Ha!
It was because her friend started laughing. Then Taylor handed the priestess a letter.
- This will definitely be a turning point in our lives.
- What the hell are you talking about?
Cage took the letter from Taylor's hands and began to read. She paused for a moment after reading the words about the Ancient Power and the mention of the Crown Prince, but then continued reading the rest. She then looked up after reading the bottom of the letter:
[Your legs cannot move, but your head, arms, eyes, and mouth can. The rest of you is still alive. The decision is yours, Taylor Stan, eldest son of the Marquis of Stan.]
Eruhaben, instead of the Crown Prince, this time noticed that Cale didn't seem to be forcing anyone to do anything.
Taylor Stan had what he thought was a mythical chance with a mythical stone tower, and now he had a very real chance of coming to an agreement with His Highness thanks to a very real tower.
It is up to him to decide what to do. No one dissuades him or even stops him from continuing his search for the ancient power.
But at the same time, it is quite clear what exactly any normal person would choose.
Taylor looked into the darkness that hid the corner of the yard and began to speak.
- Cage.
- Yes?
- Let's leave the butler in this house and go to the capital immediately?
- OK.
And while the duo of the priestess and the aristocrat rejoiced at the happiness that had befallen them, made plans and thought about how to ruin Cale's life, that is, how to find him, the damn sun rose over the darkness of the Crown Prince's thoughts.
"Why didn't I think of this myself?"
He knew that Young Master Taylor was not in the best physical condition. And his relationship with his family was extremely tense.
This was a great chance to take advantage of the situation and weaken the influence of the third prince in the palace. Marquis Stan was helping him.
"But that would be risky…"
Used to hiding in plain sight, he probably wouldn't have made contact with Taylor. Taylor himself was a weak piece on the board right now. He had nothing. His position in relation to his family and the other princes was also unclear. Taylor was known as a gentle and kind man. Alberu wouldn't risk wasting a card like Ancient Power on something that could go down so easily.
If he knew himself, and he knew himself very well, if Taylor himself came to him with an offer, the other "I" would agree to it.
And given everything they had learned here about the entire Stan family and Taylor, given the plan of action they had already outlined...
"This is a win-win situation!"
As the Crown Prince's face finally began to change from thoughtful to enlightened, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief as it meant that he would actually be able to help the ailing Young Master, the action on the screen had already shifted to the next day.
His Highness emerged from his thoughts and shook his head at the interested glances:
- Let's wait until the break. We'll discuss it then.
Those who did not understand why His Highness hid his abilities (Choi Han, Lock, Black Dragon) turned away doubtfully. The rest decided that they could really talk later.
The next day, Cale stood with his arms crossed over his chest and frowned, his eyes wandering up and down the man standing across from him.
Cale's clothes were even more luxurious and flashy than usual.
- Young Master! Even if I, Hans, had not accompanied you, how could you have ridden down the mountain?
- This vice-captain was supposed to accompany you!
- Ai-ya! Young Master. This old man is very sad.
- Hee hee hee hee.
— Did they seriously believe this?
- Ahahahahaha. Haaaaaa.
- Poor bastard.
- Mister Ron, are you going there too?
"A good butler does not ask his master unnecessary questions, Miss Rosaleen. Do not confuse me with Hans. If my lord said he was riding, then I will assume that is exactly what happened."
Cale dressed up because he was annoyed by the looks everyone was giving him when he came back looking like a complete ragamuffin after crawling around the cave. The fancy outfit he was wearing looked good with his bright red hair. Cale certainly wasn't lacking in looks.
- Mister Ron?
- Yes, Miss Rosaleen?
- Since we're going to be traveling together anyway, can we pop into a few clothing stores? You have a very keen eye, I can see.
- With great pleasure, Young Lady.
But there was another reason why Cale was irritated now.
- Are you really going to leave looking like this?
They were standing in front of the inn. Cale was standing there, arms crossed, looking at Choi Han. The latter had a small bag over his shoulder and a sword on his belt.
- Yes.
The sword master looked at his double with confusion.
- What's wrong with me?
