Chapter 7: Pulmy En Dynast ⑦
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“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that.”
I wasn’t fine at all. Ever since that day when the Arcana Kingdom erupted in excitement over the conquest of the Blade Labyrinth, Pulmy had been acting strangely—lost in thought, muttering to herself, displaying a side of her that was utterly unimaginable given her usual brilliance.
But that wasn’t all. She had been seen crouching down, clutching her head, and trembling, her clear distress evident to anyone who looked.
Not just the guild staff who had voiced their concern, but nearly everyone in the guild had sensed Pulmy’s abnormal state and worried for her.
A few days ago, at that moment, she had coughed up blood in the office and collapsed. Unconscious, she lay in a pool of her own blood until she was finally discovered and rescued by the vice guild master, who had come to consult her.
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Was the world wrong, or was I wrong? At the moment such questions arose, it was usually the latter that held true.
However, even if there was a one in ten thousand, or even a one in a hundred million chance that the world was at fault, to believe that and insist on it was—
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There was a meeting that had been postponed due to her undeniable ill health. The other party was Chancellor Madison, who served as an advisor to the king in the Royal Capital.
The scheduled date was urgent, just two days after the Hero Party conquered the Blade Labyrinth, but upon informing him of her condition, it was postponed. Yet, despite his high status, Madison had a surprisingly light touch and promptly visited Green Eyes alone.
The door to the guild master’s room was knocked twice. Before Pulmy could respond with a “Come in,” the door swung open with a creak. He was far too impatient. He was the only one who would dare to be so rude to her. An utterly insensitive old man.
“I came to check on you.”
“Ah, I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“Are you not going to scold me about ‘delicacy’ like you usually do?”
“…………”
“Well, you seem to be in serious trouble.”
Madison’s expression turned quizzical as he unceremoniously plopped down into a chair at the guest table. He pulled out some fruit from a bag he had brought as a gift and tossed one to Pulmy.
“At least peel it yourself.”
Seeing Pulmy staring intently at the orange in her hands without responding, Chancellor Madison let out a sigh.
“Your letter said you were fine. But looking at you now, I can’t help but wonder how true that is. But let’s set that aside for now.”
“Hmph, you’re so impatient.”
“Impatience is fine. Let’s get to the main topic. If you are ‘not unwell,’ then why do you look so pained?”
Madison fixed her with a piercing gaze.
“What troubles you so?”
Pulmy clasped her hands in front of her face and closed her eyes. It seemed she needed a moment to gather her thoughts, so Madison waited for her to speak.
“I understand your concern, Madison. But I’m afraid I can’t answer your question. And given that I turned you down earlier, it’s quite difficult for me to say this.”
“What is it?”
“I would like you to answer my upcoming question without saying anything.”
“If you say so, then it must be necessary. Very well, go ahead. Ask me anything, and I will answer to the best of my ability.”
Pulmy simply expressed her gratitude for his consideration to Madison, who had accepted her request without question.
Taking a moment to prepare herself, Pulmy exhaled softly.
“I want to ask directly. The ritual to summon heroes was conducted, and two boys were successfully brought to this world. You have been monitoring one of them. Am I correct so far?”
Chancellor Madison nodded without a word.
“You were moved by this boy’s diligence and passion, and you supported him from the shadows. You even thought he would be good enough to marry your daughter.”
Pulmy prompted him, “If there’s anything wrong with what I’m saying, feel free to speak up.”
“Eventually, through his efforts, he conquered the Mirror Labyrinth alongside Saintess Mika. Without stopping there, through hard work and training, he conquered multiple labyrinths.”
Madison replied, “You are not mistaken.”
“And just recently, he descended into the infamous Blade Labyrinth with Saintess Mika, Mage Angelica, and Sword Saint Eris, successfully conquering it and returning alive.”
“That aligns with what I’ve heard. I believe there are no mistakes.”
Pulmy murmured, “I see.”
“I still have more to ask.”
“Anything.”
“It’s about that boy I just mentioned. His name is Yamada Ichiro, correct?”
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I express my gratitude to those who have given gifts in my recent notes. Additionally, I have revised and added to a story that was made private due to reader feedback regarding pacing, and it is now available for supporters.