Chapter 166

By the next day, dark circles had formed under Jess’s eyes, making his face look gaunt. A faint blue hue tinged his pale complexion. Standing silently at the door, he gazed at them intently, his expression almost that of a grim reaper.

“May I come in?” 

he asked, his voice still lacking vitality, as he stepped inside with steady strides.

As Scheuer crawled down from the large bed, Jess placed the Crown flowers in an appropriate spot beside it. Out of habit, likely from frequently delivering bouquets, the flowers were neatly tied with a ribbon. Noticing this, Raygrain acknowledged Jess’s effort.

“Good work.”

“Let me know if you need anything else,” 

Jess replied, bowing politely and preparing to leave. But Scheuer quickly stopped him.

“Wait, Jess!”

She rummaged through the belongings she had brought from the North. She had definitely asked Cali to pack something for her, and soon, a small chamomile flower came into her hand. While chamomile could easily be found in the capital, these were for emergencies. She hurriedly handed it to Jess.

“You must’ve had a hard time finding the flowers. I hope this helps.”

“…I’m not sick,” 

Jess replied, clearly shocked that she had offered him chamomile. His words and expression conveyed utter disbelief, as if he couldn’t comprehend the situation. Though his gaze held a lot of unspoken thoughts, when he finally spoke again, it was the fastest and most articulate response Scheuer had ever heard from him.

“Thank you for the gesture, Her Grace. Although I’ll never need it, should that one-in-a-million chance arise, I’ll accept it then,” 

Jess declined the flower politely, letting out a weary sigh. As he exited the room with his usual precision, there was a hint of wounded pride in his demeanor.

As the door closed behind him, Scheuer tilted her head, and Raygrain answered for her. 

“Jess isn’t tired. He’s perfectly healthy.”

“Can’t he accept it even just as a token of gratitude?”

“There’s no rule against it, but he seems unable to forgive himself.”

Raygrain appeared unfazed by Jess’s behavior, as if he was used to it. Jess, without a doubt, was someone who took immense pride in being from the North and Blenga. It was understandable that he would be repulsed by receiving flowers, which made him seem weak.

‘Next time, I should give him something other than flowers.’

Anyone who treats Raygrain well is a good person. Scheuer thought she should select one of her treasured collectibles to gift him someday, though she planned to exclude the truly precious items, opting for something she had in multiples instead.

When Scheuer turned back after organizing her belongings, she found Raygrain had already placed the chamomile on the table. He looked at the small flower and remarked, 

“It’s tiny. If it were in the mountains, you wouldn’t even notice if you stepped on it.”

In his large hands, the flower seemed like a mere toy. He asked, seemingly surprised,

“What do you plan to use it for?”

“When I use my powers on them, something Interesting happens,” 

Scheuer replied, picking up one of the flowers and using her ability to make it bloom again. The slightly wilted flower revived, becoming vibrant once more.

“Hmm, what should I do…” 

She looked around, then grabbed the ribbon that had wrapped the flowers and spread it across the table. She pressed the flowers into the ribbon, rubbing them into the fabric. After some time passed, a thin strand began to emerge from the flower. The delicate, transparent thread was so fine that it couldn’t be held by hand, resembling a spider’s silk.

The thread continued endlessly, stretching into the distance. Scheuer pointed at the fine strand, almost touching it with her index finger, and looked up, smiling brightly at Raygrain.

“This is it!” she exclaimed.

At first glance, the thread was so faint it could easily be missed. But once you saw it, it became clear, stretching all the way out the door. Raygrain, standing behind her, observed the thread and asked, 

“Where does it lead?”

“Probably to the place where the ribbon was before Jess moved it,” Scheuer replied.

“So if we follow the thread, it’ll show the exact path?” he inquired.

“Yes! But it doesn’t last long. Since I have to crush the flower to use it, it wilts quickly and disappears along with the thread,” 

Scheuer explained, noting one of the ability’s drawbacks.

