Hey there, chapter 13 is here! Alright, third time’s the charm, I’ve caught up to the manga now, and I’ve surpa.s.sed it by pretty far on Patreon, so everybody calme down in the comments please >
Anyway, here is the chapter, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Chapter 13
It was the next day’s afternoon that Kurats came back to visit the royal castle.
Although he had intended to come earlier, he was delayed by Cornelia who started lecturing him when he was about to go.
【”Saving me was more than enough. All this story about you being a n.o.ble and whatnot is not like you, don’t push yourself.”】
Cornelia had always been together with Kurats, so she was afraid that he would go to places that were beyond her reach.
However, Kurats could not allow himself to stay confined inside the Gaura village.
The criminal who had put the parasite on Lunaria was still at large, and although Kurats was a n.o.ble now, it couldn’t exactly be said that he was safe.
There were many strains that came with becoming a n.o.ble.
When Kurats thought about it, he knew there would be some serious hurdles in his path to marry his sister if there ever was a higher ranked n.o.ble who also wished for Cornelia to become his wife.
Therefore, in the future, Kurats needed to have more power, more strength, and above all, more determination, so that there would be no complaints even if he were to marry Cornelia himself.
(Do you really want to finish your days in such a dump?)
It was needless to point out that Bernst had a biased and slightly self-righteous advice to offer regarding Kurats’ thought process.
But in the end, Kurats managed to convince Cornelia, and teleported to the royal capital, where he was greeted by a skinny and somewhat old man.
【”You… Are you ‘that’ mage? You just teleported without any magic formation… How? As I thought, you work for the Bifuregast kingdom, don’t you?”】
【”Why should I answer? Who are you supposed to be?”】
Perhaps because his pride was hurt by Kurats’ question, a vein appeared on the man’s forehead as he shouted.
【”My name is Mordred Beauvoir, and I am the head of the royal court’s mages! You’re going to answer my question right this instant!”】
The king had said that Kurats would show himself on this day, so Mordred had been waiting for him since early morning.
In a certain way, it could be perceived that he was wasting time doing nothing, but Mordred was only being very diligent.
Because he had gone through a lot of trials to get his position in the kingdom, and the man before him was someone who could s.n.a.t.c.h that away.
【”Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am baron Kurats Hans Almadianos de Gaura. I have been ordered to report something to the palace, so I’d like you to please keep your questions for later.”】
【”You were a mere commoner only a few days ago! Know your place!”】
Having been rejected so flat out, Mordred barely managed to stop himself from using magic.
Although he was the head of the royal court’s mages, he would not escape from being punished if he used magic to kill or harm someone in front of the royal palace.
【”I have a report for his majesty the king. Head of the royal court’s mages, if you have any business with me, I will have to ask you to postpone it for another occasion. For the time being, if you’ll excuse my rudeness, I’ll be taking my leave.”】
As Kurats started going forward like he thought nothing of the man in front of him, the last bit of self-restraint that Mordred still had was reduced to dust.
【”Surely, you jest! You are not going anywhere without answering my questions!”】
Mordred figured that if he merely threatened Kurats without actually causing him any injuries, he would likely be able to explain the situation away. Right now, he could not let off this impolite man.
Following that reasoning, Mordred started gathering his mana, but at that moment, Kurats spoke up.
【”―― I’ve been told to use force to eliminate anyone who interferes with my duties, so, let me ask you, do you really have the resolve to get in my way?”】
Mordred unconsciously took three steps back as he felt like Kurats’ body grew to twice its size.
He was sensing a thick aura of death, as if he was he facing a huge bear.
Mordred felt like he would be killed with a broken neck for the mere act of touching Kurats.
He gulped while finally realizing how abnormal Kurats really was.
At the same moment, he reinforced his own determination, for he was now even more convinced that this man was a threat to his position and that he would have to get rid of him.
【”Humph, I cannot let a rude fellow like you wander off alone in the palace. I’ll guide you to his majesty.”】
【”As you wish.”】
【”―― Oooh! Did sir Kurats finally come?!”】
In contrast to Lunaria, who showed a wide and bright smile, Rosberg was displaying his grumpiness with a frown.
【”I understand that that man cured her highness, but isn’t she trusting him too much?”】
For this day, Lunaria had put on some light makeup and was wearing an extravagant wide dress that was completely unlike her usual lightweight training outfit.
On top of that, she was uncharacteristically wearing some osmanthus perfume.
Given those facts, it was only natural that Lunaria’s self-proclaimed guardian, Rosberg, was having a hard time keeping his calm.
(Besides, aren’t you going to ask me to go train today for the first time after everything that happened?!)
Rosberg was Lunaria’s martial arts teacher, and he had been charmed by her talent in combat and her strong character back when she was still very young. Therefore, it seemed strange to him that she didn’t get back to the sword right after her physical condition returned to normal.
He wondered, had her sword skills grown dull when she was asleep? And, in the first place, would Lunaria even mind if that was the case? Would she not get back to training regardless?
