Chapter 53: It Wasn't Intentional (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: It Wasn't Intentional (5)
Lennon was gone.
In his absence, Alan handled the aftermath with swift efficiency.
– I will immediately begin the acquisition of the trading company through Melfir Polun.
– Thank you, Master.
– I have already given orders to send goods to that region, so please let me know if there is anything else you require.
– Aside from food, we don't seem to lack anything for now. I plan to meet with the lords soon, so I will pass along any requests they might have.
– Understood.
With Alan and Melfir moving much faster than expected, Calian felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Early the next morning, he summoned the lords of Sting and Nerika to the elf village to mediate the conflict between them.
Once his business with the lords was concluded, Calian would have no reason—or desire—to remain. He decided to leave immediately after the meeting, traveling through the Forest Path that Elder Jer would open for him.
While they waited for the lords to arrive, Yan struck up a conversation.
"Our Prince now owns a trading company."
"That's just how it turned out," Calian replied. "It wasn't intentional."
"Still, it must feel good."
He truly hadn't intended to acquire the Brissen Trading Company. To think that simply getting rid of the annoying Lennon would result in buying out his entire business. Chuckling softly, Calian looked down at the object in his palm.
"By the way, what on earth is this?"
Resting in his hand was a black, pebble-like object recovered from Luca, the elf who had been brought back to the village. Calian frowned, recalling the strange effect it had on Sia. The stone had been found alongside other items presumed to be sacred artifacts.
Just moments ago, when Sia had opened his mouth to hand over the stolen goods he had sorted from Luca’s belongings, Calian had been shocked. Sia's peculiar habit—his ability to answer a question before it was even asked—had vanished.
Calian handed the stone to Sia, who was accompanying them a little longer to guide them through the Forest Path.
"Sia. Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have."
When Sia's answer came in the correct order, Calian's eyes narrowed. Beside him, Arsen let out a sharp gasp. The change was just that bizarre.
Calian took the pebble back.
He spoke to Sia once more.
"Yes. She's over there."
"Have you seen Hina?"
Once again, the answer came before the question.
Calian stared intently at the object in his palm. It was a small black pebble engraved with golden characters, looking utterly unremarkable. Furthermore, no one other than Sia seemed affected by it.
As Calian quietly examined the stone, Arsen asked, "Could this also be a sacred artifact?"
"It's highly likely, but we need to…" Calian trailed off, his expression hardening.
Arsen hadn't noticed, but Calian certainly had. Yuran, who had caught a similar scent, was also frowning at the object in Calian’s hand.
"It looks dangerous," Yuran said. "It's steeped in the heavy scent of blood."
The blood of a healthy person, cut down in their prime. Knights were trained to sense the distinct energy of blood rich with life force.
The aura emanating from the stone was exactly that. It carried the scent of vibrant blood, spilled as a life with much left to live was forcibly extinguished. This meant the pebble's original owner had been murdered.
Calian turned to Luca. "Did you steal this along with the sacred artifacts?"
"I don't remember."
It was no wonder. The elf had stolen far too many things.
Calian let out a short sigh. Since elves were incapable of lying, his claim of not remembering had to be true. Worse, Luca showed no remorse. It wasn't that he didn't know what he had done was wrong; he was acting this way because he knew humans couldn't judge elves under human law.
Soon, Jer approached, clearly trying to divert Calian's attention. "I have already made a request to the Mother Tree. You will be able to set off on the Forest Path immediately. So, do not worry about the matters here any longer."
His anxiety was palpable. As Calian had recently learned, Luca was Elder Jer's biological son. Jer was obviously worried Calian might lose his temper and draw his sword.
Instead of drawing his sword, Calian handed the stone back to Sia.
"Keep it for now. We need to be able to communicate on the road."
"Isn't this Luca's?" Sia asked.
Calian's gaze shifted to Luca. "No, it isn't."
"Alright, Boss. I'll give it back once we reach the other side of the Forest Path."
"Good."
Sia slipped the stone into his pocket just as the two lords arrived. Standing before them, Calian uttered a single sentence.
"The Polun Trading Company will be arriving soon to conduct trade."
It was as simple as that. Once trade resumed, there would be no reason for the two territories to fight.
Of course, the lords had no way of knowing that Calian had bought out the Brissen Trading Company simply because he was furious with Lennon Brissen, the man who had caused the conflict. They were merely overjoyed, offering their gratitude and promising not to fight over the matter again.
And that was it.
Calian didn't bother with unnecessary remarks about getting along in the future. The royal family rarely intervened in power struggles between lords. It was better for them to waste their energy on each other; that way, they were less likely to grow too friendly and turn their blades on the throne.
Turning his gaze briefly to Elder Jer and Luca, Calian asked the lords, "Do you have any trade agreements with the elves?"
"Yes. We purchase several food items from them, including vegetables that are difficult to obtain nearby."
"And was it a fair trade?"
"Well, given their poor circumstances…"
He didn't need to hear any more. The shifting glances of the two lords and the bright red tips of Elder Jer's ears were answer enough. They had been trading with the elves at prices several times higher than normal.
