Chapter 341: Surprisingly Clumsy (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 341: Surprisingly Clumsy (3)
He might not be able to lie, but he was exceptionally good at spotting when others did.
That wasn't an exaggeration—Calian truly was.
He could tell when someone had just learned a new fact.
When they feigned ignorance about something they already knew.
When they were caught red-handed in that pretense.
He knew how a person's eyes moved, how their breathing changed. He saw where they placed their hands and how they shifted their body. He noticed which way their feet turned and how the muscles in their neck and shoulders tensed. He knew—with unnerving accuracy—how people reacted in each of these situations. As a result, detecting a lie was no difficult task.
"That's not the face of someone hearing that name for the first time," Calian said. "You may live a life full of deceit, but don't waste your breath on me. I told you, didn't I? I'm good at spotting lies."
If anyone were to ask how he had acquired such a skill, he would have to give a vague answer, much like Franz's typical way of speaking—that it just happened somehow. It was a skill born purely of experience, and to understand what kind of experience that was, one would have to unearth the memories Calian kept buried deep inside.
In any case, Serjein had lied once again.
His reaction was not that of someone hearing the name ‘Danu’ for the first time. Even if Serjein hadn't cut himself off upon realizing his slip of the tongue, everything was already written plainly on his face the moment he heard the name.
"I wondered how a mere Crown Prince of Tensil could know that name. Until now, only two people knew the name of the Mother Tree. I was one, told directly by that blue bastard. The other person met my master right in the middle of a fight. So it's obvious, isn't it? Who overheard that name and passed it on to you."
"You're quite quick-witted."
"That would be our wise older brother. I just have a good eye. You're the one who fell for my bluff and gave yourself away."
Having said this, Calian turned his head.
In the distance, the spot where his dagger had clashed with a metallic clang remained quiet. Adelia, who had blocked his attack, had not yet revealed herself.
"You should come out, Adelia. Come out and play with me."
The sun was setting, dyeing the forest in a bluish-gray twilight.
"...And make it fun."
The chilling voice of Calian, a Sword Master who had heard exactly what his people had suffered at Adelia's hands, echoed through the darkness.
* * *
Pink, lavender, light green, sky blue, orange, white.
They looked like colorful, translucent gems. Made with finely ground gold dust, they sparkled beautifully when turned—they were round fruit candies.
The man, who had produced a candy tin that seemed utterly out of place in Lemain's office, moved his thick fingers. They were covered in scars, calluses, and tanned dark by the sun. He carefully picked up a pink candy and asked, "What flavor do you think this is, Lemain?"
"Did you come all this way just to ask me that?"
"Don't look at me like it's none of your business. This is a very important matter."
"So you're saying you really came all this way just to ask me to guess the flavor of a candy."
"Indeed. Why else would I bother coming to this dreary royal palace?"
Lemain frowned.
Making no effort to hide his exhaustion, he took off his glasses and set them down. He then spoke to the Duke, who had visited for the first time in nearly half a year only to ask him to guess the flavor of a pink candy.
"It seems the Duke's confinement was far too long. Your boredom must have finally gotten the better of you."
He was, in essence, asking if the Duke had finally gone mad from sheer boredom after being cooped up in his territory for so long.
Last year, on the day Calian was severely injured by Zeon, he had gone to Demirea. The people of Demirea had hidden Calian and taken Franz hostage to confront Evan, all to find the location of Zeon's remnants.
After the matter was resolved, Suleiman had taken the punishment on behalf of the Young Duchess, who had nearly started an all-out war with the Marquis by taking a prince hostage. He had been exiled from the capital until the end of that year. Now, with the year over and the spring festival concluded, Suleiman had returned as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"And the first thing you do upon your return is brag about candy."
"Don't say that. Do you have any idea how hard our Serie and I worked to make this?"
Letting out a hearty laugh, Suleiman popped the candy into his mouth. He crunched down on it without hesitation, then furrowed his brow and shuddered.
"Ugh, that one was an incredibly sour lemon."
It was a candy whose flavor couldn't be known until it was in one's mouth. Although they had made it themselves, all the candies had been mixed together, so even Suleiman had to taste it to find out. The pink candy had tasted of sour lemon.
Watching this baffling behavior, Lemain spoke again.
"I feel you should have been sent to your own estate, not my office."
"I've already sent some to the mansion, and this isn't for you. It's mine. I received it from my respected and beloved Serie."
He omitted the detail that she had simply gathered the defective candies with minor flaws and handed them over for him to eat.
This time, Suleiman took out a light green candy and popped it into his mouth. A sweet mango aroma burst through his mouth.
