Chapter 210, None or Once (2)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

“I haven’t.”

 

When Sleiman was suddenly asked if he had ever hunted snakes, he answered without a moment’s hesitation.

 

“Do you have any intention of trying?”

 

After savoring and swallowing the raw oyster dish he had been enjoying for the first time in a while, Kalian asked once more with a quite satisfied expression, and Sleiman answered just as readily this time as well.

 

“I have no intention to, Your Highness.”

 

“I understand.”

 

It was an answer plain as could be, with a reaction to match.

 

Allan let out a short sigh with a look on his face that said, ‘if your pretty little one smiles prettily and asks if you’ve ever caught a snake, even if you haven’t caught a single earthworm in your entire life, let alone a snake, you would at least say yes unconditionally. If you say no so decisively twice like that, wouldn’t it wound that tender heart of my precious son, who is as pure as crystal?’

 

He was thinking that he should just go himself instead of trying to make use of this useless Siegfried, whose very convictions seemed to be made of muscle, much like his brain.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

Whether he knew Allan’s thoughts or not, Sleiman began speaking this way, then said while meeting those red eyes that seemed to expect an interesting answer.

 

“Siegfried does not hunt. I suppose it would be different if I were to step on a snake that lunges to bite. But, there’s no need to step forward first to hunt things that pose no threat whatsoever, is there?”

 

After that, Sleiman turned from Kalian to look at Allan. It was a look that said, ‘Hey, wasn’t my answer quite impressive?’

 

Allan simply ignored him. He held back from saying ‘You should be grateful I didn’t throw a Fireball at you the very instant you opened your mouth.’

 

Kalian slowly chewed and swallowed his lamb steak topped with mint jelly, then opened his mouth with a leisurely expression.

 

“Siegfried, who holds a sword stronger than anyone’s yet does not usurp, who holds a firm shield only to protect, and who does not even hunt.”

 

And they were strong Guardians of conviction, who had spent five hundred years protecting only Syspanian’s Territory.

 

Kalian truly respected their unwavering convictions. He still had no intention whatsoever of wounding their beliefs. But…

 

“Could it be that because you’ve never hunted before and have never needed to, you’re now ignoring even the bites you’ve already received, Duke Siegfried?”

 

He said this because it seemed that this justified pride of having never hunted snakes and having no intention of trying had somehow crossed a line. Was he not simply watching without even stepping on them to eliminate them, on the grounds that their venom caused no harm?

 

Sleiman looked at Kalian and burst into laughter.

 

Ignoring even Allan’s increasingly fierce gaze, Sleiman laughed for quite a while, then spoke to Kalian, who was quietly waiting for his laughter to end, as if he found it amusing.

 

“When I first met you, you were just a brat spewing sharp fighting spirit in all directions, and when you came again just a few months later, you were this strange person who had somehow filled your body with Aura. You probably don’t know how startled I was when the delicately raised, frail Prince was emitting such chilling killing intent all over the place.”

 

He possessed killing intent intense enough to make Sleiman feel uneasy. It was something impossible to believe could belong to a Prince, who had been so frail that Ian took interest in him. Furthermore, that Prince was using swordsmanship that bore the characteristics of Secritia Knights.

 

“I don’t know exactly who you are, but it’s clear you have a core that is unmistakably Secritia’s, and of all things, you’re giving warnings about snakes. How amusing is that!”

 

Having said this, Sleiman let out another loud laugh. He did not even ask why someone with a Secritia core would want to hunt Debeullan. He just laughed. And only after quite some time passed did he stop laughing.

 

Sleiman wiped away the tears that had formed from laughing so heartily, then continued.

 

“In any case, I understand what you’re saying. Are there Secritia’s birds here?”

 

“Probably, if my memory is correct.”

 

Hadn’t Bern also heard about matters concerning Siegfried? Moreover, in Bern’s memory, the birds that had landed on Siegfried’s land had never once been detected.

 

“There would be the Crown Prince of Secritia’s birds, but there’s also a very high possibility that King Debeullan’s birds are mixed in.”

 

Nothing would be different even now.

 

If Sleiman had caught the birds hiding in his land, whether through Chase or through Ian or Dmirea, it would have been conveyed to Kalian.

 

“Even if you still have no interest in hunting snakes, I would like you to find and catch the birds. Would that also be considered hunting for Siegfried?”

 

This was his last request, made with the intention not to force further if Sleiman said he disliked to ‘hunt snakes’.

 

Sleiman, who seemed to need to think, drank all the wine remaining in his glass, then poured another glass before quietly opening his mouth.

