The tension eased.
Admittedly, the genuine smile made His Highness look even more handsome than usual. Ron frowned slightly.
Albert Crossman had never felt such relief in his life. He knew he had chosen the safer of the two options available to him, but the result had exceeded all his expectations. Of the two beings in the room whose reaction he had feared most, it was Rosaleen who had shown more or less the reaction he had predicted, but she too had quickly pulled herself together and even apologized. It had been a shock. He had not expected an apology at all. She had every right to react even worse. But apparently she had received a good education. He could see that she was still a little tense, but she was smiling nonetheless.
Eruhaben's reaction was the strangest of all. The Elves hated the Dark Elves because of the attribute of darkness. It was the biggest reason for the rift. And yet, he didn't show any discomfort while sitting next to him. Rather, his eyes were blazing with curiosity. As if he was an interesting object to observe. Perhaps the elf's calmness played a role in accepting the sorceress. Albert came to the conclusion that Eruhaben was either a very progressive elf who loved to explore the world around him too much to pay attention to inter-class hatred, or he wasn't an elf at all. He would think about it later, when he was done digging around in himself.
- Well, let me see! Well, please. Well, prince... - the child rubbed against his face and begged him to take off his disguise.
He wasn't ready for it yet. Sometime later, perhaps. He would have to recover from the simple knowledge.
All his life he did nothing but hide. He built a facade of a perfect prince without a single flaw. The mask became so familiar that it was impossible to get rid of it. It became part of his personality. Any wrong move could lead to the death of not only himself, but also the dark elves who were in the palace and helped him. Revealing the secret could also lead to the undermining of the authority of the royal family. The greedy nobles would not miss the opportunity to make a fuss and grab a bigger piece for themselves. He always had a huge responsibility. More than many could imagine. He could never relax. During the day - an ideal, an example to follow. At night - a lonely warrior in the training arena, doing everything to survive among the people for whom he is a "role model". It was both mentally and physically difficult, but he had nowhere to go.
A huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. A weight he knew about and had studiously ignored. It didn't solve the problem of Dark Elves being accepted in society at large, but in this particular room, right now, everything was fine. Right now, he could let himself go and relax, without fearing for anything in the world.
He didn't even bother to unstick the still whining baby. How many elves had dragon hugs? Probably none. These great creatures didn't have that kind of character. The dragon had already hugged Choi Han and Lok, so why would the prince be any worse? He wanted to hug a dragon too. Why not, while he could? Then he'd be shove it in Aunt Tasha's face for the rest of her life.
With these thoughts he hugged the child tighter and said:
- Maybe a little later, Dragon-nim.
- I am a great and powerful dragon! I understand!
With these words the child continued to cuddle. He actually liked doing this. All the people were so warm.
Mary looked at Albera with growing hope. The prince was received surprisingly warmly. In the City of Death, people also lived in peace with the Dark Elves, but the conditions there were completely different. These people were saved by the elves. Just like she herself once was. Simply out of gratitude for life, people initially behaved with restraint, and only later, having seen and recognized the "dark creatures" in ordinary life, did they finally thaw. She was very happy for the prince. Tasha told a lot about her nephew. Especially about how hard it was for him in the palace, practically alone. There were many people and Dark Elves around Mary who supported her. The prince did not have such a privilege. But looking at this picture, she could finally admit the thought that on the surface it was not so scary.
Vitira looked at the prince, clearly amused. She would definitely remind him of those hugs with the child when the opportunity arose. He reacted very funny to the taunts. Clearly he was not used to friendly jabs. No matter. They would fix that.
The news of the prince's origins didn't bother the Molanovs much. There were worse things than dark elves. Assassins, for example. Torture masters were out there somewhere too. Bikros was still more worried about the carelessness of the palace cooks. He considered it a much greater sin. They should be the best, but even Hans cut vegetables for salads much more carefully. And Hans was a creature too overexcited to stay in the kitchen for more than ten minutes.
Ron was surprised by this discovery. Of course. A dark elf in the royal family. But he didn't miss how the prince twitched and how uncomfortable he was when Ron showed his good mood. He couldn't seriously be afraid of a creature that reacted to him so charmingly. For him, Albert Crossman had become a puppy. Family: smart. And he was a good prince, too, what can I say. Ron had been living in this kingdom for a long time. The prince really does his job well.
