Chapter 26. Not difficult (6)
The wind of spring is wonderful in itself.
According to Hina’s expression, it gives the feeling of ‘powdered sunlight in the wind.’ The spring breeze, which is not harsh like winter, not stifling like summer, or lonely like fall, was truly already wonderful in itself.
The scent of roses carried by the wind reaches the terrace.
– It seems like I’m taking back what I said.
Landel, who recalled what he once said about not getting out of hand, said this. Although the purpose was completely different, it was right to come early so as not to lose sight, so Calian did not deny it otherwise.
– Don’t do that.
And Randel held Calian’s outstretched hand like this.
Thanks to this, the scent of roses, which had always weighed heavily on a corner of my heart, finally became a little lighter. Calian said with a smile on his face, quite satisfied with the moment of leisure that came with that little difference.
“It smells good. I like the scent of lime and the scent of roses.”
After Kalian returned to his room, the tea Jan brought also smelled like roses. It was the scent of dried rose petals mixed with round, thinly sliced light green lime slices.
“I thought you were very tired yesterday. And Hina made tea with the roses you gave her last time.”
Just one flower.
I was referring to the rose that I cut down in the rose garden a while back to divert Randel’s attention. I had left it with Jan as I was going to see Chase right after that, but it looks like he made a car out of it. I also liked the lime that was added to relieve some of the fatigue.
Sitting on the terrace overlooking a rose garden in full bloom, drinking tea with lime and roses while smelling the scent of roses blowing in the wind. If I hadn’t met Randel, I wouldn’t have been able to fully enjoy this sour and fragrant tea, but now I’m just relaxing without thinking about anything else. Although it was only a short time, it was still nice.
“Thank you. For taking care of me.”
So, I expressed my gratitude to Jan like this.
It was unclear whether it was roses, limes, or kalyans that were given to him, but Jan just liked them.
– smart.
As I was leisurely finishing my cup of tea without any other conversation, I heard a knock on the door.
Always a small sound.
This sound is made by knocking once or twice so that there is almost no sound, and then knocking a little harder before knocking. I always knocked like that.
“come in.”
So, like he did to Jan, Kalian spoke this time without asking who it was. It was because I knew that even if I asked, there would be no answer.
Soon Hina came to the terrace with the sound of very small footsteps. Kalian turned his head towards Hina and said.
“It suits you well.”
Hina was wearing a white robe.
It was decorated with decorative gold buttons, and the emblem of Kairis was embroidered on the left chest and the purple healer’s mark newly made for Hina was embroidered on the back. The appearance of the robe was quite flashy due to the gold embroidery that became more dense and extravagant toward the hem of the robe and the end of the sleeves, and the three rows of gold chains of different lengths to secure the robe so that it did not open up.
It was the Balkan uniform.
– I think it’s still awkward.
In response to Kalian’s words, Hina said this.
It was the first proper robe I had worn since the one Calian gave me on the day I rescued Kirie and Hina.
‘I am Prince Calian’s cat who prefers Prince Planz.’
Next to the cat, the thing Hina treasured like a treasure was the black robe she wore that day.
“Once you get there, you will realize it right away. You will also realize how many crazy people there are in Kairis. I am worried that you will be disappointed before you get to stay. There are so many strange people here.”
The stones are bastards.
Aren’t they the kind of guys who seem to have shaken off what little proper thinking system was left on the way to the royal palace?
– I think they’re all good people.
Hina answered like this:
Calian smiled and nodded.
“It’ll probably be okay.”
If they don’t treat you well, I won’t treat them well either.
Hina, who had no idea what Kalian was swallowing, responded with a bright, flawless smile. Thanks to that smile and a cup of fragrant tea, Kalian got up the energy to move again after his break.
Kalian was about to go to the Wilhelm Pavilion with Hina. That’s why I thought that he would pay a little more attention to Hina.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you there.”
Calian moved his feet lightly.
It was to create something to hold in the empty hands that had become empty after dropping Hina off.
* * *
The sound of a crackling wood fire is always peaceful.
I remembered the face of my teacher who asked me how contradictory it was to say that the sound of burning dead things was peaceful. Because of this, a serene smile appeared on Arsene’s face for a moment.
Euria saw that and asked.
“It’s pretty good, right?”
It’s been a day since I left the palace.
And I wandered down the road.
I wandered around the perfectly fine royal capital in exactly one day. Because I turned in the wrong direction at a fork in the road, a whole day passed on my way back. As a result, we couldn’t find a city with a warm meal and a place to sleep, so we decided to camp.
