Chapter 158: An Easy Task (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: An Easy Task (4)
Richly fragrant, slightly sweet, and moderately bitter.
The cake was a combination of black tea leaves scented with bergamot and grapefruit that carried both sweetness and bitterness. The first bite was fragrant, the next was subtly sweet, and the finish was pleasantly bitter.
Calian found the blend to be a perfect reflection of Randel—and at the same time, a complete mismatch. Randel was simply that complex.
The room, furnished with nothing but books and basic necessities, was silent. It felt strangely fitting for a man with eyes like the deep sea, yet also deeply unfitting.
He was a person whose exterior was as splendid and flawless as a rose garden, but whose interior was as barren as this room. A man entangled in so many affairs, yet utterly hollow on the inside.
Both the cake and this room are just like him, Calian thought.
Sunlight filtering through the deep red curtains illuminated Randel’s golden hair.
“This is a first.”
Randel spoke after taking a sip of black tea. The tea, slightly more bitter and fragrant than the cake, washed away the lingering notes of fragrance, sweetness, and bitterness from his palate.
It was the first time Calian had requested his time, the first time he had visited his room, and the first time the two brothers had sat facing each other over tea.
Furthermore, Randel and Franz had completely different ways of thinking and speaking. Even Calian—who could converse with Franz as if reading his mind—could not easily guess what Randel meant.
“What do you mean?” Calian asked simply, his gaze fixed not on Randel’s blue eyes, but on the reddish-brown tea.
“That you are not on your guard against me.”
Randel’s response left Calian momentarily speechless.
Until now, Randel was the one who had never treated him as an equal. In fact, up until a year ago, Randel hadn't looked at him at all. Yet here he was, claiming Calian had been the one on guard. And whose fault was that?
Calian remained silent for a moment before looking up. With a direct, unblinking gaze that held no trace of falsehood, he replied, “There has never been a single moment when I wasn’t on my guard against you, Brother Randel. Even now.”
For both the previous Calian and the current one, Randel had always been someone to watch out for.
“I see.”
Hearing his youngest brother’s honest answer, Randel’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t even move his head, but he no longer looked away.
“Tell me.”
Meeting Calian’s gaze, Randel prompted him to explain the reason for his visit. A sudden bitterness filled Calian’s mouth, and he took another bite of the cake. It tasted just like Randel’s personality—undeniably more complex than his own.
The flavor reminded him of the first time he had tried coffee. If it’s going to be fragrant, just be fragrant. If it’s going to be bitter, just be bitter.
Facing his eldest brother, a man he could neither blindly avoid nor easily approach, Calian asked, “Is it Kairis, or Tensil?”
He didn’t beat around the bush; it was better that way with Randel. Locking eyes with the older prince, Calian added, “The seat you wish to take. Which throne is it?”
Randel set down his teacup but did not answer for a long while.
It would take time to unearth thoughts that were habitually hidden and buried deep. Calian did not rush him.
One might have expected him to ask why Calian was asking such a thing, but Randel posed a different question instead.
“I’m curious as to what you see. Which do you believe I desire?”
“I don’t know. At this point, I’m not even sure if you want a throne at all.”
He didn’t know if Randel truly desired a throne, but if he did, he couldn’t tell whether it was Kairis’s or Tensil’s.
Hearing Calian’s words, Randel nodded slightly.
It wasn’t an answer to the question, so Calian waited for him to speak further.
“I thought it didn’t matter either way,” Randel said finally. “I merely felt that a slightly larger piece would be better.”
Calian turned his head briefly, glancing around the empty room.
Randel was a man who didn’t even care to possess things. There could only be one reason why such a person would want a throne.
“You mean you need the throne not as an end, but as a means.”
Just like me, Calian thought. Needing the throne to achieve what I want.
“Yes.”
“A means for what?”
After he spoke, Calian quietly cast Silent. He then repeated the question he had failed to get an answer to last time.
