The sorcerer who had posed as Rensley was lying on the bed, and now another person was lying on it.
The patient who had been lying on the bed coughed as if in pain. The person next to him looked surprised and stared at the just-awakened patient.
He wanted to drink water, but no sound came out. The one who was taking care of him opened the door and called someone outside instead of answering.
Reflexively, the patient, now in a defensive posture, searched for the staff that he used to carry everywhere, but it was nowhere to be seen. Even if the staff were there, it would have been useless. He realized a moment later that he didn’t have the strength to get up from the bed, let alone use magic.
Furthermore, his wrists were securely bound with specially crafted magical shackles made of Maeseok. A suppressor to prevent sorcerers or magic users from using magic. A well-known item among the people of Cornia, who had suffered greatly from sorcerers.
“His consciousness has returned.”
The man who entered the room had a familiar face, having seen it before. Embossed on the lightweight armor was the emblem of the Aldrant Knights.
The patient became even more uneasy and clutched the blanket tightly. However, the man just offered the water bottle without saying anything.
“Can you drink this?”
The patient, barely raising himself halfway, couldn’t speak and instead took the cup with both hands and drank the water. Even that was not done smoothly; the water spilled, wetting the blanket and clothes. The red eyes surveyed the person who gave him water and the room, looking desolate.
“Here is…”
The patient, Amin, who was trying to confirm his location, was surprised and closed his mouth. His voice seemed hoarse, as if his throat was severely injured. The man, sitting on the nearby chair, raised his hands to his chest and gave a friendly smile.
“No need to be so anxious. As you can see, I’m not carrying any weapons, and I’m just an ordinary person, not a sorcerer.”
“…”
“Your name is Amin, right? A sorcerer from Cornia and a servant of King Felix. How old are you?”
After a long silence as if ignoring the question, the answer came.
“Sixteen.”
After hesitating for a moment, as if wanting to say something, the man introduced himself first.
“Amin, I am Anton Sorel, the commander of the Aldrant Knights. I am here to protect you under the orders of the Duke.”
“Why would the Duke of Aldrant…”
“Your plans were all revealed to the Emperor. If Aldrant doesn’t protect you, you will be in a position where you cannot escape execution. However, Maelrosen asked the Duke to protect you, and the Duke accepted.”
Amin raised his head at those words. The eyes, filled with suspicion, showed a hint of vulnerability for the first time, shaking.
“Is Rensley Maelrosen safe?”
“Yeah. No injuries, completely fine.”
“…What about Lord Felix?”
“He’s dead.”
The young sorcerer remained silent, not showing much surprise. His expression, as if expecting the news, only became more desolate. Anton gave him a moment to grasp the reality, looking at the face with such deep sorrow for a sixteen-year-old.
“It seems he was attacked by wild beasts. Found in the depths of the forest.” In response, Amin frowned, seemingly surprised by the information. His face, heavily shadowed by regret, expressed disbelief at the reason for Felix’s death.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Pwqbrrlyif. Obgv Mfilz tjv rfnfgji jgalojmar P ujnf tlw. Lf kjr rxliifv lc rkbgvrwjcrtlq. Ktfgf’r cb kjs tf kbeiv ojii ab wfgf kliv jclwjir…”
“Po cba yfjrar, la mbeiv yf vfwbcr. Rbgwjiis, vfwbcr jgf rjlv ab fwfguf bcis ogbw atf cbgat, yea atfgf jgf gfmbgvr bo atfw jqqfjglcu lc atf rbeatfgc rfjr ibcu jub.”
“Are you saying a demon that disappeared a hundred years ago suddenly appeared, killed Lord Felix, and then vanished again?”
Amin, now coughing and struggling to breathe, shot back. Anton offered him water again, and Amin, seemingly in pain, took the cup and drank. The red eyes looked desolate, glaring at the one who gave him water and the room.
“Handling it this way is your path to survival. Admit as a witness that Felix planned aggression, confess that you followed him out of fear, as ordered by the Duke. The Duke has intervened; if you do just that, you can live.”
“No.”
Amin shook his head. His cracked voice was now trembling.
“I wasn’t afraid of Lord Felix. I followed him sincerely. Even if he abandoned me, that fact won’t change.”
“Then do you plan to die following him?”
“My life, I thought was already gone anyway.”
“King Felix highly valued your talent and made you his servant at such a young age. The Duke also highly values you. The Duke said there’s no one else on the entire continent your age who can use magic like you. He admired you as a prodigy.”
At those words, Amin’s eyes widened. The expression as he looked at Anton was filled with distrust and suspicion.
“Lies… I deceived the Duke and fought against him. He wouldn’t praise me like that.”
“The Duke doesn’t judge people based on relationships or emotions. Even if you were an enemy, he acknowledges your exceptional magical abilities.”
