Chapter 6: I Haven't Grown That Much (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: I Haven't Grown That Much (2)
He spent a hectic week waking to the scent of tea, having breakfast after being perfectly groomed for the day, and attending a whirlwind of lessons.
During that time, he clashed with Franz three more times.
Things had quieted down somewhat after Calian, feigning an accident during swordsmanship practice, had nearly killed Franz for bringing up Freya’s name yet again.
What was truly surprising was Franz's skill with a sword.
Of course, Calian’s current physical strength was pathetic, but Franz had blocked his attacks quite admirably.
I suppose the name of a knightly house isn’t just for show.
In any case, though Franz still looked at Calian with mockery in his eyes whenever they met, he spoke far less often. For now, Calian was satisfied with that alone.
As he sat before the mirror, blankly watching the maids comb his hair before breakfast, Yan approached to recite the day’s schedule.
“…And finally, you have an evening banquet with Her Majesty the Queen and Viscount Brissen.”
“Ah.”
Viscount Lennon Brissen.
He was Queen Silike’s older brother and the second son of Marquis Brissen. Born into a family with a long history of knights, he had shown no aptitude for the sword and had given it up early on. He now led the Brissen Trading Company, the largest in Kairis.
From what I heard, he wasn't even cut out to run a trading company, so he practically entrusted all authority to a manager he hired for a fortune. Then again… I suppose having the money to do that is a skill in itself.
“Will it just be Viscount Brissen, with no other nobles attending?”
“Yes, Your Highness. He was supposed to prepare the celebratory performance for the final day of your birthday festival, but due to certain circumstances, another party will be handling it instead. It seems he has stopped by the palace to apologize to you for the matter and wishes to see the princes while he is here.”
“If that’s the case, Franz could just go by himself.”
Yan’s face stiffened at the direct mention of Franz's name. Seeing him struggle for a response, Calian quickly spoke again.
“In any case, I understand.”
Then, Yan cleared his throat, indicating he had something else to discuss besides the schedule.
“And there is something else I must tell you.”
Calian gave a slight nod, and Yan, after a moment’s hesitation, spoke.
“We need to open the prince’s safe. Shall I do it again this time?”
A safe? I had one of those?
He thought he was a prince with nothing to his name, but it seemed he had money after all.
Calian quickly searched his memories. He then realized that the ornate, silver piece of furniture in the corner of his bedroom—whose purpose he hadn’t known—was in fact a safe.
“Why the safe?”
“Well…”
For once, Yan mumbled his words.
There was only one reason for that. It had to be related to Freya. Yan spoke cautiously.
“The administrator of the Whitrin Territory has sent the profits.”
My mother’s name was Freya Whitrin. So it must be Freya’s territory.
It seemed Lemain had granted her the territory when he made her his royal concubine. After her death, it hadn’t been passed to another noble but had been inherited by Calian. Having discovered this unexpected source of income, Calian said, “Let’s do it together later. I’m curious to see how much has been collected.”
“Yes, Your Highness. And,”
Sensing there was more to be said, Calian, now ready for breakfast, nodded again.
“As you know, Your Highness may take on two more attendants upon turning fifteen, correct?”
He did not know.
“As you will turn fifteen after your birthday this year, the internal affairs officer has inquired how you intend to find two new attendants. You are permitted to bring them in two or three months before your actual birthday. He also mentioned that if you do not have anyone in mind, he can assign them himself.”
As Calian organized his thoughts for a reply, Yan continued.
“How about employing guards, like the other two princes?”
Calian recalled the attendants who always trailed behind Randel and Franz. He had assumed they were simply attendants because they carried no swords. With a look of understanding, he replied, “So they were guards. No wonder they were so built.”
In Kairis, princes who were not the crown prince were not assigned personal knight escorts. The interesting thing was that the life-or-death struggles were more often waged between the other princes, not involving the crown prince.
Therefore, the princes hired personal guards, but since this was not officially permitted in Kairis, it had become customary for them to accompany the princes disguised as attendants. Naturally, the ones hired were typically those who used concealed weapons so as not to be conspicuous.
Calian was aware of this custom.
He just hadn’t known that he could only have three attendants after turning fifteen.
So, did the original Calian have guards?
If Yan was bringing it up first and there was money to hire them, it was highly likely he did.
He knew magic and had guards… and yet he was still assassinated. Does that mean the assassin was skilled enough to subdue a 3rd Circle mage?
Lost in thought, Calian unconsciously swept a hand over his heart.
No. If it was disguised as a suicide, the scene would have been clean. If he were a mage, there would have been traces of an attack or defense. So it’s highly probable that the old Calian was attacked in a state where he couldn’t use magic, just like me now.
In any case, Calian had died two or three months before his birthday, and he could apparently hire guards two or three months before his birthday. Things were lining up in a strange way.
Either the guard couldn’t stop the assassin, or didn’t. Or the guard was the assassin.
Several possibilities came to mind.
Whatever the answer, none of the outcomes were favorable.
“I think it’s best not to hire anyone. I already have someone in mind.”
Yan looked incredulous, as he was well aware of Calian’s limited social circle. But Calian didn’t elaborate.
Of course, the person Calian had in mind was the child he had previously decided to bring with him. There was just one problem.
“I’m not certain, but he’s probably a commoner. Will that be alright?”
