Chapter 147: Where One Belongs (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 147: Where One Belongs (3)
How many times had he muttered that word today?
"Crazy bastard."
He should have seen this coming. When Calian, told to go to Wilhelm Hall alone, had agreed without a single protest, Franz should have known something was wrong.
—I'm not angry because the mages drank and caused trouble.
—I know.
At the time, Franz had clearly said he "knew." When Calian had asked what, exactly, he knew, Franz hadn't answered.
—I will teach you.
From the moment Calian spoke those words, Franz had realized his brother's attitude toward him was about to change. He knew what kind of person Calian was, yet he had still overlooked the warning signs.
Had he known this "teaching" would be so vicious, he never would have looked at that nonchalant face and said, "I have things to think about, so I won't go to Wilhelm Hall today."
—Then, please rest.
A short while ago, after their meal, Calian had left with only those words. No further explanation. Franz had then gone to the rear garden for a walk. After spending some time with the cat and Hina, he had started back toward Chermil Palace.
That’s when he felt it—a wave of killing intent so potent it felt like it could tear a man to shreds. It was Calian's.
His insane younger brother, who was supposed to be at Wilhelm Hall, was unleashing a murderous aura so powerful it reached all the way to Chermil Palace. Franz immediately mounted his horse and galloped straight toward Wilhelm Hall.
He realized, far too late, what Calian must have been thinking as he stood before the Valkan—and who else that anger was directed at.
Franz cared for the Valkan, yet he’d feigned indifference. He’d acted as if their misdeeds didn't concern him, pretending the responsibility lay solely with the two vice-commanders. He had pretended not to know, pretended it had nothing to do with him.
And Calian was furious with him for it.
If you won't pay attention, I'll take care of them myself.
I'll unleash my anger as I see fit and crush them my way.
Dismounting and striding into Wilhelm Hall, Franz gritted his teeth, his voice a venomous whisper no one else could hear.
"If you're going to be angry..."
If you're going to be angry, just take it out on me.
Just tell me not to be so irresponsible.
Don't take it out on them!
* * *
Sitting in his office and savoring the aroma of his coffee, Alan suddenly froze.
"...It seems our prince is much angrier than I thought."
Despite his relaxed words, his normally relaxed eyes sharpened with a keen light. It was the killing intent.
Arpia Palace and Wilhelm Hall weren't far apart, so he could feel the full, dense weight of it.
But something was strange.
Calian was more than capable of controlling his killing intent. He rarely unleashed such a raw, widespread aura before.
Tilting his head, Alan massaged a knot in his neck. "I thought he'd just scold them and be done with it, but isn't this a bit much?"
Calian could hand down punishments if necessary; he had more than enough authority. That was why Alan had decided not to interfere, choosing to work from Arpia Palace instead of Wilhelm Hall.
But this went far beyond a mere scolding or punishment. Anyone facing that aura head-on would feel a genuine threat to their life.
As that thought crossed his mind, Alan's shoulders stiffened.
He recalled Chase's pale face from his visit not long ago—the day Chase had run into Arsen.
Could it be?
Surely not.
Was Calian actually unable to control his anger right now?
Even Chase had been unable to compose himself. On top of that, today was the very day he departed for Kairisis. For Calian to face the Valkan in such a state...
The realization struck him, and Alan shot up from his seat.
Why didn't I think of that!
Forgoing his usual leisure, Alan blamed himself as he hurried out of his office. If his fears were even partially correct, he had to get there before fifty-one fresh corpses piled up in Wilhelm Hall.
And there was one more thing.
There was no way Ren, guarding Lemain, wouldn't feel this immense killing intent. Alan had to warn him before he rashly headed over to Wilhelm Hall himself.
Slam!
As Alan flung the door open, he found someone standing in his path.
He froze.
A hollow laugh escaped his lips. It was the last person he expected to see. Only now did he realize that, focused on Calian's unprecedented killing intent, he hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
"Ah. Count Manasil."
It was Yan, with his round, blue-gray eyes and curly bronze hair—the baby elephant himself.
Yan, who had been speaking with Chamberlain Raul in front of Lemain's office, turned to look at Alan. He gave a brief bow.
"The Prince asked me to tell you, Count, that you only need to wait."
No further explanation was offered, but it was enough.
Calian had anticipated that Alan or Ren would make a move and had sent Yan ahead. This meant the terrifying killing intent was no accident.
For a brief moment, Alan felt as if he'd just narrowly escaped a disaster.
Looking at Yan's innocent face—oblivious, since he couldn't sense mana—Alan let out a long, complicated sigh. He knew he had to worry about Calian, but he still occasionally forgot what kind of person the prince truly was.
"Our prince..."
