Chapter 312: Wildfire (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 312: Wildfire (2)
After bidding farewell to Calian, Devlan departed.
Cursing his own sharp memory, which refused to let him forget that the crazy, blue-haired mage would be waiting, Franz went to meet Arsen.
Hina returned to her original, familiar appearance.
Muttering, “Just a moment,” she instinctively reached out and fastened the top button of Calian’s shirt, which had come undone. His disguise had felt strange, and she found that his true appearance suited him best.
“Thank you.”
Calian smiled his thanks at Hina, who looked after him so naturally.
They stood in the middle of the Water Garden.
With nothing left to hide, Hina asked Calian in sign language:
– How are you feeling?
How was he supposed to answer that? Unsure what to say, Calian remained silent.
After studying his face for a moment, Hina placed her hand on Calian’s wrist and signed again.
– Does it hurt a lot?
She was asking if the wound was too deep for the pain to fade in just three days. She was asking if that was why Calian, who had just been speaking with the king of this country out of her earshot, wore such a pained expression.
Calian smiled. As much as the guise of a skilled knight had suited her, he decided that her large, dark eyes were what suited Hina best.
“Hina.”
At his call, she looked up. Calian slowly raised his hand and began to sign.
– It still… hurts.
Hina smiled. She nodded gently and replied in turn.
– It’s okay to hurt. It will get better. Because… I’m here.
Hina took Calian’s right hand in both of hers. A bright light glowed from her small hands.
Yes. It would get better.
Once again, he felt the warmth return.
* * *
The crystal plate in his hand glowed faintly. The face of the woman on the other end was still visible, her expression etched with worry.
– Sir Manasil. Why have you suddenly gone silent?
It was Queen Elinne of Libern.
– What is it? Did something happen?
Alan’s room had a window facing the inner grounds of the Main Palace. From it, one could look down upon the Water Garden, rather than the Begonia Garden or Royal Concubine Louise’s distant annex.
Alan made no move to lift the crystal plate and reassure her. He simply stared out the window, his arm hanging limp at his side, ignoring her repeated calls.
“…My apologies. I will contact you again later.”
Only after a long silence did Alan finally speak.
Clearly, something was amiss, but Elinne did not pry and simply nodded. She knew well that there must be a reason for Alan to act this way.
– Very well. Let me know if you need anything.
Without another word, Alan severed the flow of mana to the crystal plate. It faded from his hand, vanishing as if it had been erased.
Alan raised his head. His gaze fell upon the reflection in the windowpane—not his own, but that of the other man in the room. He spoke quietly.
“My apologies. We were meant to talk, but something has come up. I must step out for a moment.”
“Sir Manasil. You cannot.”
Teilan Castrin, the First Sword of the Continent and Chase’s knight, replied firmly.
Just moments ago, while Alan was speaking with Queen Elinne, Teilan had arrived to deliver a message from Chase. Alan had prepared tea for their scheduled meeting, but when Teilan actually appeared, Alan failed to so much as greet him. Instead, he had ignored both his guest and Elinne’s calls, his eyes fixed on the window.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere around the Archmage, Teilan strode to the window and looked down. A low groan escaped his lips.
He saw hair the color of the palest emerald, or perhaps a light-hued jade. The Crown Prince of Kairis was standing in the middle of the Water Garden. Of course, Teilan knew at a glance that Alan wasn’t looking at the Crown Prince or his escort knight. It wasn’t long before two more figures joined them.
Calian and Devlan.
They stood facing each other. Though no sound reached the room, the tension between them was palpable even from this distance. Then, they smiled at each other.
It was at that moment that Alan had cut off his communication with Elinne. He had intended to postpone his meeting with Teilan as well, but the knight now blocked his path.
“Step aside, Sir Castrin.”
“I am sorry, but I cannot.”
Teilan’s stance did not waver.
A crushing pressure, an aura that felt like the end of all things, began to pour from the Archmage as the First Sword of the Continent obstructed his path.
“You cannot stop me.”
“It does not matter. If you act on your own, I will follow you down and block you again.”
It wasn’t the first time Teilan had met Alan. While their interactions had always revolved around Chase or Calian, preventing any real friendship, a certain familiarity had grown between them. Because of this—and because he knew exactly why Alan was so furious—Teilan felt no offense at the Archmage’s sharp, unconcealed anger.
