Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle

[Help Noah! Please save Noah! Noah needs help!]

Before Clarisse’s question was over, the red pebble loudly screamed.

“No…ah?” 

When Clarisse asked, Mallang, who had struggled to open the window, stomped its feet. 

“Coo! (I’ll throw it out right away!) “

[The bad wizards have locked Noah in a wagon. Besides, it seems that Noah intends to die like this! I need the girl’s help!] 

“Coo! (Don’t ask Clarisse as you please! She’s my master!).” 

Mallang at the red pebbles and looked at Clarisse with sharp eyes.

“Coo!” 

It was a warning not to wander around the neighborhood for nothing.

However, Clarisse was already completely engrossed in the story of the red pebbles.

“It’s about someone asking for help through a stone. For some reason, I feel like it’s fate.” 

“Coo. (I don’t know.)”

“Besides, the opponent is a wizard. The Duke came here to meet the wizards too. Maybe it will help the Duke.” 

Mallang came down to the desk and sat down.

Judging by the slight turn of his head, he seemed to be pouting.

Clarisse raised the red pebbles to eye level again.

“Can you tell me what is going on now?”

[Ah, to meet such a kind golem master right away! I’m really glad.]

“I am not a golem master. That’s a very great person.”

[No, it can’t be…]

“So, what can I help you with?”

* * *

Arriving in front of the meeting room, Maximilian recalled what Clarisse had said a moment before, just before opening the door.

｢I think the Duke… is having a hard time.｣

Who cares about whom?

When he saw the child, he wondered how well he knew she would die in a few years.

It’s like the fact that she always smiles as if she has nothing to worry about. 

‘If that’s the case, if everything is negative, is that a problem as well?’

Since her life was short, it would be even more troublesome if she made a fuss about dying right away. 

Most of all, the Duchess, who is very proud of Clarisse, will be heartbroken—.

‘No.’

He hurriedly shook the thoughts that had come to him.

Clarisse’s life wasn’t such a private matter.

For some reason, he seemed to have forgotten for a while, but the child was the royal daughter of the ruined country.

If such a child was killed before the official execution, there was a possibility that the whole Sheridan could get in trouble with the king, who might say that he couldn’t even keep one prisoner safe. 

Why didn’t he think of such an important point in the first place? 

The Duke pulled the doorknob, resenting something in his mind that had receded. 

The three wizards who had arrived first in the conference room stood up to greet him.

Then the Duke greeted them with a light nod of his head.

“Thank you for granting permission to study this time, Duke Sheridan.”

The one who seemed to be the representative of the three wizards took a step forward.

“My name is Alfie Nelson of the Wizarding Order.”

A man named Nelson wore a gray robe, unlike the two men in black.

Maximilian remembered that the higher the rank in the Order of Magic, the closer the color of the robe was to white.

“It was just something that had to be done. There’s something I need to find under the ‘collapsed golem.’”

He answered bluntly and looked around the wizards all over again.

Nelson, in the gray robe, quickly added an explanation as if he knew that his gaze was filled with doubt.

“Sir Sinnet is resting in his room.” 

“I know that he requested permission for this study.”

“It was precisely the request of his teacher and guardian, the wizard Jonah Astor. But he passed away not too long ago, so I took over all the work.”

Maximilian felt something strange.

The name Alfie Nelson was clearly seen in the papers.

However, he was written as a researcher under the command of Noah Sinnet, the subject of the research, and there was no word that he would come forward and act as an agent.

“I’ve never received a document with that information.”

When he pointed it out calmly, Nelson smiled awkwardly and fiddled with his hair.

“Because of Jonah Astor’s sudden death, I couldn’t tell the Duchy. The papers will come soon.” 

“Then let’s issue the permit at that time.”

“Yes? B, but without it, we can’t start research right away….” 

“Then you can bring Sir Sinnet, like the rule.” 

The Duke used the word ‘rule’ even to make sure that there was no room for it.

“That… actually.” 

Then Nelson opened his mouth with difficulty as if handing over a rather uncomfortable fact.

“He is not thinking straight. He suddenly lost his teacher, who was like his parents, so it’s natural. Isn’t he still eleven years old?”

“Hmm.” 

“He only came here on the last orders of his master. He is still full of sorrow. He is a child who can’t do anything, so could you please be kind to him?” 

Now that Nelson was talking like this, calling Sinnet according to the procedure was like the Duke of Sheridan harassing the grieving young wizard. 

‘Shouldn’t it be better to give permission?’

In an instant, he had a strangely random thought. 