Eruhaben looked at him very strangely. As if he again did not understand obvious things. This was beginning to irritate him. It was not Eruhaben he respected, but the feeling of his own idiocy.
Cale, the kittens, Hans, Ron, Bikros, and the vice-captain. That was it. The fact that the vice-captain was there was a little odd, but he stood there, frowning and watching as Cale said goodbye to the black-haired boy.
*Sigh*
Cale sighed before pulling out a small bag from his pocket and tossing it to Choi Han. He caught the 'projectile' with ease. Choi Han immediately recognized the bag. It was the same size as the bag Cale had given to the Black Dragon. Choi Han opened the bag to reveal potions and other useful items inside. Choi Han looked up from the bag and looked at Cale. The youth spoke first as their eyes made eye contact.
- Why do I need all this? They are useful things, I don't argue, but I could have done it anyway?
A raised golden eyebrow of the utmost refinement made him bite his tongue.
- What is it? What do you want? Just throw it away if you don't need the contents.
Choi Han didn't say anything, but Cale had already said everything he wanted to. Then he turned and headed towards his room.
- Goodbye.
Cale had a stony expression as he turned around after saying goodbye. He had no reason to see Choi Han again. Well, not one more time, that is. They were going to meet again in the capital before he sent Choi Han off with Ron and Bikros along with a few orders. After that, he planned to have no contact with the protagonist of the novel at all.
- I'll be back soon.
Choi Han's answer, which seemed to contain a bit of joy, sent chills through Cale, but the youth did not look back. Choi Han felt that it was like Cale, he did not like to look back. The black-haired youth turned his gaze to the others.
- Poor Young Master Cale.
— I think he has completely misunderstood the situation. Already.
And while everyone was saying goodbye, the swordsman turned to the elf again:
- Well, Eruhaben-nim, I don't understand! Why did you look at me so strangely?
He looked back even more strangely. But with an expression on his face that said, "Why are you asking such obvious things of the great me?", he still condescended to answer:
- Cale is your employer in this situation. He sends you on a mission. His job is to provide you with the necessary things for its successful completion. But you yourself must think about what you might need. And demand it if necessary. You are a good guy, we understand, but there are basic things.
The sword master thought.
Finally, the Black Dragon, who had been using invisibility magic to stay in the courtyard during the day and lie by Cale's window at night, sent invisible mana to Choi Han.
Although he was lost in thought, he did not miss the sharp gaze of the blue eyes, and, again playing ahead, he said:
- Thank you very much, Dragon-nim!
They nodded to him very importantly.
Eruhaben rolled his eyes.
"I have already received so much, but it seems that I still remain in the position of a receiver.
Choi Han put the magic pouch in his pocket before smiling widely. Cale couldn't see it because his back was turned, but it was the first time the others had seen Choi Han with such a bright smile on his face.
- I will see you all in the capital.
Choi Han said his farewells respectfully before leaving the inn. Someone like him, who had lived alone for decades, feeling worse than facing death, now had somewhere to go back to. He also had people he had to repay for their kindness.
"I absolutely must complete this task."
After these thoughts, even the black-haired swordsman admitted that now Cale would hardly be able to get rid of his double so easily. He may not have fully understood the reason for such deep trust yet, since he looked at it from a very, very different point of view, but if he knew anything about himself, it was his own tenacity. He even felt sorry for the poor red-haired fellow countryman.
He was also a little afraid for his other self. It was the first time he had gone somewhere without Cale. And his solo "feats" before that had not been particularly inspiring.
Choi Han walked away from Cale and the others and left Puzzle City.
The next morning, Cale's group boarded the carriage and prepared to leave this city of Stone Towers.
- We have a problem.
- Yeeeesssss.
- What's the problem?
Locke looked around, uncomprehending.
"We continue to monitor Cale, which means we don't know what will happen to Choi Han, who should be heading your way now.
The guy started shaking again. They looked at him with pity and caution.
He tried to pull himself together, even though it was difficult. It was important to him to know what had happened to his home. But even he knew that in the context of the destruction of the entire world, one village meant little.
He took a deep breath.
