Chapter 163: If It Were Now (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: If It Were Now (3)
The sculptures were perfect renditions of the figures in the portraits.
No, they were more lifelike than the portraits themselves.
"Incredible."
Lemain’s single word was filled with genuine admiration.
Exactly two weeks after the discovery of the chamber Sispanian had left behind, he was finally examining its interior.
‘We are currently checking for hazardous elements, so it might be best if Your Majesty visited a bit later.’
Alan, hoping to keep Lemain from seeing the Axis of Time if at all possible, had used this excuse to delay the king’s visit. He had been trying to find a way through the invisible wall to retrieve the fragment of the Axis, but he had, of course, failed.
Carved into the stone walls was the entire history of the War of the Two Gods.
It depicted, in chronological order, the gathering of the eight heroes to seal the Evil God, the battles they fought, who died and how, and finally, the Chief God Serenti, who fell into slumber alongside them while sealing the Evil God in the final battle.
Lemain now stood before the final scene—the moment just after the Evil God was sealed.
The four who had survived to the very end were visible: Founding King Hatsuara, the Ancient Dragon Sispanian, Quetros Hon Siegfried, and the Great King of Secritia.
—We have surely achieved and protected, yet we have lost.
While the other carvings bore no inscriptions, this single line was etched into the final scene. It was impossible to know if they were Sispanian’s words or someone else’s.
In the sculpture, the Great King of Secritia knelt on the ground, cradling the body of the knight Neriad, who was known to be among the heroes who died in the final battle.
Perhaps Sispanian had respected the Great King of Secritia’s final wish, for his face—of which no record remained, save for a note stating he had asked for all traces of himself to be erased before his death—was featureless in this sculpture as well. Even so, the sense of loss and despair was perfectly conveyed. This was only natural, as the ever-remembering Sispanian had directly transcribed the memories she had witnessed and experienced into the stone.
After staring at that blank, featureless face for a long moment, Lemain turned to Alan.
"Is that ring the only other thing discovered here?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the fragment of the Axis of Time lying in the center of the domed chamber.
Standing beside him, Alan answered quietly, "Yes, Your Majesty. Nothing else was found."
"It is a pity the ring cannot be moved. Because of it, we must even hide the records left behind by Sispanian herself."
It was a monumental discovery, one that could mark a milestone in the history of Kairis. Simply revealing this place would have been an opportunity to solidify the royal family’s authority, but they could not.
It was all because of the golden ring resting in the center of the chamber. Alan had told him the place itself must not be disclosed, as the object seemed connected to those who had attacked Calian. And since moving the ring was impossible, the entire room had to remain a secret.
Naturally, Alan, who had concealed what the ring truly was and the fact that its importance was incomparable to mere wall carvings, replied quietly, "We can always reveal it in the future. Please do not be too disappointed."
"How can I not be? I am already anxious enough after granting Calian’s request."
Lemain was referring to Freya's posthumous elevation to Queen. He meant that his own position needed to become even more secure to minimize any trouble for Calian, and he lamented that they could not announce this discovery, which would have helped.
"What comes next is for the Prince to handle. He will manage it well on his own."
It wasn't as if Alan worried any less. In fact, unlike Lemain, Alan had a rough idea of what Calian was planning. But as he had just said, it was a task Calian had to resolve himself. He knew that stepping in to help prematurely could do more harm than good. Thus, suppressing his own anxiety—which was easily a hundred times greater than Lemain’s regarding Calian’s intention to face Brissen—he continued.
"Besides, your royal authority is already so faint, one would have to strain their eyes to see it. A speck more won't make a difference, so don't be so disappointed."
Lemain merely nodded once more.
He had long since reached the point where such remarks from the mage keeping him alive sounded like everyday greetings. He was well past the stage of simply letting it slide. When even the rain falling outside would probably be blamed on him, this much was nothing.
Feeling a sudden emptiness, he thought he should pay Randel a visit this evening. Randel probably wouldn't see him properly this time either, but he would go nonetheless.
* * *
Ssssshhhh…
A sudden downpour drummed against the glass windows of the terrace.
A downpour heavy enough to blur one's vision could occasionally be a welcome sight. Of course, this meant there were far more times when such a deluge was unwelcome, even distressing.
The fact that the present moment fell into that "occasional" category was quite fortunate for Calian.
For one, he was indoors, and he had no other plans for the day. While he wasn't someone who detested getting wet, he didn't particularly relish the idea of venturing out in this kind of weather.
So, with a peaceful mind, Calian enjoyed the sound of the rain as he popped the last piece of steak from his plate into his mouth. Cooked medium, it was excellent.
"Meow!"
The cat, seemingly fascinated by the rainwater rolling down the floor-to-ceiling window, was pawing at the glass.
'I am Prince Calian's cat, who likes Prince Franz more.'
Seeing the cat act as if it were trying to catch the raindrops, Calian let out a soft chuckle.
"You can see it, but you can't catch it."
"Meow, meow!"
