The Royal Seal
"May I ask what this is?"
"This is the royal seal of the house. With this alone, you will be able to make any request of me you wish. Of course, that excludes anything I judge to be impossible."
Alberto handed the royal seal to Ellen.
Ellen accepted it. It was, quite literally, a blank check that would grant him anything he asked.
"I scarcely know how to contain my gratitude for Your Majesty's grace. Yet if I may dare to indulge one curiosity before Your Majesty…"
"And what is that?"
"Why bestow something so extravagant upon me? I already consider the barony more than sufficient reward."
Ellen could not quite pin down Alberto's true intent. That the king wished to keep him close was easy enough to guess—but a noble title alone would have accomplished that. There was no need to go so far as to hand over the royal seal.
At Ellen's words, Alberto wore an unreadable smile.
"So your grasp of a situation is not limited to the battlefield after all. My eye for people has not failed me. I give you this seal so that you may pay a price equal to its worth."
"I am Your Majesty's vassal. Command me as you will."
Alberto paused a moment. Ellen waited with quiet composure for him to speak.
"I have a son. He is my son, yet I must confess he has many shortcomings, and I worry for him. The regard of those around him is none too kind either. I would have you become my son's support."
At those words, Ellen thought of the prince of Prode. An incompetent prince rose in his mind.
Romiu Prode.
He was Alberto Prode's sole legitimate heir by blood. Yet unlike his capable and upright father, he possessed neither ability nor resolve, and the other nobles treated him as prey.
Some ten years from now the succession would begin—and fail, time and again, under noble opposition. The reason was always the same: Romiu Prode lacked decisiveness and was far too incompetent. While the matter dragged on, Alberto would grow old, and the generation would never change hands. After a few more years, the high nobles would effectively run the kingdom.
It was Alberto's one stubborn insistence. He would have done better to pass the throne to Sernel Prode, the illegitimate child.
Sernel Prode had been born of a concubine. She had inherited both her father's temperament and his ability, yet her status as a bastard kept her from the throne. The nobles would rather have elevated her as king, but Alberto had clung to Romiu to the end.
Supporting such a Romiu would be no easy task.
But the royal seal was an enormous opportunity. It held power enough to erase even his criminal record at a stroke. For now he would have to build his strength in secret and keep his identity hidden—but the day would come when he must reveal himself. When that day arrived, this seal would prove a formidable weapon.
"Yes. I shall devote my full strength to serving His Highness well."
At Ellen's reply, Alberto's face brightened. He looked as though he had secured the most reliable ally he could hope for. Above all, he hoped that Romiu would look upon Ellen—who was of the same age—and learn from him.
"Good. I hope you will continue to teach the prince a great many things."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Having sworn his loyalty, Ellen left the great hall. A servant waiting outside guided him toward the palace gates.
He was crossing the broad gardens on his way to the castle gate when the servant suddenly stopped.
"What is it?"
"It is His Highness the Prince."
Ellen followed the servant's gaze.
There stood the prince, who had inherited the platinum hair, green eyes, and fair skin in full. Where Alberto was dignified and mysterious, Romiu was best described as beautiful and clear.
"Remi Veritati greets the rising sun of Prode."
The moment their eyes met, Ellen promptly offered his respects. The prince seemed to search his memory for a moment as he looked at Ellen.
"Ah, Sir Remi! I have heard your name. You are the one who rendered the greatest service in the recent battle against the Gosen Empire, are you not?"
"That Your Highness should remember me is glory enough."
Romiu waved both hands in denial. Between his high voice and his unpolished manner, he carried none of the weight one expected of a nation's prince.
"Not at all. A renowned general such as yourself is someone I ought to remember. Father told me I should grow close to you."
"As it happens, I too am just returning from receiving His Majesty's command."
At those words, tears welled in Romiu's large eyes. His hands were clasped tightly together.
"That someone as outstanding as you would keep company with me… I am so very grateful."
"Ah—no, Your Highness. The honor is mine, to be allowed to serve one such as yourself."
Caught off guard by Romiu's unexpected reaction, Ellen answered in some confusion.
"No. Someone like me has nothing at all, save the title of prince. I have none of the ability you possess…"
Watching him, Ellen felt a tightness in his chest.
I never met him before, so I didn't know. But now I understand why the nobles opposed Romiu's succession.
Still, he had already accepted the royal seal. To make use of it, he would have no choice but to get along with this exasperating prince.
"Your Highness, I shall serve you with all my heart."
"Sir Remi's words are kindness itself."
Looking at Romiu's bright expression, Ellen sighed inwardly. Wearing every emotion so plainly on one's face was something a prince should never do.
