Chapter 252, So You Won’t Forget (7)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

The smell of the sea.

 

Not fragrant like flowers, not sweet like cake, a thick salt smell without any charm whatsoever.

 

Not because Bern came to mind, not because she wanted to return to Secritia, not because it hurt or was difficult, but really for no reason at all that there were days when she wanted to see the sea.

 

She did not know exactly what it meant to miss something desperately, but there were times when it felt like she needed to fill her bones deep with that salt smell to feel somewhat relieved.

 

Like today, like right now.

 

There were moments when she longed so much for that sea that was not here.

 

“What do you mean by my real master?”

 

“You asked me to tell you who I really am.”

 

“I’ve seen you only three times as of today, Your Highness.”

 

The rainy night at the tavern, when they crossed swords, and today.

 

Kalian nodded and answered after briefly counting those times.

 

“That’s right. ‘I’ also saw you for the third time.”

 

Eila’s eyelashes, which seemed even longer than Kalian’s, lowered slightly and then rose again. She always made that expression when her mind became complicated and tangled.

 

“The more I try to confirm things about you, Your Highness, the more I seem to not know. My face without disguise, my name. How did you know? How did you find the bird shop, how do you know the codes we use, why did you use the name Red Swan? Why was His Highness, the Crown Prince, so eager to know about you? Why did His Highness, the Crown Prince, help you and dismiss White Hawk after coming here? Where did you learn that swordsmanship? What is your real identity? What real master… why do you say such things.”

 

That day,

 

‘If you wanted to live, if you were going to go this far to beg for your life, you shouldn’t have done something worthy of death in front of me!’

 

[Why, how… how does he have such eyes.]

 

“…I don’t understand.”

 

“You don’t understand, but it’s not that you don’t know.”

 

The white fingers that had been placed on her legs with fingers interlaced drew a round arc on the back of her opposite hand.

 

She had shown her smile freely just moments ago, and there would be no problem if she smiled broadly right now, but Kalian erased all traces of laughter from his face.

 

“When you realized that I was calling for you, you came thinking I would help you. You came believing I would protect you from the other birds of Secritia chasing you, from the King of Secritia, even though you knew full well that I had already put you on the scaffold.”

 

Before today, he had only seen her twice.

 

They had fought, and he had arrested her without overlooking Eila’s wrongdoing. He had put her on the scaffold.

 

“I want to ask how you believed in me this time and came all the way to this Royal Palace, Eila. Why did you come looking for someone who obviously would not overlook anything and would arrest you again immediately.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“If it were me, I would absolutely never come here. Not unless I was certain about something regarding me.”

 

Whether she would come here or not, there was a mere fifty-fifty chance.

 

“If you had guessed many things about me, you would come, and if not, I thought you absolutely would not come. And if you did not come, I was going to devise another method to catch you. No matter what it took, I would catch you again, obtain the necessary information, and this time, properly put you on the scaffold.”

 

If she was in the right mind, she would not have entered the Royal Palace of Cyries.

 

“But you came. And right away, as if you’d been waiting. No matter how cornered you were to the very last, I don’t think you would have come to end your life on a Renisita Leaf. Nevertheless, if you came, it can only mean you already roughly know who I am.”

 

The moment Eila appeared on the terrace, he could tell. Right now, Eila had not come without knowing who Kalian was, but because she had already been certain.

 

“Eila. Did you really come without knowing about me?”

 

Eila’s eyes looked at Kalian.

 

Kalian met those eyes.

 

After a considerable time passed without taking her eyes away, Eila opened her mouth.

 

“Who… who really are you?”

 

Kalian laughed.

 

The blue hair, those water-colored eyes. He laughed because that appearance he alone remembered seemed just like the sea.

 

“Stop forgetting already.”

 

[Everyone had forgotten so well. It is annoying to death to explain every time.]

 

“I’m your master, as I said.”

 

[Eila.]

 

* * *

 

Nidlen bowed her head.

 

Her hair, resembling the petals of Aldinia flowers, tumbled down together.

 

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

 

Looking down at the back of Nidlen’s head, Plants asked in a voice without inflection.

 

“Why are you apologizing?”

 

“For preventing you from going in at this hour, and also… for making such a request of you, Your Highness.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

After giving only a brief response, Plants took the large sheet of paper Nidlen was holding. Nidlen had done nothing wrong. If examined closely, not just Nidlen but no one had done anything wrong.

