Chapter 187 – Remaining Behind (1)
The three otters climbed up my arm and raised their heads to survey the surroundings.
“This is the man you need to carry. The three of you should be enough.”
When I pointed at the guide, they climbed onto his body and peered around as though they understood me.
“You only need to carry him to the opposite bank and leave him there. Nothing else matters as long as he remains alive.”
When I patted their heads and gave them their instructions, the three otters made thin squeaking sounds and grabbed the guide by his head and arms.
I dragged the guide onto the river and set him afloat.
The three otters held his gently floating body and slowly began crossing the river.
After confirming that the single human and three animals had moved a suitable distance away, I turned around.
Jing and Lia were waiting for me, their mouths hanging open after watching the entire process.
Jing’s reaction was understandable, but I could not understand why Lia was so surprised.
You saw me transform into an orc with your own eyes.
“This is my ability. Proper communication is difficult, but I can make simple requests of animals. I can also transform into animals, although I can’t show you that right now. Ah, it seems I can transform into monsters as well, but I still need to investigate that further.”
As I explained everything I knew about my ability, Jing finally regained his senses.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that you possess such an ability. What in the world is this...?”
“Apparently, people with abilities like mine existed in the distant past. It seems they disappeared with time.”
Still looking puzzled, Jing nodded blankly.
It was obvious that he had concluded that this must be some secret known only to the imperial family, but I did not bother correcting him.
Jing remained silent as though lost in thought, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at me again.
“Why are you suddenly explaining your ability after hiding it so well until now?”
“Well, there’s nowhere left for me to run, and we’ll have to travel together from now on. I decided there was no longer any point in deceiving you.”
After answering, I met the eyes of the black-haired protagonist who had been silently glaring at me and continued.
“I’ve also decided to be a little more honest from now on.”
* * *
Now that we had sent the guide to the mainland, there was no reason for us to remain here.
We had nothing that could truly be called luggage, so there was no need to make separate preparations before departing.
The one fortunate thing was that the idiot had decided to care for the two knights, making him completely forget his strange insistence that I remain here.
“Kweek, come back again. Kweek, next time, come for a visit.”
Although he made another somewhat unrealistic proposal.
“Sure. When that happens, I’ll look forward to seeing what the leader uses to entertain me.”
The leader sighed again at my answer.
“You should try to get along with the idiot until I return.”
Perhaps realizing that this was no different from telling him to suffer, the leader narrowed his eyes into triangles.
“Kweek, I’ve watched that bastard’s stupidity for six winters. Kweek, surely his foolishness won’t continue any longer than that.”
It absolutely had to end.
The leader muttered with a faint smile containing both anxiety and anticipation.
I did not know how much of his life remained, but at least this time, he would spend it without regrets.
That was, as long as he did not forget how difficult it was to fill one’s limited time with happy memories.
“Kweek, everyone, come back again!”
Leaving behind the idiot, who continued asking us to return until the very end, I turned toward the river.
“By the time we come back, the leader we worked so hard to save might have died of old age.”
Ratel, who was already standing beside the river, muttered.
“He has experience, at least. If he managed to educate that idiot this much in six years, things should become easier from now on.”
As I walked forward while entertaining such pointless thoughts, I suddenly realized something that bothered me and looked back at the orc leader.
Then I turned my body, which was already half submerged in the river, and hurried back onto land.
“Kweek, what is it?”
Confused when I suddenly approached after acting as though I were about to leave, the leader questioned me.
“You just said six years, didn’t you?”
“Kweek, what are you suddenly talking about?”
“I mean the year that orc was born. You said the seasons changed six times, so that means it was six years ago.”
He had also said that six winters had passed.
That meant the dimwit had been born during the winter six years ago.
Coincidentally, once again, it had been the winter six years ago.
That year held far too much significance for both this world and its protagonist to dismiss it as a coincidence.
* * *
“How can absolutely nothing here function properly? The aide was the first to run away, those who remained don’t even know what’s inside the castle, and you don’t even have the bare necessities required for people to live!”
Growing increasingly furious as he listed each failure, Celos fiercely surveyed the dark room.
Anna, several maids, and several servants had gathered inside Ran Abiran’s study.
There were more books remaining in the study than expected, so Celos had summoned the servants to search through them.
According to Anna, they were the people who valued their lives most—in other words, those most capable of keeping their mouths shut.
Judging by the way they all wore terrified expressions and asked no questions, she did not appear to be wrong….
The moment their eyes met Celos’, their faces turned pale.
Even the Seventh Prince’s personal physician was among them.
The physician was so gaunt that it would not have been surprising if he died at any moment. Watching him turn the pages with trembling hands made Celos sigh involuntarily.
Compared to the doll-like servants in his own castle, who performed their assigned duties without needing to be told, every person here appeared unbearably incompetent.