Choi Han didn't understand where all the fuss was coming from. But he also understood that there had to be a reason for it. He still knew little about this world and this was the first time he had heard of the Dark Elves. But Eruhaben, who, in the swordsman's opinion, had not abandoned his position as the smartest one in the room, said that these were all prejudices. And judging by the prince's tense reaction and fears for his life, these "prejudices" had become something catastrophic for an entire nation. He was glad that the prince himself told everything. Just like with the "Healing Star". At first he was silent, but then he told it like it was. In both situations, he had a reason for his silence, but he still opened up. Choi Han hoped that now that Alberu's main reason for worrying was gone, he would begin to open up to them more and more. He had already noticed this. From the very beginning, the Crown Prince was mostly silent. Only occasionally did he interject. But the further he went, the more he interacted with the others.
Well, being locked in one room turned out to be more useful than the Sword Master could have imagined.
At first, Locke didn't know how to react to this. Dark elves had always been something of a scary fairy tale for everyone. Along with necromancers. The Church of the Sun God didn't particularly like them. But their own tribe had also been abandoned by the gods. And beastmen in general had always been viewed with suspicion. As if they would bite their necks at any moment. "Monsters with a conscience," was how the Young Master had described them. So they weren't much better than Dark elves. They just didn't have the attribute of darkness. And if you think about it, there were people scarier than the Crown Prince. Young Master Cale himself, for example. And then, right here, there was the cook and the butler. Locke was very grateful that the sword master was sitting between him and the family duo. And he still considered the prince a good person. He gave him advice most often. And even calmed him down recently.
It wasn't that Rosalyn was stressed by this revelation, she was simply stuck in a conflict between what she had been taught her entire life and what she felt herself. The attribute of darkness still caused her subconscious concerns. During her studies, both teachers and texts had repeated the same thing. Dead mana was bad. The attribute of darkness was evil. And it was ingrained in her head, like a boring etiquette that she automatically followed. When necessary. But if she wanted to become a Master of the Magic Tower, she needed to look at the world from a broader perspective. She needed to rely on her own experience, on her own observations. The Death God's hint that there was more to the story of the Dark Elves was as subtle as Choi Han's ability to understand dirty jokes. So she would continue to quietly observe and study. She hoped to get many answers to questions that had never even occurred to her.
Eruhaben lounged in his chair, but still very elegantly and majestically, gracefully resting his chin on his hand, and thought. Dark elves were certainly interesting. But he had seen many elves in his thousand years of life. Both ordinary and dark, and he even remembered one green one. He had drunk too much of something and had walked around with green on his face for two more days. The trip to the World Tree had been very interesting. His thoughts were captured by a much more interesting question. The child had asked the "Clean God" a very interesting question and had received an even more interesting answer. The others had missed it due to the shocking news, but the ancient dragon had been keeping a special eye on the god. If it wasn't the God of Death, in whose power they were, who had given the prince his "appearance", then who? Who else had such power? That was the question that was spinning in his head.
The little black dragon, having groped His Highness to his heart's content, came to the conclusion that the prince's expensive jacket felt very pleasant on the sensitive skin of the dragon's belly, and therefore, taking advantage of the right of a great and powerful creature, crawled onto the blond's neck and lay down like a neckerchief. A very good jacket. The little dragon appreciated it.
Having decided that the passions had died down and it was time to get down to business, they were still not just sitting here, the prince, as was customary, was the first to speak:
- I want to thank you all again for the trust and understanding you have shown me. It means a lot to me, - he looked into the eyes of everyone, showing how sincere he was in his gratitude. He couldn't look the Black Dragon in the eye, he was hanging on his shoulder, but he understandingly stroked his head with his paw. God, no one will believe him. - I think it's time to discuss what we saw.
No one argued with the prince; they would still have time to talk if necessary.
Vitira, thoughtfully tapping her finger on her chin, summarized what she had seen as best she could:
— We learned the details of the upcoming incident; a probable solution to the problem of finding hidden magic bombs; that Choi Han is immune to poisons and not immune to the praise of red-haired aristocrats, — the swordsman covered his eyes with his hand, why did they do this to him? Meanwhile, Vitira continued listing, — that you can cause problems for Venion Stan without getting up from your chair; that Young Master Cale, it seems, is not so against "the death of people within his sight"; that Mister Ron has a talent for turning nonentity into eye candy; that His Highness's "sugar lips" are actually milky chocolate, — this time it was the prince who wanted to fall through the floor, — that Young Master Cale does not want to interfere in the secrets of the royal family and, most importantly, in my opinion, popcorn is delicious.
Well, it was short, not quite to the point, but the main points were conveyed quite accurately.
- True...mostly.
