Chapter 217, That Sword (3)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

Allan had once said this,

 

“I once told Your Majesty that no matter how excessive Debeullan’s methods were, he at least showed interest in his children, making him better than you.”

 

No matter how snake-like Debeullan was, Allan had thought the man at least knew his children were precious. That was why he had said such a thing.

 

Living with a heart worn thin and torn apart from Rmain’s thorough indifference, the Princes were pitiable and piteous. The thought that Rmain could not even properly mourn the short life of the youngest who had ultimately left, instead treating them harshly, was terribly regrettable. That was why Allan had once said that Debeullan was at least better than Rmain.

 

“But my thoughts were too shallow.”

 

At minimum, Debeullan had been wary of what his Son was thinking and what ambitions he might develop. If that could be considered a form of interest, Allan had thought it was still better than Rmain.

 

But that was not the case.

 

Absolutely not.

 

In truth, Allan did not know the full story of what exactly Debeullan had done to Bern. Kalian had not told him about what he had experienced, and Chase did not know the details precisely either, so there was no way for Allan to know the full story.

 

Perhaps if Allan had known all those many events, he would not have hesitated in his steps at that hill overlooking Siegfried Territory. Fortunately or unfortunately, Allan only roughly knew that Bern had suffered all manner of hardships because of Debeullan, and a few stories such as how he had become a Knight because of Debeullan.

 

Nevertheless, Allan was now stating that his thoughts had been wrong.

 

“To say Debeullan was better. What a grave mistake I made in my words. I said something to Your Majesty that I should not have said even in dreams.”

 

“Do you think so?”

 

In truth, Rmain was somewhat displeased by those words.

 

He knew he did wrong, but even so, it seemed he was at least not worse than that snake-like bastard.

 

Because saying this aloud would surely bring another earful, Rmain simply nodded quietly and lifted his cup. Unlike Allan’s, his coffee had no whipped cream on top, and a rich aroma wafted from it.

 

“It is obvious what such a wretched character would do to his own child, even without looking closely. Not knowing what kind of person he was, I said he was better than Your Majesty. What am I to do now?”

 

Allan said this toward Rmain’s shoulders, which seemed a bit more squared than usual today, and continued with a lament.

 

“Saying that Your Majesty and that bastard are the same. Not knowing that one cannot measure who is better, I foolishly tried to compare who was above and below. Where in all the world could there be such foolishness?”

 

[Ah. Good thing I did not say I was displeased.]

 

Rmain, who had just heard the correction that His Majesty, the King, was not worse than Debeullan but simply the same as him, slowly nodded and thought this. Afterward, having been changed from being worse than Debeullan to being the same as Debeullan, he looked at Allan with a sour face containing various emotions. Allan continued his deep self-reflection without caring about that expression.

 

“Yes. There can be no way to distinguish between less bad parents and worse parents. While there may be bad parents and decent parents, for children there is no difference between less bad and worse. I tried to compare such things carelessly. I must still be lacking in learning.”

 

Of course, he could not tell Rmain what kind of parent the past Debeullan had been, but it was certain that the current Debeullan must have treated Chase harshly as well. So, it seemed just right to treat him the same as Rmain.

 

“…Yes. I understand well.”

 

Instead of saying that he at least knew he was a bad person, Rmain simply took this beating from Allan meekly once again. After all, he had done wrong, so what could he do?

 

The Mage who had finished reflecting and the King who should reflect every day of his life silently drank their coffee for a moment. Allan’s coffee with whipped cream had a sweet aftertaste, while Rmain’s was excessively bitter.

 

*Rustle*

 

After emptying about half his cup, Allan unfolded the letter once more. Then he read through it again, excluding the unnecessarily excessive flowery language.

 

“I express gratitude for the warm reception of Crown Prince Chase. In return, I would like to invite Cyries’s Third Prince, who was said to have been particularly close with the Crown Prince, to meet and speak directly. Since the King of Cyries exchanged interactions with Crown Prince Chase, this time…”

 

Unable to read further as anger surged again despite his efforts to suppress it, Allan’s face showed frustration that he could neither crumple nor burn the letter.

 

“Interaction. This is why I call him snake-like, making such absurd demands.”

