Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Blackmail and Fraud
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The dance with Ravire came to an end.
It had been an intense one.
Part of it was the upbeat song itself, but maybe it was more because of Ravire's uniquely vibrant movements.
I'm gonna die of exhaustion...!
As I panted heavily, a hand patted my back.
I looked up and met eyes with Ravire, who was gazing at me with a smile.
"Phew, how was it, Theo?"
Ravire looked at me proudly.
"I practiced a ton just to dance with you!"
"Didn't you have a partner, sis?"
"You're my partner?"
Ravire said it like it was the most obvious thing, and I tilted my head as our eyes met.
Isn't a partner supposed to be your first dance partner?
"Sis, besides me, has anyone else danced with you?"
"Nope?"
"...?"
"...?"
I stared at her in bewilderment, and she tilted her head right back, meeting my eyes.
"What's up, Theo?"
"...Nothing."
Sometimes when I talk with my sisters, our conversations run parallel in a weird way.
I averted my gaze slightly.
There were Lily straightening her posture and Mother.
If I stayed here any longer, I'd end up dancing with my sisters and mom all day.
Mother was one thing, but why did Lily look so leisurely?
I turned my gaze back to Ravire, who was beaming brightly.
If she helped me out, I could make it work.
No helping it.
"Sis."
"Yeah, Theo?"
"Dancing with Lily and Mom is kinda..."
I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked at Ravire, who smiled softly.
"Oh, if that's it, sis can always help you out."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Where are you trying to go, Theo?"
Ravire was the best, as expected.
She pretty much always said yes when I asked like this.
Of course, Lily and Mother usually did too if I asked.
"Go on, hurry up."
Ravire pushed my back with a voice that sounded oddly pleased.
"I'll take responsibility and hold off Lily and Mom."
"Thanks, sis."
I thanked her and slipped out of the dance hall,
"Make way."
"Ravire, Mom needs to talk to Theo."
"Shut it, Lily. Mother, I don't think it'll work this time!"
I fled, leaving Ravire's voice behind.
And then, as if on cue, Clue stuck right by my side.
"Master."
"Yeah."
"Who are we off to see this time?"
"Thinking of chatting with some merchant groups on the moderate side."
"Another woman?"
"People might think I'm some guy who only chases women."
"Aren't you?"
"No?"
The only women around me were Isfil and Lucy, anyway.
"No, with all those women around you, how can you say there aren't any?"
"Clue. Really, there are only two women by my side."
"Pardon?"
I met eyes with Clue, who looked utterly baffled, and spoke up.
"Isfil and Lucy."
"...What about Her Majesty, Princess Lily, and Princess Ravire?"
"Do they look like women to you?"
"They do to me."
"Not to me."
Family is family.
"...Then what about me?"
Having heard my answer, Clue pointed at herself in disbelief.
"You're not about to say something like, 'You don't count as human because you're a female-type homunculus,' are you?"
"That's not it."
Why is she sizing me up for an assassination?
"Then why exclude me? Because I feel like family?"
"That's part of it, but..."
If I had to pick the biggest reason...
"You're too young."
"..."
Clue made a face like what I said was the most ridiculous thing.
"You know we look about the same age on the outside, right?"
"Not for much longer."
Come to think of it, that was worrying.
Sure, it was fine now, but later on, it'd look like an adult dragging around a thirteen-year-old as his escort knight.
Anyone would think that was weird.
Wouldn't that be risky?
Or maybe in this world, it wasn't?
Either way, it'd bruise my pride big time.
As I mulled that over, Clue spoke up again.
"Anyway..."
"Yeah."
"I found them, just like you said."
"Good job."
Which merchant group to approach out of the countless ones?
That had been one of my dilemmas.
With Lucy's advice, I'd narrowed it down to a few, then had Clue do some preliminary work and dig deeper.
She'd even asked if she could act on her own, and I'd given permission.
"I picked out two."
Clue nodded slowly.
"The one I recommend is... the Magic Tool Merchant Group."
"Magic Tool Merchant Group?"
I'd heard about them from Clue before.
"The head's name was Alec... right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"They make and sell magic tools."
"Not just make them—they're said to be the top artisans in the empire."
"..."
In this world, magic tools were like machines.
There weren't vacuum cleaners or anything, but from convenient burners that produced fire or self-filling water jugs to lethal weapons, they were all lumped under magic tools.
The imperial family used them extensively.
If my cup wasn't the Holy Grail, I'd be using a self-filling magic tool cup myself.
Magic tools were essential in this world.
Which meant a huge market.
But...
"Will they even give us the time of day, though?"
"Of course—Master's a prince."
"Not like that."
Of course they'd talk to me.
But whether it led to something positive was another matter.
Just getting respect and courtesy before being sent off achieved nothing.
I needed talk that could actually help.
