Chapter 292: For Public Relations (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 292: For Public Relations (5)
It took a year to drive out Silike.
It took two years to get rid of Evan.
So, what about Devlan?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He’d had no time to reminisce or speak with those he missed upon arriving at the Secritia Royal Palace. Instead, he met Devlan first. It was more of a summons than a meeting, but a meeting nonetheless. Without breaking eye contact for even a second, they had traded poison cloaked in words.
His fingers tapped a slow rhythm against the glass of cold mint tea. From morning until midday, the only things he had consumed were a single sip of that tea and the sweet aroma of coffee he’d smelled earlier.
Despite this, he felt no hunger.
"Is it because I swallowed so much poison?"
After trading so many venomous words, it was no wonder he felt full.
Upon returning to his room, Calian sank deep into the sofa—an uncharacteristic gesture for him. He lost himself in thought, his fingers tapping against the glass dozens, hundreds of times.
The poisoned sleep incense prepared by Queen Diena and Royal Concubine Louise was no longer being delivered. Having learned of Chase's change of heart and Louise's betrayal, Devlan would not let his guard down again. Left to his own devices, Devlan would suffer from minor ailments for a while before eventually finding a cure.
A snake is a creature that forgives no one and forgets nothing. If that happened, Devlan would never abandon his revenge against Chase and Louise, nor would he lose his deep-seated interest in Calian.
So, what was to be done?
'What should I do? It would be a shame to send back someone so entertaining to watch.'
'You needn't worry. Your Highness will not live to see me return.'
How could he burn that snake, that poison, to ashes once and for all?
How could a prince of Kairis destroy the King of Secritia?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Originally, he had put on a performance—even revealing his red aura—to make Devlan suspect a connection between him and Zeon. But Franz had countered brilliantly. Because of that, he was short on time to redirect Devlan's attention from Louise's actions to himself.
So, he had barked right in Devlan's face.
He had kept at it until words of concern for his safety finally left Devlan's lips. The method was different than planned, but he had succeeded in yanking Devlan's gaze from Louise and fixing it firmly on himself.
His long train of thought continued from there.
All of it was aimed at killing and eliminating the opponent who, at this very moment, must look exactly like him and be thinking the exact same thoughts.
"Kyrie."
He didn't know if minutes or hours had passed, but he spoke in a low voice. Kyrie, who had been guarding the door since Calian’s return, stepped inside.
"Bring Sir Hertz to me. Quietly, without drawing attention."
"Yes, Your Highness."
With a brief bow, Kyrie departed.
Calian considered telling him he didn't need to stand guard like that, but he held his tongue.
It wasn't long before Kyrie returned. As the door opened and closed, it remained ajar a fraction of a second longer than usual. Calian’s gaze shifted to the empty space near the door.
"Come and sit, Sir Hertz."
At his words, Arsen revealed himself as if pulling back an invisible curtain. Having followed Kyrie inside using invisibility magic, Arsen offered a greeting and sat opposite Calian.
"I have arrived without drawing any attention."
"Thank you."
"It is nothing," Arsen replied briefly and said no more. Seeing him even more subdued than usual, Calian let out a soft chuckle.
According to Kyrie, Arsen hadn't shown any outward signs in front of Chase, but he seemed quite conscious of the fact that he was inside the Secritia Royal Palace.
"How is your duck doing, Sir Hertz?" Calian asked lightly. He had been concerned about the Pea's mood but hadn't had a chance to check on its owner. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to say the name 'Coco.'
Instead of something excellent like Tunteuni—intuitive, easy to remember, great meaning, and rolls off the tongue perfectly—he named it Coco. Seriously, his naming sense is atrocious.
"He is well, Your Highness. He eats well and is growing so fast he’s almost unrecognizable from one day to the next."
Understanding the question was meant to lighten the mood, the duck's proud owner grinned as he answered. After a few more lighthearted remarks, Calian fell silent. He organized his thoughts once more before speaking.
"I asked you here because I have a favor to ask."
"Of course, Your Highness. Please, ask me anything."
Nodding, Calian re-chilled the mint tea, which had grown lukewarm as the ice melted. After taking a sip, he laid out his request. Arsen listened to the entire story and readily agreed, for which Calian expressed his gratitude.
This all took place during the bright hours of the day, fueled only by the aroma of coffee, a glass of mint tea, and a feast of his own thoughts. Soon, night would fall, and he would pretend to give in to his adolescent older brother's nagging about his birthday and let himself be dragged to the sea.
* * *
They did not go to the small sea he had visited with Chase.
He’d already brought Franz to the spire without considering Chase's feelings; he wouldn't take Franz to that sea as well.
