The Jewel Of Nornil

“Felipe, I have something to discuss!”

Tommaso pushed the female mage aside and entered the laboratory, announcing in a loud voice.

Then.

“…I thought it was noisy—so it’s you.”

Felipe, accompanied by a male mage, appeared from the back of the laboratory. He glared at Tommaso for a moment, then immediately adopted a mocking attitude.

“What do you want? Unlike you, who are obsessed with ancient magic, I’m busy…!?”

Before Felipe, who spat out his words, Tommaso suddenly prostrated himself.

“Please, lend me the ‘Jewel of Nornil’!”

“What!?”

Felipe was astonished by Tommaso’s words and involuntarily recoiled.

“Don’t be ridiculous! The ‘Jewel of Nornil’ is an indispensable treasure for maintaining this Mage Tower! And you would…!”

“I’m fully aware of that! Even so… even so…!”

Unfazed by Felipe’s furious shouting, Tommaso pleaded.

Tommaso must have thought that the thing called the ‘Jewel of Nornil’ was exactly the ‘three souls.’

It is easy to imagine that, having devoted his whole life to ancient magic, Tommaso could not back down here.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You good-for-nothing…!?”

The male mage standing behind Felipe attempted to grab Tommaso, but his body suddenly stopped responding to his will.

“Wh-what is happening!? Why is my body…!?”

The confused male mage—watching him quietly was Jonah, who had slumped to the floor as if the puppet strings had been cut.

Yes… Jonah had released the 【Marionette】 that had been controlling his body and, in turn, manipulated the male mage.

Because 【Marionette】 is originally a magic for manipulating objects, the number of things one can control depends on the caster’s magical capacity and skill.

Jonah, who possesses such an enormous amount of mana that it even corrodes his own body, can manipulate multiple objects, but controlling a human is a different matter.

Human motion is complex; to move not only limbs but each individual finger precisely requires considerable technique and concentration.

In other words, Jonah can control at most one human with 【Marionette】—himself included.

“…I see. So it was the boy’s doing.”

After carefully observing the male mage, Felipe turned his gaze to Jonah.

Jonah currently had the male mage restrained with 【Marionette】 and was defenseless—if they made a move here, he wouldn’t be able to resist at all.

Exposing oneself to such danger would normally be the height of folly. Jonah himself fully understood that.

But… even so, Jonah couldn’t help but do it.

To ensure that no one would interfere with the kind-hearted mage’s wish and determination.

“Phew… So, Tommaso. Why are you asking—going so far as to make this boy do this—to hand over the ‘Jewel of Nornil’?”

“…!? Lord Felipe!?”

“You mustn’t, Lord Felipe! There’s no need to heed this man’s words!”

Felipe exhaled deeply and asked in a stern tone.

The two mages were the ones who raised their voices at that. Especially the male mage—trying to force his immobilized body to move despite 【Marionette】—had turned entirely red with bulging veins.

“Thanks to Jonah, I have finally found it: the first clue that might lead to ancient magic.”

“……………………..”

Ignoring the two mages’ words, Felipe simply looked down at Tommaso with a harsh expression.

From their previous exchanges, it was clear he didn’t think well of Tommaso. He would probably not lend the ‘Jewel of Nornil.’

“T-Tommaso is telling the truth! I saw it with my own eyes too!”

With a body that couldn’t move an inch, Jonah strained his voice to plead with all he had.

He poured all his prayers into it so that Tommaso’s feelings would reach Felipe.

“Outsiders, be quiet! You don’t even understand how important the ‘Jewel of Nornil’ is to the Mage Tower!”

The female mage closed in on Jonah. Her rage was such that, if someone didn’t stop her, one might fear she’d harm him.

And as the female mage reached for Jonah’s collar—

“…First, show me this so-called clue. We’ll talk after that.”

“…!?”

“Lord Felipe!?”
“Lord Felipe!?”

At Felipe’s quietly spoken words, Tommaso snapped his head up, and the two mages wore expressions of astonishment.

“Lo… Lord Felipe… what are you thinking…?”

“As this man says, if a clue has truly been found, it could contribute to the Mage Tower’s development. If it’s not, then Tommaso can take responsibility.”

“B-but…”

The two mages, unable to accept or understand, grimaced. But perhaps unable to oppose Felipe’s decision, they did not press him further.

‘Um… so that means they’ve agreed to Mr. Tommaso’s request, right…?’

Jonah, who had watched the two’s interactions so far, found it unbelievable, but whatever their motives, there was no doubt this would allow them to move forward.

To the ancient magic Tommaso seeks. Above all, to the legend of the ‘Undying King of the Dark Underground Labyrinth’ that Jonah seeks.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and go fetch the ‘Jewel of Nornil.’”

“Heh, hehe… yes, that’s right.”

Felipe, looking annoyed, pulled him along, and Tommaso stood up with a wry smile.

Along with that.

“…!? I-I can move…?”

The male mage, freed from the restraint of 【Marionette】 and able to move, stared intently at his own hands and moved his body about as if checking.

“Hehe… Mr. Tommaso, that’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”

Having released control over the male mage and freed himself, Jonah came to stand beside Tommaso and smiled shyly.

Tommaso returned the smile and gently stroked Jonah’s hair.