The King and the Crown Prince (5)
With his Golden Eyes active, Roy's eyes flew wide open.
When he had first activated them back in the king's study, he had not sensed so much as a whisper of a mana vein anywhere nearby. Yet the place where he now stood was unmistakably the heart of one.
Those magic circles, then. They're acting as a barrier as well...?
East, west, south, north—and floor and ceiling. The same magic circle was inscribed on all six faces of the room. These were not the refined versions Roy himself had once perfected in his previous life. They were far older, ancient prototypes preserved in their pure original form.
This insane density. No doubt about it.
An enormous volume of mana packed the space so tightly it felt as though the entire output of the vein had been crushed and forced into this single narrow chamber.
Those circles are sucking every scrap of mana from outside and stuffing it into this room.
At the prince's completed chant, the circles on the ceiling and floor flared with fierce light. Hidden mechanisms stirred in answer. A small altar rose from the floor, and upon its center rested a golden goblet—right in front of the prince, at the absolute heart of the formation.
A wine cup!?
Change came to the ceiling as well. Hidden beneath the glowing circle, the engraving of a knight holding a sword had always been there; now the blade in that knight's hands snapped sharply upright, pointing straight down at the ground. It seemed aimed at the top of Prince Aaron's head, but more precisely it pointed directly above the goblet on the altar.
The prince's chant finished. The king and prince could not see it, but to Roy's eyes it was crystal clear. The dense mana filling the room began to gather in the air, thickening into something like heavy fog. Then—
Drip. Drip. Drip...
The fog of mana crystallized into liquid and began to run down the upright sword, drop by drop, into the goblet below. Like dew, one slow bead after another fell.
"Have you learned something with those Spirit Eyes of yours?"
The king's question snapped Roy back to himself. He hastily reined in his mana. Sustaining the Golden Eyes for so long had drained him heavily.
"An enormous quantity of mana has been gathered inside this room, Your Majesty. That mana is what is flowing down the sword right now."
"Is that so? Hmm. Certainly that is no ordinary water. Mana condensing and dripping down... it does make sense."
"Your Majesty, could that be...?"
The king smiled until his mouth nearly reached his ears.
"Yes. That is the thing commonly known as Dragon's Breath."
"Then... is it liquor?"
"No. Simply water. Of course, as you said, water with a tremendous concentration of mana. Not a potion either. At any rate, you will understand once you drink it."
Roy moved with the king toward the central altar. Prince Aaron rose from his place, looking utterly spent.
"Well done, Aaron. Your first time, and you managed it admirably. Consider it good practice."
"I am ashamed, Your Majesty."
Roy paid no attention to whatever the king and prince were saying. Every scrap of his focus was locked on the golden goblet resting on the altar.
I want to drink it. Right now! Let me drink it already!
He swallowed hard. A thirst he had not felt before rose up unbidden; there was nothing he could do about it. He failed to hide the look on his face.
"Haha. So you have finally realized what I mean to give you."
"Your Majesty... is it truly all right for someone like me to receive such a precious thing?"
"Of course. It has no effect on us anyway. It works only once per person. It is precious, so do not leave a single drop. Drink every bit."
Roy wanted to gulp it down on the spot, yet he watched their faces until the very end. Only after kneeling one last time before the king and prince and offering his thanks did he finally take the goblet in his hands.
I really hit the jackpot this time.
Then, like a thief with the city guard on his heels, he emptied it in one breath without even pausing to inhale. The liquid, cold as if it had been poured over ice, raced straight down the boy's throat.
Kaaah—
It was not liquor. And yet it was exactly like liquor. No fragrance rose from it, yet a sweetness brushed the tip of his nose—an entirely different charm from the Elven Liquor.
Because this is a method created by humans, it lacks a little of the atmosphere of the Elven Liquor.
A production method designed solely for the purpose of increasing mana.
Actually, I like that better! I'm not an elf—I'm human. No need to ferment it, and it's faster. Even better!
Roy felt the alien mana that had already been absorbed into his body forcibly mixing with his own. He was not using the Golden Eyes now, yet the steady growth of his internal mana sent thrills through every cell of his body.
It was intoxicating. He would not have minded if this moment lasted forever.
So... just how much do you intend to grow this time?
He put the question to his own flesh. The answer, however, came from a completely unexpected direction.
"Why are you eating that delicious thing all by yourself, you wicked master!"
"......!"
It was Noah.
"......!?"
"......!?"
The king and prince could only stare in shock at the sudden appearance. They recovered in an instant and drew the swords at their hips.
No—what are you doing popping out here all of a sudden!?
"Who the hell are you!"
"You rat! Do you even know where you are!"
The moment Noah appeared, the Golden Eyes activated on their own. Mana from the surroundings flooded into Roy's senses.
"Noah! What do you think you're doing, jumping out now!"
Roy snapped at him in panic.
