Chapter 148, Where One Belongs (7)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think it will be fine.”

 

However, the Mage interrupted this heartwarming brotherly conversation.

 

Arsene was a naturally suspicious person.

 

No matter who he encountered, he seldom gave his heart away easily. It was a habit that was not quite a habit he had since childhood. Because of this, Arsene had never placed blind faith in anyone or anything, not even in a single Spell Formula.

 

Some people liked such an Arsene, saying he was meticulous, while others found him simply nitpicky and disagreeable. And one unexpected intelligent being told him it was enough and to just get lost.

 

Anyway.

 

There was exactly one person that Arsene, who had not even trusted his much-respected Master from the beginning, had believed without doubt. As most people around knew, it was Kalian.

 

The reason was just one.

 

It was because his first impression was extremely good. It might be an absurdly simple reason, but Arsene truly believed in Kalian for that one reason alone.

 

‘There’s no need to obstruct the path of the dead.’

 

His Master’s funeral, the farewell to the only ‘adult’ figure in his life. Arsene in shabby mourning clothes, the kind that made it painfully obvious to everyone that he was a Commoner.

 

A black horse, a black robe.

 

The figure silently watching the Arunesia on the Senu River. And those red eyes.

 

A Prince.

 

Who had just met Allan, possessing nothing.

 

‘I would prefer you not remember this.’

 

That was his first impression of Kalian.

 

A precarious red-eyed Prince who knew to dismount from his horse for the dead, prayed for their peaceful rest with a sincere voice, and instead of ordering the Commoner who recognized him to keep silent, left words like a request saying ‘I would prefer you not remember this’.

 

The image of him watching the Arunesia flowing downstream would not leave his mind. His face had been entirely concealed beneath the robe, unreadable to anyone, but if Arsene said that expression had been vividly etched in his memory, if every emotion had been laid bare and fully understood by him, who would ever believe it?

 

In the end, Arsene broke Kalian’s request.

 

He remembered Kalian exactly as he had been that day, etched vividly and unshaken in his mind.

 

It was because he did not doubt the belief that it would be worth it.

 

So Arsene disagreed when Kalian said ‘it’s just going where it should be, so it’s fine’. After all, Arsene was the kind of person who would follow any of Kalian’s orders to the letter, but properly broke everything else on his own.

 

“I also know why Your Highness is doing this. I already know how much effort Your Highness is putting into keeping Prince Plants alive. I don’t know a single reason, and even if I did, I would find it hard to empathize with. But anyway, I know that Your Highness is currently overexerting yourself trying to open a path for Prince Plants to live.”

 

Arsene was not a fool or an idiot.

 

“But blocking Your Highness’s path to life while opening Prince Plants’s path to life is not fine, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of times I think about it.”

 

Arsene said to Kalian while keeping his gaze on Plants.

 

Plants, who ended up hearing these words together with Kalian, just sat quietly with his gaze fixed on one corner of the table, neither closing his eyes, nor showing mockery, nor acting like he was hearing words he did not understand.

 

Even for Arsene, his dislike for Plants was not enough to warrant such harsh words. It was simply the conviction that, if this was what it took to change Kalian’s mindset, then so be it.

 

It was because he was certain that the expression hidden by the robe on the bridge over the Senu River that day would have been exactly the same as what Kalian was making now.

 

“Please don’t make that expression of silently accepting what you’re losing. I hope Your Highness will also find a way to live.”

 

“Lord Hertz.”

 

The way Kalian addressed Arsene was quite arbitrary.

 

Sometimes it was Lord, sometimes it was Deputy Commander. There was not any particular distinction, he just called him roughly as it came. No matter how he was called, Arsene answered well.

 

But today was different. Arsene did not listen to Kalian’s words. Instead of answering, he said something else.

 

“If I know the reason, I will keep my mouth shut, Your Highness.”

 

A relationship where there was not even a shred of brotherly affection existed to wither away.

 

He knew that was how the relationship between Kalian and Plants came to be, right up until Kalian left on Roselita for the coming-of-age ceremony. He also knew about how their bad relationship was entangled because of Sillike.

 

They were brothers in name only. Could there be another relationship worse than theirs? The two had walked completely different paths, as different as their appearances.

 

But at some point, it had changed. And Arsene could not gauge at all what the real reason was for Kalian trying to save Plants.

 

Kalian, who had briefly shown a face saying his head hurt at Arsene’s attitude, muttered as if sighing.

 

“Even though I say I’m fine, you don’t believe me. And you ask me to tell you the reason.”

 

At those words, Plants chuckled.

 

Anyone could see it was clearly self-deprecating.

 

“My little brother is telling all kinds of lies.”

 

Half of the ‘it’s fine’ muttered in this word were lies. Compared to that, probably more than 90% of Kalian’s ‘it’s fine’ were lies.

 

Was he not a Prince known to resemble Syspanian and who was an Archmage’s Disciple? He was receiving Rmain’s favor and had even obtained Siegfried’s Shield.

 

However, what Kalian possessed in the end was only a Shield with no interest in supporting him for the throne. He himself held neither sword nor Magic. All of that would end up in the hands of Plants and Marquis Evan Beurisen.

 

When that happened, would Evan just leave Kalian alone?

 

Kalian’s words were no different from saying he would turn the sword tip aimed at Plants toward himself. Knowing this, Arsene was rebelling. He could not shake off the thought that Valkan’s power was being used in the wrong place.

 

“You can’t harm people only through force, Your Highness. You must not underestimate the power of Marquis Beurisen. No matter how strong Your Highness is, and even if you receive protection from Commander Manasil, in the end, that’s only useful for protecting your life. After handing over everything of Your Highness’s to Prince Plants, how do you plan to win in the power struggle with Marquis Beurisen?”

