Chapter 91. Not pearls, but mithril (2)
I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford it.
I just thought.
I didn’t care.
-She was left alone in Whitlin.
– no.
Palak!
– If it is false. Did you keep her ears closed because you didn’t like the noise?
– no.
– or not.
Fall, fall!
-Did they send wizards by my side who disappeared before I knew it?
– no.
…… Palak!
Did you talk to me because you had no one to talk to? Are you just chatting leisurely because you haven’t heard any news from Fabian? Do you think I am in a position to have a conversation with you freely?
I didn’t pay much attention to the smart brain that automatically interpreted and relayed the words of the person on the 5th floor, as if there was no such thing as a polite way of speaking in the first place.
– There are a lot of people. I heard the news. This is an urgent matter.
And like this.
I looked at the document with my eyes, turned to the next page with my hand, signed it, and thought about something else unrelated to the document in my head as I gave the answer to Randel.
Palak once again! do.
A document containing a summary of the circumstances confirmed at Whitlin and a list of evidence was moved to the next page.
– Talk.
Planz, who left his signature next to Arsene’s already written signature, gave his voice.
– I met Calian’s old servant today. Do you remember who it is?
– Your youngest son learned from you how to ask useless questions.
– …… Of course you don’t remember. There was a servant of Calian whose name was Orte.
– okay.
Plantz, who had placed another document he had just signed on top of the pile of documents to be sent to Alan, picked up a new stack of papers.
A list of witnesses and sinners to be sent to Kairisis and a detailed report on them come into view.
He read it carefully and spoke.
– I met Orte today. Rescued from the dungeons of the Barony of Dayrn.
– Is that so?
-She knew the Ortega elf Whitlin.
– okay.
– How Gray Brisen took the path of the sword. Do you know anything?
Silence is conveyed.
So now Plantz is saying, ‘Here are the numbers 1 and 2. In that case, it is like asking a question like, ‘Please infer what the sleeping habits of His Majesty the Third King of Kairis were.’
A person on the 5th floor answered the resident of the 4th floor of Chermil Palace, who did not know what or where to point out and did not care about his gloomy mood.
– Didn’t you say you touched my grandfather’s grave?
Instead of asking what stages of thinking went through to come up with such a question, I just gave the answer. Whatever it was, neither the residents here nor the people there had any intention of prolonging the conversation by mentioning such issues.
– Gray Briesen dug up my grandfather’s grave and took the path of the sword. Brother, have you ever believed that?
Does he want to fight now?
Landel, whose mind was already busy as he was preparing for the attack of those who might storm into the castle at any time thanks to these worries emerging, closed his light green eyes for a moment.
And he managed to control his mind and speak his words.
– The most deserted place in the inner city at night is the cemetery.
– I know.
– Passers-by who happened to visit the place saw Gray Briesen with a dirt-covered face near the grave site of the Briesen family. The graveside of my grandfather was a mess.
– yes.
– I heard that such a rumor arose.
Randel is bright with news.
He was the one who knew everything about not only what Calian was doing in Rosellita, but also the circumstances that led to Evan imprisoning Lennon and taking over the Brissen Merchant Marine.
Calian guessed that he had probably heard various news from Tensil’s healers who have all now retired, but it was not accurate.
In any case, this means that Randel is the one who knows the information best before the spread of Euria’s information network. Of course, Calian also knew a lot of information through Bern’s memories, but wasn’t that information limited to recent and subsequent events? The information around the time Gray took the path of the sword was managed by Devlan, not Bern, who was still a child.
-Do you actually know how he came to the path of the sword?
– It was not delivered.
– All right.
Plantz responded briefly and immediately tried to cut off communication.
He felt there was no need to tell a longer story. Rather than just saying hello, isn’t it a huge improvement just to be able to have a conversation without sarcastic remarks like, ‘Are you asking me about Brisen’s business?’
-Why are you asking that now?
But Randel said something unfamiliar.
Plantz took his eyes off the document after hearing the unfamiliar word ‘Why?’ And he told a rather long story.
