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Chapter 35 – Ring Unlocking
“In addition to the book, could you please ask Griff and Lucia to transport them and the letter to the capital?”
“Sure. I’ll take it.”
“Either way, it’s important. It’s the same if you take it all together.”
The investigators seem to have a lot of trust in Griff and Lucia. The two who received the additional request also replied without hesitation.
“Thank you. I’ll leave it to you two to select the people needed for the transport.”
“Among the people who entered the ruins — there’s a good chance they haven’t blended in yet.”
“That’s right. If they haven’t sensed any ill will or malicious intent.”
“Well, I’ll do my best.”
Clare and the others handed over the letter and the captured men to the investigation team.
The man who had blended in with the investigation team was a skilled man, but he seemed to have a tendency to play solo sometimes. The guild investigator said that there were probably other people working behind the scenes.
“Well, we’re heading back this time. I think we’ll show up at the capital city early.”
“When we do, we’ll take the remains of the grave keeper with us. We can still study it even if it’s preserved, and I think it’s important to share information.”
“Understood. I’m grateful that you’re thinking about the personnel of the investigation team and the remains.”
“Then, please be careful with the transportation.”
“Yeah. For both of us.”
“See you again at the capital city.”
Clare and the others were sent off by the investigators, Griff, Lucia, and the rest of the investigation team, and this time they finally set off on their journey back to the hermitage.
“–Well… the doll was damaged, but there’s a hole in your robe, too…”
The night came after they returned to the hermitage. After thinking about how to safely manage the remains and finishing up the small tasks of their daily work…Clare held up her robe and looked at the gaping hole in the grave keeper with a look of regret.
Clare doesn’t show much expression, so nothing changes, but the girl doll Lily looks down and shakes her head.
The hole was torn during the battle with the grave guardian. Clare had used her own thread magic to patch the hole and make it look like nothing happened until she returned home, but once the spell was released, the robe was still broken.
“What are you planning to do with that robe?”
“I’ll mend it.”
“Well… it’s good to take good care of your things. I think if you’re your age, you could be a little more decorative. You don’t say it often, but you should be a little more aware of that.”
Rona laughs a little at Clare’s response and shrugs her shoulders.
“I guess so.”
“That’s right. You can make and mend your own clothes, so you can fix the length, sleeves, or anything else. I’ll tell you that you don’t need to worry about being an apprentice or a disciple, even though you try not to stand out.”
Clare’s robes are mostly black, but they were passed down to her by Rona. Normally, Rona doesn’t say much about these things and leaves them alone, but even if there are various reasons, it’s worrying to see that she doesn’t seem to want to dress up herself, even though the dolls are very decorative.
“Decorative, huh? I’d certainly like to see that.”
Selena also closes her eyes, crosses her arms, and nods her head.
Clare happily visits the tailor’s shop in the capital to buy fabric and thread, and occasionally buys accessories from stalls and shops, but they are mainly used for dolls.
It’s nice to see her enjoying herself, but Selena thinks that Clare might use it a little more on herself.
“Hmm… If you two think so, maybe you should be a little more aware of the danger. I like the clothes you’re wearing now because they have a witchy feel to them.”
“Witchy feel… I guess that’s what a witch would have.”
The girl doll puts her hand on her chin and looks up to the sky, while Rona looks towards the day after tomorrow and lies.
To Clare, even though they were Rona’s hand-me-downs, they were still presents. She does wear them carefully, but it’s also true that she doesn’t use the accessories herself.
She uses them to dress up and decorate the new dolls she makes, and the girl doll Lily, who was also a gift from Rona. It’s true that it’s so much fun to make and manipulate dolls with alchemy and string magic that it’s become a lower priority.
“We’re going to the capital city soon, so I’d love to go shopping with you…!”
“Oh… that sounds fun.”
The concept of shopping is to buy things for Clare’s daily necessities. Clare frequents tailoring shops and stores that sell accessories, so she knows the store owners.
She’s a strange customer, but what she buys doesn’t reflect on Clare herself.
“Hmm. I’m sure it’s safe to leave that up to Selena… but since I started the conversation, I might join in. It might be fun to have Clare dress up as a doll once in a while.”
“That’s a good idea…! This is getting exciting.”
Selena clenches her fist as she says this. Clare is now looking forward to her next visit to the capital city.
That being said, she is thinking about fixing the hole in her robe.
“Well, after we eat, I’ll give you a lecture on the Ring of Subordination in the afternoon.”
Here, Clare and Selena’s eyes turn to Star Owl, who is in a birdcage.
“We can think about how to deal with Star Owl specifically after the lecture. Well, it won’t turn out badly, so you can rest assured.”
Star Owl yelled when he heard that, but he remained obediently in his birdcage.
“It’s somewhat conditional, but the conclusion is that the Ring of Subordination can be removed. Well, the strength of the magic that is attached to the Ring of Subordination, and the will of the person and the person who unlocks the ring are also important.”
After the meal, Rona’s lecture began in front of Star Owl’s birdcage set up in the living room.
Star Owl, alongside Clare and Selena, stared intently at Rona and listened to the contents of the lecture.
“The technique to unlock the Ring of Subjugation is kept secret. It’s not widely known in the public, and there are cases where it’s used legitimately, such as on criminal slaves, so it’s not something that can be used openly. It’s a fairly sophisticated technique, and it’s not something to back out of, but it does have risks, so it tests the skill and resolve of the user.”
“Risk, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s pain for the caster trying to remove it. The more advanced the technique used to unlock the Ring of Subjugation, the greater the pain.”
Even though it’s only pain at the time, it’s also a question of whether you can control the technique to the point of unlocking it while enduring that pain during a fairly difficult technique. Furthermore, if you fail along the way, you have to start over from the beginning.
“Why do you have to ask the will of the person involved?”
“The person has to have the will to remove it. If the feelings are such that they want it, give up, or accept the current situation, the caster will end up feeling hurt and failing in the end.”
Rona answers each of Clare and Selena’s questions.
“That’s true… the will and determination of both the caster and the person involved are important.”
“In other words, if the unlocking fails for that reason, it means that the caster doesn’t want to remove it or doesn’t have those feelings.”
“Yeah. That’s why if you’re going to unlock it, you need to confirm that first. Even if you lie, you’ll find out later. So…”
Rona turned her gaze to Star Owl.
“If you really want to remove the ring, then you should cry and answer. If not… you’ll just have to accept that the status quo will be maintained and you won’t be able to release it for the time being.”
Star Owl spoke without hesitation as he looked straight back at Rona.
It seems that Star Owl doesn’t want to be bound by the Ring of Subjugation.
“I see. So, I’m the one who’s going to remove the ring…”
“Please tell me how to do it. I was the one who suggested not handing Star Owl over to the guild in the first place, so if I’m going to use the spell and use it, it’s up to me to do it.”
The doll girl makes a gesture of putting her hand to her chest. Rona nods at Clare’s response and teaches her how to chant and use the spell to open the lock.
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