โป I’ve resumed updates, thank you for your patience.
โป I plan to update every three days at the earliest, or at least once a week.
โป Thanks to everyone’s support, the book publication has been decided. Thank you so much!
“Faaah-aaah-ahhhh… aaahhh,” I let out a long and exaggerated yawn when Uncle Conrad spoke to me in a gentle voice.
“Awake? Good morning, Jill.”
“Good morning, Uncle Conrad! …But, it’s still dark, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is. Morning wonโt come unless you make it. After all, weโre in a cave, and this world is nothing but pitch darkness.”
“Oh, I forgot… [Illumination Sphere].”
I used the [Illumination Sphere] spell.
A glowing sphere appeared from my hand.
The sphere floated upward like it was swimming, illuminating the area around us with a soft white light.
This spell is a modified version of [Illumination]. For some reason, I can use stronger magic here in the cave, and my control over it is becoming more refined. Most importantly, thereโs someone who appreciates my magic.
“Good morning, Uncle.”
“Good morning. Can you bring ‘morning’ to the other rooms as well?”
“Understood.”
I sent about ten [Illumination Spheres] out.
Like paper bags caught in a gust of wind, they floated gently through the air.
“Hey, everyone! It’s morning!”
Uncle called out toward the bedrooms.
“Dusk, Dawn, get up already. See? The [Illumination Spheres] have arrived.”
“Still sleepy… isnโt the timing off?”
“The princess is already awake. Get it together.”
From the bedrooms, I could hear groggy voices responding.
It’s the thirty-fifth day living in the cave.
Another fun day was about to begin.
โ
“Everyone, you can listen while eating. I have something to say.”
Breakfast was always eaten together in the great hall.
Oatmeal made from barley, detoxified angel mushrooms, and boiled sprouts.
The main dish was sautรฉed mole.
This was the usual menu. Admittedly, having it every day could get monotonous, but Uncle always knew exactly when people would start getting bored, changing up the flavors and seasoning to keep things interesting. Even though there shouldnโt be many ingredients available, Uncle’s ingenuity in cooking made me think he truly was a genius in the kitchen.
“What is it, Lord Conrad?”
It was Ritchie who asked Uncle.
Ritchie was tall, with slicked-back black hair and thin eyebrows.
I was initially scared of Ritchieโs rugged appearance, but I quickly warmed up to him.
Despite his intimidating looks, he had a gentle personality and loved singing.
His talents were a beautiful singing voice, precise calculations, and frugality.
He calculated the remaining food supplies, compared maps with the actual construction sites, and his plans were always flawless.
When I asked why he was so good at complicated calculations, he replied, “I have help from a demon.” Apparently, he had a mysterious magic that allowed him to summon a demon, which, strangely enough, loved solving math problems. Uncle relied on Ritchie for various consultations, which meant Uncle couldnโt go against Ritchie’s advice.
“We’ve been living in this cave to protect Jill. Weโre knights guarding the princess, you know.”
“Yes, of course.”
“But still… weโre scruffy. Unfashionable. It just doesnโt look right, does it?” Uncle spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture, lamenting dramatically.
The ones who objected were the brothers, Dusk and Dawn.
“Even if you say that, we all only have one set of clothes. Unless we can use that ‘magic brush,’ that is.”
Dusk had spiky hair and was rough around the edges. A storyteller who often got scolded. Just the other day, he claimed, “There’s gold buried here!” but it turned out to be copper coins. However, he never told lies to make people sad, and his catchphrase was, “As long as it’s fun, who cares?” He was great at percussion, especially the drums, with an impeccable sense of rhythm.
“Yeah, it was Lord Conrad who said not to waste magic.”
Duskโs younger brother, Dawn, had a strange hairstyle. The sides of his head were shaved, with only the middle part grown outโsomething called a “Mohawk.” Dusk, worried about timid and often bullied Dawn, forced him to get this haircut, and thanks to it, Dawn managed to win a fight against his bullies. Encouraged by Dusk, Dawn became the strongest and most determined. He could handle even the toughest digging tasks without a single complaint.
“Rain dances, and reverse rain dances, theyโre quite a hassle. Iโd rather save them for when we really need them. But yeah, I wouldnโt mind dressing up a little. What do you think, Lord Conrad?”
Dusk and Dawn were experts in performing rain dances, and could also push rain away. Even when we hit water while digging in the cave, as long as those two were around, there was nothing to fear.
“True, we could afford to ease up on magic a bit now. Weโve built up a little margin, right, Ritchie?”
“Even so, itโs not enough to waste. If we can maintain a disciplined lifestyle, Iโd allow some leeway, but only under that condition.”
Ritchie replied in a tone that implied, โYou wonโt be able to do that anyway.โ
But Uncle grinned.
