My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 112
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 112
"...?"
My eyes widened at her words.
"It's obvious. Did you really think I'd volunteer to cast spells for you? Being a mage is technically a job, Princess."
"But...."
Lancer would do magic for me if I asked, no price needed.
But I couldn't say that to her, she wasn't my friend.
"What do you want?" I swallowed dryly.
What could a mage possibly want from me in return?
If she wanted gold or silver, I would sell all my belongings in the hotel to get it. If he wanted fame, I would ask my parents to give him the fame he deserved.
Whatever this mage wanted, I was prepared to pay a fair price.
I was afraid, but I was also desperate. I wanted to understand Lancer, even if it meant resorting to such cowardly means.
I ran the math in my head, trying to figure out what I had left behind in the hotel room.
"I need you to calculate the cost of my drink and dessert," she said.
Huh? I was momentarily dumbfounded. "...Is that all?"
"Gee, what do you mean ‘is that all’? Don't you see all these empty plates and glasses in front of me?"
She smiled and gestured in front of her, where a wall of empty drink glasses stood in front of her, and empty plates were stacked one on top of the other to form a tower.
Well, I definitely take that back.
"And then the ingredients for the spell." She smirked and rested her chin on her hand. Her face was full of mischief beyond her years. "First, bring me the most precious thing you wish to give to Lancer."
Her words left me speechless for a moment. The most precious thing I wish to give Lancer….
"If you're travelling right now and can't bring it, you can bring the most valuable thing you have with you, the more valuable it is, the more useful it will be when I cast the spell."
"...Okay. Anything else?"
Thinking her request was a bit of a stretch, I asked about the next ingredient.
And out an item I hadn't thought of at all. "Next, the Princess will need the moustache of your father."
"...?"
Hmm? My father's moustache…? Why on earth would she need my father's moustache?
My face instantly hardened as I listened intently to her words. She didn't seem at all bothered by my expression.
"The Princess must get these two ingredients, absolutely must! Only then can I cast a spell on you, do you understand?"
"Why the hell would you need my father's moustache...."
"Everything has its use. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see if the Princess's parents have done a wonderful job with the sand castle."
At her words, I jerked my head toward the beach. In the centre of it, a huge thing that could hardly be called a sand castle stood tall.
So it was not a sand castle, but a… sand mountain.
More than twice the height of an adult male, the sand mountain was nothing short of magnificent. It looked like something out of a storybook, with massive pillars, sturdy walls, and a gate with an ornate rose design.
What the hell is that? My head felt dizzy.
"Duke, it's so gorgeous. I think I'm going to have a heart attack!"
"Haha, I'd do anything for my lovely sugar cookie!"
My father nuzzled his nose in front of my mother. She squealed, both cheeks flushed red.
"Wow, this is real love...!"
"As expected, the noble's display of love is off the scale!"
The crowd that had gathered around the sand mountain was noisy, admiring the scale of the sand mountain my parents had created.
"You must have great parents." The mage smirked. I don't usually say I have great parents…. Never mind. Let's not talk about it.
With a shallow sigh, I paid for the drinks and dessert on the table and rose from my seat.
"You have until tonight to get the ingredients. Come see me then. We'll meet at midnight." She placed a hand on my shoulder and patted me.
"Where do I meet you?"
"There is a small walkway out the back door of the hotel where the Princess is staying."
I nearly screamed at her words. How did she know what hotel I was staying at?
"...Do you happen to be able to read people's minds?"
“Hmm? No, I'm just an ordinary mage with no such weird powers. I just assumed you were a princess or something. And if you're a princess, you're probably staying at the nicest hotel in the neighborhood, no?"
"...I see."
Okay, so she'd just hit the nail on the head.
With another sigh, I bid her farewell and began to trudge back to the sandy beach. Around the mountain of sand, my mother and father were playing catch.
"Haha! Duke, try to catch me!"
"Aww! You don't think I can catch my darling baby deer!"
"Hehe, Duke, I don't know! I'm a prisoner of the Duke's love!"
"Hoho, you'll have to live in my castle of love forever!"
What did I do in my previous life to have to sit and listen to these lines every day….
With a deep sigh, I walked over to the middle-aged couple who were madly in love and not giving a sh*t about anyone else's stares.
"It's time for you to return to the hotel, Duke and Duchess."
"Ah, our daughter, Skyla!"
