Chapter 90

The next day after encountering the strange Bones, Felice and others arrived at Evan’s private room in the palace.

Evan, Lewis, and Meison were waiting in the room.

After exchanging light greetings, Evan promptly questioned them.

「So? Just what happened?」

「How should put it……」

「Let’s talk about what happened to Feli and me first」

Because Felice was at loss for words, Albert told the story instead.

As the story progressed, Evan, Lewis, and Meison made expressions of bewilderement.

When the story ended, Lewis asked Claude.

「Isn’t that Bones a lich?」

「I thought so at first as well, but I didn’t feel an ominous magical power. It’s just that I can’t make a conclusion」

「Is that so?」

When Lewis’ question was answered, Evan asked next.

「Still, if you “fell” into that place, does that mean it’s the forest’s bas.e.m.e.nt?」

「I wonder. What I felt was “falling” but…… hey, how was it for Austin and others?」

Without answering Evan’s question, Albert inquired from Austin and others too.

「It certainly wasn’t a feeling of transfer, but I’m not that knowledgeable about magic. How about you, Blake?」

「I’m the same. We entered accidentally after all」

「There wasn’t any disturbance of magical power. It might be in Meison’s field of expertise」

「Mine? Then, I will have to see it once」

Being told such by Claude, Meison wanted to take a look, so they decided to go.

But before leaving, when they asked about James Barn, the three answered after pondering for a while.

「Don’t know him」

「Never heard that name before. In the first place, how many hundreds of years is that fellow from?」

Evan and Meison answered, but Lewis closed his eyes and tried to recall.

A few minutes later, Lewis opened his eyes and opened his mouth.

「Great Magician James Barn, was it?」

「What is it Lewis, you know him?」

「What are you saying, Evan. It’s the Great Magician James Barn, you know? ……… I don’t know him」

「You don’t know him!? So confusing!」

「Well then, let’s go. Evan, please keep working diligently」

「Haa!? Why! I’m going too!」

「Bringing the king to an unknown place is out of question」

「Guh…… alright. Be careful」

「Yes. Albert, please」

「Yes, yes~ See ya, Evan……『Transfer』」

While waving his hand at Evan who dropped his shoulders, Albert transferred the group to that room’s entrance.

Meison and Lewis wanted to “recreate yesterday’s incident” so Felice and Albert recalled that time and moved.

「Err~ I’m sure Al told me to sit on this stone」

「I also sat on the neighboring stone, didn’t I? I heard a noise when I sat down」

When the two sat on the stones while explaining, they heard the noise.

「Ah! It’s this sound」

「And then, the stones sunk」

At the same Felice said that, the stones the two were sitting at suddenly tilted.

「Right, right, like this~」

「Kyaa~!」

Felice and Albert disappeared in a hole that appeared behind them in a blink of an eye.

Claude spoke up after making sure that the hole disappeared.

「It was like that」

「It certainly doesn’t look like magic circle’s or magic tool’s doing」

「The mechanism is most likely activated by sitting simultaneously at these two stones」

「Mechanism? That’s those things that operate without magical power, right?」

「As I thought. However, even though he’s self-proclaimed “Great Magician” why use a mechanism?」

「It would be better to go inside. The two are waiting for us」

「Fu…… you are naive, Blake. If it’s those two, then they have already gone to Bones’ place. Want to make a bet?」

「「「「Ah…… indeed」」」」

The other four nodded to Claude’s somewhat exhausted words.

Claude and others entered the hole without saying anything and when they arrived, they didn’t see Felice and Albert around as they thought.

「「「「As expected」」」」

「Let’s talk about this matter later. Of course, you as well, Claude」

「Haa~…… I got it」

Claude and others were towards the room where Bones stayed.

Before entering the room, they heard quarreling voices, so when they opened the door in a hurry, they saw Felice, Albert, and Bones arguing over something.

「You guys lack too much sense!」

「If you say that much, you should consider yourself too!」

「Mo~ stop fighting!」

Claude seized Felice and Albert by the nape of their necks and separated them from Bones.

「Wa! Otousama!?」

「Geh! …… You were quite fast, Tousama」

「First of all, children shouldn’t go ahead by themselves. “I’m not a childmon” won’t work here, Albert. Thanks to that, you will get scolded by Lewis」

「「Ehh~…… I’m sorry」」

Hearing about Lewis’ scolding from Claude, the two wanted to protest, by they promptly obediently apologized after seeing Lewis’ smile.

When the two dropped their shoulders dejectedly, Bones opened his mouth.

「Didn’t your numbers increase for some reason!? What have you come for!」

「We have come here to learn about this place and about you on the occa.s.sion」

「Occa.s.sion!?」

While Bones was receiving a shock for being treated like a bonus by Lewis, Claude asked about the cause of the quarrel.

「By the way, why were you fighting?」

「A name. Bones’ name」

「Yesterday, Otousama and others were laughing, right? That’s why I thought of coming up with a name」

「Incidentally, what name did you come up with?」

「I have come up with Boneil, Bonesto, and b.o.n.e.ry」

「……………」

「Mine are Bonecco, Bonear, and Bonestar」

「……… Are you serious?」

「「Eh?」」

Claude doubted the names the two come up with, but because it appeared that they were serious, Claude’s face cramped.

Austin and others who were nearby and heard the conversation were making identical faces and whispering among themselves.

「Austin, if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t it Albert who named your son?」

「Yeah…… but, my son’s name is normal, you know? I’m glad for it being proper」

「They considered it for several days. “Felice” was also given by him, so they are probably just not taking it seriously」

「「I see」」

While the three were whispering among themselves, Lewis and Bones joined the naming conversation, but Lewis grew impatient because they couldn’t decide.

「There’s no ending! It’s just a temporary name, so make a compromise!」

「「「Yes!」」」

Getting yelled at by the angry Lewis, Felice, Albert and Bones reflexively responded.

They looked just like children getting scolded by their mother.

After thinking for a bit, Felice timidly asked Bones.

「Umm~ how about Gai?」

「Gai?」

「Yes, Gai from Gaikotsu (Skeleton). No good?」

「Gai…… Gai, huhh~…… un! I’m Gai!」

They apparently decided on the name.

After that, they introduced to each other and decided to examine the room.

After examining for a while, it seemed that Lewis found something as he called for everyone.

「Please take a look at this wooden plank. It’s written in letters I haven’t seen before」

「What the h.e.l.l is this…… are those even letters?」

「It’s my first time seeing something like that」

「I haven’t seen anything like that either」

「Me too」

In the midst of Claude and other’s responses, Austin was groaning, and Felice was absentmindedly staring at the wooden plank.

Lewis who noticed their state called out to the two.

「Austin, what’s the matter?」

「Well~ I feel like I have seen it somewhere, I can’t remember」

「Felice?」

「…… I…… know these」

「Really!?」

「Yes, that’s…… j.a.panese」

「j.a.panese, is it?」

「They are…… the characters I used in my past life」

Hearing Felice’s words, Lewis and others opened their eyes wide.

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