Chapter 112: I Told You Not to Touch (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: I Told You Not to Touch (1)
Not all elves were good.
To be precise, it was more accurate to say that not every elf was inherently good.
Calian had learned firsthand that just because a race couldn’t lie, shunned violence, and lived in secluded forest communes didn’t automatically make them ‘good.’ For this reason, he had long since discarded any blind faith in them. The sole exception, of course, was Sia—the only good elf Calian knew.
“It really is Boss! I’m so happy!”
How could he not trust Sia, who sat across from him, smiling as brightly as the sun?
Sia hadn’t recognized the robed Calian at first, but he had immediately identified Raven by his distinctive appearance. That was why he had so quickly blocked their path.
“I’m so glad to see you again.”
“Me too. I’m really glad to see you,” Calian said, offering a genuine smile to the overjoyed elf. “I was surprised, though. I was worried when you said you were returning to Elder Jer’s village, but it’s good to see you haven’t changed a bit.”
Calian had brought Sia back to the Mage Association building. “How did you get here? Did you come alone?”
“No, I didn’t come alone,” Sia replied, his gaze already wandering from Calian to the towering bookshelves that filled the room. “Our village’s elder was chosen to come this time. I begged him to let me join because I wanted to see you and Hina.”
“I haven’t seen any elves in the royal palace. Are you part of the delegation for His Majesty’s birthday festival?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Don’t tell me Elder Jer is here too?”
“No, Boss. Our village’s elder isn’t Jer anymore.”
“The elder changed?”
“Yeah. Jer isn’t the elder anymore. The Grand Elder was very angry. Jer and Luca will be punished for a long time.”
That was welcome news. Calian decided not to ask what kind of punishment they received; just thinking about them soured his mood. Besides, something else had piqued his curiosity.
“Sia, your word order isn’t reversed anymore. How?”
“I got this, too.”
Sia reached into his shirt, pulled something out, and showed it to Calian. As soon as he saw it, Calian’s expression darkened for a fleeting moment. It was an object he knew all too well.
“...There was another one.”
A black pebble. It was the exact same sacred artifact as the one Calian possessed, engraved with indecipherable characters.
“There was another one in Luca’s bag. Luca said he really didn’t know where he got it, so we couldn’t find the owner. The new elder told me to keep it.”
Sia placed the pebble on the table in front of Calian, his smile bright. “Here, take it.”
“For me?”
Calian smiled back at Sia and gently pushed the stone back toward him. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Just… take it back quickly.”
Since Calian already had an identical one, there was no need to complicate things. If he ever needed it, he could just visit Sia and borrow it. Calian slipped a hand into his pocket, his fingers closing around the stone he always carried, and spoke in a low voice.
“So there wasn’t just one.”
Sispanian had definitely recognized this stone. Although her words had been cut off by the Chief God Serenti, she certainly hadn’t seemed ignorant of its nature. Since Sia knew nothing more, Calian temporarily set aside his questions about the artifact.
“So, how long will you be in Kairisis?”
“The Grand Elder said she has something to say to Boss’s boss. So we’re going to stay a bit longer before we leave.”
Sia’s ‘Boss’s boss’ could only mean Lemain.
“We came this time, but we couldn’t stay inside the royal palace. We were allowed to enter, but Boss’s boss said we couldn’t sleep there.”
The elves were permitted to enter the palace but not to stay overnight. Knowing this hadn’t been the case last year, Calian let out a wry chuckle.
“No wonder I didn’t see any elves.”
“I heard Boss’s boss was angry because of what happened to Boss, so he didn’t let us stay.”
Even with the stone, their conversation wasn’t entirely smooth. Calian took a moment to parse Sia’s words before understanding.
“Are you saying His Majesty forbade the elves from staying in the palace because of what happened to me?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s what they said. So they need to meet Boss’s boss and talk to him.”
This must be Lemain’s way of protesting what the elves had put him through. The Grand Elder was likely here to address that very issue.
Calian simply nodded. For a short while, they engaged in small talk—how he’d been, if anything else had happened. Afterward, Calian promised to let him meet Hina the next day and sent him on his way.
Then, he called for Euria again.
Sispanian had told him to wait, but he couldn’t just sit by blindly. If there was more than one pebble, it meant others had to be out there somewhere. He needed to properly investigate this stone, which glowed with the same color as Randel’s roses.
*
Just how capable were the birds of Secritia?
Franz was beginning to seriously wonder.
Chermil Palace was the residence of the princes. It was entirely different from Arpia Palace, Lemain’s workspace, which saw a frequent flow of outsiders. Franz hadn’t known it, but even Alan hadn’t been granted immediate permission to enter Chermil Palace—which was precisely why he had gone to the trouble of warping directly into Calian’s room.