“Exactly. That’s the problem. We can’t maintain discipline. And why is that? Itโs because we lack the motivation to do so. And how do we get that motivation, Garment?”
The black-haired boy, called Garment, replied quietly.
“I can’t say yes or no if I donโt understand your intent. Whatโs your point?”
Garment was the youngest among us, and the most quiet. He was also incredibly skilled at drawingโso much so that even Uncle acknowledged his talent. He was entrusted with the ‘magic brush’ we found in the cave.
Though sarcastic by nature, he was truly kind at heart. When someone was struggling or feeling down, Garment would silently use his magic brush to draw whatever that person wished to see. While Ritchie was always nagging everyone to save their magic, he never said much to Garment. Garment only used his magic when it was genuinely needed to help others.
“Seriously, for a fifteen-year-old, you sure arenโt very cute. Let me give you a romantic proposal.”
“Conrad, enough with the long-winded introduction.”
“Weโre forming a knightly order.”
Everyone’s faces went blank at Uncle Conradโs words.
“That’s what we’re missing here. We don’t have a title or a name to represent our purpose! Without that, our lives become aimless… and that won’t do. We already have a noble mission. Therefore, we need a banner worthy of it.”
“Um, Lord Conrad… does that mean youโre suggesting we give ourselves a name?”
Ritchie asked, looking confused. Uncle nodded with a big smile.
“Exactly! Listen up, everyone. From today, we are knights living in the depths of the earth with the noble mission of protecting the princess… the Gankutsu Knights!”
โ
When Uncle starts saying things that I don’t quite understand, things usually move along as they are.
The final words that come out are just amusing, but surprisingly, they make sense.
โIf we dawdle too much, the magical cape and tiara will disappear. Let’s get this knighthood ceremony done quickly.โ
In the hall, five men, dressed in armor and white capes, stood in a row.
And standing in front of those men was me.
I, too, was wearing a white cape over my clothes.
The difference was that I was wearing a tiara and had a sword at my waist.
โUm, Uncle, how do I do this?โ
โFirst, the person receiving the knighthood kneels before you. Then you ask, โDo you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โโ
โYes.โ
โThe knight will then respond, โI vow.โ Next, you tap the knightโs shoulders with the flat of the sword. Right, left, right. Finally, embrace them around the neck and say, โMay the grace of heaven be upon this righteous knight.โโ
โI understand!โ
โGood, that’s a good girl.โ
Uncle gently patted my head, making sure the tiara didnโt slip.
โThat tickles.โ
โOh, sorry, sorry. You guys got the flow down, too?โ
When Uncle said that, Garment raised his hand.
โWhat is it, Garment? Go to the bathroom beforehand.โ
โThatโs not it! I have a question! It wouldnโt be right for Conrad and me to become knights. Royals arenโt allowed to serve anyone but the king.โ
โYouโre so nitpicky. There’s no rule in this cave that says princes and princesses can’t become knights.โ
โIs that really nitpicky? And the phrase โDo you vow to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ isnโt the correct wording. Normally, the country’s name should be mentioned.โ
โBut you canโt swear to protect โthe peace of the Kingdom of Dailan,โ can you? Youโre the prince of Orcus. So itโs better to use wording that doesn’t cause friction.โ
โWell, thatโs true, but…โ
โCome on, Garment. Youโre Jillโs fiancรฉ, arenโt you? Donโt you want to protect your betrothed? If youโre such a pitiful man, I canโt let my niece marry you.โ
With a sigh, Uncle exaggerated his exasperation.
It was one of Uncleโs bad habits, but I had a similar one.
โGarment… Do you dislike being my knight?โ
I tried my best to feign sadness.
Uncle had once told me that in times like these, itโs best not to show your eyes, so I followed that advice. Garment started to panic more than I expected, which was amusing and made me a little happy.
โI-Iโm not saying I dislike it. Iโm just concerned about the formality… No matter how it’s done, I will protect you. I have no complaints about that.โ
โAlright, then letโs begin. Ritchie, youโre up first.โ
โAh, hey!โ
Garmentโs complaints were ignored as Ritchie stepped forward.
Ritchie, along with the others, had a subtle smirk.
This was how things were every day.
I called out to Ritchie, who was kneeling before me.
โRitchie, do you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ
โI vow.โ
โDo you also vow to protect this cave alongside your kind demon, and to properly stop Uncle when he starts saying something outrageous?โ
โOf course, I vow.โ
I tapped Ritchieโs shoulder with the sword, three times: tap, tap, tap.
โMay the grace of heaven and earth be upon this righteous knight.โ
โWhy the grace of the earth, too?โ
โWell, we canโt see the sky here, and the only one emitting light is me. So I figured weโd need the blessings of the earth as well.โ
โThen just the grace of heaven is enough. But Iโll take whatever blessings I can get.โ
โAlright, very good.โ
Ritchie, satisfied, stepped back.
