Chapter 217: Never, or Just Once (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Never, or Just Once (2)
“I have not.”
Asked out of the blue if he had ever hunted snakes, Suleiman answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“And do you have any intention of trying?” Calian asked again. He wore a look of deep satisfaction as he savored a fresh raw oyster, a delicacy he hadn’t enjoyed in a long time.
Suleiman’s reply was just as straightforward. “I have no such intention, Prince.”
“I see.”
It was an incredibly dry answer, met with an equally dry response.
If my precious child smiles so beautifully and asks if you’ve ever caught a snake, you should say yes, even if you’ve never caught so much as an earthworm in your life! To just flatly deny it twice like that—are you trying to wound my precious child’s fragile, crystal heart? Alan glared at Suleiman with this exact thought written all over his face before letting out a short sigh.
He was thinking, I told him I’d just go myself. Why is he trying to recruit this Siegfried fellow, whose convictions seem to be made of pure muscle?
“Prince.”
Whether he was aware of Alan’s thoughts or not, Suleiman spoke up, meeting the red eyes that seemed to be anticipating an interesting answer.
“Siegfrieds do not hunt. If a snake lunges to bite, we might crush it underfoot, but we see no need to go out of our way to hunt something that poses absolutely no threat.”
Turning his head from Calian, Suleiman looked at Alan. His eyes practically screamed, Wasn’t that a cool answer? Alan simply ignored him, barely suppressing the urge to hurl a fireball.
Calian slowly chewed and swallowed a piece of lamb steak topped with mint jelly, then spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Siegfried, who holds a sword stronger than any other but uses it to enthrone no one. Who only raises a steadfast shield to protect. And who does not hunt.”
They were the guardians of an unwavering conviction, who had spent five hundred years protecting Sispanian’s territory and nothing more.
He truly respected their unshakeable principles. He still had absolutely no intention of trampling on them. However…
“Could it be, Duke Siegfried, that because you have never hunted and have never needed to, you are ignoring the fact that you have already been bitten?”
The Duke’s pride—that he had never hunted snakes and never would—seemed to have crossed a line. Was he content to simply stand by and watch, refusing even to crush the snake underfoot just because its venom posed no threat to him?
Suleiman burst into laughter.
Ignoring Alan’s fierce glare, he laughed for a long while. When he finally stopped, he looked at Calian, who had been waiting patiently, with an amused expression.
“When we first met, you were just a kid radiating a sharp fighting spirit in all directions. When you returned a few months later, you were a strange person who had suddenly filled his body with aura. You have no idea how shocked I was when a delicately raised, frail prince started exuding such a chilling killing intent.”
He had been emitting a killing intent so intense that even Suleiman found it unnerving—something utterly unbelievable for a prince once so weak that even Yan had worried for him—all while using swordsmanship characteristic of Secritian knights.
“For someone who clearly possesses a Secritian soul, whoever you may be, to be warning me about snakes… how incredibly amusing is that!”
With that, Suleiman let out another booming laugh. He didn’t even ask why someone with a Secritian soul wanted to hunt Devlan; he just laughed until tears streamed from his eyes.
Wiping them away, Suleiman continued.
“At any rate, I understand what you mean. Are there Secritian birds here?”
“Probably. If my memory serves me right, yes.”
Hadn’t Bern also received reports about Siegfried? Furthermore, in Bern’s memory, the birds that landed on Siegfried land had never once been detected.
“There might be birds belonging to the Crown Prince of Secritia, but there is a very high possibility that birds belonging to King Devlan are mixed in as well.”
Things would be no different now.
If Suleiman had caught any spies hiding in his territory, the news would have reached Calian, whether through Chase, Yan, or Demirea.
“Even if you still have no interest in hunting snakes, I would like you to find and catch those birds. Would a Siegfried also consider that hunting?”
This was his final request. If Suleiman refused this as well, he would not push any further.
Needing a moment to think, Suleiman drained the wine in his glass, poured himself another, and spoke quietly.
“The Young Duchess once worried that there were too many birds flying out of the inner castle.”
