Chapter 72: I Will Ask Just One Thing (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: I Will Ask Just One Thing (2)
A few more days passed.
Silike's greenhouse, once filled with pots of green-leafed Renieri, was now completely empty. She had shattered every last one in a fit of rage on the day she returned from exchanging the Seal of Oath with Calian.
She hadn't stepped out of her room until a few days ago, and consequently, her greenhouse had been cleaned but left barren for months.
Inside the drawing room at the center of this empty space, Silike paced slowly. A chilling aura emanated from her with every step, leaving the maids too terrified to even think of approaching.
Click.
Snap.
Click.
Snap.
She stalked through the greenhouse, repeatedly snapping her fan open and shut. Suddenly, she stopped and bit her lip hard.
Gray Brissen wasn't coming.
She was certain he had reached the outskirts of the capital, but after that, all contact had abruptly ceased.
While she didn't know the reason for Lennon's sudden disappearance, the possibility had never surprised her. He was an ordinary man; it wasn't unthinkable for him to be kidnapped or murdered for some reason.
But that couldn't happen to Gray.
Silike wasn't anxious because she thought something bad had happened to him. Instead, she suspected he’d harbored other intentions and vanished on purpose.
Just then, the head maid rushed over with news.
"I hear that when Margrave Gray Brissen arrived near the capital, men sent by Marquis Evan Brissen attacked him. Rumors are spreading that the Margrave suffered severe injuries and has returned to his territory."
Hearing this, Silike furrowed her brow. "Father did? Why?"
"Well... Apparently, the Marquis discovered the Margrave's intention to usurp the title and warned him to go back and never return to Kairisis. The noble circles are in an absolute uproar."
Gossip traveled fast among the nobility.
The rumor that Gray, who was supposedly traveling to the capital to recuperate, had been attacked by his own father spread in the blink of an eye.
And naturally so. Gray was a Sword Master.
To hear that such a man had been so severely injured by his own father that his recovery was doubtful—what could possibly be more entertaining than that?
Silike's brow furrowed deeper.
After snapping her fan open and shut a few more times, she muttered to herself, "Striking him down beforehand out of fear that he would target the marquisate... at a time like this?"
Then, sensing something was amiss, Silike turned back to the head maid. "Father didn't go himself. Who could possibly injure the Margrave?"
"Wasn't the Margrave already injured on his way to the capital? They say he couldn't fight back properly because of it."
At those words, Silike's eyes flashed.
She bit her lip once more before speaking. "No, that's not it."
Gray hadn't been injured in the first place.
It was Silike herself who had instructed him to use that as an excuse to come to Kairisis. She had promised that if he helped make Franz the Crown Prince, she would oust Marquis Evan Brissen and place Gray in his seat.
Snap!
Silike ran through several possibilities in her mind.
First, Evan Brissen had found out about Gray's plan and personally led an attack.
Second, Gray had betrayed her and retreated under a false pretext.
Or third, someone hidden in the shadows had attacked Gray.
Silike looked at the head maid with sharp eyes and commanded, "Send medicine to the Margrave's territory. Find out for certain if he is truly injured and staying there, and determine exactly who attacked him. You must go and see for yourself, as quickly as possible."
The head maid bowed, acknowledging the order.
"And find Sir Tail. Bring him to me immediately."
Tail was the former vice-commander of Knight Order Pavel, dismissed from the royal palace because of Calian. He was also a man who had wielded his sword on Silike's behalf multiple times. Since he would do anything for coin, there was no one better to act as her hands and feet in Gray's stead.
After the head maid hurried away, Silike resumed pacing the greenhouse.
She intended to investigate all three hypotheses. The maid she was sending to Gray would verify the first two. As for the third, she would have Tail investigate.
When she thought of that hidden someone...
"Why does..."
Calian.
"...your face keep coming to mind?"
Snap!
Silike returned to her room, struggling to shake off the ominous premonition.
*
That afternoon, Lemain made a major announcement.
All preparations to establish a mage corps named Valkan were complete. They would begin operations immediately following a founding ceremony in one week's time.
The temporary corps commander of Valkan was Alan Manasil.
The vice-commander was Arsen Hertz.
Silike, her face already grim from the morning's news about Gray, frowned once more at the announcement.
"To use Pavel's building and training grounds... His Majesty must have forgotten everything that happened."
Sensing Silike's foul mood, the head maid stood by, unsure of what to do. A harsh grinding sound came from Silike's clenched teeth.
"Just because Knight Order Pavel is gone doesn't mean my power has vanished. How dare they put mages in that place..."
Silike stopped mid-sentence.
"No, wait."
She reminded herself that this was not the right time to protest.
Rumors were already circulating that Marquis Brissen had crippled his own son. If Silike opposed Lemain's decision now, the public's critical gaze would turn back to her.
"Did you say His Majesty has gathered thirty mages?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Silike nodded with a sneer.
"Fine. They won't be able to achieve anything with just that. If he wants to play at being a soldier, I'll let him. Very well."
With those words, Silike turned around, but the head maid stopped her with a cautious voice.
"The person you requested has arrived."
Hearing this, Silike's expression softened slightly. Tail, the knight of Pavel, had arrived. She nodded and went to meet him.
After dismissing everyone from the drawing room, Silike entered alone. A man in plain clothes sat at the table. It was the knight named Tail.
Tail had the quintessential appearance of a knight. His demeanor was upright, and he was a man of few words. Because of this, those meeting him for the first time could never imagine his true nature.
Only Silike knew.
He was the kind of man who would kill anyone outside the palace walls for a mere three gold coins.