Since wizards’ job was to just sit down and sleep anywhere anyway, there was no particular inconvenience just because it was outdoors.
So Euria was excited and Arsene didn’t think anything of it. I just said I did it because I wanted to.
It was Euria’s opinion that we should eat before the sun sets, get some sleep, and leave early. Arsene didn’t think much of anything, so he just nodded. And with Euria’s support, they caught a wild chicken.
“It’s not bad.”
Arsene gave an appropriate answer to Euria, who was checking the golden smell of the chicken floating over the campfire.
Euria, who was camping for the first time in almost 10 years, decided to light a bonfire to cook something that could be easily done with magic. If there is no other reason, it is simply because a bonfire is perfect for camping.
From the beginning, I didn’t worry about the smell spreading through the forest or that this bonfire would be noticed by those around me when darkness fell a little later. It was highly unlikely that there would be bandits in the forest just a day away from the capital, and even if such a group were to be encountered, there would be no particular problem.
Euria opened her space and took out tea leaves, brewed two cups of tea using water created in the air, and handed them to Arsene.
“thank you.”
Euria said as she took the teacup and looked at Arsene’s white robe and the royal emblem engraved on his chest.
“He’s not someone who should be under anyone. I was surprised.”
“I was more surprised that the president of the association acted as an informant.”
“It was more fun than I thought. An intelligence agency. So, when I have time later, I’m really going to make one. An intelligence organization.”
After saying this, Euria laughed alone. It was because they both thought that it was Kalian who was doing something unexpected.
“What are you going to do, Chairman of the Association?”
Arsene, who was waiting for Euria’s laughter to end, asked.
“To check the moving magic circle.”
“I don’t think the prince knew, so I just stayed quiet, but isn’t Lord Grace already gone?”
The ‘prince’ that Arsene was talking about was always Calian.
Euria nodded slightly.
“Well, that’s true. There are some other things to look into nearby.”
Arsene seemed reluctant to explain in detail, so he just nodded a few times. This time, Euria’s question was directed at Arsene.
“Prince Heysia ordered it.”
It was a question about the leader who exploded the Heisia Palace. I already knew it, but I didn’t have anything else to say so I just brought it up. Arsene smiled and answered Euria’s question.
“Is there anyone else who would do that?”
“Count Manasil must have said something.”
“You can’t. Count Manasil is someone who can’t say anything to the prince.”
The person who knew best how Alan treated Calian would be Arsene. Only then did Euria, who remembered Alan’s infinite love for her student, chuckle and say, ‘I guess so.’
“Now that I think about it, how did you get over the bar accident? I thought a few people would get sick because of your princely personality.”
Arsene’s eyes turned to Euria.
There was quite a stir within the Balkans, but thanks to Calian’s ‘full compensation’, there were not many rumors outside. However, Euria knows something that even nobles who are interested in other people’s affairs do not know.
“Is it just a question or information gathering?”
Even though Euria was on Calian’s side, Arsene did not trust people that easily. Moreover, since he was leaving the capital under the pretext of going to Calian to look at the magic circle, he was suspicious that Euria might have other thoughts, so he said this.
“… The little boy is all grown up.”
When I asked this question out of curiosity and received this answer, Euria smiled sweetly and said,
“You put on your uniform and walk around with your head down.”
Oh, I forgot.
Arsene, who flinched at Euria’s blooming flowers in an instant, quickly answered.
“I’ve come to see you, you idiot.”
Where could only Balkan wizards go around? The wizards all turned around. I can’t believe I had any doubts about a capable person who has been leading such wizards well for over 5 years. I guess I really turned around.
But Euria’s peer did not disappear.
Arsene, who was about to ask if he was getting too angry over a mistake in his words, quietly closed his mouth. Euria, seeing the harsh light in his eyes, spoke again.
“You’ve grown up, kid.”
The actions of someone who clearly had not-so-good intentions caught Euria’s son-in-law. It was a compliment to Arsene, who noticed it even though it was too late.
Arsene took a sip of the tea in his hand. As if nothing happened.
“Is the work you are investigating dangerous? There are quite a few of them.”
Euria said as she loosened the string that was loosely tying her purple hair and tied it a little tighter.
“A little bit.”
He also spoke in a tone as if it was no big deal.
Arsene grunted.
“Did you decide to go with us even though you knew it would be dangerous?”
“But you know how to fight, too.”
Euria, who evaluated the Vulcan vice-corps commander as ‘a kid who knows how to fight’, stood up. Arsene, who was watching this, smiled and stood up together.
long time.
