Failed To Abandon the Villain

She wasn’t sure if it was filled with coldness or sympathy.

Well, you can’t avoid calling people by their name if you’re living a normal life, so she should practice a little more from now on.

Thanks to Duke Leon and Carlon Delphine, she had gotten used to calling someone by their name to some extent.

“I understand, Quilt. How is the atmosphere in the Magic Tower?”

“It’s in chaos.”

When Valletta looked taken aback, Quilt’s lips moved slightly.

“Are the only people supporting Reinhardt still you, your partner, and the watchdog?”

“Yes, we still are.”

“The influence of that person called Bartio is quite large.”

Valletta murmured lowly. That being said, there was a specific room for the incident where Reinhardt would disappear.

It would be better if Bartio Balloxis and Reinhardt would join hands.

“How did you know about Bartio-nim?”

“I heard about him when I was in the library the first day I got there. They said they don’t approve of Reinhardt.”

Valletta only answered the truth as much as possible.

Fortunately, she didn’t add any words as she remembered that incident.

Quilt just quietly nodded.

“Isn’t that guy going somewhere recently? Going out often.”

“… Yes.”

“I know the conversation is fun, but we have arrived.”

Valletta then looked away.

Carlon Delphine knocked on the carriage door twice and the door opened.

As Carlon Delphine was about to disembark and Valletta was about to follow him, Carlon Delphine grabbed her tightly.

“Wa… Your Grace!”

“Carlon.”

“Carlon! Wait…!”

The luxurious carriage quietly moved away.

Looking around, it was time for the dawn to appear.

Valletta was surprised by the position that she was being held.

Gwang!

She carefully brought the snow tiger into her arms using her other hand.

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“This seemingly non-special entrance is the gateway to the Alchemist.”

The carriage stopped in front of the forest.

Judging from the murmuring that could be heard not far away, it was probably not that distant from the capital’s market.

‘Not a forest but bushes?’

Anyway, it was not the same entrance as the pub she went to last time.

“Go past four large paulownia trees, turn left at the fifth tree, and turn right after passing seven maple trees. Do you remember?”

“Yes, yes.”

Valletta nodded at him with a puzzled expression.

She had long forgotten that she was being held in his arms

Looking at Valletta who was anxiously memorizing the location, Carlon Delphine murmured to himself.

‘Is this how it should be done?’

Not giving them time to think was the way to make them act more child-like. The inside of his mouth was bitter.

“Yes, if you turn right after the eight maple three from here, the big stone is the entrance.”

“Yes, do you open the stone and go in?”

“No, you can climb up the slightly raised stone, touch the mark and activate the alchemy. Alchemy is drawn on the mark.”

Carlon Delphine said, holding Valletta in one arm. He rubbed his thumb over his earrings once.

“You can bring whatever is in your hand there.”

“Yes…?”

“You can take that man’s hand. If I use alchemy, the mark and this place would react.”

“Yes.”

Valletta reached out to Quilt. Even though she was still being held ambiguously by Carlon.

Quilt silently climbed onto the stone, placing a hand on Valletta’s palm.

“Activate.”

At the same time as the ancient magic circle appeared above Carlon Delphine’s eyes, his earrings shone like the sky’s light.

The view changed in an instant.

“We have arrived.”

Carlon Delphine said as he put down Valletta.

They were at the front door of that underground mansion.

The alchemy mark that was hidden under the carpet laid down on the floor, and the light that appeared because of the alchemy disappeared under the carpet in an instant.

“It is similar to the structure of entering Sky Island.”

“Is this done using alchemy?”

“That’s right. This is also an exchange. It’s a reversal of position in exchange for something invisible in the air.”

Valletta’s eyes widened.

She thought she could only exchange an object to get what she wanted, but it seemed like the scope of alchemy was wider than expected.

‘How stupid.’

She had lived in a very narrow world so she couldn’t see anything else. Carlon Delphine was absolutely right. Her knowledge was too shallow and one-sided.

‘Have I ever made anything other than potions?’

She used to think that she paid and got something in return. However, she had never thought of using alchemy to attack people or to use it as a weapon.

