The Sleeping Devil

The next day, various repairs were underway in the gardens of Beriard Castle.

Those involved in the work were individuals who had been implicated in the destruction of the castle.

Dalia, who had intended to return to the capital in the morning, was now tasked with repairing the watchtower.

"It looks worse when you see it again."

"With the amount of magic you unleashed... How was the staff's usability?"

"Yes! The magical energy flows smoothly, and the completion of the array improves! I really like it."

The magic circle created with the staff consisted of flawless, beautiful lines, much like using a compass or ruler. It seemed that activating it manually caused slight distortions, which went unnoticed until now.

Therefore, using the staff resulted in efficient magic utilization, significantly enhancing the effects even for basic spells like the water sphere. Regardless of the reason, I thought it was good to have experimented with various practical applications.

"By the way, I'll have you spill everything this time."

Trimming burnt branches, Julius used strength enhancement to lift a broken trunk. When I applied healing magic, it rapidly returned to its original state with crackling sounds.

Complex living beings like humans and animals wouldn't heal to this extent if heavily damaged, but it seemed manageable for plants.

"You also helped with Gardo's escape, right?"

"That's right."

"You were almost killed, you know? Please think about your methods a bit."

"You shouldn't lose to ordinary people. And besides, Noah was nearby, so safety was ensured."

Julius remains unchanged in his manner. Ultimately, I have no complaints. Even if I had known in advance that Licht's father was falsely accused, I probably wouldn't have done anything.

"You did it to use Lady Dalia anyway, didn't you? Please don't send Lady Dalia to the executioner's block."

"Huh? Weren't you disliking her? And since she wants to help for her own desires, I think it's her responsibility."

"Wasn't it you who manipulated her? It leaves a bad taste."

I'm not particularly fond of Dalia, but I don't dislike her either. It would be unpleasant if acquaintances died because of us. Julius claims his goal is ancient records, but his methods are too extreme.

"Professor, you're not plotting world domination or something, right? I won't assist in ambitions that cause a lot of sacrifices."

"To think you'd have such a childish idea. Well, I'll handle it properly."

Julius, who sees human hearts and lives as mere resources, seems similar to Didier but fundamentally different. Beriard lacks compassion and empathy for others, but it can love its own. It understands the emotions others possess. Didier understands but doesn't care. Julius, on the other hand, seems to lack an understanding of emotions altogether.

It's not a matter of which is better; both are rather undesirable. However, considering Didier's statement about being "closed off emotionally," Julius's unconscious cruelty feels somewhat sad.

"What does the professor think of Owens?"

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"Owens... He's undoubtedly competent, and finding a replacement would be challenging. In that sense, I treat him with importance."

"Professor, I hope you can become more human-like someday..."

Julius smirks joyfully and says, "You'll teach me, right?" Spare me. It's becoming ridiculous to be angry at Julius, whom I thought was perfect until now, for being more emotionally challenged than Didier.

Initially, I thought of reciprocating if he was using us, but competing with someone who doesn't understand emotions seemed futile.

Leveling the beaten soil and applying healing magic, the grass rapidly grew.

"Taking lessons on human emotions wouldn't seem very effective for the professor. After all, he understands right and wrong."

"I do understand to some extent. Actually, I've received that education too."

"Huh? Oh, so you knew Lady Dalia's mother?"

It seems it was before he knew of my existence. There was no direct acquaintance, but Julius's parents apparently consulted Didier about education on human emotions.

I had thought he was raised by Noah in the mountains, but it turns out he received noble education conventionally, deepening the mystery.

However, Julius didn't reveal any more about his past.

"How do we fix the tower?"

"We can remove the debris, but for actual construction, magic won't be of much help."

"Oh? Then what about Lady Dalia?"

"She can use magic to clear obstacles, and the rest will be entrusted to carpenters."

It seems only Gardo can restore it on his own. While sorting through the fallen rubble, we tirelessly teleport it to another location.

"It's a mundane task. Can't we just fix it with a wave of magic?"

"There's no magic that is convenient. If you insist, you can come up with a solution."

Hmm. Magic related to time is impossible without knowing the attribute, so it seems challenging. If only there were words related to gravity, we could swiftly clean up everything.

"I still desire ancient records..."

"I knew you would. If you understand, it's fine."

"I'm tired of this. Shall we teleport this entire section?"

"Is it okay? What if there are valuables left?"

I checked the lower part of the remaining tower with a light spell, but there didn't seem to be any recognizable rooms.

My room has already been cleared, so if there's anything forgotten, I can search for it later.

"It seems fine. Let's erase it all."

"Alright, then let's start the incantation."

The two of us begin chanting the invocation. This scale of teleportation is originally a grand magic that requires multiple participants and only has a magic circle. However, I had transcribed the chant from memory. Julius remembers everything, so we can generate the array through chanting. Sending off the partially destroyed tower with a sense of pride, I think about how much he has grown during our journey.

