"…Well, that took an unexpected turn."
After discussing things with Katya's father, Yurugen, Ermes ended up working for the Trargia household.
Following that meeting, a more detailed discussion about the finer points of the arrangement took place — but nothing particularly objectionable was said.
If he had to single something out, it would be the prohibition against using his Primal Inscription powers carelessly. Recreating Bloodline Magic in front of a large crowd would have far too great an impact on noble society — and could even put Ermes himself in danger — so Yurugen advised him to refrain for now.
Coming from Yurugen, who knew the Royal Capital well, those were words worth heeding. Besides, his primary reason for studying Bloodline Magic was analysis, so it wasn't much of an issue.
Next, they discussed the chase scene with Chris that Katya had been put through earlier that day. Chris himself had been kind enough to mention that Aster had given the orders behind it, so Yurugen — serving in his capacity as Minister of Law — would formally protest to the royals regarding the fact that such reckless commands had been issued, regardless of Chris's noble status.
That should at least keep the other side's movements in check for the time being. The possibility of further trouble wasn't zero, but as long as Ermes fulfilled his duties as a bodyguard properly, that was something he could handle.
In any case, Ermes had managed to place himself under the banner of a prestigious ducal household — even if his role was that of a servant. On top of that, Yurugen himself had promised to provide as much cooperation as possible toward achieving Ermes's goals.
For Ermes, whose rough plan had been to arrive in the Royal Capital, pick up odd jobs to earn money, and once he'd saved up enough, sneak into the knights' order through their civilian recruitment quota — this was an unexpected leap forward in a much better direction.
The room assigned to Ermes as both servant and bodyguard was one of the guest chambers he had been shown earlier. Apparently, he was free to use the entire room as his own private quarters.
He never imagined that on his very first day living in the Royal Capital, he'd be sleeping in an actual bed — let alone that he'd be guaranteed the finest food, clothing, and lodging.
That night, standing on the balcony of his new room, Ermes gazed out at the capital below and reflected on the roughly half-day journey that had brought him here.
"I owe Katya my thanks no matter how you slice it."
"Oh my — Ermes, there you were."
Speak of the devil, as they say. From the far side of the balcony, Katya came walking over.
"Perfect timing. I was actually just thinking about having another chat with you."
She was wearing the same simple dress he had seen earlier.
It was probably close to loungewear, with no particular embellishments to speak of — and yet the mysterious thing was that when she wore it, it looked like the finest silk.
The base material was, after all, exceptional. The muted tones highlighted the vividness of her hair and eyes, lending her an almost ethereal beauty, as though she might dissolve into the night sky.
Perhaps wondering why he had been staring for so long, Katya tilted her head.
"What's the matter? Is there something strange about it?"
"Oh, no — quite the opposite, actually. ...I was simply remarking to myself once more how lovely you look."
"H-Hey..."
The blush that spread across her cheeks was impossible to miss.
"I was about to say you've changed quite a lot since I last saw you, but... come to think of it, you've always been straightforward with compliments, haven't you..."
She pressed a hand to her face, looked down as if having finished her own private conversation, then fixed him with a half-lidded stare.
"Actually, that reminds me — there's something I've been wanting to ask. What's with that tone of voice?"
"Tone of voice?"
"Yes, your tone. Compared to before, you're being awfully distant. ...You don't even call me 'Kati' anymore."
"Well, that's—"
He had intended it as a perfectly reasonable response, judging that such familiarity would be inappropriate.
"I'm a commoner now, and I've become your personal attendant, your retainer — it wouldn't be proper to carry on the same as before."
"Then go back to how it was when we're alone."
"What?"
"If it's a place where appearances don't matter, then it should be fine, right? If you insist on calling yourself a retainer, then listen to what your mistress says."
Without so much as looking his way, request after request tumbled out of her in rapid succession.
...He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it all, but it wasn't exactly something worth refusing over.
"Alright, Kati. ...Is this good enough?"
"Y-Yes, that's fine."
She gave a slight shudder of her shoulders before finally turning to face me.
The slightly softened expression and the lingering flush on her cheeks were probably best left unmentioned.
"Hmm... but I'm still not used to it. How many years has it been since I spoke in a casual tone?"
"Huh, really?"
"Yep. After that, I spent all my time living out in the middle of nowhere with just my master."
So it had been about five years since she'd last spoken in her old manner of speech — really since they'd parted ways.
It did have a certain nostalgic charm to it.
Katiya seemed to have gotten interested, leaning forward as she asked.
"So what was this master of yours like?"
"Hmm, like I said before, I can't really go into details about their identity or name..."
Well, a rough idea of their character should be fine.
"If I had to sum it up in broad strokes... a hopeless person, I guess."
