Chapter 101, This Time (3)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

Kalian sneered as he lowered his hand holding the note.

 

“Should I express my gratitude?”

 

He learned that Chase remembered Bern. Despite this, all he could say was ‘I’m truly glad’.

 

Not even a moment could be lost.

 

Was there not someone constantly keeping Kalian in check right now? As if holding him back from floundering in thoughts about Chase and events of the past.

 

Kalian realised Randel’s words had directly struck him and reminded him.

 

That he was now the Third Prince of Cyries.

 

That he was no longer the carefree Prince Bern who only needed to protect his older brother, that he should get his mind straight. If not, he would be immediately pushed aside by him.

 

“You tell me not to worry, yet you show such concern… I can only express my deepest gratitude.”

 

So, Kalian offered a sigh mixed with sarcasm to his empty room where no one could hear. After standing idly in the middle of the room for a while, he was finally able to postpone his feelings about Chase a bit longer.

 

Having barely returned to his complete self, Kalian read the note in his hand once more.

 

‘Malcom Chetish’ was not among the Priests who entered Cyriesus.

 

When he returned to his room, a magic tome delivered by Melpir Pollun had arrived. It was something Kalian had not ordered. Instead of sending it back, he opened the second book with familiar movements and found Euria’s note hidden inside.

 

This was the method Euria used when she had something to relay to Kalian through Melpir.

 

He had told her there was no need to do this, since she could just send someone to inform him. However, Euria seemed quite immersed in her role as an informant. As a result, Kalian’s bookshelf was filling up with magic tomes that held no meaning to him.

 

Anyway, the note’s contents were an answer to what Kalian had asked Euria to find out the previous day.

 

It was about the Priest whom Kalian had saved in Latran Territory, who had made Gray Beurisen’s Dantian irreparable. Since Malcom was the only Priest he knew, he wanted to meet him, but the note said he was not with the current envoy group.

 

But Tansyll had said they would send thirty Priests, including those who had been returned. They had clearly stated so.

 

Kalian muttered to himself as he sat on the sofa.

 

“Something is off. I don’t even know if all the other Priests except Malcom entered or not.”

 

Soon, Kalian tilted his head awkwardly and tapped his knee while sinking into thought.

 

After some time had passed, Ian entered and placed a cup of tea brewed with dried strawberries and mint. After looking at Kalian’s face for a moment, he spoke.

 

“Lord Manasil hasn’t come to the banquet hall. Would you like me to bring him here? You seem to have had many concerns all day.”

 

Since Kalian did not manage his expressions separately in front of Ian, Ian must have been worried for two days without even being able to ask what was wrong.

 

Come to think of it, when he was ‘outside,’ he generally consulted with Ian, but after completing his coming-of-age ceremony and returning to the Royal Palace, he had not told Ian much. Thinking that Ian might have felt neglected, Kalian pointed to the seat across from him.

 

“Ian. Sit down for a moment. I’ll tell you.”

 

Ian sat down across from him, his face brightening.

 

“Listen to what I have to say.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

“Tansyll sent thirty Priests. I think the older brother Randel is involved somehow.”

 

“There must be a purpose, but for now, there’s a separate pretext. Older brother seems to have called Gray too, but Gray can’t come because he’s mindful of your father. And older brother suddenly asked me about Lannen Beurisen’s whereabouts today. I think older brother is plotting something to do with the Priests. It’s strange that he asked me to tell him where Lannen Beurisen is. Especially on a day like this.”

 

“So this is what I think. Actually, he initially tried to call Count Beurisen to divert my attention. But when the Count couldn’t come, he hastily threw out another bait. To keep me from paying attention to the Priests. So my question is this. Why did the Priests come in the first place?”

 

Ian stared at Kalian blankly before saying:

 

“…Hmm.”

 

The Baby Elephant does not seem to understand.

 

Since Kalian had not expected any particular answer anyway, he nodded with a small smile. This was Kalian’s problem after all.

 

But Ian, who had been sitting quietly and continuing to look at Kalian, said.

 

“They couldn’t possibly send as many as thirty.”

 

Ian had not failed to understand.

 

Moreover, Ian’s answer touched on something more fundamental.

 

“What do you mean they couldn’t send that many?”

 

“Wasn’t there a disease that spread in Cyries this spring?”