— Ahem... Ahem... I think it's too early to assume anything based on this. But we know for sure that Marquis Stan will have problems when the dragon-nim is released, — Alberu didn't forget about the "milk-chocolate lips". Nooooo. He'll just wait until more is known about the Whale Tribe princess herself. He'll wait.
"Kale himself doubts the changes made, so I suggest we continue watching," Eruhaben put aside thoughts of the entertaining for now and focused on what was happening. He needed more material to think about.
- Right! Let's continue, - Alberu was even more grateful that he was not bombarded with questions on the spot and agreed to take a break. Relief is relief, but it was still difficult to talk about it.
- God of Death-nim, we are ready to continue.
- This God is very proud of you!
And while everyone was recovering from such an unexpected statement, the wall melted.
"Chapters 40-42. I don't know. I don't know anything!"
Despite the start of a new fragment, the image resumed exactly where it had stopped. Cale was still trying hard to hear back what the dragon had said to him, but it was hard when it was being spoken directly into your head.
Cale was scared of this Black Dragon who started to explain all these useless things for the first time. At the same time, Cale's mind started to think faster.
The prince's mother was not a queen. She was a concubine, and before that, a common servant, one of the citizens who worked for the royal family. The third prince's mother was the current queen. It is said that the Crown Prince's mother died a rather questionable death when the Crown Prince himself was still young.
The mention of his late mother made Albert retreat a little into himself again. He missed her very much. He really thought his Aunt Tasha had done a great job of being a mother to him, but his birth mother would always have a special place in a child's heart. The circumstances of her death were never investigated.
He was distracted from his sad thoughts by the small dragon, who quickly caught the Crown Prince's gloomy mood. He rubbed his cheek against the prince's cheek in an attempt to distract him, and it worked. The prince glanced at him and stroked his round head with a smile. The dragon even purred with pleasure.
Naturally, Cale began to wonder about the true identity of the Crown Prince's mother.
The Prince was known to be average in strength, but the Dragon insisted that he was not weak at all. In the novel, even Choi Han rated the Crown Prince as average, so what was he hiding? And how did the Dragon know about it?
Choi Han stared at the prince in surprise. To deceive the senses of a sword master, one must have a very decent level of strength.
"… No. Whether he's hiding something or not is none of my business."
Cale didn't listen to the Black Dragon who continued to mutter. But something was really interesting, as the Black Dragon continued to talk about the Crown Prince.
— … Mr. Cale, apparently, looks like me.
The Crown Prince said something, but Cale was too caught up in his thoughts, so he only replied casually:
- Your Highness, such a statement is the greatest honor in my life.
"Bastard…"
Out loud, however, the prince expressed himself completely differently:
- He has an amazing ability to carry on a conversation without listening to the conversation at all.
"You're right, Your Highness! He didn't even show that he wasn't listening," Rosalyn noted.
The Crown Prince let go of Cale's hand, as if he was nervous. Cale didn't notice the nervousness and stepped back without saying a word, stepping behind Eric. It was easy to use Eric as a shield when things got complicated.
The Crown Prince watched Cale curiously before turning his gaze to Eric.
"Don't look at him!"
Eric began talking to the Crown Prince again.
Cale watched them, still thinking.
"There is a reason."
There was a reason why the Crown Prince was wary of the Second and Third Princes. There was also a reason why the royal favor suddenly shifted to the Third Prince. He was able to guess all of this.
"Isn't he his son? Or is there another secret to his birth?"
In response to the curious glances directed at him, the prince responded quite calmly:
- My father started paying attention to my brother not so long ago. I don't know the exact reason why this happened, but I think it's the influence of Her Majesty the Queen.
He still remained here and decided not to find out about anything.
Cale was careful to keep this promise. He had not consumed any alcohol today, which led to nobles from other regions who had never met him before approaching him to talk. Cale looked at Eric each time, and Eric got to work.
- Eric Wilsman will forever remain in my heart as the sweetest nobleman.
Vitira completely agrees with her friend.
After repeating the situation several times, Cale muttered quietly under his breath:
- Oh, that's very nice.
Gilbert and Amiru flinched when they heard the quiet whisper and began to glance at each other.
"Isn't it weird?"
"Really…"
The two of them moved away from Eric and Cale a little. However, Cale looked at the young lady Amira. And Amira stopped moving back when she heard Cale address her.
- By the way, Young Lady Amiru...
— Yes?
— I heard that the coastline in your area is very beautiful. Is it true?
- Of course. The cliffs visible from the coast are very beautiful.
