Chapter 380: It's Mine (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 380: It's Mine (4)
Calian had a simple philosophy.
The only time the smell of blood wasn’t repulsive was when he was eating a steak.
It was a scent most people who weren’t knights couldn’t even perceive. A certain pale, delicate individual he knew—one who found even the blood from a rare steak so repulsive he insisted on having all his meat well-done—would never understand. But for Calian, it was a familiar reality.
And right now, that same Calian was suppressing the primal urge to bare his teeth at the man standing before him.
It was because of the dizzying stench of blood.
The smell of dried blood on his own arm. The pool of it at the rooftop’s edge, the long trail leading to the railing, the scattered droplets—and Eila's scent, clinging to him.
The exact same scents were wafting from the bastard in front of him. Faint scents and thick ones, old and fresh. Aside from the blood dripping from the hand that held Eila’s hairpin, a heavy stench clung to him—so thick it was impossible to tell how many people it belonged to. It was a smell that not even magic could wash away.
‘I am Calian.’
He gripped his own leash, holding himself back.
He felt that if he looked at the smile plastered on that face for a moment longer, he would lunge forward, sink his claws into the man's neck, and tear out his throat. All because of the smell of blood.
The man staring back at him, Rashid, finally spoke, his tone leisurely.
"To think someone would dare touch Your Highness's property. Surely, there was nothing of yours here?"
Tap.
Instead of answering, the tip of Calian’s boot tapped the floor once. There was no need to repeat himself.
"I see. However, I..."
Rashid took the sound as his answer and opened his left hand, revealing what he held. His voice flowed out, slow and utterly devoid of any edge.
"...only saw a single bird, Your Highness."
The hairpin was completely stained with blood.
Calian had recognized long ago that it wasn't Eila's. It was blood from a wound on the bastard's own palm.
The injured hand was his left. His scabbard hung on his left side.
‘Right-handed.’
If he had grabbed Eila's sword with his left hand in a panic, she would have severed all his fingers. If Eila had been in a position to wound him under any other circumstance, she would have cut his throat, not just sliced his palm. Therefore, the wound could only have come from catching a dagger she had thrown.
Though she might not be on Demirea's level, Calian knew better than anyone how strong Eila was.
This was a wound on the left hand of a man who had reduced Eila to such a state. A wound he was fully capable of parrying but had chosen to catch instead. A wound that wouldn't hinder him in a fight but would serve as an excellent excuse.
‘An intentional wound.’
It was a wound made with the same intent as the one Calian had hidden beneath his own bandages until just moments ago. After all, one didn't need someone else's blood to make a threat.
Without letting his gaze waver from those green eyes for a second, Calian took in every detail of the man’s face and offered a bright smile.
"You saw a bird on a night as dark as this?"
"Yes. Perhaps it lost its way in the darkness, but I did see a bird on this pitch-black night. It was such an unusual sight that I paused, only to run into Your Highness. I wonder if I should call this an unexpected coincidence, or..."
Calian watched Rashid nod to himself, then lowered his gaze to the hairpin. He finished the sentence Rashid had left hanging.
"...or a destined encounter."
"Indeed. A destined encounter. Those words are truly fitting, Your Highness. To think it feels like a destined encounter—isn't that fascinating?"
"It must have been fascinating enough to completely captivate you, Baron."
"Yes, indeed."
A gust of wind blew across the rooftop.
Calian’s hair, which looked as if it had been woven thread by thread from the world’s finest silk, fluttered in the wind before settling. It was a stark contrast to Rashid's brown hair, which was so meticulously styled that it remained completely undisturbed.
Staring at the man’s flawless attire, Calian spoke in a low voice.
"But... I wasn't asking about a bird."
"Indeed. You asked about Your Highness's property."
The bastard took a step closer.
"And so, I answered that I met a bird."
His footsteps made no sound.
Instead, a fragrance wafted over.
A sickeningly sweet floral scent.
* * *
Two knights, one mage.
Looking at the three division commanders who had arrived together as if by prior arrangement, Arsen felt a headache coming on.
He quietly raised his head and assessed the situation.
