Chapter 13.5, Year 960 of Chronicle of Truth, The First Month of Yellow-Green Field Season (5/5)

Translator: Lizz

 

“You’re kidding me…”

 

Zechs let out in a raspy voice, and Aster snorted as if trying to vent his frustration.

 

“I wish that were true too.”

 

But Zechs instinctively knew that it was indeed the truth. When he first met Aster, the reason he noticed his dignity was likely because he was a member of the royal family.

 

“Does everyone know about that?”

 

“Lord Lambert and the Professors should have been informed. The other mages haven’t been told, but since it’s usually easy to tell who comes from a noble background, I think some have probably guessed about me too.”

 

“What about the rest of the platoon?”

 

“The Commander must have noticed. She’s a sharp person, after all. And I’d bet a few others have picked up on it as well. You naturally interact a lot with the same platoon members, so connections form. Rigitte and Fio have likely figured it out too.”

 

The names mentioned were all sharp-minded individuals, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had noticed. However, none of them had ever let on that they knew. Their behavior wasn’t what one would expect toward a member of the royal family… No, in the end, being part of the Iron Fortress meant being ‘Aster Hart’, an ordinary young man, not the Third Prince of Lavarta.

 

“I can understand why the King couldn’t accept that his son has a guiding vein. But why would the Queen try to kill her own son?”

 

“My mother isn’t the Queen. She is a Concubine. Though she is of noble birth and publicly acknowledged as the King’s favored Consort, she is still just a Concubine. Unlike the official Queen, my brothers’ mother, once the King lost interest in her, that was the end of everything. She has no position left to hold.”

 

Concubines and the like, such statuses were only permitted for those of noble rank or higher. For Zechs, a commoner through and through, this was a world beyond his imagination.

 

“When she gave birth to me, my mother fell out of the King’s favor. She is still allowed to live in the castle, but the room she was granted is deep within its halls, where no one bothers to look. Back when she was deeply loved, nobles would flock to her, eager to please. But now? She resents me for taking everything away from her.”

 

“So she’ll kill her own son?”

 

“Yes. Not just out of hatred. She might even believe that if I were gone, she could win his love again.”

 

“Would the King not stop her? Does he even know that his Concubine is doing this?”

 

Zechs asked, but Aster only shrugged. His face bore that familiar smirk he sometimes showed.

 

“To the King, I might as well not exist. If someone who doesn’t exist suffers, or if his Concubine does something to someone who doesn’t exist, what does it matter?”

 

Aster spoke in an indifferent tone, and Zechs could only shake his head weakly. He couldn’t comprehend it. But in that moment, he vaguely realized something – perhaps this was why Aster had shown kindness to him, a Seldian, from the very beginning. To the Lavarta royal family, Seldians, too, were as good as nonexistent.

 

“I always thought a day like this might come.”

 

Aster’s voice was calm, but Zechs could still sense the unease beneath it. When he learned that the attack had been orchestrated by his own mother, he had, for once, shown real emotion. Even if he had anticipated it, the shock of it becoming reality was immeasurable.

 

“She will likely never give up.”

 

Lance, who had been listening so quietly he was almost forgotten, spoke in a hushed voice.

 

“Once she has decided on something, she will see it through to the end.”

 

Aster bit his lip and nodded slightly, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

 

“Right, Zechs. This is Lance. He was originally a guard assigned to the Third Prince, a lunatic who still follows the Prince even after it was discovered that the Prince has a guiding vein.”

 

“Your Highness.”

 

Lance, addressed in a teasing tone by his master, responded by calling him by his formal title in mild reproach.

 

“Lance, this is Zechs.”

 

At Aster’s introduction, Lance turned directly to Zechs and gave a slight nod, as if to say he had already been well aware.

 

“I have heard that you are an exceptionally skilled mage, Sir Zechs.”

 

Zechs, who had never been addressed with an honorific nor praised by anyone outside of his fellow mages, had no idea how to react to a knight showing him such respect. He faltered, unable to find the right words.

 

“And once again, I offer my gratitude for today.”

 

“No, I didn’t do anything useful at all.”

 

Zechs shook his head, not out of modesty but genuine belief. The truth was that Aster and Lance had been the ones to drive off the attackers. However, Aster firmly rejected that notion.

 

“That’s not true. If I had been alone, I would have taken the first strike head-on. Because you noticed, I was able to fight back.”

 

Lance nodded deeply in agreement with his master.

 

“…Your Highness, from now on, it would be best to avoid going into town after sunset. The Iron Fortress is not necessarily safe, but at least the movement of outsiders is somewhat restricted.”

 

Aster looked clearly dissatisfied, but he understood the logic behind it. With a reluctant hmph, he gave his agreement.

 

“Sir Zechs.”

 

Lance turned his gaze back to Zechs and bowed deeply.

 

“Please take care of His Highness. I cannot always be there in time.”

 

Zechs had never imagined a day when someone would bow to him. Surprised, he nodded.

 

“Aster is my friend. When a friend is in danger, you help them.”

 

After saying that, a sudden worry crept in.

 

“Speaking so casually to a prince, does that count as disrespect? Should I not be addressing him so informally? Should I be calling him Lord Astoria instead?”

 

Zechs had asked in all seriousness, but Aster burst into laughter. It wasn’t the unsettling, manic laughter he sometimes displayed; this was bright and carefree.

 

“Listen, Zechs. If you ever start treating me formally or calling me by my royal title, we’re done!”

 

That unguarded smile made Zechs grin in return, silently reaffirming their unchanging friendship.

 

In the year 960 of Chronicle of Truth, as early spring arrived in Rhiannon during the second month of the Yellow-Green Field season, the northern regions were just beginning to thaw. It was then that an event occurred, one that would determine the fate of the already unstable north.

 

The residents of Cadenza, including the Seldians, rose in armed rebellion and invaded the Andrus territory. Lavarta officially declared those who had taken up arms in Cadenza as rebels against the state and announced a full-scale suppression effort.