“…”
“He saved the person who spilled much blood and was about to die. You said you’re sixteen, right? It would be a waste if you threw away your precious life like this.”
Amin couldn’t respond and dropped his gaze onto the blanket. Beneath the anger and sadness, confusion and hesitation were clearly hidden.
At that moment, the door opened again. Finally, a recognizable expression appeared on Amin’s face as he confirmed the new guest.
“Rensley Maelrosen.”
“Amin! You’re really awake. Thank goodness. Is your throat okay? Judging by the way you recognize me, your head seems fine too.”
Rensley briskly walked over and sat next to Anton. Glancing between Amin and Anton as if gauging the atmosphere, Rensley opened his mouth with a smile.
“The atmosphere is chilly. What were you talking about?”
“We were persuading him to testify that he moved under the threat of the King of Cornia. That way, he can avoid being held accountable for this incident.”
“Amin, do it. Otherwise, the Emperor won’t just let you go. Even if others don’t know, you were Felix’s closest confidant, so actively cooperating is the only way to save your life.”
Amin furrowed his brows at those words.
“Betray Lord Felix? Do you know what Lord Felix did for me?”
“According to His Grace, it seems Felix was trying to eliminate you. Is that true? Felix got entangled in internal conflicts and seems to have died. If you were there, Felix might have been fine, but it seems Felix fell for others’ trick while trying to play tricks.”
The sorcerer, who had been glaring at Rensley rebelliously, turned his head in surprise. Although there was no immediate answer, the fact that a denial didn’t immediately come out was evident. Rensley sighed.
“Betrayal? What betrayal? If there’s any betrayal, it’s what that guy did to you! Should I guess? That jerk stabbed you and tried to turn everything upside down for you, right? How do I know? That guy has been like that from the beginning. He’s a worthless and faithless person. Didn’t I tell you from the beginning that even your palmistry shown in his eyes was absurd? Wake up. That guy used you from start to finish. You survived twice in the face of death. That’s incredible luck. Don’t throw away your life in unhappiness.”
“I don’t care. I said I was Lord Felix’s tool with my own mouth. I don’t care even if I was used.”
“Of course, you would think so. But, Amin, you still have a long way to go. There will be many things in the future that you will be grateful for surviving. Someone who can be more loyal than Felix might appear. You’re a genius magician. Shouldn’t your abilities be valued? Yeah. It’s good to live as someone’s tool. Is it easy? I may just be someone who values you a little more in this vast world. You don’t need to give up on life at sixteen.”
At Rensley’s words, Amin lowered his head further. His red eyes flickered ruthlessly. Rensley gestured to Anton to make room, but Anton shook his head. Leaving the remnants of Felix’s persuasion and Rensley alone was an unreasonable thing.
Amin’s small voice, which had been silent with just his head bowed, emerged a bit later.
“…If I survive… then where should I go?”
“Hmm?”
“I… without Lord Felix, I have nothing. Most of our magicians were moving covertly, and I was Felix’s closest confidant among them. There aren’t many people who know me in the royal palace, and without the residence Felix arranged for me, I have nowhere to live. And my status…”
“You must have earned money working as a magician until now. If you have money, you can live anywhere. You don’t have to live in Cornia. Even though the King of Cornia mistreated magicians, talented magicians received good treatment from various places. Even the royal magicians in Cornia were treated better than those in other countries. Otherwise, would those people have stuck around?”
Amin just stared at Rensley with a blank expression. Slowly understanding that expression, Rensley’s face, which had been relatively calm until now, now showed the most significant creases.
“Well… even after death, this guy manages to spew garbage….”
“I told him I don’t need money! Everything I needed was already provided by Lord Felix, and I had no use for money….”
Rensley shifted to sit on the bed. When Amin grabbed his hand abruptly, he was taken aback and looked directly at Rensley.
“Let me tell you. Since His Grace also highly values your talent, he might know of a magician organization or something suitable for you to join. Don’t get your hopes up too much, though. While your abilities are acknowledged, the circumstances aren’t exactly favorable, considering that you kidnapped me.”
“….”
“Don’t worry. With your abilities, even if you have no money right now, it won’t be a problem to settle down. It might be a bit unsettling to go out on your own without understanding the ways of the world too much… Well, it’s not that uncommon for guys your age to become independent and work.”
A single teardrop fell from the red eyes. The sorcerer quickly wiped it away. Neither Rensley nor Anton mentioned the tears.
“Well then, Amin, get a good rest tonight. I hope tomorrow you’ll accept our proposal with a lighter heart.”
As Rensley got up, Anton called the guards again. Since Amin couldn’t move properly anyway, giving him some time to think alone on a day like today wouldn’t hurt. Rensley inwardly felt sorry, but knowing Anton, he didn’t mention it again.