Besides, Devlan didn't know about that place, so he had to avoid it. He could visit Queen Diena's grave, located near that sea, some other time.
Mounting Estina, Calian glanced briefly at Franz, who followed in silence, before turning his gaze forward. He saw the Secritian knights assigned to guide them to the sea owned by the royal family—guiding the fickle Franz, who had insisted on seeing the sea in the dead of night, and Calian, who had failed to dissuade him.
There were familiar faces among them.
In fact, there were only two faces he didn't know. The other thirteen were all people he recognized.
These weren't the Royal Guards who had stayed with Bern until the very end. Rather, they were the knights who had been stationed there long before the Royal Guard had even marched out of the castle gates.
"...I will have to speak with the Elf Grand Elder, Narzan, later."
Suppressing the names and final expressions of the knights that threatened to flood his mind, Calian spoke.
"Since my older brother loves the sea so much, shouldn't I, as his younger brother, make sure he can visit it whenever he wishes?"
The night was dark.
The only sound was the steady, synchronized pace of hooves on the road.
Because of the quiet, Calian's low voice reached everyone.
"Why is my younger brother planning something so useless?"
Surprisingly, Franz had managed to express his usual 'stop barking' with a full sentence. A corner of Calian’s lips curled up. He understood what kind of conversation Franz wanted to have.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Calian replied, "Whether it is useless or not... who could possibly know, unless one is Sispanian? Wouldn't it be wise to prepare in advance? That's what I think. Especially these days."
"I will understand if you don't give me a gift, so I would appreciate it if you shut your noisy mouth."
"Noisy? How hurtful. I am the younger brother who came all this way and is even taking this troublesome walk with you. Couldn't you treat me with a bit more affection?"
"If you're going to keep spouting words you don't mean, we might as well turn back."
"No, of course not. Since we've already started, we must see it through."
Replying with a bright smile, Calian added in a slightly softer voice, "...Since it is your birthday."
The meaning was clear: a younger brother offering to arrange a seaside retirement for the older, who would surely be exiled after losing the battle for the throne. And an older brother scoffing at such useless plans, as he was the one who would become Crown Prince.
Thus, their "perfectly ordinary conversation between princes" came to an end. The knights stared straight ahead, pretending they hadn't heard a thing.
How much longer did they ride like that?
The thick scent of salt drifted in on the breeze, and the sound of a vast body of water washing over the earth slowly reached their ears.
"We have arrived. We will secure the perimeter, so please look around at your leisure."
Even if he was here for a different reason, the sense of homecoming was the same.
"Thank you."
Nodding to the knight captain, Calian halted Raven and looked around, his face a mask of complex emotions. Then, he tightened his grip on the reins.
Just like that day long ago when he had first faced Chase, Raven wanted to bolt toward the sound of the waves.
"Wait here, Raven," Calian whispered as he dismounted.
He pulled a watch from his pocket, checked the time, and began to walk forward, his boots crunching on the ground. He heard Franz following behind him.
Calian left no footprints on the sand.
Two people walked toward the waves, but only one set of tracks remained.
"What were you thinking about?" Calian asked, standing at the end of those footprints and taking a deep breath of the salty air.
Franz, who was looking at the translucent Silent barrier that would be invisible from the outside, replied, "Nothing much."
"I don't think so," Calian added with a beaming smile. "...sir."
It wasn't the Pea's birthday yet.
Watching Franz's brow furrow again, Calian spoke.
"I came because you insisted, but I honestly don't know what you're plotting, brother. Are you trying to deceive Devlan, or are you trying to deceive me?"
Once they returned, the conversation they'd had in front of the knights would be reported to Devlan. And Devlan wouldn't believe it. He would know that Calian, a mage, would never have a personal conversation in front of others without a reason.
Would he believe the brothers got along?
Or would he think they were on bad terms?
In the end, this walk was a game of deception, the outcome impossible to predict.
"Or did you truly just want to see the sea?"
"Both."
So he did have a scheme, but he had also wanted to see the sea.
"I was curious. Since you said it was different."
Instead of asking about the scheme, Calian simply nodded. "It is different. The color of the water, its shape. The sea there was very dark, but not here. On a clear day, sometimes it's hard to tell where the sky ends and the sea begins."
"I see."
"It's a shame you didn't come during the day."
"...Later."
"Yes. I'll show you again. Later, when you can eat cod with a peaceful mind."
Calian bent down and sat on the sand. Though a table and chairs had been set up a short distance away, he paid them no mind. He also ignored the surprised looks from the knights, who had never known Bern—who would sit, lie, and sleep just about anywhere—and were likely seeing royalty sit on the bare ground for the first time.
"I didn't prepare a birthday present. I've already given you so much that if I gave you one, you'd probably try to pay me back."
