"So, the diary is in the library all along."

"That's right. Old Man Green used to say this: you should hide a tree in a forest. Based on that, the best place to hide a book is a library, isn't it?"

The fresh morning sunlight illuminated the corridor as four figures walked past it. We just finished our breakfast when Grandfather dragged us to resume our search. He was walking in front of us in high spirits, feeling like a leader of an exploration team. He was more excited than the kids.

I just accepted his help in the diary search, and it makes him this happy? Well, I guess thanks to yesterday's dinner, he also succeeded in fulfilling his wish to play with us.

The welcoming dinner party was a success in many ways. The one who had the greatest success was Clark, of course. Not only did he succeed in getting Father interested in his business proposal, but he also received a huge order from Mother. She was very pleased by all the gifts he presented and ordered more of their luxurious fabrics. When I found out how big of an order it was, I almost blurted out in disbelief. 

How many clothes are you gonna make?!

But that's not all. Grandmother ordered a few pieces of fabric too. Well, a few additions weren't a big deal. It’s just the "few" that she wanted were the rarest ones; the fabrics with the sacred patterns which were used in the religious ceremony of the Southern tribes. These were the ones that had the most similarities to Magic Circuits, and also the ones that almost ripped Clark's pocket just by bringing it into the Empire. The price was equal to or even higher than that of the expensive ones that Mother bought put together. From what I gathered, Grandmother was planning to send those fabrics to the Magic and Science Department's research facility of the Royal Academy to be investigated further. 

The casual talk we had about their similarities resulted in this enormous purchase. Although the Grand Duchy's wealth was like a well that never dries, spending this amount of money wasn't something that can be easily accepted by my fainted heart as a former ordinary earthling. Well, in the game, the villainess likes to pour money down the drain, so my heart was fine even though I'm never getting used to it. 

Anyway, Clark was full of bliss this morning. He couldn't stop showing his broad smile that was even blindingly brighter than yesterday. The most annoying thing was, of course, his worshiping thoughts. They were all over the place, it was noise pollution at that point. I had to turn my ability off during breakfast, otherwise, I would be too queasy to eat anything.

(Ugh… Sleepy…)

Catching Clara's thoughts, I glanced at her. Sure enough, tears were visibly hanging in the corner of her eyes. It wasn’t surprising that she had difficulty sleeping last night. She must've been overwhelmed by all that happened yesterday. When you had such a long "nerve-wracking" day like that, it didn’t end even after you went to bed. Your mind would keep you awake by replaying it over and over again, making you unable to forget the mistakes you made during the day. It was one of the frequent culprits of my sleep deprivation.

"Clara, are you still tired?"

"Oh! No, no, Lady Eira. I just slept a bit late last night. I've had plenty of rest, so please don't worry!"

When I softly pulled her sleeve, she jolted and waved her hands frantically while suppressing her yawn. Now I was even more worried. 

On the other hand, Theo was chatting normally. His complexion looked healthy, his expression was bright, and his voice sounded cheerful. His mind was calm too, there were no buzzing sounds or an eerie silence. Observing him, I wondered if I could lift my mind off him and focus on finding the Legendary Wand today. Even though the secretly yawning Clara was more worrying, I had my reason as to why I was wary of his condition. 

Last night, when Grandfather and Grandmother showed their genuine concern for him, Theo was shocked. Not exactly in a bad way, but from this reaction, I realized he didn’t believe in the affection that they had been pouring for him all this time. Then, while he hadn't recovered from this shock, he was suddenly made to realize that Mother had gazed at him with such warmth in her eyes. He was embarrassed, that's why he looked away. Seeing how Mother was laughing despite him being rude for averting his eyes, he simply couldn't believe what he saw instead of feeling relieved. When some of what was happening finally sunk in, happiness joined his mixed feelings. 