“Are you feeling the need to re-learn the basics of alchemy now?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, study hard in class today.”

“Yes, I will.”

Valletta nodded her head.

Quilt seemed to have scanned the mansion once, and returned to Valletta’s side. Quilt stood next to her and lightly put his hands behind him and clasped them.

“It seems pretty safe for something a Sokor built.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Carlon Delphine lightly cut off Quilt’s words.

“How can I get the mark?”

“On something that you have and are confident would never be removed from your body and that will not be suspicious… We engrave alchemy on things that one treasures.”

Valletta slowly thought about it.

Something she has that she would never take off from her body and won’t be suspected? Something she treasures? There was nothing like that.

“I have nothing like that.”

“Then start making something your treasure from now on.”

“If I can’t make one, then I won’t receive the mark?”

After thinking about Valletta’s answer for a while, Carlon Delphine nodded.

He thought it would be good for her to have something she was attached to. However, the problem was he overlooked the fact that Valletta is not ordinary.

After thinking about it for a while like a person who was about to be stuck with a stake, she stretched out her arm.

“Then, can you engrave it in my arm?”

“… What?”

“I will be in trouble without my arm so I will desperately try to protect it, and unless my arm was cut off, it will not be separated from my body.”

“…”

Carlon Delphine could not say anything in helplessness.

He never thinks it will end like this, but why was it always like this? On the contrary, Duke Leon, who was not very talkative, seemed to be more effective against Valletta.

‘Is this also a wrong answer?’

She thought that engraving it on the body was the most effective. She doesn’t know where to put an alternative reference point in order to have a normal thinking.

Valletta rubbed her head in frustration.

“I guess I’ll have to ask that guy to give me a bracelet again.”

She doesn’t have any money right now to buy a luxurious bracelet for this situation.

How should she ask that guy who made the bracelet?

“A bracelet?”

“He gave me a bracelet with a location tracker, but I forcibly broke it and ran away. I’ll ask him to get me one the next time he comes. Please engrave it there.”

Valletta gently lowered her arm.

He furrowed his brows as if he was dissatisfied with something, but he didn’t say anything more.

Anyway, when asked to give something she treasures, answering ‘arm’ didn’t seem to be the right answer.

It might have been a little bit more comfortable if she was studying.

“Valletta, why don’t we talk for a while before studying?”

“Yes, please do what you are comfortable with.”

Gwang!

Then, the snow tiger intervened.

“You can leave the cub here for a while.”

“Yes.”

Valletta carefully lowered the snow tiger and followed after Carlon Delphine.

He led Valletta to the second floor where she had never been before.

It was truly a perfect and antique aristocrat’s mansion that it was unbelievable that this space itself was underground.

She stuck out her tongue.

“First, I want to make sure I point this out.”

Carlon Delphine brought out the tea and sat across from her.

Quilt just stood still behind her, reluctantly. He seemed to be thinking of something for sometime now.

“Yes.”

“I am your guardian. Do you know that?”

“Yes, that was what you said.”

“Do you know what a guardian means?”

“A person who would take care of a child until adulthood, feeds them, dresses them, and puts them to bed.”

Carlon Delphine pondered over Valletta’s answer for a while.

Not saying much here would be bad for this child. After a brief hesitation, he spoke again.

“A guardian is someone you can count on to take care of you, your life, and someone you can rely on. You can think of them like a parent.”

“Like my father?”

“No, think more of an ordinary and normal parent.”

He shook his head hurriedly at her question and altered his words.

Valletta nodded her head. She knew very well that not all ordinary families were like Count Delight and Valletta.

‘… My head hurts.’

She slowly turned her head. The mansion built underground had no windows. There was no light shining in from the outside.

It was both mysterious and bizarre. If she knew that it would be this kind of conversation, she would’ve rejected it.

“I’m sorry, but no matter how much I think about it, I’m running out of time. I will try my best to not bother you as much as possible, so is it okay to learn the basics first then listen to what you have to say?”

“… Sure, I understand.”

Carlon Delphine painstakingly nodded his head and pulled out some textbooks from the vicinity.

***