Chapter 259: Lest I Forget (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: Lest I Forget (6)
Tensil’s response was slower than expected.
To be precise, it was the response from the Crown Prince of Tensil that was delayed. Because of this, Gray also postponed the celebration for his succession to the Marquisate by several days. Consequently, Calian had to wait nearly a fortnight to meet Eila.
A fortnight.
It was a period long enough for the cool breeze to turn chilly.
During that time, a wind of change began to blow through Kairis.
Alan had begun to make his move in earnest.
After meeting with Euria a few more times, Alan started preparations to transform the Polun Magic Academy into the Polun Magic School, an institution officially sanctioned by Lemain. He also planned to establish branch schools in various regions of Kairis. Thanks to this, an environment was created where Euria, who had been in the ambiguous position of "Academy Director," could finally work as an official school principal—a title that matched her actual role.
‘Count Manasil. I have a favor to ask.’
‘Speak.’
‘Can’t you just fire me?’
Of course, it was hard to say whether Euria, who once again received a golden principal’s nameplate, felt truly grateful to Alan.
‘There is no need for such humility. Have confidence. As a gesture of support, I shall even find you a drinking buddy.’
Having graciously accepted Euria’s “gratitude,” Alan summoned his daughter-in-law, Rachel Grace, to the capital. She had just finished standardizing the installation methods for the teleportation magic circles that would continue to be deployed throughout Kairis.
He slightly modified his original plan of putting her in charge of Valkan’s training, instead assigning her to manage the branch schools and serve as the magic school’s vice-principal.
Furthermore, as Valkan’s numbers grew, he began implementing plans to improve the treatment of mages and expand their facilities within the royal palace and on the outskirts of the capital. This was to build Valkan to a size worthy of the name “Corps.”
Along with these changes, the most crucial step for Valkan’s growth took place.
– Needlen Jeia, Pelton Yuz, Raz Ibeka, and Damian Scon are hereby appointed as Division Commanders of Valkan.
A total of four Division Commanders were appointed, two from the magic corps and two from the knight order.
From platoon to company, battalion, brigade, division, and finally, corps.
From the very beginning, Calian had no intention of gradually expanding Valkan’s size and changing its name accordingly. Even when Valkan consisted of only thirty members, he had immediately called it a corps.
‘Names are important. If Valkan starts as a platoon, then becomes a company, a battalion, and finally a corps, the nobles will be reminded of the King’s growing power with every step. They will try to guard against it each time. We’d have to play mind games with them at every stage, and we don’t have time for that. It’s better to start with a large-scale name and establish the lower ranks one by one.’
He wanted to call Valkan by a name that matched his ultimate goal and grow it to that size. Therefore, after consulting with Arsen and Franz, Alan gave the four newly appointed members the title of Division Commander, a rank just below Vice-Commander.
The changes did not stop there.
– Arsen Hertz, Vice-Commander of Valkan, is hereby granted the title of Count.
– Needlen Jeia, Pelton Yuz, Raz Ibeka, and Damian Scon, Division Commanders of Valkan, are hereby granted the title of Viscount.
Lemain changed the policy of treating everyone—from leadership to regular members—as baronets unless they held individual titles. Accordingly, he bestowed ranks befitting the positions of Valkan’s leadership.
– Alan Manasil, Corps Commander of Valkan, is hereby granted the title of Marquis.
Naturally, Alan also received a title worthy of his position as the supreme commander of a military force. He became the second Marquis in Kairis, filling a seat that had long been vacant. While the nobles grumbled, no one voiced any hasty objections.
And there was one more.
– Hina Bern, healer of Valkan, who revived the 3rd Prince through her utmost efforts, is hereby granted the title of Viscountess.
A reward was given to Hina, whose abilities were so rare they were nearly priceless.
She leaped two ranks in social status, from baronet to viscountess. A lone healer with no subordinates was given a title equal to that of a Valkan Division Commander. It was a reward for saving the princes on numerous occasions, as well as a measure to prevent foreign kings from coveting her.
