Chapter 73
Shujer was assigned to the special class.
“A genius born in the wrong era.”
It was said that only someone of that caliber could be worthy of being the friend of the princess.
[If they had been born a few hundred years ago, they would have been appointed the youngest pope in an instant and made their name known across the continent.]
People often looked at Shujer with pity.
But now, becoming pope was impossible.
“They” had destroyed the Holy Kingdom.
Undermining the authority of the gods that humans believed in and breaking their unity—that had been their first goal.
“Princess.”
In other words:
“The prophesied child.”
Shujer looked at Adel.
From rumors alone, the first impression of the princess was simply: “She’s pretty.”
She had appeared at the academy and stopped the Crown Prince and the Prince from engaging in a real duel.
Shujer hadn’t been present because he had no interest in violence, but he had been curious.
[She was incredibly cute.]
[I didn’t believe it at first when the duke said he doted on his newly born daughter… I thought, surely the God of War wouldn’t make such a weak excuse.]
Everyone seemed to emphasize her cuteness, so they assumed her appearance was otherwise ordinary.
But whether ‘the prophesied child’ or ‘princess,’ Adel was simply beautiful.
In fact, she was so cute that her beauty almost seemed overshadowed by it.
“I’m happy to have friends. I’ll do my best. Please take care of me, everyone.”
Adel Alcibiades said this, her cheeks flushed like cherry blossoms in spring sunlight.
She was small, much shorter than the other children around her.
Following the duke’s orders to prepare everything at the highest standard, the special class facilities were luxurious to the extreme.
Yet, the princess shone even more brightly.
Amidst all the jewels, expensive furniture, and dazzling surroundings, Adel’s presence alone stood out.
“So she really is the prophesied child.”
Shujer shifted his observing gaze to the side.
A girl of the same age sitting next to Adel.
“That must be Madeleine, famous as the prophesied child’s friend.”
The Black Market incident had been quite a topic.
Five students from Royal Fest Academy had been executed.
They had indulged in horrific entertainment in the secret market of those people, so it was deserved punishment.
The feats accomplished by the trio of Madeleine, the princess, and the Crown Prince were well-known.
Shujer then looked at the Crown Prince.
[It’s a reconciliation.]
[…Yes.]
Earlier, there had been an awkward, forced reconciliation with Prince Blake, clearly uncomfortable for everyone, yet only one person had fallen for it.
“Adel Alcibiades.”
Perhaps because she was destined to be remembered in prophecy, the princess alone seemed genuinely pleased.
After all, she was only eight years old.
It was said she had an exceptionally kind heart, even more so than a normal child. She couldn’t even bring herself to distrust others.
“Class will start immediately.”
The princess seemed shy around her new classmates and only looked at Madeleine and Kan.
“I am Gandajoo, your Spirit Arts instructor.”
“Hello, teacher.”
The students greeted him. Gandajoo had been searching for the princess among them before speaking.
“Ah, so you are the princess I’ve only heard of in rumors.”
“…Hello. I look forward to your guidance.”
“Of course. Even the ‘prophesied child’ can’t save the world without theory.”
Wait, what just…?
Shujer glanced at Gandajoo.
There was an odd edge behind his smiling words.
“Yes, I’ll study hard, teacher.”
“You can read, can’t you, princess?”
“I can read a little.”
“Remarkable.”
By now, Shujer was certain.
Gandajoo had been acting exaggeratedly surprised.
It wasn’t overt enough to openly criticize, but the subtle nuance was clear.
Shujer grew curious about how the princess would react.
“Let’s begin the lesson. Hmm… we’ll start at page 891. We can’t go from page one just to accommodate a single student, right?”
“….”
“Yes…!”
No one answered, so the princess responded intuitively.
“She’s just a good person.”
The princess eagerly turned the pages, with Madeleine helping beside her.
“Ah, no. I’ll teach new research results not in the textbook. After all, this is a special class with the ‘prophesied child.’”
“A bit mischievous.”
Shujer thought.
The princess tilted her head innocently but nodded.
Gandajoo suddenly began speaking in an ancient language, flaunting his knowledge.
“Te pœna manet.
(If you resist, you shall be punished.)
dicto áudĭens.
(Obey the command.)
servus pronuntiátus.
(Submit as a slave.)”
Of course, the princess didn’t understand the ancient language.
Likely, the only ones who could understand were the Crown Prince, knowledgeable in all things, and Shujer, who had self-taught various ancient languages to read the scriptures.
