Chapter 207 – The Treatment of Rosemary

“…Mmm.”

I let out a sound and blinked my eyes. It felt like that drowsy sensation when waking up at an odd time.

And what came into view were everyone’s happy faces.

“…I’m back.”

“Theo! Thank goodness!”

“Welcome back!”

They spoke in unison, practically jumping to hug me. While being smothered, I gave a wry smile, stroking their hair and embracing their shoulders.

“Were you injured?”

“I got a bit hurt… but I seem to be fine now. There’s no pain either.”

I answered while clenching my left hand that had been stabbed. My shoulder was similarly unharmed.

Once they confirmed there were no particular problems with my body, Ashley finally seemed to relax.

One by one they separated, and I stood up too.

“Ugh…”

Rosemary, who had been seated on the living room sofa, let out a small sound. Then, light returned to her eyes.

“This is—”

Rosemary brought a hand to her forehead and shook her head slightly. Perhaps because she had been trapped in the book longer than me, there was a difference in the time it took to awaken.

“My home.”

“…I see.”

Rosemary stood up, albeit somewhat unsteadily, then bowed her head according to proper etiquette.

“I am deeply ashamed for having involved Theodore in danger due to my blunder. I would like to thank the person who provided the book’s information—might they be present here?”

“That would be me.”

When Claudia spoke, Rosemary turned toward her and bowed again. Then she politely offered her thanks and introduced herself.

I thought this was probably something Rosemary from a little while ago wouldn’t have done, but seeing her behave so politely seemed to come naturally to her—suggesting that if she put her mind to it, she could have conducted herself properly all along.

Now there were no faction eyes on her, and she had lost her right to the throne. There was also the promise we had just exchanged.

“That book… is it alright?”

Sheila said while looking at the book left open on the desk.

“It should be fine as long as no guardian is embedded in it. The problem is that this might not be the only book with such a Trap.”

“…Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

This time it was fortunate that Orjius was waiting in the Castle, but it’s also possible that a guardian could attack from the start.

Leaving the decoding to Rosemary alone while she can’t use Magic carries considerable risk. More than the guardian’s strength, the issue is that both sending rescue and meeting up inside would end up being delayed in various ways.

And the further back we go seeking information in ancient documents, the more likely we are to step on landmines.

“Countermeasures?”

“If Marlene and I are nearby… the book’s Spell Formula is powerful, so remote intervention wouldn’t work.”

Marlene blinked at Claudia’s words.

I see… So if it’s Curse Magic, it can be countered with Blessing. For now, we’ll need to send Rosemary to the Royal Castle and consult with King Melvin.

After contacting him via the Communication Device, Rosemary and I returned to the North Tower together. King Melvin let out a deep breath of relief before smiling.

“You have done me a great service. Are you uninjured?”

“As you can see, we’re both fine.”

“My apologies for the trouble.”

We sat across the table, drinking tea as I explained what we had discovered about the book’s Trap.

“I see… Then continuing as we are now would be difficult, I suppose.”

King Melvin crossed his arms, then brought a hand to his chin in a thoughtful gesture.

“Claudia has suggested a solution, though.”

“But to ask Lady Claudia to frequently trouble herself to come to the Royal Castle…”

Right. Claudia probably shouldn’t show her face at the Royal Castle too often. There is a way to resolve that, but I doubt King Melvin would ever mention it.

“…If she stays at my house, that would solve the issue.”

That would address the problem of her life being targeted too.

“That may indeed be so—but do you trust this person that much?”

“She did say she would prove herself through actions…”

Given that Rosemary has never shown her true intentions, it’s hard to say we can easily trust her. But there’s no one else who can replace her in decoding ancient documents, and to have her continue decoding, we need to prevent situations like this from happening again.

Rosemary didn’t even take out her feather fan, quietly closing her eyes and leaving things to fate, but then she spoke.

“I leave the decision regarding my circumstances to you… but there is a matter I would like to request of you, Father.”

“Speak.”

“Just for a moment, if I may. I would like to request the removal of the Subjugation Magic.”