"I spent the entire winter sending nothing but almond cookies to the mansion for that child, only to get scolded by Serie for constantly sending the same thing. So, after brainstorming with her, we made something ourselves that we thought he would enjoy. Isn't it fun? A candy where you can't guess the flavor until you taste it."
Lemain gave a half-hearted nod. "So. Are you going to tell me why you came, or not?"
"I told you. I came to show you the candy. It's the first candy I've ever made, so it's very precious."
A long, deep sigh escaped Lemain's lips. He put his glasses back on and picked up his documents, deciding to simply ignore Suleiman, whether the Duke finished stuffing his face with the candies in the ridiculously luxurious tin or not.
"By the way, Lemain. Where is Marquis Manasil?"
"In his office."
Alan's office was right across from Lemain's.
"A Duke has arrived, yet that mere Marquis hasn't even shown his face."
"Look who's talking."
At the retort—aimed at a Duke who called the King by his first name as he pleased—Suleiman let out a hearty laugh.
"I thought I'd congratulate him on increasing his Circles while I was here."
"I believe your congratulations are the one thing he would deem unnecessary."
"Then, what about my future son-in-law? Has he not returned yet?"
Naturally, he was referring to Calian.
At the mention of the "son-in-law" nonsense, which he had briefly forgotten, Lemain's brow furrowed. He had hoped to benefit from the name of House Siegfried, but it now seemed they intended to milk him for all he was worth.
"Still in Secritia."
"Isn't he staying there too long? With two of your three sons gone."
His youngest son had gone on a winter trip to another country, and not only had he become its Crown Prince, but he'd even gotten engaged. Since then, that country's king had changed, and the year had turned, yet he showed no intention of coming home.
"Have you told him to return quickly?"
Lemain shook his head. He hadn't said a single word to Franz. All he had done was send a message through Needlen in the middle of it all, telling him to travel safely. He had said nothing about him becoming Crown Prince, about the engagement, or about his continuous wandering with no sign of returning.
"He said spending the winter here would be difficult for him."
"Winter passed a long time ago, Lemain."
"And I thought, if not now, when else would he get the chance to travel like that?"
"Lemain." Popping an orange candy into his mouth and savoring the cherry flavor, Suleiman spoke. "How many mistakes do you think we made while making these candies?"
"Probably more than a few."
"I've made soup a few times, but this was my first time making candy. It was even worse for Serie. Our lovely Serie, who only knows how to spar with me while wielding a long spear—when would she have ever made something like this? You have no idea how much the chef scolded us. We got scolded enough to last a lifetime this past winter. But we still made them."
He had plenty of experience drying bitter herbs and extracting their juices for his eldest son. But extracting fruit juice, coloring it, and adding sugar to make something sweet was a first. For both Suleiman and Serie.
Imagining the father and daughter getting scolded by someone, Lemain let out an involuntary chuckle. Grinning back, Suleiman spoke again.
"Since we can't see his face, we have to show him like this. Show him how much we thought of him while we spent the winter. Children only understand when you show them. If you don't tell them, if you don't make it obvious, they can't tell if you care. They're left in the dark, they get hurt, they get scared. That's just how children are. Because they're young."
Lemain looked up from his documents.
"Prince Randel is already a grown man. It's too late for him. So I agree with Marquis Manasil's words that showing hasty interest in Prince Randel would only be poison. As for Prince Calian... I have nothing to say. But isn't Crown Prince Franz different? He may be a man grown, tall enough to look down on his own father soon, but have you forgotten that he's still just a boy? He was once afraid of the scent of flowers; do you think his father's presence would be any less intimidating?"
Suleiman shook the candy tin. The sound of the candies rolling against the metal was quite cheerful.
"Sometimes, you have to make a fuss like this for the message to get through. It's not that hard to say, 'I'm worried, so come home soon,' is it?"
After a moment of thought, Lemain nodded. "I will take that to heart."
"Good."
Thinking he might have another candy to replace the one that had dissolved, Suleiman reopened the lid. He was about to take out a sky-blue candy but stopped and held it out to Lemain.
"Want one?"
Looking at the candy, filled with the care of the Duke and his daughter, Lemain reached out. Smiling cheerfully, Suleiman walked over and handed him the single piece.
The sky-blue candy tasted of grapefruit, his favorite.
* * *
He had seen the forest north of the Kairis Royal Palace once before—a wasteland of ash and ruin. Franz had not forgotten the sight. Nor was he ignorant of what had caused it.
– Boom!
And he knew all too well that Bridget Forest was about to suffer the same fate.
The newly planted saplings turned to ash and vanished. The tree behind them had already been snapped in half. In an instant, two trees so thick Franz couldn't have wrapped his arms around them were simply gone.
– "Send Tensil the bill for the forest's restoration."
