Chapter 112: Contact (1)

“What… what did you just say?”

At such close range, there was no way she couldn’t have heard me. She was likely asking to confirm if what I said was really what she thought she heard.

But no matter how many times she asked, I had only one answer to give when told to kneel before the king.

“I’ll say it again. I can’t kneel before an old man who hasn’t learned Baldo. If you want me to kneel, tell him to learn Baldo first.”

“You’re out of your mind. If anyone else were here instead of me, you’d be executed for treason on the spot for saying such things.”

Baldo against the country…

While it irritated me to make Euclid into a prince of national ruin, it was truly an exciting proposition.

I wondered if there was a convenient country I could destroy without having to deal with the aftermath…

“Headmaster. As a loyal subject of the royal family, if you can’t just stand by and watch this disloyalty, feel free to report me.”

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything said in this room. So please, just go to the royal capital and have an audience with His Majesty.”

“No.”

With that single word, her face turned as red as when she was drunk that one time.

It was understandable, given that in this world where royal authority was quite strong like in typical fantasies, ignoring the king’s favor wasn’t a very wise move.

But what could I do?

As a practitioner of Baldo, I absolutely couldn’t show the disgrace of kneeling before a non-practitioner.

I’d rather turn the entire kingdom against me than betray my convictions by submitting to authority.

“Ian… Think carefully. If you take this opportunity to meet His Majesty and become acquainted with the court nobles, it will surely benefit your future.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve heard that the territory you were recently granted isn’t in good shape due to years of mismanagement by that mother and daughter. Perhaps you could receive support from the royal family to improve its condition.”

“And?”

“In terms of money and power, the royal family is in a league of their own compared to other nobles. With their backing, there’s nothing more reassuring. What do you think? Do you feel a bit more inclined to go to the royal capital now?”

“No, not at all.”

“W-why?! For the happiness of your people, you should swallow your pride here…”

“Well, my pride is more important than the people’s happiness. Don’t you know that as a noble?”

“…!!”

Marina stared at me blankly, her mouth agape as if at a loss for words.

Adding insult to injury, I continued speaking to the dumbfounded Marina.

“And even if you say the royal family will back me, seeing how unhappy you are despite serving them loyally all your life, I’m not sure if that’s really true.”

“M-me? Unhappy?”

“Yes? Aren’t you unhappy?”

While other Archwizards freely pursued their research and lived life as they pleased, Marina was tied down to this dump of a school.

And that wasn’t all.

The academy was constantly invaded by Archwizards and Swordmasters who only appeared in the final act of the original story, treating it like their own home.

When she asked for support to prevent that, they told her they couldn’t provide support but demanded results – the kind of thing you’d only see in some small company.

“You’re not even married at almost 30. Has the royal family even tried to set you up? Ah, no need to answer. I can tell from your expression.”

“…”

With someone who’d received no reward despite a lifetime of loyalty to the royal family right before my eyes, why would I be crazy enough to repeat the same behavior?

“…Then, for my sake, couldn’t you just bow your head once?”

“What?”

Having been completely outmatched logically, she seemed to think appealing to emotions was better. With tears in her eyes, she spoke in a plaintive voice.

“After allowing enemy infiltration again and nearly having a student kidnapped this time, if a student simply refuses to go in this situation, I fear I’ll be scolded again…”

“…”

I knew this was a pathetic attempt to appeal to my emotions, but having personally witnessed Marina’s struggles, I couldn’t bring myself to flatly refuse.

However, that didn’t mean I could kneel before some old geezer who didn’t even use Baldo.

“How about we do this? We tell the royal family that my injuries from the recent battle are severe, so I’ll send a representative instead.”

“A-a representative? Who…?”

“My mother.”

While I wasn’t directly bowing my head, it indirectly amounted to the same thing, so honestly, it didn’t feel great. But I could compromise this much.

After thinking for a moment, Marina nodded with a relieved expression.

“I’d be grateful if you’d do even that much… But is it okay to decide without consulting your mother?”

“If I say I’m going myself, Mother will insist on going instead.”