I wasn't asking for full-throated support, but at least something like insurance.
"..."
It left a bitter taste.
My sisters weren't hostile toward me, so maybe it was the bitterness of preparing my survival alone.
Still, it was better to be prepared.
Clue rolled her eyes at my question, then smiled softly.
"Yes. They'll listen well."
I knew that look.
It was the smile she made after causing a little trouble and smoothing it over.
"Clue."
"Yes, Master?"
"You didn't cause any trouble, right?"
"I swear on your honor, I didn't cause any real trouble."
"Why drag my honor into it?"
"Homunculi aren't human, so we don't have honor."
"..."
She only pulls the homunculus card when it suits her.
With that thought, I headed toward the magic tool merchant,
"...Oh, y-your Highness!"
I locked eyes with the magic tool merchant, who was frozen stiff staring at me.
"It's an honor to meet the living embodiment of magic tools and alchemy!"
"Pardon?"
I glanced at Clue, who met my gaze and smiled softly.
Clue, what on earth did you do?
*
"..."
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The magic tool merchant group's head, Alec, straightened his back as he looked at Prince Theodor.
Straightening his back at his middle-aged age was no small feat, but anyway.
Trading with the imperial family?
He already did that.
The important part wasn't that...
"..."
His gaze turned to Prince Theodor.
An intellectual face that belied his twelve years.
It was beyond rumor—practically established fact—that every child born of Milla Castina's imperial blood in the empire had blossomed with their own talents.
Princess Lily with her genius magic aptitude, Princess Ravire with her martial prowess.
It wasn't hidden; Milla Castina had no intention of concealing it.
But Theodor Castina.
He wasn't just talented.
He had already proven himself by ascending to the continent's saint position.
And now, he even had magic tool crafting skills?
Alec had never heard that one.
Maybe, as the last-born, he'd taken all the remaining talent.
"...Greetings."
Prince Theodor returned Alec's bow politely.
"The reason I wished to meet you this time is..."
He spoke in a tone that oddly evoked Alec's own merchant days, continuing smoothly.
He bantered about this and that, but his point boiled down to one thing.
Keep an eye out for me from now on.
Not that he wanted the merchant group dragged into imperial power struggles for a key role—just a nudge to favor him a bit, please take care of me.
"So, I look forward to your continued support—"
"No need to worry!"
Not to Alec, it wasn't.
His gaze shifted to the girl beside Theodor.
Or rather, to the embodiment of magic standing in the form of a girl.
Homunculus.
The pinnacle of magic.
The homunculus standing behind her quietly placed a hand over her mouth.
A signal to stay silent.
Seeing that, memories flashed through Alec's mind like a montage.
He had been obsessed with magic tools.
From childhood, crafting them brought him pure joy, and he'd dedicated his life to them.
And naturally, anyone who devoted their life to magic tools attempted that one realm at least once.
Homunculus creation.
What every aspirant to the pinnacle tried—and inevitably failed—at least once.
Alec was no different.
His conclusion: it was impossible.
Until that child suddenly appeared, claiming to be a homunculus.
One day, a young girl bearing the imperial crest showed up.
He'd planned to send her off kindly upon hearing "homunculus," but she tossed about ten guards like ragdolls and approached him, declaring her master was Prince Theodor.
Her words still echoed in his head.
'If you're curious, test me.'
He had tested her, and confirmed she was indeed a homunculus.
From that moment, Alec's life changed.
The middle-aged man coasting on inertia in his craft felt reborn as a passionate child.
His ears, as he desperately tried to pry magic tool secrets from the homunculus with bulging eyes, caught this: Prince Theodor was her master and new creator.
'He is my master, the one who gave me new life.'
Alec heard the homunculus say it with closed eyes.
'He gave me new life and a new purpose. I was born through him, no different.'
Master and new creator.
In other words, Prince Theodor had made that homunculus.
"...I look forward to working with you!"
So at the very least, he had to impress Prince Theodor.
Who would become his master someday.
He didn't ask for much.
Even if he didn't teach him homunculus creation...
"...Ah, sure."
Prince Theodor himself smiled ambiguously upon hearing it.
And so, Theodor gained the full-throated support of the empire's premier magic tool merchant group,
and two more years passed, bringing him to fourteen.
*
"...Marriage proposals?"
Rumors of marriage proposals for Lily.
Makes sense. This year, Lily would be... high school age, basically.
In this world, it was prime time for proposals.
But I wouldn't forgive any deadbeats.
As I sipped my tea with that thought, new news reached my ears.
<If you wish to become my partner, defeat me with magic.>
That was Lily's first condition, apparently.
"..."
Living in eternal bachelorhood?
Eh, not bad.
That's what I thought.
<Or, surpass my beloved little brother Theodor in every way.>
Until I heard her follow-up condition.