Calian never settled for a single gain from a single action.
Alan clicked his tongue as he spotted a silver-white horse galloping past the hallway window, its rider in a clear hurry.
"So incredibly considerate."
With those words, Alan went back into his office as if nothing had happened. He then took out a cookie and popped it into his mouth.
It was one of Elinne's, which he had snatched from Lemain.
* * *
In this world, there are fools, and there are idiots.
There are decent nutjobs, and there are hopeless nutjobs.
And, of course, there are smart people, and there are good people.
This was the standard by which Arsen categorized people.
Of course, some weren't even worth categorizing—like Marquis Evan Brissen or Margrave Gray Brissen—but Arsen didn't even consider them human, so they were outside the classification entirely.
For the record, Raven was a decent nutjob.
Since most people weren't as smart as Arsen, he hadn't previously bothered with classifications beyond 'fools and idiots.' Recently, however, he had added the 'smart people' category. That was because of Alan, and Franz—an unexpectedly intelligent lifeform who, in some ways, even surpassed Alan.
And in the 'good people' category, there was only one person.
Calian.
He didn't know when it had started, but after his late master, Calian was the only one who always occupied the 'good person' category. He had never once questioned this classification.
"...Your Highness."
And right now, Arsen was watching that good person with anxious eyes. While tracking Calian's movements, he continuously suppressed the cold mana trying to gather at his fingertips.
Calian's killing intent was just that dense.
They won't be able to hold out much longer.
Mages were a crazy bunch, but they were also highly sensitive to such things. Arsen figured that if this continued much longer, the mages wouldn't be able to endure it.
It would be better if Calian just drew his sword or cast a spell. A cut or a broken bone was far preferable to feeling like they were about to die at any second.
"Your Highness."
Arsen called out to Calian once more.
Calian didn't answer. Nor did he withdraw his killing intent. His expressionless face remained unchanged as he simply stared at the mages.
Unable to wait any longer, Arsen finally took a step forward, positioning himself in front of the thirteen mages. Only then did Calian turn his head toward him. Just as Arsen recognized the slight reprimand in Calian's eyes and thought, Uh-oh...
"Calian."
A heavy, subdued voice called out, stopping Calian in his tracks.
One of only three people in the royal palace who could call Calian by his name.
Second Prince Franz, one of those three, walked up and stood before Calian. He positioned himself directly between Calian and the mages.
"Stop this."
Calian shifted his gaze to Franz. His killing intent didn't recede, and Franz's face was tense. It was the first time he had ever experienced such a chilling aura up close.
Franz glanced over his shoulder at the mages. At least half of them looked ready to collapse, their faces pale with terror.
After observing them, Franz turned back to Calian. A voice laced with resignation—or perhaps defeat—slipped from his lips.
"I get it, so..."
For a fleeting moment, an expression flickered across Calian's face before vanishing. It was so complex that even Franz struggled to grasp its meaning—impossible to tell if it was amusement, anger, regret, joy, or sorrow, or perhaps all of them mixed into one. After looking at Franz with that face for a passing second, Calian nodded.
A short reply followed.
"Yes."
The blade-like killing intent vanished as if it had never been there.
At the same time, Calian spoke to the mages.
"I only want bastards who will remain with the Valkan until the day they die. I have no use for anyone else."
"Yes, Your Highness!" the mages answered immediately.
None of them collapsed. None of them looked at Calian with resentment now that the pressure was gone.
"If you're going to get wasted and cause trouble, do it under my name."
The unspoken meaning was clear: if it wasn't trouble worth putting Calian's name on, they shouldn't cause it at all. Just like Arsen.
"Understood!"
Mages were different from knights.
A mage's loyalty was different from a knight's allegiance. It was blind, devoted, yet unpredictable—capable of flying off the handle at any moment. Forcing them into submission was impossible.
Because, as Calian knew all too well, they were all insane.
Therefore, making them run laps around a training ground, as Kyrie had done, would never change their mindset. They would only truly believe once he showed them the absolute power he possessed, what he could do in an instant, and the true extent of his patience.
After all, weren't mages just rational lunatics?
"Because I will block any trouble caused under my name. That is what my power is for."
Not the black hair and red eyes they adored, but real power. They had to experience it firsthand to believe.
That was why the mages' eyes now sparkled as they looked at Calian. It was because they were crazy. Knowing that he was the very person who had been choking the life out of them just moments ago, they would now truly believe in him.
They would never make the same mistake again.
Calian looked at Franz for a moment.
Keeping his gaze fixed on him, he concluded his words to the mages.
"This is what real responsibility looks like."
Don't just half-ass it. Step up and protect them properly, just as you did now.
That is the responsibility of your position.
...Franz.