Chapter 69, It’s Been a While (6)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

[Seriously. Is walking into a place uninvited something he learned from Sillike?]

 

The person who, instead of going through the door, walking down the long corridor, descending the stairs, and then walking down another long corridor to knock on the door, chose the more efficient method of exiting through the window and entering through the window directly below to find Kalian.

 

It was Plants, who lived in the room right above.

 

[Even if we are brothers, how could he think of intruding into the room where a Prince of a nation is sleeping? What if I called for the Knights right now?]

 

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Kalian realised that the Knights of Chermil Palace were also people of the Beurisen Family. Because of this, Kalian let out a small sigh mixed with irritation. Then, still with a sharp voice, he asked the same question for the third time.

 

“Are you here to talk or to fight?”

 

Plants’ answer was brief.

 

“Talk.”

 

What on earth could they have to talk about during the darkest hour when everyone else was asleep? Especially between the two of them?

 

Kalian stared intensely at Plants. Afterward, he nodded, got up, turned on the light, and put on a robe. He had decided to try having a ‘talk’ with Plants.

 

“I can’t offer you tea, and there’s no alcohol.”

 

At Kalian’s words, Plants snickered, and Kalian opened the terrace door and went outside. The dawn air was cold, but Kalian was not affected by temperature.

 

As for Plants, well, whether he caught a cold or not…

 

As Plants followed him out and sat in a chair on the terrace, Kalian briefly chanted a Spell and channelled his Mana.

 

[Silent]

 

The reason he used Magic in front of Plants was partly out of concern that their conversation might be overheard in the quiet dawn, but more so because he wanted Plants to stop doubting his identity.

 

Even after seeing the translucent veil of Silent, Plants said nothing special. Kalian looked at Plants’ face blankly and said.

 

“I’m listening to what you have to say.”

 

No sooner had Kalian finished speaking than Plants opened his mouth.

 

“The rose disappeared. It must have been you.”

 

Kalian smiled briefly.

 

Somehow, it seemed like an unusual flower.

 

As Kalian had suspected when he saw the flower, it seemed the rose had continued to bloom without withering. For long enough that Plants had taken notice.

 

Since it was not even a rose Plants had personally kept alive, Kalian saw no need to deny removing it, so he nodded slightly and answered.

 

“I was curious about it blooming alone at this time of year, and as I examined it closely, that’s what happened.”

 

Then, with a face that looked more like he was interrogating Plants, he continued.

 

“It must have been a flower you cherished. For you to come looking for me in such a rude manner just because a single flower has disappeared.”

 

At those words, Plants looked toward the rose garden in the distance and replied.

 

“I don’t know how you figured it out after seeing it just once but seeing how you’re hiding so carefully after removing just one flower, it seems my little brother has also noticed it wasn’t just an ordinary flower.”

 

Plants seemed to have found it strange simply because the flower had been blooming for a long time. The reason was slightly different from why Kalian had felt it was unusual.

 

It seemed he had also roughly guessed why Kalian was not attending breakfast. Of course, Kalian did not need to explain that reason in detail or acknowledge Plants’ assumption.

 

So, Kalian replied as if correcting Plants’ thinking.

 

“My attendant should have relayed the message. I couldn’t go because I haven’t recovered from the travel fatigue. Not because of the flower.”

 

At those words, Plants nodded dismissively. Then, with his gaze still fixed on the rose garden, he spoke.

 

“I asked older brother if he knew about a rose in the garden that hadn’t withered for over a month, and he said he did not know anything about it.”

 

“A month…”

 

Kalian’s eyes widened in surprise, and Plants, instead of answering, concluded:

 

“Unless it’s a Priest’s ability, there’s no way to sustain life for so long. I wonder why older brother is hiding the fact that he’s a Priest.”

 

When something that could just be revealed had been hidden, it suggests there was something more behind it. That was why Plants could not dismiss his suspicions about Randel.

 

Kalian also thought it was Randel who had kept the rose alive.

 

The difference between them was that Plants immediately asked about what he suspected, while Kalian tried to hide the fact that he had doubts.

 

“So, you just asked him directly?”

 

When Plants nodded at this, Kalian chuckled and said:

 

Of course I did. What other answer were you expecting?”

 

“How impudent.”

 

At Kalian’s mockery, Plants curled up one corner of his lips.

 

[If you ask so blatantly about something suspicious, who would admit to it?]

