The Patient Wizard Chapter 25

Chapter 25 – Calculation (15)

As Chris stood up, Bianca raised her voice with a sudden thought.

“That guy was Alex.”

“Pardon?”

“The one who went wild trying to kill you earlier today.”

“Yes, that was Alex. I thought you knew.”

“No, I didn’t. If I had known, I would have detained him on the spot for questioning.”

“Alex’s situation is different from mine. It would be difficult to treat him casually.”

Chris bowed to the knights and entered the room.

Jan whispered to the knights.

“We need to keep Chris with us.”

Michael said,

“We’ve heard everything we needed, but is there any need to keep a former slave with us?”

“That guy is hiding something.”

“He seems innocent enough.”

“He’s pretending to be stupid. Don’t underestimate him because he was a slave. He’s definitely not a stupid person.”

*   *    *

When Chris lived in the Baronial Estate, he could only occasionally eat bread as hard as stone. He first ate soft white bread at the Lion Hall. For Chris, that alone made life at the Magic Tower happy.

Now he was eating dessert for the first time in his life at the VIP quarters’ dining hall. Chris kept expressing amazement as he ate the white cake. It was soft and sweet.

“My goodness, this taste.”

Bianca said.

“Seems like it’s your first time eating cake.”

“Yes.”

Bianca pushed her portion of cake toward him.

“Finish this too.”

Chris looked around hesitantly.

“Is that okay?”

“What you ate was a whipped cream cake, and this is a cheesecake. It tastes different. You might never get to eat it again if not today.”

Chris licked his lips.

“Thank you.”

Chris pulled the plate toward him and took a bite with his fork.

“Wow.”

It was thick, savory, and sweet. It had a different sweetness than the whipped cream cake. The word ‘delicious’ came out naturally.

Before long, the meal ended and it was time to part. Chris observed the situation and stood up.

“Thank you for the meal. I’ll be going back now.”

Jan stopped him.

“Stay with us for a while.”

“Why… Me…?”

Chris was reluctant. It was because nothing good came from getting entangled with important people.

“Guide us a bit.”

“I don’t know much about the Magic Tower. I hardly know the paths.”

“You must know better than we do.”

“I need to go to work.”

“You got a day off yesterday.”

“If I use my vacation too leisurely, I’ll get fired. There are many people who want to work at the blacksmith shop.”

“I’ll put in a good word for you.”

As he said this, Jan put his sword on the table. The white-glowing blade flashed in Chris’s mind. Chris swallowed and sat down.

Bianca said,

“We’ll compensate you generously.”

John said,

“I’d like to have a cup of tea.”

Bianca stood up.

“I’ll order it.”

Shortly after, steaming tea was placed in front of them. John said to Chris.

“This must be your first time having such fine tea. Try some.”

Chris drank the tea expecting a sweetness like cake. And then he grimaced.

“Ugh, it’s bitter!”

John laughed.

“That’s how it’s supposed to be enjoyed.”

Chris couldn’t understand why people would deliberately drink something bitter. After that, Chris didn’t touch the tea again and just watched the others drink. They all seemed to enjoy it.

Do you have to drink this bitter tea to become upper class?

If so, he didn’t want to become upper class.

They didn’t talk much. They didn’t ask Chris anything either. They just passed time drinking tea. Eventually, an hour passed. Chris twisted his body from boredom.

“Are you bored?”

Jan asked.

“Yes, a little.”

“You must be used to keeping busy.”

“When I lived in the Baronial Estate of Xavier, the slave supervisor couldn’t stand seeing slaves resting. And I’ve been busy in my own way since coming to the Magic Tower.”

Just as he was considering going for a run around the courtyard, visitors arrived.

The wizard Carl, who had been the first wizard to come to the Lion Hall the day Mark died, visited the VIP quarters with Catherine and Frank. After a brief introduction, John said,

“We need to brew fresh tea.”

