The Gift
The Gift
Fortunately, I managed to apologize before the Grand Prince got angry.
After a few more discussions, my audience with the Grand Prince concluded without a hitch.
On the surface, everything seemed fine, but my mind was completely elsewhere.
Back in my room, I took out the orb and placed it on the table.
A normal-looking black orb.
But it was no ordinary object.
And it was no ordinary artifact, either.
I sat down at the table and recalled what I had just seen and heard.
First of all, I had to take back my earlier thought that the orb was more useless than I'd expected.
To think it could let me see other people's abilities.
This was a far more incredible ability than I had anticipated.
It meant that by getting close to someone, I could learn their basic abilities, and if I had them hold the orb, I could see detailed information like what I had just witnessed.
[If necessary, the ability can be made visible to the individual in question, in addition to the administrator.]
"No, don't do that."
It was enough if I was the only one who could see it.
As for my companions, I could simply check for myself and tell them.
In any case, the orb's new ability was a delightful surprise, almost like an unexpected reward.
But what it said next plunged me into deep thought.
'Forced Awakening...'
The term "Forced Awakening" brought back memories of past events.
The explosion during the Academy Entrance ceremony, and the man who claimed to be the master of the children who had caused it.
He was someone from the Organization—from the Empire.
I also remembered Vid, the Organization's mercenary, who possessed two abilities.
Vid possessed both physical enhancement and fire abilities.
'Could the Duchy also be linked to the Organization?'
Yet if that were true, the Duchy had even gone to war against the Organization and the Empire over the Grand Archduchess.
I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Still, I couldn't simply ask the Grand Prince about it.
If I did, knights would probably come pouring in.
"What should I do about this..."
I thought it over for a long time, but there was nothing I could do right away.
My only option was to be more cautious.
I tucked the orb into my inner pocket and left the room.
Since my business in the Duchy was finished, it was time to say my goodbyes and depart.
The Grand Archduchess would be sad to see us go, but I had no time to waste.
As expected, the Grand Archduchess was deeply saddened.
Perhaps because of that, the final tea party, held in the Grand Archduchess's drawing room, was a little melancholy.
We promised to meet again, of course, but neither of us knew when that might be.
"In the end, will everyone end up fighting?"
Having heard that the Princess had declared herself the successor, the Grand Archduchess worried that she might end up fighting Princess Aisha—or rather, me.
Fortunately, since I had made a separate agreement with the Grand Prince, they wouldn't clash right away, as she feared.
But there could be only one king of the Carlos Kingdom.
Sooner or later, a conflict was inevitable.
I, too, hoped that day would be delayed as long as possible, or that someone would have a change of heart.
As the somewhat gloomy tea party came to an end, the Grand Archduchess placed a small box on the table.
"Since we don't know when we'll meet again... this is a gift to thank you for all your help. It's nothing grand, just something I picked out from among the repaired artifacts that might serve as a keepsake."
Oh, a gift.
I thanked her and opened the box.
Inside was a ring. It was simple yet elegant.
But it looked a little small.
It didn't look as though it would fit my finger...
Should I wear it around my neck?
"It's an artifact that adjusts its size. Try putting it on."
At the Grand Archduchess's words, I slipped the ring onto my finger.
Just as she said, the ring expanded to fit my finger perfectly.
"Aside from its size-adjusting ability, this artifact has a few more functions."
The Grand Archduchess continued, looking at the ring.
"It can gather mana and emit a blindingly bright light, and it can also keep your body warm. I heard it can purify dirty water, too, though I haven't been able to verify that."
A flashlight, a heater, and a water purifier...
'This is a total survival kit!'
"It's not much use to me, but I thought it might be helpful for you, Young Lord, since you travel so much."
Helpful? Absolutely.
Even though my vision had improved enough to let me see in the dark, perceiving my surroundings in monochrome was on a completely different level from seeing them in bright light.
On top of that, it could keep me warm and purify water.
This truly was a gift that hit the spot.
"And there's one more ability..."
For some reason, the Grand Archduchess hesitated for a moment.
"Well, it has an emergency contact function linked to the artifact I possess. It allows us to signal our locations to each other in an emergency."
Oh, that was an excellent feature, too.
Even if we couldn't rush to each other's aid immediately, knowing each other's location meant we could help later.
But why had she hesitated?
I looked at the Grand Archduchess questioningly, but she merely averted her eyes.
And she subtly hid her hand beneath the table.
Only then did I understand why she had hesitated.
As the Grand Archduchess hid her hand, I caught a glimpse of the ring on her finger.
On her finger was a ring identical to the one on mine.
Though they were on different fingers and carried different meanings, if placed side by side, the two rings would look exactly like a couple's rings.
Seeing the ring briefly brought back memories of my past life, but I immediately shook my head.
Now wasn't the time for idle thoughts.