Alan had been gone since morning, mentioning something about a trip to Libern. Needlen, who had been voluntarily helping with paperwork for some unknown reason, had also left for the day. And the other Vice-Commander, the one Arsen shared an office with, had fled the royal palace.
‘Astrisha.’
Just that single word.
At the time, Arsen hadn't understood. With a mountain of work to do, he hadn't cared enough to ask what the brief utterance meant and had simply nodded. Now, realization dawned: Franz had gone to Astrisha Street.
Well, since he had finished his work properly before leaving, it wasn't Arsen's business whether Franz went to Astrisha Street, Banensha Street, or crossed the Senyu River.
"Vice-Commander Hertz, there's been an explosion near Naeransha Street. Reports indicate mana fluctuations consistent with a mana bomb. The problem is, Vice-Commander Franz—no, Crown Prince Franz—and the Third Prince are both outside the palace."
In this situation, having Crown Prince Franz outside, rather than Vice-Commander Franz, was a problem. It was enough of a problem that Valkan, rather than the capital guard, had to step in directly.
Arsen stared intently at the three division commanders—all but Needlen—and spoke.
"What did His Majesty say?"
"We haven't reported it to him yet."
"Why?"
"With the Commander away, if His Majesty finds out, won't he mobilize the Elazar?"
Elazar was the name of the newly reorganized Royal Guard.
Last year, Lemain had disbanded Karen and Raon, the royal knight orders tainted by the Brissen family. Franz had then selected knights from both orders who were completely loyal to him and integrated them into Valkan.
There was no shortage of knights. Count Aizen Aprin, who led the alliance of knightly families loyal to Calian, continuously trained knights and sent them to Siegfried, and Demirea selected the best of them to deploy into Valkan.
In any case, after merging the knights and mages into the single entity of Valkan, Lemain had also changed the name of the Royal Guard, ‘Kaera’.
A knight from Kaera had been the one to hand Franz the poison pouch, an act that led Calian to personally seek out Evan and draw his sword. Consequently, Lemain had purged every single knight in Kaera suspected of having ties to Brissen. Since he couldn't disband the Royal Guard itself, he settled for overhauling its entire administrative system and changing its name.
Although he had solidified his throne by completely upending the palace knight orders, one thing remained unchanged: Lemain's timid, worrywart nature, which was as stubborn as an ox.
"Whenever the safety of the Crown Prince or the princes is threatened, His Majesty always tries to deploy the Elazar first. Today, we don't even have the Commander here to stop him. That's why we haven't reported it yet."
Calian drinking poison, Franz getting stabbed, Calian nearly dying a sudden death, Randel bringing Tensil's holy knights into the palace, and just when things seemed to quiet down, Franz dying and coming back to life. Having such eventful sons, Lemain’s first response to any incident was to send the Elazar, even though he knew a knight order existing solely for the king should not be mobilized lightly.
And now, with Calian and Franz having snuck out again, a mana bomb had exploded. In such an event, nine times out of ten, Calian was involved. The remaining time, it was some nameless, crazy mage’s mistake. The conclusion was so obvious it required no thought.
So, what would Lemain do without Alan there to stop him? He would surely send the Elazar right on Valkan’s heels. They would be lucky if he didn't insist on going himself.
"He's bound to find out anyway, even if we hide it."
"Yes. The intelligence officer will inform His Majesty soon. In fact, he might have already heard."
"Right. I understand."
An accident, likely a mana bomb, had occurred outside the palace.
Of all times, Calian and Franz were out.
Lemain was not yet aware, and Alan was away.
Having organized the situation in his head, Arsen looked at Raz and Damian, the division commanders of the Valkan Knights, and Pelton, a division commander of the Mage Corps, and delivered his instructions.
"Form two teams, each with twenty knights and three mages. Forty-six in total. Send one team to Naeransha and the other to Astrisha to secure the scenes. If you see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince or the Prince, immediately apprehend... I mean, escort them back."
"Understood. What should we do if a fight has broken out?"
"If the princes aren't involved, suppress it as you see fit. If one of them is, don't get hurt trying to stop it. Just control the scene and stand by. I will report to His Majesty and follow you to Naeransha."
"Understood."
Answering briefly, the three division commanders left the office.
The bright blue eyes that had watched them go with a calm expression turned sharp the moment the door closed.