Soon they were all drinking tea. No one grimaced like Chris had. Even Frank, who was of common birth, drank with compliments.

Feeling like he was the only lacking one, Chris felt bitter. More bitter than when drinking the tea.

Carl put down his teacup and said.

“You came to investigate the truth, you say?”

John treated the wizard with respect.

“Yes.”

“There’s not much to investigate. All the suspects are dead.”

“That’s precisely it.”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to determine which of the suspects is the real culprit.”

“Is there a need for that?”

“The victim’s family wants it.”

The victim’s family is none other than the king. Carl backed down.

“Then it can’t be helped. But while interviews with wizards and below are possible, it will be difficult with those above.”

“You mean Randall, William, and Thomas?”

“Yes.”

Bianca said.

“We’ll handle that ourselves.”

Carl warned.

“They are not to be taken lightly. Be careful.”

“We’ll keep your advice in mind.”

Her clipped way of speaking seemed to irritate him.

Carl pointed at Chris.

“Why is that child here?”

“We heard his testimony yesterday.”

“If you’ve already heard his testimony, why is he still here?”

“It got late and we couldn’t send him away. We couldn’t force someone who doesn’t know the way out into the snowy streets.”

“Ah, I see. Shall I go first?”

“We’d like to hear from you last, wizard.”

Bianca turned her gaze to Catherine.

“I’d like to hear from Miss Catherine first.”

Catherine put on a prim expression.

“Ask what you’re curious about. I’ll answer sincerely.”

“Thank you.”

The knights had her tell everything, just as they had done with Chris yesterday. Since she had succeeded in her ascension and had been away from the Lion Hall many days, her account wasn’t as long or detailed as Chris’s.

Bianca interrupted her explanation when she got to the day of the murder.

“Did Alex really torment the prince like that?”

“Yes.”

“Could you explain in detail?”

Catherine sighed as if reluctant.

“It started with light sarcasm. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was sarcasm or not. I often overlooked it because Alex naturally has an aggressive way of speaking. But later, Alex started using informal speech. At that moment, everyone realized. So it had been sarcasm back then. As time passed, informal speech turned into disrespect, which later became contempt and eventually turned into overt harassment.”

The knights sighed.

“How dare he!”

“A mere illegitimate son of a marquis family!”

Bianca took a breath to calm her excitement.

“What happened on the day the prince died?”

Catherine explained her schedule that day. She named colleagues who could confirm her alibi.

“I was talking with a friend when a wizard from the training wing came looking for me. He told me to go to the Lion Hall immediately, so I went and…”

She told what she experienced at the Lion Hall. There were no differences from Chris’s explanation. Only subtle differences in interpretation.

John interrupted.

“You were observing the suspects, right?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you think is the culprit?”

“I didn’t think about that.”

“Think about it now. Among the four suspects…”

Carl interrupted, cutting him off.

“There were three suspects.”

“The Magic Tower sent the bodies of three suspects. One suspect is missing. We were dispatched to the Magic Tower to clarify such incomplete aspects.”

John looked at Catherine and said.

“Including Alex, which of the four seems most suspicious?”

“I don’t know who’s suspicious, but I know who was innocently sacrificed.”

“Who was innocent?”

“Faye.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Faye is a woman. Obviously, she couldn’t have killed the prince, who was a healthy man.”

John backed off.

“I see.”

Jan stepped forward.

“Do you know the identity of the wizard who recommended killing all the suspects?”

Catherine shook her head.

“No, I don’t.”

Jan thought.

Chris even remembered the name… Hmm, not a smart witness.

He asked Frank.

“Did you hear that wizard’s name?”

“I heard it was Wizard Perez.”

“Good memory.”

Frank glanced at Chris, who was sitting like a borrowed bag of barley.

“Chris should know too. Didn’t you hear it from Chris?”

Jan lied.

“Chris didn’t remember. If he had remembered, I wouldn’t have asked Miss Catherine.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Why is it surprising?”

“Chris is smarter than he looks.”

