Chapter 73
“Argh!”
A student was hurriedly carried in on a stretcher. Blood flowed from a deep gash in his leg. A magic-class student who had rushed over, trembling, tried to cast a healing spell, but fear kept his mana circuit from opening.
“Get out.”
From Silia’s suddenly thrust-out hand, a magic sigil spread and slowly began to heal the student’s leg. Someone nearby muttered in a daze.
“How can she be so calm…?”
Because, she thought, this was painfully familiar. On the battlefield she had seen—and sometimes experienced—this kind of thing so many times that she no longer flinched. If you couldn’t handle it calmly you died. Fortunately there had been no fatalities here yet, but…
“I thought it wouldn’t get this dangerous.”
Silia rubbed between her brows and picked up a bandage she’d been holding. The bandage felt unpleasant. It bore a stamped brand at the tip.
“Tarnia.”
She had filed a complaint before coming, she was sure. Still, goods bearing that brand had been used at an official royal training event. That contract would save them from immediate ruin — someone must be covering for the supplier.
‘Who it is is obvious,’ she thought.
Silia rose and looked out through the glass-paned window. Something moved within the ferocious blizzard outside, and that something was picking off the trainees who went out for drills one after another.
“At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone dies.”
“I agree.”
Flier, who had come closer without anyone noticing, spoke cautiously.
“Have you finished talking with the Swordmaster?”
Ozka had come along to the training as the academy’s swordsmanship instructor. He’d asked Flier to check whether the Swordmaster planned to go and deal with whatever was out in the storm.
“Ozka wants to take it down too… but he says he won’t get permission,” Flier said.
“Permission?”
“Yes. Her Highness the Crown Princess thinks that taking action would be too dangerous…”
Silia crossed her arms. The statement wasn’t entirely wrong, but that single order kept their group from moving freely and left the continuing victims unattended. The trainees assigned to stand the outer watch were mostly commoners drafted to take that role.
“This bothers me.”
Silia turned on her heel.
“Silia?”
“I’m going to at least try talking to her.”
“Eh?”
She knew where the Crown Princess’s chambers were, and that guards would be posted. Still, she had to try. As she and the others climbed the staircase toward the Crown Princess’s room at the highest level, someone grabbed Silia on the landing.
“You’re overstepping.”
“Thickset? What are you doing here?”
“You should call me Jun.”
Silia stared at Jun. He was nominally the second prince’s guard, though in practice he served the Crown Princess. That he was openly here was odd.
“Could Krondel be here too?”
…
She had parted with Krondel in the capital; he’d said he had no reason to follow her and had seemed regretful. It was almost impossible for other royals to join a training exercise where the Crown Princess held full authority.
Jun neither confirmed nor denied—he simply watched Silia. Krondel wasn’t among the nobles who came with them. So then…
“You came with the commanders, right? By movement scroll.”
…
“You’re not going to answer? Fine, I’ll check myself.”
“Do you not understand that your actions are putting the prince in more danger?”
“Oh? Once the Crown Princess was your mistress, and now you’ve defected to the prince?” Jun sneered.
“No. My heart belongs to Her Highness the Crown Princess. I simply do not want unnecessary blood to be spilled.”
“What nonsense.”
“It isn’t false. If she must ascend, she wants a bloodless throne.”
‘If she must’—the way he said it like something he didn’t particularly favor made Silia scoff inwardly.
“A person who wants a bloodless throne kidnaps a brother who stands in the way of succession and threatens him?”
“It’s meant as a safety measure,” Jun growled.
“We’re not unaware of what happened between you and the prince. We even know that you discovered the prince’s constitution. That’s why we’re more shocked.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told you already: keep your distance from magic. The prince’s constitution will surely bring disaster if left as it is.”
“You can just adjust a magic-circuit constitution.”
“If the adjustment is off even by a little…”
“Do you think my adjustments would be off?”
“For a lifetime?”
Jun’s tone hardened.
“Will you stand beside the prince your whole life and keep adjusting him? What a wonderful vow.”
Silia tilted her head at the mockery in his words.
“Tell me this: does that mean you’d rather have him killed? Or at least put him in a situation similar to that? Did you kidnap and hide him again like before? Where did you hide him? In Her Highness’s room?”