Next up was Dusk.
โDusk, do you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ
โYeah! Leave it to me!โ
โDo you also vow to avoid the perils of water, bring peace, raise your voice first to encourage everyone when theyโre tired or down, and keep a good relationship with your brother?โ
โHaha! Iโve never fought with my brother!โ
โLying is not allowed.โ
โ…Well, we might fight a little, but we always make up.โ
โGood. May the grace of heaven and earth be upon this righteous knight.โ
I tapped Duskโs shoulders with the sword: tap, tap, tap.
Dusk, full of energy, stepped back, and then came Dawn, who seemed strangely nervous.
โDawn, do you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ
โY-yeah. I vow.โ
โDo you also vow to bring the blessings of water, work earnestly and diligently, and when you feel like you might falter, promise to rely on everyone?โ
โOf course I do!โ
โMay the grace of heaven and earth be upon this righteous knight.โ
I tapped Dawn’s shoulders: tap, tap, tap.
Dawn, looking slightly embarrassed, stepped back.
Then, Uncle stepped forward in front of me.
โHuh, Uncle, arenโt you supposed to be last?โ
โIโd like to go last, but Iโll let your fiancรฉ have that honor.โ
โI understand.โ
โI was hoping for a bit more hesitation there.โ
Uncleโs words were sometimes hard to understand.
Well, I thought, letโs just keep the ceremony moving.
โConrad, do you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ
โYeah, I vow.โ
โDo you also vow not to take everything upon yourself just because you’re the eldest and of the highest rank?โ
โHey, is that how youโve been seeing me?โ
โDo you vow?โ
โYeah, I vow. Is that good enough, Jill?โ
โDo you vow to always remain my uncle?โ
โOf course. Iโve never once thought of quitting.โ
โMay the grace of heaven and earth be upon this righteous knight.โ
I tapped Uncleโs shoulders: tap, tap, tap.
Then, Uncle adjusted my tiara, which had slipped slightly.
โYou should do that before we start. Also, didnโt it slip because you patted my head earlier?โ
โYeah, youโre right, sorry about that.โ
Uncle chuckled as he stepped back.
Finally, Garment appeared.
With a serious expression, he looked straight at me.
Unlike the others, there wasnโt a hint of humor in his demeanor.
Even though this was a mock ceremony filled with Uncleโs playful jokes, his seriousness was making me feel embarrassed.
โ…Garment. Do you vow to become a protector of love, justice, and truth, and to safeguard the peace of Argenes?โ
โYes, I vow.โ
โ…Um, well…โ
“Now then, what should I have you swear to?”
While I could quickly think of something for the other companions, when it came to Garment, I couldn’t find the right words. He was good at drawing, considerate of his companions, and my fiancรฉ.
But it was my uncle who suddenly arranged this engagement, and I wondered if Garment was really okay with it. There was a sense that he was just going along with things. Though he teased me from time to time, I’d never heard him speak in a formal setting like this.
“Jill. I…”
While I was fumbling, Garment was the one who spoke first.
“I swear, as your betrothed, to protect you.”
“Oh…”
“When everyone’s feeling bored, I’ll cheer them up by drawing. And… I’ll try to hold back on the sarcasm.”
“Youโll *try* to hold back, huh.”
“It’s not easy to stop a habit.”
“I’m not asking you to stop being sarcastic, but at least compliment others with words more often. You give the wrong impression.”
“Got it. I swear.”
“…May the blessings of heaven and earth be with this righteous knight.”
I patted Garment’s shoulder lightly, three times.
Thus, it was formed.
The Cave Knights who swore to protect the princess.
In the Cavern Kingdom, with its tiny, cave-sized territory.
โ
The light sound of shattering porcelain rang out.
“Oh no, I did it again.”
A girl with orange hair and a somewhat relaxed demeanor muttered to herself.
Her voice held a tinge of regret, but not much seriousness.
It sounded more like a “well, can’t be helped” attitudeโa carefree tone.
Jill, the master of the mansion in the ‘Forest of Temptation,’ was a laid-back and cheerful girl.
“Master, are you hurt?”
“Oh, Maureen, I’m fine.”
“Don’t touch it. I’ll clean it up, so just sit still.”
The tall, slender maid with black hair spoke up.
She was Maureen, the maid Jill had hired.
Though her manner was somewhat curt, she moved briskly, concerned for her master Jill.
She already had a broom and dustpan in hand, ready to clean up the cup as if to say, “Move aside, move aside.”
“Ah, wait a second. ใLiquid Controlใ”
Jill cast a spell.
In an instant, the spilled tea, which should have been absorbed into the carpet and floorboards, began gathering at Jill’s fingertips. Within seconds, it had formed into a palm-sized amber-colored droplet.