 

“The Lesser Duchess once worried that there were many birds flying up from within the inner fortress.”

 

Kalian also remembered that when he first came to this place, quite many birds had flown up carrying news to inform others about the auspicious phenomenon of brilliant light flowing from Syspanian’s Nest.

 

“Rather than because of Your Highness’s request, since the Lesser Duchess shouldn’t need to worry about matters here anymore, I will try catching these birds at least.”

 

Right now, Sleiman was stating his justification.

 

Whether for himself or for his convictions. He would grant Kalian’s request for the sake of Dmirea, who had decided to help that Prince. It meant that although he had not cared whether there were Secritia spies in his Territory or not, he would step forward once using Dmirea as his reason.

 

“If I happen to see even a snake shed skin while catching birds, I’ll let you know, Your Highness.”

 

That was as far as Siegfried’s help would go.

 

Although he couldn’t help stop Debeullan from reaching out toward Kalian or directly assist Kalian’s plan to catch Debeullan, he would catch and investigate the birds living in Siegfried at the very least. And if in that process someone with a connection to Debeullan was confirmed, he would inform Kalian as well.

 

“I understand, Duke Siegfried.”

 

Kalian nodded obediently, having decided to be satisfied with that degree of help. He had no intention of demanding intervention beyond the line Sleiman had set, unless it were Dmirea he was dealing with.

 

“Then Duke, please go in first. We’ll leave soon as well.”

 

“Yes. I’ll do that. It’s regrettable that I couldn’t have even one sparring match due to the chaos during His Highness’s birthday banquet, and that I can’t even suggest we cross swords this time. Since a sudden meeting continuing too long would bring no benefit, I’ll restrain myself today. If I’d known it would be like this, shouldn’t I have set a date during His Highness’s birthday celebration banquet?”

 

He had nearly died after attacking Taillan, and after that had gone on a hot spring trip amicably with Seri. Therefore, he hadn’t been able to cross swords with Kalian recently. Kalian chuckled at the shamelessness of completely forgetting that and saying he should have set a date.

 

Soon Sleiman emptied all the newly poured wine, then stood up first and left.

 

After briefly watching the massive Duke squeeze through the narrow tavern door to exit, Kalian made a face as if no such serious conversation had taken place and began happily eating raw oysters again.

 

As if just watching such a Kalian was filling enough, Allan, whose face resembled that of Hina or Plants watching Luci eat jerky, asked.

 

“Do you also intend to catch Chase’s birds?”

 

Kalian pointed slightly at his fingers that wore nothing and answered.

 

“No. When I return to the Royal Palace, I’m going to tell him to recall them for now. There’s no need to catch birds that will cause no harm. Well, it’s only that they’ll cause no harm from my perspective, though.”

 

From Rmain’s standpoint, it would make no difference whether they were Chase’s birds or Debeullan’s birds. Whatever they were, they were carrying Cyries’s information out of the Kingdom just the same.

 

Whether it harmed Rmain or not, Allan, who would be far more worried about whether a sharp piece of shell might be in those raw oysters disappearing properly into Kalian’s mouth than about the damage the birds might cause to Rmain, asked one more thing.

 

“If that large Elephant had hunted snakes before or had been interested, what were you originally going to ask?”

 

“I hadn’t thought about it.”

 

Kalian, who had eaten the last raw oyster, answered as he reached for the stew.

 

“He wasn’t going to help me that much from the beginning anyway.”

 

Kalian pushed aside the potato in the stew, then uncannily found and picked up the beef underneath as he continued speaking.

 

“If I asked him to catch birds from the start, it was obvious he wouldn’t even listen. If I try to ask for something bigger than mention something smaller, he’d think that much is nothing.”

 

Wasn’t he someone who hadn’t cared even though so many birds had flown up from his Territory?

 

“Actually, I only learned this after hearing what the Duke said just now, but it seems Dmirea had also been worried whether there were too many  ears in Siegfried Territory. Since the Duke did not act much even at the Lesser Duchess’s concern, there was no way he would immediately grant the request of the Third Prince, who suddenly visited and asked him to catch birds.”

 

That was why he brought up snakes first.

 

After refusing something bigger, one was inclined to grant something smaller.

 

“There’s also that reason. And it was something I said partly to confirm whether his thinking was still the same, and partly to make Duke Siegfried feel that the current situation was not as easy as he thinks. Well, if my thinking is wrong and he had said he’d help right from the start, I would have asked for anything. But as expected, he refuses.”

 

Hearing this, Allan smiled gently and said.