– Ortega said……
Conversation with Orte.
Even though he knew Whitlin, the story of Gray Brissen’s attempt to check Calian’s magical talent was relayed to Silike, and everyone told the story of Gray Brissen being dethroned as Margrave and leaving Ortega’s palace.
– It is said that right after Ortega left the palace, Whitlin came to Ortega and said the same thing about helping Calian. Even if you don’t have magical talent, there is a way to do magic. Fortunately, it was canceled because Ortega had already left the palace.
– okay.
– so. The way to help Calian was to plant that stone in his heart, and why did he try to help him? Wanting to bury it, he met Whitlin again. I also wanted to ask whether Whitlin was the one who put the stone in my brother’s heart and whether Whitlin was in conflict with Gray Brisen.
Then Randel’s words were immediately heard.
– It’s still the same. Did you think that if you asked that, the elf would give you a straight answer?
– I know how to look at facts and see reactions.
-Then wouldn’t you have looked at the reaction? What is the reason you keep asking me?
– I didn’t hear you.
– why.
Plantz turned his head.
And as he looked at his wounds on his neck, visible in the reflection of his window, he said:
– After attacking me, they immediately protested and asked me to send Gray Brisen to the palace to be killed.
– Did you act as a hostage?
– I did it for a while.
There were no sneers or sarcastic remarks in return.
– I heard that Whitlin is being sent back to the palace tonight.
Instead, Plantz responded to the calm words delivered.
– That’s why I’m asking so quickly. That’s because I’m not sure about the relationship between Gray Brisen and Whitlin.
– Are you saying that if Whitlin already knew how to handle stones at that time, it could have been Whitlin who put Gray Brisen on the path of the sword?
– It must have been a fake Auror. you’re right.
Then, wouldn’t it be possible that Whitlin really wants to kill Gray Briesen?
It could be that they are going to the royal palace with a play like today to help Gray Brisen, with whom they have been secretly holding hands for a long time while pretending to be hostile to each other. This also explains why Gray Brissen was able to so easily create evidence at Calian’s villa.
Of course, that was then, and now there is another circle, so it could be that he wants to kill Gray directly. In any case, it is difficult to make any predictions.
– If Marquis Briesen also had the stone I have, the Balkan healer would have recognized it.
– Hina has never looked at Marquis Briesen’s heart.
– The youngest also had no doubts. Wasn’t the youngest one likely to have recognized the color of the aura he gave off in the first place?
– I said I could see the auras contained within his body, but I did not see Gray Brissen emitting auras.
okay. Calian had never seen what color Gray’s Auror was.
I knocked on it without even looking.
– Even if you didn’t see it, don’t you know that Gray Briesen broke his back and was barely able to walk after receiving treatment? If he had the power of stone, he wouldn’t have reached such a dangerous point.
– Can’t you get rid of that power for a while?
Plantz asked.
– At that time, Gray Briesen was on his way to the capital after receiving a call from his mother. So, isn’t it possible that he temporarily got rid of his abilities in order not to hastily reveal his abilities to either his mother or Evan?
Randel didn’t answer.
He didn’t answer for a long time.
– if it is possible.
Palak!
He flipped through the papers again.
As if on cue, a report on Whitlin was written on the next page.
-If there is even the slightest chance of such a possibility, he cannot send Whitlin to the capital. We will change direction to execution here.
Tuk. Tuk.
Plantz’s finger touched Whitlin’s name in the report a few times.
Meanwhile, there was no answer from Randel.
After not being heard for quite some time
– It’s exhausting.
The short words came back.
-Are you tired?
– okay.
To Plantz, it sounds like he is bound by the seal of an oath and cannot give an answer. It sounds like there is a way to hide or temporarily eliminate the effects of the stone in the heart.
Tuk!
said Plantz, who pounded Whitlin’s name a little harder.
– I will keep this in mind.
– okay.
The conversation has come to an end.
Planz, who was about to end the communication, said something that suddenly occurred to him.
– There are many days when I am misunderstood as being weak, which is very annoying.
– That’s a pity.
An answer comes back without hesitation.
