Episode 70
The Saint explained in detail the mysteries contained within the magic orb his master had left behind.
That his master had known of the Saint’s existence and orchestrated all of this; that therefore, Prince Rurik was never meant to become the demon sword’s host again; and even the fact that Louise was the first to recognize the Saint.
Among these, there was only one thing Ren couldn’t comprehend.
“How did Her Highness Princess Louise…?”
Rurik, rarely speaking, opened his mouth to answer.
A tone of pride towards his sister seeped into each word the usually taciturn man uttered.
“Who can know? But Louise wanted to bring Helena to the imperial capital from the very beginning. I should have listened to her sooner.”
Just as Ren was leaving the Prince’s chamber, still unable to resolve his疑问, Helena spoke to the Prince in a sweet voice.
“I have a personal message for Her Highness the Princess… I’ll see the Tower Master out and be right back.”
Ren’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
‘See me out and ‘be right back’? At this hour?’
In Ren’s opinion, the reason the Second Prince was hiding Helena’s presence was because she was a Saint.
‘If the Saint intervenes, she could heal the Crown Prince.’
So he could understand wanting to keep her hidden.
But the fact that the hiding place was the Prince’s own chamber was a bit strange.
Yet, Rurik only nodded kindly towards Helena.
In the Prince’s eyes was a mixture of trust and affection that he usually only showed to Louise.
‘Did I ever think His Highness would look at anyone else like that?’
Regardless, Helena followed Len out into the corridor.
However, she didn’t speak a word the entire way.
“…Didn’t you say you had a message for Her Highness the Princess?”
When Len asked, Helena smiled brightly and opened the door opposite.
It was Louise’s room.
Even though Louise was in Edessa and the room was obviously empty, he felt a bit annoyed at her casually opening the unoccupied room.
The moment Len followed her inside, Helena firmly closed the door.
“Why are we here…?”
“Could you put up a sound barrier, please?”
Ren was taken aback, but it wasn’t a difficult task, so he complied with her request.
Then Helena spoke.
“You were wondering how Her Highness the Princess noticed my ability, weren’t you? I thought it better to tell you the truth. I feel… I can reveal the truth to you, Ren.”
Ren felt burdened that this monk—no, Saint—whom he wasn’t close to, was treating him specially.
“…It sounds like a matter you couldn’t tell His Highness the Prince. Are you sure you won’t regret revealing it to me?”
So he asked bluntly, but Helena’s eyes sparkled as if amused.
“At the monastery, I happened to hold Her Highness’s hand, and I realized she was not… alone.”
“…What did you say?”
“Don’t worry. I promised Her Highness I would keep her secret, and I’ve kept it until now.”
Ren sighed.
“How on earth…?”
“Just as I could see the magical power of you and Master Moghold, I simply sensed the aura of two people from Her Highness the Princess.”
Only then did Ren understand.
‘A Saint who can see magical power and sense inherent auras.’
He had only read about such abilities in books; this was his first time encountering one in reality.
Taking advantage of the sound barrier, he asked.
“What about my Master? Could you… check if the demon sword’s magic was absorbed by him as well?”
Ren asked, feeling like he was grasping at straws, but Helena shook her head.
“While you went to see His Highness the Crown Prince earlier, I already examined him. In Master Moghold’s case, the magical power he possessed has greatly diminished, but he is not in a state of being eroded by any other aura.”
Len cautiously opened his mouth.
“Then His Highness the Crown Prince is truly…”
Helena smiled knowingly, as if aware of what he was about to say.
“However, the reason I did not heal His Highness the Crown Prince was not solely due to Master Moghold’s advice.”
“Then…?”
Even though he didn’t wish for the Crown Prince’s healing, Ren’s voice rumbled lowly, almost like an accusation.
But Helena was dignified.
“On the night my abilities were bestowed, God showed me an unfortunate future. I have a responsibility to prevent that future, and I will carry out the necessary tasks in sequence to do so.”
