Chapter : 15
There had once been an incident where a knight of the Silver Fox Order, sent to keep an eye on Jay, had been discovered by her.
At the time, the former duke had quietly sent the knight back.
She could have killed the knight on the spot and sealed his lips, and Ario would not have been able to raise any formal objection. It was an open secret that nations infiltrated one another with spies, but once proof was secured and the matter was officially brought to the surface, it could become a serious political issue.
And yet, although the former duke could have reported that an Ario knight had trespassed and stirred political trouble, she did not do so.
She captured him quietly, returned him quietly, and spoke of nothing afterward.
She even conveyed a message:
I can identify your people. If this happens again, I will not overlook it. Make sure there is no next time.
Balombrosa himself had reportedly exclaimed in admiration that she was truly “a person of caliber.”
And now, that person’s birthday.
Not her death anniversary—her birthday.
Though Jay had become someone of some significance to her out of deep gratitude, it was not to the extent of remembering her birthday.
Ellecier had never imagined that Jay harbored feelings like this.
Until the former Duke of Roheol died about two years and four months ago, whatever had happened, she had been nothing more than the official responsible for the hostage. From the perspective of Ario’s prince, who had lived as a captive, it would have been more natural to regard her as an enemy.
“……”
The marquis unconsciously lowered his gaze, then raised it again. Something vague began to surface in his mind—something he was starting to understand.
Jay’s sudden return home. A return even Balombrosa, the reigning monarch, had failed to anticipate or prevent. One that could not even be delayed.
While he was lost in thought, Jay smiled and asked casually,
“Are you going to report this to Father again?”
“……”
It was an abrupt, mocking remark.
When Ellecier looked at him, Jay tilted his head with a cheerful grin.
“Oh, I was just asking. You’ve been following me nonstop since I returned. That knight over there—you’re from the Silver Fox Order, right? I mean, you follow me every day.”
Jay pointed his thumb behind him.
That was correct. Somewhere nearby, one of Ellecier’s subordinates would be hiding, concealed by an artifact. However, pinpointing a location behind him was impossible even for Ellecier himself. He was a non-mage, unable to sense magic. And as far as he knew, Jay was the same.
Ellecier’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Knight. Where are you?”
“……”
At the command-like question, his subordinate briefly revealed himself—directly behind Jay. After saluting, the knight vanished again. Ellecier’s gaze toward Jay changed.
Jay shrugged.
“I lived with someone as sensitive to presence as the former Duke of Roheol, so I picked up a bit. She said it was because the blood within my body had opened. As you know, Marquis, she was rather… formidable, wasn’t she? Every mage trembled in her presence.”
“Your Highness. That is magic. It has nothing to do with sensitivity to presence.”
It was no different from asking whether Jay was a mage. Jay let out a short laugh.
“Marquis, don’t force common knowledge onto the former Duke of Roheol. She really was strong. Those rumors didn’t come from nowhere. There’s a reason she was called the bane of mages.”
“……”
“That’s why I couldn’t understand it. Taken down by an artifact owned by mere bandits? Her?”
Now Ellecier’s suspicions were no longer vague. They took on a clear, defined shape.
“I want the truth. I believe it’s the least I can do for my benefactor. I tried digging into it however I could with what little power I had, but things started moving in a very suspicious direction—so here I stand, in Ario.”
He panicked. Ellecier’s hand shot up and gripped the prince’s arm tightly. A low pressure entered his eyes. He was genuinely alarmed.
“Please choose your words carefully.”
It was spoken softly enough that the subordinate standing somewhere nearby could not hear. But Jay merely smiled and brushed his hand away. Ellecier released him easily, then slowly shook his head, signaling him to stop.
Jay ignored the warning. The prince continued smiling enigmatically.
“I’m saying this because I want you to report it to Father.”
“Your Highness.”
“When the time comes, I’ll tell him myself. Before that, I’m giving you time to prepare. Opportunities like this don’t come often—you have to seize them. Please be sure to report it, Marquis.”
“Your Highness.”
“I—”
Jay bit his lip briefly, then continued.
“I thought the new duke and the Grand Duke of Ehve would move.”
“……”
“But the new duke turned his back on my sister, and the grand duke didn’t make a single move. Those were the people she loved most. If that’s the case, shouldn’t I move instead?”
“This is a matter of Onnevalle.”
“No. It’s my matter. Even I, who received so much from the former duke, have something I must do. So please make sure Father knows. I want nothing from this country.”
“Your Highness.”
Now that the prince had refused, grabbing his arm again would be an act of blasphemy. Ellecier clenched his fist. This was not the Jay Balombrosa wanted.
“I don’t need the throne. I only want the truth. The truth behind the death of the former Duke of Roheol—Munje. I will uncover it. And even if I die doing so, I’m fine with that.”
“Your Highness!”
No. Absolutely not.
As someone who was duty-bound to report all of this, Ellecier realized with horror that Jay was already walking a path the current king had never even considered—let alone desired.
The next morning, Ellecier reported everything about Jay. As expected, Balombrosa flew into a rage.
