Chapter 273: I'm Quite Good at Setting Traps (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 273: I'm Quite Good at Setting Traps (2)
The hour when crimson settled upon the world.
Bathed in the sunset glow, Chase stood before the gates of the royal castle with a gentle smile.
"I am relieved to see you have returned safely."
"I hope my stubbornness did not cause the Crown Prince unnecessary worry," the woman replied, extending her right hand.
The long sleeve of her black silk dress swayed gently. As Chase took her hand and led her inside, the voluminous folds of her dress, adorned with black lace and floral ornaments, rustled softly.
Soon, the two dismissed their attendants and began to walk slowly along the path leading to the royal palace. The fragrance wafting from the sprawling gardens on either side and the soft burble of a beautiful fountain filled the silence between them.
"Is your heart feeling a bit lighter?"
Like a fragrant breeze, or perhaps a trickling stream, Chase's voice was as tranquil as the evening. At his question, the sky-blue eyes hidden behind the black veil of her headpiece glanced downward.
"I cannot tell if it has lightened or grown heavier. I cannot quite gauge it."
A long sigh followed her words.
Chase turned his head and asked in a low voice, "Do you still miss her so?"
"She was the only one in this palace I could truly open my heart to. Since she departed so suddenly, even after all these years, I still think of her."
"She would have been pleased, Mother. Knowing that you have not forgotten her."
Royal Concubine Louise, who had just spent a month at the villa near the grave of the late Queen Diena, offered a melancholy smile. Chase released Louise's hand and gently guided it to rest on his arm. Drawing his mother a little closer, he spoke again.
"For those who have departed, there is surely no greater joy than being remembered."
Queen Diena, Bern's mother.
And Royal Concubine Louise, Chase's mother.
In the past, both women had been mothers to Bern and Chase, and both boys had been sons to them. The two mothers had raised them to ensure the throne would never drive a wedge between them, and the brothers had grown up just as they had hoped. Their bond was so deep that Diena had entrusted Bern to Louise before her death.
Although Bern did not exist in this lifetime, their relationship remained the same. After the death of Diena—who, in Bern's absence, had only Chase as her son—Louise would occasionally visit the villa near Diena's resting place.
"So, she would surely have been happy," Chase murmured.
"I can only hope my feelings reach her."
Just like Chase's blue-silver hair, Louise's platinum-blonde locks were dyed crimson by the setting sun. Gazing at her crimson-tinged hair and black dress, Louise spoke to Chase.
"Just before arriving, I heard the news about Marquis Lin. But the palace is surprisingly quiet for such an event. Perhaps I misheard."
"No, she was indeed arrested. That's only because I took precautions to prevent a commotion."
"Please ensure she does not suffer too harsh a trial. I worry that Arianne will be terribly anxious."
"I will."
After their exchange, Louise paused and stepped toward the garden. Chase, whose arm she had been holding, naturally followed.
Vibrant red begonias, the color of the setting sun, bloomed in dense clusters. Withdrawing her hand from Chase's arm, Louise knelt, gently brushing her fingers over the flowers as she spoke softly.
"Is His Majesty still the same?"
After a brief silence, Chase lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes. He remains the same. There is no improvement in his condition, nor any decline."
"I heard he rejected the medicine you sent last time, Crown Prince. And before I left the palace, he told me not to bring the sleep incense I always prepared for him anymore… If his illness persists, he must be growing even more distrustful of those around him."
"Therefore, it would be best for you to avoid private audiences with him as much as possible. He may no longer try to show only his best side, even to you, Mother."
Louise spoke in an even lower voice, her gaze and hand still lingering on the flowers. "If Marquis Lin has been captured, isn't there a possibility that a healer from Tensil will come?"
"Yes. His Majesty will try to get his hands on that matter first."
Watching Louise nod slowly, Chase continued, "That is why I also intend to stop covertly blocking the healers from entering."
"Do you mean you will let them into the palace?"