“Why?”

When asked, Rosemary answered.

“I wish to impose Oath Magic upon myself. I believe that a Subjugation Magic imposed by command holds no value for reflection and does not contribute to my own credibility.”

Oath Magic. This is a type of Contract Magic, similar to placing Subjugation Magic upon oneself, but more robust. To remove it later, one must fulfill the conditions set when making the oath.

“You… what exactly do you intend to swear?”

When asked, Rosemary showed a slightly thoughtful gesture.

“Well now. I intend to swear that for my entire life, I will never betray you, Father, and Theodore Gartner-sama… my two lifesavers. Should I break that oath, I wish for it to cost me my life… but given the issues of interpretation and perception, accidental activation would be problematic. I’m considering whether there might be a better method.”

She said it as if it were natural. King Melvin and I inadvertently exchanged glances.

…Seriously? Just earlier she was saying contracts are frightening, and now this on the same day? This is Rosemary, who has repeatedly deceived and tricked people. In terms of “earning trust,” there’s probably nothing better than this… but precisely because she’s skilled at phrasing things to avoid giving verbal commitments… if she says she’ll do it, she’ll do it. This is extreme, to say the least.

…Still, interpretation and perception, huh? If we consider oaths and contracts the same, then depending on interpretation and perception, there’s a risk of activation in unintended situations.

I suppose it means even inner feelings can’t be falsified. The trigger for this magic is the person’s own awareness.

“…For example… if you unintentionally betray someone, there’s a risk it could lead to death when you realize it?”

“That would be the case.”

King Melvin remained with his arms crossed, eyes closed as if deep in thought for a while, then finally spoke.

“There are issues that need addressing… but for my part, if you wish to use Oath Magic, I am not unwilling to permit it. Trust cannot be gained except through foolishly honest accumulation. If one who has willingly destroyed it now seeks to cut off their own retreat, then we should acknowledge that resolve.”

“…But making life the price is problematic, don’t you think? I understand the level of resolve, but…”

Personally, I think she doesn’t need to go that far, but if King Melvin doesn’t stop her, then if Rosemary says she’ll do it, she’ll do it.

If my words could stop her, she probably wouldn’t have attempted such schemes in the first place. She was likely prepared for defeat to mean death too. Her resolve is just too complete.

“Would it suffice if the betrayal becomes clear and your actions are hindered? How about making it so that if you betray someone, you can no longer construct Spell Formulas and cannot move?”

“We would need to make it possible to lift the restraint through confession and obtaining forgiveness. Since treating serious and minor matters with the same measure would be problematic.”

“So you would leave the judgment to the other party? If you and I are unavailable, to whom would you confess?”

“…Perhaps someone with close ties. Also, we need to define what constitutes betrayal. It would be troublesome if it activated in situations where I simply couldn’t meet expectations due to lack of ability.”

They continued addressing various anticipated issues. Like how being unable to move during emergencies would leave one defenseless, which is problematic.

“What about making exceptions so the restraint doesn’t apply under exceptional circumstances?”

“In that case, we should use Subjugation Magic to supplement it, ensuring no harm comes to the person during emergencies.”

And so, Rosemary herself kept adding supplements to ensure there were no oversights.

They thoroughly examined all the issues, filling in the gaps. Writing it all down on paper—once they had roughly eliminated the deficiencies, they finally proceeded to remove Rosemary’s Subjugation Magic.

“Very well, I shall remove the Subjugation Magic.”

Using the key-shaped Magic Tool he held, he removed Rosemary’s Subjugation Magic. The Magic Stone in the tool flashed, and Rosemary’s body became enveloped in phosphorescent light as a sound like something shattering echoed. With this, the Subjugation Magic had likely been removed.

“Now then—I would like to perform the Oath Magic ritual. Afterward, I ask for your assistance with the Subjugation Magic.”

—And so… with all that, it was decided Rosemary would come to my house. The books from the forbidden library would be transported at a later date… but this probably means we’ll need to add at least one more hidden study.