 

What Ian just said was a fact well known to Kalian. Hadn’t Kalian sent quite a lot of aid money when one of the Knight Families following him suffered from the epidemic?

 

Thinking about this, Kalian slightly raised his head.

 

It was because something suddenly came to mind.

 

Kalian finally opened his mouth with a slightly relaxed face, as if talking to himself.

 

“If there was flood damage, of course disease would have spread.”

 

Wet food rots quickly.

 

Wet roofs and wet wooden walls also get moldy and eventually rot.

 

As days get progressively warmer, epidemics that arise in such hostile environments do not easily subside. Even in normal conditions, when the weather warms up, epidemics occur, let alone after an entire kingdom has been submerged in water.

 

“They desperately need Priests, yet they have sent thirty of them here. This is a country already struggling with a shortage of Divine Artifacts, and they send as many as thirty… Sending thirty Priests to celebrate a neighboring King’s birthday while their own people are dying is truly something that couldn’t be done unless one were insane.”

 

“Yes. That’s right.”

 

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

 

This time, Kalian’s thinking had been short-sighted.

 

“They might not be real Priests.”

 

If all or some except those needed for appearances were fake Priests, it would make sense why Malcom was not there.

 

“Then, why did they send fake Priests?”

 

Kalian asked Ian again, who seemed to have used all his lifetime’s intelligence just now. In response, Ian looked as if wondering why Kalian was asking him such a question and answered:

 

“I don’t know either.”

 

“Ah… I see.”

 

[Did you just use up all your lifetime worth of intelligence just now?]

 

* * *

 

Aizen Aprin, who had gifted Kalian rye cookies, was a Count but wasn’t actually well-known to many. In fact, most heads of Knight Families who had not joined hands with the Beurisen Marquis Family were like that.

 

‘What should I do about this?’

 

So Aizen was now looking around with a somewhat embarrassed face. He had attended the tea time for Provincial Nobles, but there were no Nobles around with whom he was acquainted with.

 

Of course, it was not because he was embarrassed about not having anyone to talk to during the tea time. It was because there was no one appropriate to ask about what he now wanted to know.

 

[Does anyone know why the Third Prince isn’t coming?]

 

A question like this.

 

At first, he thought the Third Prince might be a little late.

 

But when the other two Princes and King Rmain entered, and Kalian still had not arrived, he felt greatly perplexed. Seeing Rmain occasionally praising Kalian, it did not seem like Kalian was absent due to anything bad like falling out of Rmain’s favor.

 

So, he could not help but worry if something might have happened to Kalian.

 

As he kept glancing at the door and was about to leave after finishing the tea time, a servant approached him. Then, with a passing step, he delivered a very brief message and immediately moved away.

 

“Leave last.”

 

As soon as Aizen heard those words, he untied his shoe lace.

 

The servant’s words must have been a message from Kalian.

 

A servant who had come with him tried to quickly tie the untied shoelace, but Aizen refused and told him to go out of the banquet hall first.

 

While focused on tying his shoelace while bent over, along with footsteps, someone’s voice followed.

 

“What’s this?”

 

Aizen’s head jerked.

 

That low voice sounding as if speaking loftily alone under the sky.

 

It was not Kalian’s.

 

Aizen stood up in surprise. Plants was standing in front of him with an expression that suggested he could die right now without regret, just as he had heard.

 

[Of all people, it just had to be Prince Plants.]

 

While waiting for Kalian, he encountered Plants. Of all people, the very Second Prince who had betrayed Kalian, who had also saved him.

 

Unable to mention that he was waiting for Prince Kalian, Aizen gave an appropriate response.

 

“I’m not accustomed to tying my shoelaces, so I was delayed, Your Highness.”

 

Hearing those words, one corner of Plants’ mouth twisted upward.

 

Without even bowing his head, Plants looked down at Aizen’s shoes, then directly into Aizen’s eyes again.

 

“Stop the nonsense.”

 

Seeing this, Aizen was once again a bit surprised.

 

It was not because of his uncouth manner of speaking. It was because until just a moment ago, he had an expression suggesting he had no lingering attachments to anything in the world, but now his eyes had become like those of a wolf before a hunt. And that gaze was looking at Aizen.

 

Plants’ voice pierced Aizen’s ears again.

 

“My little brother. Why are you looking for him?”