Looking at the boy, Rosalyn shared her thought:
- Choi Han is supposed to find Cale in the capital, and according to the plan, Lock and I are supposed to come with him. Then we can find out some details?
Hearing this, Locke began to calm down faster. And even tried to smile:
- That's right! Not all is lost yet!
The tension eased.
- Young Master, we are ready to go.
- OK.
Cale nodded at Ron's words, and the old man quickly closed the window, after which the carriage began its movement. They were returning to their journey.
— What are you looking at?
Cale looked at his siblings, who were fidgeting, trying to avoid his gaze. The kittens flinched and looked away. Cale began to smile.
- What's wrong? Did you meet a dragon or something?
"Stop making fun of cats! Instead, pet them."
Kss!* Cale heard the little ones gasp, but simply ignored them. Choi Han may have left, but now he had a dragon following him. However, the young man didn't have time to worry about that.
After a day's journey, they began to prepare for the night.
- Excuse me, if it is possible, could we join your camp?
The carriage pulled up to the edge of Kayla's camp, and a man who appeared to be the driver got off the box and approached the vice-captain.
- So much for anonymity...
- Pff. Ahahaha.
- Poor bastard...
"May I ask who you are?" asked the vice-captain, although he already knew the answer from the red snake on the coachman's armor. His interlocutor bowed to the vice-captain and Cale, who was standing at a distance, and introduced himself:
- My name is Tom, and I am an employee of the Marquis of Stan's estate.
"Shit!"
Cale almost said it out loud when he saw the battered carriage with no crest. The window opened slightly, and Cale saw the face of Taylor Stan.
- They are following the same path, that was to be expected.
— How come he didn't think of this himself?
"My name is Taylor Stan. I saw the coat of arms of the Earl of Hanitus and I ask for help, although I understand that this is too impudent on my part.
If this was Count Hanitus's strong camp, Taylor thought he would be safe spending the night here. But for Cale, it was not so good.
— On the road, there really aren't many options to set up a secure perimeter around a camp with so many people.
"It's a smart move on Taylor's part, especially when his little brother is headed where he is.
The young man now met Marquis Stan's eldest son, Taylor, and the Mad Priestess Kage. He thought of the dragon, who was now hunting a boar or a deer, and began to frown.
"Crap!"
One left, three took his place.
With these thoughts in mind, Cale's screen went dark and returned to its original state.
- God, how unlucky is this guy?
Rosalyn just couldn't help but giggle.
The Crown Prince, as was customary, announced the end of the fragment:
- Now is our time for reflection.
All eyes turned to him.
- Your Highness, do you possess the Ancient Power?
Everyone was interested. They had heard and seen so much about these mysterious Ancient Forces, and among them, it turned out, there was someone who could clarify the situation.
- That's right, Miss Rosalyn. I can tell you right now, I haven't been through anything like that. I got my powers from my mother. And my Ancient Power has never spoken to me.
The little dragon also became curious:
— And there are no stars on the body?
- That's right, Dragon-nim. I didn't have any tattoos showing.
Next was the Sword Master:
- If you had such power, why did no one know about it?
The slight hesitation on the Crown Prince's face was not missed by anyone, but he answered with the same smile on his face:
"You see, Choi Han-nim, you've already seen the life of two different noble families. It's not easy. It's even worse in the palace. Even just knowing that I possessed an Ancient Power, even if it was so useless, could lead to disastrous consequences in the wrong hands."
Rosalyn, who stood up for her colleague, even gave an example that the sword master could understand better:
— Imagine if some aristocrat who falls into the category of, as Cale said, "they're half like that," pestered His Highness to cure some ailment of his. If he cured it, he would lose his power for nothing. If he refused, there would be pressure and gossip about how bad he is. And there would be, believe me. And by keeping it a secret...
"There's nothing stopping me from helping Young Master Taylor before everyone realizes what happened," the prince finished with a smile on his face.
— By the time the nobles figure out what exactly happened, Taylor will already be on his feet and will have to be reckoned with.
- I think I understand...