“…Ah, I’m sure she would.”

After a brief discussion about the letters to be sent to the royal family and my mother, there was nothing more to discuss, so I left the headmaster’s office.

Looking at the sky, it was already tinged with sunset, but feeling stiff from being called away during training, I headed back to the training grounds.

As I entered, I was greeted by a most timely individual.

“Ian!!”

It was Euclid, the fifth prince, and his guard knight Nana. As always, Euclid waved with a bright smile, while Nana merely nodded indifferently.

Having a good idea why Euclid was waiting here, I inwardly sighed as I waved back.

“Hello, Euclid.”

“Hey! Did you hear the news? Father says he’s going to commend you!”

“I just heard about it in the headmaster’s office on my way here.”

“You already know!! Let’s go to the royal capital together this time!! Since you’re not familiar with the layout, I’ll guide you around!”

A royal tour guided by the prince himself would truly be luxurious, but sadly, it wouldn’t actually happen.

“Unfortunately, I have to rest due to an injury, so my mother will go to the royal capital in my place.”

“I-injury?! Where are you hurt?!”

“You look fine on the outside. Did you suffer some internal injury?”

“Of course not. But when you go to the royal capital, you’d have to kneel during the commendation ceremony, right?”

Nana, who had been tilting her head in genuine confusion, shuddered as if truly disgusted by my next words.

“I never kneel before those who don’t use Baldo, under any circumstances.”

“This crazy bastard…”

I was a bit reluctant to say such things in front of Euclid, the king’s son, but what could I do? This was my honest feeling.

Still, worried that I might have offended him, I looked at Euclid, who was blinking his eyes excitedly as he spoke.

“To not bend your beliefs even before His Majesty…!! How cool…!”

“…Your Highness, you really shouldn’t find this admirable.”

—Raei  Translations—

After watching Ian’s Baldo practice at the training grounds, I returned to the mansion and waited in my room for night to fall when everyone would be asleep.

Only in the dead of night, when all eyes were closed, could I truly be myself.

As I rolled my palms waiting for dawn, Nana entered the room with a knock.

“Your Highness, all the guards have been dismissed. You can relax now.”

“…Okay.”

Carefully removing my shirt so as not to tear the buttons, I took a deep breath and slowly dispelled the magic. A refreshing sensation, like taking off thick clothes, washed over my entire body.

“Ugh…!!”

Along with the refreshing feeling, pain coursed through my body. I bit my lip to keep from crying out as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

My image in the mirror began to waver like a pendulum, changing with each swing until the handsome man transformed into a woman with long hair reaching her waist.

“Whew…”

This sensation of forcibly twisting my body never seemed to get easier, but I could endure it if it meant I could be my true self.

“Is it because I spend more time as a man? My chest suddenly feeling heavy is a bit strange. Nana, do you always feel like this?”

“As a trained warrior, I’m somewhat free from such concerns. Here, let’s get you dressed…”

“Yeah… Thank you.”

As I put on the undergarments Nana handed me, my chest, which had been painfully sagging from the weight, felt a bit more comfortable.

Somehow it felt more uncomfortable than when I was a man, but this discomfort was also part of the freedom I could enjoy.

“It’s a bit disappointing today. I thought I’d be able to go to the royal capital with Ian.”

“I always wonder, but does Your Highness really like that lunatic that much?”

“Hm? Ian might have some odd quirks, but… don’t you think he’s kind of cool?”

“From today’s statements and everything else, he just looks like a madman to me. Well… if he keeps his mouth shut, his appearance is somewhat tolerable, but…”

“No, it’s not like that… How should I put it? He’s free, in a way? There’s something admirable about how he’s not bound by anything other than Baldo…”

Perhaps that unparalleled free-spiritedness shone even brighter because it was something I could never have.

Seeming to have guessed my feelings to some extent, Nana bowed her head solemnly.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to complain—”

Interrupting those words, the communication crystal began to glow and emit a buzzing sound.

“…It’s Mother.”

That unpleasant sound, like scraping a skull…

I really hated this sound.