I'd say this was a part of the success because now Theo realized and understood that they loved him all along. The joy that emerged from this realization, I believed, would be an effective remedy to cure his trauma. But at the end of the dinner, Theo’s mood went a complete turnaround. I was late to notice it since he strongly suppressed his feelings until he excused himself to go back to his room first. I only heard the anomaly of his thoughts' voice after he disappeared along the corridor outside the dining hall. When I finally found him, he was outside, hiding on a balcony, crouching in one of its corners. He was crying with muffled sounds and painful sobs. Since he closed the windows to the balcony, he didn’t realize that I was there. What I heard from his mind was vividly etched inside mine. 

(I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Everyone is so kind to me, but I…! I'm sorry, Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Elder Sister, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please forgive me! Mom! Dad!)

He was apologizing. To everyone, even his late parents. I wondered if he was feeling guilty for not believing in our love for him.

As for why he apologized to his late parents…

It was heartbreaking, yet I didn't feel like going out there and comforting him at that time. I felt like it was one of those moments when it's best to leave someone alone for a while. Still, I was worried that "voice" would come up, so I waited for him to calm down a bit before I withdrew from that place. Even after that, I used my ability to pinpoint the voice of his mind so I could monitor it and ensure it didn't go wild until he went back to his room. 

I wanted to monitor him for a whole night, but that's impossible. I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that both my body and mind were exhausted. Although the same culprit that was bothering Clara last night came to harass me too, I dozed off in just about half an hour or so and slept like the dead until morning.

Then, I found out Theo’s condition was the very opposite of depression. The difference between the scene of his little back shaking as he cried the night before and his smile as he greeted me when I arrived at the dining hall in the morning, was like earth and heaven that it made me anxious instead. It was making me feel like there was something hidden behind that smile, despite me not hearing anything suspicious from his mind. 

Because of this, I was faced with another dilemma on when and how I should give the Magic Amulet to Clara. At first, I considered giving it while Theo didn’t present since it would be bad if his rival spirit was provoked again. But then, it certainly wouldn't be good if he found out later and ended up thinking that I was cheating while he still had mixed feelings about the affection his new family had been giving him. 

...Wait. That sounds wrong. Actually, does it even matter whether I give it to her in front of him or not? In any case, he already knew that I prepared the necklace as a gift for Clara.

"Grandpa, why are you calling him Old Man Green? Isn't his name Howard? Howard von Bellux?"

"He is. "Green" was his nickname. Everyone in the family called him that because he loved plants and was always talking about them." (I remember when he forced me to listen to him talking for two hours straight about an oak tree.)

"Plants? Like herbs?" (Since the Grand Duchy is famous for its production of high-quality medicinal herbs.)

"Not just herbs. From big trees to grasses, from fruits to poisonous plants, all kinds of commodity crops, even the rarest and most legendary magical plants. He knew about it all. No exaggeration to call him a walking encyclopedia of plants."

"Wow! Not only is he the Mage, but also an expert botanist? He's amazing!" 

"Well, most of the previous Mages before him were all some kind of geniuses." (Or weirdos.) 

I don't want to hear that from you, Grandpa. …Well, it's not necessarily wrong. Rather than saying he loved plants, it's more accurate to say he was obsessed with them.

Here I was worrying over what was best for him, yet the boy himself was chatting with Grandfather without care. Seeing his bright eyes, I started to feel stupid, wondering if I was overthinking, but the thought was quickly dismissed. That "voice" emergence had indeed become more and more scarce, and it didn't even manage to appear yesterday. Still, there was no harm in being careful.

"But not all plants are green, right? Besides, I think that nickname is far too simple." (It’s bland and lacks dignity, not suitable for the Mage at all.)

What? Are you seriously complaining about a nickname now?

It was out of nowhere that I was taken aback. I didn’t think that Theo's favor for the Mage was high enough to make him criticize a mere nickname. Grandfather also raised his brows in surprise as he looked back at Theo. But then, his hearty laugh rang through the corridor. 

"It sure is simple, isn't it? But he personally liked that nickname. He said it pictured him perfectly."

"How come?"

"Simple. Because he liked the color green. He had been choosing the green ones for his personal belongings. Though he said most of it was unintentional."

Theo didn’t know how to respond to that. It was indeed very simple and anticlimactic that he felt disappointed. He couldn't possibly say it out loud, but Grandfather knew what he was thinking and grinned while asking.

