#88
[Then you should have given Zahar advance notice!]
“Yes! I wanted to do that too! Do you know how hard I tried to contact the Duke beforehand? I really tried everything! But that Duke of yours thoroughly ignored my messages. He ignored every single one!”
[That doesn’t mean you kidnap someone! Kidnap!? Do you know how scared the child was!?]
Despite there probably not being a sound-blocking spell, the sword and Yaksi were shouting at the top of their lungs as if they’d forgotten where they were. It was so loud that Persis had to cast another sound-blocking spell over the door that already had Yaksi’s spell on it.
“So, Professor Yaksi, you knew the situation would turn out like this?”
“Of course. A court magician suddenly becomes a school teacher. Didn’t you find that strange?”
I did find it strange, which is why I thought Yaksi was the culprit behind this. Or at least one of the masterminds behind the incident.
“When I think about how hard I tried to secretly stick by your side, ugh, really. And you ruined it all like this? Well done? Hmm?”
[Who’s the one who kidnapped someone without warning and now blaming others!]
“It’s because I’m frustrated! Frustrated! I mean, after all my efforts for someone, you’re blaming me? Besides, if I hadn’t done that, you would have been kidnapped first and things would have been worse! The Young Master can walk around with his liver outside his body only thanks to me!”
Now I began to understand a little.
When the incident occurred during the entrance ceremony, Yaksi was a magician dispatched to assess the situation. In the process, she discovered something unusual and decided to investigate further by working as a school teacher.
During her investigation, Yaksi discovered that the sword I possessed was connected to the demon in the temple. The problem was that Yaksi wasn’t the only one who realized this fact.
Ramtel. I recalled Ramtel’s face, whose eyes had met mine when I saw the temple underground through the sword’s eyes. Everything I had suspected about him causing the incident during the entrance ceremony was confirmed. Now I could understand his various actions. The reason Ramtel knew more about Clum than others was because he was receiving information that ordinary people couldn’t know from the First Prince.
This means that the First Prince was also behind the entrance ceremony incident. He did such a thing despite knowing that Persis would be at the entrance ceremony.
“Those people want to study a proper demon. For that, your soul needs to return to your body. Having noticed this first, I tried to protect Andelion, who was connected to your soul whose location I couldn’t determine, as soon as your soul returned. I was planning to sever your soul from its original body when the opportunity arose, but…”
After explaining that far, Yaksi let out a deep sigh. Now I could understand Yaksi’s actions a little bit. Of course, it would have been better if she had given some notice to the Duke or me, but honestly, I don’t know if we would have fully believed Yaksi’s words.
“By now, they’re probably searching everywhere to put you back in your place. I was worrying about how to get you out, but to think things would get so complicated again. Well done, Young Master?”
“Yes, well done.”
Persis immediately caught Yaksi’s biting words. Would Persis also reproach me? Certainly, this situation became complicated because I moved too rashly. I never expected that Yaksi had pretended to be a kidnapper to save me. It was too extreme, but from Yaksi’s perspective, there hadn’t been time to choose another method.
Hearing the situation, I felt a bit sorry for misunderstanding and blaming Yaksi all this time. I should have considered all possibilities, but I didn’t, and that was my fault.
However, I didn’t expect Persis to take Yaksi’s side right away. Seeing how Persis and Rikin immediately followed Yaksi when they saw her earlier, these three seem to have known each other well for some time. Is that why he easily agreed with Yaksi’s words? Whatever the reason, Persis’s action stirred my heart.
“They wanted a complete demon, right? But that’s not the case now, is it? You’re inside this sword?”
[I don’t want to agree with your words, but you’re right. It feels like more of me is in here than before.]
“Then if we take this sword and leave, wouldn’t that completely shatter what my brother wants to achieve?”
I thought Persis had spoken to blame me, but in fact, he was taking my side. Indeed, as he said, if we left the temple with the sword, we might be able to prevent what the First Prince was trying to do. However, that meant leaving the sword’s body in the temple.
“Then does that mean we just leave that body behind? What if they do something else to that body…”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Those people will never harm the demon’s body. The entrance ceremony incident was possible thanks to the blood extracted from that body. Knowing the power it possesses, they’ll handle it carefully.”
Yaksi’s words didn’t calm my anxious heart. What Yaksi had just told me was no different from saying that the sword’s body would continue to be exploited by them. I didn’t want to run away knowing all this.
[Andelion.]
As if knowing my feelings, the sword called my name.
[It seems that leaving the temple as Yaksi says is the best method. That body was in the temple anyway.]
“But…”
[We can’t fight all those priests. Let’s escape from here for now.]
“Haa, by now they must be in an uproar looking for the sword and the Young Master. To think we have to escape through that.”
Yaksi covered her face with both hands and exhaled a sigh full of lamentation, as if just imagining it was daunting. Meanwhile, there was a thud from behind. Turning my head, I saw Rikin leaning against a shelf behind him, having lost his senses.
“Does this make sense?”
Rikin looked at Persis and said.
“It doesn’t make sense that they imprisoned the demon who overthrew this country in the temple inside the imperial palace. And they tried to use its power? You’re saying you knew all this and did everything? Not just anyone, but the First Prince of this country?”
This incident was like touching the foundation of Rikin’s being. He was a child of the Parten family, who protected this country. For them, demons were nothing more and nothing less than a threat to this country. As the family that stood at the forefront to protect this country, they knew well how much danger the country had been in at that time.
Having grown up hearing all these facts, Rikin, who had fallen into panic, couldn’t make quick judgments like Persis.
“Yes. That’s right. So we have to stop it.”
Persis’s unwavering voice echoed in the small room.
“Isn’t that what the Parten family should do?”
At that moment, a small gleam appeared and disappeared over Rikin’s wavering eyes. Rikin, who had been standing without saying anything, straightened his posture and properly put on his priestly garments.
“Let’s go. There’s no time to waste.”
Due to the hood, Rikin’s face was obscured, so I couldn’t tell what expression he was making, but his voice flowing from between the cloth had not a single tremor in it.
* * *
As soon as we went outside, Yaksi cast a concealment spell on us. This spell didn’t completely hide our bodies but made our presence fainter than others, making people unable to properly look at us or pay attention to us.
Fortunately, the corridor was very noisy as various priests were moving around to find the culprit of the incident that had just occurred.
“So, Your Highness. Where is this secret passage?”
“It’s just a little further from here.”
Persis and Yaksi seemed much more familiar than when they had met as teacher and student. I hadn’t seen any mention of them being close in the original work; could this be another difference from the original?
“Have you two known each other from before?”
“Yes. I received some help a few times in the past.”
“A few times? Your Highness, what do you mean by a few times? You barged into my research place every day asking about this and that. I thought I was going to die of annoyance.”
Yaksi shook her head as if lamenting. I was surprised to learn that Persis had sought her out separately without my knowledge. I couldn’t even guess what they had discussed when they met privately. I wanted to hear in detail what Persis had asked Yaksi about, but now wasn’t the time.
“By the way, how did you get close to him? I don’t think my brother would have trusted you easily…”
It seemed that Yaksi had been pretending to be on the First Prince’s side while extracting information. At Persis’s question about how she could do that, Yaksi gritted her teeth. She gritted them so hard that I could hear it even from a distance.
“I told him.”
“What?”
“I said, I told him. Okay?”
“Yaksi!”
I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but it must have been quite embarrassing, as Persis called Yaksi’s name forcefully. Yaksi waved her hand dismissively at Persis and spoke as if it were nothing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