'Still, things have been peaceful lately. Dame Bridget took over some of the intelligence work, so I actually have time to play with our Coco.'
'Then, President. Is Dame Bridget handling the intelligence gathering all by herself right now?'
'What? You didn't hear from Prince Calian?'
'Why would our Prince tell me about his dealings with you? He doesn't tell me things unless they require my involvement.'
'Ah, right. I suppose he wouldn't. Anyway, yes. Dame Bridget is currently handling the internal intelligence of Kairis all by herself.'
'Is that manageable alone?'
'Yeah. The Association is still handling intelligence on Tensil, and the Prince hasn't asked for anything specific within Kairis. For now, Dame Bridget seems to be doing fine. I saw she recently started investigating Gray Brissen, and I told her to let me know if she needs more people.'
He recalled his conversation with Euria just yesterday, and thought of the mana bomb.
Mana bombs were not common. Though highly lethal, they made a tremendous noise and were astronomically expensive. Rather than use one to harm someone and get caught immediately, it was far better to use the money to procure poison or hire an underworld mage. Thus, those who used mana bombs were exceedingly rare.
And Arsen knew exactly one person who was well aware that, loud or not, it was an undeniably effective weapon—someone who received a salary high enough not to care about the cost, and who had recently begun some very dangerous work.
"Our Prince shouldn't be causing trouble at a time like this..."
Furthermore, he knew exactly who would lose his mind if that person, Eila, came to harm—and just how much that individual needed to lay low right now.
"This is bad."
Arsen stood up.
He tidied his appearance with a Clean spell, quickly adjusted his clothes, and hurried toward Arpia Palace, where Lemain would be.
* * *
Calian had another philosophy.
When it came to perfume, fruit scents were always best.
The pleasant sweetness of peach, the refreshing tang of tangerine, the cozy aroma of coconut, the ever-fresh scent of lime. Why on earth would people ignore such wonderful fragrances and choose otherwise?
At the heavy floral scent wafting in on the wind, Calian, who almost let his disgust show, looked back at Rashid.
"Your Highness mentioned that you cannot tolerate leaving your curiosity unsatisfied... but fascinatingly enough, I too am a very curious person. Because of that, I'm so captivated by this fascinating sight that I can't seem to recall anything else. Perhaps if Your Highness could explain how I came to find a bird on such a dark night, my memory might return."
Was it because of the bastard's perfume, or the stench the perfume failed to cover, that a green-grape-colored dress came to mind?
"Regarding who touched Your Highness's property, that is."
Calian's fingertips, pointed toward the ground, traced a long, slow arc.
‘There's another snake.’
He could smell it on this new acquaintance—the same scent that had clung to his former father, the same scent that clung to himself. A satisfied expression touched Calian's lips. Though there was no way only one other snake existed in this world, meeting one so close by was truly fascinating, welcoming, and at the same time, utterly revolting.
"If I say I know, you will wonder how. If I say I do not know, you, Baron, will also fail to recall your memories... So, how should I answer?"
"Are you troubled, Your Highness?"
"I am troubled, Baron."
"Could you not consider it a pleasant dilemma? After all, who knows when we might meet again if not on a night like this?"
Nodding as if in agreement, Calian closed his eyes slightly. He took a deep breath and exhaled, as if momentarily intoxicated by the strong, cloying scent—both familiar and unfamiliar—before opening his eyes again.
"By the way, there is one thing I would like to tell you, Baron. May I?"
"Yes, of course."
"It is a person. Not a bird."
Calian’s finger pointed once more to Eila’s hairpin.
"You seem to think you picked up a bird's feather. I am telling you, that is not what I see."
"Ah. Is that so?"
"Indeed."
"My, I have made a grave error. My apologies."
"It is fine. There was someone else who saw it that way, so I am used to it."
Calian took another step closer.
He quietly took the hairpin from Rashid’s hand.
"Though I suppose I should say, 'there was someone else.'"
"Was there?"
"There was."
A harmless smile spread across Rashid’s face.
It was the exact same feeling.
That truly fascinating, welcoming, yet revolting sensation.
Turning the hairpin over in his hand to examine it, Calian spoke again.