"Stop pouring it on!"
Here Alberu completely agreed with Cale. A scarier place had yet to be found. Any beauty was lost in the roar of the whirlpools and the waves they caused beating against everything. Plus the shore was quite rocky.
Cale thought about the cliff and how it would be extremely difficult for him to obtain the Sound of the Wind. In the novel, the Sound of the Wind was an Ancient Power that a member of the non-magical faction from the Kingdom of Viper went to find.
Although it may seem strange that a person from the Viper Kingdom would go to the Roan Kingdom to search for the Ancient Power, there was a long story behind that too.
In any case, this power originally fell into the hands of the Mage Killer, an extremely cruel fool who appears sometime during the latter half of the civil war. He was already quite powerful, and didn't really need to use the Sound of the Wind that much.
"The magic tower will soon fall."
This was quite a shocking piece of news. Rosalin and Alberu listened to it with very surprised faces. The outbreak of unrest in the Viper Kingdom was known. But no one was betting on the victory of the non-magic faction. Or rather, no one could say for sure. Organized magicians against a crowd of, essentially, peasants. Who knew that things would turn out like this?
After the civil war, a new one will be built in place of the collapsed magic tower, and Rosalyn will be in charge of this new magic tower.
"I did it!" The princess's joy knew no bounds.
"Choi Han, the Mage Killer and the Crown Prince of the Empire."
Alberu carefully wrote down two new names on the piece of paper he had taken. The black dragon, who could see everything perfectly from his shoulder, slowly memorized the symbols that were new to him.
These three people were the ones who would become the protagonists of all the incidents in the heart of the Western Continent. The novel also discussed how the Queen of the Southern Jungle of the Western Continent became involved in the matter of unifying the South.
Pushed by a secret organization that kept Choi Han constantly moving somewhere, this continent will break its two-hundred-year peace to start a struggle for power.
— It clearly couldn't have happened without the intervention of a secret organization.
- Yeah. Two hundred years of peace is quite an impressive period. All the turmoil started not so long ago.
Cale looked at Eric, who was making all the decisions for him, and then glanced at his watch. The party would soon be over. Of course, the nobles were waiting for the time of the conversation that was supposed to take place after the meal.
"It's none of my business."
This was none of Kayla's business.
"Young Master Gilbert, I should leave after the meal is over, right?"
Gilbert looked at Cale, who was slowly eating fruit as if he was on a picnic, and nodded:
- Yes. We plan to meet the Crown Prince after the meal, but you probably don't plan on coming with us, right?
- Right. What use will I be there? The three of you are better informed about the necessary investments.
Gilbert's expression changed after Cale's words. He seemed a little surprised.
— …You read the documents…
- A little.
Cale replied casually before looking back at the Crown Prince who had stood up from his seat. He was about to call an end to the banquet. Cale hadn't found the real reason for today's gathering, but he wasn't disappointed. Without knowing what it might be, there was no way he would get involved.
"Doesn't his very presence at the banquet mean that he's already 'gotten into it'?" Rosalyn's voice was full of skepticism.
"Don't stop him from living in denial, Miss Rosaleen. But there's a point to what he says, too. The less he knows, the less he thinks about it. He doesn't want to know anything about the prince either, but he keeps glancing sideways.
- Maybe he liked him?
Alberu sighed. Nothing in this life is free. Not even relief.
But Cale began to frown when he heard the Crown Prince's words:
— It was my pleasure to share this dinner with you all tonight. I have prepared a simple party for those who are interested, so please enjoy. Oh, and I have also prepared seats for you all at the birthday celebration that is approaching.
Crown Prince Alberu said this with a rather pleasant expression on his face:
- I hope that you will all be there to share with us the joy of the festive day.
Cale couldn't help but sigh heavily. Even though Alberu had said he hoped they would all be there, that pretty much forced them to be there.
"…I'll probably be in the square when the bombs go off."
— So he still wanted to skip this event?
— Perhaps he simply hoped that the people in the center that Choi Han described in the book were not nobles.
- That's also possible...
Although this was to be expected, Cale was not very pleased with this arrangement.
- Then let's finish this lunch.
Cale peered into the wheelchair as it moved past him. Taylor passed by, and Cage, who had been pushing his wheelchair, followed behind, but whispered in a voice so quiet that only Cale could hear.
- See you later, our little brother.
"I already told you that I don't want to be a little brother!"
— When did they manage to adopt him?
— Somewhere on the way to the capital?
- Well, he's clearly not happy about it.