"Our daughter, what do you mean by ‘Duke and Duchess’? That's too formal."
"My, my, what's the matter with you, Skyla?"
"Please pretend you don't know me." I desperately averted my mother's passionate gaze. I felt like a target as the eyes around us focused on me.
"Oh, by the way, my Skyla is the cutest little thing!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
"It's not a compliment, hoho!" My mother teased, poking me in the cheek with one hand.
My father pointed to the mountain of sand behind him, his voice filled with excitement. "Oooh, my precious treasure, Skyla, look at this! The masterpiece that I have created to embody my boundless love for your mother!"
"I see," I said. "Your love for my mother was a frail thing, one that would crumble when the waves came, and collapse helplessly when the children ran and kicked it."
I left the beach with my father and mother.
* * *
"I'll have clam chowder for the appetizer, lobster tail for the main dish, and brownie sundae for dessert."
"I'll have the same thing as the Duke."
"Okay, what would your niece have?" The waiter at the hotel’s restaurant, who had taken my parents' meal order first, turned slightly toward me.
"...I'll go with the lobster roll, no appetizer." As I said that, my father couldn't help but frown.
'She's my daughter, not my niece….'
My father was offended that I wasn't referred to as his child. He called the waiter. "She is not my niece, she is my daughter."
The waiter slapped himself on the forehead and clicked his tongue. "Oh, is that so? Oh, my, how rude of me. I must have been mistaken for a moment because you two look like newlyweds!"
At that last sentence, my parents' faces lit up like the fabric of an ironed dress, wrinkle-free.
My father cleared his throat. "Newlyweds," he said. "We've been married for more than a decade."
The waiter's reaction was one of disbelief. "Wow, are you sure? You don't seem like that at all! You certainly seem younger than you are because you are so affectionate with each other. I envy your beautiful love."
The corners of both my parents' mouths turned up at his words, which melted them like a block of butter poured over them.
Work on your facial expressions, both of you!
"Haha, you have eyes!"
"What a rare young man in this day and age!"
And with that, the waiter disappeared to deliver the order to the kitchen, leaving my parents to admire him for a while longer.
To everyone else, my parents must look like a couple of newlyweds. I never thought a waiter at a restaurant would praise my parents like that.
By the way.
I glanced toward my father.
I remembered the task the mage had given me just a few hours ago.
"First, bring me the most precious thing you wish to give to Lancer.”
"Next, the Princess will need the moustache of your father.”
First, the most precious thing I wish to give to Lancer. I had already made up my mind about what to bring.
Upon reflection, it wasn't such a difficult request. After parting ways with the mage, I found the answer right away.
The problem was the second ingredient.
My father's moustache.
...What the hell does she need that for? What kind of magic do the mages of the Hebnia Kingdom do?
It'd make sense if it was a lock of Lancer's hair, but my father's moustache?
And why does this mage need to get all this stuff, when Lancer doesn't need any ingredients to use magic?
Lancer must be a skilled archmage. He's used to working magic without this inconvenient procedure.
But there was no use grumbling to myself now.
The wizard said I needed that ingredient to cast a spell that would reveal Lancer's thoughts.
I slid my gaze toward the window. It was already deep into the night. A bright moon rose in the black sky, flanked by a string of stars.
The hour of the mage’s appointment was drawing near.
I couldn't delay this any longer. I must get my father's moustache somehow….
I stared at my father, who was cupping his chin with one hand and looking at my mother.
Off the top of my head, I could think of three ways to get my dad's moustache.
1) Go back to the hotel room where my parents are staying and find my father's moustache, which might be left in the sink.
Pros: Obtained without him knowing.
Cons: Dirty. Uncleanliness. Just repulsive.
2) Pull my father's moustache hard when he's not looking.
Pros: Acquired in a short amount of time.
Cons: High chance of being caught.
3) Knock my father's head vigorously, then use scissors to cut off a small portion of his moustache.
Pros: He's stunned.
Cons: He's stunned.
…Hmm, these are all horrible options.
After a moment's consideration, I decided to confront him instead.
"Father."
"What is it, my dear daughter?" My father stopped playing with my mother and turned to me.
"I have a favour to ask."
"Oh, yes! I'll do everything my Skyla asks!" He looked at me as if he would have his liver or gallbladder removed for me.
I turned to him with a stern face.
"Give me your moustache, please.”