"No, Mother. I plan to take a clear stance and bring the matter to light. I will demand an answer from His Majesty, in front of all the nobles, as to why he insists on bringing healers from Tensil into Secritian territory."
Louise's hand paused.
"...Do not do that."
Standing up, she looked at Chase and said, "I worry that you will be hurt, Crown Prince, if you try to drag such matters to the surface."
"But the nobles must know. They must realize His Majesty's true state of health and that he does not view me as his son."
"Everyone already knows. Is there really a need to expose it?"
"Hearing rumors and seeing it with one's own eyes are two different things. Only when they see the truth for themselves will the nobles dare to act."
Louise quietly reached out and placed her hand against Chase's cheek.
After a moment, her warm hand fell from his cold face. She took his hand again, her lips parting a few times before she finally spoke.
"Not long after I came to this palace, my mother and sibling met with an accident. And with the Queen having departed this world, you, Crown Prince, are the only family I have left."
"...I know."
"Please, be careful."
Chase quietly pulled Louise into a tight embrace. Patting her small back gently, he replied, "Do not worry, Mother."
The scent of begonias washed over them like a wave.
*
He was skilled at dealing with people.
Though he could not completely read their innermost thoughts, he was adept at grasping and manipulating their minds. Depending on whether his opponent was someone to be crushed or someone to be respected, his way of speaking, his expressions, his gaze, his voice, and his demeanor would shift entirely.
Calian had always been that way.
No matter who stood before him, he never lost his composure.
Though there was one prickly individual who occasionally made him forget that composure entirely, this time, fortunately, he was neither flustered nor surprised.
"It's nothing much."
Looking up at the cluster of blue-silver stars that seemed ready to pour down, Calian spoke in an exceptionally slow drawl. "When you cast magic, you just go poof, and it comes out with a fwoosh."
He continued, "And when you infuse mana, you just go zap, and it flows right in with a whoosh."
"......Hey."
Uttering a single syllable that conveyed you cheeky bastard of a brother, Franz looked down at Calian, who was just about to stand up.
"What are you doing, Brother?"
"You noticed, so you might as well just ask me to teach you."
"Brother."
"What?"
Calian grinned broadly and pointed toward Franz's wrist.
"Noticing is one thing, but I'm asking you to explain it directly. Why is that sparkling thing on your wrist, Brother?"
"Watch your language."
"What is that?"
"Your attitude."
"An answer, please, Brother."
He was caught.
The two mages had collapsed, claiming the Prince and Vice-Commander were working them to death. Unable to do anything more with them, Franz had finally relented. "Fine, go play," he'd said, before turning to head back alone.
He was just passing his younger brother, who was sitting idly on the beach. Calian had skipped dinner, complaining that the beef jerky he'd eaten for lunch had bloated in his stomach.
And that's when it happened. Of all the damn times.
The bracelet hidden beneath his sleeve began to glow. Chase had contacted him.
Calian sensed the flow of mana and turned his head just in time to see a familiar light leak from beneath Franz's sleeve. And just like that, Franz was caught.
"I knew you'd feel less stifled out here, but I still thought it was strange you'd stopped rolling up your sleeves," Calian said with a grin, tapping the neatly fastened button near his own collar. "Turns out there was another reason for it."
The light swirling around the bracelet quickly faded.
It wasn't an urgent message. Since Franz hadn't responded immediately, the sender had stopped trying to connect. Besides, even as Calian demanded an explanation, he knew perfectly well who held the ring connected to that bracelet. If it had been an urgent matter, that person would have contacted him, not Franz.
That's why Calian was taking his time with Franz.
"Since you've started gathering mana, you can try it yourself. I've already told you how."
Just go zap, and then fwoosh.
Franz furrowed his brow at Calian, who was still looking up at him with a beaming face.
"Stop messing around."
"When on earth did you make this? Did you send it the day we left for this place?"
Thanks to this bastard's knack for getting caught—and to his former older brother—I got caught too. With a face full of irritation, Franz ignored Calian's words and took a step forward.
"If I ask that pink-haired mage who's always eating salty things to teach me how to contact the Crown Prince of a neighboring kingdom, I'm sure he'll have some wonderful things to say."