"Hey! Lord Julius!? Please refrain from summoning me suddenly; I was just..."

In the midst of moving, Owen steadies himself while maintaining balance. When our eyes meet, he straightens up as if nothing happened.

"Was it with Lady Sheriel?"

"Sorry for the sudden summons. We were inviting you for tea, but it seems the professor called you out so inconsiderately."

Inviting the busy Owen might have been troublesome. Nonetheless, he smiles, "It's an honor," and accepts.

Everyone gathers in the shared lounge, and Owen and Gardo also take their seats as prompted.

"Since we have maids to handle serving, please have a seat. There are things I want to discuss as well."

With Gardo nervously clanking in his armor beside him, Owen elegantly sips tea. In this setting, his dignity doesn't seem that of a mere servant, naturally blending into the surroundings.

After gently placing the cup down, Owen gazes at Sheriel and Didier with a serious expression.

"Lady Sheriel, Lord Didier, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize. I deeply regret causing great inconvenience to the Beriard family. I sincerely apologize for that."

As Owen, a servant, he probably knew everything. And it seems he's also aware of yesterday's incident.

Crack! A sound resonates as Gardo accidentally breaks the cup in his hand. How strong is his grip...

"I apologize! I prefer standing after all!"

Gardo stands as if jumping away from his seat.

 Rather than forcing him, we end up sitting around the table with the four of us.

I turn to Owen again.

"Lord Owen, you believe in Professor Julius, don't you? If so, since the fault lies with Professor Julius, I don't intend to blame you, Lord Owen."

It is a servant's duty to serve the master. While it is necessary to correct the master if they are wrong, if the servant believes in the justice of the master, there's no other choice.

"Thanks to Lady Sheriel's broad-mindedness, Lord Julius was saved... So, why are we gathered like this today?"

Glancing at Gardo, Owen slightly opens his eyes.

"Meeting face to face with knowledge of each other's circumstances might be awkward, right? I just wanted to have a conversation once."

From there, it turned into a pleasant tea party. Owen reveals how much he's been working on Julius, and Julius, with a composed face, dismisses it with a "So what?"

Didier observes Julius with a smile.

"Did Gardo realize that he was being guided by Professor Julius?"

"W-Well... Initially, I was skeptical about being a demon's envoy, but when I saw Lord Julius's aura here, I understood everything."

Here, Didier starts laughing, shaking his shoulders so much that he can't even hold a cup. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Hahaha! I can't believe Julius is a demon?"

"I apologize! Even though I was told not to reveal it by Lord Sergio... Everyone here knows, right?"

"Ahahaha! I see, yeah. Everyone knows, so it's fine. Don't worry about it!"

Julius glares at Didier, and indeed, Julius's emotional state is not human-like, so being called a demon isn't that far-fetched.

"Do those who are devoted to Julius notice that he is a demon?"

"Yes, most of them usually die halfway through."

Ugh... But I understand. I died in a dream, too.

"I'll tell you this, they died on their own. I didn't lay a hand on them."

Julius frowns, appealing with a troubled expression.

"Professor, it's fine, but please develop emotional sensitivity as a human soon. Just mimicking the form won't work."

At that moment, he quickly returns to his usual cool expression, lightly clicks his tongue, and looks away.

"Is it okay with Lady Sheriel? I mean, Lord Julius isn't exactly of good character, right?"

"I've gotten used to it in Beriard. His bad personality is on par with my older brother's."

Owen looks wide-eyed, seemingly having traveled to another world. What brought Owen back was Didier's voice.

"Anyway, yesterday, when Sheriel got angry, it was just a childish whim, right? I was happy to see that my sister is still in her cute phase."

My cheeks suddenly feel hot. My face must be completely red.

"Big brother! It's not such a simple matter! Even big brother would get angry if he were used by others, right!?"

"What are you saying? If someone approaches with the intention of using me, I'll use them back if they seem useful, or dispose of them if they're not. Well, if you later realize the other party's intentions without noticing them at first, it's understandable to feel embarrassed and want to vent your anger, but..."

"Huh??"

Julius nods knowingly, and it seems like he might return to his murderous intent. Am I the one at fault? Am I silly and selfish?

No, no, it's not good to get angry here. If I destroy the salon today, I'll become a problem child with no self-control.

"Well, it seems Beriard's treatment was correct. So, Sheri..."

"Professor, do you want to be punched again?"

Staring sharply, Julius falls silent. After that, I gave a lengthy lecture. Today, with Owen present, it's reassuring.

"----Do you both understand!? Don't needlessly hurt others! Please consider the inconvenience to those around you. Got it?"

"How much is considered needless?"

"Don't say things like my brother does! Moreover, it's from four years ago! Professor, aren't you the child here!?"

Didier, looking at Julius triumphantly, seems unaware of how petty their quarrel is. "I'm tired... Maybe as long as I don't break the law, it's fine. It's my responsibility, and I'm not at fault, right?"

On this day, I learned that the lessons of humanity do not nurture the human heart.