"Theo, have you studied about the previous Mages?"

"Yes, I had begun to learn about their achievements and contributions to the Empire."

"Good. Then, you must have known about the Tree of Life."

"The Tree of Life? Of course! That's one of the greatest discoveries by the Mages. A miraculous herb which can cure the deadly black-burns disease that plagued the southeast region a few decades ago."

Upon hearing this, Theo's eyes brighten again. He described everything he knew about the Tree of Life with enthusiasm, until something suddenly dawned on him, abruptly stopping his stream of words. However, not even three seconds later, he voiced his conjecture. 

“Grandpa, the one who discovered the Tree of Life, was…?”

“That’s right. It’s Old Man Green.”

Grandfather finished Theo's somewhat uncertain sentence with such a proud look as if he had won something as great as a war. He had been watching Theo speak with a big grin plastered across his face. When the boy’s eyes sparkled in awe, that grin once again turned into a burst of loud laughter. That attitude of him waiting for Theo to realize something after giving a hint was the same as Grandmother. 

They are much more similar to each other than they appear. 

At the same time, we arrived at the library and Grandfather laughed while he was pushing the door open. His laughter echoed throughout the vast two-story room, creating an atmosphere that felt a little out of place… Must be because, in my mind, libraries would always be associated with quietness. 

Speaking of the Tree of Life, it might be written as the greatest achievement Old Man Green had ever made in his life. But the truth is that this discovery happened half by chance. A few years before the outbreak, he had set out on a journey in search of something else. He traveled around the Empire to no avail and happened to be in the southeast at that time. When the plague struck, he didn't have a choice but to put off his search and help in finding the cure for the unknown diseases. Who knows that, after discovering the plants which were possibly the cure, he also found the one he had been searching for?

Black burns disease was a mysterious disease that suddenly appeared in a village on the shore of Mildeen Lake in the southeast. Black rashes would appear on the skin of the affected person. They stung as if on fire and if left as they are, they would burn the skin and melt the flesh under it, causing heavy bleeding. But it didn't stop there, the rashes would spread throughout the body until there was nothing left of the victim. Anyone who touches the rashes or has contact with the victim's blood or bodily fluid without protection would be infected immediately. Even a tiny bit of drop could be fatal. Spreading with a terrifying speed, it created an epidemic in the southeast region within a short week. 

It was the deadliest epidemic in the Empire's history, bringing about ten thousand deaths. The emperor at that time was forced to close the southeast region in a very strict, uncompromising isolation. Nobody was allowed to leave the region, no matter the reason or who they were. Panic overwhelmed the people; some of them attempted to escape the isolation through the mountain using animal trails, and others resorted to violence to get past the army. But in the end, all in vain due to the massive Magic Barrier that enveloped the entire region. The one deployed to erect the barrier was the disciples of Old Man Green, so imagined how depressed they were when they found their master there. 

“There’s a time when everyone in the house was so gloomy as if someone had just died. I was just a kid, so no one told me what was going on. Even as a teenager, it's Old Man Green himself who told me everything.”

Grandfather’s voice had a taste of nostalgia as he immersed himself in the memory of the past. It might be an incident that people didn’t want to recall, but it was also an important event of accomplishment. Though, for some reason, Old Man Green seemed to be more elated that he found that other plant he had been looking for than a miraculous cure for a deadly epidemic.

Well, this miraculous cure which is now known as the Tree of Life was the Hiriwa herb. It’s a medicinal plant that has long been used by locals to reduce pain or inflammation and treat headaches. The leaves were usually crushed and mixed with a bit of honey, then applied to the affected area. For headaches, they boiled the leaves and drank the boiled water. Then if you boiled the tuber, you got quite an effective male fertility tonic. Compared to plants on earth, its appearance and properties might be similar to ginseng. Their tuber shapes are both similar to human shapes. 

In fantasy stories, there's that famous plant that cries and groans when pulled out by the roots. I wonder if it exists here, but I don't find anything like it in Great-grandpa's memories.