"I didn't ask for one."
"Yes."
"Though I feel like I might have received one once."
Calian raised his head to look at Franz.
After staring out at the sea in silence for a long while, Franz sat down a short distance from Calian, slightly closer to the waves.
"I heard you planted Renieri."
"How did you find out?"
"Somehow."
"I didn't plant her as a birthday present, though."
"Isn't that up to the recipient to decide?"
Besides, the timing was about right, wasn't it?
Feeling as though he'd heard those unspoken words, Calian sighed softly and looked up at the sky.
"I don't remember when it started... but around my current age, I stopped looking at the sky. It would be a lie to say I never looked up, but I never consciously stared at it."
"Why?"
"Because I couldn't bring myself to."
Calian continued to speak, his gaze fixed on the silver sky that looked as if it were about to pour down on them.
"Living like that, without ever looking up, Devlan died. And as I told you, after I was kicked out of the palace, I had nowhere to go. I went to a small beach, a different one from this. I was told I could rest there as long as I wanted, so I planned to just pass some time before returning."
Franz nodded silently.
"But then, the weather got so hot I couldn't stand being in the cabin. I came out, lay down, and there was the sky. The moon was bright, and there were so many stars. I stared at it for a long time, and for some reason, I just started laughing. I clutched my stomach and laughed like a madman, all by myself."
"You are a madman."
"Ah, well, that's true. I suppose I am," Calian chuckled softly before continuing. "I realized there was no reason I couldn't look up. After that, I kept looking at the sky. I watched the moon, the stars. I'd look at the clouds and make bets with Brother Chase on whether it would rain. That's how I lived."
Come to think of it, I need to collect on those bets someday. Calian chuckled again, the sound drifting over the waves. His voice, like falling rain or whispering wind, flowed out with the tide.
"You bowed your head that day, brother. Because I saw that, I didn't hesitate. I just planted Renieri, without a second thought."
"I thought you said you saved her without knowing why."
"It's true I felt I had to save her without knowing the reason. What I mean is, I didn't hesitate to do it."
Before Franz stood against Silike, Calian had seen him bow his head at the news of another's death. That was why he had saved Franz from Silike's dagger. That was why he had planted Renieri. He didn't mention what he had thought or what he had said while planting her.
He had asked her if she knew why he had saved that bastard who was practically an enemy. He had asked if she would ever tell him why she had lived such a life. He had also told her that no matter what, he had nothing to be sorry to her for. He felt like he'd said quite a lot, but since he couldn't remember it all, he kept it to himself.
"Well, anyway."
Wrapping up his story, Calian pulled a small pouch from his breast pocket. After rummaging through it, he took out an object about the size of two palms and handed it to Franz. It seemed his birthday had indeed arrived, but this wasn't a present; he was simply offering something he had intended to use himself.
"What is this?"
"Since you know how to handle mana."
"I thought you said there was no present."
"It's not a present... sir."
Not forgetting to use the informal address one last time—something he wouldn't be able to do again until next summer—Calian grinned.
"I know why you told me to come live here. My old home is here, my old brother is here, and my old mother is here. You probably thought it was only right for me to return. Since my mother knows me, I'd already wrestled with those same thoughts. But before I knew it, a different thought took hold of me: Once I resolve the matters here, I must go back. So, you don't need to worry about me, but..."
Franz stared silently at the crystal plate in his hand.
It was the one Elinne had sent for Alan, included with the orchid-scented green tea that Lemain and Alan had shared. It was an item sent so she could have tea with her new son and see his face wherever he went. Calian was just giving it to Franz.
He had made a request to Alan after returning from the spire, so the other one was likely, by now...
Meow!
Nyaong!
...in Relic's possession.
The sounds came through first, even before an image appeared on the crystal plate as it began to glow faintly.
To Franz, who was still staring down at it, Calian added, "I'm giving this to you just in case you think I'm the only one with a place to return to. I may have a lot, but you don't lack for anything compared to me, so don't be envious."
"...Stop barking."
"I give you a gift, and this is how you react? That's too harsh."
"You said it wasn't a present."
"Ah. That's true."
With that, Calian stood up and brushed the sand from his clothes.
"I doubt I'll forget your face, but just in case, please take a moment to say hello. As for me..."
Calian scanned the distance for a moment and smiled faintly.
A low growl of satisfaction, like a predator spotting prime prey, rumbled in his chest as a red light bloomed at his fingertips. His eyes narrowed, fixed on another light in the distance, its color vaguely resembling his own.
"I'll go and receive the counter-move my clever brother has prepared for me."
Under the black sky, facing the black sea, Calian melted into the shadows.
Hummm!
An afterimage of red light streaked through the air before dispersing into the night.