The swordsman actually admitted that it made sense. He was far from the high society life with its quirks like "buy information that your servants already know" and "hide everything from everyone", but the logic was quite understandable to him.
- Why didn't they tell us?
- Miss Vitira, I'm afraid hiding it has become a habit for me.
- Understand…
- Okay, we've cleared everything up. Let's go through it in order. First, we should learn more about the city of Puzzle and its history. It was not for nothing that they pointed out this legend to us.
- Right.
- We also need to figure out what to do with the ancient power. The path to it is much more dangerous than to the shield.
— Do we even need to take her?
- Mister Ron?
"The main thing for us is to prevent Young Master Taylor from falling into despair. We just need to intercept him before he enters the cave."
"I think I understand... If Taylor was supposed to die in a month, then power could no longer figure in the story."
- Exactly! We can just keep it in mind for now.
After thinking for a moment, the Crown Prince said:
— I can send Young Master Taylor a personal invitation to Father's birthday party. With an invitation for a private conversation. Or Choi Han, Mr. Ron, and Mr. Bikros will deliver the message personally.
— I'm afraid some of us will be busy packing his little brother.
- That's true...
— By the way, we need to figure out where to put it.
- But then a representative of the Stans appears in the capital, which will prevent us from setting up the Marquis!
— There are two options: either not to advertise his presence at all, or to emphasize that he is there by special invitation. But this could hinder us.
- Taylor will most likely want to help us with the case against his family. Perhaps he will have ideas, too.
- True. The main thing is to meet him before the incident in the square. If Cale doesn't drive Taylor away, we'll learn something else.
Everyone agreed with this.
- Then shall we look further?
— Let's see.
This time the wall began to melt without any indication from above.
Is he that upset with Cage?
The image returned, showing them Young Master Cale's continued suffering from his companions' ability to reproduce by budding.
These three creatures were clearly not normal. One of them was a Dragon of few words. Another was a Mad Priestess who wanted to be excommunicated from the church. And the third was an outcast in the family of Marquis Stan.
- Be strong, Young Master! We believe in you!
- Miss Rosalyn, please stop making me laugh! There are serious things going on here.
- Of course, Miss Vitira.
— …
— …
- A-ha-ha-ha-ha...
- Aha-haha-ha...
The sigh from the male half of the audience exactly matched Cale's sigh in the other world.
*Sigh*
Cale couldn't help but sigh. He lowered his head before raising it again. As soon as the boy did, he noticed that the surroundings had become much quieter. Cale thought that the silence was a little strange and looked at Hans.
Hans smiled awkwardly before surreptitiously gesturing towards Tom the coachman and Taylor, who was looking out of the carriage window.
Taylor had a bitter smile on his face as he began to speak.
- If this creates inconvenience for your team, we will leave.
- He's making progress...
- Which?
— Before, he misunderstood, now they misunderstand him.
- This means that soon everyone will reach some kind of mutual understanding.
- Probably. The poor guy seemed to have started to settle into the new world, to understand it better.
The eldest son of the Marquis family and the son who was cast out from the family. After his legs became paralyzed, Taylor's life took a complete turn overnight, from one who was in a position of power and used to luxury to one who was given the bare minimum of support by his family to survive.
Those nobles who knew that the former heir of the Marquis Stan family was almost crippled began to avoid Taylor, finding him annoying. They even purposefully ignored him in front of Venion or the other siblings to try to gain their support for survival.
Lock, Mary and Vitira, who by force of circumstances lived in rather closed communities, could not understand such behavior. In their worlds, in order to live well, everyone had to work together.
It was not customary for beastmen to turn away from their own kind. Even Paseton, who, being a half-breed, was nevertheless subjected to some neglect by other whales, would have been helped without any questions. And it was not because of his royal origin.
In the City of Death, Mary's familiar environment, there was no such strong class division at all. Everyone did their own thing. It was not a place where you could simply turn your back on your comrade. Everyone worked for the good of everyone.