For Lemain, who knew full well that Hina was a commoner of half-elf descent—one who initially lacked even a surname or proper identification—this was a truly unprecedented decision.
And so on.
‘They’re moving as if they’ve been waiting for Brissen to falter.’
The royal court underwent so many changes that the nobles remarked it seemed as though everything had to be altered before Marquis Gray Brissen could establish his footing.
All of this was Lemain’s power—the royal authority of Kairis being reclaimed. And it was all accomplished in just a fortnight.
At the starting point of all these changes stood Calian.
Though his name was nowhere to be found, it was undoubtedly the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, set loose by Calian’s own hands, that had summoned this tempest.
* * *
“Is that a butterfly?”
“How could a butterfly’s wings look like that? It’s clearly a bird.”
Cheerful music flowed through the air.
The gathering was at the mansion of Marquis Gray Brissen, who was temporarily using Lennon’s estate instead of Evan’s, which had burned down.
The nobles had been reluctant to visit, given the Brissen family’s recent instability following Evan’s death and the massive spy incident involving Secritia. However, a rumor began to spread that Valkan’s Vice-Commander would be attending, bearing a gift from Calian.
– Does this mean the relationship between the 3rd Prince and the new Marquis Brissen isn’t all that bad?
– That must be it. That’s why he’s sending a gift. And he’s sending Count Hertz himself to deliver it.
– In that case, we must attend.
Thus, the nobles, having successfully interpreted Calian’s gift as a sign of a decent relationship between the prince and the marquis, flocked to the party. Now, they were gathered in small groups before a statue erected at the entrance of the spacious garden, exchanging conversation.
“Ah, I see. It’s two birds. But why would he send birds instead of a ‘cat’?”
It was Calian’s gift.
They were all eagerly trying to decipher its meaning.
“I think this red bird might be a griffin.”
“Isn’t it a bit of a stretch to call that a griffin?”
It was a sculpture made of fire, ice, and water.
On a decorative pedestal that reached waist-height, water pooled to a depth of about a handspan. Though there was nothing to contain it, the sloshing water clung to itself, refusing to spill.
From the water, a bird of flame spread its wings toward the sky, as if about to take flight. The bird’s long wings and body glowed like bright red embers, its legs submerged and invisible in the pool below.
“Rather than a griffin, it looks more like…” one man muttered, staring at the bird’s long neck. “A swan made of fire.”
“Indeed. Now that you mention it, I see it too. But what on earth is that swan holding in its beak?”
Ice.
Another sculpture, this one made of ice, was clamped in the swan’s beak. It was a round object about the size of a human fist, yet it was clearly shaped into something.
“…A sparrow?”
It was similar, but it wasn’t a sparrow; it was a blue warbler.
In other words, Calian had sent Gray a sculpture depicting a red swan, just soaring from the water, biting a blue warbler to death.
Of course, even if he sent a sculpture of a red swan and a warbler, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“This sparrow-like thing must represent Evan. Having lost his family name and title, how could he be called a griffin? He is merely a sparrow. And the swan must mean that Gray should show a new side of himself, rather than being arrogant like the oversized griffin of the past. It must mean he should strive to renew himself and burn away the stains of his history.”
“Ah. That must be it.”
No matter what Calian sent, they would find a grand and positive meaning to attach to it.
“Living as a noble seems incredibly exhausting.”
“You’re a real noble now too, Count Kid,” the purple-haired mage replied lightly to the blue-haired mage standing a short distance away.
“Should I add a bolt of lightning up there? To add another meaning, like ‘get your act together.’”
“That would look nice.”
At that moment, purple lightning began to crackle above the red swan sculpture. The nobles gasped in admiration, nodding with expressions of profound realization.
“…They look like smart idiots,” the purple-haired mage offered, giving her honest impression.
