TYHL 163

~Chapter 163~

“So. What were you plotting this time?”

I blinked both eyes.

A pair of purple eyes was staring at the parchment in my hand.

“Ah…!”

Oh right, Dad was here!

‘If Dad helps, I don’t have to be separated from Khalid!’

Lately, Dad seemed happiest when I clung to him and asked for help!

I quickly grabbed his coat and opened my mouth.

“Dad, I, he—”

Look at that.

His smooth lips curved up in satisfaction.

“Dad, give me money!”

“….”

“…?”

Huh?

“Are you buying a mercenary group?”

Dad looked at me with a dumbfounded face.

“Yes! No matter how much I think about it, the most efficient way to have a network all over the continent is to use people’s resources…”

“What…”

“Why?”

“This is the effect of the academy?”

“Ahem.”

Dad messed up my hair until it floated up.

But since he nodded, I decided to forgive him.

“I get what you mean. Leave it to Dad. I think I know the owner there.”

As expected, everything goes smoothly with a rich and powerful Dad!

“Oh, really? Then make sure you sign the contract! Read the small letters carefully… and tell me if you need to stamp anything…”

“I’m getting nagged now, huh.”

Dad said, and then went to the drawing room when the Emperor called him for a visit to the academy.

And Khalid, who heard all this…

“I… I have to… do something urgent…”

He spoke like a broken wind-up toy and disappeared. He probably had to rush to the bathroom.

Before leaving the ancient library, I placed my hand on the tree.

One last thing left to do.

“Sniff. I had fun, magic tree.”

I’m leaving. Back to the north.

I won’t come to the capital until we figure out the situation in the kingdom.

So even if we meet again, it will be much later.

“Yap.”

I moved my magic one last time.

I lifted my school uniform a little and used magic. A round magic circle appeared over the stigma.

Time-stopping magic.

“Now… it shouldn’t grow anymore.”

With a blue light, my watch’s hands spun once and then stopped.

Now, the watch delivers magic to the spell that covers the stigma.

‘How many years can this magic last?’

The Magic King’s power in this stigma is a living force.

It’s fundamentally different from stopping the time of an old book.

So.

Until the Magic King comes back.

I’ll search the continent and complete the breaking circle.

Now, I’m not alone anymore.

I don’t have to face the stigma or the Magic King all by myself.

‘…But if I can’t finish in time and the stigma grows as the Magic King wishes…’

I…

While calmly thinking about the future—

“Rubian…?”

A shaky voice came from behind me.

“Licht?!”

I hurried to cover my back. Licht’s eyes went wide, then he quickly turned around.

“Gasp, sorry! I didn’t see anything!”

He really moved without a sound…!

Licht, who always smiled even in strange situations, looked really flustered this time.

“D-the Duke Zebert came to see my father, and when he heard you were here, I…”

“You… did you see?”

“W-what?”

Licht hesitated a little.

“…A pretty tree with a pattern like a worm wrapped around it?”

Oh geez.

“…It’s a dragon, you know.”

I got caught…

Licht slowly turned back. He peeked at me with his slightly drooping eyes.

I could use the magic of this place to erase Licht’s memory, but…

I didn’t.

Since I wanted to keep being friends with him, there’s no such thing as a perfect secret in the world.

“You know, at the Ipsen festival… What you guessed was right.”

“….”

“I can… do things like this.”

Shooong. My magic pulled a book from the shelf.

“I can do this… and that…”

My pen, teacup, and even a candy floated in the air.

Licht raised his hand to calm me down.

“Okay, okay, Rubian. I got it…”

“Are you going to tell His Majesty?”

I stopped all magic and asked.

“Well…”

What, my magic threats don’t work? Was I too soft? Maybe I should’ve floated a rock.

Now that the Magic Kingdom is the enemy, I don’t know how the Emperor will treat a wizard like me. Dad didn’t say I had to confess either.

‘Of course, I don’t think His Majesty would suddenly throw me to the Magic Kingdom…’

My secret felt a bit lighter now.

Dad found out, the Magic King found out.

I’m not going to shout it to the whole world, but at least I don’t have to hold it inside like before.

“…Who knows.”

Licht mumbled, then grinned.

That’s when I realized he was teasing me.

“You—! That ambiguous way of talking again!”

“Haha, sorry.”

His pretty face came closer.

“You know, if I keep your secret, can we keep writing letters?”

“Letters?”

“Yeah. You won’t come to the capital for a while, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then I won’t tell.”

His eyes folded gently as he smiled.

“I like your letters.”

“Oh…”

Why? What did he like about my stiff letters?

Hmm, maybe he’s just sensitive.

“You’d better go to the library a lot…”

“I’m not sure what you mean, but okay.”

Licht smiled and glanced at the parchment in my hand.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this. It’s ancient language… There are a lot of old place names I can’t recognize, so I’m going to start figuring them out…”

Licht went silent for a moment.

After thinking, he opened his mouth again.

“If they’re old place names, the palace archive should have almost all the records…”

What!

My eyes opened as wide as they could.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to check, but I think so.”

“Wow, Licht! Are you an angel? My lifesaver?”

No, that’s not right! Of course, he’s the Crown Prince!

I swallowed the words I couldn’t say and clung to Licht’s arm. He flinched but soon patted my back.

“You really have no hesitation… Anyway, we should write letters a lot, okay?”

“I’ll buy lots of pretty stationery!”

Then the boy smiled brighter than ever.

“Even if you write on a piece of tissue, I don’t mind.”

“Goodbye, Lich—Your Highness!”

Rubian rode away in a carriage with big windows.

Next to her was the Duke Zebert, and Khalid, who looked annoyed as always.

“…It’s okay to call me Licht.”

Maybe he was shy because the knights were watching.

The prince waved until the carriage disappeared from view, hiding his regret.

‘She won’t forget me… right?’

Looking around the suddenly empty academy, he felt a bit worried.

Now that he thought about it, this was the only time they really talked face-to-face at the academy.

‘You’re not supposed to leak royal portraits without permission…’

He clenched his fingers a little.

‘Maybe I’ll ask if I can include one in my next letter.’

After all, it would only go to Rubian.

“Oh, right…”

“Your Highness? Is something wrong?”

“…I forgot to ask Duke Zebert.”

He scratched his soft cheeks as he remembered.

‘Where did he take care of the wizard’s body after the academy attack…?’

Duke Zebert said he handled it, so it should be fine.

“I’m sure His Majesty asked.”

Licht turned away quickly.

‘Rubian… really was a wizard…’

It was shocking, but somehow, it made sense.

Even though he thought he’d left all his feelings behind at Ipsen, a strange, uncomfortable feeling always remained.

‘It must have been hard for you… all that time.’

He clenched his fist.

When he remembered her smiling face, his heart trembled for no reason.

Maybe it was that way from the very beginning.

Maybe it was because their first meeting at the shelter was so intense.

Now, he just wanted to protect that smiling face.

But as time passes… will these feelings change too?

Anyway.

Licht turned away. There’s always work to do.

‘Even if your secret is revealed, I’ll make sure nothing bad happens.’

I’ll work hard here.

You work hard there, Rubian.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The boy’s real story started now.