Taylor knew about Cale, the lowlife of the Haniteuz family. A luxurious Golden Turtle, and also a handsome young man with scarlet hair. There was no one other than Cale who could fit that description. Even someone like Count Haniteuz, who had not joined the faction, might feel uncomfortable getting involved with someone like Taylor. All people had started treating the youth like that after his body was paralyzed.
- Poor Young Master Taylor! How hard it must have been for him.
- Nevertheless, despite the circumstances, he did not lose his strength of spirit.
- A man worthy of admiration.
"As the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom, I hope there will be more people like Taylor Stan in our country."
Taylor was reminded of the harsh reality when he heard Cale sigh. But at that moment…
- Why should you leave?
Cale walked up to Taylor's carriage with an indifferent expression on his face.
- It's not my property. I wouldn't act so childishly if we were fellow travelers.
— Not being, in essence, an aristocrat at all, he nevertheless acts more nobly than most.
- True. He is still a good man.
"Has everyone forgotten that it's in his best interests for Taylor to get to the capital?"
And since this primarily played into the hands of the Crown Prince himself, he did not correct them in any way. After all, it was true, gold, not a person.
Cale and Taylor made eye contact. Cale then quickly glanced into Taylor's carriage.
"She's there."
The Mad Priestess, Kage, watched him from the carriage. Cale had read that her curses were truly terrifying. Some even said that these curses were akin to the level of a necromancer, a cursed profession.
Mary shuddered again, almost imperceptibly.
Once again, it didn't escape Rosaleen's notice. But this time, she began to have a sneaking suspicion about who exactly was sitting next to her.
"That can't be true, right? The necromancers were exterminated long ago."
But if she had managed to understand anything during the time spent in this space, it was that not everything was as simple as it seemed. Despite the internal tension from her guess, she decided to act like any self-respecting mage and judge by what she herself felt, and not by what the majority said to feel. She decided to continue watching the strange girl.
Cale turned away from Cage and extended his hand.
— I am Cale Haniteuse of the Haniteuse family.
Taylor looked at the hand reaching out to him from outside the carriage. Then he looked back at Cale's calm expression.
*Clap*
The young man opened the carriage door. Proper etiquette dictated that he leave the carriage to return the greeting.
— It's hard for me to get out because of my legs.
- I know.
Taylor looked back at Cale, who didn't seem to care about proper etiquette, and simply shook his hand. It was just a quick handshake.
— To make obvious concessions to people with such a frostbitten look and at the same time still radiate a strange aura of kindness - you need to have talent.
Everyone nodded. It was an incredible sight.
- Nice to meet you, Young Master Cale.
"Not at all."
Cale was not happy with this meeting at all. He quickly tried to turn around and leave, because he did not want to meet Cage. Unfortunately, Taylor turned out to be a surprisingly polite person:
- This is my companion, the priestess Kage-nim. She is a follower of the God of Eternal Peace.
Eternal Rest. It was a term for a gentler definition of death. Cale sighed again and looked at Cage. The girl greeted him gracefully, like a true priestess.
- Nice to meet you, Young Master Cale. My name is Cage. May the World of Night always be with you.
— What a striking difference from the time when no one but Young Master Taylor saw her.
— It's as if they were two different girls.
Peace of Night. This was the general greeting of those who served the God of Death, which they addressed to the public.
"To hell with your Night World."
The fog stopped pretending to be an ordinary ceiling and began to move, which did not escape the eyes of some in the room.
Forget about the peace of the night. Cale felt that he was not destined to sleep well tonight. The young man felt like he was drinking lemonade when he looked at Kage, who was smiling tenderly.
- You miserable bastard, how much do you dislike lemons? What have they done to you?
"Are you seriously asking this, Eruhaben-nim?"
Here, it seemed, it was the most obvious thing for everyone. Especially because the former butler never stopped smiling.
"She always acts nice and innocent, even though she thinks it's incredibly annoying. It's the number one reason she wants to be excommunicated from the church."
The girl really played well. Cale smiled at the priestess, who still had the artificial priestess smile on her face, and answered confidently:
- I don't believe in God.
- A very interesting observation, Young Master Cale, but...
Only the God of Death, by manipulating the black fog, drew him a very shocking-looking mustache and beard. And no one really knew how to react to this or whether to react at all.
