Chapter 288, Is It Because You’re Going Through Puberty? (4)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

  

A Mage’s faith is solid.

 

If a Knight’s loyalty is like a one-sided affection for their Master, then a Mage’s trust, their faith, is a blind mindset that harbours not a shred of doubt about the other party.

 

Breaking their faith is, in some ways, close to impossible.

 

To abandon faith in someone, one must persuade and convince oneself that the someone was in fact not worthy of trust, but that very premise creates the contradiction of betraying one’s faith, does it not? Knights, or ordinary people, might not know what the problem with that is or might lightly ignore it and move on, but those creatures called Mages could not. With minds that live by perfectly proving the results of causes, they cannot understand such contradictions.

 

However.

 

There was one great individual who made that impossibility possible in an instant.

 

“They say all the Mothers in the world are strong… but it seems our little one’s ‘Mother’ wrapped his guts in mithril after becoming a Parent.”

 

Naturally, of course, she was referring to Kalian’s insane lackey, who was incomparably eccentric.

 

She had not felt this sense of betrayal even when seeing frozen chips. Even when facing the proud expression of someone who, after being fed two glasses of beer, revealed they had actually drunk four, she had not changed her trusting heart towards Arsene. Not even when pure white Coco emerged from an egg he had been nurturing for nearly a month with a beak and webbed feet.

 

Since that day, when she had been crossing Cyries’s borders to catch Warriors and encountered a Mage with blue hair, Euria had trusted Arsene.

 

There was no particular reason for her trust.

 

Just as there is no particular reason for the act of trusting that morning would come.

 

“Or perhaps, while giving flowers, he dimension-shifted her liver.”

 

Throughout her monologue, a dull cold aura continued to circle around Euria.

 

“It seems she received flowers.”

 

Rachel, who remained composed even with that aura nearby that could chill one to the bone, replied. Only then did Euria, who stopped her monologue while supressing her feelings, nod her head.

 

“Yes. I thought it was rather good since he unusually gave non-bland flowers, but I did not know the one living had become bland.”

 

“Where is even one thing that is not bland?”

 

“When I return and see his face, I might put him to eternal sleep. Coco has grown quite a bit too.”

 

“Do not do that and cut him some slack. If you had only been on guard, you would not have fallen asleep so readily, and there is some fault on our part for being off guard. Besides, it was something Prince Kalian ordered, so what can you do?”

 

“Prince Kalian probably just said something like, keep the two of us from going anywhere. The little one probably put us to sleep on his own.”

 

With these words, Euria, who chuckled, briefly surveyed the surroundings.

 

—It seems among Secritia Nobles there are some targeting my younger brother, so I am thinking of going out briefly with my younger brother.

 

—Do you mean they are targeting Prince Kalian, not Prince Plants?

 

—My. Younger. Brother.

 

—Ah… I apologise. He is not someone to be easily considered as an attack target, so I mentioned it. Do you know why they would try to attack Prince Kalian in Secritia? The Mages here have been showing favourable attitudes towards Prince Kalian.

 

—Because of the web of relations.

 

—Pardon?

 

There was one reason to target Kalian despite the risk.

 

To Secritia Nobles’ eyes, it must have seemed easier to join hands with Plants than with Kalian. They must have seen Plants as having lost much to Kalian.

 

Even Evan, whom Plants had been holding hands with until the end, had been cut down by Kalian’s hand. Then Gray, who had met with Randel several times at that time, received Beurisen. Therefore, to others, it could only appear that Kalian had completely stole the power of Beurisen from Plants.

 

In comparison, Kalian was as good as confirmed for the Crown Prince position even without joining hands with Secritia Nobles. To them, Kalian was a useless card.

 

Allan, who so cherished Kalian, had hardly ever stepped forward publicly to help Kalian, had he not? Regarding Allan, who ‘did not take revenge even after losing his own biological son,’ they felt it unnecessary to worry over.

 

Furthermore, the matter of Kalian covering Chase with a cloak and declaring war on Debeullan on the day he arrived here had not been made known externally. Rather, what was known was the matter of Debeullan extracting Kalian from the breakfast, to which Chase had invited him. It was known that Chase had met Plants several times at the Cyries Royal Palace, but the matters of helping Kalian in Cyries had not been disclosed to the Nobles.

 

Therefore, in the eyes of Secritia Nobles, a strange dynamic of Debeullan and Kalian, Chase and Plants, must have been drawn.

 

—Secritia Nobles seem to have made a plan to drive out Debeullan without getting blood on their own hands.

 

—Do you mean they intend to use Cyries’s power? To drive out Debeullan in exchange for eliminating Prince Kalian with Cyries’s military strength?

 

—Presumably.