I pushed those strange thoughts aside and thanked the Grand Archduchess once more.
This artifact ring, which could even let us send distress signals to each other, was bound to be a great help.
There was no reason not to be grateful.
After bidding farewell to the Grand Archduchess, Balea and I made our way to the front of the royal palace.
A royal carriage was waiting in front of the palace.
And beside it stood someone I hadn't expected.
The Crown Prince had come out to see us off.
Surprised, Balea and I bowed to the Crown Prince.
"The Crown Princess insisted so strongly that I at least come say goodbye and express her gratitude..."
The Crown Prince rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke to me.
It seemed the Crown Prince was a jovial knight and a devoted husband.
For a knight and prince in this macho-dominated world, he was highly unusual.
"I wanted to pass along the Crown Princess's words, and I also have something else to say before you go..."
The Crown Prince trailed off, but Balea immediately understood what he meant.
"I'll wait in the carriage first."
Sensing there was another matter to discuss, Balea boarded the carriage first.
"My apologies."
The Crown Prince thanked Balea and released his mana into the surroundings.
A soundproof barrier expanded, and the ambient noise disappeared.
"She is a virtuous and beautiful young lady. I couldn't ask yesterday, since you said she was close to my sister, but is she the one to whom you have dedicated your sword?"
A knight being asked whether he had dedicated his sword to a lady was, in essence, being asked whether they were in a relationship.
Indeed, an unmarried noble lady traveling alone with a knight would look strange otherwise.
"No, she simply has business of her own to attend to, so we're traveling together."
I hadn't heard of any such business, but I'd decided to think of it that way from the start.
Besides, setting aside her beauty, a "virtuous young lady"?
Seeing how people fell for her act every single time gave me goosebumps.
"Is that so? Well, that's a relief, then."
I decided not to ask what he found relieving. The Crown Prince didn't seem inclined to tell me anyway.
"This morning, I met with my father, and he told me to prioritize the First and Second Princes when charting the army's course. He also told me to avoid approaching Princess Aisha's faction as much as possible."
To issue such an order so quickly, before I had even passed the message on to the Princess...
It was unlike the Grand Prince, who was a shrewd politician.
On top of that, bringing it up so soon was bound to make the Crown Prince suspicious.
"He didn't explain why, but I know all too well that he isn't the sort of person to make such a decision simply because you're my sister's friend."
See? He suspected it right away.
As the Crown Prince stared intently at me, I shrugged.
"I'm grateful, but I don't know anything about it."
"Is that so? Well, even if there were something, you wouldn't be able to admit it."
Tsk, so he wasn't merely suspicious—he was absolutely certain.
"But the fact that my father told me this before you left means he wants this message to reach you."
He wanted me to know?
It was a kind gesture, but there was no reason for the Grand Prince to try to get on my good side...
I looked at the Crown Prince in confusion, and this time, he shrugged.
"In any case, that's why I came to say goodbye in person. Oh, and it wasn't a lie that the Crown Princess wanted to express her gratitude."
As expected, the Crown Prince wouldn't have come all this way in person just to tell me his wife was grateful.
My doubts about the Grand Prince's inexplicable kindness only deepened, but the Crown Prince's presence turned out to be a great help to me.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Active Abilities >
- Mana Resonance: Level 2 (Forced Awakening)
Just like the Grand Prince, the Crown Prince's status window was visible.
Unlike the Grand Prince's, though, the Crown Prince's status window showed a fully intact Mana Resonance.
And at Level 2, no less.
But, just like the Grand Prince, it was marked as having been forcibly awakened.
[A forcibly awakened ability user is nearby. As stated previously, Forced Awakening is an ability of the Fifth Reserve Ego.]
The same voice echoed again.
Neither the Grand Prince nor the Crown Prince had acquired "Mana Resonance" through normal means.
Although learning this about the Crown Prince was useful, the information itself plunged me back into a dilemma.
To think the Crown Prince had also undergone a Forced Awakening.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible to trust the Duchy.
It seemed I couldn't just leave like this.
I needed to glean even the smallest shred of information about their current relationship with the Organization.
I asked as cautiously as I could.
"Pardon me for asking such an intrusive question... but how did you acquire your 'Mana Resonance,' the Crown Prince...?"
At my question, the Crown Prince frowned.
As expected, was this something I shouldn't have asked?
Or had I been too direct?
I discreetly scanned the area, looking for an escape route from the palace.
While I might manage to escape on my own, getting away with Balea would be difficult.
'It would be awkward to die here.'
Fortunately, the Crown Prince didn't immediately call for his knights.
He remained lost in thought for a long while before finally speaking.
"Hmm... Since you are the Princess's escort knight, it might be better for you to know."
The Prince scanned the area beyond the soundproof barrier once more, then began telling me what had happened.