"It's because you were hogging the tasty stuff all by yourself. Hmph!"
Noah glared at Roy with a pouty face. But this was no time to soothe the spirit. The prince's eyes were sharp as blades, ready to swing his sword at any second. The king beside him held no sword, yet looked every bit as ready to kill.
It was only natural. This was the secret place where they hid and consumed Dragon's Breath. Unlike the Elven Liquor, they could even produce a fresh batch of it right here on the spot. By rights, no one was ever supposed to learn of this place. Anyone who appeared out of nowhere would automatically be treated as an enemy.
The overwhelming mana pressure pouring from the king and prince soaked Roy's back with cold sweat.
"Who are you!"
Crimson energy roared from the prince's sword. An ancient relic blade already enchanted with magic, further wrapped in the aura of a master-rank swordsman—anything it touched would melt down to the bone.
"W-wait, p-please calm down, both of you. This one is my spirit..."
Roy had no choice but to shove Noah hastily behind him. It was hard to tell which of them was supposed to be the master and which the spirit.
"You smuggled him in!"
"No, Your Majesty. It isn't like that. He is my spirit. Please believe me."
"A spirit...?"
"Yes. The very one I mentioned earlier—the spirit I could not fully summon because of my insufficient mana. Look at his size. How could this possibly be human?"
"Hmm..."
"Look at the ears, and these eyes. Are they not exactly like mine? He is the spirit I command, Your Majesty. My mana must have suddenly increased, and the spirit I could never call before forced his way out on his own."
Roy dragged the blank-faced Noah out from behind him and even revealed the tail that had been hidden under the clothes. Seeing the spirit standing there without the slightest tension made anger surge up his throat, but he forced it down.
"See? He has a tail as well. How could anyone call this a person?"
"Mm..."
Fortunately, the king and prince seemed inclined to believe him. The aura surrounding the prince's sword vanished completely.
"That much is true. But a spirit that runs wild on its own—can you truly claim it as yours?"
"I am deeply sorry. This is due to this humble one's lack of skill... I will make certain nothing like this ever happens again."
Roy locked eyes with Noah and silently mouthed a furious scolding.
What are you doing! Get back inside right now! If I die, you lose too!
Yet the spirit, apparently blinded by mana, babbled something entirely different.
"I know, I know. I shall only eat a little mana and then return."
What do you mean, eat mana!
"You ate your fill, did you not? I can feel your mana increasing even from here. You did very well. I shall dote on you later for being such a good boy."
Who was supposed to be doting on whom? Roy felt ready to lose his mind, hyper-aware of the king and prince watching from behind.
Ah, for heaven's sake! I'm going to get killed by that king over there!
"Do not worry. It will only take a moment. Everything is already prepared, is it not?"
Noah moved on his own again. He climbed right up onto the altar where the golden goblet had sat and stood there. Thankfully the cup itself was still in Roy's hand, but the act alone was more than enough sacrilege.
Get down from there right now!
Roy screamed without sound. The disobedient spirit simply stood on the altar and beamed brightly at him.
Don't tell me... is this idiot about to reveal that form here...?
"Do you take me for a fool? Worry not. I have thoughts of my own."
What Roy feared most was that Noah would manifest his original four-legged, gigantic true body. Fortunately he did not. But could this situation really be called fortunate?
The magic circles drawn here had clearly been crafted to respond only to the royal bloodline. And yet—look at this. They were flaring with light of their own accord. Unlike the prince, who had managed only to activate the ceiling and floor circles with his chant, every one of the six circles blazed brilliantly at the same time.
The king and prince standing behind them could only stare in blank confusion.
"Roy Greenhilt. Just what is the meaning of this...?"
"How dare you! Get down from that altar at once! Roy, what are you doing! In His Majesty's presence you dare..."
Roy felt ready to die. He rushed forward and tried to grab Noah and drag him down, but it was useless.
Hey! Do you actually want to see me die?
Of course every arrow of blame flew straight at Roy.
"Roy! Just what kind of spirit is that?"
"That is... I do not know either, Your Majesty. My spirit is simply acting on his own... I am truly sorry. I will accept any punishment."
Two thoughts occupied Roy's mind at the same time. One was:
Wow, what am I supposed to do with this little bastard?
And the other:
Whew. Good thing I dumped that Dragon's Breath down my throat right away.
He had already achieved his goal, so while Noah's behavior was irritating, the situation was not hopeless. What could the king even do? It was not as if Roy had done anything—the spirit was simply running wild. Were they going to kill him over it? They could not. They had already given him enchanted weapons, charms, and even fed him Dragon's Breath in the hope he would grow further. Killing him now would only be a loss for them.
Outwardly Roy put on a show of abject apology, yet inside he was full of anticipation.
With this much mana I've already surpassed Chloe...
Born into a mere baronial house, he had now overtaken the bloodline of a count. The feeling was truly profound.