Calian also remembered how, when he first arrived, countless birds had taken flight, carrying news of the brilliant light emanating from Sispanian’s Nest.
“I won’t do it because you asked, Prince. I will catch those birds so that the Young Duchess no longer has to worry about this place.”
Suleiman was establishing a justification.
Whether for himself or for his convictions, he was agreeing to Calian’s request not for a mere prince, but for Demirea, who had chosen to help that prince. He had never cared if Secritian spies were on Siegfried land, but he would use Demirea as an excuse to take action this one time.
“And if I happen to spot a snake’s shed skin while catching those birds, I will pass it along to you, Prince.”
That was the limit of Siegfried’s assistance.
He would not block Devlan from reaching out to Calian, nor would he directly aid Calian’s plan to capture Devlan. He would, however, catch and investigate the spies residing in Siegfried territory. And if, in the process, anyone with a connection to Devlan was identified, he would let Calian know.
“I understand, Duke Siegfried.”
Deciding to be satisfied with that, Calian nodded readily. He had no intention of demanding that Suleiman cross his own boundaries, unlike how he might treat Demirea.
“Then please, head inside first, Duke. We will be leaving soon as well.”
“Yes, I shall. It’s a pity I can’t even ask to spar with you now. Things were too chaotic during His Majesty’s birthday banquet for us to have a match. Prolonging this sudden meeting won’t do us any good, so I’ll hold back today. If I had known, I should have set a date during the banquet, shouldn’t I?”
He had nearly died after challenging Teilan, and after that, he had gone on a hot spring trip with Serie, which was why he hadn’t been able to spar with Calian. Calian let out a dry laugh at the sheer audacity of the man, who had completely forgotten all of that and was now claiming he should have set a date.
Soon, Suleiman emptied his newly poured glass, stood, and left.
Calian watched the massive Duke squeeze through the narrow tavern door. Then, as if they had never been discussing such serious matters, he happily began eating the raw oysters again.
Alan watched him with an expression that said he felt full just by watching—much like Hina watching Lucy chew on jerky, or perhaps quite similar to Franz—and asked, “Do you intend to catch Chase’s birds as well, Prince?”
Calian lightly pointed to his bare finger, which wore no rings, and replied, “No. Once I return to the palace, I’ll tell him to withdraw them temporarily. There’s no need to catch birds that pose no harm. Well, that’s strictly from my perspective, of course.”
From Lemain’s perspective, there would be no difference between Chase’s birds and Devlan’s birds. Either way, they were carrying Kairis’s information out of the country.
Ignoring the potential harm to Lemain, Alan was far more worried about a sharp piece of shell being hidden in the raw oysters disappearing so eagerly into Calian’s mouth. He asked another question.
“If that oversized elephant had said he had hunted snakes or was interested in doing so, what did you originally plan to ask of him?”
“I didn’t think about it,” Calian replied as he ate the last raw oyster and reached for the stew. “He’s not the type of person who would go that far to help me in the first place.”
Calian nudged aside a potato in the stew, unerringly found a piece of beef hidden beneath it, and continued, “If I had asked him to catch birds from the very beginning, he would have completely ignored me. But if I ask for something small after making it seem like I’m about to ask for something much bigger, he’ll think it’s no big deal.”
After all, he was a man who hadn’t cared even when countless spies took flight from his territory.
“Actually, I only learned this from what the Duke just said, but it seems Demirea was also worried about the number of ears on Siegfried land. If the Duke didn’t take action even for the Young Duchess’s concerns, there’s no way he would have immediately agreed to a sudden request from the Third Prince to catch some birds.”
That was why he had brought up the snakes first.
Once someone rejects a larger request, they are more likely to accept a smaller one.
“…There was that, yes. I also wanted to check if his stance remained the same and to make him realize that the current situation isn’t as simple as he thinks. If my assumption had been wrong and he had agreed to help… well, I would have asked for anything, but as expected, he refused.”
Hearing this, Alan smiled gently. “My prince, who do you take after to never waste a single word?”