 

Whether that unrestrained behavior should be described as typical of Plants or naive was hard to say. After briefly brushing back his hair disheveled by the breeze, Plants spoke again. It was a different topic, not an answer to Kalian’s question.

 

“I told older brother that I burned it, so please relay that message to him.”

 

“Are you saying you came here to tell me that?”

 

Kalian frowned.

 

He could tell that Plants was providing him an excuse by claiming he had removed the rose himself. But Kalian could not understand why Plants would step in to prevent Randel from knowing that he had also become suspicious.

 

“Why?”

 

“Weren’t you avoiding breakfast to hide your suspicion?”

 

“What I mean is…”

 

Kalian looked at Plants with piercing eyes.

 

“I’m asking why you’re shielding me from older brother Randel’s eyes. It would be better for you if he was wary of me too. Besides, you were also suspicious of me.”

 

That was what he could not understand.

 

Plants was not someone who would help Kalian. Knowing how harshly Plants had treated the old Kalian, he could guarantee it. Plants was absolutely not someone who would do anything good for Kalian.

 

“I remember we do not have that kind of relationship.”

 

“So you do remember.”

 

Plants laughed briefly as he said this.

 

His attitude still suggested he was suspicious of Kalian’s identity. It might not even be suspicion but certainty.

 

Instead of responding about his memories, Kalian asked again.

 

“Why are you stepping in to shield me?”

 

At those words, Plants did not answer for a moment. Kalian looked at him. Plants’ eyes were directed toward where Heisia Palace was located.

 

Where Sillike is.

 

“Whatever power he has, Older brother Randel won’t be able to defeat her anyway. Just like me.”

 

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ve decided to help me because he can’t win against your mother.”

 

Kalian’s eyes narrowed.

 

That also implied that Plants wanted Kalian to oust Sillike.

 

“Are you sure you understand exactly what you’re saying?”

 

At Kalian’s question, Plants turned to look at him.

 

His younger brother was assassinated, his older brother fled to another country, and his father died under suspicious circumstances. After ascending to the empty throne, he was called the ‘Mad King’.

 

Kalian, who remembered this, gazed steadily into Plants’ eyes. And then he saw what was contained within them.

 

After some time had passed.

 

Kalian spoke in a low voice.

 

“You… never intended to go to Camilon Palace?”

 

Plants conveyed his answer by not answering.

 

* * *

 

The fact that Kalian was now living an unwanted second life was more or less caused by the war Plants had started.

 

And the old Kalian’s reasons for living such a life had a lot to do with Plants’ contempt and bullying.

 

Because of this, Kalian could not completely let go of his hatred for Plants with just one conversation. He was not kind enough to feel sympathy or compassion for Plants, who had been treated as nothing more than a tool to bring down Sillike.

 

He merely changed his mind enough not to project past grievances onto Plants, as he had done with Arsene Hertz. That was the greatest understanding the current Kalian could offer.

 

And as a result of deciding to ‘understand’ Plants in this way, Kalian changed his mind and decided to attend breakfast, which he had been trying to avoid.

 

After all, what Plants had come to say at dawn was that he had already covered for Kalian, so Randel would not be suspicious. In short, there was no longer a need to be cautious and miss breakfast.

 

[There are too many things attached to the simple message to eat…]

 

When Kalian said he would go to breakfast, Ian was pleased and hurried with the preparations. As a result, they finished earlier than usual. Of course, this was also because Kalian had not gone back to sleep after Plants disappeared through the window.

 

Anyway, with some time to spare, Kalian looked at the gift boxes still piled in a corner of the room and said to Ian:

 

“Let’s look at the gifts now. We can check them and then go to breakfast.”

 

He was going to open the gifts he had postponed for two days while lost in thought. However, having recalled something through his conversation with Plants, Kalian added two conditions.

 

“Only gifts from Knight Families, and those who are reasonably trustworthy.”

 

“Knight Families, not Mages?”

 

Kalian nodded and added an explanation.

 

“The capable Mages right now will be affiliated with Master’s Mage Order. And future capable Mages will come under my control through the Magic Academy. When that happens, their Families will naturally join hands with me, so there’s no need to separately cultivate those Families.”

 

If he had gained the power of Mages this way, was the strength of Knights unnecessary?

 

Of course not.

 

“Mages are certainly strong, but there aren’t many of them. If the Beurisen suddenly disappeared, and Nobles scattered throughout Cyries or other countries were to start a fight, it would be difficult to handle it with just the Mage Order.”

