Chapter 14:
“Eek!”
A spider and some bugs fell from above, and the First Prince let out an undignified scream.
“What’s this, are you scared of spiders?”
“Sc-scared? Who, me?!”
“They’re just cute, though.”
“Eeek!”
I plucked a bug off his clothes and held it in front of him, and he flinched again.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Seeing the First Prince, who usually always looked mature and composed, utterly flustered like this was hilarious.
“What… what are you doing… huh?”
The First Prince, who had been glaring at me, suddenly spotted a small side door hidden among the ivy, roughly as tall as me, and was shocked for the third time.
“What… a door? Why is there one here…?”
This was, in effect, the “Let’s not worry about plausibility!” sequel.
Honestly, it made no sense for a secret door to exist in such a palace, accessible to outsiders.
But let’s not question it!
After all, this secret door allowed Asphodel to sneak out without the adults knowing, planting “flags” and creating new incidents and opportunities.
Sometimes, you just have to allow some narrative convenience.
“Here, you go first.”
I offered the First Prince the hole in the wall first.
Technically, he didn’t have to come with me, but if I left him behind, he might run off to the adults and tell, so this was my little safety measure.
“Wait! Are you going out without an attendant?”
Of course, this obedient little guy had to protest.
I sighed in response. The First Prince flinched when he met my gaze.
“You know, at nine years old, you’re basically a fully grown adult, right?”
True to his “I’m such a mature adult!” attitude, the First Prince shook his eyes at me in disbelief.
“So, it’s fine to go outside the palace on your own and take a walk, isn’t it?”
“Well…”
“If you can’t even do that, then what kind of adult are you? You’ve been pretending to be an adult all this time?”
I looked at him with a condescending gaze, treating him like a trivial nuisance. The naive First Prince fell for it.
“No! I’m just surprised that someone much younger than me is trying to go out alone… This isn’t a big deal for me!”
He seemed a bit bruised in pride.
I saw my chance and became even bolder.
“I’m an adult, and I’m with you. What’s the problem? Being with your guardian means it’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Y-yeah, that’s true…”
“Now, come on, go in.”
The situation was resolved quickly.
Why resist and make a fuss—so annoying.
The First Prince, still wearing a face that said “this isn’t right,” shuffled into the small side door, nudged along by me.
When he’s older, it might be harder to subtly manipulate him like this, but for now, he was still easy to handle.
So the First Prince and I left the palace.
Of course, it was just the palace where my father and I lived—we still weren’t outside the royal grounds entirely.
I carefully stuck to secluded areas with as few people as possible.
Even if we were discovered later, at least we wouldn’t be interrupted until we neared our destination.
“How far are we going?”
“Shh, people are coming that way.”
“Ah! Hide over here!”
At first, the First Prince seemed nervous, but as the thrill of this first little escapade grew, he gradually started to cooperate more actively.
Ah, but…
“Ugh, why is this so far.”
No matter how far we walked, we didn’t seem any closer to our destination.
“Ah, there’s more royal guards up ahead. Should we go around behind them?”
…Are you really enjoying this?
My legs were growing stiff, my energy flagging, while he only looked brighter and more energetic, which annoyed me.
Eventually, I placed my hand on the First Prince’s arm as we hid in a bush.
The First Prince looked at me with shining eyes and flinched at my intense gaze.
“Carry me.”
“Huh?”
“Carry me.”
“Wha—?”
“Carry me.”
Eventually, the First Prince gave in to my force of will.
He obediently followed my instructions with a bewildered expression, like before.
“Over there, over there!”
After a moment, he muttered in disbelief while carrying me on his back.
“Why am I….”
Of course, his complaints were none of my concern.
Once we upgraded our transportation, we moved faster, and we soon arrived at our destination.
“This is… the banquet hall?”
Finally.
It had been a longer journey than expected.
“Ah, so you were disappointed the birthday banquet ended early, huh?”
The First Prince murmured to himself as he gazed at the building ahead.
The banquet hall, ravaged by monsters, was heavily damaged on the exterior.
Although the priests who had been summoned yesterday and today had purified the traces of monsters, repairing broken windows and walls would take time.
He seemed to misunderstand the situation, but I didn’t care and urged him along.
“Let’s go. Drop me off over there.”
“It’s restricted because of the monsters…”
“The priests purified everything, so what’s the problem? Don’t tell me you don’t trust them?”
Even though Rozantina was a strong kingdom, the power of the temple was considerable in a nation devoted to the gods.
“I didn’t say that! Let’s just go.”
Unable to voice his doubt directly, the First Prince grumbled but headed to the spot I indicated.
“Ah! The First Prince and Third Princess?!”
“Greetings from Rozantina’s stars!”
The royal guards in front of the banquet hall saluted us.
“Alright, good work.”
The First Prince tried to maintain his dignity while returning their salute.
Not that it looked very impressive since I was on his back.
“Why are you two here…?”
“We’re just taking a quick look, don’t worry about it.”
We passed the guards and reached the open space in front of the hall.
There had once been a fountain here, now completely destroyed with only traces remaining.
Still, the dirt and blood left by the monsters and people had been completely purified.
The air felt filled with sacred energy, refreshing and uplifting.
“Now, put me down.”
“You can’t go inside.”
I knew that.
The First Prince seemed to think we had come to see the banquet hall because he missed it.
As I moved about on the ground, the First Prince glanced around the area.
Seizing the moment when he wasn’t looking, I quickly took out the black mana stone I had hidden.
The same black mana stone I had picked up in the herb garden.
I had already partially purified it over the past few days, and the pure divine energy in this place removed the rest of its malevolent energy.
The reason I had come here today was to dispose of the mana stone naturally.
I didn’t need to keep it, and if my father or Margaret discovered it, it would just be troublesome.
Throwing it where the monsters had been, where the mana stones had emerged, was perfect.
‘I doubt the villains hadn’t thought of this themselves. But they must have dumped the black mana stones in secluded places like the herb garden so the priests wouldn’t find them.’
“Found it!”
I pretended to pick the stone off the ground and raised it triumphantly.
The First Prince looked at me.
“It’s shiny! I found a jewel!”
“A jewel? Did someone who came to the banquet drop it?”
But when he saw it up close, he realized its true nature.
“This isn’t a jewel, it’s a mana stone?! Oh, thankfully it’s white.”
Mana stones from monsters are normally dark purple due to their energy and toxins.
When purified by priests, they turn white. This purified stone could be infused and processed for various uses.
“You can’t just touch this recklessly. If it’s not fully purified, it could hurt. Are there any more lying around?”
“This is the only one.”
“Then we should give this to the priests. Here, uh… can you give it to me first? Good, right?”
Since the First Prince was awkwardly trying to act polite, I knew he would sulk if I refused to hand it over.
I snorted and handed him the mana stone.
He looked relieved.
“Good job. Well done.”
…Huh?
Then whose arrogant hand is this on my head?
Was he treating me like a obedient little puppy?
“Eh? Aren’t you the prince and princess? What are cute royals like you doing here?”
Just as I was debating whether to bite the First Prince’s hand, a tiny person popped out from inside the banquet hall.
The First Prince startled and lowered his hand.
Lucky for him.
“Hello, priest.”
“Ah, greetings. I saw you yesterday as well, First Prince.”