 

Aizen was not a dull person either.

 

Therefore, at that moment, Aizen realized several things.

 

That the message delivered by the servant earlier was not from Kalian but from Plants. And that Plants had accurately noticed that he was looking for Kalian.

 

And perhaps.

 

That Kalian and Plants might not be in a hostile relationship.

 

Anyway, as Aizen, deep in thought, continued to refrain from speaking, Plants spoke again with a languid face.

 

“You don’t trust me.”

 

The Prince Plants was said to speak without introducing or concluding his thoughts, and that was exactly right.

 

Just now, Plants neither explained how he knew Aizen was looking for Kalian nor what his relationship with Kalian actually was, but simply asked why Aizen was looking for Kalian and then criticized him for not trusting him.

 

Where else in the world could one find such unpleasant eloquence?

 

Before Aizen could adapt to the encounter with Plants, who was completely different from Kalian with his gentle charisma, Plants continued speaking without waiting.

 

“There’s a crazy Mage in Valkan who likes to fight. It would be good if you could compete with him tomorrow.”

 

And then, as if there was nothing more to see, he moved his feet toward the banquet hall door and left his final words.

 

“Especially since my little brother said he would come to watch tomorrow.”

 

Originally, there was a scheduled event with the envoys tomorrow.

 

There was no way Kalian would attend that schedule. Since Rmain, now conscious of the Sword Master Taillan, who accompanies Chase, would surely exclude Kalian’s attendance.

 

So Plants had arranged this meeting, thinking that Kalian and Aizen could meet then.

 

Finally understanding Plants’ intention, Aizen bowed his head to the departing Second Prince.

 

“Thank you very much, Prince Plants.”

 

Of course, Plants was not the type to respond to such things.

 

* * *

 

There was a very brief moment until dinner.

 

Because of this, Plants returned to Chermil Palace with a tired face.

 

Since there was a meeting of attendants about the schedule after tomorrow, Plants had sent Rerik instead and left for his room. There, he saw a silver-haired maid lingering in front of the door.

 

Hearing footsteps, Hina turned her head and bowed to Plants.

 

Seeing this, Plants let out a short sigh.

 

[It seemed to have gone in again, ‘I am Prince Kalian’s cat’…]

 

The cat had entered Plants’ room.

 

The cat had grown and the door gap had not widened, yet it still came and went freely. What a truly strange creature.

 

“Did it come again?”

 

‘I’m sorry.’

 

“For what?”

 

What could one do about a cat coming and going?

 

So after giving a perfunctory response, Plants opened the door.

 

*Bang!*

 

There was something inside.

 

Hina looked at him with a puzzled face, and Plants checked for a moment if this was indeed the fourth floor. Then he said to Hina:

 

“Leave it. The cat.”

 

Since she was busy with palace affairs, it was much appreciated that he would take care of the cat. So Hina smiled and bowed again.

 

‘Yes. Thank you, ‘good’, Your Highness.’

 

Plants still had not learned that ‘good’ word in sign language. Nobody had explained it to him.

 

Hina, who had no intention of teaching him this time either, quickly bowed and turned around.

 

Plants watched her for a moment before entering the room.

 

And then, slightly frowning, he opened his mouth.

 

“I thought this was—”

 

On the sofa in the room was ‘I am Prince Kalian’s cat.’ And between the sofa and the cat was Kalian.

 

“—my room.”

 

Normally, if a cat and its owner were in a room, was that room not the cat owner’s room?

 

Looking at one person and one animal who had entered someone else’s room without the owner present, Plants made an annoyed sound, and Kalian smiled like the radiant sun.

 

Then, pointing to Siegfried Hall, which was brightly lit in the distance, shining like a solitary jewel under the sunset, he brought up an unexpected suggestion.

 

“Join me for dinner today.”

 

Was this an invitation to announce that the two Princes had joined hands again?

 

“What is my little brother plotting now?”

 

“Nothing special. It seems our older brother is trying to send as many as thirty fake Priests here.”

 

Since Randel had used a shallow trick to keep Kalian from paying attention to the thirty Priests, Kalian was planning to repay him in kind.

 

“But I absolutely detest being manipulated.”

 

Whatever was plotted with thirty fake Priests did not matter.

 

Because he would make them too nervous about the alliance between Kalian and Plants to properly proceed with their plans.