Because of that one somewhat-eccentric property, people didn't think that this plant could be the cure. But Old Man Green managed to find the hidden properties in its stem and fruit. Like a typical herb, the stem has no wood but a transparent rubbery, jelly-like coating inside. This jelly apparently could slow down the spread of the black rashes when applied to the skin. On the other hand, the fruit of the Hiriwa herb was very bitter, so locals usually just threw it away. Yet like the old saying "good medicine tastes bitter", this small purple fruit turned out to be the most nutritious. It had a compound that could strengthen the victim's cells and make the cells not easily "eaten" by the disease.

When the cure was successfully created and applied to the patients, its effectiveness shocked everyone including the discoverer himself. The rashes healed so quickly, that it almost looked like they were using healing magic instead of a Hiriwa herb ointment. Moreover, after ingesting the fruit extract, the patient would only need a few days to regain vitality. It was truly a miracle, even more so since healing magic didn't exist. Hence, people began to call the Hiriwa herb the Tree of Life.

(—I have to ask!) “E-excuse me!”

While Theo and Grandfather were immersed in their conversation and I was busy with my thoughts, Clara suddenly raised her voice. I didn't realize she had been mulling over something all this time she walked beside me… Anyway, the three of us instantly turned to look at her, and even though that made her jolted a little, she spoke her mind clearly.

“Excuse me, My Lord. Am I allowed to hear these important matters related to the Mages?” (For a commoner like me to know these secrets…)

So she’s still worried about that. Grandfather already said that it's not a problem for Clara to read the diary since it doesn’t contain anything important. Well, that's if we ignored the possibility of one of the poems being a clue to where the Legendary Wand was hiding. But it should be fine this time too. First and foremost, he won't talk about it in front of a child if it was a sensitive matter. 

Many things related to the Mages were hidden from the world for the sake of our safety. But things like huge discoveries and the latest inventions were published as soon as their research was completed. It would be a waste not to do so if they could improve the people's welfare, right? Besides, they would be issued under the Mage’s name only without mentioning any particular person’s name. It was a lousy method if you weighed it with the identity confidentiality of such an illustrious figure like the Mage, yet it worked perfectly fine until now. 

To be honest, it's beyond me how no one figured out that Old Man Green was the Mage. Sure, the fact that he got isolated in the southeast was kept a secret outside of the family, and those who were saved gladly vowed to keep their mouths shut about the miraculous cure discoverer. Still, with so many dots scattered around, it would be easy to connect them all, wouldn't it? Even though the one who delivered the complete manuscript of Hiriwa herb's research journal to the publishing company was a servant, he no doubt belonged to the Bellux. How did no one try to unveil the mysteries from there? 

It's strange no matter how you look at it. …As I thought, there's mind-related magic in play here.

If my guess was correct, the Legendary Wand was a must-have item for sure. It would be a super useful tool for escaping if something happened in the future. 

Oh, and apparently, it's okay to reveal the secrets after the said Mage died. Well, I guessed the ill-intended people wouldn’t be able to do anything once we die. 

"It's fine, it's fine. Many already knew about Old Man Green. These indeed used to be a secret, but now I want youngsters like the little miss here to know more and remember about my grandfather." 

Grandfather squatted down as he smiled warmly. He spoke in a cheerful tone while maintaining the same eye level as Clara. Thanks to this, she gradually relaxed her stiff expression and a small smile appeared on her lips as she nodded. Despite his appearance, Grandfather was good at handling children. They tend to be scared of his big stature and initially strict aura, but once they were familiar with him, he was everyone's funny neighborhood grandpa. Seeing that nervousness had left her expression, Grandfather stood up and patted Clara’s head gently.

“Alright, let’s see. If I remember correctly, it should be around there.”

We finally began to look for the diary. Grandfather strode to the bookshelves in a corner, and we hurriedly followed him. His eyes were sweeping the books on the top rows as he walked. After a while, Grandfather let out a soft exclamation and reached for a book on a shelf right above him. The book he took had a gray leather cover… 

Huh? Isn't the cover of the diary green?

"Here, this is one of his diaries."