He knew precisely why Alan was enraged.
“Why do you stand in my way?”
“Because you must not interfere, Sir Manasil.”
“And why is that?”
“Our steps must be the heaviest in the world. I trust you know this.”
He wasn't asking because he didn't know. He was seeking confirmation, using Teilan’s words to engrave the reason for his inaction upon his own mind.
Seeing the devastated look on Alan’s face—the look of a man forcing himself to be persuaded—Teilan spoke.
“You once said that before he was your disciple, he was my student. If he is strong enough to learn my swordsmanship, he is strong enough. Do not interfere. Wait.”
“Before he was your student, he was my son. Surely my steps need not be so heavy that I cannot even protect him as I wish.”
“Some things can only be protected by a step that heavy.”
Alan did not reply immediately, turning his gaze back to the window. After watching for a long time, his face a storm of emotions, he turned back. Looking into those silver-gray eyes that had not yet managed to suppress their turmoil, Teilan spoke again.
“I am not telling you to turn away and pretend you do not know. I am telling you to endure. If you move now, Sir Manasil, the immediate problem might be solved, but it will create a permanent one. That will help no one. For the sake of the future, I ask you to remain still.”
A short yet long time passed.
The suffocating aura that had filled the room gradually subsided. Only then did Teilan realize that goosebumps had broken out across his back. He took a conscious breath, allowing his own tension to ease.
Teilan lowered the arm that had been blocking Alan and bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you.”
It was Teilan who had endured an aura that felt like it was chipping away at his very soul, yet it was he who offered thanks. He knew that for as much as he had withstood, Alan had been forced to endure something far greater.
Sensing the figures in the garden below begin to disperse, Alan finally replied.
“Don’t do this again. Next time, I might not remember who you are.”
“Next time, there will be no reason for me to stop you, Sir Manasil. Nor will Prince Calian have to face His Highness again.”
Alan nodded at Teilan’s absolute certainty. Then, pointing to the table in the room, he said, “Sit.”
After Teilan took a seat, Alan watched him quietly for a moment before speaking.
“There must be a reason you came to find me.”
“I came because there is something I wish to confirm.”
“Speak.”
“Since this is not something the current Sir Manasil has experienced, it may come as a surprise. However, given the circumstances, I hope you will understand why I must speak of it without permission.”
Alan nodded, his voice still somewhat subdued. “Go ahead.”
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mentioned that during the war in the past, your assistance, Sir Manasil, was likely involved in bringing the Kairis army to Secritia.”
It meant that Alan’s power must have been at play to move the Kairis army directly to Secritia’s doorstep. After all, the only person capable of casting magic on such a scale was Alan, who had reached the 8th Circle at the time.
“I apologize for bringing this up on a day like this, at a time like this,” Teilan said, his expression somber.
If Alan hadn’t already figured it out, he would have been deeply shaken to hear such a thing now. Fortunately, he had already guessed as much. Hadn’t they discussed it on the day Calian drank a glass of Himolica and fell into a dead sleep?
“Is that Crown Prince Chase’s deduction?” Calian was not the type to go out of his way to inform Chase of such things.
“Yes, it is.”
“There is nothing to apologize for. I had already suspected as much. So, what is it you wish to ask of me?”
“Your energy feels very different from the last time we met, Sir Manasil. Considering you also neutralized the poison when you met His Highness, I must ask… by any chance, are you now…”
“If you are asking whether I have added another Circle, not yet. It is simply that I am extraordinary.”
“…Is that so.”
This time, Alan posed a question to Teilan. “By any chance, were you planning to transport the private soldiers of the local nobles here?”
“That is correct. To neutralize Devlan’s forces, we must secure the strength of more nobles.”
He hid nothing. Furthermore, the way Teilan referred to Devlan had changed. That was likely his true feeling on the matter.
“You could likely wipe out Devlan’s soldiers by yourself.”
“There’s no need to test me. I am well aware that if I were to act alone, clear the palace, and hand the throne to Crown Prince Chase, it would only create a second Devlan in the end.”
Alan’s eyes curved into a slight smile. “Indeed. I asked an unnecessary question. In any case, it will be difficult for me to provide immediate assistance.”
“I understand. It is fine if we take a bit more time, so…”
“Just wait a few days,” Alan said, cutting him off. “It may not be immediate, but it will not take long.”
