Chapter 80
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「Low, Omi, the room is this way,」 Anon leads us.
Sensei and I are guided to the inner room. Apparently, Chloa, the vice master of Vienetta, is waiting as the contact on the other end of the Contact Pearl.
By the way, his brother Chloe is currently running around frantically, trying to recruit parties to join the upcoming battle at Anon’s request.
「Do I really need to go too? If it’s about showing gratitude, I’ve had plenty already. Chloe already gave me his thanks earlier.」
I can’t quite imagine what Sensei and Chloe, who woke up earlier, talked about.
「What are you saying? Chloe and Chloa are different people. They each want to express their gratitude. Why hesitate?」
「Well, it’s a bit embarrassing.」
I completely agree.
It’s refreshing to see Sensei, who’s usually so carefree, looking a bit shy.
「Not only do they want to say thanks, but Chloa also has some important matters to discuss about future plans. In that sense, all three of us are needed to share the issues.」
「Alright, I get it. Are we keeping them waiting?」
Anon nods and says, 「I’ll go in with you,」 as we enter the room.
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As we sit down in the prepared chairs, a holographic image appears a short distance away with a soft hum.
I don’t understand the technicalities, but apparently, by combining the latest image projection magic with the Contact Pearl, it’s possible to transmit the image and voice of someone far away.
Does that mean there’s a Contact Pearl in Vienetta too?
As I’m mentally wiping away tears, remembering how Ash was so excited, saying, 「It’s such a rare item!」 and 「It was bestowed by The King!」… suddenly, there’s a flurry of noisy sounds from the other side of the image, and after a short delay, a young boy appears.
「I’m sorry. I stepped away for a moment… Um, my name is Chloa Tesoro.」
He has a bead of sweat on his forehead and keeps nervously smoothing his hair over and over.
「Hey, I’m Yanmar D. Low. Call me Low.」
「I am Omi. Chloa, you’re looking well.」
With Chloa’s appearance, we quickly complete our introductions.
He bows slightly on the other side of the image.
「I asked Anon to call you here because I wanted to express my gratitude as soon as possible.」
Chloa bows deeply.
「Thank you very much for helping me and Chloe. I will never forget this debt of gratitude.」
Just like when he pleaded with his brother to help us while he was barely conscious, I sense nothing but sincerity in his words.
I don’t think what we did was insignificant.
Sensei successfully broke a curse that even a cardinal, one of the top practitioners in the church, couldn’t manage. And I used a rare item with limited uses.
But both Sensei and I had factored that in. Even if we hadn’t promised to lend a hand in this matter, it would have been worth it just to help a young boy and his brother with their future lives.
「It feels strange to say ‘I called you to express my gratitude.’ I’m actually worried if I’m being impolite… I’d like to thank you properly again when we meet in person.」
He says with a wry smile, scratching his cheek with his finger.
Looking at him again, Chloa is still an extremely thin boy.
Saga’s son, Milo, is also slender, but that’s the ultimate form of a gymnast or Muay Thai fighter, and his body is composed of high-density muscle.
In comparison, Chloa’s build, even his bone structure, seems more like that of a young girl in her early teens.
However, this doesn’t make him appear weak at all.
On the contrary, underlying the gentle and intellectual atmosphere he exudes at first glance is a strength of will that allows him to consider others and his family even while bedridden.
「I’ve been thinking about how I could repay you – what among the things I have would be most valuable.」
「Hey, don’t worry about it. Your feelings are enough, Chloa.」
I mean it.
As I’ve said many times, I don’t need anything.
I have money, and if I want something, I can buy it.
Troubled by Chloa’s offer, I turn to face Sensei.
「I feel the same as son-in-law. Don’t worry yourself unnecessarily, lad. There’s no problem if you just treat us to some delicious food when we visit next time.」
「W-wait, please, if you don’t accept something-」 Chloa starts to panic.
Anon, seemingly unable to bear it any longer, glances at Sensei and me and sighs, 「Really…」
「You’re both such softies. And blockheads too. The other person is grateful and wants to express it by offering something. How can you not accept their feelings? If the roles were reversed, you’d absolutely want them to accept, right?」 Anon chides.
「That’s true.」
「Well, I suppose so. But it just felt odd to demand compensation from a lad.」
This time, Sensei and I both let out a long sigh.
「Alright, I get it. Chloa, I think we’ll accept your feelings.」
I finally say.
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「I’ve been bedridden with illness for a long time. But on days when I felt better, I mass-produced special potions for the clan, and although progress was slow, I also worked on researching and developing various magical devices.」
In the image, we can see Chloa struggling to drag something that looks like a large machine.
Anon provides some explanation about Chloa.
Apparently, Chloa is not only a renowned alchemist but also one of the country’s leading magic researchers and an inventor to boot.
「Among them, there’s a magical device I’ve recently completed.」
A magical device is a piece of equipment that operates using mana, incorporating both mechanical and magical structures.
Chloa finally manages to move the entire device in front of the image.
「This is it.」
The image shows something like a platform that could barely fit one person. It’s connected to various magic stones and machines, giving a sense of technical fusion between magic and machinery.
「What is this?」
Anon asks, seemingly unable to wait any longer.
Chloa wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and turns his gaze back to us to answer.
「This is the prototype of the ‘Teleport Device’.」
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