Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Light (3)
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In the first-floor entrance hall of the White Guard Hall, a large box covered in black cloth rumbled inside.
Under the escort and watchful eyes of numerous knights.
"Ah, this is..."
Grain let out a troubled sigh, but he couldn't stop the curious kids from crowding the second-floor railing and peering down at the first floor.
The second-floor corridor was packed with spectators besides us.
We took advantage of our small stature to squeeze between people's legs and press right up against the railing.
"What's that?"
"A box?"
"No, look closely. It's a prison."
I widened my eyes at Wedin's words.
With each movement of the box, the covering cloth peeled away bit by bit, until by the time it reached the center of the entrance hall, it was fully exposed.
It was a sturdy prison made of thick iron bars, designed to be hitched to a cart or horse for transport like a wagon.
"Looks like there's a prisoner inside..."
Clemence whispered in an anxious voice. The people around us swallowed hard, tension rippling through them as they stared at the prison.
I instantly recognized the two people at the front pulling the prison.
Merian Cortis and Collin Cortis.
Commonly known as the Red Guard Knight couple, they were knights who usually carried out missions in other regions.
They rarely returned to Prion.
So what on earth was in that prison to bring them back?
No matter how I craned my neck, I couldn't catch a glimpse of the prisoner inside.
But I could sense something ominous emanating from within.
The entire prison was enveloped in solid mana, as if some kind of security spell had been cast on it.
Escorted by the Red Guard Knight couple, a sturdy prison, and robust magic.
My curiosity about what was inside only grew.
Merian, her red hair tied up high, lightly raised her hand, and the prison and surrounding knights halted in unison.
They had passed just beyond the center of the entrance hall, probably to clear more space ahead.
As the knights' formation shifted to widen the path, someone came striding quickly toward the prison from the opposite side.
"Lib, that person..."
Wedin, who had his face wedged between the railing bars beside me, noticed first.
It was Luwen.
He wore the same loose black robe as always, but his expression looked unusually grave.
And Airan hurried after him.
Airan was a mage affiliated with the tower like Luwen, a fox beastkin Loran with red hair.
She had always kindly assisted when I was learning magic from Luwen, with her bright personality.
Unlike the cheerful demeanor she usually showed me, both Luwen and Airan wore grave expressions I'd never seen before as they began talking.
I strained my ears, but the noisy surroundings made their conversation inaudible.
Then Clemence tugged at my clothes from beside me.
"Lib, Wedin. Over here."
Clemence had found a spot with fewer onlookers. From this angle, we might be able to see inside the prison.
Wedin and I slipped through the crowd and pushed toward the spot she pointed out.
Grain looked flustered behind us.
"Kids, we should go now..."
"Just a moment!"
"Ah, we can see inside from here."
Wedin clung tightly to the railing.
I positioned myself next to him, gripping the railing firmly.
Before long, spectators gathered here too, buzzing and murmuring as they watched the scene below.
Wedin was right.
From here, we could peer into the iron-barred prison.
Inside the dark space surrounded by thick iron bars sat a man in black clothes, utterly still.
His hair was a slightly lighter gray, long and unkempt. With his back turned, that was all I could make out.
As if mesmerized, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.
A sinister dark aura seeped from him. Only I, who could see mana, could witness the sight.
Black mana that felt insidious and damp. I knew that power well...
The man twitched his shoulders slightly, as if sensing something.
At that tiny movement, the knights surrounding the prison reacted in unison, going on high alert.
The man paid them no mind.
Blinking slowly, he became aware of a sensation connecting him to something.
He slowly raised his head, and the knights below erupted in startled murmurs. Some drew their gleaming blades threateningly.
He turned his body fully.
At first, I thought it was a beam of light filtering through the bars into the dark prison.
But it stretched much farther. Higher up, amid meaningless fragments of the world... shining brilliantly.
Like the sun.
"Lib!"
I gasped, clutching Grain's arm.
My whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Cold sweat broke out, and at the same time, I felt a chill like ice freezing me from within.
Grain pulled me into an embrace and turned my face to him.
"Are you okay? What's wrong all of a sudden...?"
Clemence and Wedin stared at me with shocked faces.
What just happened? It was like...
Bang!
A loud crash against the iron bars was followed by screams from the crowd.
I reflexively tried to look down, but Grain held me tight in his arms, preventing it.
His tense voice rang in my ear.
"Lib, you can't stay here."
Before I could respond, Grain scooped me up and started moving.
I clung to his clothes and squeezed my eyes shut.
The trembling in my body gradually subsided, but chaos still swirled in my mind.
"Stay here. Clemence, Wedin, you two stay in the room too. Don't move."
Grain set me down in an unfamiliar room.
Clemence and Wedin nodded anxiously from either side of me.
"What about you, Holy Mage?"
"I'll get someone to take you home. Got it? Absolutely do not leave."
