RPWS Chapter 084

The King was silent as he stared at Elaine.

“…”

She stiffened with tension.

Why is he looking this way? There weren’t many reasons for a noble king to be interested in a mere knight, so why? He couldn’t possibly…… recognize her face, could he?

She hadn’t seen him directly before, so she thought it unlikely. But Elaine had been in and out of the palace often, visiting Bella and Lloyd. What if the king had seen her without her knowledge? Even if he had, the chances of him remembering her were slim, but it was still a possibility.

‘What should I do if he recognizes me?’

Should she kill him?

The worst-case scenario immediately came to mind. If the king recognized her, she’d be in trouble. Not only would Ash learn her identity, but it would cause a huge uproar if it became known that his escort was a witch who would never grow old or die.

However, if she, Ash’s bodyguard, killed the king, Ash would also suffer greatly. Maybe even more so then if she was simply discovered to be a witch herself.

Elaine held her breath as she carefully watched for the king’s next move. At that time, the queen, standing next to the king, expressed her curiosity.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

Then the king, who’d been silent, looked at Elaine and slowly spoke. More precisely, he stared at the painting behind her.

“The picture is faded.”

It was a famous painting by an artist who was praised as a rare genius. Artworks displayed in the royal palace were maintained daily by palace officials to prevent their images from fading. However, it was impossible to stop the flow of time. The queen tilted her head elegantly and touched the corner of her mouth.

“Oh my, you’re right.”

“Chamberlain, cut off the wrist of the person who takes care of this painting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The chamberlain bowed deeply as he answered, like it was a familiar, casual order. Elaine couldn’t believe her ears for a moment.

“Let’s go.”

Meanwhile, the king continued in a calm voice and started walking again.

Elaine felt her heart grow cold. It was fortunate that the king didn’t recognize her, but the cruel commands she’d just heard did not miss his ears. Elaine lowered her head and had a stern expression on her face.

So, he didn’t see her. The king’s gaze swept past her, lingering on her for a moment before falling away.

When she straightened her back and raised her head, the king was already far away. Elaine did not take her gaze off him until his back completely disappeared.

 

* * *

 

The morning of June 27th, the second day of the festival, was quite uneventful.

Ash sat on the terrace overlooking the garden and opened the letter that’d just arrived. The letter, in a luxurious envelope, came from the Magic Tower.

After returning from Maltaigne, Ash asked the Magic Tower to investigate the crystal ball. To be exact, the mana contained inside the crystal ball. The goal was to track the owner’s location.

On the other hand, Ash also mobilized informants to investigate Talos Asgar. As a result, he learned that a long time ago Talos Asgar had been a royal wizard.

If that was true, there was a high probability that the mana contained inside the crystal ball belonged to Talos Asgar.

The method of tracking the location of a master or wizard was surprisingly simple. As long as they had the mana from the person’s body, they could trace it with magic.

However, using magic to track mana was extremely difficult, and there were very few wizards who could use this magic. There were only two wizards in the Magic Tower in the kingdom who could do it.

The magic tower was constructed in the capital. While Ash was in the capital, he contacted the Magic Tower to check on the progress. And the reply had only now arrived.

“What did they say?”

Elaine, sitting across from him at the tea table on the terrace, asked.

“It looks like we’ve almost reached the final stage.”

They’d heard that Talos Asgar’s body was not found in the burned cabin. If he was still alive, the magic would react to the mana that was within him.

Then, they could track him.

If they found him, they’d also be able to find out why Walter went missing. And if Talos Asgar harmed him… Ash would never let him go.

Ash folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. When he turned his head, he saw a clear blue sky.

Faint cheering could be heard from the festival held on the streets outside. The parade seemed to be going on and the sound of cheering along with the lively music seemed fun.

Suddenly, he remembered the time he went to the festival with Elaine. The festival street and the fields full of yellow flowers that they saw together. When he thought of that, a small impulse arose.

“Elaine.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go out for a moment?”

He wanted to put aside his complicated thoughts and spend time with her like he did then. The banquet was held in the evening, so there was plenty of time.

From his perspective, it was no different from asking her for a date. Therefore, Ash averted his gaze slightly as he spoke.

But Elaine, who didn’t know what he was thinking, misunderstood.

She guessed he wanted to see the festival. She’d thought he wasn’t interested in this kind of thing, but was surprised. She smiled and accepted.

 

Ash went out wearing a hood like he did every other time. Elaine went out in simple attire instead of her flashy uniform.

The festival street was crowded with people.

Ash walked ahead. He naturally weaved through the crowd to prevent Elaine from bumping into people.

The parade was in full swing. People, with their faces painted, marched vigorously wearing clothes that mimicked ancient costumes. Three golden lion figurines, said to have been tamed by the founding king, led the way with the sound of a trumpet. Horsemen sprinkled flower petals in front of a giant magically animated doll.