Therefore, no matter how much Lemain respected Chase, there was no way he would permit the crown prince of another nation to simply walk into Chermil Palace.
“The Crown Prince of Secritia is either fearless or incredibly thoughtless.”
Yet now, a knight of Secritia—the first Sword Master on the continent, no less—was standing proudly inside the palace where the princes of Kairis resided.
“Bold enough to bring a forgery,” Franz said, eyeing the palace entry permit in Teilan’s hand.
Only spies who knew exactly what a royal palace permit looked like would be capable of forging one. It made him wonder just what their limits were.
Teilan narrowed one eye at Franz’s words. “His Royal Highness is waiting for you, Prince Franz.”
“Why?”
“Won’t you find out once you meet him?”
Outside Chermil Palace would mean either the artificial lake or the rose garden. Chase certainly wouldn’t be in the backyard that led to the training grounds.
At Teilan’s words, a corner of Franz’s mouth curled up. “Call him. Here.”
Wandering the Kairis royal palace alone, showing up in broad daylight with a forged permit, and waiting so brazenly outside. Just what was that crown prince relying on to act so recklessly? What if he ran into Randel?
“Right now,” Franz added, then shut the door in Teilan’s face. He sat on the sofa, closed his eyes for a moment, and waited for the man who used to be his younger brother’s older brother to arrive.
The cat—whose already long name had been extended by Hina to now read ‘I am Prince Calian’s cat who likes Prince Franz more’—scampered over, settled onto Franz’s lap, and curled up.
Knock, knock.
A moment later, Chase entered the room.
Franz’s eyes briefly drifted to the area around Chase’s neck. His hair, which used to be quite long, had been cut significantly shorter. Aside from that, Chase looked to be in better shape than Calian. Of course, whether he was actually doing well or just pretending was no concern of Franz’s.
He silently pointed to the seat opposite him.
Sitting down, Chase glanced at the cat curled up on Franz’s lap in a patch of morning sunlight. He spoke, a hint of surprise in his voice. “I never would have imagined. Prince Franz and a cat.”
“...It keeps coming in,” Franz replied curtly, covering the cat’s collar with his hand. There was no need to show that to Chase. He met the man’s deep violet eyes, his voice cold. “You certainly came well-prepared.”
“I had it made, just in case it might come in handy,” Chase replied, recalling the entry permit. His response was as confident as ever.
“Was it for meeting my younger brother, or for taking my life?”
“Well. I don’t think I need to tell you which.”
“The latter, most likely.”
Chase didn’t answer, and Franz let out a dry laugh. “So, what brings the Crown Prince of Secritia all the way here?”
Hearing this, Chase chuckled softly. He had noticed Franz addressing him as he had when they first met, rather than using the cumbersome title of ‘my younger brother’s older brother.’
Was he quick-witted? Or had Calian told him? Even for Chase, it was difficult to say. He set the thought aside and replied, “I came to deliver some news. My birds brought back an interesting story.”
The Crown Prince of Secritia had come to Kairis to share information gathered by Secritian spies with a Kairis prince. The fact that he admitted it so honestly, when he could have easily made up an excuse, was reminiscent of a certain someone.
“Speak.”
“Were the Brissen knights chasing the priests of Tensil your idea, Prince Franz?”
However, Chase’s question was not about spy reports, but something else entirely.
“...I know exactly what I must do once the Crown Prince of Secritia leaves this place.”
“If you’re thinking of cleaning out the spies, you’d best give up. They’ve hidden themselves in places even my younger brother doesn’t know, so it won’t be easy. Besides, they won’t do anything to harm Kairis.”
My younger brother.
An unexpected phrase, slipped into a casual answer. Noticing the change in Franz’s expression, Chase offered a warm smile and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Regardless of whether we accept that we are not brothers, I feel at least one person should keep remembering. Since Prince Calian left all of those things with me before he departed, shouldn’t I be the one to hold onto them?”
Only then would the meaning behind the name ‘Bern’ remain untarnished.
Franz stared at Chase for a long moment, then gave a single nod. “Fine. Then what is it that my younger brother’s former older brother has to say?”
The title had changed again. Chase smiled.
“His Majesty the King of Kairis will find out soon enough, but my birds are a bit faster,” he said. “Tensil and the warriors of the Great Desert have met. If you pass this on to my younger brother, he will understand. Though I suspect Prince Franz will understand what it means as well.”
The stateless Great Desert. Its warriors. Their military prowess was beyond imagination.
“Tensil was heavily damaged by floods. They wouldn’t start another war with the warriors of the Great Desert at a time like this.”
“Correct. It means Tensil, who serves God, and the warriors of the Great Desert, who deny God, have joined hands.”
“...Brother Randel’s power is about to grow.”
Franz’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.