 

Kalian looked at Arsene, who was openly taking his side in front of Plants, and smiled briefly.

 

Arsene, who had once cut off Bern’s breath on Plants’s orders in the past, was now persuading Kalian to survive in the power struggle with Plants.

 

“Well… That wasn’t intended. This is quite a strange situation.”

 

Kalian said this about that strange feeling that was hard to cover up. Plants and Arsene looked at such a Kalian without saying anything. Plants, because he understood the meaning, and Arsene because he did not understand.

 

“Anyway, Lord Hertz.”

 

Kalian, who called Arsene again, continued speaking.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m not such an easy person either. I know better than you how to fight for position. I’ve experienced it a lot. And… there’s definitely a reason we’re doing this. But I’d like to postpone putting it into words for later. Would it be difficult to set aside that question for now?”

 

There were no words he could give to Arsene right now about the fact that Plants had made the Seal of Oath, or why he was trying to keep Plants alive.

 

Arsene still kept his mouth shut while looking at Plants. Even while watching Arsene take Kalian’s side in front of him, Plants did not say a single word about it. Kalian, too, seemed to regard Plants acting that way as perfectly natural.

 

As if there really was a reason that could not be told.

 

“…I understand. However.”

 

With the blue eyes filled with the stubborn conviction of a Mage, Arsene said as if driving in a nail.

 

“No matter who the owner is, Valkan Mages will follow Prince Kalian.”

 

At those words, the remaining two people were silent for a moment before opening their mouths.

 

“Embarrassing to listen to.”

 

“No. You should listen to His Majesty and the Commander. Not me. It’s an army after all.”

 

Kalian responded appropriately and offered a faint smile, his way of showing gratitude that he was letting it slide at this level.

 

Then Kalian looked at Plants and opened his mouth.

 

“I won’t tell older brother about the plans beyond this.”

 

“Alright.”

 

From now on, Kalian had to make plans to respond to Evan. If he lost in the fight for the Crown Prince position, Renisita leaves for Kalian would be spread across the plaza. Whether to get information about those guys from Randel or to make Plants take everything from Marquis Beurisen, Kalian had to survive first.

 

Those plans also could not be shared with or discovered by Plants. Even pretending not to know while noticing the plans could be actions that went against the Seal of Oath.

 

Therefore, Kalian looked at Plants and said again as if making a request.

 

“My smart older brother must not figure it out on his own again. You have to not know, in order to not die.”

 

“My little brother has made barking a habit now.”

 

As always, Kalian laughed,

 

Unaware of how complicated Arsene’s emotions had become while watching the younger brother laugh as he claimed his older brother would die if he found out, and the older brother, in turn, treated that same younger brother like a dog.

 

* * *

 

Ian made a somewhat perplexed face.

 

Since it was a gathering with the external guest Dmirea, the dinner was held at Senu Hall rather than Chermil Palace. However, the preparation was done directly by Chermil Palace’s head chef. It was impossible for anyone else to prepare a meal that the Princes would share.

 

Up to that point, it was fine.

 

It was something that had always been done that way, so there was nothing particularly strange about it. However, what Ian was perplexed about was due to a slightly different problem.

 

“I have no idea how it became such a menu…”

 

Veal steak topped with sauce made from stewed strawberries, bread baked with dried strawberries, salad finished with strawberry vinegar, waffles and pancakes decorated with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, crepes and sandwiches full of strawberry fragrance.

 

Strawberry tart and strawberry pudding prepared as dessert, carbonated water with strawberry syrup, and strawberry tiramisu.

 

And strawberry ice cream.

 

It was all strawberries.

 

Ian, who had come in first to the dining room to inspect the strawberry-filled dinner menu made with care to not be too sweet, made a disgusted face.

 

“Even though His Highness likes strawberries…”

 

Hina, who had come in with Ian, made an apologetic face and spoke.

 

‘I said something, but the content seems to have been wrongly conveyed.’

 

‘The good Prince likes strawberries very much, so wouldn’t it be possible to make ice cream with strawberries along with other food for today’s dinner?’

 

Hina had said this.

 

And the head chef, though he did not know who the target of the meal was for, gladly accepted Hina’s request.

 

As it happened, they had just received a batch of strawberries gifted to the Royal Palace, so ingredients were plentiful. Thanks to that, Ian glanced at the vividly red menu that had been crafted and shook his head from side to side.

 

‘I’m sorry. What should we do about this?’

 

He was working hard to learn sign language, but it was not yet at a level where smooth communication was possible, so there was nothing to say about the problem that arose from this. Kalian was not the type to dislike such things, and Plants, the culprit of this incident, was going to eat this strawberry-filled meal he loved. In a way, there would be no problem. Dmirea would understand well, and that crazy Made could figure out how to eat it himself.

 

“Our Prince also likes strawberries, so it’s fine. Don’t worry.”

 

Just as Ian was roughly figuring out the situation, Kalian’s party entered earlier than expected.

 

The reactions of the party seeing the strawberry-filled menu were varied.

 

As expected, Dmirea showed no particular reaction, and Arsene became curious about what kind of joke this was. Plants looked over the menu with a disgusted face, then looked at Hina and chuckled. It was a face that roughly guessed what had happened.

 

And Kalian,

 

“Wow. It’s all strawberries.”

 

He said this and laughed as if it were interesting.

 

Ian, who saw such a Kalian’s face, paused for a moment.

 

That was definitely the expression of trying not to show displeasure with something he did not enjoy.