Chapter 3. Nice to meet you (4)
White shirt and light beige pants.
A red jacket long enough to cover the calves, bordered with gold thread. and a white cloak decorated with gold tassels and embroidery.
Everyone fell silent for an instant when Kalian entered, dressed in fancy attire that was significantly different from the plain clothes worn during the prince’s uniform or tea time.
‘Another ruby pendant.’
Those who turned their attention to the gorgeous clothes saw the ruby pendant they had previously worn again.
‘I did the same thing. As expected, it wasn’t just a simple accessory.’
Calian suddenly appeared as if he had been waiting for today.
Looking at these reactions, where even the smallest thing seemed to have enormous meaning, it was impossible to tell whether this was a banquet for Lemain or Lemain for Calian.
Soon Calian took a step.
– Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of small shoes echoes through the banquet hall.
From Duke Siegfried, who was standing at the entrance, to Viscount Briesen, with whom we recently had dinner, to the nobles we met at tea time today, to arriving at the royal seat located in the innermost part of the banquet hall. I made eye contact with as many people as possible and smiled. Yan, with a solemn expression, walked silently behind Calian.
This was before Lemain and the other princes arrived, so the banquet had not yet begun. But people continued to remain silent for reasons other than that. It was because everyone was looking at Calian.
A whispering sound came out once again as the figure attracted people’s attention for no reason.
“I’m only fourteen now. I can’t tell whether I should look forward to the future or be afraid.”
“That’s right. I was thinking about that too.”
Of course, there were some who reacted a little differently from the majority of nobles who reacted this way.
A curiosity that could not be hidden appeared in Duke Sleiman’s blue-gray eyes as he guessed why Calian was dominating the crowd.
‘That little guy’s spirit is amazing! He looks so corrupt and pretty that he can’t even get close to a sword, but the sight of him spouting his sword in all directions makes him an infallible knight.’
It was Jan, not Calian, who felt Slayman’s gaze first. Jan looked at Slayman for a moment, read the expression clearly written on his face, and then conveyed it to Kalian.
“It seems Duke Siegfried is interested in you.”
Calian grinned.
This is because I knew very well why Slayman was showing interest.
‘I said sword master. There’s no way you wouldn’t notice.’
But that alone wouldn’t have raised any other suspicions, so it wouldn’t be that big of a problem. Calian answered without bothering to look away.
“Thank you, but it’s still early. For now, pretend not to know.”
“That is a reasonable statement.”
Yan, who had the same thought, nodded coolly.
Soon, Calian calmed down his excitement little by little in order to attract the attention of the audience, which was what Slayman guessed. Then, one by one, people turned their eyes away from Kalian, and some of them spoke to Slayman again.
As a result, Slayman also gave up his interest in Kalian and started talking to people.
Soon the two princes and a little later the king and his wife entered with a slight delay.
When the banquet began with Lemain’s thank you, Calian stayed for exactly 30 minutes and then left, pretending to go to the garden. Jan, who had followed Calian, approached holding Raven’s reins.
They said they would walk together, but because Jan was worried about her face fading white, Calian ended up climbing on Raven’s back. Yan said as he watched Raven calmly carrying Calian.
“It’s amazing. You’re such a gentle sheep in front of the prince.”
Calian smiled mischievously and ruffled Raven’s mane.
“Raven. How kind of you.”
“Don’t be fooled. When the prince isn’t around… Wow.”
Calian burst into laughter again.
While chatting with Jan about various things, Kalian went to a place where he had a clear view of the main gate of the palace, but was also reasonably far away, and began to watch the main gate with his eyes wide open.
Yan next to me seemed curious about what was going on, but he didn’t say anything in detail because he thought it would be better to give him a detailed explanation after he got what he wanted.
What Kalian wants to achieve.
It was Allan Manasil.
“Hello, Prince.”
Because of his conspicuous white cloak, palace guards passing by found Calian and greeted him even though he was in the darkest place around him. Since Jan was attending the banquet together, he was wearing a black suit instead of the attendant’s uniform he usually wore, which made him less visible in the dark.
Kalian saw that and regretted it for a moment.
‘I should wear black today.’
The good news is that even if Calian was found, no one asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ It was because of Planz. He had such a bad temper that if you asked him such a question, he would get into an uproar.
‘Randel looks too scary to ask that.’
Therefore, as long as they did not try to leave the main gate or break into the Heisia Palace where Silike was staying, they would not be concerned.
It was another member of the garrison. It seemed like it was probably going around this area and coming back. After receiving a total of six greetings
– many, many, many.
From afar, the sound of horse hooves slowly approaching towards the main gate of the palace began to be heard. Calian raised his head and his eyes lit up. Yan, who saw this, also became nervous and listened.
“I guess you were waiting for someone.”
Calian responded with a small ‘yes’ and then spread his index finger and placed it on his lips. Jan nodded.
The sound of the horse’s hooves began to get louder little by little.
Then the four royal guards standing at the front gate quickly moved. Two blocked the front gate and two stopped the approaching horse. The backs of the guards and the horses’ heads were visible, but the visitors’ figures were hidden by the thick pillars of the main gate.
Calian, who was thinking of going straight to the front gate, decided to observe the situation a little longer first. If it wasn’t Alan, the garrison would think it was strange. The polite voice of the guard was heard softly.
