Lying with his side on the mattress, Cedric commented casually, "If you mess up halfway, remember that it's not me who's going to choke you to death, but the Grand Marshal."
Kirsi beside him who was lying facing the ceiling nodded lightly. As a reader who pays special attention to the Grand Marshal, Kirsi knows very well how the man behaves.
She blinked three times before finally turning her head to the side. She found Cedric's sleepy face counting the tufts of thread on the seams of the blanket. Tonight they were staying at the imperial palace. Based on Cedric's information, this room used to be his room when he wasn't appointed Crown Prince. Many things had changed here, especially since most of the items had been transferred to the Crown Prince's private residence.
Kirsi was still looking at Cedric's flawless face as she asked, "The journey from the capital to Alba would take roughly a month and a half in a horse-drawn carriage, wouldn't we? Can we borrow the Northern border bridle line to get there? At least we can save a week." Kirsi remembered that she had read about the estimated departure times from the capital to several places across the country, including Alba. It tells in detail how the protagonist goes on a romantic journey with heroin. They stopped at many places and made out at inns that had nice hot springs. In essence, only useless information is clearly spelt out. Fortunately, the author still has some thoughts to write down the duration of his journey so that it can be a reference for her.
Cedric stopped counting the tufts of thread on the seams of his blanket and burst out laughing. Kirsi looked at him like she was looking at an insect. She said angrily, "What are you laughing at?"
Cedric was still laughing as he replied, "Who would want to travel that far in a horse-drawn carriage?"
"Then what do you want to ride? The pumpkin carriage?"
Cedric flicked Kirsi's forehead, "We will teleport."
Kirsi gaped.
...is there such a way?
Why doesn't the tremendous and incredible protagonist ever use it once throughout the novel?
When heroin is kidnapped to the South and treated unfairly by bandits, the man prefers to run on his horse and arrives late, so he manages to create a sad atmosphere in which heroin is temporarily unconscious. Kirsi, who at that time was still a reader, also felt depressed when she read it. She was not depressed from being swept away in the sadness of their Love. But she felt depressed enough because heroin was kidnapped again who knows how many times.
For God's sake, if there's teleportation, why not just use that?!
"Hey," Kirsi called. Cedric who was almost asleep opened his eyes again. He raised an eyebrow in response. Kirsi continued, "Has Arthur ever used teleportation too?"
Cedric looked at her like she was an idiot. "Which mad prince has never used teleportation? The imperial palace isn't too poor to afford Lobo Esta Palace."
"Huh? Lobo Esta Palace?" Kirsi heard it for the first time.
"You seriously never heard of it?" Cedric looked at her in surprise.
Kirsi nodded doubtfully.
Cedric shook his head in concern. "Go out and touch some grass."
Kirsi pinched his calves under the blanket with her toes. "What's so hard about explaining it to me without insulting me?"
Cedric explained reluctantly. "Lobo Esta Palace is under the Magic Association belonging to the Magic Tower located in this empire. It's a place where someone with money and connections can hire a magician."
As for the Magic Tower, Kirsi knows. But she did not find one that Lobo Esta Palace was ever mentioned throughout the novel. As she recalled, Magic Tower did have many branches of use apart from providing teaching facilities for those with potential. And because the Magic Tower was a transnational organization that didn't side with any country, they tended to be less close to the country's leaders. That way, only people who have letters of recommendation can use their services. Even the Emperor could not necessarily use their services at will.
Kirsi asked, "Does the Emperor have his letter of recommendation?"
"He does. "
"Does the letter of recommendation cover the princes too?"
"No. "
"Then where did you get the recommendation letter from?"
"Why are you asking so many questions tonight..."
"Just answer me."
Cedric pulled Kirsi into his arms and turned her into a warm living bolster. His chin rested on the top of Kirsi's head, and he answered lazily while closing his eyes. "I got it from the Grand Marshal, Justinus got it from Marchioness Scarlett, and Arthur got it from the Grand Mentor."
