Chapter 39: Confirm It (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: Confirm It (2)
As Calian stepped forward, the man’s gaze shifted to him.
Calian stared intently at the man before turning to Yuran.
“Who did you say he was looking for?”
“He says he’s looking for a child who stole something and ran away.”
Calian gave Yuran a knowing look. “He’s brought quite a lot of backup for someone who just came to search.”
Yuran’s eyes swept over Calian for a moment. The prince had openly voiced the exact thought that had crossed his mind. Pretending not to notice Yuran’s reaction, Calian addressed the man.
“What does the person you’re looking for look like?”
“A young elf.”
Calian nodded. Then, gesturing toward his group—specifically at Sia—he said, “Confirm it.”
A sharp gasp came from beneath the robe.
The man stared in surprise as Calian suddenly cleared a path for him. Calian turned his head slightly to look at Yuran, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
A faint smile played on Calian’s lips as he continued.
“And then, you’ll walk away as if he wasn’t the one you were looking for. That is, if you want to live.”
The man’s eyes turned fierce. Ignoring the glare, Calian focused once more on the atmosphere around them.
The moment the man had taken another step toward their group, a faint killing intent had begun to permeate the air. Since some of them might be concealing their presence, he couldn't tell exactly how many were hidden in the bushes, but it was clear that several archers had their arrows aimed right at them.
However, the direction of the killing intent was strange. It was pointed at both the man and Sia. This meant they were waiting to kill them both the moment the man pulled back the hood and confirmed the child was indeed Sia.
From this, Calian deduced two things: the man had already been abandoned by his companions, and whatever item the elf named Sia had allegedly stolen was tied to something deeply unsavory.
Calian spoke again.
“Listen to me without turning your head. Someone in that forest has been aiming at you for a while now. At that kid, too. The moment you confirm his identity, arrows will fly. So just leave. And stop associating with those people.”
Naturally, the man didn’t believe him. He instinctively glanced toward the forest, prompting Calian to click his tongue.
“I told you not to do that.”
Those words were the signal.
The instant Yuran and the knights drew their swords, six arrows sliced through the air.
Four of them were aimed at Sia.
Kyrie and the knights, who were already on high alert, swung their swords to deflect the projectiles. Immediately after, another volley was unleashed. This time, Calian moved as well.
Whoosh!
Calian grabbed the man, pulling him down into a crouch as he deflected the incoming arrows. The next volley bounced harmlessly off a wide, shimmering Shield.
It was Arsen. An unconscious smirk touched Calian’s lips as he glanced at the mage. A moment later, Yuran gave an order to the knights.
“Go check it out. Don’t pursue them too far.”
He gave the order because he saw no need to capture the archers. Their attack hadn’t been aimed at Calian, and the prince’s protection was their top priority.
At Yuran’s command, five knights shot forward like arrows themselves.
Another arrow flew in, but it too bounced off the shield.
No more followed.
They must have chosen to flee.
Kyrie and two knights who had been standing by Sia approached to take custody of the man Calian was holding. But the man’s hand was already creeping toward the hilt of his sword. Seeing this, Kyrie cried out in alarm.
“Your Highness!”
As if forgetting that Calian had just saved his life, the man swiftly drew his sword and slashed upward.
Fortunately, Calian’s reflexes were a fraction faster.
The moment he sensed the sword being drawn, Calian released his grip on the man. Pivoting to the side, he raised his knife and deflected the blade’s trajectory. At the same time, a low murmur escaped his lips.
[Wind Arrow]
With chantless casting, an arrow of wind materialized in an instant. It pierced straight through the swordsman's shoulder before vanishing.
“Aaargh!”
Kyrie’s sword lunged forward like a flash, striking the man’s weapon.
Clang!
The man’s sword flew through the air and clattered to the ground.
He paid his weapon no mind. Clutching his mangled shoulder, which had been pierced by the sharply condensed wind, he let out a scream of pure agony.
And then, everyone except the screaming man fell silent. The knights’ eyes were locked on Calian.
Calian was quietly slipping his knife back into his sleeve, acting as if nothing at all had happened.
“I am sorry. This was my oversight.”
Yuran walked over to Calian and bowed his head. He apologized because Calian had been forced into a physical confrontation despite being protected by twenty knights. Of course, it had only happened because Calian stepped forward on his own, so the prince just shook his head.
“Just take that man and question him.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At Yuran’s command, two knights quickly subdued the man and staunched his bleeding. They needed to interrogate him, so it would be a problem if he died or lost consciousness.
The knights tending to the man’s wound exchanged glances. The same thought was running through their minds. Calian’s movements and magic from moments ago kept replaying in their heads.
Hadn’t Yan said it? That Alan Manasil had declared Calian had no talent for magic, and that his swordsmanship was limited to a bit of basic self-defense.
That he was a prince as delicate as a flower!
“…In what universe?”
Glancing at Calian, who looked completely serene, the knights dragged the man far away from him.
Calian was about to look back at Sia, but his head stopped halfway. This time, Yan was staring at him. Since Yan already knew Calian could use magic and had been learning swordsmanship from Kyrie, his expression was filled with anger rather than surprise.
The only problem was that Yan lacked the eye to judge martial prowess. To be precise, he didn’t grasp the true depth of Calian’s skills at all.
“Your Highness, you almost got into trouble again!”
A storm of nagging began.
He went on and on about why Calian would step forward when he had knights to protect him, what he would have done if he got hurt, and how he was just lucky. It was clear that the man who had been carried away with a pierced shoulder for daring to swing a sword at the prince didn't even register in Yan’s eyes.
