"Then can you promise me to at least listen to my words and think them through from now on?"
"I will treat each of your words as if they were said by god himself."
"No need to turn this into blasphemy. I will be content if you just listen to what I have to say."
"Does this mean you'll stay?"
"For the time being it does."
"Thank you so much!"
"Now, now, keep your enthusiasm in check. You should call your knights back in before they grow worried enough to break down the door."
"My knights? They wouldn't do such a thing."
"Are you sure? If you are then why don't you go up to the door and quickly open it?"
Prince Gideon seemed unsure of what exactly I wanted but to say but moved to the door and pulled it open in a quick, fluid motion. Clinking loudly, three knights fell into the room. They had been trying to listen in on us through the door and the sudden opening had greatly startled them and made them lose their balance.
Prince Gideon looked mortified. His own knights listening in on his private conversation despite his command to wait outside made him look bad. The knights weren't looking much better. They too realized the implications of their actions.
"How much did you hear?"
"Nothing my prince, that was why we were worried. Since we left not a single sound escaped from this room. That isn't normal!"
Before this became anymore embarrassing for prince Gideon I intervened.
"Sir Galant, you should start to get accustomed to this. Spells that block sound are quite common. I detected at least three uses of it during the audience prince Gideon had with the emperor."
Both sir Galant as well as prince Gideon looked at me with their eyes wide.
"What, don't tell me you didn't know about this?"
"We know of sonic barriers but I didn't see you chant or use a spell and no difference could be felt. And I thought you specialized in darkness and mind. For you to also have the trained in sonic barriers. There are only four mages in the empire that can build a sonic barrier without needing an enchanted mechanism."
"Only four? Man, you guys must really be slacking off when it comes to raising the next generation of mages."
Prince Gideon once again looked at me strangely. I wasn't conforming to the norms they knew for this realm to adhere to.
"Lord Raven, are you perhaps from another realm? Not that such a thing would change anything."
There it was. The question must have been on their minds for a while now but finally, they couldn't hold it back anymore. My actions and comment this time had gone too far off the scale that governed their common sense.
"You are correct, I am not from this realm."
"Are there a lot of people like you outside?"
"That depends. What is like me? If you mean people as strong as me then you can be at ease since such people are rare. If you merely mean people stronger than you then there are quite a few of them."
Prince Gideon was quiet for a while. He seemed to have picked up on my subtle brag. Naturally, someone stronger than him would be an archmage of the second rank or higher. And if I said there were many of them but few of the same level as me that meant I had to be stronger than that.
Casual flexes felt really good when they were understood.
"Prince Gideon, you seem a little overwhelmed by everything that transpired here so why don't you retire for today. I assure you that tomorrow things will be much clearer. Your mind must simply be given the time to digest all it has taken in."
"That is a good idea. I'm not sure how much more I can take without losing my sanity."
"I believe that your common sense is the only thing you should be worried about. Your sanity will be just fine."
I saw prince Gideon out and after he had left my room I immediately reapplied the comic barrier. I locked the door and protected it with some additional barriers while placing another instant exchange rune as a precaution.
The time for me to snoop around the palace had come. Sir Weber had been released from prince Gideon's service and from how he had acted so far he wouldn't take that lying down.
Due to the curse, I could effortlessly locate him. At this hour he shouldn't be moving towards the palace but away from it. I phased through the windows of my room and moved inside the shadows.
Sir Weber was striding through the noble district and his target was very interesting. As I approached the lavish mention I could pick up veritable clouds of red mist. Tristan must have been frequently visiting the lavish mansion.
A court mage wouldn't own such a mansion especially this close to the palace. Adding two and two together I knew that this must be where crown prince Sullivan resides.
Sir Weber approached the gates and was naturally stopped by the guards. Their spears were crossed right before sir Weber's face. He seemed mad about being barred entry so brazenly but controlled himself. He handed a jingling coin pouch to one of the guards and whispered something to him.
The guard entered the mansion and returned with a butler who asked sir Weber to follow him. I kept myself hidden from sight and followed them.
Prince Sullivan was waiting in a darkened room with a hood pulled over his face. He was sitting on a throne as if he were already the next emperor.
"You said you knew something about my younger brother that would greatly interest me? Tell me then."
"Before that, I am no longer prince Gideon's knight and I need a new lord..."
"Do not bore me with such unimportant details. Should you tell me something important that I do not yet know you will earn rewards that will certainly satisfy you."