The method had its limitations. Not only was the plant hard to find, but it also didn’t work on just any item. For example, objects imbued with magic or divine power wouldn’t respond at all.

“So that’s why you needed so many of them,” 

Raygrain said, understanding her reasoning.

At that moment, there was another urgent knock at the door, and Jess entered again, looking flustered but trying to appear composed as he bowed and spoke.

“Your Grace, something strange seems to have attached itself to the path I just took. I believe it requires your attention…”

“Is this it?” 

Scheuer held up the ribbon, and Jess’s expression immediately changed to one of realization.

“It’s Her Grace’s power. My apologies for my ignorance,” Jess said, quickly regaining his composure.

“Impressive. Most wouldn’t have noticed something like that, but Jess figured it out right away,” 

Scheuer said with a bright smile.

Jess cleared his throat and clenched his fist, replying more softly than before. 

“It was nothing.”

Satisfied, Scheuer carefully lifted the ribbon with both hands and confidently presented it to Raygrain. 

“See? I’m going to use this to track where the stone tablet originated.”

“If the route is too complicated, it might be difficult to trace,” Raygrain noted.

“That’s true,” Scheuer admitted. “But if, as Erina predicted, the tablet is a forgery…”

If the stone tablet was a fake, it wouldn’t contain any divine power, making it vulnerable to Scheuer’s plant-based ability. The path the forgery had taken could be revealed in its entirety.

‘Whether it’s Prince Silcaro or Duke Netri, this will make it clear,’ 

Scheuer thought. Raygrain and Jess seemed to have understood her plan without her needing to explain further.

Jess, after double-checking that the door was securely closed, cautiously asked, 

“If it’s the stone tablet, only the high priest can examine it. Do you have a plan?”

Scheuer, with an air of confidence, responded brightly, 

“Well, High Priest Sevi doesn’t like doing work, right?”

Pointing at the plant, she added, 

“If I offer to find it for him, he won’t even look back before letting me handle it.”

This situation was different from when Scheuer herself had forged the stone tablet. Now, they couldn’t simply wait around for the culprit to be caught within the palace.

‘Since the tablet was found in Netri’s duchy, if they want to track the forger, they’ll have to search all over the place with the knights,’ 

Scheuer thought. No one could argue with her logic, especially since Sevi’s reluctance to involve himself in tedious work was well known.

If the tablet turned out to be real, Erina’s theory would be disproven, and there’d be no need for further investigation.

No matter how much Silcaro tried, he could never deceive Sevi. 

“Indeed. Even if it’s not a complete slab, just a few pieces would suffice, making it easy to smuggle away.”

“Exactly!”

If it were Sevi, he would take everything without hesitation, but Scheuer envisioned him clearly in her mind. She hoped desperately that it was a counterfeit slab, assuming that the gods hadn’t abandoned the north.

Scheuer gazed bitterly at the wilted petals of the chamomile flower, which had slowly turned the transparent thread invisible. Raygrain, watching her, silently gestured to Jess, indicating it was time to leave. Seeing this, Jess’s face turned pale. Normally, he would have exchanged words and a farewell, but now he simply bowed his head and exited the room, looking shocked.

Scheuer’s eyes widened as she watched Jess leave without a word. 

“Jess just walked out? What’s going on?”

“Who knows.”

“Could he be upset about me saying he looked sick earlier?”

“He’s not that sensitive.”

Raygrain casually placed the ribbon Scheuer had been holding back onto the table.

“I may not need sleep, but aren’t you tired?”

He nodded toward the bed.

“When the high priest returns, I’ll wake you. Get some rest.”

“Thank you!”

Scheuer gave him a firm nod, aggressively pulled up the blanket, and closed her eyes. Then, early in the morning, just as the birds began to sing, news arrived. Sevi and the paladins had returned from excavating the tablet. The message they brought was exactly what they had been waiting for.

“The tablet is a fake.”

“and her spirits dance within her” – Jane Austen