“That bastard has lost his mind!”
It was anger that would never reach Jay’s ears. Risking his life over a foreign duke—an Onnevalle duke, no less!
The empire of Onnevalle had long accumulated resentment due to its history of bullying neighboring kingdoms.
The suspicious death of Munje, former Duke of Roheol and famed shield of the empire, had clearly shocked many nations. Bandits? Killed by bandits? Blown apart by an artifact in a bandit’s possession?
Was Jay really the only one who thought someone had schemed to remove a powerful noble? Of course not. Countless sharp minds had thought the same.
They just couldn’t say it out loud.
And did those people have any reason to dig into the unjust death of some damned imperial duke? No, they did not.
Jay was the uniquely insane one. Of all things to meddle in! Balombrosa slammed his desk again as his fury surged.
“Keep watch on his movements. If he tries anything strange, stop him. Act first, report later. I’ll authorize it.”
“I obey. And Your Majesty, there is one more matter to report.”
“What is it?”
“The prince can sense magic.”
The king fell silent. It was as though cold water had been poured over his rage—it cooled instantly. He barely managed to speak.
“What is this now?”
“The former Duke of Roheol said it was because the blood within his body had opened.”
“Blood?”
A word he had never heard before. A concept unknown to him.
“There’s such a thing?”
“I apologize. It’s my first time hearing of it as well.”
Balombrosa groaned softly.
He had never heard of someone unrelated to magic gaining the ability to sense it later in life. If that were possible, the world would be overflowing with people chasing the possibility of becoming mages.
Surely Jay wasn’t foolish enough to believe a joke the former duke had tossed out while mocking him. Then had he somehow returned from Onnevalle miraculously stupid? But Ellecier’s report wasn’t finished.
“However, the prince precisely identified a Silver Fox Order knight equipped with an artifact. Both his existence and his exact position.”
“That must have been coincidence.”
“……”
“……Was it truly impossible to dismiss as coincidence?”
“I apologize.”
If it had been coincidence, he would never have reported it in the first place. He had tried to overlook it, wanted desperately to ignore it—but apparently, he couldn’t.
The king let out another pained groan.
That dead former duke had taught him something utterly strange.
Life is easier when one stays far away from magic.
A ruler need only be competent; magic is unnecessary.
The former Duke of Roheol had been revered not only because she wielded sword and artifact with monstrous efficiency, but also because she was the cursed bane of mages.
He hadn’t expected a dead person to anger him this much.
Just how close had they been for Jay to risk his life digging into her death? How close for her to teach him something related to magic?
And then—a sudden thought struck him like a blow to the head.
Balombrosa’s pupils began to tremble.
Ah—wait.
“……That bastard didn’t go digging into her death while he was still in Onnevalle, did he…?”
“…….”
“And that’s why they sent him back, isn’t it?”
“…….”
Ellecier said nothing.
Seeing his loyal marquis’s reaction, the king pressed his brow. He felt like he might cry. Stupid son. Would it have killed him to stay quietly in Onnevalle just a little longer? Do you have any idea how I felt sending you there in the first place? I’ve been dealing with that mad tower lord for months, my blood pressure barely surviving—and now my own son raises it instead.
He wanted to clutch the back of his neck and collapse. Holding back tears, Balombrosa forced himself to speak.
“Fine. I’ll handle that matter myself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ellecier bowed formally and withdrew.
It was a day thick with sunlight. That afternoon, as the sky began to blush with the approach of sunset.
The dense sunlight poured down behind the man’s back. The Grand Duke of Ehve paid no attention to the shadow cast across his desk as he read through the report. His notes in the margins were sharp and precise.
He had been deeply focused, but suddenly he paused. His breathing wavered slightly.
Only a few seconds later, there was a knock at the door.
“Your Highness. It’s Octave.”
Raphael stopped his hand and lifted his head. The voice he had been waiting for. He steadied his breathing and permitted entry. The hand holding the pen felt numb with tension.
He watched silently as his aide stood before the desk. After Octave saluted, Raphael asked quietly,
“How is it?”
The report he received was disappointing.
“They say there were no results. We searched among those hoping to newly settle and those who have recently completed settlement, but none of them were her.”
“……”
Raphael lowered his gaze. The hand resting on the desk rose to cover his mouth. Beneath it, a deep sigh leaked out from his core.
They were searching not only in her homeland of Onnevalle, but also in Ario, other kingdoms, even the Central Tower. He had known it wouldn’t be easy. Still, each failure hurt. It was suffocating.
He closed his eyes, swallowed, then opened them again.
“Tell them they did well. Move on to the next region and continue the search.”
“Yes.”
“And the prince.”
For the past two years and six months, there had been only one prince discussed within Raphael’s office.
Checking in secret whether William, Munje’s successor, was properly taking responsibility for the prince.
Ensuring the prince arrived safely in Ario.
Ensuring the prince did nothing foolish after returning.
Octave, having perfectly grasped his lord’s intent, answered immediately.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