 

“Indeed. Even if Secritia’s Crown Prince visited here alone, there is no reason to send Kalian there for that reason alone. I have no intention of sending him.”

 

Allan felt the same way, and Rmain’s thoughts were identical.

 

“…No. I had none.”

 

Rmain, who added these words, closed his mouth. Soon Allan read through the letter again, confirming the situation once more.

 

“They have been persistently asking whether the Elves, whose living space in Cyries is shrinking, could settle in Secritia’s forests. Secritia had not permitted this because, following the will of the Great Queen of Secritia, they had no intention of yielding their forests to those who worship anyone other than Serenty… If Syspanian heard of this, she would surely say it is quite a convenient excuse.”

 

After adding this aside, Allan continued reading the letter.

 

“After hearing through Crown Prince Chase that Cyries maintain mutually positive relations with the Elves, they realized such policies had been detrimental… Ha. Secritia also wishes to formally interact with the Elves. But conveniently, Cyries is also arranging a dialogue with the Elves, so as a return for the hospitality of the King of Cyries, representatives of both nations and the Elves should meet together to establish common regulations, and since Hina Bern, who possesses the healing power unique to Elves, can be considered proper evidence of positive relations between Humans and Elves… If the Prince sees this statement, war will break out immediately. Do not inform the Prince. Anyway. They want Lady Bern and Prince Kalian to attend as representatives.”

 

The content was so presumptuous that one might mistake Cyries for a vassal state of Secritia.

 

It was an absurd demand.

 

It was something that could not be accepted.

 

“This all happened because Your Majesty was too soft. Just how weak did Debeullan view Cyries to dare summon and dismiss this great kingdom’s Prince with such words? Anyway, because of Your Majesty, our Prince has become entangled in another major affair. What do you intend to do about this?”

 

[The ‘our Prince’ you speak of is my Son. Why am I being scolded again?]

 

After exhaling a short breath, Rmain spoke.

 

“In fact, the Crown Prince of Secritia met with Plants more often before returning, so by their logic they should summon Plants, yet I cannot understand why they want to summon Kalian.”

 

“He cannot know the palace affairs, but if Crown Prince Chase learned through spies about how he helped Kalian out of difficult situations, he might have thought he had built rapport with Prince Kalian.”

 

No matter how many times Chase and Plants met inside the Royal Palace, from what could be known outside, Chase had looked after Kalian the most, using birds of various breeds and diverse feathers.

 

“Yes… Whatever the reason, if we must refuse, I will refuse. Even if that small country desperately makes a fuss and throws punches, they will not reach Cyriesus.”

 

Relations between the two nations might worsen, there might be some maneuvering, some cold words might be exchanged, and if things went wrong, they could be eliminated.

 

“Having weak Royal Authority does not mean lacking military strength. If war is waged, Beurisen may gain power again and my authority may decrease once more, but I have no intention of bowing my head and entering Secritia out of fear of that.”

 

Allan nodded.

 

The Royal Authority that was barely visible anyway, even if it decreased again, seemed not much different, but he did not voice this. In fact, since Allan does not step forward because Rmain has no redeeming qualities, if Allan put his mind to it, restoring the Royal Authority would be quick, so there was no need to worry about that either.

 

“But I cannot understand why that bastard is suddenly acting this way.”

 

“That bastard is currently hanging by a thread in a slightly different sense than Your Majesty.”

 

Allan answered immediately as if there was nothing to hide.

 

“According to rumors, his illness is deep, but he cannot summon a healer from Tansyll, and Elves do not heal Human illnesses, so he is causing this uproar thinking somehow to find a way to live.”

 

The Elves had strict regulations.

 

According to Kalian, they were strict in a truly selfish direction. While settling on Cyries’s land, trading with Cyries’s Humans, and in some cases causing harm to Cyries’s Humans, they would absolutely never bestow their healing power on Humans. That was the Elves’ regulation.

 

Despite knowing this, Cyries turned a blind eye to them establishing themselves because they conducted their own trade with Cyries’s Humans and did work that could be considered earning their keep. But more importantly, the power possessed by their Mother Tree could not be ignored.

 

Rmain, who had gauged the reason for this ridiculous demand made while invoking such Elves, answered quietly.