 

‘I thought this was something you should know first, no matter what. If it makes you uncomfortable even a little, please tell me without hiding it. I will cancel it immediately.’

 

That morning, Rmain had called Randel and Plants separately and said this.

 

‘I would like to ask if it would be acceptable to expand Wilhelm Hall to where the current Heisia Palace stands, and move Heisia Palace next to Camilia Palace.’

 

He was asking the two Princes for their thoughts on whether it would be acceptable to move Heisia Palace, whose reconstruction had been postponed for a while due to the discovery of Syspanian’s lair, to be positioned side by side next to Camilia Palace where the King resided.

 

This was because there was an opinion about closing the entrance to Syspanian’s lair in the Heisia Palace, the empty space closest to Wilhelm Hall, so that only some permitted people could enter and exit, and building an additional structure for Valkan.

 

Of course, this was Kalian’s suggestion. Throughout all of Cyries, Kalian was the only person who could actually bring up such content.

 

‘Understood.’

 

Randel showed no particular reaction to it.

 

Instead of mentioning whether it was good or bad, he said he understood. It meant he did not care where Heisia was built.

 

In fact, what Rmain was most worried about was Plants rather than Randel. The only ones with memories of actually living in Heisia Palace, and going to visit and meeting his mother there, were Plants and Rmain.

 

‘I have no objection.’

 

Plants also gave an answer that excluded content about whether it was good or bad.

 

‘Alright, understood.’

 

Instead of adding unnecessary words, Rmain only said this and approved proceeding with the Wilhelm Hall expansion.

 

“I was originally going to speak with Deputy Commander Hertz, but he hasn’t come.”

 

“I know.”

 

Thanks to that, they had to make rough plans for what to build on Heisia Palace’s old site, and Nidlen, who was put in charge of that work, had tried to get Arsene’s advice. No matter how much of a Mage she was, she had some semblance of common sense.  How could she possibly ask Plants for his opinion on that?

 

“It’s fine, so stop apologizing.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Unable to bear watching her waiting day and night for Arsene to return, Plants had stepped forward first and started helping Nidlen. It was because he thought he should just quickly help and let her go home, since she was insisting on doing today what could be done tomorrow.

 

So, from the evening when everyone had left until late at night, they worked together planning what to build here and there around the Heisia Palace. After that, they came together to the location where Heisia Palace had stood to get final confirmation on whether it would be acceptable to write a report according to the plan they had conceived.

 

“But Your Highness. You do know who I am, right?”

 

Hearing Plants continuously call her ‘Mage,’ Nidlen asked this. She knew it was a greatly discourteous question to ask Royalty who could live their whole lives without needing to memorize anyone’s name, but she asked because she felt she had become somewhat friendly with Plants.

 

“The Mage Division Commander who had her chicken stolen by Luci and ate salted food.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

She had just been curious whether Plants knew her name, but unexpectedly he had not forgotten that incident, so she did not know whether to be grateful or feel bitter that the memory had been so strongly retained.

 

Glancing at Nidlen, who had become awkward-faced because of this, Plants added.

 

“Nidlen Jelia.”

 

“Ah. Right. Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

Nidlen nodded with a smile.

 

It was because she thought that the Prince, who had a bad personality, was sensitive, spoke curtly, picked only deadly difficult training exercises to assign, and was only kind to cats, was unexpectedly not such a difficult person to deal with.

 

Without answering, Plants turned his eyes toward the empty lot.

 

As that gaze continued to remain in one place, Nidlen looked quietly in that direction and carefully opened his mouth.

 

“That’s where the garden was.”

 

Rather than a garden, it had been a greenhouse.

 

In the middle of Heisia Palace’s garden. It was where Sillike’s greenhouse had stood.

 

It had been dismantled and disappeared immediately after the sentence on Sillike was executed, so Nidlen, who had entered Valkan after that, would not have seen it even from outside the Palace.

 

After thinking about that greenhouse for a moment, Plants turned around.

 

It was to return, as there was nothing more to do.

 

“The fragrance was really wonderful.”

 

A pause.

 

“They called them Reunieri, and I heard they were precious flowers. They had been planted in that spot, and many were damaged when the palace collapsed, so they had to be pulled out when clearing the debris, but even in the midst of that, one bloom flowered.”

