By Zephyria 
The road back to Talim was truly hellish.
It wasn’t because Aegis, who had suppressed and even killed his own personality to meet Khalifa, had exploded and was acting tyrannical. It was because Aegis, whose Mana had vanished all at once, couldn’t withstand the shock and lost consciousness.
I couldn’t possibly leave her in the hands of another, so I had no choice but to carry her myself. I focused all my attention on returning as quickly and steadily as possible, and we made it back safely, but Aegis still hadn’t regained consciousness.
I lingered outside the door until the maids Aegis had brought from the kingdom settled her and laid her on the bed, and then I ran into someone. He looked familiar, but also not.
Judging by his blond hair and pale skin, he seemed to be the guard Aegis had brought with her.
“Greetings, Prince. I am Jade Radfelger, Aegis’s guard. I should have come to see you sooner, but I was too flustered and must beg your forgiveness for only greeting you now.”
“…….”
As soon as he spotted me, he approached and bowed deeply, speaking fluently.
I just remembered, this was the person who had covered his face with both hands when Aegis hit Amir’s head with a vase.
Then, he seemed to have noticed me and was watching my reaction. I didn’t see him clearly after that because he immediately closed the door. I hadn’t spoken to him separately, and as I said, we hadn’t greeted each other, so this was the first time I had formally seen him.
“I’ve heard about you, Sir Radfelger.”
He looked young, maybe in his early twenties, to be a guard, but seeing Aegis, I figured being youthful was a characteristic of the people from that country.
“Please, call me Jade, Prince.”
As I stared at Jade, who was smiling brightly with a puppy-like face, Aegis came to mind.
Are the people from that country all a bit dim? Aegis is a little… No, maybe it’s not that she’s dim, but that she just wasn’t taught. But even if that’s the case for Aegis, it didn’t make sense that the guard who came with her was like this.
Aegis’s case is special, but the person who should be taking care of her most closely… Ah, maybe that country just picks guard knights based on their strength?
“Prince?”
When I didn’t say anything, Jade looked at me with a puzzled expression and called me “Prince” again. Just as I was about to say something, the closed door opened and a maid came out.
Aegis was the priority, so I looked at the maid and asked, “How is Aegis?”
“She still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
I was about to tell her to let me know when she woke up, but then I thought I should check on her face at least once, so I stepped through the open door. Jade naturally followed behind me. I stopped and looked up at him, saying, “Jade.”
“Yes?”
“This is a private space. I don’t know how it was in Calderia, but even if Aegis tells you to come in, you shouldn’t set foot in here.”
Jade looked flustered for a moment, then bowed his head with a serious expression and said, “I was ignorant. I apologize.”
“In Calderia, is it okay for a guard to enter a princess’s bedroom?”
“It is customary to stand guard by her side while she sleeps.”
“…….”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by those words. Is this a cultural difference? But even if he’s a guard, how can he come all the way into the bedroom?
“You’ll find out later, but you can’t come into the bedroom, and you can’t touch her without permission.”
“Even if there is an unavoidable situation during guarding?”
“Yes. But it’s okay if you don’t touch bare skin, so you can put clothes or cloth between you.”
Jade’s expression darkened slightly at my words. I thought I knew why he was like that. If he’s a guard, he should prioritize the safety of his charge, but he has to make sure not to touch bare skin even in a life-or-death situation, how inefficient is that?
I also thought this was a really excessive and useless law, but I couldn’t tell him to ignore the law.
“If Aegis were to permit it…”
“Still no.”
“Yes? But you said it would be okay if there was permission…”
Am I going to have to keep explaining the obvious like this? I was momentarily speechless because I was about to say something so obvious, so I paused for a moment before saying, “The person you need to get permission from is me. Not Aegis.”
“…….”
“Let’s talk about this later, and you wait here.”
“Understood, Prince.”
Jade bowed deeply again with a stiff expression. I watched him for a moment, then closed the door and went inside.
Maybe it’s because the bed was so big, but Aegis, buried in the blankets, looked even smaller and paler than usual.
Sitting in a chair a little away from the bed, I sighed as I looked at Aegis.
A person under Sealing Magic cannot exert more than a certain amount of Mana. There’s no problem with daily life, like eating or washing, but most things that require physical strength are impossible.