 

“The target is indeed Lady Bern.”

 

“Correct. From the Elves’ perspective, she is someone who is an Elf when needed and a Human when inconvenient. From the Elves’ position, they cannot and need not stop Lady Bern’s exercise of healing power, so they would have just let it be, but if they interfere carelessly it would become troublesome, so they are using that as blackmail.”

 

Whatever Secritia offered, if they made the Elves their allies, the story was that the Elves might take issue with Hina’s healing of others.

 

In short, they were saying Cyries should also attend this conference.

 

There was no particular need for Kalian to go, but if someone must come, let that Third Prince, who was said to be close with Chase, come directly to receive Secritia’s generous hospitality in return. He could then block any unfavorable matters for Hina at the conference and return, that was what Debeullan was saying.

 

“I say this just in case, but do not ponder why such troublesome matters arose over just one healer. If something happens to that one healer, Cyries will shatter.”

 

At Allan’s threat that was not quite a threat, Rmain frowned slightly and asked.

 

“Perhaps Kalian, that child, has feelings for Lady Bern…”

 

Then, seeing Allan’s eyes looking at him like garbage rolling on the street, as if to say ‘do you think my lovely Disciple is like you?’ He quietly closed his mouth and brought up the original topic again.

 

“…Yes. In any case, I have no intention of deciding alone. If we were to comply with Secritia’s opinion, we would need to postpone determining the Crown Prince position, but before that, I will need to hear the opinions of those involved.”

 

If Kalian truly intended to go there, it would be less dangerous to go as one of the three Princes rather than as the Crown Prince, so he was saying he would postpone determining the Crown Prince position. Or if he refused to go, he intended to immediately show his refusal to Secritia and proceed with arranging him as Crown Prince as scheduled.

 

“Anyway, this matter seems like something I should discuss with Prince Kalian. As Your Majesty said, we need the opinion of the person involved. Although Lady Bern belongs to Valkan, she is indeed Prince Kalian’s person.”

 

“Understood. Tell me once the opinion is decided.”

 

“I will do so.”

 

After concluding the conversation, Allan picked up the remaining chocolate, put it in his mouth, stood up from his seat, and went outside.

 

Rmain, who had been looking at the empty seat of the Mage who had eaten up all the sweets, took another sip of bitter coffee.

 

* * *

 

Allan knew that Kalian had not returned.

 

Nevertheless, the fact that he came to Chermil Palace meant there was something urgent enough to warrant entering an empty room to wait for Kalian. But if there was something Allan needed to urgently tell Kalian right now, it could only be one thing.

 

“If it’s about the snake, tell me.”

 

Therefore, Plants, who had been about to go to Wilhelm Hall early in the morning but encountered Allan, stopped Allan with brief words and listened to the story while exercising the meddling he had been ‘permitted’ by Kalian.

 

And thus, after conveying the message to Kalian who had eaten well, he faced killing intent.

 

After briefly conveying the general situation, Plants exhaled a soundless sigh, opened his eyes, patted Luci who had become a large ball of cotton, and stated his conclusion.

 

“I’m thinking of going.”

 

As Plants’s explanation continued, the killing intent that had been gradually subsiding as Kalian struggled to maintain reason disappeared in an instant like air from a punctured ball. It was because such an absurd statement had forcibly brought reason back.

 

Thanks to this, Kalian, who regained composure faster than expected, asked quietly.

 

“The conclusion is strange. Why would you go there, older brother?”

 

“To see the ocean.”

 

[What is this grass-head saying? A guy who can’t even eat grilled cod, where is he saying he’s going and what for?]

 

Soon Kalian tapped his own ear with his palm and asked Ian.

 

“Luci just meowed, right? It really sounded like Human speech.”

 

“Stop bar…”

 

Plants, who was about to say by habit ‘stop barking’, closed his mouth. Having just been told by Kalian that he meowed, as someone who had become an older brother, he could not say the word ‘bark’ to his younger brother.

 

“Prince Kalian, your words… *Mmph!*”

 

Ian, who had not responded to Kalian’s words, stopped Rerik, who had firmly resolved to work even harder as Plants’s attendant, from pulling his own liver out of his belly on Plants’s behalf. He knew that if they tried to scold Kalian in this situation, Rerik’s Soul and body would separate.

