Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: One-Day Maid Yan
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Bamper was a mysterious existence even among the rare spirit mages, one who didn't fit any standard mold.
A spirit mage on an imperial scale meant that wielding their power just a handful of times—seven or eight at most—could bring prosperity and sustenance to the entire continent.
In fact, Bamper had used his power in that way a few times before.
He couldn't do it often for political reasons, but no matter how much people treated it like a public good, it was still his personal strength.
No one could stop him from using it in secret.
The voices of those watching Bamper from within the imperial palace grew loud and high, echoing through the vast reception hall.
Murmurs of awe at the mystical sight erupted from all corners of the palace.
"Did you know? They say if you're in physical contact with a spirit mage while they're using their power, you can feel the spirits' presence."
"Now that you mention it, I read about it in a book once. It's like the heartbeat of a newborn babe or the breath of someone sleeping soundly... I want to feel it too... Gasp!"
A noble lady who had been whispering behind her fan suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
Her trembling eyes reflected the Orelot crown prince, whose bangs were slightly damp with sweat.
Bamper laughed as if he had no choice, extending his slender fingers toward the empty air.
It looked like he was crafting an invisible nest for a bird.
"Dear me. You've been quite playful lately."
The ladies watching the foreign crown prince felt their hearts melt away.
In their minds, they cheered: Playfulness supreme! That tousled hair supreme!
"As expected of a spirit mage... It's not the freshness of this world..."
"I'm going to watch the parade from Orelot this time."
Meanwhile, Bamper sensed a faint magical aura emanating from his inner pocket.
He pulled out the magic parchment from his pocket.
The parchment, which had been silent since their gathering a few days ago, now bore a single line from someone.
[Anyone free during the Blessing Parade?]
It was Mayches' handwriting.
Bamper paused for a moment, about to dash off a quick refusal in case Mayches wanted him to fill in for the encouragement speech.
Had the others not seen it yet, or were they thinking the same thing?
His other friends had also gone silent for the time being.
[Why?]
Calipan was the first to ask cautiously.
It was a prudent question, probing whether this "prey" was genuine or just bait.
As expected, everyone was testing the waters, wary of rejecting too hastily and missing out on something fun.
[I was thinking someone could play with Aiel that day. Aiel wants to see the Bless-]
[I'm totally free.]
[-ing Parade, but we can't run around everywhere, so we're just doing the one in Orelot. Play with Aiel around there until I arrive at the final stop.]
[Sure. When should I go?]
Bamper stared at the parchment and let out a chuckle.
He wanted to reply right away, but he didn't have a pen on him.
Fortunately, the attendant handling protocol was right beside him, so he asked if he could borrow one.
The attendant nodded eagerly, his face flushed as if he'd met an idol.
"Yes! Please take it!"
Bamper propped the parchment on his palm and wrote right there.
[If it's watching the Orelot parade, I can make time. I'm outside right now, so I'll contact you properly once I'm back.]
As Bamper capped the pen and looked at the attendant, the man bowed deeply and extended both hands.
It had been a while since he'd seen this kind of reaction abroad.
Bamper awkwardly placed the pen on the attendant's palms—then his eyes widened as he noticed something.
"......"
"...Your Highness?"
When nothing fell onto his hands after a moment, the attendant cautiously lifted his head.
Bamper silently, without explanation for his reaction, quietly handed the pen to the attendant.
The attendant glanced nervously at Bamper's face, then realized with a start and hurriedly hid his arm behind his back.
Blushing furiously, the attendant bowed his head.
Bamper tilted his head slightly and murmured.
"...Hmm. The White Flame might get upset about that."
"Aiel. You absolutely must not forget."
"How could I forget..."
Mayches was earnestly reminding me for the umpteenth time.
He seemed unable to shake his worries about me going out without him today.
I wasn't going alone—he'd lined up his friends like a string of part-time nannies—yet here he was, fretting anyway.
