Chapter 36, Nice To Meet You (3)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

Randel had been missing from breakfast occasionally these days, busy with something or other. He seemed to be running late today as well, as his seat remained empty.

 

At the round table reserved for the Princes, there was only one unwelcome figure leaning back in his chair, curling up one corner of his mouth while looking at Kalian.

 

Suppressing the frown that threatened to form unconsciously, Kalian bowed his head toward Plants and spoke.

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

As soon as Kalian and Plants sat together, the surroundings grew quiet as if by arrangement. There was no need to wonder why. After all, was Plants not the one who had cornered Sillike, who had given Kalian that ‘rather severe cold,’ with just a single word?

 

Moreover, this was their first time sitting together since that incident. It went without saying that everyone was extremely curious about the relationship between these two, who were neither enemies nor allies.

 

Kalian kept his mouth shut without saying a word. He saw no need to pretend to be friendly since their paths were different anyway. As he maintained his silence for a while, the nobles’ gazes gradually drifted away.

 

“Hey.”

 

But then, he addressed him again.

 

Plants, who had been making eye contact with each and every noble watching him until they looked away, leaned his upper body against the table and stared at Kalian.

 

Kalian did not respond. As a result, a situation similar to one from long ago occurred once again.

 

“Hey. Blood-Eyes.”

 

“Kalian.”

 

Immediately responding to the unwanted nickname, Kalian met Plants’ eyes. Then, he added in a somewhat rigid tone.

 

“This is the last time I’ll overlook such an address, Older Brother.”

 

Plants’ lime-green eyes flickered momentarily.

 

After staring intently at Kalian for a long while, Plants twisted up the corner of his lip.

 

Soon, a soft voice emerged from those lips.

 

“That’s not right.”

 

[What’s not right?] Kalian’s eyes gradually narrowed.

 

Plants’ eyes held a sharp edge.

 

“You dare to talk back, use a sword, ride horses.”

 

After saying this, Plants leaned back against his chair again. His languid, sigh-like voice disturbed Kalian’s thoughts.

 

“Just who are you?”

 

Kalian silently stared back at those eyes.

 

Indeed, someone like Plants would notice. The Little Brother he had tormented so thoroughly had changed overnight. If he had not noticed, he would be Ian.

 

Kalian pondered very briefly. [Such speculations don’t matter. I’ll neither confirm nor deny them.]

 

Soon, a relaxed smile appeared on Kalian’s lips.

 

“You’re sure like to say strange things.”

 

Unlike Allan, Plants was not someone whose heart he needed to win over, so there was no need to tell him the truth. Even if Plants was completely certain about Kalian, it was not a secret that could be revealed, was it?

 

So, he might as well just outright deny the question.

 

Having reached this conclusion, Kalian’s face remained peaceful. Though his mind was turbulent, his exterior appeared calm at least.

 

Plants, who had been glaring at Kalian as if to kill him, stood up from his seat. Then, he left the banquet hall without another word and did not return.

 

Suddenly, Kalian remembered the Plants from his memories that the old Kalian had left behind, the things he had done to Kalian. After that, he thought of Plants, who had led Secritia to its downfall.

 

Kalian’s gaze remained fixed on Plants’ empty seat.

 

Seeing Kalian from afar, Allan’s face was filled with worry. Though he had not overheard their conversation, he had noticed Kalian’s expression hardening after Plants’ departure.

 

Soon Kalian lifted his head. His eyes briefly met Allan’s before the former gave a small smile, as though saying, ‘I’m fine.’

 

Instead of approaching Kalian, Allan simply nodded his head to convey his concern.

 

…

 

The next day.

 

Allan visited Kalian early in the morning, who had been unable to sleep, disturbed by the events in the banquet hall. Upon seeing Kalian, Allan gently smiled and asked.

 

“Have you cleared your mind yet?”

 

Kalian looked at Allan with truly amazed eyes. This wise Archmage could read Kalian’s thoughts without him saying a word.

 

Allan quietly laughed and added.

 

“If you haven’t cleared it yet, you can just let it be.”

