Chapter 39
Chapter 39
I got on the carriage and left the castle for the first time in a while.
Cattleya and the Viscount's couple had spread the word about my Divine Power, so I was heading to a nearby Temple to re-verify it.
The Duke didn't want to send me, but Viscount Dubois earnestly persuaded him.
[The young master has demonstrated power that even the elite Wizards of Dubled couldn't withstand. Could there be an anomaly that the physician is unaware of? It's necessary to receive an accurate diagnosis from the Temple.]
Of course, the persuasion included not only concern for me but also for Dubled.
If they didn't send me, the relationship with the Temple would be irrevocably damaged.
Anyway, when the topic of my health came up, the Duke had no choice but to send me.
I looked out the window with a resigned expression.
[Little one, you don't seem to be in a good mood.]
'Yes.'
[Why?]
As Cattleya said, now that my Divine Power had become this strong, I might be dragged to the Central Temple.
[Shall I get rid of the Temple for you, then?]
'Can you do that?!'
[If I use all of the little one's Divine Power, perhaps.]
Psh, the air went out of me.
Dying is better than going crazy.
If I die, I'll return to my senses, but if I go crazy, I won't even be able to die and will be used as a tool by the Temple.
'No, let's think positively.'
Bune's wish, <Tears of the God>, was in the Temple I was going to now.
If I could secretly hand it to Bune when I saw an opportunity, I could send her back. Then I wouldn't have to worry about becoming a child or going crazy from exhausting all my Divine Power.
'I need to find the Tears of the God as soon as possible.'
As I was thinking that, the carriage stopped.
I peeked my head out, thinking we had arrived, but it was still the entrance to the mountain where the Temple was located.
"I apologize, young master. There's a problem with the wheel."
Then the faces of the guards inside the carriage twisted grimly.
"Did you depart without properly maintaining the carriage?"
"W-Well, the road was all muddy because it rained yesterday, and mud got stuck to the wheels."
The coachman was pathetically pale.
"It's okay."
Since it would take a long time to climb the mountain anyway, I calmed them down with the excuse that I wanted to rest for a bit.
When I went outside, there were so many warhorses lined up as if it were a merchant caravan.
An entire company of the Dubled Knights had come as my escort.
Every time I took a step, those many people took the same step, and when I stopped, they stopped with me.
I squinted and looked at them.
"I'll be near here. Everyone, rest."
I needed to find an escape route in case I was caught stealing the Tears of the God.
"That's a difficult order, young master."
I turned around and shouted, "Leah!"
"Yes, young master."
"Leah can go with me."
"That's……."
Before she could say anything, the guards jumped up.
"How can a woman perfectly protect the young master?"
I tilted my head.
"Are you stronger than Leah?"
"Well, of course……."
"Leah is from the Iri, too."
"Yes?!"
His eyes widened as if he didn't know that she was from the elite Iri of Dubled.
Leah smiled brightly and said.
"What generation?"
"438th generation……."
"I'm 372nd generation. The current Vice-Commander often ran errands for me."
"……!"
Leah patted the Captain of the Guard on the shoulder as he was startled.
Thanks to Leah often making the Iri Vice-Commander run errands for her, I was able to learn the way.
The mountain where the Temple was located was lush with greenery even in winter, like the garden of Dubled.
'Spinelle must be maintaining the temperature. They must receive a lot of donations here.'
I walked around, looking here and there. It was a bit dark because the sun was hidden by the clouds, but it wasn't particularly difficult to look around.
Leah walked at a distance so as not to disturb me.
Then, I discovered a tree with unusually pale leaves and widened my eyes.
'Jackpot! An Elza tree!'
That was a really precious tree.
It was a tree that grew by consuming Divine Power, so its leaves had mystical effects.
'If I dry the leaves and sell them, it's 50 francs per gram!'
My eyes lit up, and I ran to the Elza tree.
I grabbed the tree trunk and stood on tiptoe to pick the leaves.
Rustle, I heard a rustling sound, and I sensed someone behind the tree.
At that moment, the clouds parted, and the sun appeared.
The surroundings brightened, and the branches parted, revealing a blonde boy so beautiful he seemed to melt.
"You are……."
And I froze.
Radiantly shining blonde hair, vivid ruby-red eyes.
I knew this beautiful boy whose appearance rivaled that of Duke Dubled.
Possessing appearance, physical abilities, and mana that rivaled the three sons of Dubled, and even a bloodline that was the best in the country-
'Adrian Ruerg.'
The Emperor's only direct descendant and the man who would later be appointed Crown Prince for his contribution to ending the Holy-Demonic War.