— That's what it's all about!
- A-HA-HA-HA-HA!
- Young Master Cale, let me show you the way.
- Young Lady Amiru.
Amiru approached Cale and offered to walk with him. Cale looked at Amiru's green hair, at her calm, refined expression and casually asked:
— Are you worried that I might cause trouble on the way back?
- Unfortunately, Young Master Neo also returns early.
— Brother.
"The LOHI squad did a great job. They even escorted us to the carriage. I'm impressed," the ancient dragon raised an eyebrow in a mocking manner.
Cale headed for the door of the banquet hall without asking any more questions, with Amira at his side. The two walked to Cale's carriage without saying a word, and found Ron waiting outside the carriage.
- Young Master Cale, you have done a good job today.
Cale nodded at Amir's words.
- It was difficult. But you must come back and work some more, Young Lady Amiru.
- What was so difficult for you there? Are you tired of chewing grapes? - Alberu was still grumbling about the disrespect of a certain person.
Bikros thought that if he was tired of chewing, it was the meat. No matter how much he thought about it, the sauce was categorically not suitable for it. Perhaps the cooks were trying to disguise a bigger sin in this way. He shook his head in disappointment.
The girl smiled and spoke:
- That's because we need to get some good news.
However, Cale felt the desperation in her voice. The northeastern coast was truly a useless piece of land. It was a place filled with rocks and there was nothing interesting there.
In addition, the whirlpools around the rocks were also a problem. Experienced people living in the area knew how to avoid them, but it was a dangerous place for others.
"The Sound of the Wind is responsible for these whirlpools."
- These whirlpools were always there. At least I thought so, - the prince was amazed. But who would even think about the cause of a natural phenomenon, - The Ancient Power is capable of such a thing?
— Remember the tornado in the cave?
Apparently capable.
Amiru and Gilbert wanted to get some investment in this useless sea no matter what. Cale looked at the girl who spoke with a strange expression:
— I believe that we are capable of achieving good results...
- Young Lady Amiru...
- Yes, Young Master Cale.
Cale thought it would be a good idea to help Eric, Gilbert, and Amir, who he was working with today, as the beastmen under his command. They still needed balance in the meeting with the northeastern nobles, and Amir seemed like someone who was good at keeping secrets.
- He cares about those who work for him.
- No.
- What do you mean? - Vitira looked at her colleague, the princess, in surprise.
- He's just marshmallow inside.
— Pf...hehehehehehehehehehehe!
"I believe that His Highness will be very interested in this investment.
- I think so too.
Amiru agreed with Cale's statement. This was because the Crown Prince had remembered the matter even before Eric had first raised it.
— You are discussing investments for tourism, right?
— Yes.
Investing in tourism using the coastal cliffs. In Cale's opinion, it was completely useless. He walked up to Amir and whispered in her ear:
And from the prince's sour expression it became clear that he completely agreed with Cale on this issue.
"If you are desperate for investment, I think you should consider the value of your coastline location in relation to the Viper Kingdom and other northern states.
- I'm sorry?
Cale shrugged at Amir's confusion and continued speaking:
- Of course, it would be better if you kept what I just said a secret.
— … I will remember your words.
The Crown Prince looked at this scene with wide eyes.
"Well, he paid very, very generously for the work of saving his nerves, if Lady Amiru listens to his words.
- In what sense?
— There is no point in investing in tourism in this area. If he really plans to go there, you will see why. It is quite obvious. But if we invest in military infrastructure, especially in such troubled times, then another me will jump at the idea. It will help secure the country, give impetus to the development of the region, because a lot of vacancies will open up, and it will strengthen my position in the palace.
He decided not to hide the last point of obvious advantages. They already know about his problem. Maybe someone will suggest some sensible ideas.
- Oh! I understand. Thank you, Your H...Highness.
"You meant to say 'Your Sweetness', right? Right?"
But he pretended not to notice the slip of the tongue. And the giggling Vitira. And the snorting dragon. It was more difficult with him, because he snorted right into Albert's ear.
Meanwhile, Cale had managed to think about roughly the same thing. About investments and ancient power, and not about His Highness's sweetness, and had already reached home.
That night, two reports were delivered to Cale when he returned from the party.
- We have discovered four Magic Bombs.
In the novel there were five located in different places, and five on people.
— They were all located around the square.
- Show me the map.
Cale extended his hand to Choi Han. The protagonist of the novel left the Black Dragon at the bomb site and returned alone. It seemed like he was running back at the fastest speed possible, as sweat appeared on his face.