Though they spoke of it lightly, any other mage present would have been utterly shocked. Creating and maintaining magic of different attributes in a specific form was by no means an easy feat.
“Why don’t you master the fire attribute while you’re at it? Become a dual-attribute user like me. You like fire, don’t you, kid?”
“I don’t do dual-attributes.”
“Why not?”
“My master said that the things you truly like are only fun when kept as a hobby. Besides, nothing beats ice when it comes to killing people.”
The ice mage, who meticulously pierced hearts one by one, spoke to the reaper of broad daylight, who summoned rain and lightning for massacres.
“And I’m going to reach the 6th Circle soon.”
“Why the 6th Circle? To drink?”
“Yes. If I don’t want to freeze the Association President’s snacks, I need to be able to drink well.”
“Uh, sure. Good luck with that.”
Hearing the grand dream that motivated the Vice-Commander of Valkan, a genius mage and a Count, to reach the 6th Circle, Euria gave a half-hearted reply.
“Come to think of it, I don’t see Baron Polun.”
“He’s nearby with his wife. If he stays too close to me, it might arouse unnecessary suspicion. But why is Baron Polun ‘Baron’ while I’m ‘Count kid’?”
“A kid is a kid. What else would you be?”
Just as their brief conversation wound down, the music changed, signaling the start of the party.
“I wonder if the chirper you were looking for saw that.”
“He probably did. There was a man who stared at the sculpture from a distance before quietly slipping away.”
“I see,” Euria replied, lightly touching her pinned-up hair.
Aside from the sky-blue silk dress adorned with jewels and the deep purple high heels, putting up her long hair—which she usually just braided or tied in a ponytail—felt heavy, and the back of her neck felt completely bare.
“Is it uncomfortable?” Arsen asked, having somehow noticed.
Euria nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been busy lately, so I haven’t attended many parties.”
“Still, it suits you as well as your robes do.”
“Of course it does.”
At Euria’s matter-of-fact response, Arsen—dressed entirely in black from his shirt to his jacket and trousers, with a single purple tie—grinned. He conjured an ice flower that perfectly matched his own hair color and gently tucked it into her unadorned purple hair.
“What’s this?”
“I thought this would suit you, too. It’s not cliché.”
Feeling the newly added pin, Euria let out a soft chuckle instead of mentioning that she had left her other hairpins behind because her long hair was already heavy enough.
“Of course it does.”
Arsen, inwardly thanking Calian for teaching him how to make a much prettier blue flower instead of a cliché, store-bought purple one, extended his hand.
“Since you’re here, shall we have a dance, Association President?”
“Sure. But I’m only dancing one song before I start drinking. You just watch, kid, and don’t go freezing someone else’s house.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With that, the two mages, their task complete, entered the banquet hall on amicable terms.
* * *
Rustle.
At the sound of a turning page, the sleeping Lucy stretched out her pink paws and mumbled in her sleep.
Nearby, the gray kitten who seemed to believe its sole purpose was to be ‘Prince Franz’s cat who loves Prince Franz’ opened its eyes slightly and squirmed, its paws—a purple far deeper than Euria’s hair—facing upward.
It was deep in the night.
“Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.”
Calian, the cause of the disturbance, spoke softly. He raised a finger and gently stroked the kitten under its chin.
“It seems Pea was so busy he forgot to name you. Right, Navia?”
“Meow,” the kitten let out a thin sound, as if in reply, before slowly closing its eyes and drifting back to sleep. The tiny figure was so precious that Calian couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Franz had not yet returned, as he was busy handling Arsen’s work while the Vice-Commander was out on “field duty” dressed to the nines. Thus, Calian was quietly letting the two cats, who had sought him out instead of Franz, sleep while he reviewed reports on the recent changes.
Rustle.
A few sheets of paper rustled in the wind blowing through the open window.
However, neither Lucy nor the kitten woke up this time. Calian had cast Silent magic between the cats and the table, worried the two small felines might be disturbed again.