Chris didn’t know Frank thought of him that way. Normally he would have been flattered, but somehow now the high evaluation wasn’t welcome.

Jan asked Carl.

“Is that Wizard Perez correct?”

Carl confirmed.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“He seems to value efficiency.”

Carl replied curtly.

“Yes.”

He seemed uncomfortable evaluating a high-ranking person.

Jan nodded to Catherine.

“Continue.”

Catherine moved on to the part where the suspects were burned to death. Her face turned pale as if the recollection was painful. Her two hands, neatly placed on her knees, were wringing her skirt.

After all the story was told, Bianca asked.

“Who took Alex away with the air hand at the last moment?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you hear anything afterward?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Weren’t you curious and tried to find out?”

“The experience that day was so horrible that I tried not to recall it as much as possible. I wanted to forget.”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“No, nothing.”

“Thank you for your statement. If you remember anything else later, please let us know.”

“I will.”

Bianca looked at Carl.

“Who was the wizard who saved Alex?”

“I don’t know.”

Suspicion flashed in Bianca’s eyes.

“Do you really not know?”

“Yes. I swear to heaven I don’t know.”

“Don’t you have any guesses?”

“No.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“To be honest, I don’t want to know.”

“I heard wizards are curious.”

“Even curiosity needs to be applied according to the situation. In the Magic Tower, one can be gone in an instant.”

Bianca pointed at his robe.

“You sound too weak for a wizard.”

“When I first entered the Magic Tower, it felt like the world was mine. Then I faced my first trial and my pride was shattered. After that, when I succeeded in my ascension, it felt like the world was mine again…”

He stroked his robe.

“When I realized how difficult it is to wear this robe, I came to face reality.”

“Didn’t your pride surge again when wearing the yellow robe?”

“I didn’t have arrogant thoughts then.”

“Why not?”

“Because I had experienced the monsters lurking in the Magic Tower. Before you become one of them, you need to live with your eyes closed and ears covered. I hope my answer is satisfactory.”

“It’s a sufficient answer.”

Chris doubted whether she really thought it was sufficient.

Next was Frank’s turn to testify. His testimony was mostly the same as Catherine’s. Only the people who could prove his alibi were different.

After his story ended, the knights began to probe various aspects. John focused on the relationship between the prince, Alex, and Tony, while Bianca asked about who seemed suspicious. Questions were also fired at Catherine.

By the time Frank started to look tired, the questioning session ended. Now it was time to hear Carl’s testimony, but Carl stood up with an apologetic expression.

“I have an appointment, so I must go now.”

Bianca’s face didn’t look good.

“Did you have to make an appointment on a day like this?”

“I didn’t expect the testimony to take this long.”

“Can’t you cancel the appointment?”

“It’s an appointment with a high-ranking wizard, so I can’t postpone or cancel it. I’ll come back tomorrow at 10.”

Jan said.

“Can’t be helped then.”

After Carl left, Frank and Catherine looked around awkwardly. Jan said.

“Thank you for your cooperation today. You may go.”

The two stood up after saying goodbye. As Chris tried to slip out with them, Jan called him.

“You stay with us a bit longer.”

Chris was troubled.

“But there’s nothing more to testify about.”

“From my perspective, your view is the most objective.”

“Mine?”

“Yes. When others testify, I want you to listen and judge if there are any strange points or if they’re hiding anything.”

Chris waved his hands.

“Someone like me can’t possibly.”

“I hold you in high regard.”

He continued, looking at the knights.

“Well, let’s get going.”

Chris asked.

“Where are we going?”

“We need to verify the scene.”

They went outside the building. John said.

“Chris, please guide us to the Lion Hall.”

“I don’t know the way.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“It would be better to find another guide.”

Bianca took out a map.

“We can use the map.”

Chris glanced at the map she was holding. It was much more detailed than the map he had posted on his dormitory wall.

“We need to go this way.”

They set off toward the Lion Hall.