“Do you intend to point your blade at Brissen and His Majesty? Or is there another reason? I must know this time. That information shouldn’t be restricted by the Seal of Oath.”
Randel couldn't easily evade him this time. Calian pressed on, determined not to leave without an answer.
Randel’s gaze sank into its depths.
Calian did not try to pry any further into that abyss. He kept his mouth shut, urging him to reveal the truth of his own accord.
“Why have you become curious about that?” Randel finally asked.
He wanted to know why Calian was so interested in him, why he wanted to know his desires. Why was Calian, who had already slipped from his grasp, now trying to rattle him in return?
Without softening his now-sharpened gaze, Calian answered, “Because I must make a decision. Whether to face you, Brother Randel, or to turn my back to you. Whether to draw my sword against you, or to place you behind me and shield you myself.”
He had to decide now. He had found something completely unexpected.
“Please answer me, Brother Randel.”
* * *
Earlier that morning, before meeting Randel.
Calian had slept for a night and half a day.
As his completely depleted aura gradually returned, his fatigue vanished with it. His physical strength, which had dropped to the level of an ordinary, overexerted boy his age, recovered enough for him to once again wield the blade of a Sword Master.
In truth, it was more accurate to say his body had been reinforced rather than recovered, but regardless, he had returned to his usual state. Having vividly experienced the drastic difference in his physical condition with and without aura, he firmly resolved never to deplete it to its limit again.
Once he confirmed his body was back to normal, Calian immediately went to find Alan. Although Alan had promised to inform him of what was discovered at Heisia Palace, Calian simply couldn’t sit still and wait.
“Teacher!”
Just as Calian was about to enter Wilhelm Hall, he ran into Alan on his way out. Normally, Alan would have welcomed his call, but this time, he began with a mild scolding.
“You could have rested more. Why are you out already?”
“I was curious.”
“I suppose your stubbornness is stronger than my nagging, Your Highness.”
Calian beamed at Alan.
Even though Alan knew that bright smile was a deliberate tactic to soften his mood, he could never win against it. He let out a short sigh.
“Let’s go together. I was on my way there anyway.”
Thus, master and disciple left Wilhelm Hall side by side and headed toward Heisia Palace. Alan explained as they walked.
“I have already informed His Majesty. Partly to check if he knew about the palace’s underground.”
It was only natural. Since the discovery was made at the Queen’s residence, His Majesty obviously had to be informed. Calian nodded and asked, “What did he say?”
“He said he was unaware of any underground space in Heisia Palace. As for the object that was found, he said he would decide what to do after the findings are confirmed.”
“So an object was found in a space even His Majesty didn’t know about.”
“Indeed. And as it happens, I heard an interesting story when I met Lady Seiren a few days ago.”
Looking around, Calian noticed a thin barrier had already been erected around them.
His expression grew tense. If Alan had met with Association President Euria and was now casting Silent just to speak of it, the matter had to be of grave importance.
“The stone in your possession, Your Highness—it might be an artificial sacred artifact.”
The moment he heard those words, Calian’s eyes grew quiet and deep.
“An artificial sacred artifact… You mean man-made?”
“Whether such a thing is even possible, or if that stone is the result of it, has not been confirmed. However, Lady Seiren found records of something similar. I stopped her from investigating further.”
Without slowing his pace, Calian lowered his eyes for a moment. He did not speak again until they had completely left the grounds of Wilhelm Hall and reached Heisia Palace. Alan did not disturb his thoughts.
“…A human creating a sacred artifact,” Calian finally murmured. “Doesn’t that contradict the very definition? A sacred artifact is an object blessed by a god. The idea of a human making one is a paradox.”
Alan merely nodded at Calian’s remark, which was half-question, half-musing, and relayed what Euria had discovered. In truth, there wasn’t much to share. It was all speculation, with nothing confirmed.
After listening with quiet eyes, Calian spoke after a brief silence. “Was there nothing else discovered?”
