused for a moment and then continued, saying, “Now, here’s where things get serious.”
”As Princess Talia grew up happily, the memory of the demon began to fade from the Count couple’s minds. However, the demon prepared another vessel and appeared in the palace again. The demon proclaimed that ‘once the princess comes of age, she will prick her finger on a thorn and fall into an eternal slumber.’ It threatened that ‘the princess’s soul will be mine forever. If you don’t like that, then offer her as a slave.’ Naturally, the Night Count destroyed that vessel as well. But the demon, of course, didn’t die──”
”Could it be that it set fire to all the thorns across the kingdom?”
”That’s the thing. The Night Count burned all the thorns in the country, but a demon, reborn as a merchant, turned the Count couple into thorn monsters one day. The couple, now thorn monsters, lost their minds and, on top of the tower, pricked Princess Talia, whom they had been carefully sheltering, with thorns, sending her into a deep sleep. They clung to the castle wall, guarding the tower, and spread ‘shadow thorns’ across a wide area centered on the castle, plunging not only Princess Talia but also the people of the country into a sea of eternal slumber.”
”So, what happened then?”
”I don’t know. There are several theories from the elders about what happened next. The most common one is that the country, now covered in thorns, was sealed away somewhere by the demon. While Princess Talia sleeps, we can’t see that country, and it’s said that if she wakes up, we’ll all fall asleep instead.”
”All of us? That’s insane!”
”It’s the demon’s curse. Powerful demons live in a different world from us and can warp the rules of the world from the outside. If there’s a rule that we must sleep while the thorn princess is awake, just like water becomes hot when heated, then we have to follow it. It’s more like a contract than a curse, though – that’s probably the right way to put it.”
”A contract?”
”That’s right. The most advanced-rank demons are high-dimensional beings that we can’t destroy. But to manifest in our world and exert a shadow influence, they also have to accept limitations. They are naturally restricted when they make a contract. I don’t know the specifics of the demons’ restrictions, but because of those limitations, they try to make deals with us and enter into contracts. Hmm, you could say it’s similar in form to a magic ritual that calls upon spirits.”
Owl finished, stroking his chin.
Kian frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
”‘Is there any connection between ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and the ‘Thorn Demon’?”
”Hmmm. It seems like all the vital records are gone. But…if the legends are true, the Count couple, transformed into thorny monsters, once existed. Perhaps some thorn seeds from the demon’s seal sprouted, giving rise to demons in this world.”
”I…I’ve relied on this ‘glasses’ (magic tool) for a long time. I wouldn’t want to smash it up, of course.”
”You shouldn’t break it. Something sealed inside the ‘glasses’ might escape. It can’t be sold to or taken by anyone else. By the way, where did you get this ‘glasses’?”
”An East End street stall. From an Azraelian merchant with a beard and dead-fish eyes. When greeting customers, he says, ‘Turn stone to iron, lead to gold, Black Onyx to Roses.’ Apparently, it’s a saying used in his merchant guild.”
”…That’s a peculiar saying. I’ve never heard of a merchant guild that uses such a phrase.”
”I encountered him recently on the red-light district street, doing business in a back alley with Rean. I don’t know what they were trading, but I could hear them arguing loudly.”
Owl’s face hardened.
”As I mentioned before, he has a sinister magical power. That merchant is very suspicious. Let’s visit the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’ next and look for him.”
”Be careful. If you need help, just send me a private request and I’ll join the fight immediately.”
It wasn’t the kind of thing you’d say to someone who might become an enemy in the near future, but Kian said it anyway, as the conversation had taken that turn.
Owl took Kian’s hand and spoke in a serious tone.
”Kian, please be careful. You are a companion I’ve come to know after many lonely days. I don’t want to lose this friendship.”
”Thank you. There’s no such thing as a safe adventure, but I’ll make sure to proceed with the utmost caution.”
”Please do. And, once more for the record, handle those ‘glasses’ with care. Don’t break them, and be careful not to pour too much magic power into them. If you find them unnecessary or too troublesome, please let me know and I’ll buy them back and take them under my management.”
”Thank you.”
Nodding in agreement, the ‘glasses’ were not only a source of various advice but also a magic tool that boasts top-level performance for reconnaissance.
They were planning to use it knowingly despite the risks, believing they could handle it more accurately than anyone else.
That’s why he had no intention of giving up the ‘glasses’ lightly.
(Fearing the power of magic tools more than necessary is the act of a fool—just as I once was.)
Kian gently touched the ‘glasses’ nestled in their breast pocket.
Owl flipped his cloak and produced a hat from nowhere, placing it firmly on his head.
”Well then, enjoy your day. Until next time, Kian.”
”Yeah, see you.”
”────”
The whimsical vampire rustled Owl’s feathers and swept away elegantly.
After watching the figure depart, Kian walked back into the west wing.
* * *
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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