"In any case, it seems I cannot satisfy your curiosity today, Baron. It is rather difficult to find an answer. I suppose I must put my own curiosity on hold for a moment as well."
"That is a pity, Your Highness."
"I hope you do not find it too regrettable. My own regret will be just as great."
"Still, I would like to hope that we can exchange answers someday. Would that be acceptable?"
"Well. We shall see."
Calian raised his head.
Rashid looked at Calian.
"In any case, since meeting my person seems to have caught your fancy, Baron, I will not take this back."
Calian slowly moved his hand. Placing the hairpin that had belonged to Eila back into Rashid's left hand, he closed the man's fingers around it, forming a fist.
He squeezed the hand tightly, as if telling him not to lose what he had picked up out of fancy. He did it so that the hairpin, with its shattered bead, would dig deep into the wound carved by Eila's dagger.
"Since I have already promised to buy her a new one, this item no longer has an owner anyway."
As if in response, drip, drip, drip.
The blood that had staunched inside Rashid's hand began to flow again. Calian smiled, seemingly unbothered by his own hand getting stained with it.
A bright, cheerful smile.
He crafted a smile filled with harmless fragrance.
Glancing down at his own hand without a change in expression, Rashid raised his head. He then smiled like a child who had discovered an even more amusing game. A flawless, clear smile on his face.
"I shall consider it a gift and gratefully..."
"How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand?"
A voice rising from below the building cut Rashid off.
"But Young Duchess, we received a report of a suspicious explosion here and were asked to investigate immediately."
"Even if it is by order of Marquis Brissen, it is fine. I already have an idea of the situation."
"...That is not what I meant, Young Duchess."
"I told you Valkan will be coming, and I will hand the matter over to them directly. This does not violate any procedures or laws, so I find it difficult to understand why you insist on arresting this person."
While they had been focused on each other, a commotion had arisen below.
Eila had come here pursuing Gray. Gray must have also confirmed that an explosion occurred here.
Since there was enough of a buzz for any bystander to figure out what had happened, it wouldn't be hard to know whose subordinate was lying collapsed below, who had rescued them, and where they had gone. Nor would it be hard to guess whose son was involved.
The method was simple enough: to make Calian back down without killing Rashid, all one had to do was create a bigger commotion by trying to arrest Eila.
So Gray had called the capital guard.
Of course, he wouldn't know that his grand plan would do little more than briefly interrupt Calian and Rashid's conversation.
Confirming the standoff between Demirea, who stood blocking the way, and those who insisted on arresting Eila, Calian looked at Rashid. His words were half-sincere, half-mocking.
"I thought the Marquis cherished you. It seems my assumption was not wrong."
Though whether that cherishing is born of affection is another matter.
Leaving those words unspoken, Rashid smiled broadly and nodded.
"Yes. It seems the Marquis was quite worried about me. It is a pity, but I suppose we should look forward to our next meeting, Your Highness."
"It seems we must."
"And I will not forget the gift Your Highness gave me. I shall keep it safe until we meet again."
"Very well."
It was a situation where both had intended to back down anyway.
Thanks to Gray, they had only lost the time to exchange a few more words, so there was nothing to regret.
Thus, Rashid bowed deeply, his expression devoid of any lingering attachment. Calian, feeling the same, gave a light nod in return. Afterward, Calian manipulated his mana to erase all the splattered blood, leaving only what had dripped from Rashid's hand.
Having cleaned up the surroundings, Calian turned to head down the back of the building.
—Ah.
And then, he saw them.
A group of knights and mages approaching from afar. Under the bright magic lamps, lit so that people wouldn't be startled by the sudden appearance of troops, a single person rode at the very front. The face of a man who, no matter what, absolutely refused to listen to his younger brother.
He saw Franz.
Calian saw Rashid’s green eyes, which had spotted the same thing, slowly shift.
Rashid stared at his cousin approaching in the distance.
"Ah. To think I would meet him like this..."
His voice held no trace of the pain radiating from his tightly clenched fist.
"Isn't this a truly magnificent coincidence!"
The joyful voice, laced with a hint of wonder, reached Calian. With it came the sickeningly sweet scent of floral perfume, drifting through the air.