After all, all he wanted was to find the remains of the previous king and the royal family’s heirloom in the collapsed Golem. 

It didn’t matter who played that role.

However, he couldn’t trust the man named Nelson in front of him.

A gesture peculiar to a person who tells a lie was appearing all over his body.

Eyes that don’t meet properly.

A hand that keeps touching the head or face as if anxious.

Even the tone was off.

It was a very different behavior from those who simply got nervous in front of the Duke.

It felt a bit uncomfortable for such a person to wander through precious ruins and experiment on his own.

‘But…’

Over the past ten years, the Royal Family and the Wizards have ostracized each other.

For a long time, they had turned their backs on each other, saying they would never cooperate with each other, but after an old wizard sent a friendly letter to Maximilian, they finally came up with the idea of working together to investigate the collapsed golem properly.

It was not good to have a conflict with the wizards from the beginning of this important matter. 

Moreover, he will incur the wrath of the wizards again, saying, ‘Did you really have to call a young wizard who was in sorrow and have him sit at the meeting?’

‘What should I do?’

The Duke was troubled for a moment.

* * *

Clarisse was wearing a prisoner’s uniform made of fur. She also wore a furry hat with a white ribbon at the nape of her neck that was pulled tightly forward. 

This way, she could protect her ears and cheeks from the cold of the north.

After that, she put on two layers of white stockings and boots that reached below her knees.

Before coming here, it was newly distributed as ‘prisoner’s shoes.’

After completing her head-to-toe ‘Sheridan Prisoner Look’, Clarisse peeked out the door and raised her right hand.

“Is this the bathroom?”

Sir Benson approached and asked, but Clarisse shook her head.

“It’s an outdoor activity, Sir Benson.”

Benson nodded his head.

Ever since her last dinner, Benson has been kinder to Clarisse.

“Hmm, yeah. Is there any place you want to go?”

“Where is the wagon that the wizards were riding on?”

“Aha.” 

Benson clapped his hands as if he understood the child’s intentions.

“You must have heard the story of the magic carriage. Things go infinitely, and they carry them no matter how heavy they are! Is it something that sparks your curiosity, right?” 

She never heard of such a story, but Clarisse smiled and didn’t bother to deny it.

“Follow me. Even though it doesn’t look much different from the outside.”

“Thank you, Sir Benson.”

* * *

Noah stretched his body on the floor of the wagon.

It would not have been strange for anyone else to freeze to death, but he wasn’t an ordinary human, so he didn’t have to worry about that. 

Because he didn’t get cold.

“What if he really dies after doing this?”

“Tsk, I don’t know. Did we starve him? That monster didn’t eat himself.”

The wizards in black robes, who had been bringing him food for several days, made a noise and locked the wagon’s lock.

“…Monster.” 

Noah muttered the most disgusting words to himself.

｢You are a very special child. You will definitely have a friend who recognizes your true self. A lot of good things will happen.｣

Master Astor always said this and cheered him up, but in fact, Noah knew.

What a terrible monster he is.

The fact that he can survive in the terrible cold in a row without even a little warmth.

Even if he starves for a few days, his mind is clear.

‘Something like a friend… there’s no way I’ll ever make friends.’

Children of the same age as the Wizards blatantly distanced themselves from him, and adults also felt uncomfortable with him.

Although it can’t be helped because his appearance is different from others.

In this situation, the death of his teacher, who was almost the only kindness, gave him the fear of eternal loneliness.

｢You go and study the collapsed Golem. You’ll find what’s hidden in it.｣

Now, Noah’s only reason for life was the last thing his teacher ordered.

But—.

｢Are you not even looking in the mirror? Do you think the Duke will permit your research even after seeing your true nature? Where are you going to go on the subject of a terrible monster?｣

The wizard Nelson stopped him.

Since then, Noah has been stuck in a warehouse where he can’t meet anyone.

It was as if Nelson had locked him up, but in fact, Noah chose to stay here even though he could have easily gotten out with magic.

He doesn’t think Nelson was wrong.

A monster with a terrible appearance who can’t stand in front of others without a mask.

Which Lord would try to bring such a human into his land? Even his fellow wizards don’t accept him.

Noah slumped and closed his eyes.

Then, at some point, somewhere in his body began to throb strangely.

It wasn’t pain.

What should he call this…? 

The unfamiliar sensation quickly wrapped around his body and started to take over his mind.

He closed his eyelids slowly as if pushed by an emotion he couldn’t even name.

A girl whispered from outside.

“Yes, it’s here, Sir Benson.”