In a certain sense, that reaction would actually have been stranger for a woman in this society, but Rosberg was too much of a dotting ‘parent’ to be able to think of that.
After seeing how cheerful Lunaria had gotten while waiting, Rosberg hardened his resolve to see through Kurats’ true colors.
It was impossible for him to entrust Lunaria to a mediocre man.
Or at least, that man would first have to cross the wall that was the magic swordsman Rosberg.
(But of course, I am the kingdom’s sword, I’m not an easy barrier to cross!)
Thinking that, Rosberg, the kingdom’s most outstanding swordsman, held the handle of his favorite sword, which was hanging at his waist, waiting to be pulled.
Those two were not the only ones waiting for Kurats.
In another room, the elites of the country had gathered. Not to mention the king, even the prime minister and Albert, the marquis of Strasbourg, had come. This was a sight to behold.
But when faced with these heavyweights who carried the kingdom on their shoulders, Kurats’ calm demeanor was not affected.
【”Thanks to your majesty’s kindness, I was able to protect my sister. Never in my life will I forgot this favor.”】
【”That’s good, but do not worry about this matter, baron Kurats. After all, I was making up for my own retainer’s mistakes.”】
(Mhm, it looks he really went to the Gaura village and came back to the royal capital in a single day…)
The king was already aware that Kurats had used teleportation magic, but that spell’s power was simply too shocking.
Normal mages could teleport across a few kilometers at most.
Even top grade mages could only teleport within a twenty kilometers radius at most(12 miles).
So, as one would expect, Kurats’ ability to teleport himself across hundreds of kilometers (62 miles) did not disappoint the king’s expectations.
【”Well then, yesterday, you spoke about quite the worrying matter.”】
【”You mean about the monster that caused her highness Lunaria’s illness?”】
At those words, a small, dark sparkle appeared in the eyes of the prime minister.
That was because Kurats’ words could quite potentially spell the end of many aristocrats.
【”―― Please wait. I’ve left the monster in her highness Lunaria’s custody.”】
【”What? Is she alright?!”】
The king never could have expected that Lunaria herself was the one safekeeping the parasite that made her ill.
What if that monster had ended up hurting her again?
【”I apologize, father. Kurats told me to keep it a secret.”】
As if she had been waiting for Kurats’ words as a cue, Lunaria appeared in the room with a broad smile on her face.
【”You are too capricious! It’s good that nothing bad happened, but on the off chance that it did, believe me when I say I would have cut his head off on the spot!”】
This mater was most distressing to the king, especially after he had let himself be so delighted, thinking that his daughter had finally been cured for good.
With the playful expression of a child proud of her mischief, Lunaria turned towards Kurats.
【”You entrusted me with this and now I’ll return it to you, sir Kurats.”】
【”Thank you very much. I made sure to seal the parasite carefully, so there was no danger really.”】
【”I figured as much.”】
“It seems like they both have some quite troublesome personalities.” Thinking that, king Christopher spoke in a taken aback manner.
【”I am glad that you’ve become so energetic, Lunaria… But I wish you would settle your tomboyish ways just a tiny bit.”】
【”Oh? But I believe I’ve actually grown to become quite ‘ladylike’.”】
【”And I believe you should look up that word in a dictionary.”】
Said Christopher with a laugh and a slight wave of his hand. And that marked the end of the father and daughter’s conversation.
Right after that, Christopher suddenly narrowed his eyes.
【”Now then, tell me the details of the situation, baron.”】
【”As you wish.”】
Kurats bowed very respectfully to the king.
Despite his uncommonly big body, his well-trained action still felt light and dignified.
【”The monster that I locked up inside this water jug is a parasite that can mimic the mana of its host and then absorb it until said host’s death. From its appearance, I a.s.sume it’s an aquatic type of monster.”】
【”I see, it can mimic the person’s mana, so that’s why it wasn’t caught by the mages’ mana scan.”】
【”I-if so, then how come YOU managed to notice it!”】
If Mordred had stayed silent, that would have been the same as acknowledging that the royal court’s mages were useless.
The truth was that Kurats―― or rather, Bernst, had implied that the court mages’ lack of ability was at fault.
『Hmph, this is all because they have grown so c.o.c.ky about their childish techniques.』
But it was simply impossible for Mordred to approve such a claim.
【”―― I managed to notice because I am special, so to speak.”】
【”T-that’s nonsense!”】
【”Both of you, behave yourselves. You’re in the presence of the king.”】
With a sour expression on his face, the prime minister Eustache stopped Mordred who was starting to lose himself to his rage.
And while Mordred was acting quite immaturely, Eustache believed Kurats was also to blame for provoking him.
【”I am deeply sorry for offending you. I have mentioned this to his majesty already, but the magic spells I use do not belong to the same system as the one that is currently known in the world.”】
Translator’s note: So, who do you think did it? Even I haven’t read that far yet but I can feel a twist coming heh, don’t hesitate to tell me what you think in the comments
Anyway, I hope you’ll have a fantastic day, I know I will, so good aid to those who celebrate it, and just good day in general for everyone else, I’ll see you soon ?