 

“Our Prince, who did you take after to never waste a single word like this?”

 

“I take after my father who uses Magic well.”

 

At the lovely answer that came back immediately with a pretty smile, Allan, who nearly lost one or two of the Circles carefully stacked in his heart, opened his mouth again.

 

“I didn’t hear that well, could you say it once more?”

 

“I take after my father.”

 

“One more time.”

 

“Father.”

 

Since he did not know when he would be able to say it again once they returned to the Royal Palace, Kalian generously kept calling the same words. Like that until he finished eating all the meat he liked and returned to the Royal Palace again, truly like a young son acting spoiled.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Your Highness Deputy Commander. As you said, I was so busy escorting Lord Bern that I couldn’t do a single bit of the work that Your Highness Deputy Commander, being so occupied, couldn’t pay attention to.”

 

Thanks to Kalian, who produced money abundantly when pressed, Arsene kept his full belly, and thanks to Kalian who backed him up solidly, he kept his pride. Because of this crazy blue Mage, Plants finally returned to his room after barely finishing work when midnight was approaching.

 

Arsene’s eyes had been so darkly circled when he said those words that Plants knew he had not lied, even though his words were irritating. So, he could not even be angry and just kept feeling increasingly annoyed.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

Rerik, whom he had told to go back first, was standing in front of Plants’s room at Chermil Palace with an anxious face.

 

“What.”

 

“Well… just a little while ago, um…”

 

The day before, he had eaten well and deliciously with Plants, and even until this evening he had been all smiles, but now his face was as pale as his well-ripened grape-colored hair, whatever had happened, as he trailed off.

 

It was obvious what had happened without even looking.

 

“I got it. Go.”

 

Plants let out a short sigh and conveyed in his own way the message ‘I understand the situation and it’s late, so you go in and rest now,’ then entered the room.

 

A sight that seemed somewhat familiar yet would never truly be familiar appeared.

 

On the terrace lit by magic lanterns instead of thin moonlight, there was one black back of a head and one full-moon-like cat bottom sitting at its feet.

 

*Ha…*

 

[The first one to go down is the one in the wrong, right…]

 

Similar to how Kalian had blamed the one who made beer, Plants simply blamed himself for creating the precedent. And then, he walked first to the desk placed in front of the large bookshelves set up across from the bedroom, took out a ring from the drawer, and went out to the terrace.

 

Not content with sitting brazenly as if it were his own room, Kalian, who had even brought two bottles of carbonated water and was quietly looking down at Luci sitting at his feet eating dried meat, spoke first.

 

“You’re late.”

 

“Says you.”

 

The bubbles in the carbonated water were still rising continuously, which meant Kalian too had not been here for very long.

 

So Plants’s words were both asking whether he came knowing it was this late, and saying that he too had just returned.

 

“It was urgent, and no matter what, there’s some distance, so that’s how it ended up.”

 

Kalian, understanding both of Plants’ meanings perfectly like rice cake, conveyed his answer and extended his hand.

 

Unlike inside the room, stepping onto the terrace where the temperature control Magic’s influence didn’t reach, the hot air was clearly felt. Plants, who had been frowning at the heat of the night without even a breath of wind, put the ring down on the table. Since he said he came because the ring was urgent, he handed that over first.

 

“You probably talked with him more than with me. Have you become closer with Crown Prince Chase now?”

 

“Barking as soon as you arrive.”

 

Plants gave a cursory reply to the words delivered like a joke and took a sip of the carbonated water with green grape flavor, and Kalian smiled pulling up both corners of his lips.

 

It was sweet.

 

It clearly showed that the rude attendant who only thought of his Master, who drinks only sweets, enough to turn one’s stomach, had prepared it.

 

“I found my Master well.”

 

“Right.”

 

It must mean there were no problems, so Plants answered without asking anything else and drank the carbonated water once more. It was too sweet to suit this night, but he just drank it because it was refreshing.

 

Kalian, who had been looking outside for a while from the terrace where not a breath of wind blew, stood up from his seat. He hadn’t come up to have a friendly conversation anyway, and having received what he needed to receive, he was going to go down.

 

Kalian’s eyes turned toward Plants for a moment as he walked toward the terrace railing, carefully avoiding Luci sitting on the floor. Watching that, Plants frowned once more and immediately said.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

[So this time too, just as always. No need for ‘thanks’…]

 

“Yes.”

 

Kalian, who answered briefly instead of saying thank you and smiled slightly, returned to his room. Leaving behind the very sweet carbonated water of which he had taken just one sip.