There were many vendor stalls next to the road where the parade procession passed. Elaine and Ash watched the parade and browsed the stalls. There were many selling food and souvenirs.

Then Ash stopped when he saw somewhere and spoke to Elaine.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Before Elaine could answer, he disappeared among the crowd, returning a while later, carrying a lot of food.

“Your Grace? This is…”

“I remembered you liked it last time.”

During the Butterfly Flower Festival, Elaine bought plenty of snacks from the stalls. She ate everything enjoyed it a lot. Upon seeing the stalls selling food, Ash was reminded of Elaine back then, and his body moved on its own.

Elaine looked at the food in his hands. Of course, she thought he bought it because he wanted to eat it… But, it was because of her.

The first food he naturally gave her was something she particularly liked. For some reason, her heart felt like it was being tickled at his consideration.

Did they grow closer because she was his knight? She’d thought he was indifferent, but now he showed such a sweet and attentive side to her.

“I could have bought it… Thank you for your concern.”

Elaine smiled happily and accepted the food. They looked around while eating the food Ash brought.

A bard singing about the history of the kingdom, a street performance acting out the hero’s narrative, and a park adorned with bright flowers and other decorations. As they continued walking, they came to the front of a white stone building with large pillars.

It was a temple dedicated to the main deity.

Calix, the highest ranked god among the 11 gods believed in by the people of the kingdom.

Temples for the gods were built all over the continent. Among them, the main temple built in the capital was famous for being large and beautiful. Therefore, tourists who visited the capital, usually visited the temple at least once.

Although not everyone was allowed to enter the altar room and main spaces within the temple, there were many who came just to look at the exterior.

There was already a crowd of people in the large square in front of the temple. There was a statue of the main god in the fountain in the middle of the square.

A pure white horse with its front legs raised. Beautiful horns on the head and wings spread wide.

It was said to be another form Calix.

People were seen throwing coins and making wishes around the fountain. When she saw that, an old memory suddenly came to mind.

When Elaine was wandering around the country with Bella and Espel, Bella once told her a story about the gods.

 

‘Does Lane believe in God?’

 

Bella had said God was real. However, she also said the concept was different from what people commonly thought.

God, like Bella or the Divine Beast, was a being born from the hopes and aspirations of humans.

However, its essence was different from Bella’s humanity, and it was a being stronger and more divine than the divine beast. They did not interfere with royalties and were so mysterious that even Bella said she’d only seen them once.

Elaine, who’d been lost in other thoughts for a moment, shook her head lightly to regain focus.

“Do you want to try?”

“What?”

When Elaine asked, he pointed to people throwing coins into the fountain. Elaine soon realized what he meant. Just as she was about to refuse, Ash strode forward.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“No, I’m fine…”

“But that’s why we’re here.”

Did he want to try it? Elaine couldn’t properly understand the words he’d muttered.

Most people who were throwing coins near the fountain were lovers. This was one of the places lovers often visit and one of the things they commonly did. When he saw that, he wanted to try it with her too.

The two arrived in front of the fountain.

The fountain was as big as a pond. There was a statue in the center, and water poured out from underneath it. There was a hollow bowl in the water into which coins were thrown.

The bowl was piled full of copper coins and, occasionally, silver coins could also be spotted. Elaine, who’d followed him absentmindedly, held her coin and looked around.

“It’s in!”

The sight of lovers tossing coins and enjoying each other’s company was refreshing. Elaine silently looked up at Ash. Her heart fluttered as her eyes meet his jewel-like eyes.

Suddenly she had a strange feeling. Since she’s doing something, usually done between lovers, with him, this must be…

‘It’s like a date.’

Elain quickly shook her head at the unexpected thought. What was she thinking? Ash probably didn’t think much of it. She felt embarrassed because she seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.

“Elaine?”

He called her curiously. She smiled and said it was nothing.

Elaine put her mind to rest and tossed a coin alongside Ash. He lightly flicked the coin with his fingertip, and the coin flew into the air. It spun rapidly, sparkling in the sunlight.

Looking at it, Elaine thought to herself the only wish she held deep in her heart, she didn’t know if God would hear it on the wind, or if that being could be called God…

‘I hope Ash will no longer have to face any difficulties and live happily.’

The water of the fountain was filled with the reflection of the bright blue sky. The coin fell into the water as if jumping into the clear sky. Ripples and water droplets splashed. The coin went straight into the bowl.

“What did you wish for?”

Ash looked back at her.

“It’s a secret.”

Then he slightly raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. Elaine asked.

“What did you ask for?”

“It’s a secret for me too.”

Elaine smiled faintly. Ash followed her and laughed softly.

Yes, if only she could see him remain happy.

She wanted to be by his side like this for a little longer.

Elaine thought so, not knowing the events that soon would transpire.