You can walk a little, like taking a stroll, but you can’t run, and your Mana drops quickly even with small tasks, but it takes more than twice as long to recover.
So most of the imprisoned royals and nobles just spent most of their days lying down.
“Haa…….”
I couldn’t stop the sigh that burst out and covered my face with my hands. Aegis doesn’t even know what Sealing Magic is, she just gave me her hand when I asked for it, I was at a loss for how to explain it.
I was thinking that I would just listen quietly even if she cursed me out after hearing the explanation, when I heard a noise.
I lowered my hands and looked towards the bed, and Aegis was struggling to get up, having woken up at some point.
“Don’t get up, just lie down.”
“…….”
As I approached, Aegis frowned and looked at me. Her pale complexion made her look even more fragile than she already did.
“You don’t have any strength in your body, do you?”
I asked cautiously. Aegis, who had managed to sit up straight, looked at the black seal coiling around her wrist like a snake and said, “Is it going to keep being like this?”
“……I’ll look at it later and undo it.”
“…….”
Aegis was silent.
“It’s impossible right now… It’s not a big deal, but it takes a lot of Mana, so it’ll take time to do it again? But I don’t know what the situation will be like… It’s safer to undo it after making it so I can cast it again.”
“…….”
“S, so just bear with it a little longer. I’ll eat a lot and rest enough and as soon as possible… Ah, resting enough is the best way to recover Mana.”
“…….”
Even though I was rambling on and on with things I didn’t need to say, Aegis didn’t say a word. I thought she would be furious as soon as she opened her eyes, but she was being quiet, which made me feel even more uneasy.
She doesn’t even have the strength to speak…
In the silence that followed, I hesitated and carefully opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
At my apology, Aegis looked up at me. Her face was clearly exhausted, but she didn’t look angry or resentful towards me.
“Why are you?”
Aegis asked weakly. It looked like it was hard for her to even keep her eyes open. It takes a certain amount of time for the body to adjust to the sudden loss of Mana, so even sitting up and talking to me like this was too much for her.
“I told you, that thing.”
As I glanced at her white, slender arm, Aegis frowned and looked at me like I was a strange person.
“If you hadn’t cast that Sealing Magic or whatever, my limbs would have been cut off.”
“…….”
That’s true, but.
Khalifa is the kind of person who really does what he says, so if I had hesitated even a little, he would have cut off Aegis’s limbs without the slightest hesitation.
“And it’s my fault that this situation was created in the first place, so you don’t need to be sorry.”
“…….”
“I’ve learned the lesson that next time, even if I’m angry, I should hold back a little and beat them up without anyone knowing, so it’s not a bad thing.”
“…….”
No, isn’t there an option to just not hit them in the first place…
I was dumbfounded by Aegis’s last words, but only for a moment, when I saw her pale face, I thought, how much would it hurt if she hit me in that state?
She wouldn’t even have the strength to swing her arm…
As expected, Aegis couldn’t stand it any longer and slowly lay back down on the bed with a tired face and covered herself with the blanket.
I reached out and needlessly straightened the blanket, saying, “I’ll go out so you can rest comfortably. Let’s start the schedule when your strength returns.”
Maybe etiquette education won’t be necessary anymore. It’ll be hard for her to leave the room alone, so it’ll be difficult for her to meet anyone.
Khalifa doesn’t have a good memory, so if he forgets about Aegis soon, I should undo the magic then. I don’t know exactly when that will be…
As I was fiddling with the pure white blanket, Aegis, who was lying on her side and curled up like a pill bug, glanced back at me and said, “Stop rustling around and get out.”
“…….”
I thought I would just listen quietly even if she cursed, but a question arose. Does she get thorns in her mouth if she doesn’t swear for a day? Why doesn’t she say “leave” and instead says “get out”?
Still, hearing her swear made me feel a little better. I looked at the pile of blankets for a moment, then carefully and quietly left the room.
FAY 17
Beheading with a Sword
Aegis, the princess of Calderia.
No, Aegis, now the Imperial Princess Consort, was the most beautiful being, living or inanimate, I had ever seen in my life. The only expression I could use was beautiful, but honestly, looking at Aegis, the word was not enough.
It wasn’t because of her pretty looks, the unique color of her hair or eyes, or her exceptionally white and clean skin that seemed to slip to the touch.
