Chapter 32

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 32

LUCA and Ain kept their horses at a fast gallop. They traveled over the mountains, slipped past the front lines of the war, and headed straight for Adolunde Castle. They only stopped at towns and villages once their food supplies ran out, otherwise they stuck to the main road and the fastest routes available.

They had camped for the past three days, but tonight they were finally going to stay at an inn. The town was the last stop before Adolunde. They arrived at the town too late to resupply, so they decided to spend the night at one of the local inns instead.

Ain could barely move when he arrived at his room—staying mounted on a galloping horse for days on end with little rest had thoroughly exhausted him.

“I obviously lack stamina…” Ain muttered, rubbing his calves on top of the simple inn bed. The muscles in his legs and thighs were tense.

“Prince Luca has some serious stamina. I wonder whether this is where a bonded Knight’s Favor comes into play.”

Ain was alone in the room as Luca was out resupplying what he could. Ain tried to stop him from going by saying, “I cannot allow our country’s prince to do the shopping.”

“It’s obvious the person who can move would do all the moving,” Luca had curtly refused. To Ain’s great embarrassment, he could barely stand at the time of the conversation.

Ain and Luca had drastically different upbringings. Luca was royalty, but being the fourth prince lowered his value as a pawn to his relatives who paid him little heed. Thanks to being born fourth, he learned swordsmanship from a young age and was allowed to practice and duel with adults twice his size. Thus, as the years passed he rapidly excelled at swordsmanship and took the rare and coveted rank of Violet Knight—a rank that only a handful of people held throughout the continent of Aridol.

On the other hand, as the youngest son in an elite family of Mages, Ain was condemned a failure for his lack of ability compared with the rest of his bloodline and was not highly valued by upper society. However, unlike Luca, Ain resigned himself to the level others held him to and loafed around, instead of honing his skills and proving them wrong.

I wonder whether I should have learned swordsmanship.

Ain thought about learning the sword ten, no, hundreds of times over the years. But it was too late for him now. Luca didn’t toss Ain aside, even though everyone else—Ain included—considered him a failure.

I haven’t even graduated from the Mage Academy yet.

Ain came of age and was summoned to serve Luca before he could graduate from the Mage Academy set up to officially recognize someone as a Mage. At the time, Luca was eighteen and Ain fourteen. It was around the time the cease-fire treaty was sealed between Maruk and Adolunde, and everyone was eager to restore their war-torn countries.

Normally, a master would not be assigned a retainer younger than him. Yet Luca was given the Revent Family’s failure of a Mage son as his retainer. Being assigned Ain proved just how low ranked everyone considered Luca.

It’s been four years since then…I’ve had a productive and satisfying daily life since.

Time passed by in a flash; Luca would manipulate Ain constantly so he could run away whenever he wanted to. Ain couldn’t help but chuckle when he thought back on what happened in their past together.

“Haha, I’m being led around by him now too.”

On the other side of all the merriment clung countless forms of anxiety for Ain.

I’m supposed to be the retainer, but I rely on my master. I’m supposed to be the retainer, but I’m slower at obtaining information than my master. I’m supposed to be the retainer, but I’m rebuked by my master. I’m supposed to be the retainer…I’m supposed to be the retainer and yet…

“…I wonder whether I’m of any use to Prince Luca,” his fragile whisper faded into the air like the chime of a bell on a windy day.

***

EVERY Mage possessed their own crystal, which they kept on their person at all times. Through the crystal they were able to contact other Mages elsewhere. The distance and precision of the contact changed based on the talent of the Mage. If the Mage had little skill with precision, they could send only text messages through the crystal. Mages with high skill in precision could send their voice through the crystal, and if both Mages were skilled, they could even converse through a projected image of themselves.

“Does being a Mage mean you can summon objects, people, and the like too?” Yuki excitedly asked Ain that absurd question in what now felt like was ages ago to him.

“It does not. A Mage is just one of the official positions available for civil servants of the country. Well, it is a special position that is greatly determined by one’s talent and base qualities. A Mage’s primary job is to pass along information and prepare medicines. The rest is predominantly broken down based on each person’s particular skills. It is said there are even Mages who can heal and read the signs in the stars and wind,” Ain had explained to her.

Unfortunately for Ain, he wasn’t one of the Mages gifted with a special ability. Furthermore, his skills in precision weren’t high nor did his distance reach too far. Now that he was near Adolunde’s royal capital, he could receive messages from his friends in Adolunde. One of the friends who contacted him was overly excited and didn’t notice how uninterested the exhausted Ain was in his small talk. However, one of his friend’s messages said something unthinkable.

“Huh?” Ain accidentally responded to the message he received.

“…The Legendary Witch has at long last been captured by Maruk?” Ain heard Luca say as the door opened. Ain wanted to sigh when he looked up at his master’s stiff face.

He already knows? Just how does he procure information?

Luca’s skill in gathering information was second to none in Ain’s opinion.

“We were set up.”

“Huh?”

Luca briskly walked into the room and grabbed the mantle he hung on the coat rack. “The Legendary Witch is most likely Yuki. A girl with violet eyes was dragged into Maruk by someone. Her appearance, age, and violet eyes are the same as the Legendary Witch.”

“No way.”

Yuki was framed as the Legendary Witch? Just like when we had her pretend to be the Witch in Fol?

The crystal pinged and gave off a faint light. Ain was speechless when he glanced down at his crystal.

“Apparently the Witch’s execution is set for the evening of the new moon. Are you going to watch?” Ain’s friend’s message read.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Ain said in disbelief.

Yuki wasn’t a Witch—Ain and Luca knew that better than anyone.

Plus, Yuki being executed as a Witch means—

Ain lifted his head again.

Her execution is the day of the new moon. That’s the same day as Luca’s deliberation. It’s obvious that if Luca doesn’t adhere to the exact day, the suspicion of his treason will change to them believing he’s admitting to it by his absence.

Ain looked straight into his master’s cold eyes. He knew exactly what his master would say.

“I’m going to Maruk,” Luca declared.

See? I knew it. Ain wanted to praise himself for being right.

Ain took a deep breath and put strength into his abdomen when he said, “You will not.”

Ain’s voice was loud and defined, but Luca showed no signs of paying him any heed as he put his things together.

“You mustn’t, Prince Luca,” Ain declared a second time.

I’m sorry, Ain apologized in his heart.

“Prince Luca, please think of your own standing and situation. If you do not return to Adolunde Castle right now you will be deemed guilty of the suspicion cast on you for the attempted murder of your brother, Prince Orga. Please think only of proving your own innocence, Prince Luca!”

I’m sorry, Yuki. Yuki’s always smiling, adorable face appeared in his mind. It’s not that I don’t want to protect you.

Yuki had protected Ain. She stood up for him. Yet Ain could do nothing for her. If anything, he was directing the one person who could do something away from her.

“Prince Luca, please return to Adolunde Castle.”

Surely the master standing before him could do something to save her. Ain had no guarantee of it, but Luca was the kind of person who could make the impossible possible.

“…I will go to Maruk,” Ain said.

Luca had his back turned to Ain the whole time until those words—he finally looked back at Ain.

Prince Luca can’t save you. So please bear with me in his place, Yuki.