 

Only after hearing these words, offered without knowing anything, did Kalian laugh. Sometimes, he would casually drop such unhelpful remarks. Yet, they were always so pleasant to hear.

 

However, since they truly were not helpful, no in the slightest, Kalian soon stopped laughing and recounted the incident with Plants from the previous day. When Kalian mentioned that Plants seemed almost certain that he had changed, Allan nodded and said.

 

“Plants would likely notice. Even though he acts like a ruffian, he’s not short on intelligence.”

 

Kalian slightly furrowed his brow at Allan’s generous assessment. Since he could neither confirm nor deny it, Kalian simply moved on to his next point.

 

“I pretended nothing has changed, but he obviously won’t fall for it.”

 

“Do you need him to believe it, though?”

 

Kalian was about to answer but closed his mouth again. Seeing this, Allan spoke on Kalian’s behalf.

 

“You have all the memories of the previous Kalian. As Your Highness said, this matter is something that won’t be revealed even if known. So, there’s no need to worry about.”

 

After saying this, Allan made a *hmm* sound for a moment. He was about to say something but closed his mouth instead.

 

He had meant to mention how Kalian was dwelling on finding traces of his past self in Plants, despite having decided not to live as Bern. However, Allan decided it was not his place to address this and kept quiet.

 

Instead, Allan gazed at Kalian for a while before pulling something out from his clothes and handeing it over.

 

“Take this.”

 

It was a small tin box, and when opened, there was a silver ring inside.

 

Kalian picked up the plain thick ring without any patterns and asked.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Try it on. You’ll like it.”

 

Since it was quite large, Kalian briefly wondered where to wear it before putting it on his index finger. Remarkably, the ring adjusted itself, shrinking to perfectly fit his hand.

 

Realizing there had been no need to worry, Kalian unconsciously let out an exclamation of admiration and looked at Allan.

 

“When you occasionally want to know this old man’s thoughts, call and I’ll help you to contemplate.”

 

“Is this a ring with a Communicate spell on it?”

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

Kalian was surprised. In fact, this was exactly what he needed most right now. Besides Allan, who best understood Kalian’s circumstances, there was no one he could have a frank conversation with.

 

“It won’t connect within the Royal Palace due to Syspanian’s power. So, while I’m in the palace, conversation will be difficult, but whenever I’m outside, I’ll respond at anytime.”

 

“Thank you. That’s reassuring.”

 

Though he knew Allan was spending almost all his time in the Royal Palace now, it was still welcoming news that he could occasionally rely on Allan.

 

While Kalian was feeling grateful, he was unaware that Euria was close to tears. After all, the Arcane Enclave’s treasure vault being robbed again!

 

As for the culprit… he just nodded his head with his wise Archmage-like expression.

 

Then, remembering another reason for his visit, Allan straightened his posture and spoke again.

 

“Also, I received word of where my carriage went.”

 

He was referring to contact from Melpir Pollun. Kalian nodded and asked.

 

“Did you meet with him?”

 

“Yes. He came yesterday, so I met him. He found another talented individual. His business sense is quite sharp.”

 

Allan took out something else from his clothes and handed it to Kalian. It contained construction costs including Magic Academy’s site selection, initial operating expenses, and teacher appointment fees. In other words, he was asking for money.

 

Kalian nodded while carefully examining it.

 

Seeing the considerable amount, Allan asked with concern.

 

“I heard you would bear all initial costs yourself, but won’t this be too much for you?”

 

“I’m not lacking in funds. I’m thinking of making it an academy operated privately by Baron Pollun rather than using royal finances. That way, I’ll be able to intervene directly. Shouldn’t I have at least one thing of my own, even if I’m not at your level yet, Master?”

 

Understanding what he meant, Allan nodded in agreement. Soon after, Kalian got up and took out a bundle of checks from his safe to hand them to Allan.

 

“Please deliver these on my behalf.”

 

“Is it alright to give such a large sum without need for oversight on its proper use?”

 

Kalian nodded readily.

 

“Yes. You can leave it to him. No matter how large the sum, it won’t be much to Baron Pollun. Besides, he’s not someone who would throw away trust for this amount.”

 

“I understand. I’ll do so.”

