Chapter 12. Information

A day had passed since the boisterous bet ended.

“Why on earth is he here?”

I asked Rodrigo why Bethel was sweeping the yard.

“It is because Count Dorléans ordered it.”

“Why?”

“He said he would kill him if he ran away.”

Even with Rodrigo’s explanation, the question mark didn’t fade.

“There must be a reason. Was it because he went a bit too far during the duel?”

He did use a killing sword, after all.

“That is not it.”

My faith in humanity is melting away like snow in spring…

“If it’s not that, then why are they keeping him here?”

“He is a deserter.”

“Huh?”

It was absurd. It was as if a deserter had walked right into the jaws of death on his own two feet.

“Yes, so for the time being, he has been tasked with cleaning this place.”

“Without punishment?”

“It seems he has something else in mind, but I do not know the details. I’m sure he’ll handle it.”

True, it would be difficult for others to know what Chris was thinking.

“Elliot will have an easier time.”

“Indeed, she is happy that her workload has decreased.”

“Is that so? Since she has less work, I should ask her to make some snacks.”

Perhaps because I had reached the 1st Star, I was hungrier than usual. My body also ached from the ordeal yesterday. There was still time until the meal, but it seemed like a good idea for my body to eat something. You have to eat well to heal well, after all.

“There is no need to go down.”

I was humming as I opened the door, and there stood Chris. He was holding some unidentifiable food and wearing a displeasing smile.

“It is good for the body. Please, eat.”

Chris came into the room and set the food down. I looked back and forth between the food and Chris. The food’s appearance was very strange. The smell was also quite foul… I was doubtful whether it was even edible.

“What is this?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Food that is good for the body. An elixir?”

It’s so obvious he’s lying.

“No, it’s not. It looks like I’ll die if I eat it.”

“You shouldn’t judge by appearances.”

“…What’s the name of this dish?”

“Food that is good for the body. Let’s just call it an elixir.”

That damned bastard.

“Hmm.”

My heart wasn’t moved. Since Chris said it was good for the body, it probably was… The medicine he had given me until now was undoubtedly good for the body…

“Please, eat.”

Chris urged me to eat with a benevolent smile.

I took a deep breath. Then I plugged my nose and put a spoonful of the ‘food that is good for the body’ into my mouth. It had a strange, slimy texture that couldn’t be chewed properly. A repulsive, fishy smell that was neither fish nor grass seemed to pierce through the top of my head.

Ha! Damn… Is this really made for human consumption? No, is this really good for my body if I eat it? Isn’t it possible he made a poison to kill me because he was upset about what I said yesterday?

“Is it to your liking?”

“Keuk. Blech.”

“It seems to suit your palate well.”

“Blech. Is… is this really good for the body?”

“It is. They say what is good for the body is bitter to the mouth. Please eat without leaving any.”

“It’s not bitter, it’s disgusting.”

“‘Bitter to the mouth’ is an idiomatic expression.”

‘Idiomatic expression,’ my ass. It’s making me gag.

“You are eating well. I will bring more next time.”

He definitely made this taste like crap on purpose. He’s definitely doing this because of what I said yesterday. What a petty bastard.

“I have a question.”

Chris, having cleared the dishes, looked at me and said.

“What?”

“Have you reached the 1st Star?”

“Yeah.”

Hearing the short answer, Chris let out a ‘Ha!’ sound. It was a mix of surprise and admiration.

“They said it takes about 10 years, how did you achieve it so quickly?”

“Did you forget what I said before? Books aren’t everything, you know?”

“Even so, isn’t this… growth that’s too fast?”

“My talent is just different.”

At the word talent, Chris tilted his head. It was a reaction of someone who could neither understand nor acknowledge it. A scoff almost escaped me. Even as time passes, those mages are so consistent. They firmly believe that what they know is everything.

“Anyway, what are you going to do with that guy outside?”

I asked, pointing at Bethel who was standing blankly in the middle of the yard.

“When the time comes, I will take him.”

“To where?”

“To where he originally belongs.”

Is he going to the border? Seeing as he’s giving him a chance even though he knows he’s a deserter…

“You’re softer than I thought.”

“Pardon?”

Chris frowned and asked. It seemed he had roughly understood the meaning of my words.

“Are you short on knights at the border?”

“We are not plentiful.”

“So you’re taking him? He’s 1st Circle and has sworn an oath to Terion, so he’ll be useful.”

“He is a man who ran away once. How useful can he be?”

Chris spoke as if he disapproved of Bethel. He didn't mean it. If he were useless, there's no way he would be given another chance. Mages are bright when it comes to calculations.

Even if he kept him alive because he was soft-hearted, he wasn’t the type to do so without any justification. As the commander of the border, he shouldn’t do so without justification either.

“By the way, when a Mana Heart reaches the 1st Star, don’t you make an oath or something?”

Chris asked.

“We don’t do that.”

“Then how do you use your power without one? You wouldn’t use mana in its raw form, would you?”

“……”

Instead of answering, I carefully observed Chris' expression. It wasn’t a question with a predetermined answer. He really didn’t know.

‘It disappeared along with the Mana Hearts.’

It seemed no trace of the Sagas remained anywhere. If it had remained somewhere in some form, Chris' question would have been different.

“Do you use it by memorizing formulas?”

Chris, impatient, continued with his questions before hearing an answer.

“That’s what mages do. Knights don’t do that. They don’t know how to, either.”

“Then how do you use mana?”

“A knight fights like a knight. You’ll find out in due time.”

When the time comes, he will have no choice but to find out, whether he wants to or not.

“That’s enough questions. Let me ask some questions now.”