His words were heavy with meaning.
“Come to think of it, our Prince is truly remarkable. He has both the continent’s greatest swordsman and its greatest mage as his masters, does he not?”
Not just one of the three mages on the continent, but the greatest mage.
Understanding the implication, Teilan offered his gratitude on Chase’s behalf.
“Thank you for your help, Baron Manasil.”
He nodded, not as the master of a Kairis prince, but as Baron Alan Manasil—the man who held the power to enthrone the next king of Secritia.
* * *
A day passed.
After reviewing the report Kyrie handed him, Calian wore a strange expression.
“Certainly…”
“Devlan will be Devlan,” Franz, standing beside Kyrie, finished the sentence. Eila nodded in agreement.
“What will you do?”
Ideally, Calian would have sought Alan’s advice, but the Archmage had not left his room since the previous evening. Unable to ignore the sheer energy pouring from that room, Calian had asked Euria to stand guard outside it for the time being.
Because of that, he couldn’t meet with Alan, and he couldn’t bring himself to disturb Chase, who was likely meeting with Marquis Legian Lin. After a moment’s thought, Calian looked at Franz.
“But why are you asking me?”
“About what?”
“Is it not your birthday party, brother?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Call it what you will, but officially, it’s just a birthday party. They’re claiming it’s a belated celebration, now that Mother is safe and Meilin Lonz—the Mage Association President who nearly brought disaster upon the nation—has been captured.”
With no reason to hide her abilities any longer, Hina had openly poured her power into treating Royal Concubine Louise. The moment the Royal Concubine opened her eyes, Hina had returned to her room and collapsed into a death-like sleep. As a result, Arsen and Rachel were now watching over her.
“You say that as if you wouldn’t go if I said I wasn’t going.”
“Of course I must go. It is the word of my esteemed older brother, the Crown Prince, after all.”
“Stop bark—” Franz bit his tongue. Kyrie probably heard everything anyway, but he couldn’t exactly tell his younger brother to stop barking in front of Eila.
Whatever the pretext, Calian would attend. Whether they poisoned the wine, prepared a horde of assassins, or laid a trap to pressure him before the other nobles, it didn’t matter. He would never decline the invitation.
That was why he was asking for Franz’s opinion—on how to handle Devlan, who would undoubtedly be trying to read Calian’s every move.
After a moment of thought, Franz nodded.
“We attend. All of us.”
“Yes,” Calian answered without a shred of hesitation.
He then told Kyrie to convey that they would attend, on the condition that “the entire party goes together.”
And so, time passed. A few days slipped by as some strove for greater power, some fought to avoid harm, and others worked to secure their victory.
As the days passed, the party hosted by Devlan—and accepted by Calian—finally began.
Food was prepared, and music flowed.
Wine filled elegant glasses in the grand hall. The nobles of Secritia took their seats, with the knights of Kairis seated among them. Euria and Rachel looked stunning, if a bit unfamiliar, in their formal dresses, alongside the ever-beautiful Eila. Calian stood beside Arsen and Kyrie.
Those gathered exchanged greetings, striving to create a warm and friendly atmosphere. Since only the nobles residing in the capital were present, their numbers were small, meaning Calian’s companions could be seen at every turn.
Soon, Chase entered, followed by Devlan.
Everyone had arrived except for Franz, the guest of honor. They found their seats and settled in.
“Announcing the entrance of Crown Prince Franz Rune Kairis!”
And then, his preparations apparently complete, Franz made his entrance.
As he was the guest of honor, all eyes naturally turned toward him. Calian, wearing his usual relaxed expression, also turned his head toward the entrance.
But.
A memory flashed through his mind—a brief, past exchange.
– I’m sorry for asking so suddenly, Crown Prince.
– It is fine.
Something was wrong.
Why was their Hina—so precious that none of them would let a single hair on her head be harmed—standing next to that pale bastard?
“…Kyrie.”
“I didn’t know either.”
And why, of all things, was Hina linking arms with him?
Witnessing a sight his mind could process but his heart refused to accept, Calian’s lips stretched into a wide, taut smile.
Oblivious to this, Franz spoke, his face a mask of nonchalance. “The introduction was incomplete.”
“Allow me to introduce Viscountess Hina Bern. My fiancée.”
The room fell into a dead silence.
With a sharp snap, the dinner knife Calian was holding broke clean in half.