Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Want Some Ramen Before You Go?
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There's an age-old saying: "Want some ramen before you go?" It's what men and women who like each other say when inviting their lover to their home.
[It's just an invitation to the palace.]
But the person involved didn't seem to mean it in that romantic way at all...
Darsi wasn't living in a single-room apartment, but my heart was still racing.
I'd heard about the ruined palace wing where he stayed, but this was the first time I'd been invited like this.
I stubbornly refused his offer to carry me the rest of the way and walked alongside him.
As we neared the palace, Darsi warned me.
"Forgive me if it's dirty. I'm not the tidy type, and I don't keep any servants."
He must have cast spells on his room to keep others out. There weren't even people in the corridors.
The other areas still felt like a ruined palace. We passed through a hallway devoid of any human warmth and stopped in front of a door.
The magic crystals embedded around the door made it clear this was Darsi's space.
"These are the ones you gave me. I'm putting them to good use."
"And today's gift is magic crystals, too."
"Anything from you is fine by me."
Darsi smiled faintly at my words and turned the doorknob.
[Darsi's space, where he's lived his whole life.]
With a trembling heart, I stepped into the room.
It was exactly the space that suited him.
Magic crystals were scattered all over the messy room, but somehow, it was neatly arranged.
The pungent smell of incense stung my nose, and I wrinkled my expression. There was a veritable mountain of incense sticks piled on the table next to the sofa.
[Lobarta wasn't kidding earlier.]
Darsi, who had been watching my face, dumped the incense from the table into the fireplace. The flames roared to life.
"Is the smell too strong?"
Darsi asked worriedly.
I was about to say no after looking at his face, but I answered honestly. This, I had to admit.
"Yeah."
"I guess I need to quit."
I sat on the sofa he guided me to. It was plush, probably newly replaced.
"Some ventilation should help."
He opened the window. Night was slowly falling.
Maybe because it was an isolated ruined palace wing, but with nothing around, the sky seemed especially clear.
"This needs to go in, too."
Darsi set the incense burner Lobarta had given him earlier on the table.
"Do you have to? You could just keep it."
"I do."
Ignoring my protest, Darsi dumped the remaining incense into the fireplace.
Crackle, crackle. The sound of the logs burning filled the air. The warmth mingled with the cool breeze from outside, making me feel good.
It was like covering up with a blanket while running the AC in summer.
"Oh, right. Check this out."
He opened a drawer and tossed something my way. I caught it reflexively and gasped when I saw what it was. I nearly dropped it.
"Th-this is..."
"The weapon I used to blackmail Emperor Kies. I thought you could name it."
He'd recreated a gun perfectly, which surprised me. All I'd ever seen were in movies or book illustrations.
I turned the gun over in my hands. It resembled a pistol but had a more antique look. Maybe because it was a magic tool made with magic crystals?
"What are you going to call it?"
Darsi asked, and my answer was pretty much set.
"Gun."
What else would you call a gun?
"Gun? Simpler than I expected... Not bad. Yeah, Gun it is. Want me to make you one?"
Me? A gun? After my initial shock, I was a little tempted.
...It wouldn't be bad for self-defense.
I was openly supporting Darsi, the new prince. And that was just the start.
He planned to bring in the mages shunned by the imperial family, develop magic tools, commercialize them, and ensure their livelihoods.
Darsi came over to my side, took the gun from my hand, and spun it around in his.
"I think there's endless potential for what I can make. For example, make the barrel much longer for long-range aiming."
...Like a sniper rifle. They say geniuses understand ten things from one explanation, and Darsi fit that perfectly.
"Is it hard to shoot?"
"I made it easy. It's based on my magic power and spells."
There didn't seem to be any recoil when firing. Makes sense for a magic tool—it would be similar to but different from a real pistol.
It was fortunate the gun had saved Darsi's life, but I worried about him developing it further.
He didn't seem to like fighting much, so there must be a good reason he was so dedicated to this.
After pondering, I finally asked.
"You're developing more weapons because of the Emperor and Prince Ryan, right?"
"Exactly. I need a 'way' to crush them."
"A way?"
"Yeah, something beyond magic."
Even though he could end it all with brainwashing, he held back.
Was it just revenge?
I didn't think so.
"You have your reasons for doing it that way."
"You're too perceptive for your own good."
He set the gun down, undid the button at his collar, and admitted it.
He'd never properly explained his brainwashing ability. There were hardly any records since no one else had it.
Emperor Kies seemed the same way. If even he didn't know, there was no way I could.
Unless Darsi told me himself, I'd never find out.
The open door had made the room a bit chilly. As I shivered slightly, Darsi got up, closed the window, and continued.
"Actually, that's not the only reason."
"There's more?"
"Once Emperor Kies sees this weapon, he'll try to make it himself. I want to create something that surpasses it, to show his struggles are futile."
<...>
"Before the magic crystals run out."
This was completely new information.
"Magic crystals are running out?"
"Yeah, they're not an endless fountain. There's a fixed amount, and it's decreasing now."
In the book, the imperial family made a business out of magic crystals? I'd never considered this scenario, so I was flustered.
[...Aren't mages decreasing too, just like magic crystals?]
Mages were hiding, and their numbers were indeed dwindling.
"Right. There are more regular people with magical power who hide it and live normal lives."
Darsi said matter-of-factly.
Magical power requires honing, but who would want to in an era that rejects mages? Even I would have hidden it.
"Maybe this is the easiest path for everyone."
Mages would gradually disappear, and everyone would become similar.
Darsi added self-mockingly.
[...But is this change really right?]
I carefully raised a question to his words.
Mages are special beings. I felt sorry that most of them withered away without ever fully awakening their abilities.
I hated judging everything by appearances. I knew how much pain that caused people.
"Darsi, sit here."
I sat on the edge of the bed and called over Darsi, who had been keeping his distance while we talked.
He quietly sat in the spot I pointed to beside me. With his arms crossed, staring at me, he looked like a baby leopard.
After taking a deep breath, I spoke clearly.
"I want to meet the mages."
[...Mages? I have that power. Why bother? If you want magic tools, I'll make them. I have plenty of time now.]
...A prince doesn't have spare time!
"It's not for selfish reasons. I told you before."
[...The contract.]
"Yeah. I want to contract with them. Combining my magic crystals with their magic would make great partners."
He raised an eyebrow. Half-lidding his eyes, he leaned his face close to mine.
Face attacks are cheating! I could feel my face heating up instantly.
"I'm hurt. Commercializing the magic tools you and I started, but through others instead of me."
"Thanks to that time, we... became like this."
I fumbled, unsure how to define our relationship exactly. But the rest was sincere.
"So I'm going to find a way to meet them."
Whenever I met Darsi, I poured out the words I'd wanted to say to him.
"You said you want me to be happy."
<...>
"Thanks to you, I'm already changing. I feel it even now."
If it weren't for him, could I have thought of coming out again after shutting myself away in disgust with everything?
No. I could answer firmly.
Without even Darsi, I really would have turned away from everything, finding it all tiring.
Because someone listened to my story, stayed by my side, and saw me for who I truly was, I was able to stand up.
Because someone crushed Ryan for my sake and pressed Kaisen to apologize.
How could I pass up a chance to help such a Darsi!
Now, I wanted to do the same for him.
"I'll say it over and over. I want you to be happy. And improving the mages' situation is the starting point of that happiness."
Did my sincerity get through? Anxiously holding his gaze to the end, Darsi placed a hand over his face, covering it completely, and bowed his head.
[...What.]
"Don't look. I must look pathetic right now."