Chapter 5, I Haven’t Grown That Much (2)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

He spent a hectic week waking up to the scent of tea, having perfect preparations and breakfast, and attending various lessons.

 

During that time, he clashed with Plants three more times.

 

After nearly killing him by ‘accident’ during sword training when Plants brought up Freya again, he became somewhat quieter.

 

What was truly unexpected was Plants’ sword skills.

 

Of course, while Kalian’s strength was poor, Plants was also quite adept at blocking attacks.

 

[I suppose the hailing from a Knight Family isn’t just for show.]

 

At any rate, though Plants still looked at Kalian with mocking eyes whenever he saw him, the frequency of his verbal provocations had notably decreased. For now, Kalian was satisfied with just this much.

 

While sitting absent-mindedly watching the maids brush his hair in front of the mirror before going to breakfast, Ian approached and explained the day’s schedule.

 

“…Lastly, there will be dinner with the Queen and Viscount Beurisen.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Viscount Lannen Beurisen.

 

He was Queen Sillike’s Older brother and the Second Son of Marquis Beurisen. Born into an ancient Knight Family, he had early on given up on the sword due to his lack of talent in it. Currently, he now led the Beurisen Trader’s Guild, which was the largest in Cyries.

 

[He is not even capable of properly running a Trader’s Guild. So, he practically handed over full authority to a Trader’s Guild Manager ,hired for a large sum. Well… having that kind of money is a skill in and of itself.]

 

“Is Viscount Beurisen attending alone without other nobles in attendance?”

 

“Yes. He was supposed to prepare the celebration performance for the last day of His Majesty’s birthday festival. But due to unfortunate circumstances, it will be held elsewhere instead. It seems he’s coming to the Palace to apologize to His Majesty for this matter, and while here, he wants to see the Princes.”

 

“If that’s the case, Plants alone would suffice. Why does he want to meet me?”

 

Ian’s face tensed slightly at Kalian directly mentioning of Plants’ name. Since it would clearly be difficult for Ian to find words to respond, Kalian quickly spoke again.

 

“Fine, I understand.”

 

Ian opened his mouth again. It seemed there was something else to discuss besides the schedule today.

 

“And there is something I need to tell you.”

 

When Kalian nodded slightly, Ian seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

 

“We need to briefly open Your Highness’s safe, shall I do it this time as well?”

 

[Safe? I had something like that?] He thought he was a Prince with nothing. It seems like he did have money.

 

Kalian quickly searched through his memories. And he realized that the ornate silver furniture in the corner of his bedroom, whose purpose he did not know of, was actually the safe.

 

“Why the safe?”

 

“Well…” For some reason, Ian hedged his words.

 

When this happens, there was typically only one reason. One reason alone – it must be related to Freya.

 

Ian carefully opened his mouth.

 

“The steward of the Hwiteurin Territory is here to send the proceeds.”

 

[Since Mother’s name is Freya Hwiteurin. It must be her territory.]

 

It seems Rmain, who had elevated Freya to Royal Consort, had granted her the territory. And after her death, rather than being transferred to another noble, it appears to have been inherited by Kalian. Having confirmed this unexpected income, Kalian spoke.

 

“Let’s do it together later. I’m curious how much has accumulated.”

 

“Yes, understood. And,”

 

At the nuance that there was more to tell, Kalian, who had finished preparing for breakfast, nodded again.

 

“As you know, when Your Highness turns 15, you can have two more attendants, correct?”

 

He certainly did not know this.

 

“Since you will turn 15 after your birthday this year, the Internal Affairs officer asked how you would like to acquire the two attendants. Even if it’s not exactly after your birthday, you can bring them in about two or three months early. And if you don’t have anyone in mind, the officer said he could directly assign them.”

 

While he was organizing his thoughts on how to respond to this, Ian continued speaking.

 

“How about using those two slots for guards, like the other two Princes?”

 

Kalian recalled the attendants who always followed behind Randel and Plants. Since they did not have swords, he had thought they were just attendants, but now Kalian understood with a look of comprehension and responded.

 

“So, they were guards. I was wondering why they were so burly.”

 

Cyries did not assign personal Guard Knights to Princes other than the Crown Prince. The interesting fact was, life-and-death battles were more common among Princes who were not the Crown Prince.

 

Because of this, Princes privately hired Knights to guard them. However, this was not permitted in Cyries, meaning it was illegal. Thus, it had become customary to disguise these guards as attendants. Of course, the ones mainly employed were those who used hidden weapons since carrying swords would be too noticeable.

 

This was something Kalian already knew.

 

He just did not know that one could have three attendants upon turning 15.

 

[Then did the original Kalian also have guards? Since Ian brought this up here and there was money to hire guards, it was highly likely he had hired them.]

 

[So, he knew magic and had guards… Yet, despite that, he got assassinated. This means the assassin must have been skilled enough to subdue a Third Circle Mage.]

 

Lost in such thoughts, Kalian unconsciously rubbed around his heart.

 

[No, if it was disguised as suicide, the surroundings would have been clean. If he was a Mage, there would have been traces of either attack or defense. It’s highly likely the old Kalian was killed while unable to use magic, just how I am at my current state.]

 

[In any case, Kalian died two or three months before his birthday, and guards could only be acquired two or three months before the birthday. This creates an intriguing timeline that matchings up.]

 

[Either the guards couldn’t stop the assassin, or didn’t stop them. Perhaps, the guards were the assassin?]

 

Several possibilities came to mind. Whatever the truth was, none of them would benefit Kalian.

 

“I think it’s better not to hire them. I already have someone in mind.”

 

Ian showed an expression of disbelief. Of course, since he would know all about Kalian’s relationships. But Kalian did not elaborate further on this.