“Could you please get off your horse for a moment?”
It was a polite voice, without the characteristic pitch of a knight.
A little later, a ‘thud’ sound like feet hitting the floor was heard, followed by the voice of a guard.
“What brought you here?”
“I came here because it was said to be a festival for His Majesty King Kairis’s birthday.”
Finally, the visitor’s voice rang out.
As far as Calian knew, Alan Manasil was in his early 50s. But the voice I heard seemed much younger than that.
I was a little disappointed at the thought that it might not be Alan.
“I am Alan Manasil. I am a wizard.”
right.
Calian shrugged his shoulders and tensed.
– Diverse.
Surprisingly, Raven took a step forward.
I don’t know how he knew, but he started walking at a very slow pace as if he understood Calian’s intention.
‘It was as if I happened to see the situation while taking a walk and came over.’
I was waiting nearby and suddenly I couldn’t get closer.
Alan was a wizard of the 7th Circle, and it was clear that he knew who was moving nearby. So, even though I could hear the sound, I tried to circle around from as far away as possible and head toward the front door.
– Diverse.
Raven sensed Calian’s thoughts and moved quickly. Unless he was a mind reader, he seemed to be able to discern Calian’s unconscious movements as he wanted to go somewhere.
Calian touched the back of Raven’s neck and spoke in a whisper.
“Raven you’re smart.”
I felt Raven tighten her neck as she understood the compliment.
“Please show me your invitation.”
A sound was heard again from the front door.
It seemed like they didn’t recognize him just by his name, Alan Manasil.
Maybe they were pretending to look for an invitation, but there was no sound for a while. Then I heard Alan say something that sounded like he was embarrassed.
“What should I do? I think I lost the invitation.”
It was similar to what Calian knew.
Alan did not issue an invitation. The guard spoke in a slightly wary voice.
“Sorry, you can’t come in without an invitation.”
“I also said my name. Could you at least check it somewhere else? I came from a very far away.”
The garrison has a list of attendees and the people have identification cards. Therefore, even without an invitation, you can enter the palace if your identity is clearly confirmed. In fact, Archmage Alan Manasil would not even need an invitation in the first place.
At that moment, Calian, who was approaching them, frowned as if he was in despair.
‘this.’
The guard took a quick look at Alan’s outfit.
I opened my mouth without checking the list of attendees.
“Please bring an invitation.”
“… You differentiate between classes based on appearance.”
Shabby clothes.
In addition, Alan, who did not have an invitation in his hand, said this.
I don’t know what on earth Alan was trying to find out, but he created something to catch. As if he wanted to find a reason not to come to Kairis, he was creating an unreasonable situation, as if making an excuse. The operator who fell for that and discriminated against others based solely on their appearance wasn’t entirely good, but it wasn’t like Alan was the one to raise his voice.
Calian frowned.
I had to catch that Alan who didn’t want to set foot in this country.
“Okay. I’m going back.”
The sound of horses being mounted was heard, followed by the sound of hooves that weren’t Raven’s.
Calian’s heart became impatient.
There was still a little more to go to the front gate, but Alan gave up quicker than I expected.
Calian said as he tightened Raven’s reins.
“Jan. No matter what we do, we’re stopping the guards.”
Yan asked back as if he was embarrassed.
“yes?”
“Please don’t let me chase you.”
“Prince… you don’t really want to leave, do you?”
Calian turned his head forward without answering.
At the same time, Raven leapt forward. The guards immediately recognized the boy wearing a white cloak and riding a black horse, and quickly stood in front of him.
“Prince, please stop talking! You can’t go out now!”
know!
There was no need to punch Raven in the stomach. Raven sped up on her own and slipped out of the palace while flexibly avoiding the guards.
The guards whistled in despair. Two horses ran in front of them, probably because they had been trained on a regular basis.
Jan’s eyes were shaking widely as he ran towards them.
‘What should I do?’
They told him to do whatever he could, but Calian had no power to take responsibility for what was happening. I’ve managed to make a good impression on the nobles, but wouldn’t it all be in vain if I were to be placed on probation for the rest of my time?
So, I had to act in a way that would take responsibility.
Soon, Yan clenched and unclenched his fist as if he had decided on something. Afterwards, to avoid being discovered as a servant, I loosened my curly blonde hair, which I had neatly tied up, and disheveled it to an appropriate degree. I was glad I wasn’t wearing a servant’s uniform.
“Stop.”
Yan strained his eyes and called out the guards.
The eyes of the guards all turned towards Yan.
And Jan’s blue-gray eyes also turned to the garrison members.
Yan, who thought for a moment about someone with the same color eyes and enjoying the ball, opened his mouth.
“This is Siroian Siegfried, the eldest son of Duke Siegfried.”
Siegfried!
Immediately the guards took off their hats. Then, with a restrained movement, he put his hat on his side and raised his right fist to his chest, showing off his stance. This was the way of greeting Kairis soldiers.
Yan nodded slightly to receive their greetings and then spoke.
“Duke Siegfried guaranteed Prince Calian’s going out.”
Yan, who brought up the name he had forgotten because of Kalian, looked toward the square with worried eyes.
The white cloak fluttering became smaller and smaller and soon became invisible.