"A-A hopeless person?"
"Yeah. The kind of person who genuinely had zero interest in anything besides magic. I handled all the basic daily living tasks. One time they kicked me out of the research lab saying 'don't come in for about three days,' and when I went back in three days later, they were on the verge of death from dehydration. I was pretty dumbfounded by that, I'll say."
"T-That's just outrageous..."
Thinking back on it, that was probably when my doting affection for and emotional dependence on Master Ermes really started to accelerate.
After that, I shared a few more of Rose's hopeless anecdotes, and finally—
"But when it came to magic, she was truly amazing. Past, present, and probably future too — I can say with absolute certainty that my master is the greatest magician in the world."
Calmly, yet unwaveringly, she spoke the truth within her heart.
"...I see."
Upon hearing this, Katia smiled with a hint of sadness.
"You were saved by that person... not by me."
"? Master Ermes helped too. But before I met him, it was you, Katia, who held me together."
"That's not what I mean... well, it's fine for now."
Then, bit by bit, she shared some nostalgic stories.
"—Come to think of it..."
Suddenly curious, Ermes asked.
"What have you been up to these past five years, Katia? Since you're His Highness Aster's fiancée, I imagine there's been a lot going on with that, right?"
"!"
In an instant, her body stiffened.
"Ka-Katia?"
"...Yes. Quite a lot has happened."
With an air different from before, Katia began to speak.
"Hey, El, haven't you noticed?"
"Huh?"
"No matter how long we've been childhood friends or that I'm your maid, a lady wouldn't stay alone with a man of her age this late at night. ...Especially if she's engaged, that is."
"—"
A clear premonition.
Before it could take shape, the words turned decisive as they left her mouth.
"That's right. The engagement was just broken off last month. ...Right now, I'm nothing more than a discarded noblewoman."
◆
At the same time, in a room within the Royal Palace.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness! Please forgive me!"
The pitiful voice of the silver-haired, green-eyed young man—Chris von Frenbreed—echoed through the chamber.
"Silence. Who gave you permission to speak back?"
Cutting him off was a voice—beautiful and brimming with confidence, though now tinged with irritation.
"I ordered you to capture Katia, and I provided you with more than enough force to accomplish it."
"Hh—"
"And yet? You're telling me that you failed—because some
no-name mage
of unknown origin
got in your way? Is that it?"
Buckling under the oppressive weight of the voice, Chris shrank back, unable to utter a word.
To be precise, the one who had interfered was no mage of unknown origin. It was undeniably a person who happened to be his own brother.
But his meager pride could not bring itself to admit that fact.
And so, bracing himself for an even harsher scolding, he had deliberately obscured the identity of the one who had interfered.
...Though, even if he had been honest, it likely wouldn't have changed the outcome.
Moreover, he had no way of knowing that this concealment would lead to an even worse fate down the road.
"Katia is without question a danger to this country."
Unfazed by his petty scheming, the voice's owner continued.
"Every chance she got, she tried to obstruct my path to supremacy—so I annulled the engagement. If she'd simply accepted that in silence, things would've been fine. But she refused to acknowledge it, and look what she resorted to instead."
A voice brimming with confidence—or, more precisely, the voice of someone who had never once doubted himself.
"Leave her loose, and she'll undoubtedly bring calamity upon this country. That's why she needs to be captured. …And yet those stubborn old fools had the nerve to say they couldn't charge her because she hasn't technically committed a crime. They can't even see my foresight—this is exactly why this country never progresses."
"Y-You're absolutely right, Your Highness!"
Unable to endure the crushing silence any longer, Chris finally burst out shouting.
"Your Highness is a truly perfect hero! Your Highness has never once been wrong in judgment! For those ugly old men who cling to nothing but their status and power to stand in Your Highness's way—"
"Stop with the blatant flattery. It's disgusting. It makes even my own standing suspect."
But he dismissed that with an irritable snort as well.
"…Hmph. Fine. People shouldn't expect everyone to be as perfect and infallible as me. I suppose this, too, is God testing whether I have the caliber of a king—one who tolerates the failures of those beneath him."
He glanced at the bowing, apologetic Chris, then turned his back.
"We're calling off the pursuit of Katia for now. First, look into that mage who got in your way."
"Y-Yes… y-yes."
Chris broke into a cold sweat, dreading that the lie he'd just told was already coming back to haunt him—but the other man paid him no mind.
The voice's owner—Aster Josef von Yustia, the Second Prince—departed the scene with an unhurried stride.
Prince Aster, who had only been mentioned by name since Chapter 2, finally makes his appearance. His full debut won't come until after a one-episode interlude.
He turned out to be a great character (in more ways than one), so I hope you'll look forward to it.
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