The princess’ eyes spun around in confusion, and Gandajoo grinned triumphantly.
“This spell lets you control summoned spirits like slaves. If you don’t scare them, they won’t obey such a naughty servant.”
Perhaps thinking it a clever joke, Gandajoo laughed alone.
“Especially if you place such restriction spells on a wind spirit, even commands to fly will be obeyed.”
Even Shujer thought Gandajoo had reason to be proud.
The most difficult command for a wind spirit was, indeed, to make a human fly.
Moreover, creating a new spell was considered a huge achievement in the field of Spirit Studies.
“Uh, that’s not it…”
Then, Adel’s small voice was heard.
“The spirits aren’t slaves.”
Shujer looked at the princess.
Her startled expression suggested it was a natural, offhand remark.
“…If not slaves, what are they?”
Gandajoo snapped coldly.
The princess flinched but replied clearly.
“Spirits are friends.”
“What? Friends?”
“…Even without scary spells, the wind is kind. If you just ask, it will carry you.”
Shujer glanced at Gandajoo.
He looked as if he had never heard such naive words in his life.
“…The princess seems too young to understand.”
As expected, Gandajoo’s expression turned icy.
“Friends with spirits.”
He thought as a spirit expert, it was absurd.
Traditionally, spirit masters bound spirits with contracts to serve as slaves and never allowed them to escape.
Free spirits who were not enslaved usually demanded terrible prices.
Of course, the price was collected automatically, but unpredictably.
Sometimes the spirit would take the master’s eyes, sometimes the wrists of their family, sometimes even burn down property.
In history, the uncontrollable nature of spirits once caused spirit masters to die out, as no one wished to summon them.
However, after Gandajoo’s father developed the spirit slave contract further, such dangers decreased.
[Spirits are slaves. If you don’t dominate them as their master, they’ll revolt. You can’t lose control.]
His father said you must manage spirits with fear, binding spells, and occasionally hope.
Yet Adel’s clear eyes innocently said they were friends.
“What do you know?”
Gandajoo felt insulted by a young student who clearly didn’t understand.
His father had been a spirit master who accomplished much in war, but ultimately died because he couldn’t renew the monthly slave contract when he was injured.
The spirits, formerly mere slaves, had all escaped and exacted vengeance, leaving him dead.
“Spirits won’t obey a command just because of a single word.”
“It’s not a command. It’s a request.”
At first, Gandajoo had tried to speak politely but grew angry at Adel’s insistence.
“I heard about the Black Market incident.”
Yet he had assumed the rumors about the ‘prophesied child’ were exaggerated due to heroic expectations.
People cling to straws when desperate.
A prophecy?
Gandajoo couldn’t comprehend—or forgive—the idea that war, his father’s death, or anything was so trivial as to be decided by mere prophecy.
“Still showing orphan tendencies. Lying to get attention. If I don’t correct this habit now…”
Gandajoo thought stubbornly.
Confirmation bias had already made him negative toward the ‘prophesied child.’
He dismissed any good things said as exaggeration, while actively accepting bad ones.
Thus, he was confident, believing himself to be right.
“If you’re so confident, why not demonstrate it, princess?”
Madeleine looked uneasy but the Crown Prince gestured for her not to intervene.
“….”
Adel was taken aback by the sudden seriousness.
But she didn’t want to be seen as lying. Above all:
“My friends aren’t slaves.”
She refused to hear such words.
Glancing around, she stretched her hand into the air and cast the spell.
“Auróra, súbito.”
(Wind, lift me.)
Gandajoo’s dilated pupils flickered, as it was extremely rare for a spirit to respond to a summoning.
Usually, offerings were required first.
But what appeared before the princess was unmistakably:
A wind spirit.
And judging by its humanoid form, it was a powerful spirit.
“Uh? No… that’s not it.”
Adel, pale, looked at Gandajoo and shook her head rapidly.
He knew the ‘prophesied child’ could understand spirits.
“Just… let me fly for a moment. Please.”
The princess said.
Yet nothing happened for a while.
Gandajoo, who had been briefly startled, grew flustered as no change occurred.
As expected.
Though cherished by the duke, education was the teacher’s responsibility.
My lesson was disrupted.
And a habit of trying to outwit the teacher at such a young age!
He was about to reprimand Adel as a teacher.
“…?”
Yet Adel, who should not have been able to fly—yet should—began to rise softly into the air.
As if angel wings had sprouted.
“…!”
Gandajoo’s eyes widened in shock.
