Chapter 11. I didn’t mean to (5)
Lennon disappeared.
After that, Alan’s work was done quickly.
– We will immediately proceed with the top acquisition through Melfir Fallon.
– Thank you, Master.
– I’ve told you to send the goods to that area right away, so if you need anything else, please let me know.
– It seems like there is still no shortage other than food. I’m planning to meet the lords soon, so if there’s anything to talk about, I’ll let you know.
– All right.
Calian, who felt lighter thanks to Alan and Melfir’s quicker response than expected, summoned Sting and the Lord of Nerika to the elf village early the next morning. It was to mediate the fight between the two territories.
After finishing his work with the lords, Calian had no need or desire to stay in the elf village any longer, so he decided to leave the village immediately after meeting the two lords. Of course, it was through the forest path that Elder Jer would open.
While waiting for the lords, Jan spoke for a moment.
“Our prince, you now have it all the way to the top.”
“It just so happened that it happened that way. It wasn’t my intention.”
“Still. It feels good.”
I really had no intention of owning a Brissen upper section.
I just got rid of the annoying Lennon, but I never thought I’d end up buying the whole top. Calian chuckled and looked down at what was in his hand.
“Anyway, what is this?”
On Calian’s hand was something that looked like a black pebble. It was an item found from the elf Luca who returned to the village.
Calian frowned, holding in his hand the black pebble that was with the items that appeared to be new items. I was thinking about the change that stone had brought about in Sia.
Calian was quite surprised when Sia, who was about to pick out the items Luca had stolen from Luca’s luggage a little while ago and give them to Calian, opened her mouth. Sia’s unique speaking habit, ‘the ability to answer first’, has disappeared.
Calian, who handed the stone to Sia, who accompanied him for a while to guide him through the forest, opened his mouth.
“Sia. Have you eaten?”
“yes, I ate.”
When Sia’s answer came out correctly, the corners of Calian’s eyes narrowed. Arsene, who was standing next to him, could be heard taking a deep breath. It was that strange.
Soon Calian was handed the pebble again.
And I spoke to Sia once more.
“Yes. It’s over there.”
“Have you seen Hina?”
Again the answer comes first.
Calian stared at what was placed in his palm. It was a small black pebble with golden letters engraved on it, and it looked nothing special. Moreover, other than Sia, no one was affected by the stone.
Arsene asked Calian, who was quietly looking at the stone that was correcting Sia’s strange speaking habits.
“Is this also a new thing?”
“The possibility is high, but a little more…”
Calian, who had been saying that, closed his mouth.
Arsene didn’t notice, but Calian clearly felt it. Yuran, who was in charge of something similar, was also frowning as he looked at what was in Kalian’s hand.
“It looks dangerous. The smell of blood is strong.”
The blood shed when a healthy person dies.
The unique energy felt from blood with strong vitality. Knights train to feel it.
That was the energy felt in that stone. I could feel the powerful energy of blood spilled as life that could still survive was forcibly extinguished. It also meant that the original owner of the pebble was murdered by someone.
“Did you steal this too when you stole the new item?”
“I do not remember.”
It’s so easy not to fly.
It wasn’t just one or two things that were stolen.
Calian let out a short sigh. It was probably true that elves couldn’t lie, so they couldn’t remember.
Rather, Luca didn’t look reflective at all.
Rather than not knowing what they did wrong, they probably show that attitude because they know that humans cannot rule elves with human laws.
Soon, Zer approached and spoke as if trying to divert Calian’s gaze.
“I have already made a request to the mother tree. We will be able to set off on the forest road right away. So don’t worry about things here anymore.”
I could see at a glance that he was fidgeting.
Now I know it, but Luca is the real son of Elder Jer. That’s why I’m worried that Calian might get angry at Luca or swing his sword.
Instead of drawing his sword, Calian handed the stone in his hand to Sia.
“You use it for now. We need to communicate while we go.”
“Isn’t this Luca’s?”
Calian answered, looking towards Luca.
“no.”
“Okay, Captain. Then, I’ll give it back to you when we get to the other side of the forest path.”
“okay.”
Sia put it in her pocket and soon two lords came to see Calian. Calian, facing them, said just one word.
“Folun Merchants will be here soon to make a deal.”
Isn’t it really simple?
If trade resumes, the reason for the two fiefdoms to fight will disappear.
Of course, there was no way for the lords to know that Calian was so angry at Lennon Brissen, the cause of the fight, that he bought the Brissen upper body. So they just liked it and expressed their gratitude. We also promised not to fight over this.
Just there.
Kalian did not say anything unnecessary about getting along well from now on. In any case, the royal family does not intervene deeply in power struggles between lords. Even if they waste their energy on keeping each other in check, there will be less cases of those who are ‘too friendly’ joining forces and pointing their swords at the royal family.
Calian, who turned his head to look at Elder Zer and Luca for a moment, asked the lords.
“Do you have any dealings with the elves?”
“Yes. I buy some groceries here, including vegetables that are difficult to find nearby.”
“I wonder if it was a fair deal. How was it?”
“I guess the environment is not good….”
It’s obvious even if you don’t listen any further.
I felt like I had received an answer just by looking at the faces of the two lords as they glanced sideways at each other or the ears of Grand Elder Zer that turned bright red. This probably means that they made a deal with the elves for an amount that was several times that of other regions.