“Does Your Highness have things he is curious about as well?”

“I’m human too, isn’t that obvious?”

Chris let out a small snort. It was clearly a scoff. But I took it as a sign of permission.

“To whom has the 3rd Circle mage, who is different from ordinary mages, sworn an oath?”

As mages increase their Circle, they can serve more than one god. Or they can visit the god they already serve and ask for a blessing to raise their class.

“It is a secret.”

Chris flashed a sly smile.

“How petty.”

“You do not seem unaware that asking itself is rude. You have become quite cunning.”

At Chris' words, I made an awkward expression and scratched the back of my neck.

For a mage to reveal the god they swore an oath to is no different from revealing their own strategy guide.

Fire was weak to water, and water was weak to thunder. Wind fanned the flames. Earth bowed before the wind. With powers of the same class, the balance would often be broken according to elemental matchups. Of course, if there was a clear class difference, the matchups could be ignored. Just as water evaporates if the fire is strong, and the earth is not overturned by the wind if it is solid.

“Fair enough. But I think Count Dorléans is more cunning than me. Have you forgotten our bet?”

Chris closed his lips and exhaled through his nose. He must have thought he could get away with it by being subtle.

“Don’t drag it out, hand it over.”

“It is as if you are picking up something you left in my care.”

“I did leave it in your care. I won.”

Chris scratched his forehead and looked at Rodrigo.

“Could you excuse us for a moment?”

Rodrigo, receiving Chris' request, made a face that asked what kind of bet it was that he had to be excluded. But neither I nor Chris answered his question.

“Understood.”

Rodrigo left the room. Chris slowly composed his breathing and prepared his words.

“Was it necessary to send Rodrigo out? Is he perhaps related?”

“Not really. But it is better to have fewer listening ears. After all, it is a matter of the royal family. It would be troublesome if word got out, wouldn’t it?”

As expected of a mage, he’s very suspicious. And meticulous.

“First, I will talk about how Your Highness got injured. I am focusing on the 4th Prince, Hans Caesar, as the heart of the problem.”

“Are you saying the one who tried to kill me was the 4th Prince? But he wasn’t alone.”

In the ‘Memory of Oblivion’ left by the 5th prince, at least three voices were heard.

“Yes. The 4th Prince has three families who have offered to sponsor him. It is highly likely that this incident was carried out by them.”

“Their titles?”

“Three Count families.”

For a Count family to do something that crazy…

“Do they want to become Marquises?”

“That is most likely the case.”

“Then why didn’t they side with the 1st Prince? Ignoring the 1st Prince for the 4th Prince… are they out of their minds?”

“To win big, a gamble is necessary, is it not?”

A gamble, huh. Are the families who sided with the 4th Prince planning to make him king?

Bypassing the 1st and 3rd Princes? A hollow laugh escaped me. It was no ordinary crazy idea. Then again, without a crazy act of that magnitude, there would be no fiefdom or the title of Marquis. By the way, the 3rd and 4th Princes have the same birth mother, do they not get along? Well, there’s no rule that they have to get along just because they have the same mother. Even if their brotherly love was strong, the throne isn’t something they can share.

“Is the 1st Prince’s power base weak?”

“It is not weak.”

“Not weak? You mean it’s not strong either?”

“Yes. The only family supporting the 1st Prince is the Lebrongs.”

At the name Lebrong, a hollow ‘Ha!’ escaped me. Chris, finding my reaction strange, furrowed his brow. I ignored him and focused on recalling the Lebrong family.

‘I didn’t know they were still around.’

The family that stood at the forefront when fighting Poinus was the Lebrongs. They were quite brave. They fought well, too. If their opponent had been any other country, the family's fame would have pierced the heavens. But the one they faced was me, Maximilian Leonhardt. What bad luck.

‘I heard all the men in the family were dragged to the front back then, I guess there must have been a child.’

Anyway, it’s surprising that only one family is supporting the 1st Prince.

“Does the 1st Prince have a bad reputation?”

“It is good. Unlike Your Highness, he is polite and wise. He is also faithfully studying statecraft. Not only I, but others also say he has sufficient qualities of a king.”

“Why are you bringing me into this?”

“I thought you would not be able to gauge it if I just said it plainly.”

Seeing him say that with a slight smile, it was clear he meant to get a jab at me. Just wait until I reclaim my past glory. I’ll definitely teach that one a lesson.

“So, is it because of the Lebrongs that he has no other support?”

The Lebrongs sacrificed much in the war. They formed an alliance, but they also protected their country. So within Poinus, they are bound to be considered a prestigious family. Such a family is sponsoring the next king. If other families wanted to support the 1st Prince, they would need the Lebrongs’ permission. It would be like sticking their faces out to ask for a share of the spoils when the 1st Prince becomes king.

“It may be one of the minor reasons, but it is not the core issue. The Lebrongs have opened up for sponsorship.”

The Lebrongs have opened up for sponsorship, but they can’t add strength to the 1st Prince for other reasons? That means there is pressure from someone. The pressure of a being stronger than the Lebrongs.

‘A gold nugget has fallen right before their eyes, but they can’t pick it up because they’re wary of someone…’

If it’s enough to sway the rise and fall of a family, it must be the king or someone with equivalent power. The king has no reason to exclude the 1st Prince. His legitimacy is intact, and he is said to be a decent person himself. Then the culprit is the person who wants the 1st Prince to be excluded.

“Then…”

The 2nd Queen, who has no prince, has no power. Then the only one left is the 3rd Queen, who has two princes she gave birth to herself.

“Is the 3rd Queen that powerful?”