Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Meanwhile, in Sedes' Office
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Sedes' office.
"Did that child really say that?"
It was right after the shadow knight, who had secretly followed to the 2nd Prince's palace only to be spotted by Nihil, reported everything he'd overheard during teatime.
The office held the king and the knight, along with the prime minister.
Not wanting to hear any nagging, Sedes had handed over the Sirentea he'd received as a bribe at the 2nd Prince's palace that day to his close friend Abel.
The shadow knight replied while still down on one knee.
"Yes, my lord. He said he'd killed the magic beast and destroyed the magic circle carved into the rabbit hole."
"If mana is visible, something like that must be easy. What do you think, Abel?"
"I think we should bring that child here and raise him as a mage."
Abel gave an unexpected answer as he clutched the Sirentea tightly to his chest.
"...No, didn't you compare destroying that magic circle to smashing an aura-wrapped sword with an iron rod? I'm asking if it seems possible just because mana is visible."
"I can't see natural mana myself, so I'm not sure, but we should raise that child as a mage anyway."
"......"
"I'll raise him well. That child, and this Sirentea too."
"......"
"Sedi, can you give me this Sirentea?"
"Haa......"
Sedes pressed his forehead and let out a sigh. He was starting to regret showing the Sirentea to his friend just to dodge the nagging.
Abel was only a 3-circle mage, but the moment he laid eyes on the Sirentea, his gaze had lit up with a manic gleam.
"Abel, calm down. We don't even know for sure if that flower is really Sirentea."
"But like that child said, the petals are turning transparent white."
Sedes glanced at the single flower cradled in his friend's arms. Abel was right. The blood-red Sirentea had begun fading from the calyx, and now only the tips of the petals retained any red hue.
"I want to meet that child..."
"Hold off for now. The moment word spread about a new pharmacist at the 2nd Prince's palace, the watchful eyes multiplied. Once the imperial studies classes are split, we can meet naturally. And isn't it too soon to trust that child?"
"Should we split the classes right away?"
"Prime Minister, you have some nerve saying you'll shirk your duties right in front of me."
Sedes switched to a formal address and spoke sternly as he watched Abel gaze vacantly at the Sirentea, unable to contain his curiosity.
But Abel didn't back down at all and fired right back.
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten how you couldn't hold back your curiosity during classes with the princes and snuck off to the 2nd Prince's palace? Thanks to Your Majesty playing around there all morning, I've got overtime today."
"......"
Abel's words were true, so Sedes fell silent, unable to retort. Realizing he couldn't win an argument with his friend, he quickly turned to his shadow knight with a gesture, as if urging more reports.
The shadow knight, who had been watching the exchange, spoke up cautiously.
"And while it's unrelated to the pirate ship or the rabbit hole..."
"Speak."
"After returning to the palace, Your Highness asked if his friend had eaten and then headed to the dining hall together. Judging from the conversation with Sir Evan in the carriage, it seems he didn't want to leave his friend to eat alone."
"...The 2nd Prince likes that child more than I thought."
He'd noticed it from the way he chattered endlessly about his friend, but the 2nd Prince truly seemed to like him. He was considerate by nature, but this was the first time he'd opened his heart to someone so quickly.
"But that friend said he was full from snacks and immediately put a stop to the meal."
"Huh? Sedi, is that what you meant by ill-mannered?"
Abel, who had been gently stroking the Sirentea, looked up at Sedes upon hearing the knight.
Sedes chewed over the knight's words with a slightly surprised expression. Hadn't the prince's guard knight said that scrappy little kid behaved himself in front of the prince?
The knight hurried to continue before the misunderstanding grew.
"It's a misunderstanding, Prime Minister. The kid seems to avoid the palace staff, so the snack story was probably a lie too. He was watching the prince's complexion and realized he'd already eaten at the main palace. He had a maid prepare warm plum tea and kept massaging the prince's hands while pretending otherwise. During the meal, the 1st Prince kept staring at the 2nd Prince, which seemed to bother him a bit, and the 2nd Prince appeared to have indigestion."
"We should avoid meals where both princes are together."
Sedes stroked his chin, deciding that the next political discussion should be held during a light teatime rather than a full meal.
Watching Sedes lost in thought, Abel lightly shook his head.
"Sedi, I don't think you need to worry that much. The princes' atmosphere was a bit different in class today. It might be thanks to that friend. He seems surprisingly quick-witted and sensitive. Which means he probably skipped lunch too."
"......"
Sedes recalled the small child who had appeared covered in dirt, drawing everyone's attention. Not content with scampering around the 2nd Prince's palace, he'd apparently gone climbing mountains to gather herbs... A single cup of plum tea surely wouldn't fill him up.
"No need to worry. Sir Evan noticed the lie and fed him his own portion..."