 

—Ha… Very well, I understand for now. However, in Secritia, the only person capable of harming Prince Kalian would be someone like Lord Kastrin. Or surely not, Zeon again?

 

—I need to confirm whether it is Zeon or not.

 

—If it is not Zeon, how would they think to attempt attacking Prince Kalian?

 

—Secritia Nobles would not think that way. Those bastards do not properly know how much my younger brother eats or how well he fights.

 

Even Cyries Nobles did not know what level of martial prowess Kalian had obtained.

 

When Zeon first attacked Kalian, Kalian had nearly died. Afterwards, on the day when members of Zeon attacked Euria and Arsene, Kalian and Allan went together to rescue the two.

 

Moreover, regarding the reason Kalian was injured after fighting Evan, they had spread rumours that he had ‘suffered serious injuries from an attack by Secritia’s spies’. It was because they thought that if Cyries Nobles properly understood Kalian’s strength, they would not quietly stand by while Kalian was designated as the next King.

 

Therefore, people did not know how strong Kalian was. Even if it were Zeon, while they would not be fooled into thinking Kalian had truly suffered that degree of damage from spies regarding Evan’s matter, at least they certainly would not think he had easily handled Evan and then got a hole in his stomach at the end from thinking about something else.

 

—That would be true. Then what should I help with?

 

—Since they told me they are constantly watching for any opportunity to target my younger brother, if they will attack eventually anyway, there is no need to give them time to reinforce their strength, so I am thinking of going out today immediately. Come quietly and help with the fighting. Bring that crazy blue-haired Mage.

 

Kalian had barked excellently before Debeullan. Thanks to that, he had made Debeullan target Kalian’s life. Therefore, Plants thought it would be better to immediately confront and resolve one side right now rather than having Kalian threatened by both the Nobles and Debeullan.

 

Debeullan was not someone who would immediately understand the reason the Nobles were targeting Kalian’s throat, was he? If so, Debeullan would try to deal with the Nobles first before Kalian.

 

—Then what should Lady Grace do?

 

—I would like you to come along when Crown Prince Chase comes out.

 

—Is it not dangerous to summon Secritia’s Crown Prince outside?

 

—He just needs to come briefly after the fight ends. By watching the direction Debeullan and the Nobles move, not knowing whether Crown Prince Chase will help me or my younger brother, we can also decide whom we need to check first.

 

Having finished the conversation with Plants like that, when night came, Arsene arrived. Euria, who had only intended to follow behind Kalian and provide escort along with Arsene as Plants had said, had let down her guard.

 

Thanks to that, she had fallen asleep, and when she woke, Eila was there.

 

And now, like this, she was moving together with Rachel to carry out Kalian’s new request that Eila had conveyed.

 

Within the scenery that changed swiftly due to the speed enhanced by Rachel’s ability, Euria, who had been unconsciously searching for something familiar, opened her mouth again.

 

“You do know where this place called Brigit Forest is, correct? I have been feeling like we have been running through similar places for a while now.”

 

“Are you asking a Teleportation Mage if she got lost?”

 

“No. Going backwards.”

 

At the Magic Academy, Euria was the Principal and Rachel served as Vice Principal, but because Rachel was older, they had decided to just be comfortable with each other outside. Of course, it was something they had decided after exchanging Himolika all night long on Rachel’s first day at the Magic Academy.

 

“There will likely be many Secritia soldiers near the forest as well, so since we need to watch whether those bastards are doing anything improper to the Elf Forest and interfere a bit, it is better for us to be less visible. So right now, I am taking a side road that goes around. We are not lost, so do not worry.”

 

“Understood. But to think you even know of the side roads. Have you been here before?”

 

Rachel nodded her head.

 

—Rachel, sorry. It seems this was not the right way. If we keep going, we will reach the forest, but we will have to go quite a bit around.

 

—See? The person who gave us directions seemed not to know the way well. I said we should ask one more time, but you insisted you were right.

 

As memories of sometime in the past when she had passed the same road surfaced, words that Rachel rarely brought out continued from her mouth.

 

“There are many unusual plants and things quite useful as medicinal ingredients where Elves live. So before giving birth to Veronica, I went once with Ronil, and we went this way then. Recently, Secritia’s Crown Prince invited my father once, so while I was here, I stopped by briefly. Ah, that time, it was with Veronica instead of Ronil.”

 

“Ah… You did say that the two of you travelled to many places.”

 

“Yes. Father’s wanderlust is too extreme. I also like travelling here and there, and Ronil did too, so the two of us followed along everywhere. We lived enjoyably.”