A strange vibration passed through the room.
The God of Death did not react in any way to the disrespectful attitude of his own priestess, but he did react to the much more polite remarks of the red-haired nobleman for the second time.
Eruhaben, as an extremely curious creature, who, due to his advanced age, was not to be pitied, nevertheless asked:
— God of Death-nim?
- Yes?
- Why are you doing this?
Everyone was eagerly awaiting an answer.
The little black dragon decided in passing that the mustache did not suit the Strange Man. It made him look too strange.
- It's safe here.
No one understood what God meant. But nothing more was said, and the mustache continued to curl into the ninth spiral, and the beard was braided into neat pigtails.
- Maybe he means that the power of the Death God outside the context of making a deal is harmful to health and therefore he cannot do it in reality?
There was a grain of truth in this assumption. And the culprit of the commotion himself did not correct them.
Locke wanted to point out that it was the Death God who had brought the little dragon back to order in the beginning, but he decided that he must have misunderstood something.
Choi Han remembered the deity's barely audible mutterings about "will find" and "in the back," but dismissed the thought as impossible. Who in their right mind would threaten God?
Cage's eyes filled with curiosity. It seemed as if her eyes were asking how crazy Cale was to say such a thing to a priestess. But Cale was only greeting her. He just wanted her to continue to think of him as a nobody.
- You are an interesting person.
- I guess I'm only slightly interesting.
- A lover of downplaying reality.
- It sounds especially funny when he has a square moustache on his face.
Fortunately, after this remark, the extra foggy vegetation on the Young Master's face finally cleared.
Cale responded casually to her statement and looked around. This carriage looked rather shabby for the eldest son of a marquis. And the escort left much to be desired. Only one knight and a servant who also acted as a coachman. Only these two accompanied Cage and Taylor.
"I'm sure he doesn't have much money."
Taylor probably spent a lot of money creating magical tools around the residence in Puzzle City.
- We were right. He has no finances.
— It will be in our interests to somehow ensure his safe passage to Hewiss.
— Do you think it will be difficult for him on the road, Your Highness?
- Even if we take out Venion, there's no guarantee that along the way there won't be someone who wants to curry favor with that bastard. They won't know he's gone.
- You're right... This needs to be thought about.
Since he did not receive much assistance from the Marquis, he had no funds for emergency assistance. Taylor probably did everything he could to reduce his expenses.
Choi Han couldn't help but draw a comparison between the two eldest sons of two such different noble families.
These two families were like heaven and earth.
No matter how the real Cale Hanitus acted in public, he was financially unlimited. His father was willing to give him huge sums of money, which he could squander wherever he wanted. And in general, he was treated quite tolerantly at home.
And the other eldest son, of an even more noble family, being crippled, was forced to join other people's camps just to stay safe from his own brother, and had minimal means to survive. He was very lucky to have a best friend.
Taylor closed his eyes to hold back the shame as he watched Cale inspect his carriage. Cale didn't pay much attention to it, lost in thought.
"They are probably heading to the capital because of my message."
It was obvious where they were headed. The couple was going to the capital to meet the crown prince.
- Hans.
- Yes, Young Master?
Cale gave a vague order to Hans as he approached:
- Help them.
- Yes, sir.
- Prepare a separate meal for them and set up camp next to ours.
He didn't want to eat with them or even share the same camp.
- And don't look for me. Take care of everything yourself.
The young man did not want to create a situation that would allow them to come into contact. Of course, Cale felt that things would not go as he wanted.
Mary's emotionless voice sounded again in the black room:
- But if they are already in the same camp, why is he avoiding contact?
The answer came from Rosalyn:
- He doesn't want to be exposed. The more they contact, the more information can leak out. Moreover, could their "benefactor" be a person who doesn't even want to talk to them once again?
- No?
- Exactly. He's just sticking to the bare minimum of politeness.
- Yes, sir. I will serve them as I serve you, Young Master.
- Go and get me some drinks.Why did he suddenly become so fired up?"
"Ooooh, well it's clearly not because you want to drink..."