It’s been a long time since I witnessed it.
A wizard who treats Arsene, the 5th circle master of the ice attribute, as a kid who fights. The magic of only a few wizards capable enough to do so.
– Pajik Pajijik!
A light purple spark appeared in the hand of the wizard, who was standing with his back to the setting sun in the sky, which was slowly starting to turn red. A blue energy containing the power of water began to waver beneath my feet.
A dual attribute that is next to impossible to achieve.
A 5th circle master wizard who controls both water and electricity.
That was Euria Siren.
* * *
Arpia Palace, the office space of King Lemain.
Although it is said to be the place where the king stayed for the longest time, it was inevitably visited by outsiders. On the first floor of Arpia Palace, there was a space where only the royal family could enter and where no outsiders were allowed to visit.
A place where all original portraits of previous royal families are displayed.
The portraits of kings hanging on the floor where Lemain’s office was located were all copies of those here.
‘Hall of Memory.’
I knew it existed, but I avoided it.
Kalian from before also never visited that place even once.
So now, Kalian was about to step into this space for the first time since he was born.
Before coming here, I took Hina to the Wilhelm Museum and left Jan with her. Since I haven’t yet learned enough sign language to be able to communicate smoothly, I was planning on doing that for the time being. After doing that, I came here alone. It was a sacred place where no one other than the royal family could enter, so the guards were left outside the door.
Because the entire first floor was dedicated to the hall, it was too large to be simply called spacious. It seems as if you are asking to see its long history for yourself. However, based on history alone, Calian, who lived in Secretia, a dynasty that lasted a bit longer, was not very impressed by the numerous portraits.
– Tap, tap, tap.
Calian entered inside with the quiet sound of his shoes.
The starting point, of course, was a portrait of the first king, Hatsuara, and Sispanian.
The Sispanian is not the slightest bit different from the one I met when I went to Siegfried’s Territory, and the Hatsuara is familiar to me as I have seen it many times. There was also a portrait of their son, the second King Kairis, when he was crown prince. And Kalian passed by and continued walking.
From 2 to 3 to 4.
Calian’s feet walked straight ahead and stopped in front of the place where the last portrait was placed.
‘Lemain roux rune kairis.’
There was a portrait of Lemain, the current king and father of the three princes, in his younger days. Because the crown prince had not yet been determined, there were no portraits of Landel, Planz, and Kalian.
At the bottom was a portrait of Randel’s mother, Aisha Arieli. The empty space next to it was probably Silike’s seat. And next to it.
there was.
Calian stared in front of him for a while before quietly opening his mouth.
“… You really look alike.”
Bright red hair. The color was different, but everything else looked a lot like what I saw in the mirror. Big eyes and nose bridge without double eyelids. They really look a lot alike. It was unfamiliar but clear that she was Kalian’s mother.
Concubine Freya Whitlin.
There is a replica portrait in the hallway where Lemain’s office is located, but I have never looked at it. Therefore, Calian stared at that face for the first time in silence for a long time. And he bowed his head slightly.
It was a greeting with the meaning of apology.
– Sweet.
After some time had passed, I heard the sound of someone opening a door and coming in from afar. Of course, it was Lemain who responded to the request to meet not in the office but in a place that was a bit awkward to walk to.
Calian looked at the entrance of the hall in the distance, then turned his head again and looked into Freya’s eyes. After some time had passed, Lemain walked to Calian’s side.
Calian turned to Lemain and showed an example.
Lemaine looked from Calian to Aisha and then at the empty portraits of Silike and Freya, then opened his mouth.
“Why did you decide to meet here?”
I tried not to show it, but I couldn’t completely hide my discomfort. Aisha’s face, Freya’s face, and Silike’s empty spot. It wasn’t going to be comfortable for everyone. Kalian opened his mouth to explain why he had asked to come here, knowing that.
“There is something I would like to ask you.”
“Please.”
The voice that repeated that was truly soft.
The youngest son was the only one who heard Lemain say ‘my son’ as he was dying without attention. Before I knew it, he had changed and was a troublemaker who caused all kinds of accidents on his own.
But isn’t Calian the only son who asks Lemain for a ‘favor’?
“It may be not difficult or it may be difficult.”
“Okay, let’s talk.”
Calian turned his head for a moment.
In the portrait. Calian said while staring into red eyes that looked exactly like his own.
“Please honor my mother as queen, Your Majesty.”
Calian put down everything he was holding and said this.
Orthodoxy was mentioned.