The shadow knight couldn't bring himself to mention the 'dog food' or how Evan had shoved the sandwich straight into Nihil's mouth. But since he'd eaten it well, it had worked out in the end.
"I could see why Sir Evan was defending the boy. He wasn't just attentive to the prince—he subtly read Sir Evan's mood and showed consideration there too. It wasn't quite as kind as what he did for the prince... But after hearing all these details, even I feel like looking out for him a little."
"Do you believe that's his true nature?"
"I can't say for certain. He might have known I was tailing him from the start, so it could have been performative. But even that shows how fiercely he's surviving. Still, leaving his forearms in such a shredded state suggests he doesn't fuss much over injuries. Even knights who train daily and get wounded would hesitate to claw up their own arms like that while in their right mind."
Sedes grimaced as he recalled those wounds. He hadn't shown it outwardly, but he'd been shocked when he saw them. That was no child's mentality. And he'd casually handed over such a precious treasure as a bribe...
Sedes gazed once more at the Sirentea, which had been red but was now turning transparent.
He still hadn't decided whether to use the flower himself, give it to his knight who might become a Swordmaster, or hand it to his friend, who had strived his whole life but remained stuck at 3-circle mage.
"Abel."
"What, Sedi?"
"Sirentea. Want it?"
"......Huh?"
"It might let you break past 3-circle."
"......"
Abel Bridge didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared blankly at the translucent white flower in his arms, lost in thought.
He had reached 3-circle at age ten, just two years after starting to learn magic. His explosive growth had led the public to hail him as the next heir to the Magic Tower. His progress had slowed after that, but Abel had poured his passion into magic, memorizing even 7-circle spell formations flawlessly.
His dream was to become the Magic Tower Lord.
But in the twenty years since, he hadn't formed a single additional circle.
And now, he worked at the palace not as Tower Lord, but as prime minister.
"But Sedi... what if I use this treasure and still achieve nothing? What then?"
"...Then it wasn't Sirentea."
"......"
"And I'm saying this now, but even if you hit 5-circle or 6-circle like that child said, you can't quit as prime minister."
Sedes replied nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
Nobles sometimes whispered that Sedes had ascended to the throne solely thanks to Abel's support. But Abel was certain: his own stagnation at 3-circle, despite being called a prodigy and Tower heir, was only possible because of Sedes.
"Really... I can have it?"
"Didn't you ask for it first?"
"No regrets? No take-backs?"
"Yes."
Abel flashed a childlike smile and hugged the potted flower even tighter.
Sedes felt a vague satisfaction, figuring he wouldn't nag or complain even if Abel pulled overtime or used him for personal errands for a while.
"So, Your Majesty, with the rabbit hole resolved, when will you contact the Grand Duke?"
"......"
Abel switched back to prime minister mode and brought up work.
Sedes sighed, summoned his aide to order a letter to the Grand Duke, and picked up his pen.
It was time to get back to work.
Lianus came to his senses already inside the carriage. They'd chosen the plainest one possible to avoid attention, stripped off what few decorations it had, and hung thick curtains over the windows.
It had been a while since he'd worn outing clothes after the doll play, and his dear friend's pretty white hair swayed gently with the carriage's motion.
Up on the driver's seat sat one of his own knights, disguised as a coachman for the first time in ages, with light gray-brown hair.
"Rian, we're just doing reconnaissance today. Don't even think about getting out of the carriage—just get a sense of the street's position and scope. The reason your knight is staying put is all for that."
"...Today?"
"No classes for two days starting the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah."
"The day after, we'll come in disguise. You can't gauge abandoned streets or slums just from the surface. We have to dig deep."
"Disguise?"
Lianus's eyes widened at Nihil's words, then began to sparkle. It was his first time sneaking out with his identity hidden, and disguise made it feel like a real adventure was beginning.
"What nonsense is that! You didn't say anything like that!"
"...Rian, how long to get a message to the history teacher?"
Ignoring the roar from the driver's seat, Nihil asked Lianus about Karus's whereabouts.
"To Karus? Hmm, he mostly stays at the academy in the capital, so a couple hours at most. But no need—we have imperial language class tomorrow anyway, so we'll see him."
"The teacher does imperial language too?"
"Yeah. It's imperial language period, but he teaches other languages more often. My brother and I are already fluent in imperial anyway."
Nihil nodded. The marquis specialized in languages, apparently teaching the princes a variety of foreign tongues beyond just history.
As family head, flitting around outside with research and teaching—Nihil wondered if the marquis house was even running properly, but with three younger brothers below, they probably managed.
And sorry, Lianus, but he'd have to skip tomorrow's class. Too much prep, and the marquis was sure to be a hassle again.
Nihil had one of Karus's weaknesses in hand now—he'd use that as leverage to borrow a knight—while mentally mapping out their field trip routine.