When I quietly looked at Aegis, I felt an awe-inspiring emotion that I couldn’t express in words.
It was a similar feeling to when I first saw the blue sea. It was similar to when rain fell in the middle of the desert sands and a flower garden unfolded.
If a dead person came back to life before my eyes, wouldn’t I feel a similar emotion?
“…….”
I stared blankly at Aegis, who was sitting upright in a chair outside the window, writing something. Then, when I saw the quill she was holding fly through the air and pierce the wall, I couldn’t help but be appalled.
“Look at that nasty temper.”
Whether she didn’t want to do it, or she was just in a bad mood, Aegis huffed and puffed for a while, then suddenly jumped up and kicked the chair.
Watching her, I sighed and shook my head.
Contrary to my expectations, Aegis, who I thought would only live in bed after the Sealing Magic, was in very good health. At first, I even thought my magic had failed. But the brand that bound her body remained, and the magic was working perfectly.
I had read in a book that there were cases like that among people with particularly strong physiques, but that person was a knight who had devoted his life to the sword.
Was Aegis’s stamina so strong, even though she had only lived for 19 years? Or was it because of some special situation, like she might not be human?
I didn’t know the reason, but anyway, it was much better than just lying in bed and glaring weakly. Good is good, so I didn’t say anything, but this should never get into Khalifa’s ears.
So I told Aegis to act sick when she met anyone other than me.
‘I’m a pro at that kind of thing.’
I thought she would be reluctant, but Aegis surprisingly listened to me. Being a pro meant that she had acted sick before.
Considering her education and behavior, various assumptions came to mind, but it wasn’t important, so I just nodded.
Anyway, after that, Aegis became quiet like a frail and delicate girl when she was with other people. But that was only when she was with me or when she was alone like that…
Sitting on a tree branch, secretly watching Aegis raging through the window, I landed silently.
A week had passed since I met with Khalifa.
As promised, Aegis began to study Actan etiquette and other liberal arts subjects. I was worried that she would punch the teacher I assigned to her, but thankfully, she had to act sick.
I come to see her secretly once or twice a day, and every time, Aegis was mostly breaking something or kicking it. Very occasionally, she would sit at her desk and write something diligently, and then she would be very focused.
In the meantime, I investigated the bloodline of the Calderia royal family. But no book described it in detail. I couldn’t easily find related stories in the imperial library, in bookstores outside, or in the numerous rumors in the streets.
“…….”
Standing still for a moment, I made up my mind and moved my feet. Since I couldn’t find any useful information even after searching in every way, I had no choice but to go there.
Mahir would surely come looking for me as soon as I set foot there, but maybe I could find a book describing the secrets of the Calderia royal family during that short time. If I didn’t find it, I could just come again in a few days.
Honestly, what book in the world shouldn’t be seen? If I want to see it, I’ll see it.
I justified myself like that and moved quickly.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
In Actan, there were an unimaginable number of books that were banned for various unreasonable reasons. Even though most of the Forbidden books had been lost, there were still mountains of books left here.
In other words, many books that were not properly organized and had no covers. It was very difficult to check the contents of the neglected books one by one.
“…….”
I closed the book, I don’t even remember how many I’ve read, and collapsed on the dusty floor. I stretched out and rolled my stiff eyeballs, then frowned and cursed.
“When am I ever going to find all of this…?”
I usually read without any purpose, just to satisfy my curiosity, so it didn’t matter if I didn’t know what I was looking at.
But now I had to get specific information, so my head was throbbing.
Even if there were a lot of them, I would still endure it if I was sure that there was related information, but the biggest problem was that even if I did this, there might not be a book about the Calderia dynasty.
It felt like wandering through the desert to find a needle that may or may not exist.
“…….”
Should I just ask Aegis? I didn’t think she would answer, but you never know.
“…….”
I thought about that for a moment and shook my head. There was no guarantee that everything Aegis said was true. Besides, it was a top secret of the kingdom that not many people knew, so even if she told me, she wouldn’t reveal everything.
“Ha…….”
I lay down this way and that way, rolled around on the floor a few times, and then opened the book again. I squinted and skimmed through the contents, closed it, opened it, and skimmed through it again. After repeating this about dozens of times, I fell asleep at some point.
“……le.”
“…….”
“Kyle.”
“…….”