In other words, saving the Crown Prince was not on her list of priorities.
“Furthermore, if someone must pay for the sins, it should rightly fall upon the wicked.”
The aura Prince Rurik had shown at the training grounds was unusual.
With Helena, who had received revelations about the future, aiding him, it was easy to guess where Rurik’s sword would point.
‘I must not get involved.’
The Empire’s Tower Master was bound to the Emperor.
If he carelessly eavesdropped, he would either ruin their plans or end up with his life threatened, like his master.
Around that point, Ren dispelled the sound barrier.
“Thank you for telling me. If you wish to go see Louise, I can help you.”
Helena shook her head.
“Just convey my regards. I don’t even have an excuse to give the Prince, and the task Her Highness Princess Louise entrusted to me is here in the imperial palace.”
Ren nodded.
‘Lu…’
As always, he missed Louise so much.
One Week Later
The craftswoman who had agreed to make the triple-layered curtains returned and finished the installation.
She explained proudly.
“When the sun is strong during the day, you can use just this single layer curtain.”
Then she drew a thick white curtain over the sheer inner curtain.
“This one is for when it’s cold in winter, or when you want a cozier feel.”
The final dark charcoal grey curtain she showed looked very heavy.
“You can use this when the little one is sleeping. Look.”
When the grey curtain was drawn tightly, even in the bright daytime, the surroundings became dark. Sunlight only seeped in white around the curtain rod.
It was on par with the blackout curtains from the modern world, and I found myself clapping without thinking.
“Impressive. I like it.”
After she left, Mesh visited, presenting a sample of the small, calf-height slide.
“Oh, is it finished?”
“Not yet. I’ll round off the edges, sand it down, and apply a treatment to make the surface smooth. I just brought it to show you the general shape.”
I pressed down on the slide with my fist to check if it was sturdy and nodded.
“Good. Proceed making it like this.”
“Ah, also this…”
Mesh shyly held out a small pouch.
I had a feeling what it contained, but pretended not to know.
“What is it?”
“Actually, while making the slides for my children as you suggested, a customer who visited the workshop showed interest and placed the first order. This is the deposit I received then. I wanted to give it to you, Madam.”
“Haven’t you not even received the full payment yet?”
I asked with a laugh. Mesh scratched his head.
“To be honest, someone like me is small in stature and lacks the strength for making beds, and my fingers are too thick for the detailed carvings needed for display cabinets. There were times I felt anxious, thinking the family business passed down from my grandfather’s generation might collapse with me.”
He rambled on, his face turning red, sharing things I hadn’t asked about.
“It’s been a long time since a customer was so amazed by my work and placed an order right away. It might be a small amount to you, Madam, but I wanted to express my gratitude.”
As the craftsman said, it was likely a negligible sum to me, but it must have been significant for him.
I considered refusing, but thinking of his sincerity, I accepted the pouch.
“I see. Well then, how about trying to make a product like this?”
I then picked up a nearby pen and, on the back of the swing blueprint Mesh had brought, drew a small rocking chair.
“What is this?”
“Hmm, I thought of it while ordering the rocking chair this time.”
Pretending it had just occurred to me, I described another childcare item I remembered from the hospital’s pediatric playroom.
“Make the rocking chair small and low, like for a baby. Then the caregiver can sit in a chair and rock it with their foot, don’t you think?”
Mesh gulped.
“That would be great for commoners who work while carrying their children.”
“But if you only sell to commoners, you’ll never become rich.”
I gave him an additional idea.
“If you make it well, I’ll connect you with the Magic Tower. Try developing it into a self-rocking chair.”
His eyes widened.
“W-what?”
“If word gets out, the imperial nobles, who love to show off, will be vying to place orders.”
He gulped.
“I-I’ll try making it! I’ll put my heart and soul into it!”
I gave Mesh a slight smile.
“Good. I like it. Well then, see you later.”