Planz took a long breath and nodded.
– Don’t forget that you are imitating me. I am asking you to stop increasing the misunderstanding.
It means don’t get hurt.
Then I heard Randel’s answer after being silent for a moment.
– Don’t get caught carelessly. The life of a royal family is not that light.
Just be careful yourself.
* * *
It was said that cherry trees grew in a place with many trees.
I remembered Jan saying he liked cherries, but he didn’t say it. He just quietly listened.
I am finally listening to Orte’s story, which I have only just heard. He felt fortunate to be able to listen now.
“I dried cherry blossoms and drank them as tea on scary nights when thunder and lightning lit up the sky. I also drank the same tea on nights when I woke up after a bad dream or couldn’t sleep after a long nap.”
“From an early age?”
“Yes, Prince. It’s been that way since I was a child. Sometimes my mother would give it to me, and sometimes my father would give it to me.”
He said that after drinking it, which had a slightly bitter taste, he surprisingly fell into a deep sleep.
“So you gave it to me too.”
“That’s right.”
“I haven’t been able to sleep well since I went to Chermil Palace.”
“Yes, you did.”
After Freya’s death, Calian did not come to Chermil Palace immediately.
Wasn’t it decided that the princes of Chermil Palace were not allowed to have personal bodyguards? It was said that one day, a long time ago, a prince’s guard knight tried to kill all the other princes but failed. Therefore, only the royal knights could protect Chermil Palace. Of course, it is a rule that has now disappeared under Lemain’s orders, but it was like that when Calian was young.
Lemain said that he did not send Calian to Chermil Palace for that reason. This is why the prince of Chermil Palace cannot have a personal guard, but the Bercia pavilion where Freya was staying did not. Of course, this was something I only learned about now through Orte.
Thanks to this, Calian spent his days under separate guard at Bersia Pavilion. So that the son of a concubine who, unlike Randel or Plantz, did not have a successor, does not die without a rumor.
But he didn’t stay for long.
Due to the continued ‘requests’ of Silike and Brisen, who were concerned that this would be seen as the king’s favor by the nobles, he ended up coming to Chermil Palace.
“My sleeping routine suddenly changed.”
“I guess so. A lot has changed.”
Instead of the sunlight streaming through the lattice windows, the sound of the fountain all night long, and the small dolls that Freya had hung by her bed, the young prince lived in Chermil Palace, which was dazzling, quiet, and full of things that should not be touched. He could not fall asleep easily. .
From then on, the prince’s servants served tea with dried cherry blossoms.
I was wondering if I could get a good night’s sleep if I did that.
“I don’t know if you remember, but at the time, people didn’t like the bitter taste of tea. So I added honey and then dried strawberries. Although they liked the scent of strawberries, they disliked the taste of strawberries, so I tried adding more apples and lemons, and that’s how I gave it to you.”
Ortega said this as he looked down at the red, sweet and fragrant tea.
Kalian, whose teacup was already half empty, nodded his head. And after he had spent a moment he looked at Orte and said in a low voice:
“Jan plays the violin well.”
“Ah… I didn’t know that.”
“I pulled down the bed curtains, took down the bedroom curtains, and closed all the windows. Even after doing that, I relaxed my hands and played the violin carefully.”
The servant who served tea with cherry blossoms laughed a little while listening to the story about the servant who liked cherry blossoms.
“So I slept well. Even though I was surprised and worried when I heard that you went out because you were sick, I didn’t lose sleep.”
Slowly Ortega nodded.
“I’m not saying it would have been okay even if you weren’t around, I’m just saying this because I feel sorry. I slept well.”
“Yes, my prince. I did not misunderstand.”
“Yes. I’m still sleeping well. I think Jan is in trouble because he sleeps a lot in the morning, but I’m fine.”
“I heard you’re okay.”
Orte stopped talking.
Calian laughed slightly.
I noticed what he was about to say when he stopped.
Why did he stop saying that?
Who would have been banned from saying that?
It’s nothing to worry about.
“I don’t like bitter things… I still don’t like them. I don’t like coffee either.”