“They tried to take advantage of me, the prince, but it would have been terrible for someone other than me.”
Calian, who nodded and said this, looked at Zer.
“Tell me what you are buying. I will put it in the top trading items of Fallon, so don’t do business with people who don’t follow the minimum laws.”
“You apologized for that. It’s okay to cause this kind of damage to our elves.” “
You didn’t say a word about what your son did. I think the feeling of regret has disappeared since I got everything I needed.”
Zer sweetened his lips, but Calian did not listen to Zer any more.
“Live well among yourselves, just like the elves did originally.”
As Calian, who said this, got on the horse, Zer’s heart became anxious.
Zer, whose ears turned red, blocked Calian’s path.
“Wait a minute. Let’s talk…”
“I don’t have anything more to say.”
Zer’s hand, which was trying to grab Calian, suddenly touched the nape of Raven’s neck. And when he saw the prince, who always showed off his noble appearance, roll his eyes, he was astonished and withdrew his hand.
As soon as he saw this, Chekalyan leisurely entered the forest path that Zer had opened in advance. After that, Kalian’s companions followed him one by one.
I left behind a bewildered Ger.
* * *
The path in the forest was truly a path in the forest.
It was so full of green trees that you could barely see the sky.
On Raven’s back as she walked along the path, Calian was looking around while holding a black pebble in his hand. No matter how you looked at it, it was a stone that didn’t have anything special about it other than the writing on it.
Yuran, seeing that, slowed down his horse and came to Kalian’s side. Then he spoke in a cautious voice.
“Prince. I have something to tell you.”
Instead of answering that question, Calian asked a question.
“Still, the smell of blood is getting lighter little by little, isn’t it?”
Calian, who asked that question, was smiling inexplicably.
Yuran, who almost asked what he meant, looked at Kalian again as if he was examining him.
“It’s a smell that only knights can smell, so I didn’t know the prince knew about it too.”
“I happened to take charge of it.”
Somehow, it’s a bit much.
“Anyway, it’s a strange thing to stay away from because it’s a stone that smells like blood.”
Calian nodded and opened his mouth as if telling him not to worry.
“I’m correcting Sia’s speaking habits, so it doesn’t seem like it’s normal.”
Yuran, recalling how he had been answering ahead of others, opened his mouth in a low voice.
“That kid seems to be a little ahead of everyone else. Otherwise, how would he answer a question he didn’t ask?”
“I said I didn’t have foresight, but that’s what I think.”
“Then is it a stone that makes those abilities disappear?”
“Well, what do you think?”
After saying this, Calian patted Raven’s saddle and thought for a moment.
“It’s time…”
A little bit ahead of time. A distortion of time.
A stone that has the effect of nullifying Sia’s abilities related to it.
– The axis of time.
I was wondering if it might be related to the axis of time. Wasn’t the axis of time also considered a novelty related to time?
“I don’t know what it is, but it seems important. So even if it smells unpleasant, I’ll have to put up with it.”
Calian smiled brightly as he said this and strengthened the hand holding the stone.
* * *
The royal palaces of Kairisis, especially the Chermil Palace.
A servant spoke in Randel’s room on the highest floor.
– A significant amount of new material was delivered to Tensil. Lennon Briesen was a huge help in that.
– But Lennon suddenly went missing. The Marquis of Briesen is said to have searched in every possible way, but could not find it.
– Marquis Briesen was the first to suspect Allan Manasil and Melfir Fallun, but confirmed that they were not related. Therefore, we are investigating whether it may have been the work of a group aiming for money.
This was exactly what Marquis Evan Brissen created and spread.
Randel just nodded to the servant who told him the news and told him to leave.
And after the servant left, I opened the book I was reading again.
For a long time, the bookshelf did not turn to the next page.
Suddenly, a bird flew to the window of the room where there had been no sound and started chirping. Landel quietly got up and walked to the window, and the startled bird flew away.
Randel opened the window, feeling a little disappointed.
The sky was clear.
Randel’s curly golden hair swayed in the blowing wind.
Landel, who had closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind for a while, opened them slightly.
The sound of birds in a clear sky.
He said he had trouble sleeping because the weather was bad and that he missed the sound of birds.
This is because I remembered the saying that roses will bloom soon.
‘Calian. This time it bit Lennon.’
Randel, who looked out the window for a moment and thought about his younger brother, went outside.
Immediately the attendants followed.
“In the garden.”
A short word was said and one of those following ran to get tools to take care of the plants. Landel passed the lake with unhurried steps and arrived at the garden where roses were planted. The attendant who soon followed gave him garden shears and opened an umbrella to block the sun.
Randel sat quietly, pruning twigs and pulling weeds.
There were no flowers. Since it was already fall, everything had already bloomed and faded.
In Randel’s eyes, he saw a small, weak flower branch growing under the tree. A flower branch that can’t even straighten out because it’s being pressured by other branches.
It was the same branch as Calian from long ago.
Randel, who was staring at the branch, took out a necklace from his sleeve. And closed my eyes.
Then, surprisingly, a soft light flowed from the necklace and reached the small branch. The bent branches straightened and flower buds formed.
Behind it, a small red rose bloomed.
“It still looks good. Just stay like that for a little while longer.”
Randel, who was looking down at the red rose blooming alone, returned to his room.