As if protesting this injustice, the cat meowed, glancing between Calian and the window. Then, with a sudden pitter-patter of paws, it dashed over and hopped onto the lap of Franz, who was sitting across from him. It curled up in the familiar dark space between the table and Franz's lap.
Franz, who had just finished his own steak—which, unlike Calian’s, had been marinated in wine to remove any gaminess, seasoned with only salt and pepper, and cooked well-done without a trace of blood—shifted slightly to let the cat settle more comfortably.
Before long, the meal ended, and the tableware was replaced with tea and dessert. It was a tea brewed with dried apples and oranges, perfectly suited for a rainy day.
"Ailan, Beverian, Yorn, Trifield, Beli."
Franz spoke as he took a silent sip of his tea.
While it wasn't rare for Franz to speak first, this was likely the first time he had spoken words that lacked any context, connection, or common meaning.
Nevertheless, Calian merely nodded quietly and took a sip of water.
"Crion, Perd, Celtic, Chapman, Mayer, Regal."
Franz uttered another string of names.
"That's quite a lot."
Calian was not the least bit flustered. On the contrary, he replied in a calm voice.
"Is it?"
"About thirty families disappeared after the new king ascended the throne. One in three is a high proportion."
And so, a conversation that no one else in the world could possibly comprehend continued without a hitch.
To explain:
On the day he had faced the Axis of Time, Calian had stayed up for two consecutive nights. He had canceled all his appointments to wrestle with pen and paper, rewriting the Tensil documents he had previously memorized and burned. He had gone so far as to wrap his fingers in Aura just to hold the pen, barely managing to hand the materials to Franz before any more time passed.
And then, he had forgotten about it.
He had completely entrusted Franz with the task of finding the faction likely connected to the Seal of Oath held by Randel. With plenty of other worries on his mind, Calian saw no reason to double his burden.
In just four days, Franz had committed to memory the same materials that had taken Calian five days to memorize. Another week had passed, and now Franz had narrowed down the list of families that required investigation—the main branches, not the minor offshoots that had been swept away in the purge. He had just recited their names to Calian.
"To think Brother Randel managed to live so well after pulling something like that the moment he ascended the throne."
Over thirty families had vanished after Randel’s ascension.
Under normal circumstances, that would be impossible. What noble would simply offer their neck to a king who brandished his blade the moment he took the throne—especially a king with no real foundation?
Thus, Franz found it intriguing that Randel had purged so many nobles without triggering a rebellion.
"He wouldn't have done it directly. I'm sure you already know that."
A blade wielded in the shadows.
It must have been a purge conducted without revealing himself, making them turn on each other instead. All while ensuring that even the victims had no idea whose design it was.
"It's just unexpected."
Just as Calian said, it wasn't that Franz didn't know. He was simply surprised anew that Randel, who had lived as if he barely existed, had taken such steps and successfully executed a plan that relied on the hands of others.
"Would it be difficult to narrow it down further from those ten?"
This was information based on what the current Chase—not the Chase of the 'past'—remembered of events that hadn't even occurred yet. Naturally, there were many gaps and circumstances that the spies of that time had failed to grasp. While narrowing it down to one in three was commendable, investigating all ten families individually was still a daunting task.
In response to Calian's question, Franz leaned back in his chair.
"We'll probably need information on the Crown Prince of Tensil as well. You said the Crown Prince was involved in getting Tensil and the Great Desert to join hands."
Naturally, they couldn't use Lemain's spies. Calian smiled faintly as he thought of the highly capable head of his own information network.
"Once Dame Seiren returns, I’ll make a request through the Association. You’ll be busy with other matters until then anyway, Brother."
Given the gravity of the matter, it wasn't something he could entrust to anyone other than Euria. Besides, Franz would be busy enough with Arsen’s absence. After all, Franz was a Vice-Commander, the exact same rank as Arsen.
Franz merely nodded. Then, just as Calian was about to reach for his teacup, he spoke in a low voice.
"The mages keep blocking my path. Is that your doing, little brother?"
Currently, the only place where the mages of Valkan would block Franz's path was Heisia Palace. Calian lifted his teacup with a nonchalant expression.
"Yes."
Alan was likely the person who best knew that Calian couldn't lie, and Franz was probably the second. So, Calian simply answered honestly.
"Why?"
"If I could tell you, I would have let you in."
And Franz knew very well that Calian was quite cooperative when it came to giving straight answers.
"The debris has all been cleared. If the path is blocked, it means something was found."
Calian furrowed his brow at the accurate deduction. Even the mages of Valkan did not know what was hidden beneath those stairs. Furthermore, he had absolutely no desire to let Franz, of all people, know about it.
"It has nothing to do with Brissen or your mother, Brother."
"Then it must be Sispanian."
Franz, who hadn't spent the last two weeks thinking solely about Tensil, spoke as if it were obvious. He then curled one corner of his mouth at Calian, whose expression clearly read, How on earth did you jump straight to Sispanian?
"Spill."