However, it is not possible for Calian to speak out the words that Ortega swallowed.
Just hold on.
The servant who was patting down on the warm duck down blanket opened his mouth in a voice that sounded like a big palm.
“Oh, but I like alcohol.”
A loud laugh came from Orte.
As if this were Chermil Palace.
Just like the current Chermil Palace.
I didn’t laugh because it was an unbelievable lie like when I heard about Planz. This time, it was laughter, knowing that Calian’s words were not lies.
“But prince.”
“huh.”
Ortega, who burst into laughter as soon as he heard Calian’s words and couldn’t stop for a while, looked worried and said.
“You can’t get on a horse while drinking. You’ll get in big trouble.”
“Yeah. I’ll be careful. Raven probably won’t like it either.”
“Are you talking about that black horse?”
“That’s right. Did you see it?”
“Last night, the blue-haired knight who said the prince had sent me was with me when I brought the horse in. A large black horse caught my eye, and the knight warned me. Even though it was the prince’s word, he had a fierce temper, so I shouldn’t get close to him.”
It looks like Aila has already given Raven a tour.
“Yes. Because Raven only likes me.”
“He was very surprised because he remembered that he was afraid of horses.”
Click.
Calian put down his slightly more empty teacup and smiled long.
“That’s right. It’s because I’ve changed a lot. I’ve changed a lot.”
Nod.
Ortega seemed to agree.
“Yes. You have really changed a lot.”
Behavior, facial expressions, eyes, and even the way you speak.
I thought we hadn’t been apart for that long, but it seems that wasn’t the case. Nothing had changed. He grew taller, his fingers became longer, his voice became more relaxed, and his eyes became sharper.
Everything has changed.
“Weren’t you scared while things were changing so much?”
Orte was worried as he saw Kalian change so much.
Calian closed his eyes for a moment.
She recalled her first dream after coming here. She gave her answer while thinking as if she was looking at her child whom she met in the midst of it all.
“I got scared. Why wouldn’t someone as scared as me be scared?”
“Are you still like this…?”
“I’m scared. Then and now. Probably forever.”
Ortega smiled softly.
“Anyway. You said you would name it that when you raise a puppy, but since you couldn’t raise a puppy, you gave the horse that name.”
Stop.
The finger that was reaching for the sweet-smelling red car touched the air for a moment.
But soon Calian moved his hand again and lifted the teacup. I swallowed down new memories while drinking the comforting tea I hadn’t tasted in a long time.
“… That’s right. It stuck in my head for some reason.”
Raven was not the old language of Secretia. It was a term used to refer to a crow in a story that was said to be large enough to fly while carrying a person.
Calian’s black horse had such a name.
Calian, who was not good at naming things and had never been that quick at naming something, nodded his head. Whose idea was that name? What did raising a dog mean to Kalian as a child? This is because I finally learned it properly.
“Since you gave that name to the horse, I guess I’ll have to think again about the dog’s name.”
“Are you talking about a puppy?”
“Yes. I’m going to raise puppies. About two.”
“A puppy at Chermil Palace.”
“no.”
Calian, smiling slightly, added.
“There is already a cat living in Chermil Palace.”
“Are you a cat?”
“Yes. Two dogs. One has white, short fur and two different colored eyes. It likes Brother Planz more than me, and its cries are pretty. The palms and soles are soft, but I couldn’t really touch them. The other one is It has a little long gray fur. It follows the white cat, but it is not good at running far and catching bugs. Sometimes it gets confused about the floor and looks around when it enters the wrong room. Still, it gives me the palms and soles of its hands. Sometimes it also gives its belly. “I let her touch me. But her hair fell out more. I have to comb it well and touch it more. It’s still pretty, though.”
You couldn’t have imagined it.
Orté would never have even thought that Chermil would end up like that. Therefore, Calian smiled brightly and said to Orte, who looked quite surprised.
“I can’t raise a dog in Chermil because there are cats. So I’m going to raise one in Camilon. I got permission from my brothers.”
While you’re surprised, be a little more surprised.
