Chapter 90

“A love child.”

The next morning, as I mentioned meeting Lin Altain, Cardinal Besalon stroked his chin. He looked like he was caught off guard. I expected him to either brush it off or insist that she should be eliminated, so his reaction left me puzzled.

“Is there a problem?”

“It’s because of the uniqueness of the Kingdom of Altain.”

“Uniqueness? Really? I had no idea it had such a thing.”

Jeron tilted his head as if he was hearing this for the first time. Cardinal Besalon nodded at him.

“You’re all aware that the Kingdom of Altain has existed for a long time.”

“That’s true. It’s just surprising that such an ancient kingdom has remained a small nation.”

“That’s because there was a purpose in the founding process of the Kingdom of Altain. Originally, the Kingdom of Altain and the eastern small nations were all one kingdom.”

“When did this happen?”

“Before magical power disappeared… during the era when humans could wield magic.”

If we are talking about the era when humans wielded magical power before it vanished, we are going back almost three thousand years. It’s a stretch to go that far back. In fact, this tale could even be from before the Demon King first wreaked havoc.

This means that even the Church doesn’t have many records from that time. Sure, the Church has existed since the faith began on the continent, but their records from before the magical power disappeared are scarce since they were quite closed off during that era. Plus, many documents were lost during several crusades.

“Huh.”

Since both Prince Jeron and Yulia were also aware of this, they stared at Cardinal Besalon with surprise. Then he opened his mouth with a slightly awkward expression.

“The uniqueness of the Kingdom of Altain is related to magical power. That’s why it’s not widely known.”

“Magical power…?”

“The royalty born with a strong magical power trait in the Kingdom of Altain can seal that power. You just mentioned that the love child of the Kingdom of Altain has shown a strong manifestation of the royal blood.”

“Are you saying… that the reason they resort to incest to preserve their bloodline is related to that uniqueness?”

“Exactly, Hero. For now, it would be best to secure her.”

Cardinal Besalon nodded. Since only I knew where Lin was, everyone’s gaze shifted toward me. Amid this, Prince Jeron tilted his head and raised his hand high.

“Wait, doesn’t that seem strange? If she’s that important, they should have taken her to the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Hmm, they probably still don’t know exactly what abilities are inherent in their bloodline. They likely resorted to such actions simply because their ancestors told them to preserve the bloodline.”

“So… the records of such information probably don’t exist?”

“Right. Ever since magical power disappeared, they wouldn’t even know they had such an ability.”

“How does one exhibit the ability to seal magical power?”

“It’s not explicitly stated, but as the documents interpret, it’s likely through contact.”

“Hmm.”

Contact means just not letting each other touch, but honestly, the very idea of sealing magical power sounds like a hassle. Ultimately, I got up to search for Lin Altain and turned my steps toward her room.

“Tch. With no people in the castle, I have to wander around myself.”

“You don’t have to follow me.”

“But I’m curious.”

Suppressing a slight frown at Prince Jeron, who was grumbling behind me, I sighed. According to what Lilian said about the original story, this guy was supposed to end up with Yulia. But so far, from what I’ve seen, there wasn’t any chemistry between them. In fact, yesterday’s clash was probably their first proper conversation.

Honestly, I find him a bit burdensome. Well, is there anyone among the royals who isn’t burdensome? Even Chloe, whom I run into quite often, is honestly a bit of a handful. Thus, Prince Jeron is even more overwhelming.

A meticulous perfectionist. So arrogant, yet recognized for his outstanding abilities. But that’s why he can’t trust others. That’s dangerously fatal for someone in a position of power. He believes he must bear everything on his own. No matter how excellent his subordinates are, if they are not better than him, he thinks he has to do everything himself. Because of this, Prince Jeron has the smallest faction among the Emperor’s three children.

We walked through the vast castle for quite a while. In a castle devoid of even a single servant, only silence and the sound of our footsteps filled the air. The distinct sounds of our footsteps echoed through the corridors. As we continued walking, Prince Jeron frowned.

“It’s pretty far.”

“Well, she is a love child princess. Naturally, her room had a maid’s room vibe.”

“True.”

Reaching the end of the corridor, I knocked on the door of her sleeping chamber. With a knock, I could sense movement from inside.

“Who, who is it?”

“It’s me, Catherine.”

“Ah, ah. Just a second, let me get dressed.”

After that comment, I heard some clattering and rustling, and the door swung open. She looked like she had just woken up, hair in disarray and unable to even remove the sleep from her eyes, yet her dress was surprisingly neat. With a chuckle, I sighed lightly and sprinkled some water from my canteen onto a handkerchief.

Then, I started wiping her face. Once I took care of her sleep crusts and gave her face a thorough cleaning, she finally resembled a human. I couldn’t wash her hair, so I just smoothed her hair with a brush I found on the vanity.

“You’re quite skilled.”

“Well, I am a maid.”

“A maid? I thought you were a hero?”

“Originally, I was a maid.”

Suddenly, a large man barged in, causing Lin to jump in surprise. She looked like a rabbit confronted by its predator. It was kind of amusing.

“H-Hiiik!? Who are you?!”

“I am Jeron von Selvius of the Alexanders Empire.”

“I-I’m Lin Altain.”

“No middle name? That’s interesting.”

All nobles have middle names. Even knights, who would be considered lesser nobles, have middle names, but Lin seemed to lack one. Based on the circumstances, it seems she hasn’t been acknowledged as Altain in her daily life.

“So, what brings you here….”

“Just a moment.”

I focused my magical power in my hand. Suddenly, a blade of magical power sprang forth from the tip of my fingernail. Just a few weeks ago, I couldn’t even handle my magical power with such finesse. It was a bit nostalgic. Seeing Lin’s eyes widen in amazement at the sudden burst of magic, I reached out my hand to her. Unable to resist, Lin was caught by me and let out a squeal.

“Um.”

“Huh.”

“W-What is it?”

Suddenly feeling like my magical power was dispersing, it vanished from the tip of my fingernail. Prince Jeron’s eyes opened wide at the sight.

“So it was true.”

“Indeed.”

“From a love child to the queen of the kingdom. What a twist.”

“Is that how this story goes?”

As I tilted my head slightly, Prince Jeron nodded.

“Listening to the Cardinal seems to indicate that’s likely.”

“Uh, I-I can’t follow this story…”

“Anyway, you can’t really do anything, so just accept it.”

“W-What?”

That’s true enough. Even if she objected, Cardinal Besalon and the Church, along with the Empire, would make her the queen of the Kingdom of Altain. Installing her as the queen of a small eastern nation would be the easiest way to preserve their bloodline. Simply attaching a suitable noble from the Empire to her and providing some support would allow her to swiftly escape the aftermath of the crusade.

“Well then, shall we head back?”

“Uh, sure. By the way, I heard we’re going out to battle tomorrow, have you heard?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“They said they would rest only until today and set out tomorrow. The Demon King’s Castle doesn’t seem all that far away.”

The end of the east. Storm Cape is about three days from the capital of the Kingdom of Altain, Arvain. Of course, reaching there in three days would be unlikely. After all, there are still the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings… or rather, now the Three Heavenly Kings. Regardless, they are holding their positions.

So it might take about a week. It’s nice that the Empire isn’t too far from the east. Thanks to the streak of victories, I could be back in less than half a year. Hopefully, Apatem Academy would return to normal operations next semester.

While I contemplated those hopeful assumptions, I led Lin back to the audience chamber where Cardinal Besalon was conversing with Yulia.