 

Though Euria was excellent at drinking, threatening, fighting, and killing, she had little talent for comforting a new friend who was recalling a dear husband of the same age who had departed first. Therefore, while diligently choosing what more to say, Rachel’s words were heard.

 

“So do not speak so easily of killing and what not.”

 

Recalling the matter of Euria becoming angry about Arsene casually casting a sleep spell and running away, Rachel turned her head while looking at Euria, who was staring at her without answering.

 

—Even though you do not know the way well, I did not think you would give directions.

 

—Living while trusting people so readily without properly checking will make you regret it greatly.

 

—Sorry, Rachel. Instead, I shall buy you flowers when I return. There was a flower shop on the way and Secritia flowers are quite pretty.

 

—What use are flowers? Buy me something delicious instead of flowers.

 

—Alright, understood. I shall buy you something delicious.

 

“Words casually thrown out like jokes hurt a great deal later.”

 

* * *

 

It was quiet.

 

The sound of the horse’s hooves was regular and monotonous, and if one did not concentrate on listening, it would soon be forgotten from the ears.

 

He disliked cumbersome things and had no interest in the passage of time. Therefore, Plants had not brought a watch. He had never learned methods like gauging time by looking at the sky and estimating by the stars.

 

Therefore, Plants, who had been about to ask how much further they needed to go, simply looked ahead quietly and continued forward.

 

*Clop clop.*

 

He paid attention to the sound of hooves that would be forgotten but somehow be heard again soon, only to become distant from his ears before long, repeating. It was better to concentrate on the sound of horse hooves rather than on the scent of his sibling’s blood that would intensify then disappear as if washed away, only to gradually intensify again.

 

He knew Kalian could not overcome Plants’s stubbornness.

 

However, Plants also did not break all of Kalian’s stubbornness.

 

Even if Secritia Knights saw blood drops in this darkness, they could not easily tell whether it was Kalian’s or Plants’s, could they? Therefore, he told him twice more to stop wasting that Clean Spell. But Kalian did not listen.

 

The glimpses of bandages repeatedly soaked wet and pooled with blood drops before becoming clean. Plants, who remembered well how quickly the scent of blood seeping from within intensified, finally opened his mouth after a long while.

 

“It does not seem to be healing.”

 

A speed that neither quickened nor slowed.

 

If the wound were healing, the blood should be stopping bit by bit, yet the speed at which blood seeped out and was erased by the Clean Spell remained the same.

 

“Because I am moving. Even with Syspanian’s Blessing, if the wound keeps opening, there is nothing to be done, is there not?”

 

It was a lie.

 

If the horse Kalian was riding were Estina, he would believe those words. However, Raven was an exceptional horse. Was he not a creature who knew how to be careful with his steps so Kalian’s wound would not move? Even if the wound of someone sitting atop a horse walking so carefully across such flat ground opened, the speed of healing with the Syspanian’s Blessing should be faster.

 

Plants looked at Kalian without a word.

 

Once more, Mana moved and the scent of blood was erased.

 

“Either it is not being treated, or it is that severe. Which is it?”

 

Kalian made a small laughing sound.

 

Before another comment like ‘how clever my older brother is’ could emerge from that mouth, Plants opened his mouth again.

 

“Speak.”

 

“The treatment is merely delayed, so you need not worry. Once the detoxification is finished, it will soon heal.”

 

[Detoxification?]

 

Plants looked at Kalian with an expression of having lost his words.

 

“You said you would not be affected by poison.”

 

“Rather than having immunity to poison, it would be more accurate to say the Blessing protects the body from dying. Some seems to have seeped in through where the wound was torn, and what enters directly into the body is rather more poisonous than what is drunk or inhaled. I wondered why he switched swords and charged. It seems the plan was to die together.”

 

The grey-haired Warrior had suddenly abandoned his sword during the fight. Then he picked up the dead brown-haired warrior’s sword and cut Kalian. And he died.

 

The sword with saw-teeth.

 

Rather than saying he was cut, it should be said the flesh inside was torn away. Kalian, who had been feeling sensation gradually disappear through that, continued with a light tone.

 

“At any rate, when I return, I should have them prepare some strawberries that older brother likes. Perhaps because the food does not suit you, your complexion is poor.”

 

Plants, who had been watching Kalian add “my older brother is so sensitive,” narrowed the corners of his eyes.

 

“This does not seem the right time to bark.”

 

“It is not older brother’s fault. I did not think the Warriors would employ such tactics. I seem to have trusted too much.”

 

Kalian, who conveyed words like a joke and briefly turned his head, added more words while smiling brightly.

 

“Therefore, this matter as well is not older brother’s fault.”

 

Before he could even gauge what those words meant, a red energy appeared in Kalian’s hand.

 

Only then did he realise that those who had followed were not four in number.