Things were being sorted out quietly and swiftly. Felix’s death was treated as the result of a hunting accident without proper protection, and the key figures of the plan were scattered using different pretexts.
The succession process to the throne of Cornia went smoother than expected. The fourth queen, as if she had been waiting, calmly placed her eldest son on the throne. An agreement was reached with the regents to rule until he turned seventeen. The conspiracy to wage war against the Empire was concealed in this way.
Rensley walked down the path leading to the main tower, feeling somewhat bitter. Anton followed like a shadow. Since returning to the palace, Rensley hadn’t been alone anywhere outside Gezell’s bedroom.
“Sir Maelrosen.”
Gezell, who seemed to have been waiting for the news of Amin, was coming towards them. Rensley hastened his steps with a smile.
“Is everything all right?”
“Absolutely. His mood seems to have softened quickly. Perhaps by tomorrow, he’ll have a better hold on his emotions.”
The palace was beautifully decorated even in the surrounding areas designated for walking, adorned with flowers and trees. The two walked slowly, engaging in conversation.
“I’m relieved. I don’t mind either way, but if you’re going to put your heart into it, I hope it turns out as you wish.”
“I suspect Felix really did something to Amin, as His Grace speculated. What a scumbag. I know how loyal that kid was to Felix. Moreover, involving such a young child… How great must the sense of betrayal be? It’s only natural that his feelings would turn away.”
Anton silently followed behind Gezell and Rensley. His lord looked down at his fiancée with a faint but gentle smile on his face. The smile that had once surprised Anton was now not unfamiliar to his eyes.
“It’s unbelievable. How could Lord Felix, who had several artifacts I gave him, and exceptional sword skills, be defeated by mere wild animals….”
Anton had arrived in Cornia to personally confirm Felix’s corpse. Even for someone who had dealt with all kinds of corpses until now, the state of the body was gruesome enough to furrow his brows momentarily. The condition of the corpse was inexplicable, aside from being attacked by a ferocious beast or a monster. The medical examiner who analyzed the traces left on the body also concluded that it was hard to consider it the work of a human.
However, as the sorcerer Amin claimed, there hadn’t been any appearance of monsters in the southern region for over a hundred years. Even if they appeared, it was unreasonable to think that they would harm only Felix and then vanish without a trace.
Eventually, people concluded that it was the mischief of wild animals, and the emperor decided not to pursue further investigations. In an effort to stabilize Cornia, which had suddenly begun preparations for a new succession, they appeared to be lenient in dealing with Pheraira’s involvement.
If the person they were trying to quietly handle had died in an accident, there was no need to delve deeper into the reasons. However, Anton couldn’t help but speculate on the real cause of the corpse.
…Gezell had personally appointed Anton as the captain of the bodyguards, and he shared all political and private secrets only with him. It wasn’t that Anton was particularly trusted; the king’s secrets needed to be known by the chief bodyguard, and a few key ministers for the sake of the country’s secrets.
However, during the winter when Rensley Maelrosen left Roudken, tormented by the pain of his first love gone wrong, Anton, who faced Duke Gezell, who was at a loss about how to deal with his grief, learned one thing. It was not because of a sense of responsibility as a king that he had shared every fact but simply because he had never had secrets he didn’t want others to know.
The three men arrived at Gezell’s chamber. Anton bowed politely.
“I will take my leave then.”
“Oh, Captain. Thank you very much today as well. Thanks to you persuading him well in the beginning, it seems Amin has calmed down quickly.”
As he responded with a smile to the farewell, Anton stared at the man in silence for a moment. When the silence grew longer, Rensley looked somewhat awkward.
“Why are you like this?”
“Nothing. Have a good night, Your Grace.”
“Uh… why are you doing this? Please don’t start like this already.”
“I need to practice too.”
“I’m not used to this, and it’s a big problem. Your Grace, please go in quickly.”
“You go in first. I have something to instruct Anton for a moment.”
Nodding, Rensley entered the room, and as the footsteps from inside faded away, Gezell lowered his voice.
“Anton.”
“Yes.”
“I heard that Amin, that guy, regained consciousness. I should meet him too. Sir Maelrosen is wise, but sometimes he has a tendency to see everything in a positive light.”
“Understood.”
“Try to go see him after Sir Maelrosen falls asleep.”
With that, Gezell disappeared behind the door, and Anton followed his gaze with his eyes.
Finally, the young king’s change, who had never shared secrets he didn’t want others to know, due to his sense of responsibility as a king, or rather, only because of this, the story of his longing that he didn’t want to reveal to anyone, whether they noticed or not, left Anton feeling a mix of emotions. He smiled wryly, not knowing whether he should lament or welcome the change.
Thank you!
He’s growing! Welcome the change!