“โฆNo matter how many times I see it, your magic is really impressive, Master.”
“That’s about all I have going for me. Here we go.”
Jill flicked her fingers.
The droplet floated gently and flew outside the mansion, landing in the gutter.
“Hey now, if you’re so skillful, you wouldn’t break the cup in the first place.”
“Ugh, I can’t argue with thatโฆ”
“Itโs true though, it’s rare for Jill to let something slip from her hands.”
The man sitting directly across from Jill spoke.
He was slender, slightly taller than Maureen.
His tone and expression were calm, but the gleam in his eyes was somewhat sharp.
This was Matthew, Maureen’s older brother and a merchant who often took care of Jill in various ways.
“I had a strange dreamโฆ It made me get lost in thought.”
“A strange dream, you say?”
“It was a dream from when I was a childโฆ In the dream, I was living in a strange cave and couldnโt leave.”
Hearing this, Maureen laughed nostalgically.
“Being trapped in a small space is a common nightmare. My kids used to cry about scary dreams when they were little too.”
“No, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. In fact, it was incredibly funโฆ and strangely vivid.”
“Vivid? What do you mean?”
“There were a lot of people’s namesโฆ I even remember their faces quite well. In the cave were my uncle and some people who seemed to be his subordinatesโฆ And the six of us were happily living inside the cave.”
“Conrad was there? So it wasn’t a memory from your childhood?”
“Noโฆ it wasnโt like that. I never lived in a cave, after all.”
Jill had been raised under Conrad’s protection but was separated from him at the age of ten.
Conrad had gone off to war, and since then, she had lived in the royal castle.
(I shouldn’t have ever seen Uncle in armorโฆ And that paintbrushโฆ)
Jill had recognized something from the people she saw in her dream besides Conrad.
It was the paintbrush.
When the black-haired boy waved his paintbrush, he could place colors into the empty space and create various objects. The white cloaks worn by the men at the inauguration ceremony in the dream were also created by the magical paintbrush.
(Could it be Ioniaโฆ? No, but the face and hair are a little differentโฆ)
Moreover, that boy seemed to have feelings for Jill.
And Jill, in the dream, likely felt attracted to him as well.
A faint trace of the dreamโs afterglow lingered in Jillโs heart.
It was ticklishly embarrassing, yet warm.
The vividness and raw emotions left behind were so real that it hardly felt like a dream.
However, she had no recollection of anything similar.
Jill had never heard of, nor seen, the fiancรฉ that Conrad had supposedly chosen for her.
“I don’t knowโฆ”
Leaning her weight against the back of the chair, Jill sighed with a long “Ahhh.”
When she thought about it again, it was just a dream after all.
Just as Jill was about to give up and forget about it, Maureen left the room to throw away the broken cup.
“Ah, wait, Maureen! Don’t throw away the broken cup just yet!”
“What? But itโs completely unusable.”
“Yes, thatโs why Iโm going to repair it.”
“Repair it? Are you going to use glue? But you really shouldn’t with a cup. If you use something weird, it could poison the tea.”
On the continent where Jill and the others livedโArgenes Islandโglue was still undeveloped. There were no standard specifications. Although adhesives like starch-based paste, pine resin, and glue existed, alchemists and apothecaries would often mix their own formulas to enhance the adhesive power, leading to variations in toxicity. There was no uniform, standardized product.
Additionally, the primary uses of glue were for wood, leather products, and pottery repairs as art objects. Adhesives suited for tableware or items that come into contact with the skin werenโt widely recognized. Moreover, the repaired parts had to be disguised with paint, making them less practical for everyday use.
“That’s true. But there’s something I’d like to try.”
“Oh? Is there something you’re planning to do?”
“Hehe, if it works, I might be able to make something quite interesting.”
At Matthew’s question, Jill smiled meaningfully.
“That sounds exciting. Please show it to me if it succeeds.”
“Of course! Now, let me brew some fresh tea. I need to clear my head a bit. And I should start preparing for the store soon.”
“We still have to secure the store location, so there’s no need to rush.”
“True… It would be nice if there were some vacant stores already set up.”
Jill and the others were planning to open a branch of their general store, ‘Witch Hand Craft,’ in the town of Shelland. Matthew had previously suggested, “It would be a waste to use this mansion as the store,” and Jill had taken his advice.
“There are some options, but…”
Matthew mumbled cryptically.
Jill immediately picked up on it.
“Wait, really? Thereโs something available?”
“Well… itโs a bit of a problem property, so I’ve been hesitant to recommend it.”
“A problem property?”
Jill asked, intrigued.
However, Matthew crossed his arms and wore a rather troubled expression.
“They say it’s a haunted house.”