 

Kalian was right.

 

The Beurisen Knight Order was threatening Rmain while also protecting Cyries and the Royal Palace of Cyries. Therefore, if they disappeared overnight, both the threat to the Royal Family and its safety would vanish together. A truly ironic situation.

 

That was also why Kalian could not just pick up a sword and go assassinate Sillike and Marquis Beurisen right now. It was different from Gray. They were truly a necessary evil.

 

“To get rid of this necessary evil, we need Knights to replace the Beurisen Knight Order. But I can’t drag the Elephants into my power struggle, so I need to join hands with the other Knight Families that have a favourable view of me.”

 

As Sleiman once told his daughter Dmirea, Siegfried was not one to go after the throne. Therefore, they could not be called to Cyriesus.

 

At Kalian’s explanation, Ian nodded and picked out several gifts from the many, arranging them in front of Kalian. These were gifts sent from medium to small Knight Families. Since there were more than expected, Kalian, who had been looking at the gift boxes for a moment, said.

 

“It would be difficult to meet each one individually.”

 

For now, Kalian, who had memorized their names well, rose from his seat. And throughout his way to the dining hall, he began to consider ways to meet them without attracting Beurisen’s attention.

 

* * *

 

Rye cookies.

 

What Count Aprin, the head of a Knight Family whose power had reportedly declined significantly due to the Beurisen Family, had sent was rye cookies said to have been made by the Countess herself. They were quite different from gifts made of all sorts of jewels or precious leather, and were also what Kalian liked the most.

 

Allan, who had picked up one of those cookies and put it in his mouth, asked:

 

“Do you intend to investigate Prince Randel? If necessary, I can summon the ‘head’ for you.”

 

At those words, Kalian, who had returned after finishing breakfast without incident and was now sitting face to face with Allan, laughed out loud. It was because he thought of Euria, who served as the head of the Cyries Arcane Enclave, the principal of the Pollun Magic Academy, and the boss of Kalian’s exclusive information organization.

 

“She doesn’t need to come. You know it’s useless. Randel is similar to the current me. Unless he directly speaks and reveals what kind of power he’s hiding, it can’t be known, so investigating him won’t yield anything.”

 

For someone to discover that Kalian is actually Bern, Kalian would have to admit that fact himself. Otherwise, there was absolutely no way to uncover Kalian’s secret.

 

The same applies to Randel. Unless he says he can use the power of Divine Artifacts, it would be impossible to find out.

 

“One thing I’m curious about is why he made that rose bloom in a garden where everyone could see it. Thanks to that, everyone has become suspicious of him.”

 

At those words, Allan smiled gently and replied:

 

“If it’s a secret that won’t be revealed anyway, he might have thought it was okay to expose it once. Even our thoughtful Prince once acted like he was living for just one day when he wanted to save Kyrie.”

 

He was referring to the day Kalian went to the gambling den and got into a fight. Hearing Allan’s first barb after quite a long time, Kalian’s face reddened slightly with embarrassment.

 

In fact, Allan’s words were correct.

 

Randel, who had gone to the garden after hearing that Kalian had ousted Renen, had simply made the rose bloom because it resembled Kalian. Not knowing this, Kalian just felt like he had acquired an unsolvable mystery.

 

Soon, Kalian took out a black pebble from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said.

 

“Anyway, to find out why this reacted with Randel’s power, we need to make Randel move. If we do that, he’ll reveal both the reason for blooming the flower in the garden and what he’s been hiding. But there’s only one way to make Randel move, right?”

 

Allan smiled meaningfully at Kalian’s words. Once, Allan had told Rmain that Randel would move if Kalian expelled Sillike.

 

“Expelling Sillike. Then, when only Randel and I remain, he’ll have no choice but to reveal what he’s been hiding.”

 

Kalian said the same thing as Allan had at that time, and then continued:

 

“Of course, the same goes for me.”

 

Would the Priest who has hidden his use of Divine Power from the sleeping Goddess be greater? Or would the Mage who has hidden his memories as a Sword Master be greater?

 

We could only know once it was put to the test.

 

“So, I have one favour to ask you.”

 

“Please tell me.”

 

Kalian showed a gentle smile resembling Allan’s, then spoke again.

 

“I want to have a private audience with His Highness. Without anyone knowing.”

 

At those words, suggesting a son wanted to secretly meet his father, Allan nodded with an amused expression. Then he picked up another rye cookie that would never suit a Noble’s taste buds.