Hey there, I’m back! Sorry for the looong delay, I was dealing with my finals, which basically ate my life. Anyway, I’ll be making up for the chapters I didn’t post last months etc… so do look forward to that I guess ?
Anyway, here is the chapter, I hope you’ll enjoy it o/
Chapter 12
【”Your highness! Is it true that her highness Lunaria has recovered?!”】
Cellvis was running in the castle, gasping for breath with sweat running down his forehead. And as soon as he saw Cornelia and the healthy smile on her face, tears started overflowing from his eyes.
【”Waaaa! Your highness!”】
【”I-it’s fine already! P-please don’t cry so much, uncle Cell!”】
Seeing the old Cellvis cry openly and being so unlike his usual self, Lunaria kindly hugged him with an embarra.s.sed smile.
【”Your highness! Thank goodness, you’ve recovered…!”】
【”Thank you, Rosberg.”】
Right behind Cellvis came the leader of the royal knights, Rosberg.
Rosberg was the man who taught the way of the sword to Lunaria.
He was a man in his prime, in his mid-thirties, whose name was renown both inside and outside of the country.
Both of these important leaders of the country’s fighting forces loved a certain matchless girl like their own daughter.
That girl was the second princess of the kingdom, Lunaria.
【”The two of you… you are the same as ever. Let me remind you once again, just in case you have forgotten: Lunaria is my daughter, not yours.”】
Said Christopher, with a thoroughly annoyed face, as he looked down on his two trusted subordinates.
Somehow, this sight felt to him like his precious daughter was being tarnished by the closeness of the two overly-manly and smelly warriors. The king could not get used to this now usual sight no matter how many times he saw it.
【”I heard that a mage cured the princess in the blink of an eye but―― Where in the world is he?”】
The king had tried everything, even inviting reputed doctors from other countries, but they had failed to find out the cause behind the princess’ disease.
Even Cellvis had used all of his personal connections for this, and yet the princess’ disease had kept on getting worse. He was greatly ashamed of himself for that.
So he could never have imagined that the princess would completely recover from her disease in less than a day.
And since the court mages had failed to bring any results so far despite being in charge of the princess’ treatment, it did not seem likely to Cellvis that they had suddenly managed to cure her by this point.
【”Apparently, he’s some kind of unsung sage. Well, you wouldn’t guess that from his looks though.”】
As she said that, Lunaria recalled Kurats’ tall and strong body and giggled to herself.
At that point, Lunaria’s two doting ‘parents’ sensed some faint feelings of affection coming from her, which even she had failed to notice.
【”But, well, is he really trustworthy?”】
【”It seems like we’re going to need to meet him and have a talk with him.”】
Not knowing the inner thoughts of Rosberg and Cellvis who nodded at each other, Lunaria started wondering how much of a fight Kurats would be able to put up with Rosberg as his opponent.
Kurats’ body was not only big.
He had tempered himself to the utmost limit, until he became solid like steel, but when in an actual fight, he was also nimble as a cat.
If Kurats fought seriously, then he would likely be an equal match to Rosberg.
However, that would only be the case if Rosberg refrained from using his trump card.
【”I am delighted to see that you’ve recovered well, your highness Lunaria.”】
【”Yes, sorry for worrying you all this time!”】
The next person to appear in the room was the kingdom’s prime minister, Eustache Wingard.
Although he was entering his sixties, he was still a vigorous man, with a straight back full of dignity, which was fitting of the prime minister of a kingdom.
Like the skilled politician that he was, he had already started a political maneuver which was all based on the a.s.sumption that Lunaria would die soon, but he seemed sincere on the surface as he congratulated her on her recovery.
(―― Good grief, I suppose things are going to get rough again.)
“Maybe we could have avoided some unnecessary strife had she just succ.u.mbed to her illness.”Thought Eustache.
Afterwards, the minister of domestic affairs, the minister of industry, the finance minister, and all the other authorities who were involved in the country’s politics, came in the room one after the other to offer their greetings.
Lunaria’s elder sister, Felbelle, and her Husband, Albert Strasbourg, were among the last people to turn up.
【”I’m glad you’re healthy again, Lunaria.”】
【”Thank you, elder sister.”】
Although she showed a gentle smile on her face, Felbelle had lifeless eyes.
Others found that those eyes only enhanced Felbelle’s cold and beautiful face, but Lunaria hated them.
【”I was looking forward to the day of your recovery. “】
【”Sorry for worrying you like so, brother in law.”】
(――Even though you’re probably thinking the opposite inside…)
Albert had a stereo-typically handsome face, with blond hair and blue eyes, and a tall, well-balanced body.
He was highly famous as a feudal lord, and as a politician, he was deemed to be capable enough to become the next era’s prime minister. And ever since Lunaria’s elder sister had been tied to this man, she had become completely dependent on him.
For that, Lunaria hated Albert more than anyone else in the world.
Even though the two sisters were being reunited after a long time, they only exchanged fake smiles.
