Chapter 9
The man with light brown hair sitting across the long table farted behind the partition.
“If you were going to do this, you should have just told me to come out late. Don’t write in the note every time that today will be different.”
But today seemed like it could really come out quickly. ”Every time, you say.”
“Renata came in later than expected, that’s why.”
Cassian looked at his friend, who was always making lame excuses. Come to think of it, Renak was always late for appointments even when he attended Barcalia.
Well, Renak was different from himself, who had just started working as the heir to the family after returning from the recent war. Since he was adopted to become the heir from a young age, Renak had urgent matters to attend to for his family.
“Alright, just get me a drink. I’ve already emptied half of it waiting for you.”
“You’re such a pest. It’s high alcohol content.”
Cassian poured himself a drink, ignoring Renak’s formal scolding with one ear. Then, pouring the pumpkin-colored liquid into his empty glass, Renak sighed mixedly.
“I went to see it a few days ago, and it was definitely strange as you said. Even if there’s no body.”
“Even though I’m right. Anyway, there’s a lot of suspicion.”
“That’s true, it’s hard to believe even when you see it.”
Renak recalled an incident three days ago at the temple he visited late. He suspected the cause of death of Prince Izar, which his long-time friend had told him about, and secretly took something with him—a small glass bottle about the size of a finger, containing the blood of a magician who was presumed to have lived until about 30 years ago.
“Magicians are born in small numbers anyway, so they say their blood resonates when they discover each other.”
Renak muttered the word “magician” as if he intended for Cassian sitting right in front of him to hear it, then continued speaking in a soft tone.
“So, I managed to obtain its blood secretly from the black market and brought it to the temple.”
“That was a risky move. What if you had been caught by a high-ranking priest with strong sanctity?”
“How many priests nowadays truly possess strong sanctity anyway?”
Indeed, the age of science had come to dominate the world. Long ago, the magicians who sought to dominate the magicians with their mysterious power were eradicated by the massacre policies of the vastly outnumbered magicians. Consequently, for some reason, even the adults with sanctity began to noticeably decline over time.
Due to this, recently, even having a minimal level of sanctity that could barely produce a single flower by the roadside was enough to be revered as a high-ranking priest.
The current Archbishop of the temple, who once grew a handful of grass on the dry land, was acknowledged for his subtle sanctity, even deemed a miracle.
“…But still, you never know.”
“Worrying won’t change anything.”
As Cassian gulped down the pumpkin-colored liquor and spoke dismissively, Renak raised an eyebrow as if to say he had said enough.
As Cassian grew restless, he tossed a piece of exotic fruit from the table into his mouth.
Renak continued, “Anyway, to cut to the chase, the blood in the glass bottle resonated at the temple. It was strange; it was trembling so much when I put it in my chest pocket that I had a hard time hiding it.”
“So, the rumor is that there was a magician around the temple?”
“Yes. Though I don’t know why.”
Eventually, Renak fell into thought, clasping his fingers and resting his chin on them. His densely packed black eyelashes pointed downwards, and between them, his red eyes blinked sporadically.
Cassian watched him intently, leaning one arm against the backrest of his chair.
“…Cassian, are you also thinking the same as me?”
“Yes, I also think it’s possible that the explosions on the battlefield were caused by a magician. And the fact that the former prince disappeared without leaving any traces is definitely suspicious.”
“And one more thing. Therefore, perhaps the former prince may still be alive. Wait, could it be? A kidnapping disguised as an accident?”
Renak groaned, his head pounding as if in pain. All of this was just speculation between him and Cassian.
Of course, it was certain that a magician was involved in Izar’s death. The evidence was that there was a magician somewhere in the temple. But whether Izar was truly alive or not was uncertain.
It wasn’t entirely impossible, but Cassian was near the scene of the explosion and witnessed it firsthand. Izar, who was at the center of the explosion, disappeared, and the soldiers around him all died in horrific ways that were difficult to explain.
“Even if he’s alive, we don’t know if he’s in good condition.”
Cassian grimaced at the gruesome memory and scrubbed his face roughly. Perhaps Izar was barely clinging to life, worse than dead.
As this thought crossed his mind, Cassian recalled the memory of receiving severe burns in a past battlefield.
At that time, he said— “Alright, let’s do this.”
“If you don’t like it?”
“Hey, Cassian, I haven’t said anything yet.”
Renak’s voice intruded into Cassian’s mind, bringing back memories from the past.
Cassian immediately expressed his refusal, but Renak was already chuckling to himself. Cassian felt an uneasy aura enveloping him.
“In the unlikely event that it happens… If the former prince is indeed alive.”
“As I mentioned earlier, even if he’s alive, he might not return in good condition.”
“Listen, in the unlikely event that happens, if he does return, it could unite the current prince and Renata.”
Renak trailed off without completing his sentence, but Cassian grasped his intention roughly.
In the unlikely event that Izar’s survival were to be revealed, it would not only cause problems for the succession, but also ignite sparks for Renata and her family, who would marry Khalid.
After all, Emperor Calistus II was known to favor Izar, a fact well-known among the empire’s citizens.
“Even if the former prince were to appear with a missing limb or two, His Majesty would still pass the throne to him.”
“But what about Renata then?”
“That’s why I’ve personally called upon you, Cassian. No matter how many times she refuses, she sings the song of dislike. Although the engagement is imminent, if you cannot prevent it, at least try to delay the marriage as much as possible.” It was quite a request.
”How can I do that? It’s beyond my capabilities.” Cassian felt a tremendous burden upon hearing Renak’s words.
Thus, he parted his lips to express his refusal, but Renak’s action was a beat faster. Renak raised his hand towards Cassian and pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket.
”Whether you choose to use it to your advantage or not, it’s up to you. Remember? I kept your secret, Carneluti’s heir has no conscience. Of all times, why bring it up now?”
Cassian expressed his annoyance openly. If they come at us like this from the other side, we won’t have anything to say. The value of the secret Renak had kept, and still kept, for Cassian was considerable.
Cassian clenched his lips tightly, his irritation evident. Then, he glanced down at the box Renak had placed on the table.They were a pair of ornate cuffs made of light blue gems.
“What’s this now?” Cassian glanced at the cuffs with a hint of suspicion.
“I originally had them made for myself… but I’ll just give them to you.”
“Is this a bribe?”
“A bribe? No. It’s a small gift from a long-lost friend. Anyway, can you do me a favor?”
“And this is what friends do?”
Since his childhood days of shooting peas in the fields, Cassian had developed a hobby of collecting cuffs made of precious gems when he started dressing up in suits.
Moreover, being a connoisseur of aesthetics, Cassian couldn’t refuse even the most exquisite jewels from the Astanin Sea.
Renak watched Cassian’s reaction with a quiet smile. However, Cassian showed no sign of accepting the cuffs.
Eventually, Renak grabbed Cassian’s hand that was resting on his thigh. Then, he forcefully placed the box on Cassian’s pale palm and wrapped his reluctant fingers around it with his firm hand.
Cassian sighed in resignation and let out a small laugh.
“You crazy bastard. I told you to go first.”
“Yeah, you did. You crazy bastard. You’re busier than me, who can’t even visit often. You’ll do better than me anyway.”