Rustle, rustle.
It was a good thing he did.
Otherwise, the cats really would have woken up.
“You arrived sooner than I expected.”
A figure who had been leaning against the railing moved gracefully and stepped onto the terrace.
The visitor’s hair fluttered in the wind. It looked so much like rolling waves that Calian was momentarily reminded of the salty scent of the sea.
“And you’re quite fearless,” he added.
Hearing this, the visitor, Eila, sat opposite Calian and smiled brightly.
“You took longer to find me than I expected.”
Clear, water-colored eyes beneath long eyelashes stared at Calian.
“And you’re quite fearless yourself.”
Calian’s eyes curved into a gentle smile, pleased by her retort, which threw his own words right back at him.
“Don’t use magic bullets. The cats don’t like noise.”
“I didn’t bring any.”
“Really?”
“Really. I hate leaving scars.”
Saying so, Eila lightly rolled up her sleeve. A long scar remained from the wound she had received when Calian cut her during their fight in the Latran territory.
“That’s not something I should feel sorry for, is it?”
“You say that as if you’d actually apologize if you were supposed to.”
“If you want me to, I will.”
“Forget it.”
Eila, dressed in a tight black outfit designed to blend into the darkness, leaned back against the sofa. “Anyway, why did you call for me?”
“To kill you.”
“Surely not. You must have plenty of questions.”
“Then why did you come?”
“To kill you.”
“I thought you said you hated scars.”
“Just in case.”
“I’m not that incompetent, Eila.”
Replying with a small chuckle, Calian gently placed something on the table. It was obviously a pouch filled with money, and Eila glanced at it.
“I’m not someone who does just anything for money.”
“I thought you might answer a few questions for it.”
“Hmm… Well, I wonder.”
Staring at Calian for a moment, Eila shifted and picked up the pouch. Instead of the clinking of coins, it made a rattling sound. Without even looking inside, she smirked.
“This isn’t money.”
“Something better.”
She felt a cluster of round things, smaller than coins, resting in her hand. Having a rough idea of what they were, Eila asked, “Rubies?”
“Quick-witted as always.”
“Hmm. I wonder why.”
Setting down the unimaginable sum without a hint of regret, Eila leaned back against the sofa again. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Calian.
“How about I ask the questions, the Prince answers, and in exchange, I don’t take the rubies?”
“If you don’t take them, you’ll die once the questions are over.”
“For a pretty prince, your words aren’t very pretty. As always.”
“It’s no fun if everything is pretty.”
Letting out a soft laugh as if amused by his response, Eila soon nodded. She pointed a finger at the pouch.
“If I take that and answer your questions, will you let me go back?”
“Eila.”
Cutting off her playful banter, Calian raised his red eyes to meet hers. Then, slowly and deliberately, he spoke.
“If you came because you need help, then ask for it.”
“…Wow.”
A faint trace of killing intent flickered in Eila’s eyes.
“I see you even know that I’m on the run.”
“Because I know your former master’s heart is even uglier than his words.”
Shrugging off her killing intent, Calian replied calmly.
Devlan was not the kind of man to leave a bird alive when it knew a secret that could be used as a major card against him. So, if Eila had indeed run away, and if she had revealed Calian’s secret to Devlan, and yet she was still alive…
…he figured she must have fled from Devlan as well.
“If you speak plainly, I’ll give you those and help you. In return, you must help me too. What do you say?”
“If you tell me who you really are, Prince, I’ll think about it.”
“Just ‘think about it’? I’m hurt.”
“I told you, I’m not an easy person.”
“I know,” Calian nodded and continued. “How could I not? When I was your real master.”
The killing intent thickened.
Calian spoke, wearing a smile whose meaning was impossible to fathom.
“Don’t do that, Eila. Because I don’t want to kill you. Not yet.”
A time when a cool breeze blew and the cats slept peacefully.
The tranquil night quietly deepened.