Then I opened my eyes wide at the sound of someone calling me. As soon as I came to my senses, my bones cracked in my waist. I groaned and curled up, and I heard a sigh.
“What are you doing sleeping here?”
“Ugh…….”
“Do you really want to get in trouble?”
“Ugh…….”
I could tell who it was without even looking. Honestly, the place where the bones cracked didn’t hurt anymore, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up, so I kept pretending to be sick.
“I think my back is broken…”
“Aren’t you getting up?”
“Ugh……. Ugh……. Brother, I’m in so much pain.”
“Get up.”
“Waaah…….”
As I whined and struggled to get up, Mahir was looking down at me with the expression of a grim reaper holding a scythe.
“Do I have to come all the way here to find you every time?”
“You don’t have to come…”
“What?”
His voice asking back was excessively low. I shut my mouth and lowered my head, saying in a repentant voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“Please just listen to me.”
“Yes.”
“You’re good at answering.”
At the sound of another sigh, I reached out and clung to Mahir. He carried me out of the library and said.
“If you come again, you’ll really be in trouble.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll really be in trouble.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t answer.”
“Yes.”
I grinned at Mahir, who was frowning.
And the next day, as soon as the morning sun rose, I headed back there, and before the sun was even at its zenith, I was caught by Mahir.
“Kyle, what did I say yesterday?”
“Sorry… da.”
I dragged out the words and slurred them, so the pronunciation was closer to ‘sorry-da’.
“You’re going to write 160 apology letters today.”
“…….”
“Aren’t you answering?”
“Yesh…….”
I wrote diligently, but 160 was impossible. I only managed to write 50 by the time the sun went down, so this time I headed back there late at night.
If I came back before the sun rose, I wouldn’t get caught this time.
But Mahir found me exactly two hours after I went there.
“Hey!”
“……Did you put someone on me?”
“Aren’t you coming here? Aren’t you?!”
“I’m sorry!”
I ran around, but after I was finally caught, Mahir ordered me to stay home.
But who am I?
I was the one who made a hole in the wall in the Imperial Castle, breaking through the iron-clad surveillance. Secretly escaping from a room with a door and a window was a piece of cake for me.
In the early hours of the morning when everyone was asleep, I went back there and quickly skimmed through the books with only one candle lit. I wanted to steal the books and take them to my room to read comfortably, but that was impossible because most of the books had undetectable Security magic on them.
Just as I was startled by the sound of the wind and looking around, flipping through dozens of books, it happened.
“…….”
I finally found a book about the Calderia royal family. The front part was completely lost, whether it had fallen off or not, and the bound parchment was all worn out, but there were quite a few letters that could be read. It was a blessing.
I brought the candle closer to the parchment and read the letters.
…In order to strengthen the pure bloodline of their ancestors, the royal family, who had practiced consanguineous marriage for generations, was on the verge of collapse due to numerous genetic diseases. Yorden II, who belatedly realized the seriousness of the situation, banned relationships between blood relatives, such as incest and consanguineous marriage, by law in order to remedy the situation, and discarded all related materials.
After that, the letters were smudged and I couldn’t read them properly. I skipped over the torn and smudged parts and quickly read only what I could understand.
The damage was severe and it would take a long time to recover. Yorden II, who devoted his life to consolidating the internal affairs, was concerned about the mistakes of future generations, so he forbade mentioning the secrets of the bloodline by royal decree, and left the words that anyone who violated this, regardless of status, including the royal family, would be severely punished, and then passed away.
After that, the parchment was torn in chunks.
Nesh I, who is said to have inherited the blood of his ancestors most strongly among the past royal families, used high-level magic that humans are said to be unable to use and…
The more I turned the parchment, the more damaged parts there were, so I could only recognize a few letters.
By ingesting blood… But inefficient… According to the opinion, with limbs bound, along with livestock… Lost their reason and were just a supply… All kinds of torture and long… Death…
Then I heard footsteps in the distance. My heart was beating like crazy, but I turned the tattered parchment to see even a little more.
Due to the continued deprivation, indiscriminate… Last years… …Gained the infamy of being a King. …Thus, the once mighty kingdom entered the path of ruin.
And when I turned to the last page, it was covered with black letters that looked like charcoal or dried blood.
Madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman madman
The sound of a door opening was heard.