Vowing never to set foot in this place again once his business was concluded, Celos picked up an old book that had been lying on the floor.
[The Eastern Nation and Funeral Rites]
The title seemed ominous, but it contained a word that caught Celos’ attention.
The east.
Every time Celos entered the Seventh Prince’s castle, he felt the limits of his patience expanding little by little.
It was the homeland of the Seventh Prince’s mother, something Celos had once heard from the Seventh Prince himself. Everyone knew about it, but no one cared enough to take an interest.
As though entranced, Celos opened the book around its middle.
The book naturally opened to what appeared to be its most frequently read section, and Celos read the first line.
[Their method of mourning the dead is simple, but the uniquely inferior history and culture concealed within that simplicity make the entire process remarkable. When their king dies, they….]
Celos had been reading slowly when every candle in the room abruptly went out.
As the flames died, the last of Celos’ patience for the day vanished with them.
“Are you playing games with me? It’s too dark to read! You should have replaced the candles before they went out! Do I have to explain every little thing to you?”
Celos reprimanded the lazy servants, who made no effort to restore the light.
However, no one moved despite his fury.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and move!”
“W-Well….Eighth Prince, the truth is….we don’t have any candles left.”
Celos’ eyes widened at a reason he could never have imagined, even in his dreams.
What did I just hear?
“Damn it! Are you telling me that this place has even run out of candles?”
When he questioned them in case he had misheard, Anna stepped forward with an embarrassed expression.
“W-Well….after Lord Sein left, we no longer knew where to request necessities…. The doctor purchased some supplies with his own money, but even those ran out some time ago....”
The more Celos listened to their pitiful excuses, the more he pressed a hand against his forehead.
The Seventh Prince’s residence was so wretched that it was embarrassing even to call it a castle. Absolutely nothing inside functioned properly.
He had only just found what appeared to be a useful clue, yet his investigation had been interrupted so pointlessly. His anger became unbearable.
“Damn it!”
After quietly cursing, Celos reached toward the pile of useless books beside him.
Then, for the first time in a very long while, he released his Manis.
A small and insignificant force flowed from his hand, igniting a tiny flame upon one of the books.
Celos ordinarily disliked using his pathetic power, but this time, he could not suppress his curiosity.
Nor did he want to wander around searching for another source of light while carrying the book.
He had finally found something useful!
The small amount of Manis left Celos’ hand, transformed into a tiny ember, and floated through the air.
Its lack of power caused the insignificant ember to move slowly, further irritating Celos.
A speck of power producing a speck of light.
Celos ground his teeth at the helplessness and directionless anger he felt whenever he used his power.
Damn it. If only my power were slightly stronger...
“Wow...!”
The exclamations erupting around him lifted his sinking mood.
Only then did Celos realize that everyone gathered in the room was staring at his tiny, insignificant ember.
Until now, Celos had avoided using his power in front of other people as much as possible.
Even when he used it, he usually did so while secluded inside his own castle, and all his servants had been thoroughly trained.
They were trained to pretend they had not seen what they saw or heard what they heard, reacting like emotionless dolls.
Therefore, Celos could not possibly be accustomed to everyone in the room admiring the painfully slow movement of his Manis.
As a result, Celos missed the moment when he should have become angry.
Consequently, he found himself trapped among the insolent servants surrounding him like prison bars.
“Wow! I’ve never seen a member of the imperial family use their power from this close!”
“Neither have I! Usually, something disappears or appears in an instant, so I can’t even tell what happened.”
“I’ve only watched the Hunting Festival from a distance! I thought it was incredible then, but this is....”
“It’s beautiful!”
“That’s right, it’s beautiful!”
The servants regained their senses only after every simple, honest, and unfiltered impression had already left their mouths.
It was unfortunate.
Had they noticed Celos’ ominous expression before regaining their senses, they might have been slightly less terrified.
Once their excitement faded, only an awkward silence remained.
Finally realizing the severity of their outrageous disrespect, the servants each retreated one step.
Beside the tiny light, Celos’ menacing eyes swept across everyone in the room.
“W-We apologize, Eighth Prince.”
Fearing the furious reprimand that could fall upon them at any moment, everyone bowed simultaneously.
Hoping that his anger would end with a mere reprimand was both their wish and their greed.
They would have been grateful simply to leave the room with all four limbs intact.
Everyone waited for Celos’ judgment.
The servants stood in a line, flinching whenever Celos moved.
Celos Abiran approached Anna, who stood before him with her head bowed, and glared at her with terrifying eyes.
“You. Follow me outside. Bring all the books piled over there.”
When he singled out Anna, the pitiful child hurriedly swallowed.
The others looked at the deathly pale Anna with sympathy.
However, their mournful gazes were the greatest compassion they could offer.
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