 

Of course, the person Kalian had in mind was that child he had thought to bring in earlier. But there was one problem.

 

“The person is a commoner, though I’m not certain. Would that be alright?”

 

Ian was also a noble. Therefore, Kalian’s words were asking whether Ian, as a noble, could work on equal terms with a commoner.

 

Ian’s face showed that he could not understand why such a question was even being asked.

 

As always, Ian was the type whose face revealed everything.

 

“Right now, what’s important isn’t the guard’s social status, but the fact that there’s someone who can protect you. We should be running out right now to bring them here. How could social status be important at this point?”

 

“True.”

 

Having heard Ian’s words, Kalian nodded with a slight smile.

 

“Since that person would be a guard for a Prince, if Your Highness is fine with it, that’s all that matters. It’s not as if only nobles can serve as Your Highness’s attendants. Also, if this person is talented enough to be a Knight, you can first keep them as an attendant and then grant them a Knight’s title when the opportunity arises.”

 

“That would work.”

 

Even though Kalian was royalty, he could not grant titles at will. Unless there were special merits, one could not arbitrarily raise someone’s social status. Therefore, in cases like this, it was common to keep them as attendants and grant titles when the time was right.

 

“I can’t bring that person in right away anyway, so for now, tell Internal Affairs that I’ll handle it myself.”

 

The issue was not immediately bringing this person in, but finding where this child was. Since it was not even certain if this child was here in Cyries’s capital, Cyriesus.

 

“Understood. I will relay this to them.”

 

“Is that all?”

 

“No. There’s one more thing.”

 

Kalian’s head moved up and down again.

 

As if this was perhaps the most important matter, Ian gulped once before speaking.

 

“It is about exercise, Your Highness. Are you continuing with the physical training you’ve been doing for the past week?”

 

“That’s hardly training. Just running three or four laps around the artificial lake in front of the Palace is nothing.”

 

“But even that seems too much for you right now. I mention this because you look like you’re struggling.”

 

Since he had not exercised much before, rather than improving, he seemed to be getting more exhausted and losing more weight. This caused Ian no small amount of worry.

 

“I plan to continue. If I keep at it consistently, it should get better.”

 

As if he had expected such an answer, Ian let out a low sigh.

 

“I’ve spoken with the cook to pay special attention to your diet. Though breakfast can’t be helped, please finish all your lunch and dinner.”

 

“Alright. Thank you.”

 

Ian, now somewhat used to Kalian’s words of thanks, showed a slight smile. Then he gracefully extended one hand to indicate the door leading outside. It was a gesture suggesting they go to breakfast.

 

[Ugh. I don’t want to go.]

 

After finishing the still unfamiliar silent meal, Kalian was startled by the enormous amount of territorial revenue that had accumulated without a single coin being spent for 14 years. Then, he went outside in somewhat lighter attire.

 

He planned to exercise before morning lessons began.

 

He had exercised like this for the past week. Of course, he was not alone; Ian usually accompanied him.

 

However, when it occasionally overlapped with Ian’s absence due to attendants’ meetings, a maid named Merlin would accompany Kalian in Ian’s stead. She was the same maid who had brought Kalian that mirror and called the hairdresser. Surprisingly, Merlin could run three or four laps around the lake without even breathing heavily.

 

Even now, Merlin was following behind Kalian.

 

Remembering that it was Merlin who had strongly proposed ‘many frills’, Kalian quickly assumed proper posture and began running.

 

No matter how far ahead he ran, when he looked back, Merlin maintained the same distance while running. It made Kalian dejected.

 

[She’s frightening!]

 

He learned later that Merlin was the Second Daughter of the head of the Capital Knights, who defended Cyriesus’s outer walls. Though she had never learned swordsmanship, she had run daily with her Father through the Tarun Mountains on the outskirts of Cyriesus since childhood. So this much was nothing to her.

 

Finally, completely exhausted after three and a half laps, Kalian sat down right there. Sweat poured like rain, and his lips were parched. Seeing this, Merlin’s eyebrows furrowed. The reason certainly was not that she disliked seeing him sweat.

 

When Kalian first started exercising, he ran four and a half laps, and by the third day, he ran four laps. But now, it was only three and a half laps. Something was wrong.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Ordinary attendants and maids could not speak directly to a Prince and had to go through senior attendants or senior maids. Therefore, if Merlin had something to say to Kalian, she was supposed to relay it through Ian. However, since Kalian’s maids had each conversed with him once during the process of fitting formal wear, they occasionally spoke to him now. Kalian naturally did not mind this or take issue with it. Rather, he enjoyed having more people to talk with.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to call a healer?”

 

“A healer, you say?”

 

The Priest from Tansyll, whom Ian had almost called when Kalian injured his hand. Of course, Kalian knew why she was suggesting calling such a healer. It must be because of his continuously declining stamina.

 

However, there was a reason he could not seek a healer.

 

[My Circles would immediately be discovered.]

 

Among all the frustrating and foolish actions the old Kalian had taken, there was only one thing he could praise him for. That was hiding that he was a Mage, a secret that even Ian did not know.

 

While he thought it would have been fine to tell Ian, he understood why the old Kalian did not. It was simply the circumstances of someone who did not have the luxury to trust anyone.

 

If it had been revealed that Kalian could use magic, he would have been dead even before Bern entered Kalian’s body. They would have eliminated him before he could build enough power to become untouchable.

 

For the same reason, the current Kalian also needed to hide his Circles for now. This was especially true given his current inability to manipulate Mana.

 

After organizing his thoughts, Kalian gave his somewhat delayed response.

 

“No. I’m fine.”

 

Though Merlin showed an unsatisfied expression, she did not say more.

 

Kalian stood up from his place.

 

And then he Managed to run one more lap before returning to his room.