Chapter 128, If Such a Day Comes (7)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

[It must be Kalian.] Rmain thought so. The mastermind who destroyed Heisia Palace was definitely Kalian.

 

He had heard many times about what kind of person Arsene was, but he knew that Arsene would not commit such a tremendous act alone. Although Rmain was someone who thought too much while lacking perception, he was not so clueless as to overlook something like this.

 

“What do we do?”

 

[It was a building with a long history, yet it had disappeared in an instant. He wouldn’t have done it without any thought. The problem is that I can’t understand the reason at all.]

 

Rmain, holding his forehead, let out a deep sigh and said.

 

“Let’s try talking about something.”

 

It was directed at Allan, who was sitting across from him.

 

As always, Allan, who was eating apple jelly with an expression that said, ‘this isn’t my concern’, as he opened his mouth.

 

“How much should I tell you?”

 

“The truth as is. Not the ridiculous excuse that Arsene Hertz made, that Valkan made a mistake during training. I want the real reason. That’s what I want to hear.”

 

Allan put down the fork in his hand on the table and looked at Rmain.

 

“If we examine the facts, it would be Your Majesty who destroyed it himself.”

 

“How is that so?”

 

“Isn’t Heisia a tower built up by Your Majesty’s mistakes and wrongs? Since it grew too tall and its shadow would not disappear, Prince Kalian just refreshingly got rid of it.”

 

Kalian had said so.

 

Whoever lived there before, whoever built it, or however old it was. What did any of that matter?

 

It was not because he had met the living Syspanian rather than the legend. It was not because he had the Prince of Secritia inside of him, who had no interest in Cyries’ history.

 

To him, there was one simple truth, ‘should the names of the dead block the path of the living? So, what did it matter that something like Heisia Palace was gone?’

 

Kalian, who had buried another dead person’s name within himself, had said so.

 

“The wrong Your Majesty committed was so great that there’s absolutely no way to set it right without losing anything. If you want to make a path, you must first destroy what’s blocking it.”

 

Rmain did not make any excuses.

 

He just closed his eyes, leaned back against the sofa, and nodded, while Allan conveyed exactly what Kalian had explained.

 

He also conveyed the plan to combine Valkan with that of the Knight Orders. He told him that half would go to Arsene and the other half to Plants. Hearing this, Rmain briefly opened his eyes.

 

“Why Lord Hertz? If half goes to Plants, shouldn’t the other half belong to Kalian?”

 

Even though Allan was the Commander of Valkan and Allan was Kalian’s person, was this not a slight bit strange?

 

“Would it matter?”

 

Allan’s answer came immediately.

 

It was Kalian’s answer rather than Allan’s words. Allan had asked the same thing.

 

Kalian was one who commanded others.

 

Though he had not put his name anywhere, was Kalian not the one commanding Valkan, the Magic Academy, Pollun Trader’s Guild, Hwiteurin Territory, and even the Knight Order that Aizen would soon create? Were those who commanded them all Kalian’s people?

 

Ironically, thinking of Kalian who only put his name on the collar of a cat that would not follow him, Allan answered so.

 

“Well… I understand.”

 

Anyway, since the greatest responsibility for that Palace being destroyed was his own, Rmain had nothing more to say.

 

“But you must still impose punishment.”

 

When Rmain just answered that he understood without saying anything, Allan said this.

 

Come to think of it, Allan was quite sensitive about rewards and punishments. Even in this matter, he was stepping forward to tell the King to impose punishment, worried it might be glossed over. It was the same when he scolded Rmain every time he saw him making a mistake.

 

Anyway, Rmain knew it was not something that could be quietly overlooked, so he nodded and said.

 

“We must do so.”

 

“Lord Hertz said to deduct the Palace reconstruction costs from his own salary, so you might want to consider that.”

 

Allan, who said this, ate another jelly.

 

He did not seem too worried about his subordinate’s salary, because he knew that Arsene had said the same thing when he had previously destroyed Gray’s carriage.

 

In the end, was it not Kalian who paid for that carriage?

 

Well, to be precise, Kalian had picked up the money that Sillike had given to Knight Tayle to kill Arsene. He merely returned it to Sillike, saying it was for Gray’s carriage. So ultimately it was Sillike who paid for the carriage, but it was true that Kalian had originally planned to pay for it until he got such a windfall.

 

And this was something Rmain also knew about.

 

Therefore, Rmain called Grand Chamberlain, Raul, with a slightly smiling face and said.

 

“Reduce Deputy Commander Hertz’s salary to 1 fiorin until the reconstruction of Heisia Palace is complete. Furthermore, no support funds will be provided to Prince Kalian until the reconstruction is finished.”

 

Allan smiled.

 

It was truly punishment, for show.

 

The diligent Guild Master Melpir was making good profits not only from Pollun Trader’s Guild but also from the Magic Academy. The same was true for Hwiteurin Territory. Therefore, even if the support funds disappeared, and an amount equivalent to twice Arsene’s original salary was taken out every month, Kalian’s treasury would remain intact.

 

Allan, who lifted his tea with a rich fruit aroma, opened his mouth.

 

“I wonder if the Prince will even know that the support funds are gone?”

 

Then, he made a slurping sound as he took a sip of the warm tea.

 

[What an annoying mouth.] Rmain knew very well that Kalian’s treasury was incomparably more abundant than his own.

