Chapter 344 – A Token of Love

When I told him how to fuse holy mana, James felt like the sage time had come for a moment.
The convergence experiment, which was impossible for the mages of the Mage Tower, was realized by only one wandering mage, so he must be feeling dejected. James, who had shouted that it would be impossible earlier, lost his spirit.

“If it weren’t for the situation of preparing for war, I would have invited you as a technical advisor to the Mage Tower… Surviving right now is a problem.”
“Please tell me after the war with the demon king’s army is over. If you give me money, I will cooperate with the magic tower fusion experiment.”
“Thank you, Luke.”

James quickly came to his senses, befitting the head of the wizards. He said that the obelisk was completed, but the fact that he had to wage a siege against the invading demon king army did not change. Although it was possible to block Mjolnir’s lightning strikes, it gave rise to considerable hope.

“Thanks to you guys building the Obelisk, it saved me a lot of time. Because the Obelisk will absorb all of Mjolnir’s lightning strikes. It is necessary to revise the barrier plan that the Mage Tower was working on.”
“How are you going to revise your plan?”
“Originally, in the Magic Tower, we planned to install barriers not only on the castle walls, but also on the main buildings of the city. We planned to put barriers on buildings such as the lord’s castle, city hall, and church to protect citizens by driving them in. But if there was an obelisk, even if all the barriers were focused on the walls, It won’t matter.”

As I heard during the meeting, the Mage Tower planned to defend the main building in case of random lightning strikes in the city. However, since the obelisk was built, it was possible to put a barrier to protect the city on the side of the castle wall.

This means that as the density of barriers increases, the walls become stronger.
I asked James a question.

“What kind of barriers are you planning to deploy in the Mage Tower? There are many types of barriers, right?”
“It’s the ‘Pass Field’ developed by the technicians of the Magic Tower. The Pass Field is perfect for counterattacking the demon lord’s army.”

The Pass Field was a large-scale barrier technique developed by the Mage’s Tower, but compared to general barriers, there was something unique about it. If you fire magic or arrows from inside the barrier, the projectiles will pass through the outside of the barrier intact. Conversely, it blocks all enemy attacks from outside the barrier.

It was different from other barriers that cut off the inside and outside by blocking both directions.

‘It means that we can launch a unilateral offensive until the barrier is broken.’

It’s much better than putting up halfway solid barriers.
Isn’t there a saying that the best defense is the best offense? If the defenders flew magic and arrows at random on the castle wall, the Demon King’s offensive had no choice but to hesitate.

“I heard that the army led by the Thunder Emperor with Mjolnir will arrive in Yoensuu by tomorrow. In the battle with the Thunder Emperor, I plan to go out on my own. In the end, if I can’t stop him, the barrier will be destroyed.”
“Are you saying that the Lord of the Magic Tower is going to do it himself?”
“Who but me can stop the descendant of the Demon King? Although I am old, I have great magic that has been with me for a long time. If you are the owner of Mjolnir with sealed lightning, you can stop it.”

James seemed to be planning to compete with the thunderbolt directly in the battle tomorrow. The noble sacrifice was appreciated, but James’ voice overflowed with his signature arrogant confidence.

An old wizard who has lived for a long time as the owner of the mage tower.
As an old man who reigns like a king in the magic tower, it was only natural that his confidence would be full. He would have never met a better wizard than himself in his entire life, other than the head of the Nine Gards.

‘Why are you so anxious… ?’

Seeing James made me feel uneasy.
Can this old man really block the thunderbolt by himself?
Isn’t it like being defeated by the Thunder Emperor and being robbed of the city gates in a straight line? My hands and feet were shaking with a sudden, terrifying feeling, so I said quickly to James.

“M-Ma Tower Lord! I will compete with you. Join forces with me to defeat the thunderbolt.”
“Oh… It would be a great thing if you came forward. Support me from the rear. If you die in this battle, who will fuse the Holy Magic?”
“I know how to take care of myself.”

I couldn’t stay still, so I joined in the work of getting rid of the brain teaser.
Somehow, it was like moving like the mage tower master on the battlefield. I hate to be partnered with a stubborn old man, but I can’t help it. Let’s make a temporary alliance this time.

“Take care of yourself tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to the magic tower master’s great magic.”

James shook my hand and returned to the Mage Tower with Count Harold and Father Franz. After they left, it was quiet in front of the lab, as if a storm had passed.

‘Am I finally able to rest?’

After about a week of rolling around day and night, it’s time to take a break. There will be a war tomorrow, but I was going to sleep now. Wouldn’t it be better to get some sleep to recover from fatigue?

“Delia, is there a sleeping room in the lab?”
“Yes, there is.”
“I’ll sleep in the sleeping room. I didn’t sleep a wink during the experiment. Wake me up right away in case of an emergency.”
“I could lend you a sleeping room, but. Luke, can you sleep in a situation like this…? He might die tomorrow right now?”
“They say ghosts who died sleeping are more beautiful than ghosts who died without sleep.”
“I-I don’t think that was the proverbial saying? Anyway, I’ll lead you to the sleeping room, so follow me.”