“I take after my father, who is very good at magic.”
At the lovely response delivered with a beautiful smile, Alan felt as if he might lose a circle or two from his heart out of sheer affection. “I didn’t hear you clearly. Could you say that one more time?”
“I take after my father.”
“Just once more.”
“Fatheeeer.”
Since he didn’t know when he would be able to say it again once they returned to the royal palace, Calian generously kept repeating the word. He continued to do so until he finished his favorite meat and they headed back, acting just like a young son throwing a tantrum of affection.
*
‘Oh, my deepest apologies, Prince Vice-Commander. Since you were so busy escorting Sir Bern, as you mentioned, I haven’t been able to touch a single piece of the work you left behind.’
Because of that crazy blue-haired mage—who kept his stomach full thanks to Calian’s endless supply of money and his pride intact thanks to Calian’s unwavering support—Franz was only able to finish his work and return to his room around midnight.
The dark circles under Arsen’s eyes were so deep that Franz knew he wasn’t lying, despite his obnoxious tone. As a result, Franz couldn’t even get angry, which only fueled his irritation.
“Prince.”
Relic, whom Franz had told to go back first, was standing in front of Franz’s room in Chermil Palace with an anxious look on his face.
“What is it?”
“Well… just a moment ago, um…”
Relic had eaten a delicious meal with Franz the day before and had been smiling all evening. Yet, whatever had happened since then had left his face as pale as his grape-colored hair, and his voice trailed off.
It was obvious what had happened.
“I get it. Go.”
Letting out a short sigh, Franz delivered his own version of I know what’s going on, and it’s late, so go get some rest before stepping into his room.
A sight that felt somewhat familiar, yet one he could never truly get used to, met his eyes.
On the terrace, illuminated by a magic lamp instead of the thin moonlight, was the back of a black-haired head. Sitting at his feet was a cat’s round, full-moon-like rear.
“…Ha.”
He who sets the precedent has only himself to blame.
Much like how Calian blamed the inventor of beer, Franz blamed himself. He walked over to the desk in front of the large bookshelves, took a ring out of a drawer, and stepped out onto the terrace.
Not only was Calian sitting there as if it were his own room, but he had even brought two glasses of sparkling water. He was quietly looking down at Lucy, who was eating dried meat at his feet, and spoke first.
“You’re late.”
“And you?”
Since bubbles were still rising in the sparkling water, Calian couldn’t have been here very long either. Franz’s words were both a question of why he had come despite the late hour and an observation that Calian had only just returned himself.
“I was in a hurry, and there’s some distance to cover. It ended up this way,” Calian replied, perfectly understanding both meanings as he held out his hand.
Stepping onto the terrace, which was unaffected by the temperature-control magic inside, Franz was hit by a wave of heat. He frowned at the windless midnight air and placed the ring on the table. Since Calian had said he was in a hurry for it, he handed that over first.
“I imagine you spoke with my brother more than I did. Getting closer to Crown Prince Chase now?”
“Wasting no time with the insults, I see.”
Franz gave a half-hearted reply to the teasing remark and took a sip of the sparkling water, which was mixed with green grape syrup. Calian’s lips curled into a smile.
It was sweet.
It had clearly been prepared by an insolent attendant who only thought of his master, who drank beverages sweet enough to upset his stomach whenever his mind was troubled.
“My master returned safely.”
“I see.”
Since it meant nothing was wrong, Franz replied without asking further and took another sip of the sparkling water. It was too sweet for this time of night, but it was cold, so he drank it anyway.
After staring out from the windless terrace for a while, Calian stood up. He hadn’t come for a friendly chat, and now that he had what he came for, he was going to head back.
Carefully avoiding Lucy, who was sitting on the floor, Calian walked toward the terrace railing and glanced at Franz. Seeing this, Franz frowned again and spoke immediately.
“Forget it.”
And so, this time was no different from any other.
“Yes.”
Replying briefly instead of saying thank you, Calian smiled faintly and returned to his room, leaving behind the overly sweet sparkling water, of which he had taken only a single sip.