Even so, I just played along quietly, matching his pace.
Mayches, still wearing that uneasy expression, double-checked once more.
"What's the defense activation word?"
I scratched under my chin awkwardly.
"Brother's the worst."
Mayches looked a little hurt and pressed on.
"...And the attack one?"
"Brother sucks."
"......"
I hurriedly patted his shoulder.
Why did he keep confirming when he knew that face would make him look like he'd plummeted into despair? It was an activation word that was hard to forget anyway.
They said activation words for artifact magic should be everyday phrases you wouldn't normally use.
But if they were too obscure or meaningless, you might blank in an emergency, so you had to choose carefully...
After much deliberation, Mayches had settled on those two.
If things got so dangerous I needed protective magic and he wasn't there, he deserved to hear that, or so he claimed.
Or maybe this was a scheme to condition me into never saying those words under normal circumstances...
"What if I get mad one day and accidentally blurt out an attack activation word at you?"
Mayches stroked my head with an expression like his chest had been pierced by a sword, aching and stinging.
"It's my magic, so it won't kill me... but it'll hurt, won't it? Body and soul... Still, if you let something like that slip unconsciously, I'd have done something terribly wrong. I'll humbly accept it."
What was that supposed to mean? That wasn't prevention.
What I needed wasn't Mayches' grit—it was a safety net. I didn't want to put him in bed over some offhand remark born of hurt feelings.
I wasn't the only one sensing something off about this.
One of the nanny part-timers slammed the table (the room shook a bit—probably my imagination?) and started grilling Mayches.
"You're deliberately pissing off your sister to trigger an attack spell, right? That's why you're dumping the encouragement speech on us, saying your life's in danger?"
"Calipan..."
He just stated his selfish thoughts so matter-of-factly.
At any rate, with our conversation finally interrupted, the gazes of Yan, Daluh, and Jayhan—who shared the philosophy that paying attention was a loss and had long since tuned out to do their own thing—turned back our way.
They'd been testing "how far they could make Jayhan lose at rock-paper-scissors" while enjoying the cool breeze from the window.
Jayhan, who usually refused, was surprisingly participating leisurely in a more easygoing mood than usual. It was a beautiful rock-paper-scissors showdown.
Bamper, who wasn't here, said he'd be late.
We're meeting at the parade site 'Denpider'—I have no idea how he'll find us, but... whatever, the spirits will handle it.
"Brainwashing with activation words done?"
"Aren't you about done here?"
He emphasized "done here" a bit, but Daluh was right.
Mayches had left home two days ago to traverse the continent for the three-day Blessing Parade.
He'd only dropped by the mansion briefly to hand off the nannies and cast the face-obscuring magic.
The parade folks probably had no clue he'd teleported in out of nowhere.
He said it was just a lunch break pit stop—is that even okay? He should've at least balled up a pillow in his inn bed...
Mayches checked the time and finally nodded reluctantly.
Before leaving, he made a request of his friends.
"If Aiel gets into trouble, I trust you'll resolve it by any means necessary."
Daluh nodded as if it were obvious.
"Got it, Calipan? Pack the Boing Hammer."
"Bro... think about it. If it gets out that I'm skipping Rocksid to watch the parade in Orelot, how ridiculous will our empire look?"
"Then Jayhan, you do it. Use your beauty to shatter everyone's will—even through face-obscuring magic."
"No intention of doing that whatsoever?"
Whether Calipan, Daluh, or Jayhan handled it, that was for them to sort out. This time, Mayches handed Yan a small magical pouch like a coin purse.
"And Yan, I'm entrusting this to you."
Yan sat still for about five seconds, staring at the pouch from afar.
When he finally took it and peered inside with a reluctant expression, clutched in his pale fingers were the pebble cameras I'd secretly dubbed them.
That's right. Video recording magic devices, scene storage magic devices.
"What... are these?"
Mayches smiled faintly.
"You're Doria for the day."