Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: The Prince's Homework
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Sedes grumbled in disbelief at Abel's words urging him to work on his expressiveness.
"He was moping because she wouldn't see him, and now he's come back to life..."
"She's awfully pretty. Should I take her as a disciple? Or maybe adopt her? She seems to have a gentle personality, too."
"...Just get married. How are you going to raise a child on your own? And above all, she's not... that gentle."
Sedes couldn't forget the intense first impression. Even if he overlooked her not caring at all that he was the king, her opening line had been, "I never imagined the child's father would show up in person so soon."
And after saying that to the king, no less, she'd roughly toweled off her wet hair.
"Abel, don't be fooled by appearances. And even if you like the child that much, you shouldn't seriously consider adopting her. If word gets out that the Prime Minister is teaching magic to the 2nd Prince's close friend and adopting her as his own, what do you think the 1st Prince's faction will make of it?"
"Rumors that Marquis Abel Bridged supports the 2nd Prince will solidify into fact."
"That would put both the 2nd Prince and the child in danger. Even if you plan to teach her magic, be careful not to make it obvious."
"Got it. Oh, her room looks a bit chilly..."
Abel remarked as he scanned Nihil's bedroom through the bird's eyes. Twilight was falling, and darkness would soon envelop the room, yet no lamp was lit, and no fire burned in the hearth, making it look quite cold.
"Don't the servants take care of it?"
Abel worried that perhaps the servants were bullying her, but Sedes replied on his behalf.
"Apparently, she doesn't stay in her own room but lives with the prince in his."
Sedes glanced at his cold teacup, summoned a maid to reheat the tea, and continued.
"Moreover, they say she runs away whenever she sees the servants."
"Why?"
"How should I know."
Sedes replied indifferently, then paused while reading documents and suddenly thought of the prince.
"What is the 2nd Prince doing?"
"Who knows. There's no prince by her side; she's just alone in the dark room observing the bird. She must like the ribbon. Good thing I decorated it so prettily."
Abel smiled proudly at the child fiddling with the ribbon tied around the bird's neck. In fact, Nihil had taken a liking to the bird precisely because of the dark green ribbon, so Abel's goal had been achieved.
The child stared blankly at the bird for a long while, doing nothing else.
"Oh? Seddy, the child picked up a pen."
The child fetched some paper and began writing something.
"She can read and write, so of course she's learned herbology too. They say she reads fairy tales to the prince at night."
"Really? Fairy tales—how adorable. Uh... is she asking what you're here for...?"
Abel pondered the paper with just the single word "Why" written on it. But even if she was asking why he came, it would be hard to explain since he'd only come out of curiosity about her appearance. And he couldn't communicate through the bird anyway.
"Do you think the child understands Morse code?"
"Wishful thinking."
Abel muttered that a whiteboard would have been nice, then tapped the table with the bird's beak just in case—dot dot dot dash.
Sedes looked at his friend tapping out the word "face" in Morse code with utter pity.
"Seddy, it looks like the child recognizes Morse code."
"How can you tell?"
"Her expression is exactly like yours."
"...My expression?"
"She looks at it with utter pity."
"..."
Sedes was at a loss for words again. It felt strange imagining his own expression matching the child's.
"Oh, she's writing. Hmm... but 'Father'—does she mean my father? He's been gone for quite some time..."
"Pfft!"
Sedes spat out his tea at the sudden mention of "Father." Abel's eyes widened as he quickly offered a handkerchief.
"What's wrong? Choked?"
"Ahem, cough—what did the child write?"
"She's asking if you're with Father?"
"..."
"How do I tell her my father passed away? Morse code for 'death'?"
"...The 'Father' she means is me."
"What? Why would my father be you?"
Abel recoiled, and Sedes recoiled too.
"No, not that—the prince's father."
"Who calls the king 'Father'?"
"...Doesn't the child?"
"Seddy, you didn't secretly take a daughter-in-law without telling me, did you?"
"Ridiculous...!"
Sedes started to deny it vehemently but froze as he recalled the prince's attitude. The unusually affectionate way he fussed over Abel. His brightened face after meeting the child. The cute chatter when bragging about his close friend.
If the prince, deprived of peer interactions, was mistaking friendship for something more, that would be a disaster!
"...She's not a girl, is she?"
"Huh? This one? From the clothes, she doesn't seem like a girl."
"...I see."
While Sedes unwittingly felt a twinge of disappointment, oblivious Abel struggled to communicate with the child.
Growing frustrated at the lack of conversation, the child scowled, drew something on blank paper, folded it neatly, and tied it to the bird's ankle.