 

Then he suddenly remembered that Sleiman, who had gone to the hot springs, had gone to Siegfried Territory without stopping by the Royal Palace.

 

“Ah.”

 

He finally remembered the money Sleiman had borrowed.

 

* * *

 

Bern.

 

In front of others, they were the King and his Escort Knight, and when the Royal Family gathered, they were the King and the Prince. And when they were alone, they were older and younger brothers.

 

‘Still, I’m glad there’s at least one thing I do better than you, older brother.’

 

In private, he always used comfortable titles like this when speaking. And he always humbled himself like this. Saying that except for wielding a sword, he was not better than Chase at anything.

 

‘I don’t know what you’re worse than me at.’

 

When Chase heard such talk, he always answered like this. Since he could do everything the same as Chase, but he also handled a sword, was Bern not actually better?

 

It was not a lie.

 

Of course, Bern had never acknowledged this fact even once. Chase also knew that he had never once thought of Chase that way.

 

[In many ways, my little brother is better than me.]

 

Bern was good at making distinctions.

 

He knew exactly where words were needed, where swords were needed, where tolerance was needed. He would win people over, cast them aside, and make them his own.

 

He was excellent at dealing with and commanding people.

 

Therefore, Debeullan had wanted to give the throne to Bern. For a King, there was no ability more important than gathering people well and using them properly.

 

Bern used that ability to help Chase, who became King, instead of becoming King himself.

 

“You’re still the same as ever.”

 

Chase, who had been briefly recalling memories, quietly opened his mouth.

 

As soon as he heard the general details from Allan, he could tell what Kalian had been thinking. Bern had once committed a similar act in Secritia. Kalian still made good distinctions, did not hesitate, and commanded his people well.

 

Chase briefly frowned as he recalled the name of one Mage who was most deeply involved in this incident.

 

Arsene Hertz.

 

The Mage of Valkan, who fought right in front of the Knight who used ice spears and shattered swords. And now the genius Mage who had become Prince Kalian’s person.

 

“Do you… have no boundaries even when it comes to accepting rather than abandoning?”

 

He naturally remembered how miserable Bern’s end had been. Even if it was not something he had directly experienced, even if by chance it had been just a nightmare, he would never forget that tragedy.

 

Thinking of this brought back the bitterly cold final memories he had experienced himself.

 

Chase, thinking that he definitely should not tell anyone about that matter, stroked his chest and briefly laughed.

 

Certainly, Bern, and Kalian, were better than Chase.

 

* * *

 

The army of Mages that everyone had ridiculed.

 

Look how strong they had become.

 

They seemed to be declaring who they were now.

 

They were Valkan!

 

Rmain had not announced to the outside world that Syspanian’s great protective barrier installed in Heisia Palace had been destroyed. It was because he planned to restore it and there would be nothing good about revealing security problems.

 

Therefore, the rumors became even more inflated.

 

It was just one attack.

 

It was not even High-Circle Magic. Among the students at the Magic Academy, very few could not create fireballs.

 

They had just gathered such Fireballs and fired them just once. And with that attack, Heisia Palace, which was ‘protected by Magic,’ collapsed. It took less than a minute for about fifty Fireballs to turn a Palace into a pile of rubble.

 

Kalian, sitting on the sofa with a leisurely expression, smiled long and muttered.

 

“To become famous like this.”

 

Of course, it was not Kalian who became famous, but Valkan and Rmain. With this, Rmain’s neck was also becoming a bit more secure.

 

However, the timing of such rumors was quite peculiar. In the midst of the noise about the engagement rumors with Dmirea, Valkan’s name had come up. As a result, people who were reminded of the relationship between Valkan’s Commander Allan Manasil and his Disciple Kalian naturally began to mention Kalian and Valkan together.

 

Ian muttered complaints about what Rmain could possibly be thinking to say that our flower-like Prince and his younger sister were engaged. Since he did not seem to feel sorry for Dmirea, Kalian just smiled with a troubled expression.

 

“They say the Prince’s support funds have been cut off.”

 

Ian, who meticulously informed him of what had happened outside the Royal Palace in a day, conveyed what had been delivered by the Grand Chamberlain, Raul, the night before.

 

“Support funds?”

 

Saying this and nodding appropriately, Kalian opened his mouth.

 

“From this month, I’ll take care of Lord Hertz’s salary directly. Double his original salary.”

 

“Understood. But will you also contribute to the Heisia Palace reconstruction costs?”

 

“I was thinking about it, but I won’t. Since it’s time to form a Knight Order with Count Aprin, I need to save money for now.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

“Then let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

 

Kalian, who had received all the reports and given all the instructions, said this and got up from his seat. Then he walked toward the terrace, lightly jumped up stepping on the terrace railing, and disappeared.

 

‘I’ll eat meals on the 4th floor from today. I’ll come and go by myself, so bring it to the 4th floor. Don’t forget to hide it well so the Escort Knights don’t see.’

 

Since he had already told Ian this, Ian just let out a short sigh instead of being surprised.

 

[What good was it to block the Prince’s door when the window is still open!?]

 

* * *

 

‘What’s this?’

 

‘Bread.’

 

‘I’m asking what you’re doing.’

 

‘Aren’t you saying let’s eat?’

 

‘Why are you doing this?’

 

‘You said you wanted to live. So live. I’ll let you live.’