"Brother."
"What?"
Whether the pink-haired mage ate salty things or not was none of Calian's concern. What mattered was that Needlen absolutely must not find out about this. Stopping Franz in his tracks, Calian spoke.
"I'll teach you."
I'm not losing; I'm letting him win. Calian thought. I said I'd help, and he asked for help, so I'm letting him win.
"In return, don't hide anything regarding Secritia from me. Will that be difficult?"
"......Fine."
Nodding with a short sigh, Calian pointed to the spot opposite him, and Franz sat down.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Asking for permission first, Calian placed his fingertips on Franz's bracelet. Then, he began to explain what Franz had been curious about.
Like a warm breeze he had felt once before, Calian's mana wrapped around Franz's arm. He could feel Calian's mana moving in tandem with his explanation, demonstrating how to channel gathered mana to infuse power into an object.
After a lengthy explanation, Calian withdrew his hand and concluded, "If it's too difficult to do on your own, let me know. I'll help you."
"Alright."
Replying thus, Franz stared into Calian's eyes for a moment before speaking.
"It feels different from when you use a sword. Didn't you say it's the same mana?"
Franz's gaze drifted to Calian's fingertips.
Understanding his meaning, Calian nodded and replied, "Yes. I use the same mana for both magic and aura, but the energy feels slightly different. It's probably because the 'me' who learned magic and the 'me' who learned aura were different, though I don't know the exact reason myself."
The magic of the old Calian.
And the aura of Bern.
When he cast magic, it produced a warm sensation that somehow both suited and contradicted the Calian of today. On the other hand, because he had completely reshaped the old Calian's mana into Bern's style, his aura glowed a dark crimson. Its mere presence was like a cold, ruthless blade. The contrast between the two was stark.
"I see."
"Is learning magic fun?" Calian suddenly asked.
Franz looked up to answer. "Not really."
"Then are you not going to learn anything other than the cat hair removal spell?"
"I won't."
"May I ask why?"
"Because there's no longer any need."
Calian stared at Franz, and a look of understanding soon dawned on his face.
He remembered why his prickly older brother had wanted to learn magic in the first place.
"Then do you plan to keep learning the sword?"
"......The Young Duchess mentioned it once. That the sword is heavy."
A weight that forced one to take responsibility for many things.
It meant he had grown fond of the very weight that had finally grounded him. And since Calian also seemed firmly grounded now, Franz no longer felt the need to learn magic. Instead, he would continue to learn the sword.
"Alright. Then I'll teach you up to the cat hair removal spell, and I'll keep teaching you the sword."
"Fine."
So that he could keep walking, no matter what winds blew.
So that he could take responsibility for many things and protect himself.
The sky shone as if a blue-silver kaleidoscope had been scattered across it, a dark night showered in starlight.
—Chime.
Just as Calian stood up, their conversation and lesson concluded, a familiar sound echoed from the edge of the beach.
Siona approached with her characteristically light steps. She had just successfully hunted, roasted, and eaten a wild chicken from the forest all by herself.
"The Grand Elder asked for you to come over right now," she said, delivering the Grand Elder's message.
Why on earth was he calling for Calian at this hour? And why send Siona, of all people, instead of Needlen or a knight—especially when they had already agreed to meet tomorrow to finalize negotiations?
"Now?"
Seeing the questions on Calian's face, Siona added, "He said the Mother Tree wants to see you."
Franz narrowed his eyes.
Understanding why the 'elf' Siona, rather than a member of Valkan, had to deliver the message, Calian smiled faintly.
"I thought she lacked curiosity because she's a tree. Turns out she was just a bit slow."
The prince with a truly peculiar constitution—one that had even caused Sispanian to manifest—gazed at the elves' Mother Tree in the distance and spoke.
"I'm not an elf."
And since he was not an elf, and was also a man who held a grudge, he replied, "I'll go tomorrow morning."
He refused to do as he was told.
Siona nodded, looking amused.