Yan was a bona fide noble. Calian’s question was, in essence, asking if Yan, a nobleman, could work on equal footing with a commoner.
Yan’s face seemed to ask why on earth he would even ask such a thing.
As he was quickly learning, Yan was the type to wear his heart on his sleeve.
“What’s important right now isn’t the status of the person we hire, but the fact that we have someone to hire at all. When we should be rushing to bring them here immediately, is their status really what matters?”
“Right.”
Hearing Yan’s words, Calian grinned and nodded.
“He will be the prince’s guard, so if Your Highness is fine with it, then that is all that matters. It’s not as if only nobles can serve as the prince’s attendants. And if he is a talent you wish to knight, you can keep him as an attendant for now and look for an opportunity to grant him a knighthood yourself.”
“That would work.”
Even though Calian was royalty, he couldn’t just hand out titles as he pleased. He couldn’t rashly elevate someone’s status without some special contribution. Therefore, in cases like this, it was common to keep them as an attendant and grant a title when the time was right.
“It’s not like I can bring him here right away, so for now, just tell the internal affairs officer that I’ll take care of it myself.”
The problem wasn’t bringing him here immediately; it was finding where he was in the first place. It wasn’t even certain if he was here in Kairisis, the capital of Kairis.
“Understood. I will relay the message.”
“Is that everything?”
“No, Your Highness. There is one more thing.”
Calian’s head bobbed up and down again.
As if this were the most important topic, Yan swallowed dryly before speaking.
“Your exercise, Your Highness. Must you continue the physical training you started a week ago?”
“It’s hardly what I’d call training. It’s just running three or four laps around the artificial lake in front of the palace.”
“But even that is overwhelming for you now, is it not? I am only saying this because you look to be in pain.”
Perhaps because he had been so inactive before, he felt even more exhausted than when he’d started exercising, and he had lost more weight, which worried Yan to no end.
“I’m going to continue. It should get better if I’m consistent.”
As if expecting that answer, Yan let out a soft sigh.
“I have spoken to the chef and asked him to pay special attention to your diet. Breakfast is unavoidable, but you must finish all of your lunch and dinner without leaving anything behind.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Yan, who was now a little more used to Calian’s thanks, offered a faint smile. He then extended a hand, politely gesturing toward the door. It was time for breakfast.
Ugh. I don’t want to go.
*
After finishing the meal in a silence he still hadn’t grown accustomed to, Calian was startled by the enormous sum of profits from the territory, which had been steadily accumulating, untouched, for fourteen years. Afterward, he changed into lighter clothes and went outside.
He planned to exercise before his morning lessons began.
He had been doing this for the past week. He wasn’t alone, of course; Yan usually accompanied him.
However, when his run overlapped with the times Yan had to leave for attendant meetings, a maid named Merlin would follow Calian instead. She was the same maid who had brought him the mirror and called the hairstylist. Surprisingly, Merlin could run three or four laps around the lake without even breaking a sweat.
Merlin was following behind Calian now as well.
Remembering that it was Merlin who had ordered the ‘lots of frills,’ Calian quickly got into position and started running.
No matter how far he ran, whenever he looked back, Merlin was there, running at the same distance behind him. Calian’s face fell.
This is terrifying!
He would learn later that Merlin was the second daughter of the commander of the Capital Guard, which defended the outer castle of Kairisis. Although she had never learned swordsmanship, she had apparently run up and down Mount Tarun on the outskirts of Kairisis with her father every day since she was young. For her, this was nothing.
Finally, completely exhausted after three and a half laps, Calian collapsed to the ground. Sweat poured off him like rain, and his lips were parched. Seeing this, Merlin’s brow furrowed slightly. The reason, of course, was not that she found the sight of him sweating unpleasant.
When Calian first started exercising, he had run four and a half laps. On the third day, he ran four. And now, it was three and a half. Something seemed to be wrong.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
Ordinarily, attendants and maids were not supposed to speak directly to the prince; they had to go through a senior attendant or maid. Therefore, if Merlin had something to say to Calian, she was supposed to relay it through Yan. However, since the time they had discussed his formal attire, Calian’s maids would occasionally speak to him. Calian, of course, was not offended nor did he make an issue of it; rather, he was pleased to have more people to talk to.
“How about calling for a healer?”
“A healer.”
The priest from Tensil whom Yan had tried to call when Calian had hurt his hand. Calian knew, of course, why she was suggesting it. It was because of his dwindling stamina.
But there was a reason he couldn’t see a healer.
My Circles would be exposed immediately.
Of all the frustrating and foolish things the old Calian had done, there was one thing he felt he had done right: hiding the fact that he was a mage. It was a secret that not even Yan knew.
He thought it would have been fine to tell Yan, but he understood that the old Calian hadn't had the luxury of trusting anyone.
If it had been known that Calian could use magic, he would have been killed long before Bern entered his body. They would have tried to eliminate him before he could grow powerful enough to be difficult to handle.
For the same reason, the current Calian also had to hide his Circles for the time being. It was even more crucial now that he couldn't even manage his mana.
Having organized his thoughts, Calian gave his slightly delayed answer.
“No. I’m fine.”
Merlin wore a displeased expression but said nothing more.
Calian got to his feet.
He then forced himself to run one more lap before returning to his room.