Grain emphasized several times before leaving the room.
An unfamiliar room that felt like a reception lounge. I knew it was somewhere in the White Guard Hall.
I curled up on the sofa, hugging my knees.
It felt like I'd swallowed a lump of ice. The ice wouldn't melt, steadily sapping my body heat.
I breathed slowly to suppress an emerging cough.
"Lib, you look pale..."
Clemence sat beside me, worried.
"At least cover up with this."
A thin white cloth draped over my shoulders. Wedin had fetched something like a tablecloth from somewhere.
A laugh slipped out despite everything. I pulled the white tablecloth Wedin brought around me.
"What the heck just happened? That guy suddenly glared right at us, didn't he?"
Wedin sat on the opposite sofa. Clemence nodded.
"It was scary... He was probably trying to escape."
Clemence and Wedin said he glared at us, but to me, that moment felt like I was the one imprisoned, looking up at us.
I buried my face in my knees.
For an instant, just a fleeting moment, I had seen the world through the eyes of that man trapped in the prison.
I was him, feeling the gaze from behind, sensing the power.
That power shone brighter than any external light filtering through the bars, and it was something desperately desired...
This is really not good.
I bit my lip.
"Lib, don't worry."
I lifted my head at Wedin's voice.
"No one could escape from the middle of the knights. There are so many of them."
"Yeah, and we're here too."
"That doesn't help much."
When I finally managed a smile, Wedin and Clemence smiled back in relief.
The two of them thought the person in the prison was just an ordinary prisoner.
I knew otherwise, but there was no need to voice it and make them anxious.
They had never seen a demon in their lives, after all.
The door opened, and Grain returned.
Two knights Grain brought stood guard in the corridor, preparing for any contingency.
Grain came straight to me, checking my condition. He placed a warm hand on my forehead and examined my face.
"Did that guy escape?"
Clemence asked worriedly. Grain shook his head.
"No, he couldn't. It was just a little intimidation. He's been moved elsewhere now."
"That's a relief."
"Lib. I ran into Luwen earlier. He said he's too busy for lessons today, but he'll contact us later."
"Ah... okay."
With a prisoner like that arriving, Luwen had no choice but to be busy.
I accepted it.
"Clemence, Wedin. You two should head straight home too."
At Grain's words, even the curious pair nodded obediently.
Not long after, Father and Erner entered the room with surprised expressions.
"...Well, in my case, I'm not too worried about the practical or combat evaluations. It's the written part I'm weak at."
Shuren said this as he moved his blue-flagged cavalry piece one space toward the castle gate.
Three more turns until the blue-flagged reinforcements arrived on the battlefield to report the situation on Redberry Hill.
I held my prone position steady without flinching.
I placed another small knight piece in red armor on Redberry Hill and leisurely pressed my current offensive.
"Didn't you struggle with the academic exam when you enrolled? Felt like you took the entrance exam twice."
"My memory's annoyingly good for useless stuff... Forget it. No one's good at everything."
Shuren grumbled as he adjusted his posture. I chuckled.
Shuren, a senior at the knight academy, had shot up in height since coming to Prion.
With constant physical training and sword practice at the academy, his build had improved, and he'd gained decent muscle.
At seventeen now, after a few field training sessions as part of his classes, he acted completely like an adult.
Especially at home, in front of me.
"You should've applied to the knight academy. Your big brother Shuren here's so famous, your ears would've rung."
"Heh..."
I led with a massive battle wagon and shoved aside two of Shuren's infantry pieces.
Shuren let out an "Ah!"
"Wedin can ask when he joins the academy. But I win."
The battle wagons and knights were overwhelmingly strong; no strategy Shuren devised could beat them.
They recaptured Redberry Castle, and I, their king, carefully planted a red flag atop the ramparts.
Shuren sighed and withdrew his blue pieces from the board.
"Lost again."
"Bro, you gotta study harder for the written exam."
As I giggled, Shuren bristled and lunged at me, pinching my cheeks.
"You cheeky brat. Think you're smart just 'cause you learned some magic?"
"Ow ow ow..."
I whined exaggeratedly, and Shuren relented with a helpless expression.
No matter what, he had no intention of actually hurting me.
Ever since that incident when I was little, Shuren had tried his best to protect me.
Even though Prion was an utterly safe city with no worries about demons.
"Young Master, the Master has arrived."
A maid appeared at the open door, bowing slightly to inform us.
Ah, I sat up.
"Yes, I'll be down soon."
"I'll clean up, so go. Loser cleans up, right?"
Shuren said as he folded the game board.
I asked him to handle the cleanup and headed to the entrance hall.
While playing games with Shuren after returning home, I'd completely forgotten about the incident at the White Guard Hall.
Father had Erner escort Clemence and Wedin home first, then brought me back.
But unable to leave his unfinished work, he returned to the office, only coming back long after dinnertime.