"Grand Marshal had too?"
"Oh, you didn't know…" he sounded like someone delirious. Even so, he still managed to continue his explanation. "Grand Marshal's mother, my aunt, is a licensed magician of the Magic Tower, just like Marchioness Scarlett. Even though she has passed away, her license is still valid because the heir, the Grand Marshal, graduated from the Magic Tower's academy."
Kirsi has added new knowledge before going to sleep tonight.
-0-
The next day, they returned early in the morning before the palace's daily morning audience. Anyway, Cedric needed to get ready at home first. The snow was still so thick today, that they still had to return home on the same horse.
"I can't!" Kirsi argued vehemently. The horse's reins diverted into her hands causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
"It's okay, I won't let us fall." Behind Kirsi, there was Cedric who gallantly promised safety for both of them.
The guard troops following behind enjoyed the sweet interaction with small cheers. They graced the frozen silent streets with warm laughter and sweet teasing. Even though he sometimes looks scary on the one hand, the relationship between Cedric and his subordinates is really harmonious and well-organized. They know when to raise their sword and when to laugh.
The merry troupe arrived at the Crown Prince's residence a little later than usual due to Kirsi's very poor horsemanship.
As soon as he got home, Cedric instantly took a hot shower. The man came out of the bathroom about half an hour later, in a bathrobe and towel wrapped around his head. Kirsi who was sitting on the couch patted the spot next to her. The man complied and sat there.
"You can do magic, why not warm up the water yourself?" The towel on his head was taken over. Kirsi asked Cedric to bend down so she could dry his hair. And the man did.
While his head was being gently rubbed by the tiny hands, Cedric replied, "Then why am I paying so many people in this residence if I have to do everything myself."
"No, I mean, you can use it if it's just the two of us, right? It's not like you haven't shown it in front of me." The rubbing of the towel stopped for a while. Kirsi's hand ruffled Cedric's head. Sense how this man's white hair feels so soft in her hand.
After their chat last night, Kirsi seemed to understand why Cedric was trying so hard not to reveal to the world that he could do magic. There was a compelling reason why he had to do so.
Back when she read novels that told stories of this world, she wondered why people didn't fight on the battlefield with magic if they had magic in this world. Wouldn't it be easier to slaughter more people with that beyond-reasoning power?
And questions like that were finally answered after their chat last night.
In this world, magicians must have an academy license issued by only two institutions. First, it belongs to the empire. Second, it belongs to the Magic Tower association. For those who could do magic but preferred to develop it on their own, serious penalties were inevitable. And those who have enrolled in either of the two custodians will not have any freedom at all to use their powers anywhere. And as soon as they were registered, they had to have permission for any use of magic power, and that was always under strict control. The stronger a magician was, the more taboos they could not break, and the less likely they were to use their own power for personal gain.
That's why Cedric hides his abilities tightly, because he wants to use his powers for his personal gain at will.
The government and associations really seem to want to have a monopoly on magicians in this world.
But, is that a bad thing?
Of course not.
With the tightening of regulations regarding magicians, there will be less and less possibility of unwanted attacks and riots. Imagine if a serial killer roaming an area was a magician, wouldn't it be less likely for the victim to save themselves? The number of victims will increase many times what ordinary people can do, not to mention that it will be increasingly difficult for the authorities to catch them.
Due to that, most of the independent nations on this continent had made a pact not to engage imperial magicians on the battlefield if they didn't fulfil some of the conditions agreed upon. One is that if it doesn't threaten the safety of the head of state, and if it's not the capital of a country that's under attack, it's not allowed to field magicians.
The Elysian Empire was one of the independent nations that acceded to the pact. Not even a chaotic empire like Verdant would dare break the pact.
Why is that?
Of course, because the Magic Tower is very scary.