They tried to take advantage of me, a prince, so I can only imagine how they treated anyone else.
Nodding to himself, Calian looked at Jer. "Tell me what you've been buying. I'll add the items to the Polun Trading Company's list, so you don't have to deal with people who don't even observe basic laws."
"I already apologized for that matter! To inflict this kind of damage on us elves is—"
"You haven't said a single word about what your son did," Calian cut in coldly. "It seems your apology vanished the moment you got what you wanted."
Jer's lips parted, but Calian paid him no more attention.
"Go back to living among yourselves, just as elves always have."
As Calian mounted his horse, panic seized Jer. His ears burning red, the elder blocked Calian's path.
"Wait! Just wait a moment. Let us talk—"
"I have nothing more to say."
In his haste, Jer's hand brushed against Raven's neck. The elf pulled back in horror as the prince's horse, usually the picture of noble grace, rolled its eyes back wildly.
Ignoring the commotion, Calian leisurely rode into the Forest Path that Jer had opened. One by one, his companions followed, leaving a bewildered Jer standing in their wake.
*
The Forest Path was truly a path deep within the woods. Lush green trees formed a canopy so thick it completely blotted out the sky.
Riding atop Raven, Calian turned the black pebble over in his hand. No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing remarkable about it other than the engraved characters.
Observing him, Yuran slowed his horse to pull up alongside. "Your Highness," he said in a cautious tone, "I have something to tell you."
Instead of answering, Calian posed a question of his own. "The scent of blood is gradually fading, isn't it?"
A cryptic smile played on his lips. Yuran looked as if he was about to ask what he meant, but instead studied Calian's face.
"I did not realize Your Highness would recognize it. It is a scent usually only knights can detect."
"I happened to become familiar with it by chance."
By chance, and quite a lot of it.
"At any rate," Yuran continued, "it is too strange an object to cast aside simply because it smells of blood."
Calian nodded. "Since it corrects Sia's speech, it's clearly no ordinary stone."
Recalling how Sia used to answer questions before they were asked, Yuran murmured, "That child seems to see a moment slightly ahead of everyone else. Otherwise, how could he answer questions that haven't even been asked yet?"
"He said it wasn't precognition, but I agree with you."
"Then is it a stone that nullifies such an ability?"
"Well," Calian mused, tapping Raven's saddle. "I wonder."
Time…
A moment slightly ahead. A distortion of time. A stone capable of neutralizing Sia's time-related ability.
– The Axis of Time.
He wondered if it might be connected to the Axis of Time. After all, wasn't that also considered a sacred artifact related to time?
"Whatever it is, it seems important," Calian said, a warm smile gracing his lips. "So we must endure it, even if it smells a bit unpleasant."
He tightened his grip on the stone.
*
The Royal Palace of Kairisis, Chermil Palace.
In Randel's room on the highest floor, an attendant delivered a report.
A significant quantity of sacred artifacts had been delivered to Tensil, with Lennon Brissen providing immense help. However, Lennon had suddenly gone missing. Marquis Brissen was searching high and low but had found no trace of him. The marquis initially suspected Alan Manasil and Melfir Polun but confirmed they had no involvement. He was now investigating whether it was the work of a group targeting him for money.
This, of course, was the plausible story fabricated and spread by Marquis Evan Brissen himself.
Randel merely nodded to the attendant, gesturing for him to leave. Once the attendant departed, he reopened the book he had been reading. A long time passed, yet the page remained unturned.
Suddenly, a bird flew to the window of the silent room and began to chirp. Randel quietly rose and walked toward it, but the startled bird fluttered away.
Feeling a touch of regret, Randel opened the window.
The sky was clear. His wavy golden hair fluttered in the gentle breeze. Closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation, Randel slowly opened them again.
A clear sky, the sound of birds.
He recalled someone saying they had tossed and turned because of bad weather and that they missed the sound of birds. He remembered the promise that the roses would soon bloom.
Calian. You have driven Lennon away this time.
After gazing out the window and thinking of his younger brother for a moment, Randel stepped outside. His attendants immediately followed.
"To the garden," he said simply.
One of the attendants rushed off to gather gardening tools. With unhurried steps, Randel walked past the lake and arrived at the rose garden. Soon, an attendant caught up, handing him gardening shears and opening an umbrella to shield him from the sun.
Randel sat quietly, pruning twigs and pulling weeds.
There were no flowers. It was already autumn, so they had all bloomed and withered. Then, his eyes caught a small, weak stem growing beneath a tree. It was a stem that couldn't even grow straight, suppressed by the other branches.
It was a stem just like the Calian of long ago.
Staring quietly at the plant, Randel pulled a necklace from his sleeve and closed his eyes.
A soft light emanated from the necklace, reaching out to the tiny stem. The bent plant straightened, and a flower bud began to form at its tip.
Soon after, a single, small red rose bloomed.
"It is still a pleasant sight," Randel murmured, looking down at the solitary flower. "Stay like that just a little longer."
He then returned to his room.