Grandfather handed over the book to Theo, and he took it while staring at it with a confused and doubtful look. I too was feeling unsure, so I peeked over his shoulder when he opened the front cover. Sure enough, there was the name and signature of Howard “Green” von Bellux on the first page. The pages after that were full of poems, all with the initials that read “Green” at the end. 

(Oh, I see. The color must've faded.)

That remark made my mind go completely blank. Seconds later, I wanted to curse at my ignorant self.

He lived more than just a few decades ago! Of course, its cover color faded!

The condition inside our library might be the best for keeping books, but it's a different story if the book was already in a damaged state when it was brought here. Moreover, almost half of the books here were indeed old. The color of the leather cover of those books had faded. It's hard to tell what the original color was. No wonder we couldn’t find it yesterday, heck, we might never have been able to find it without Grandfather.

“How is it? Do you like them?”

Grandfather leaned over to Theo after seeing him flip over the pages for several minutes, reading the poem with a serious face. 

“They are… kind of ordinary—”

Yeah, right. (Of course.)

When Theo was saying that, I and Grandfather agreed in our heads at the same time. Old Man Green liked to write poems, songs, and even plays, but he was neither good nor bad at it. His writing was ordinary, mediocre, and even easily forgotten. Well, he was a botanist, so it’s enough for him to be good at writing a report.

“—but I like them. Somehow, I feel warm when I read them.”

The latter half of his sentence made Grandfather’s hearty laughter ring across the library for the second time. He was pleased to find Theo liked the poems. But… I somehow felt embarrassed? And it’s certainly not because of that big blunder about the diary cover color.

“Elder Sister, would you like to take a look?” (I don’t think the clue is here.)

Theo passed the diary to me, and I hurriedly checked its contents, trying to get rid of this strange feeling.

Just like Theo thought, the poems written here didn’t seem to be related to the Legendary Wand. They were mostly about the seasons; the changing temperature, color of leaves, or smell of the air. There were a few that talked about places he visited before, but there was no way that the wand was there since they were outside the Duchy territory. The rest was about the little things in his daily life like the new tea leaves his disciples brought him or a ladybug he found wandering inside the greenhouse. Small random things that warmed the heart indeed. 

After flipping through the poems, this strange feeling of shame was getting mixed with other feelings. Like when you found something that your younger self created and couldn’t help but think, “Wow, I made this kinda thing before?” That in itself was weird, right? Old Man Green was my great-grandfather. Did having his memory confuse me?

“Grandpa, are his other diaries in the library too?”

“Yup. All these here were the Green’s Anthology.”

During the time I was struggling against myself, Grandfather helped Theo bring five other old books with faded leather covers to a nearby table. I was about to follow them but then realized that Clara had been peeking at the diary in my hand. It appears that I read it too fast earlier and she was a bit overwhelmed. Seeing her pouty lips, I couldn’t help but chuckle and my complicated mood unraveled a bit. Clara's presence was like a stress relief. I wonder if it's related to her original role in the game which was somewhat similar as she always appeared to give hints to players to advance the game. 

A small 'oh' escaped her mouth when she heard my chuckles, and she took a step back. She wanted to apologize but I stopped her by inviting her to the table to read together.

We spent all morning reading the anthology. Among all those poems, songs, and plays, I found three that "stood out" from the rest. Two of them seemed to describe some places, but unlike the others, the words were too hyperbolic to the point they became confusing and cringy... But that's exactly why! I was sure these two were the clues to where the Legendary Wand was! Now we just need to solve the puzzle behind these poems so we could search the mansion!

Well, that's all good, but the last one left me baffled. It's because it was the only one that tells about a person. It’s written like this:

“Darkness shrouds the sky, 

The moon hides her glow.

Nothing eases the misery,

All that grows is sorrow. 

Then there is her hand.

Small, shivering, and rugged,

Yet trying hard to save,

That the beloved in her life.

Miracles can sprout from braveness.

Like a tiny light,

That shine amongst forlornness,

She takes a flight.

All of our gratitude is for you, Lotty.”

Judging by the gloomy beginning, he could have written this when he was stuck in the southeast. But…

Who’s Lotty?