– "More importantly, did you call Sir Manasil?"
– "The bracelet is broken."
Once again, Adelia had destroyed Calian's bracelet first. Calian, who had no intention of calling Alan with Adelia right in front of him anyway, didn't care whether the bracelet was broken or not.
– "Then I will send Sir Castrin."
– "I only informed you because the forest was going to get noisy, not because I was asking for help."
– "I know, Crown Prince Franz. But if the bracelet is broken, doesn't that mean you can't even call Sir Manasil?"
Listening to Chase's words, Franz looked ahead.
Six red blades carved unpredictable trajectories through the air, leaving long afterimages in their wake. The daggers shot out, lunging at Adelia from all directions. Instead of teleporting away, she deployed a thick Great Shield to block the assault.
– Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Sparks flew like grinding metal. Adelia, standing behind her shield, flicked her wrist. A coil of red flame, like a great serpent, lunged toward Calian.
– Snap!
A habit learned from Alan revealed itself. With a sharp snap of his fingers, Calian summoned a fierce wind. A whirlwind erupted, scattering leaves in every direction. It enveloped Adelia's flames, embracing them before surging into the sky. The flames, which had rushed in as if to swallow the entire forest, soared into the distant sky and vanished.
– "My older brother attacked first because he knew he could handle it."
Franz finished his reply to Chase.
Meanwhile, Calian's figure vanished once again.
Almost simultaneously, the ground where Calian had just stood buckled inward—a manipulation of gravity. But Calian was already gone, completely unaffected.
– Clang!
Immediately after, Adelia's shield wavered.
Today's Calian was not the same one who had faced Alan in the Royal Palace forest. His physical strength, his mana, his power and speed—everything was on another level.
Of course, that did not mean he was strong enough to defeat Adelia, who had held her own against Alan. Nor had Adelia, who had devastated the elf village in Bridget Forest alongside Alan, suddenly grown weak.
– Clang!
Calian fought by constantly increasing his speed, staying just outside the reach of Adelia's mana. Adelia had spent her life in the Magic Tower and had never faced a proper swordsman. Her eyes couldn't possibly track Calian's blade as it struck from unpredictable angles and moments.
Furthermore, Adelia was unable to use her full power. She knew all too well that if she destroyed this place again, the Black Butterfly would return. On top of that, with Arsen standing by to protect Franz, Calian could fight with a clear mind, free of other worries.
To be precise, this was retaliation for her choking Kyrie for her own amusement.
Standing at a distance to avoid the spells' range—this time inside a multi-layered shield cast by Arsen, not his brother—Franz kicked Serjein's sword away.
"Let's continue our conversation."
At Franz's languid tone, which suggested he had no interest in the battle raging nearby, Serjein gave a hollow laugh. "You don't seem worried about your brother."
"He's not the kind of brother one needs to worry about."
"Your trust is remarkable."
Giving only a casual nod, Franz ignored the remark and returned to the original topic. "What did you do when you met the Mother Tree?"
"I don't understand why I am being interrogated by you."
"You seem to have forgotten that I was the one who saved you, not that grand mage fighting my brother over there. If I hadn't stepped in, do you think she would have saved you? If she had intended to, I doubt she would have just watched all your knights die. What do you think?"
Serjein did not answer.
Franz's long speech continued. "You said you would have arrived at the palace on time if things had gone as planned. That means you intended to stop here first. Being here at this hour means you were either delayed while meeting the Mother Tree, or you failed to meet her at all."
"Yes. As I said, I came to meet the Mother Tree. Though I didn't get to see her."
"Did you want to meet her to ask her to open the Path of the Forest? To Kairis?"
"That is—"
"That mage told you the location of the Mother Tree, and you wanted to meet the tree to find a way to sneak into Kairis. It seems you're quite desperate to meet my brother. Let's leave that aside. What did that mage get from you in exchange for telling you about this place?"
Serjein shut his mouth tight.
"If you tell me, I might reconsider whether to allow the Crown Prince of Tensil into Kairis. In exchange for another favor from our side, of course. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
One corner of Franz's mouth curled up.
– Screeech!
Adelia's shield let out a tearing scream. Glancing over, Franz saw that the thick shield was now covered in thin ice. Apparently bored of listening to the two crown princes chat, the blue-haired ice mage had casually frozen Adelia's shield.
– Crash!
A sword brimming with crimson aura slammed down onto the frozen shield.
– Crack! Crackle!
The shield that had so solidly blocked Calian's attacks began to crack. Seeing this, Adelia vanished, reappearing a good distance away. And right where she had been—
– Whoosh!
A red dagger plunged down, as if it had been waiting to welcome its prey.
"Answer me, Serjein."
With a languid expression, Franz looked at him.