 

“Baron Pollun is a merchant, so he knows nothing about magic. He’ll occasionally seek counsel from you or the head of the Arcane Enclave in the future, so please treat him well while I’m away.”

 

“You need not worry about that.”

 

Afterwards, instead of magic lessons, Kalian asked Allan various questions about the Magic Academy. He also asked him to relay any helpful information to Melpir.

 

As they were conversing, there was a knock from outside. It was Ian.

 

“Your Highness, I apologize, but you have your next appointment right now.”

 

“In that case, I’ll return for the afternoon magic lesson.”

 

Knowing it was time to end their conversation, Allan stood up to leave.

 

“Master, there is no need for you to leave. Siegfried’s Knights are coming to pay their respects. It will be brief, so if you don’t have other appointments, please stay and chat with me today.”

 

“Are you suggesting we set aside lessons and just chat?”

 

Kalian grinned and nodded.

 

“Yes. I’ll have to go meet Syspanian tomorrow anyway, and then I won’t be able to see you for a while, so it would be a shame to have lessons for the rest of today.”

 

It was quite the plausible excuse for not wanting to study. Therefore, Allan smiled and agreed.

 

…

 

Twenty Knights in black armor were lined up at the main gate of Cermil Palace, waiting for Kalian. They were Siegfried’s Elite Knights sent by Sleiman, and they had visited Cermil to pay their respects to Kalian the day before his departure.

 

Kyrie, who had come out before Kalian, was watching them with competitive eyes. Since Kyrie was also a Swordsman, he felt the urge to measure the difference between them. Of course, Siegfried’s Knights were also watching Kyrie in the same way.

 

While the Duke’s Knights and the Prince’s Guard Knight were engaged in a subtle battle of spirits, Kalian, Allan, and Ian came out of the palace.

 

Kalian and Allan walked side by side while Ian. Being a servant, he naturally followed quietly a bit behind. Seeing this, the Knights clenched their fists. Ian, unaware of this, simply greeted the Knights with a welcoming expression.

 

Since only Yuran, the Knight Commander leading them, had attended yesterday’s lunch, this was Kalian’s first time meeting the rest of the Knights. Therefore, after standing before them, he briefly examined each face.

 

[Oh?] Soon, an intriguing smile appeared on Kalian’s lips.

 

[So, these are the famous Siegfried Knights. What impressive presence.]

 

It was clear how carefully Sleiman had selected them. Their build and spirit made Kyrie look like a mere child in comparison.

 

Of course, this was not why Kalian wore such an expression.

 

[But their gazes are… strange.]

 

The looks in the eyes of the Knights, who had come to guard Kalian, were far too different from how one should look at a Prince they were meant to protect. If one had to put it into words:

 

‘So you’re the bastard who’s been using our Young Master as your servant?’

 

[Yeah, that would be about right.]

 

Allan, standing beside him, wore a face that suggested he was seeing something very interesting. He hoped there would be at least one occasion during the Roselita journey where they would witness Kalian’s swordsmanship. He was quite curious about their expressions when that happened.

 

Kyrie, who noticed this, showed a slightly expectant expression, while Ian, unaware of the situation, tilted his head and asked.

 

“Is something troubling you, Your Highness?”

 

Kalian showed an even more obvious smile.

 

Instead of saying he was troubled because he was likely to get buried in the ground as soon as they left Cyriesus, Kalian maintained eye contact with the Knights and firmly said.

 

“Ian. Bring something to drink.”

 

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

 

A tremendous aura erupted from among the Knights. After Ian went back into the Cermil Palace building, Kalian quietly muttered to himself while looking at the Knights.

 

“With such a warm welcome, I won’t have time for other thoughts during the journey.”

 

How could he fall into unnecessary worries about Plants when such fellows were glaring at him with fire in their eyes?

 

Allan, who had been watching the battle of spirits with an intrigued expression, said.

 

“So, there are times when I regret not being able to go along.”

 

After finishing his declaration of war by looking at each Knight, one by one, Kalian finally opened his mouth to address them.

 

“I look forward to your protection to our destination.”

 

That deep smile, which seemed to have become a habit by now, appeared once again.