Clink.
Silike slid a pouch of money across the table toward him. Checking its contents, Tail asked, "Multiple targets?"
He asked because the sum was quite substantial.
Silike shook her head. "Just one."
At her response, Tail wore a sly smile. Not long ago, he had received a large sum of money for dealing with just one person as well.
Lennon Brissen.
Tail was one of the two knights who had captured Lennon and brought him before the Marquis. Of course, Tail kept his mouth shut, so Silike would never know.
"Who is it?"
Silike spoke in a low voice.
"A mage named Arsen Hertz."
The vice-commander of Valkan. His name, alongside Gray's, had been on the lips of the Kairisis nobility all day. Tail had heard it as well.
"Find out if he crossed paths with Gray Brissen, and if so, what happened. Once you know, silence him permanently. Do this well, and I will pay you double this amount."
Realizing why the coin pouch was so heavy, Tail quietly rose from his seat. Slipping the pouch into his breast pocket, he exited Silike's drawing room.
*
That evening, Yan looked incredibly excited.
"Does this mean our prince will finally have his own faction?"
Of course, Calian's name was nowhere in any of the announcements regarding Valkan. However, Yan knew that the Valkan Mage Corps was Calian's army.
"There are only thirty of them now, but the numbers will grow immensely soon. You'll be able to walk with your head held high now, won't you, Your Highness?"
Standing beside Yan as they waited for Calian to finish his shower, Kyrie replied cautiously, "...I'm not sure it's wise for him to carry himself with any more confidence than he already does."
At those heartfelt words, Yan's eyes widened.
"You have no idea how much he gets pushed around by Prince Franz and Prince Randel. Especially Prince Franz—if you knew how cruel he is to our prince, you wouldn't say that."
Yan, who would be utterly shocked to learn that Calian had practically joined hands with that very same Franz, spoke with conviction. Hearing this from the shower, Calian made a slightly awkward face.
He knew he had to tell Yan about his alliance eventually, but seeing the servant like this made him worry about how he would react.
With a complicated mind, Calian finished his shower and dressed in simple formal attire. He then made his way to the banquet hall prepared in Senyu Hall. Although Valkan had not been officially established, he was attending a small dinner to celebrate Lemain's announcement.
Before long, Calian stepped into the banquet hall, pausing briefly at the sheer intensity of the gazes focused on him—more than ever before.
"Prince Calian has arrived!"
They were mages gathered from all over the country, and not many had ever seen Calian up close. Thus, they all observed him with a singular curiosity.
To see if his eyes were truly as red as a Sispanian's.
Consequently, Calian had to make eye contact and exchange greetings with every single mage.
How fortunate that Randel and Franz didn't come.
Not to mention Silike, both princes had sent word of their absence with plausible excuses. It was a welcome relief, as he didn't have to show them how much attention he was receiving.
As Calian chuckled softly to himself, Arsen finally approached him, looking considerably exhausted. Feeling a bit apologetic, Calian spoke.
"Sir Hertz. Are you alright?"
"I feel like I won't be alright for much longer, Your Highness."
Calian smiled at the honest reply. "There will be another banquet on the day of the founding ceremony, so you should just go home and rest today."
Arsen's expression brightened for a split second before falling again. Though he desperately wanted to go home, he simply couldn't.
"Thank you for your concern. However, I must see Lord Manasil again after the dinner. Besides, if I just leave on my own, I can't imagine what Corps Commander Manasil will say to me tomorrow."
Looking at his face, Calian laughed again.
"I will speak to my teacher on your behalf."
"But..."
"Rest while you can."
Feeling truly grateful, Arsen bowed politely.
"Thank you. Then I shall take my leave first."
"Get home safely. And don't fall asleep on the way."
Calian offered a cryptic smile as he spoke.
Of course, Arsen didn't catch the meaning behind it. He simply boarded his carriage in a hurry, feeling as though Alan might chase after him at any moment.
Since Arsen's house was across the Senyu River, the journey took some time. Calian had told him not to fall asleep, but his eyelids weren't so easily controlled.
Clop, clop.
Listening to the rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves, Arsen's eyes slowly drifted shut. He fell into a deep sleep, only waking after they crossed the Senyu River to the erratic shaking of the carriage and the urgent voice of the coachman.
"Lord Hertz!"
Sensing something was wrong, Arsen blinked his eyes open as the coachman called out again.
"Wake up!"
Only then did Arsen snap awake and sit up straight.
At that moment, the carriage jolted violently.
Thud!
Arsen's usually serene eyes flashed with a cold light.
He flung open the door of the still-speeding carriage.
It was hurtling forward at several times its usual speed. Unfamiliar scenery whipped past.
Instead of panicking, Arsen scanned the surroundings for a suitable spot to land and shouted to the coachman, "Keep driving and escape!"
Then, he swiftly channeled his mana.
[Teleport]
Instantly, Arsen's body vanished from the carriage and reappeared precisely at the spot he had eyed moments ago.
The moment he landed, Arsen cast a shield to protect himself. Right then, several horses that seemed to have been pursuing the carriage surrounded him.
Blades gleaming in the moonlight were all pointed at him.
Realizing his suspicions were correct, Arsen spoke in a calm voice.
"Greetings."
He was a 5th Circle Master Mage at the mere age of twenty-eight, a man who had researched nothing but swift and efficient anti-personnel offensive magic, allowing him to conjure ice spears faster than lightning.
"I am Arsen Hertz, Vice-Commander of the Valkan Mage Corps."
Arsen's ice shot forward, trailing a chilling light.