'Is it possible to meet the Crown Prince while taking a walk…….'
Even in the vicinity of the Territory of Dubled, far from The Capital.
I swallowed hard.
My heart was beating so violently that it felt like it would jump out of my mouth.
I wouldn't have been this surprised if it had been another prince. It was because it was Adrian, because it was that kid, that my head turned completely white.
Because he shouldn't be here right now.
'He should be deposed and kicked out of the Imperial Palace this winter!'
That incident definitely happens around this time.
Marquis Chatley, Adrian's maternal grandfather and the father of the deceased Empress, plotted a rebellion to put his grandson on the throne.
But he failed, Marquis Chatley died, and Adrian was deposed.
And at the age of fifteen, he was appointed the youngest Cardinal and his status was restored.
'The future has changed.'
Why?
There's only one case where the future changes.
'When I do something.'
But what did I do to Adrian to change the future?
Why didn't Marquis Chatley plot a rebellion?
Why is he here!
In the midst of my confusion, something poked my nose.
When I opened my eyes wide, I saw two small fish made of water floating in the air.
[That man's power is amazing. To give a self to something made of Divine Power.]
I nodded inwardly at Bune's words.
Of course, it would be. That's why he would be appointed Cardinal at the age of fifteen, even as a deposed prince.
"Ami, Amande. Come here."
At Adrian's words, the smaller fish immediately returned, but the larger fish kept looking back at me before drooping its tail and returning. It seemed like it didn't want to go.
'It's like a puppy, not a fish.'
As I was thinking that, his gaze reached me.
"Who are you? How did you get inside my Barrier?"
"Huh?"
"How did you see the Elza tree?"
Did he use a Barrier to make it invisible?
'But why could I see it?'
[I made it visible because the little one likes to look at things!]
But even so, I shouldn't have been able to enter the Barrier, right?
[I broke through the Barrier because the little one seemed to want to go to the tree!]
Bune said cheerfully.
'How can you do that without permission!'
Entering a Barrier without permission unless the other person is attacking you is extremely, very, very rude.
This is because Barriers that are not for attack bypass the surrounding space, so you can pass through without breaking them.
'So, this is like slapping someone who's just standing still!'
Adrian was generally lenient with the people, but that didn't mean he was an easy man.
In some ways, he was frighteningly cold. Especially to those who attacked him.
He was the type of thorough man who would never let even a spark of fire towards him survive.
"I asked who you are."
Here's the problem.
You have done something equivalent to slapping a thorough child who will become a Cardinal and then the Crown Prince. What should you do?
"My name is Ishak!"
I smiled brightly.
"Isaac?"
"Yep!"
"Only authorized people are allowed to enter this mountain, how did you get in?"
"Uh, um…… I'm a Squire of the Dubled Knights."
He stared at me intently.
He seemed to find it hard to believe because I looked too young.
[That man…… the man just checked the little one's mana. How rude-!]
Of course, he would have checked since I said something hard to believe.
And just checking the amount of mana wasn't particularly bad.
It wasn't like he was trying to draw my power to his side to check whether the type of my mana was Divine Power or Magical Power.
'More than that, weren't you going to call him a brat?'
Bune became silent.
Anyway, Adrian seemed to have checked the amount of my Divine Power and believed that I was a Squire.
This was because there were often cases where nobles would take away children with Divine Power before they entered the Temple and use them as knights.
Besides, my clothes were really plain like a Squire, so it would have been more convincing.
"Did they bring in a Squire to serve the Child of Destiny?"
Adrian looked at me and muttered, "That must be tough."
"Go on."
"……Can I go now?"
After breaking the Barrier?
Even an adult would have been furious and smacked my forehead.
"Because a child did it."
Adrian was young enough to say that.
He was four years older than me, so he must be eight years old now. Of course, he would be considered nine years old in about half a month since it would be the new year.
'Anyway, let's run away quickly.'
"Thank you."
I was about to go back, but I crashed into the air with a thud!
"Ugh……."
'Bune! If you let me in, you have to let me out too!'
[Because the little one told me not to do as I please…….]
The clueless Bune said sullenly.
At that time.
Thrum.
With a small vibration, a thin light rose from Adrian's hand.
And soon, a small door appeared in the Barrier.
I glanced at him and said quietly, "Thank you for this too."
"Bye!"
I waved my hand as if nothing had happened and stepped out of the door.
In the distance, I heard Leah calling out, "Where are you?" I was so focused on running towards her that I didn't notice the change at the time.
That the forehead I bumped into no longer throbbed.
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