Before Jun could reply, Silia strode forward. Jun followed, flustered.
“Such presumptuousness cannot be tolerated—!”
Bang!
Silia flung the door open.
The room was filled with paintings—skilled oil works. In the center stood a canvas left unfinished.
The moment Silia fixed her gaze on the inner room, holding Jun by the collar, a voice drifted out.
“How very proper.”
The Crown Princess slowly lifted her head and emerged from inside.
“If you hadn’t acted like that, I’d have been disappointed.”
She tapped the painting that had been teetering on the edge of the easel. It depicted a little blond boy standing in a dark forest. The canvas slowly fell to the floor.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness. I apologize. I’ll have her removed at once—”
“No, Jun. You should step out.”
“But—”
A cold stare pinned Jun to the spot. He quietly released Silia’s hand and stepped back.
“So, what is it? Are you going to drop the prince’s hand and take mine instead? I would be grateful if you did.”
“No.”
“How truly unfortunate. With your strength you could help the kingdom in times of crisis.”
“Crisis?”
“Yes. Even looking at the recent appearances of beasts, it’s suspicious. Something’s happening and we must respond.”
“By sacrificing others.”
The Crown Princess regarded Silia with an unreadable expression. Silia set aside further argument and came to the point.
“I understand the prince is here.”
“He is.”
“You won’t deny it.”
“You already met Jun. Denying it is pointless. But I do want to correct what I think you’re misunderstanding.”
She glanced at the fallen painting again.
“I did not bring him. He snuck in. He knocked out one of the commanders, stole his clothes, and came disguised. Jun noticed later and chased after him.”
…
That was something he might do. Silia stood still and continued listening.
“By the time I realized it, it was too late; I couldn’t find where the boy had gone.”
“You mean he’s missing?”
“More precisely, he must be somewhere here, but I have no way of knowing where. I’d be grateful if you found him and brought him to me.”
“You intend to capture him and treat him worse than an animal.”
“A strong phrase. I only want you to understand it as a safety measure.”
“The Crown Princess’s guards said the same. But the one who must be stopped for the kingdom’s safety isn’t that boy.”
“Do you know who the kingdom’s enemy is?”
The Crown Princess looked directly at Silia. Silia, instead of answering, thought of a massive black heart — of the ruin it could bring, of Ilrode, and of the suspicious black shards resembling it, and the beastly blood experiments with similar traits.
‘If there is an enemy, it’s probably you,’ she thought.
“Anyway, if you know where he might be, tell me.”
Silia instinctively looked out at the blizzard. If he were still inside, he wouldn’t stay hidden from her. So—
“Permit a search of the blizzard.”
Whoosh. Wind so fierce it numbed the joints blew through the snow that reduced visibility to almost nothing. Silia stood upright, staring into the darkness, wearing the compass granted by the Crown Princess and her ruby pendant around her neck.
“We’re ready.”
Ozka approached. Though formally the leader of the search party, as Swordmaster Ozka he said this knowing Silia was the practical leader.
“Form ranks.”
Flier echoed the command with a nod. Behind them stood about ten of the young nobles who had joined the group. Most were from lesser houses with little strength, but one face was unexpectedly familiar.
“What’s Ingram Yeong-sik doing here?”
“…The north is still Phillip’s territory.”
There was an odd mix of pride and wariness in the reply. Silia nodded half-heartedly as if to say do as you like, then murmured while staring ahead.
“Tie yourselves together so you don’t get stranded. If you think you’ll get lost…”
“…I have a secondary compass as well.”
“Oh. Of course. It’s your family’s land. Return with Ingram’s compass too.”
Ingram’s lip twitched at Silia’s words. If that man could be useful even this way, there was no harm.
“Return to the base before time runs out. You have only thirty minutes. After that, no matter who gets lost, it’s final.”
“Understood.”
“We understand.”
Silia finished and peered into the blizzard.
“That brat always does this.”
He got into trouble and left people scrambling. That was how she’d gotten the chance to search the blizzard.
“Maybe it’s for the best.”
Perriot buzzed, a pressing murmur. Silia smiled with confidence.
“All right. Let’s do this for real.”