As Cellvis turned a suspicious gaze towards him, Albert baldly hugged his wife’s trembling shoulders.
【”Thank goodness. You’ll be able to sleep peacefully from tonight on.”】
【”You’re right, dear.”】
Seeing the warm sight of the couple acting just like newly-weds, Lunaria’s heart only grew colder.
“If it were me, I’d never…” The moment Lunaria thought so, she recalled Kurats’ face, and she fl.u.s.teredly hid her own reddening face.
After suddenly having an ominous prediction which already surpa.s.sed a doting parent’s instinct and was entering the realm of psychic abilities, Cellvis and Rosberg closely checked Lunaria’s current state.
As for Albert, he took a step back and started observing the conversations between the statesman who had come at the same time as him to visit the princess.
(As I thought, everyone here’s bewildered by what happened. If she had just quietly died, then things would have proceeded just fine but…)
If Lunaria had died, then it would have been decided that Felbelle would be the next ruler of the kingdom.
Albert had heard from many neutral factions that they were already thinking of switching sides, but now, the battle for the throne was back to its starting point.
(Even so, the wind should still be blowing my way. But, there is one problem…)
Thought Albert, before his cogitation was interrupted by a man’s high-pitched voice.
【”So, your majesty, may I ask who was the one who cured her highness and what kind of technique did he use?”】
Said a skinny man with dark and thin eyes. This expressionless man, who looked somewhat like a reptile, was the head of the royal court’s mages, Mordred.
The current situation had put all of the royal court mages to shame.
Despite using outrageously expensive medicine and tasking more than a few healing mages with the mission of curing the princess, they had still failed to identify the cause of her illness, so it would not be strange if the kingdom started looking into who was to blame for this lack of results.
Along with the death of the old mage Doran, who had been in charge of the kingdom’s mages, Mordred had managed to take his place at last and he was already in his mid-fifties.
Hence why he was desperately hiding his impatience in order to try to somehow keep his current position.
【”His name is Kurats Hans Almadianos. He says he’s a sage who lives in the Gaura village, which is governed by earl Hazel.”】
【”Huh? So he’s just a commoner?!”】
The field of magic was quite the secretive one. It was not so simple for just anyone to mimic magic skills through hearsay and pondering.
In almost 100% of cases, the only way for anyone to learn magic skills was to have mage parents or to be taught magic by a legitimate educational inst.i.tution.
That was the reason why the number of mages was so limited, not only in the Jormungand kingdom, but also in the whole world.
Therefore, there was no way to learn any decent magic in a remote region like earl Hazel’s territory.
【”―― Isn’t it suspicious? He lives at the national border, which happens to lead directly to the Bifuregast kingdom. Could it be that he’s a spy sent from that country?”】
【”That man saved my life. I’d like you to refrain from making such thoughtless claims. And isn’t what you’re saying the same as saying that our magic is inferior to that of the Bifuregast kingdom?”】
Mordred had no comeback to Lunaria’s retort.
He had merely been trying to take a jab at an outsider, but there really was no particular basis behind his words.
【”Besides, I’ve given Kurats the position of a baron of the kingdom. You’ll only have yourself to blame if he ends up challenging you to a duel for speaking poorly about him.”】
The King’s words were a big shock not only to Mordred, but also to the other n.o.bles in the room.
Giving Kurats the position of a baron seemed like too big of a reward for merely curing the princess.
【”Your majesty ―― this is my first time hearing about this.”】
Said the prime minister Eustache, while slightly glaring at Christopher, who answered with a hearty laugh.
【”Ahahaha! My apologies. It’s just that I had never seen a man as strange as him before. He is probably going to come back tomorrow, I’m sure you will see what I mean once you meet him, Eustache.”】
【”Please try to stay moderate when amusing yourself like this, your majesty.”】
A baron was a full-fledged, high-grade n.o.ble, and that position was not inferior to Mordred’s position as the head of the royal court’s mages.
‘Surely, the king cannot be thinking of appointing this unknown stranger as a mage of the royal court, right?’ As Mordred asked himself that question, his fl.u.s.tered face turned completely pale.
【”Besides this, the mage also said that Lunaria’s symptoms were not caused by a disease but by an external factor. And I am looking forward to finding out what was the real reason behind her condition.”】
Though he did not show it, Eustache was greatly troubled by the king’s words.
He figured he might be guessing wrong, but Eustache could easily imagine the dispute for the throne turning into complete chaos if it ended up being revealed that someone had aimed for the princess’ life.
And if that was how things were going to turn out, then having princess Lunaria die would be a much better turn of events.
That was what Eustache truly believed behind the facade that he showed on the surface.
Looking at king Christopher, who was laughing out loud in a seemingly great mood, Albert’s eyes became cold as ice.
(Seriously, this impulsive man is absolutely not fit to be the king; the sooner he dies, the better! )
While suppressing the anger that was lurking inside his stomach, Albert was working on his next plan of action within his mind.