 

Thus Ian, who had firmly covered the mouth of Rerik, older but slightly shorter than himself, bowed his head slightly toward the two Princes in greeting. Then he dragged Rerik outside. He knew well that attending to them, and while attending hearing the meowing and barking sounds of the two Princes, this was the permissible limit.

 

Seeing the door close, Kalian asked in a light tone.

 

“Perhaps there was another dish during the meal that you did not like?”

 

In other words, ‘what did you eat wrong to have such an absurd thought?’

 

Plants, who was truly smart and immediately understood Kalian’s words, frowned. Regardless, Kalian, in a state of ‘I’m still the same age as you, older brother, and I’m a bit angry, and since even you, older brother, aren’t speaking human words, I don’t care, I’m just going to bark freely today,’ opened his mouth again.

 

“My older brother who has never properly possessed anything has now obtained a sword, and is beginning to live having curiosity and desires, but it seems your desire to possess has become excessive. You’re trying to take away my entire share of ‘sour tangerines’.”

 

[But because I know why you’re doing this, I’ll only tolerate this much.]

 

“Still, I’ll gratefully accept just the sentiment.”

 

[I asked you to help solve it together, not to meet Debeullan and solve the matter in my place.]

 

“There are many ‘tangerines’. Couldn’t I bring a single whole one?”

 

In short, ‘if there was one ‘sour tangerine’, we would share it, but aren’t there too many of those tangerines? So I’m just saying I’ll bring one whole one to eat. Why is that being called greed?’

 

“You said you would help without repayment, but it seems you’re trying to repay again. I don’t know what you received that you’re going round and round trying to repay again. I haven’t given you anything more.”

 

“That sword.”

 

That solid sword that had already burned away everything and no longer reflected anything in the world.

 

A fragment of a meteor. The remnant of a meteor.

 

“It seems I haven’t fully paid for it.”

 

“I told you that was payment for my secret.”

 

[You originally used that sword as well.]

 

“…Isn’t it insufficient as payment for the sword?”

 

“I’m not someone who calculates poorly like that. Just use it, older brother. I’ve already received everything.”

 

Kalian, who said this while slightly shaking his head, looked at Plants. Then, wearing an expression similar to his usual face, he barked louder than Luci.

 

“There is a younger brother’s duty. How could I send my very weak older brother so far away? Older brother should just quietly grow well and raise cats.”

 

It was a statement that would make the listening Plants angry enough to enter the path of the sword, but surprisingly it was sincere. After all, Kalian is not someone who cannot lie.

 

“Just continue living as you are now. Don’t even think about rolling around in ashes already.”

 

There was the matter with Zeon, Plants’s heart problem, Randel’s problem, and the matter of Crown Prince investiture. So many matters are overlapping. If Kalian left this place, things would certainly become more dangerous, so the smart pea’s thought to go to Secritia in Kalian’s place and stir things up vigorously was quite admirable.

 

But it should only go that far.

 

“Please don’t do that. You don’t need to. I hope you won’t.”

 

Wasn’t he someone who could smell the scent of blood on Kalian’s hands for days? So he said this hoping Plants would not already think of getting blood on his own hands.

 

Then, after looking at the rain pouring outside the window for a moment, he opened his mouth again with a face that looked like he might be in the rain or asleep.

 

“…The Crown Prince of Secritia has already found his dreams no longer pleasant. I have already stopped dreaming…”

 

Kalian’s bright red eyes, having turned his head to take a sip of mint tea with strawberry syrup, stared at Plants.

 

“Wouldn’t it be alright for at least one person to live dreaming dreams that aren’t nightmares?”

 

Kalian, who said this, chuckled. It was because he remembered swallowing similar thoughts alone once before.

 

Thinking that the one who is not yet too late should dream proper dreams, and that the one who has just awakened from nightmares need not dream yet another nightmare.

 

Kalian, who realized alone that such thoughts remained unchanged, let out a laugh.

 

“Older brother should dream good dreams. You’ve even received a good sword.”

 

[Yes. In the end, I still have no intention of making even you experience what it is like being chased by ghosts and having nightmares.]