After enduring the lecture for a while, Calian quietly turned his head. For some reason, Yuran avoided his gaze, clearly holding back laughter at Yan’s cluelessness.
Just as the seemingly endless nagging was finally winding down, the knights who had entered the forest returned. They were unharmed, but their expressions showed they had returned empty-handed. Since he hadn’t ordered them to capture the attackers anyway, Yuran didn’t scold them.
“How many were there?”
One of the five knights stepped forward and answered, “Seven in total. They scattered immediately without leaving any traces.”
“I see. Understood.”
Having done nothing more than eat a meal and meet an elf, only to get caught up in an unexpected mess and then lectured for it, Calian marched over to Sia. He yanked back the hood of the robe that had been hiding the elf’s ears.
Calian, who had been smiling at Sia before the fight, now had a fierce look in his eyes. Fear welled up in Sia’s. Then, Sia and Calian spoke at almost the exact same time.
“Luca did it. I don’t know.”
“What is it that you stole?”
As their words overlapped, Calian stared down at Sia. Sia spoke again.
“Yes. I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Those guys said you…”
Calian cut himself off and clutched his head. Only now did he understand the problem.
Without turning, Calian called for the person best suited to handle this situation.
“Sir Hertz.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Arsen, likely the smartest mage present, immediately came to Calian’s side. Frowning, Calian pointed at Sia and said, “He answers before I even ask.”
Only then did Arsen replay Sia’s words in his mind and realize what Calian meant. He let out a soft, surprised “Ah.” Not wanting to strain his brain any further conversing with an elf who possessed such a bizarre speech pattern, Calian looked at Arsen and issued his orders.
“Find out how he speaks like that later. Sir Rochel will likely interrogate that man, so Sir Hertz, you will organize what this elf is saying and figure out what’s going on. And until we part ways with him, you are in charge of all communication.”
It was the beginning of a thorny path for Arsen.
*
“That’s right.”
“So… what you’re saying is, you don’t know anything, and…”
“I don’t know.”
“Furthermore, regarding what the item is…”
“No.”
“Moreover, you…”
Listening to this non-conversation from the side, the knights all hung their heads, their shoulders trembling. It was all they could do not to laugh out loud.
Only Calian, the one person here who could act as he pleased, let out a soft chuckle.
Poor mage.
Seeing Hina’s sign language, Kyrie smiled faintly.
A long while later, Arsen, who had been scribbling Sia’s words in a notebook, gestured to Yan. He was asking if it was alright to report to Calian. Having secured the prince’s permission, Yan slowed his horse and moved toward Kyrie. Soon, Arsen rode up beside Calian to deliver his report.
“The child’s name is Siarus Tian Yureha. He is an elf, twelve years old.”
At Arsen’s words, Sia, who was riding with him, ‘interrupted’ for a moment. After a brief silence, Arsen spoke awkwardly.
“It means ‘spirit of the crouching horse.’ The Mother Tree named me.”
“…So he says.”
“Continue,” Calian replied curtly.
Arsen spoke again. “As for why his answers come faster than the questions, he himself…”
“Sir Hertz.”
Cutting him off, Calian turned his gaze to Arsen. The mage bowed his head and replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Calian pointed a finger at Sia. “In order.”
Tensing, Arsen paused. He mulled over what ‘in order’ meant before realizing Calian wanted the report in the exact sequence of his instructions. Trying to shake off the feeling that Calian was somehow exceptionally strict only with him, Arsen replied, “My apologies. First, he does not seem to know what kind of item was stolen. The child says he traveled around selling wooden carvings with an elf named Luca. Apparently, Luca noticed that the group attacking that man possessed something unusual, followed them, and… swiped it.”
This meant that even Sia didn’t know what the elf named Luca had stolen. Though it was surprising that an elf would commit theft, Calian merely gave a slight nod.
“They were chased as a result, and he was separated from Luca in the process. After that, he seems to have run into Your Highness.”
Calian nodded once more.
“And as for why he answers first, he says he doesn’t really know either. He claims his mouth just opens on its own, but it is difficult to grasp the exact nature of it based solely on the child’s explanation. I apologize.”
Having heard the full report, Calian looked at Sia. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Sia answered, “It’s not quite to that extent.”
Calian, who had been about to ask if the child possessed some form of precognition, simply nodded again.
He glanced briefly at the man, who was tied up and slung over a horse between Yuran and another knight. The man had fainted and had yet to wake, so they hadn’t been able to ask him anything.
“Anything else to report?”
“No, Your Highness.”
In the end, there was nothing they could know for certain. Arsen bowed to Calian once more and retreated to the back. Yan, returning to his spot, asked, “Do you plan to look into this yourself?”
They had a long way to go. Calian shook his head. “There’s no need to get tangled up in this and delay ourselves here. Leave the detailed investigation to the Lord of Latran.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Then what will you do with that child? I heard earlier that he lives in the Hirisca Forest.”
Calian’s expression grew slightly troubled.
The Hirisca Forest was a bit too far for the local territory’s soldiers to escort him back safely. On the other hand, it happened to be near the route leading to the Siegfried Territory.
So, what else could he do? He was already involved.
“Even if we don’t take him all the way to the entrance of the forest, we can bring him to the vicinity.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will tell him he is safe now so he can put his mind at ease.”
Even in a hurry, they could manage to bring a single elf child along.
Calian nodded silently.