Cale stared at Hans, who suddenly became inflamed with passion, in bewilderment and bowed slightly to Taylor, saying goodbye:
- I'll leave you, Young Master Taylor.
- Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Cale.
- It cost nothing.
While Cale was giving orders to ensure the comfort of individuals he "didn't care about at all," the room was discussing this very phenomenon:
- Why can't he behave a little more cultured?
- Stupid Choi Han, he's trash! How can you not understand?
— The trash wouldn't care about it at all.
- Stupid Choi Han, aka the Strange Man, how come you don't understand?
With a heavy sigh, which the little dragon interpreted as the swordsman's defeat, the Sword Master could only nod.
*Clap*
The door closed with a loud click. This caused everyone to turn their attention to the closed door of the carriage with the crest of the Golden Turtle before returning to their duties. Only Taylor and Cage, who had nothing better to do at the moment, simply continued to stare at the closed door.
— It was really unexpected for them.
- If everyone really turned away from Taylor, then of course.
Both kittens met Cale inside the carriage.
- I saw these people.
- Hong, I was there too.
Cale answered the witty kittens' unspoken question:
- Pretend you don't know them.
- Like the Dragon?
- Yes.
- Strange man, stop telling everyone to ignore me!
The kittens nodded, showing their understanding. Cale watched them nod before crossing their arms and closing their eyes.
"Healing Star".
Albert Crossman tensed up. Although from the outside, absolutely nothing had changed in him.
He tried to understand in what context his Ancient Power was described in the "book". And under what circumstances he could use it. Judging by the fact that Cale sent Taylor to him, it was unlikely that he used it on someone useful. On the other hand, the same Cale said that he would be a good friend, he had a hard time believing it, with the "main character", and that meant a long list of possibilities for its use. Or was it mentioned as information "for general development", as Eruhaben put it. And if so, what else could have been mentioned there?
This was the name of the Ancient Power he wrote about in the letter to Cage and Taylor. The reason Cale learned about this power was due to the incident in Puzzle City.
"That's it..."
The Healing Star is the only power that can heal any injury or illness, returning the body to its original healthy state. The Crown Prince possessed this power. The late Queen passed it on to him.
Choi Han noted that although His Highness had kept silent about his Ancient Power, he had ultimately told everything as it was.
During the terrorist attack incident in the square, the secret organization makes its move after the royal family arrives. Magic bombs all over the capital and the square explode at the same time.
Everyone froze again.
The question "what will happen at the festival?" has finally been answered.
And it was terrifying. Vitira, Lock, Mary, Choi Han and the Black Dragon didn't know the specifics of magic bombs, but explosions in public places sounded like very, very bad news.
But the people and one dragon, who were more knowledgeable in magical devices, were horrified.
A single magic bomb could cause so much damage and kill so many people that the aftermath would take a long time to sort out. And in a crowded city, there would be more than one.
"At that time, a secret organization was planting bombs for some people during the incident."
Choi Han, together with the genius magician Rosalin, protected people from bombs and helped organize an escape. Then an old man was discovered, whom the main character could not save.
- Oh my God, this is terrible.
Rosalyn covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes were shaking. As someone who knew very well how a magic bomb worked and what power it had, she could imagine exactly what would happen if the bomb exploded right in the middle of a panicking crowd.
The man lost his right arm and leg while removing the bomb and throwing it away, and this incident made Choi Han very worried. The Crown Prince, looking at the old man's crippled body, thought, "Healing Star." This is how this power was originally presented in the novel.
Naturally, the Crown Prince did not use force on the old man. Instead, he consoled Choi Han, who felt responsible for the old man's death, and presented him as a hero.
Choi Han looked at the Crown Prince with almost devoted eyes.
- Why, Your Highness?
He didn't understand, the prince had the opportunity to help the man. This was not a nobleman. Not some annoying aristocrat. This was a simple man.
Alberu Crossman looked at Choi Han with a stoic neutral face. And after a while he said:
- Choi Han-nim.
- What?
— What do you think… How many people would have suffered in that situation?
- Of course! Cale repeated this several times...