 

“…Had been planted.”

 

“Yes. Quite a number had been planted there. The scent was so good that I still remember it.”

 

The place where Sillike’s greenhouse had stood.

 

Sillike had not planted Reunieri in the greenhouse floor. She had raised them in numerous flowerpots. Moreover, when he had last visited that greenhouse, the greenhouse had been empty. There had been no Reunieri.

 

The stopped feet did not move for quite some time.

 

After looking down at the ground while standing still, Plants only nodded his head and then moved his feet.

 

At that time.

 

Plants also knew that no one had released an Arunesia for Sillike.

 

He had never once felt that was regrettable.

 

Because he knew Sillike would not have wanted an Arunesia.

 

“…Crazy bastard.”

 

Plants let out a short sigh, only now learning that there had been one person who had properly seen off a life he had eliminated with his own hands, as he pleased.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

He had planted Reunieri.

 

Even though he still smelled Reunieri fragrance in coffee.

 

* * *

 

A black mother-of-pearl carriage.

 

Having loaded a person in black clothes into that carriage, which would be safest outside the Royal Palace, Kalian said.

 

“Anyway, the only people who know your face are the King of Secritia, His Highness the Crown Prince, or me. And if you carelessly use Magic at that house, it’ll be a big problem, so don’t disguise yourself for the time being. Don’t go outside either, and stay quietly inside until I call for you again.”

 

As if he had finished what he had to say. Eila asked Kalian, who was about to close the door of the black carriage that would take her to the best place to hide someone outside the Royal Palace.

 

“Whose house is it?”

 

“You’ll know when you get there. The kid singing in front of the door will tell you.”

 

Kalian replied like this and closed the carriage door.

 

Soon the carriage began to move with the sound of *clop clop*.

 

“Don’t be surprised.”

 

Around the time the carriage was leaving the palace gate, Kalian, who playfully added this, burst into quiet laughter.

 

“Welcome to the home of the ArchMage, Allan Manasil!”

 

It was because he thought of that quite cheerful flower-shaped statue.

 

As the carriage left the Royal Palace, he felt the Mana wrapping around the entire palace. The Security Magic that no longer needed to be stopped had resumed operation.

 

Kalian, who had personally escorted Eila on her way out of the palace in case she was caught by the palace Knights, smiled thinking of Allan, who must have struggled quite a bit to stop the Security Magic.

 

Walking back to Chermil Palace like that, he stopped briefly at the building entrance. Then he changed direction and walked toward the lakeside.

 

“What are you doing instead of going in? It’s late.”

 

It was because he saw a duckweed-like ponytail acting pitiful while looking at the lake full of white moonlight in the middle of the night.

 

“You.”

 

“Why did you wait for me?”

 

Standing at some distance from Plants, there was no answer as he stared at the rippling lake water for quite a while. Knowing that once he started thinking, he would not care whether anyone was beside him or not and would be absorbed in his own world anyway, Kalian just quietly waited for the next words to come.

 

“The cat’s name.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

It seemed he had finally decided on the cat’s name.

 

Kalian smiled slightly, feeling a bit regretful that he would no longer be able to call it Butterfly or Apple.

 

Plants turned his head to look at Kalian.

 

“What do you say when you mean you’ll remember?”

 

“Do you mean in the old language of Secritia?”

 

“Since Luci is the same.”

 

It meant that since Luci’s name was also made in the old language of Secritia, he would name the kitten the same way. Kalian answered with a peculiar smile.

 

“Anne.”

 

As in Arunesia, a flower that comforts those who have departed with the promise not to forget.

 

As if recalling that for a moment, Plants looked at the lake again.

 

“I’ll go with that.”

 

Not Butterfly, not Apple.

 

Whether he knew or not that it was a name given with the meaning of not forgetting what he was being taught to live well and taking good care of the cat.

 

Kalian nodded.

 

“When are you going to tell me what my name means?”

 

“When you’re bigger, older brother.”

 

Kalian, who answered with a beaming smile, pointed toward Chermil Palace.

 

It meant that since it was cold, his delicate older brother should hurry inside.

 

Unaware that Plants was suddenly falling into deep contemplation, having thought the terrible thought of whether his name meant ‘pea’.