Ortega took a deep breath and slowly exhaled a long breath. Calian, who was watching this, looked down at the teacup with a little red tea remaining on his face with a relaxed face.
Fortunately, I found out why I liked the color red as a child. I thought that was truly fortunate.
And after making up my mind, I looked at Orte.
“Orte.”
Now that we’ve finished the story, which was as long as the time we haven’t seen each other, I wanted to tell you why I wanted to meet him.
“Yes, prince.”
“This is my mother’s territory.”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s right.”
“Whitlin ruined everything, Gray stirred it up, and Rashid covered up the dirt, but it’s a good place. The wind is nice, so that alone makes it a good place for me. It’s like a dream I’ve only imagined in my dreams.”
“… Yes. It’s a nice place.”
“Yes. So, I will make it a good place again. I will send all the nobles who were staying here to the capital and either imprison them or have them stand on Renishita. I don’t want to leave my mother’s territory in disrepair like this and pretend not to know. ”
“Yes, my prince. Please do so.”
“And the Barony of Dairne, where you were held, will be returned to the royal family for now. Until we find someone worthy of that position and send them there again.”
Ortega nodded his head.
“If you think about it, the wheat fields on Dayrn are so good, but it’s only a baronial territory. Perhaps Silike sent the baron. I don’t want the land here to get too big.”
It was said that Dayrn Territory was not much different from Whitlin. It is too good a place to be given to a baron.
Perhaps Silike did that. It is likely that a baron with less power was sent to prevent great power from being exerted on Whitlin.
But now you don’t have to do that.
“I’m thinking of sending someone with military history, good personality, and smarts to the Barony of Dayrn.”
“Has anyone thought of it?”
“Yes. I paid money to raise knights and eat good food, but the count only raised knights well and seemed to only eat rye bread himself.”
Deirn also has good land.
Even though so many magic bullets exploded, Yeongju Castle was said to be fine. Yeongju Castle is so strong and the wheat fields are wide. Not far away is the Fabian Territory, which turns out to have a mithril mine.
Is there a better place than that to raise knights?
At least that simple Ani who barely escaped Zeon’s attack in Shurinz. He would be much better than the shabby titular earldom.
I was planning to send Count Aizen Aprin to Dayrn. He decided to make what is now Dayrn another County of Aprin and to honor Aizen Aprin, the leader of the Knights’ Association, who had cheerfully baked rye cookies for the prince, as the lord of the wheat fields of Dayrn.
If it’s Count Nabulin, stop messing with his rye and eat some wheat now. With that thought in mind.
“Because you willingly volunteered to protect Your Majesty when you were in trouble, and you have contributed by providing soldiers to help Your Majesty go to Kairisis. Your Majesty can reward you to that level.”
Nod.
Ortega, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“But… why do you tell this to someone like me?”
Why am I bringing up such an important story to an old servant whom I have just met again? Ortega, who did not know the meaning, asked cautiously.
Calian smiled slightly and made a cheerful voice.
“Whitlin Lord Castle is very damaged, but I will fix it soon. If you are patient, it will soon be livable again.”
Ortega lifted his head.
Calian, who smiled brightly, finished speaking.
“So, stay here. As an agent of my territory.”
The old servant’s eyes widen.
“Prince. That is too much.”
“What if I say I will appoint my agents in my territory as I please?”
The Lord of Whitlin, who had full authority over delegating his representatives, pointed to a cup of warm tea.
“Do that, Orte.”
There are so many ingredients that go into it that it’s hard to believe that a baby elephant could make this tea. My baby elephant, which often turns into puffy barley bread, is incapable of doing such things. Not like cancer.
“That way, I can come and have fun. Come and have this tea again.”
So what should I do? You should come and drink sometime.
Ortega quietly stood up.
I bowed deeply in front of Calian.
“I will live for a long time. I will stay here for a long time.”
“Of course I should.”
Kalian nodded his head.
Then he reached into his pocket and took out a pocket watch.
He pressed the crown again.
– Click.
– Tick tock tick tock.
Time begins to flow again.