“Nothing regarding the stone. As for what was newly found, you should see it for yourself. We will have to investigate further to see if the two are connected.”
Deep concern was etched into Alan’s voice. Wondering what on earth could have been found to make his teacher react this way, Calian quickened his pace.
The entrance to Heisia Palace was guarded by six mages. As they passed, Calian saw their faces were more serious than any he had seen since the founding ceremony. Mage Needlen approached and bowed in greeting.
Calian recognized Needlen as the mage who, after causing trouble at a tavern, had submitted an apology letter titled ‘Why We Smashed the Shop’—and who was the strongest in combat after Arsen. He gave a light nod in return.
“This way, Your Highness.”
Needlen guided Calian to an area surrounded by mages.
There, a staircase descended into the earth. It was a passage leading underground, revealed only because Heisia Palace had vanished. A faint light leaked from below.
“I will lead the way. Please follow me.”
As he spoke, Alan cast a shield shimmering with red light around Calian, protecting him from any potential danger.
Instead of pointing out that this was overly protective, Calian quietly followed.
Alan descended the dimly lit stairs with a familiarity that suggested he had already been down them several times. Calian’s eyesight was sharp enough to see clearly in the dark, so he followed without any difficulty.
Step, step.
The staircase was spiral, making it difficult to gauge how far down they had gone. Neither Alan nor Calian spoke a word as they descended deeper and deeper.
When they reached a depth that felt three or four stories down, a stone door came into view. Seeing it, Calian let out a dry laugh.
“…Sispanian?”
A carving of a black dragon was etched into the stone door.
If a pentagram and a few other symbols were added, it would be the crest of Kairis. But the wall bore only the image of a dragon with a pitch-black body, wings, a long tail, and red eyes.
“Correct,” Alan’s voice echoed slightly off the stone walls. “It seems the entrance to this place was blocked by Heisia Palace itself. There must have been a secret passage, but it’s difficult to verify that now.”
Calian smiled faintly. Alan’s words carried a subtle barb, implying there was no way to check now that his precious disciple had blown the entire palace to bits.
He examined the stone door once more.
“This space must be at least five hundred years old, yet the stone steps, the walls, and even Sispanian’s crest are undamaged.”
“That is because Sispanian’s power has touched this place. However, it is not a treasure vault, so don’t expect to get rich.”
Alan placed his hand on the stone door, seeming to notice Calian’s tension.
A treasure vault.
If she had gathered such things, they wouldn’t be under the royal palace, but somewhere in the rocky mountains behind the Siegfried Mansion. There was no safer place on the continent than behind the shield of Siegfried.
“How disappointing.”
Even so, Calian played along with Alan’s joke, wanting to show he wasn’t tense. Alan nodded once and opened the door.
Rumble…
The heavy-looking stone door slid into the wall with a surprisingly quiet sound, as if it had never been locked.
A door with no special locking mechanism. Alan’s claim that it wasn’t a treasure vault was indeed true.
As it opened, a bright light spilled out.
Calian blinked, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. He saw a spacious, dome-shaped chamber.
Intricate carvings adorned the stone walls. They seemed to depict something, but Calian paid them no mind. Or rather, he couldn’t.
His attention was completely captured by the object illuminating the center of the circular chamber.
“The reason I brought you here myself, Your Highness, is because I thought you might recognize it.”
Letting Alan’s voice go in one ear and out the other, Calian took step after step forward.
A large circular ring. A single golden ring engraved with countless mysterious characters.
A choked voice barely escaped his lips.
“How could I not…”
There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.
“How could I possibly not recognize it?”
He remembered. Several of those golden rings had been layered over one another, rotating in different directions. Inside them had been a massive hourglass. He had spent a whole year chasing it. He could never forget.
Confronted with a remnant of something that should have vanished, Calian’s fingertips turned ice-cold.
“…The Axis of Time.”
It was a fragmented piece of the Axis of Time.