"If I had saved the old man," Alberu did not let the swordsman finish, "how would the others have felt?"
The sword master fell silent.
— I understand how you feel. You want to help everyone, and that's good. But please think about the feelings of people in the same situation. Why not me? Why him? How is he any better? I can't help others in the same way. With panic already present at the scene, the last thing you need is to add to the anxiety. Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing, as terrible as that sounds.
All this time, the Crown Prince continued to look into the swordsman's eyes and spoke in an absolutely calm and even tone.
"Kale's methods really work."
If you spoke to the Sword Master very calmly and clearly, he would calm down and think very quickly. The calm tone made him look through the storm of his emotions and start looking at things from a different angle. This was different from the glib language, the purpose of which is to make a person act on emotions. A different approach is needed here.
Well, he learns quickly.
The ancient dragon agreed with the prince. Blind heroism could backfire. He even congratulated the Roan Kingdom for having a man with a head on his shoulders as the heir to the throne.
Choi Han stared at His Highness's blue eyes. He was searching for something. He remembered his reaction when the incident in the capital was first mentioned. Rosalyn had to shake him to get him to his senses. He was truly worried about his people. And in the eyes opposite, regret was sloshing around very deeply.
The sword master nodded and did not pursue the conversation further. They were in different positions from the start. "Hero" and "Prince". What one could do, the other could not. That did not make Alberta Crossman a bad person.
"And I myself still have a lot to learn…"
While they were once again sorting things out, everyone again missed how the night had passed on the screen, and only Ron followed the conversation on the other side and knew that Cale was going to send not just anyone, but a whole dragon to search for the magical bombs. Even if it was a small one, he decided to keep quiet about it for now.
Cale, who woke up after deeply planning what needed to be completed in the capital, went to check on the boar, but soon noticed a strange atmosphere.
- Hans, what's going on here?
- What happened between them? Everything was quiet.
The assistant butler smiled awkwardly and greeted Cale. Hans, like the rest of Cale's group, quickly overcame their suspicions about who brought them meat or fruit each morning.
Although Cale had no idea what Ron thought about it, since Cale and Choi Han said it was fine, the others simply went along with it. Bikros was easily convinced, since he was always very happy to see the highest quality ingredients appearing in his hands every morning.
This time, the object of the blue children's gaze was the chef.
And since they didn't yet have the same level of mental understanding as the dragon and the Sword Master, Bikros had to ask:
- Dragon-nim?
- Is it true? Are these top quality ingredients?
- That's right, Dragon-nim.
In fact, Bikros didn't know for sure, but that's what it looked like. And they'd heard confirmation themselves, so he figured it was a safe answer.
"I am a great hunter!"
The black dragon, proud of himself, turned back to the screen. He began to understand why his double was doing this.
Eruhaben shook his head with a slight smile. Children need so little to be happy.
- Haha, Young Master, have you finally woken up?
Hans slowly looked over at Taylor and Cage before walking over to Cale.
"You see, I think Young Master Taylor has the wrong idea.
- Wrong idea?
Cale could see the boar, as well as Taylor in a wheelchair being pushed towards the carcass by Cage. He walked over to the dead boar and stood next to the wheelchair before speaking.
- What's going on here?
As usual, the boar that the Dragon delivered was huge. It was bigger than a tiger, and such a boar was capable of igniting the flames of passion in Bikros.
And as usual, there was a drawing next to the boar. The dragon must have gotten tired of drawing a fork, because this time only a knife was depicted.
- I think I understand what the problem is...
- It really does look ominous if you don't know the circumstances...
— ... Young Master Cale... I'm sorry.
And what kind of stupid thing was he going to blurt out next?
Taylor had an apologetic smile on his face as he turned away from the boar.
— It seems my movements have been detected.
- We left secretly. So how is that possible? Can someone avoid my detection? It's simply impossible!
"How can someone of your level detect the Dragon?"
Cale finished figuring out what happened.
While Cale was sorting out the circumstances of the misunderstanding that had occurred, Rosalyn caught herself thinking that she understood Taylor and Cage well.