-Looking at that boy, I can already see the hard road ahead of you.
Master, I feel just as lost.
Romiu, knowing nothing of Ellen's thoughts, simply gazed at him with moved eyes.
"Ah—have I been taking up too much of your time? Please, go on your way."
"Not in the least, Your Highness. I shall call upon you often."
"Thank you, Sir Remi."
Romiu offered him a gentle smile.
The war with the Gosen Empire ended in victory for the Prode Kingdom.
Soldiers raised from across the realm either returned to their hometowns or remained in service. A thorough reorganization of the military structure followed. Support for the Fifth Army was expanded to maintain order along the newly extended borders and to keep the empire in check—to the point that its strength even surpassed that of the higher-ranked Fourth Army.
As part of that reorganization, Ellen stepped down from the rank of marshal and entered the royal household. His new post was that of strategist.
So many people move at a single word from the king.
Thanks to that, Ellen found himself living in the capital, Harryford. Various reasons were attached to the appointment, but the chief among them was the king's will to keep Ellen at the prince's side.
From Ellen's perspective, remaining in Harryford was the better choice regardless.
First I need to prepare for life in Harryford.
Ellen's first step was to secure a residence. With the considerable sum he had received from Alberto, he could afford a mansion of respectable size. It was not especially large, but more than spacious enough for one man living alone.
He converted most of the rooms into spaces for magical training and a study for theoretical work.
Now I should be able to learn magic from Master without worry.
-Who else but you would build a house that so perfectly reflects your personality.
I have always wanted a large study.
Ellen had roughly finished settling in when a commotion rose from beyond the front gate.
Who could that be?
Ellen had not told even Akard the location of his mansion. There was no one in Harryford who should have been looking for him. He went out toward the gate all the same.
A murmur of voices.
Outside the gate stood half a dozen people and as many carriages.
"Who are you?"
The moment Ellen appeared, their eyes lit up. The murmuring ceased at once.
"Lord Remi Veritati, I come from the Marten Trading Company. We have come to congratulate you on your victory and your investiture."
A balding middle-aged man bowed as he spoke.
"These are a small gift prepared by our company. Please accept them without any burden."
He gestured toward a carriage, and the coachman drew back the canvas covering it. Inside lay a heap of goods that looked precious at a glance.
While Ellen was surveying the items, another man approached.
"A pleasure to meet you, Baron Veritati. I am Odeb of the Odeb Trading Company. Our company, too, has come to offer our congratulations. Word of your valor has already spread even through the capital."
He likewise pulled the canvas from his carriage. The load was smaller than the Marten company's, but still filled with goods of clear value.
There was a saying that when it came to information involving money, the merchant guilds were faster than the information guilds themselves.
Even so, how fast is their intelligence? It has not even been three days since I received the title.
All he had done in that time was live at an inn while searching for a house. And already the rumors had spread.
As Ellen was marveling at their information network, a final man stepped forward.
"Baron Veritati, a pleasure. I am Kinber of the Kinber Trading Company."
At the all-too-familiar name, Ellen's head snapped around.
"Kinber?"
"Yes, that's right. Have we… met somewhere before?"
Kinber looked flustered by Ellen's reaction. It was as if the man knew him, yet Kinber had never once come into contact with anyone named Remi Veritati.
"Ah—I must have been mistaken."
Ellen had altered his face when he escaped Enis. It was a spell he had found in a magic tome in Proveng's laboratory. The magic did not change the face itself so much as it altered the subject's presence and atmosphere.
He had tested it on Bredi just before the breakout. Approaching him with the altered presence and speaking to him, Bredi had not recognized him at all. Only when Ellen revealed his identity outright had Bredi been able to see his face for what it was.
Since the escape he had not encountered anyone who had known him before, so he had not fully registered the effect. Kinber's reaction brought it back to mind.
"These are the gifts our Kinber Trading Company has brought. Congratulations on your barony, Baron Veritati."
"Thank you, all of you. I gratefully accept your kindness."
The faces of the three merchants, Kinber included, brightened. The gifts they had hastily packed the moment they heard of Ellen had done their work.
I was the first to approach Baron Veritati, the rising star.
A success. That man is certain to become someone greater still. If goods of this level can open a path to him, it is a bargain.
I've never seen him before, yet he seemed to know me. Come to think of it… he does look vaguely familiar.
The three men's thoughts each ran in different directions. But all of them were satisfied that they had forged a connection with the kingdom's new prodigy.
Back in his study, Ellen too was lost in thought.
I needed to build a power base anyway. This works out well.
The next day, he went to find the Kinber Trading Company.