"Wh-what?"
Sedes, pondering how to handle it if the prince really wanted to marry his friend, stared blankly at the dumbfounded Abel.
"What now?"
"I-I've been kicked out."
The bird—no, Abel—stared dumbly at the closed terrace window. Even the pretty dark green ribbon had been snatched away. The child on the other side glanced indifferently before ruthlessly drawing the curtains.
"Heh."
Sedes snorted and comforted his friend.
"At least you saw her face, so you achieved your goal. Now get to work."
He'd dangled the carrot to get him working in the first place, so now it was time for the stick. Mountains of documents still piled up in the office.
"But the child drew something for me."
"What?"
"Dunno. It was so quick and dark, I couldn't see properly..."
"What were you doing if you couldn't even see that?"
"No, I thought she'd show it to me after finishing. And this bird isn't nocturnal anyway."
"Retrieve the bird."
"Okay."
Abel eagerly awaited the bird, curious about the drawing. It soon arrived back at Sedes's office.
Abel gave it water and feed as thanks, dispelled the vision-sharing spell, and inwardly lamented his situation. If only he could properly raise a familiar. As a mere 3rd-circle mage, his options were limited.
"If only we could've talked properly, I wouldn't have been kicked out," Abel muttered, untying the paper from the bird's ankle. It was crumpled from repeated folding. The problem was that the ink hadn't dried before folding, so the drawing was completely smudged.
"Seddy, this..."
"What?"
"...It's all smudged."
"Too bad."
Sedes replied casually and turned back to his documents. He had no particular curiosity about what it depicted.
"I-I have to see that child right now!"
"No."
"Why!"
"What's with you all of a sudden? Put that down and sit."
"But!"
Sedes urged the coat-grabbing Abel to sit and work, but Abel circled the office, staring holes through the paper.
Sedes was about to scold his hyper friend again when he spotted writing on the back and froze.
-The mana flow of the mage who sent the bird is a mess, so if you plan to feed it Sirentea, consult first.
"..."
"Seddy, just once—let me go."
"...Abel."
"Yeah? You'll let me?"
Abel looked at him expectantly. Sedes eyed his childlike, curiosity-filled friend, debating whether to tell him about the messy mana flow.
His friend, stuck at 3rd circle for 20 years.
It might hurt his feelings, but consulting the child who could see mana might help, so he decided to tell him.
"She says you should get a consultation."
"Consultation? With who?"
"The child."
Sedes nodded at the paper in Abel's hand. Only then did Abel realize there was writing on the back and flipped it over.
"The mana flow of the mage who sent the bird is a mess..."
"..."
Silence fell. After reading, Abel flapped his mouth in shock before mumbling glumly.
"Is mine... that bad?"
"...It's late today, so I'll have her come tomorrow."
"Yeah... thanks..."
Sedes decided to send the overtime-drenched Abel home. In this state, his efficiency would plummet. Better to let him rest fully and work him tomorrow.
If he'd known Abel would stay up all night studying the child's drawing, he wouldn't have let him go so easily—but Sedes didn't know that yet.
The next morning, early. For some reason, the 2nd Prince requested a visit.
Sedes found it odd that the prince, who hadn't come to the main palace since the class split, suddenly appeared, but as always, he permitted it and headed to the reception room to meet him personally. Though not informed, he brought Abel along, thinking the prince's friend might be with him.
Entering the reception room, a head of dark green curly hair peeked over the sofa backrest. Noticing his arrival, the 2nd Prince hopped up, bowed politely, and greeted them.
"Your Majesty, I hope you slept well. The Prime Minister is here too."
His cheeks, still baby-fat plump, puffed out even more when he smiled.
Sedes scanned the room but saw no sign of the mysterious child.
"Prince, what brings you here so early?"
"Your Majesty, thank you for coming despite your busy schedule. Could you take a look at this? Prime Minister, I'd appreciate your help too."
The prince handed over a thick stack of documents, eyes sparkling hopefully. Fresh from being buried in papers himself, Sedes nearly recoiled but maintained his composure and asked gravely.
"What is this?"
"My homework."
"...Homework?"
Sedes frowned at the bundle. What kind of teacher assigned this volume to a seven-year-old!
Grinding his teeth inwardly, Sedes vowed to find and berate the teacher responsible, then flipped through the pages. Busy as he was, the prince's request delighted him.
Lianus continued his explanation.
"This fiscal studies assignment was to analyze the reasons for the failure of the 'Sharton Street Redevelopment and Relief Project Plan.'"
"...Sharton Street?"
How on earth did that end up as a child's homework?