Unlike the other researchers who took turns sleeping, I couldn’t sleep a wink in order to control my telekinesis. I’d rather go to bed now than die from sleepiness in the fight tomorrow.

Delia took me to a sleeping room in the lab.
When I entered the sleeping room, I saw luxurious beds. In Ninggard, there were many overtime jobs, so the welfare of the sleeping room was the best among all the magic societies.

“Uhhhhh…!”

When I dived on top of the bed and buried myself, there was no paradise. The demon king’s army invades tomorrow, but as soon as I lie down, sleep pours out. It was thanks to his training so that he could sleep at any time while living an adventurer’s life.

“Get a good night’s sleep. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”
“Are you not going to sleep?”
“It’s okay because I’ve been sleeping in my spare time. Oppa is the problem.”

She told her to get a good night’s sleep, but somehow Delia didn’t leave her sleeping room. She just stares at me lying on the bed.

It’s embarrassing just looking at it.
Surely you’re not going to wait for me to fall asleep and put some toothpaste on my face? I believe that even Delia would not play such a prank in wartime.

“Um, can you turn off the light over there? I need to sleep…”

It was the moment I asked to turn off the light in the sleeping room.
Instead of turning off her lights, Delia rummaged in the pockets of her overcoat.

“Brother, wait a minute.”
“Why?”
“I have something to give to my brother.”

What Delia pulled out from her pocket was a handkerchief that looked somehow familiar.

Why are you familiar with it?
As I was rolling her hair, Delia handed me her handkerchief, she said.

“It’s the handkerchief my brother gave me at the temple in Ninggard long ago.”
“Ah…”

Come to think of it, that’s the handkerchief I used in the past.
When I visited the temple of Nine Gard, I handed Delia her handkerchief when she was crying.

I had a really rough relationship with Delia back then.
Handing over the handkerchief was nothing more than taking responsibility for making Delia cry.

I didn’t know that the handkerchief would come back to me.
I thought Delia must have abandoned it.
She even said that she could throw it away altogether.

Why did you keep the handkerchief I gave you until now?
I was puzzled by Delia’s handkerchief back.

“You said you didn’t have to return the handkerchief. Do you remember what I said then?”
“My brother said I could throw it away. But when I tried to throw it away, it felt like a waste. If I wash it clean and give it back to him, it feels like my debt to him disappears.”

Debt?
This half-elf must have thought that he owed me the handkerchief.
So it seems that he has kept the handkerchief until now, even after a long time has passed.

To pay off my debt.

“Then why are you giving it back now? You’ve had many opportunities to give it back so far.”
“That is…”

There must have been many opportunities to return the handkerchief while we were together.
I don’t know why you keep your mouth shut and then return it now.
You returned it so late that I forgot about the handkerchief.

Delia opened her mouth with her crawling voice.

“So, if I return the handkerchief, I think my relationship with Luke oppa will be cut off forever.”
“What?”
“My brother and I weren’t close friends. I thought that if I returned the handkerchief, I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to him in private anymore. That’s why I was hesitant to give it to him.”

Delia, who was revealing her true feelings, was terribly ashamed.
The half-elf’s pointy ears drooped in shame.

“Even when we were in a rough relationship before, I thought you were an interesting person. That’s why I didn’t want to cut off the relationship at all. Maybe if you talk to your brother while giving him a handkerchief at the right time, we might get closer.”

So, the reason I stayed silent until now was because I was looking for the right moment to hand out the handkerchief.
If you get to know this half-elf girl, she has a somewhat introspective side.

I asked while stroking my handkerchief.

“So you’re saying now is a good time?”
“Uh, huh? It’s not necessarily a good thing, but shouldn’t I return it right now? If my brother dies on the battlefield tomorrow, that’s the end of the relationship. Conversely, I could die.”
“Hmm…”

That’s right.
If your life is in danger tomorrow, is there any point in having a handkerchief?
Moreover, what Delia added shook my heart.

“Brother Luke, do you know what it means for a woman to give a handkerchief to a man in the Northern Kingdom?”
“What is that?”
“When the man you love goes to the battlefield, he gives it in the sense that he must come back without dying. That handkerchief contains the heart I think of my brother.”

Sa, love?
As soon as she heard her words, she almost jumped out of bed.

No matter how you think about it, isn’t this a confession?
I know that a handkerchief is a token of love in another world!
Does Delia really like me?

“Are you confessing now?”

As I looked up, Delia was startled and made her excuses.

“It’s not a confession…! It’s just that I care for you enough to give you a handkerchief! Lately, I’ve been thinking that my brother looks great! Cha-don’t get me wrong? Even though I have heart, I have loyalty!”
“I see. It’s a proof of loyalty.”

I received a handkerchief, which I don’t know if it’s a token of loyalty, and put it away.
Anyway, it’s true that it contains a woman’s heart, so it must be effective on the battlefield.

“I even gave my brother a handkerchief, so don’t ever die. If you die, I won’t forgive you.”
“I’m already dead, what if I don’t forgive you?”
“I don’t know either!”

Delia turned off the lights and went out of her bedroom.
In the quiet sleeping room, I closed my eyes.