Oh, speaking of the terrifying Magic Tower, Kirsi remembered reading about the head of the Magic Tower which was only mentioned once in the novel. If she remembered correctly, didn't that person have hair as white as snow, skin as pale as limestone, eyes as blue as the ocean, and gorgeous features that the author described in detail?
So, who is this man with hair as white as snow, skin as pale as limestone, eyes as blue as the ocean, and gorgeous features in front of her?
Kirsi was stunned for a while. She didn't remember about it until now because she thought that those bits of description wouldn't be useful for the development of the story. Not to mention the fact that the head of the Magic Tower only ever appears once throughout the novel, doesn't that clearly indicate that his role is completely insignificant?
But who knows that this villain entirely has the exact same physical characteristics as that of the extra who just passed by once?
Kirsi stiffly took her hand away from Cedric's head and looked at the man in horror.
He frowned, "...What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."
After all, why did this man have to hide his white hair if not because he didn't want people to recognize him as someone else?
Is there another reason that makes more sense than that?
"Hey, " Cedric slapped her forehead so hard she stopped thinking for a while. "What's wrong with you? "
"You..." Kirsi asked hesitantly, "Are you..." but in the end, she couldn't finish her words.
Even so, Cedric who could read a fraction of her mind could guess what this woman was trying to say.
He laughed mockingly, "If I were the head of the Magic Tower, then I wouldn't choose to be here and trouble myself with imperial duties."
Kirsty still couldn't believe it. But she did not voice her doubts. After all, it didn't matter whether this guy denied it or not, because anyone could lie about it.
Well, instead of expecting honest answers from humans, it was better for her to find out herself.
Kirsi continued drying Cedric's hair. When she was done, she got up and walked over to the giant wardrobe near the exit. She tugged at Cedric's official uniform, which was full of badges and medals. She also prepared ties, underwear, and extra ornaments such as shirt garters and lapel pins, and then lined them all up on the bed.
She will be a good and diligent wife from now on.
-0-
Read my other story;
[The One Who Can See The Unseen]
The story is set in a world where ghosts, devils, angels and God are just known as fairy tales.
Rapid technological developments have made most of mankind a man of science who believe more that the world is made up of atoms.
However,
What we can see in the world is not everything.
There are various things that we can't see with our eyes, such as affection, love, or hate. Strange enough that humans can believe it easily even without visible proof, but they can't believe such as gracious as God and others.
In this seemingly desolate and serene world, unbeknownst to most of Earth's inhabitants, humanity coexists with other entities from the fourth dimension. They coexist with the rest of us with worlds that overlap as one. They can see us, but we never know that they are around us. They are almighty with abilities beyond reason, and they like to mess around in places where humans are drowning in their negative feelings.
There are many unexplained things in this world. There are so many phenomena that occur that cannot be understood with formulas and the periodic table. Many diseases cannot be recognized even with the most advanced medical technology. Many sudden deaths whose causes cannot be known with certainty. Many improbable accidents where causes and effects are not mutually exclusive and in sync. And there are much more things in this world that are impossible to accept with common sense.
All of that happened because of them, the mysterious entities from the fourth dimension.
As many as one in a million people can see these mysterious entities. Which is about half the population of those who can see the entity, decide to team up with them and fight against fellow human beings. The corrupt people are referred to as Thralls. While the other half prefers to fight the mysterious entity and protect the world. They are named Messiah. They have served for hundreds of years to protect humanity behind the scenes. They are reluctant heroes.
The protagonist, Inoue Kai, is an ordinary middle school student who goes about his daily life like most people. However, his life changed by ninety degrees because his best friend found a book that could turn the impossible into the possible. Inoue Kai can see what previously could not be seen, and he is forced to take responsibility for a mistake he did not make, only because he accidentally read a book that tells about the world's Armageddon that will occur soon.
[Genre: A little bit of Sci-fi, Horror, Fantasy, Tragedy, Action, Violence, Adventure, Mystery, and Magic.]