My name is Salius of Veronia.
I am the son of King Geizeric and Queen Consort Misphia, and I am a prince of Veronia.
I hardly remember anything of my mother.
All I have is a faint image of a woman's figure watching quietly from a short distance
while I played.
When I heard the stories of how my parents captured the capital when they were
pirates, I struggled to imagine it was the same woman from my faint recollections.
Veronian nobles didn't raise their children directly. So the person I remember best
from my earliest days, is the one-eyed high elf Admiral Lilinrala.
"What are you doing, Salius?"
That was always the first thing she would ask whenever she spoke to me.
No matter what, even if I was playing a game that was obvious at a glance, she always
started conversations that way.
Despite becoming a noble, she still wore the same kind of black eye patch she had
during her pirate days. Even when in an elegant, flowing dress, Admiral Lilinrala kept
a plain cutlass at her waist. Most preferred to avoid her for not belonging, but I enjoyed
the time I spent with her.
The stories she told me were not fables of elegant aristocrats or brave knights, but
stirring tales of the sea.
When I was bored and stuck in my room, she would quietly sneak me out to her ship
to teach me about the sights and smells of the ocean.
I was on an adventure with a radiant dragon named Al-Haytham when I found out that
my mother was not my actual parent.
A prince and a dragon exploring a forest and fighting an evil witch. It was a glorious
journey, but it didn't have anything to do with this, so I'll save it for another time.
The important point was that I had taken the pair of gauntlets in Lilinrala's room with
me.
They were beautiful items made of a green metal, and, almost magically, they fit me
even though I was not fully grown.
Despite being a child, when I wore those gauntlets, I could swing my sword like a
veteran, and I used them to beat back the forest's monsters.
And when we defeated the witch, she laughed upon seeing the armored gloves. With
her dying breath, she told me they were a magic item called the Gauntlets of
Swordsmanship and only high elves could use them.
It was a shock. My mother and father were humans, which meant at least one of them
wasn't my natural parent.
When I considered the notion, the visage of a certain high elf flashed through my mind.
Once I was aware of that, it wasn't long before my doubts became absolute confidence.
Suddenly, everything fit together perfectly.
My slow aging also supported the witch's claim. Over the years, my appearance had
changed too little for me to be fully human.
Lilinrala was my true mother.
The days of power struggles were by no means tranquil, but I was happy to know my
mother was fighting for me.
Having been left by my human mother, Father declared that there was nothing I would
inherit, yet Lilinrala remained at my side, always protecting me.
I wanted to thank her, to tell her that I loved her. My deepest wish was to treat her like
my true parent.
When Father fell ill, it seemed our struggle was to end in defeat, precisely as it had
been destined to conclude. At that time, one of the nobles of Leonor's faction came to
me, claiming they knew where my human mother could be found.
I understood that it was a trap, but I had another idea.
If my human mother rejected me and declared that I wasn't her child, then Lilinrala
and I could leave Father and the kingdom behind.
Were we to abandon Veronia like my human mother did so long ago, then maybe
Lilinrala and I could find somewhere to exist like a normal family.
There would be nothing tying Lilinrala and me to Veronia if Father died and I was
unable to succeed him.
That's what I'd believed because I didn't want to lose my mother for a second time.
"That's what I'd believed because I didn't want to lose my mother for a second time."
Prince Salius finished his story and let out a long, deep breath. There were beads of
nervous sweat on his hands as they rest on the table, and his eyes were cast down.
I took out the green gauntlets I'd recovered after defeating Lilinrala and set them on
the table.
"You can have these back."
The polished armored gloves reflected the faces of Lilinrala, Prince Salius, and, from a
little farther away, Mistorm.
The three of them kept silent for a while.
"Lilinrala." In their place, Yarandrala spoke. "It's your turn now. How is Salius your
son?" There was something threatening in her gaze.
"Because there was no other way… Geizeric and Misphia have been affected by the
poison known as Stealth Extinction."
"'Stealth Extinction'?" Yarandrala looked at me.
I remembered something from a book on demon studies I had read in the forbidden
section of the royal archives.
"If I recall, it's a demon toxin. If you drink the correct amount of it every day for about
a month, it transforms your body to make it secrete poison."
"You're awfully knowledgeable. I only learned about it after getting a scholar to
investigate for me."
"I see… Stealth Extinction… So that's what happened." Knowing the poison involved, it
wasn't difficult to piece together what had transpired.
"What do you mean, Red?" Yarandrala questioned after seeing my expression.
"It's a concoction developed by demons who live on the dark continent. What sets the
toxin apart is that it's contagious."
"Contagious?"
"It's a poison when mixed in a compound, but it can transfer through the bodily fluids
of someone who has been afflicted, like a disease."
"What do you mean by bodily fluids?"
"Well, there's a few different ways. But in this case, having sex."
"Then…!"
Yarandrala looked stunned.
"Yes. Leonor drank the poison herself and spread it to Geizeric. And then it passed
from him to Misphia. Leonor's plot successfully deceived even a high elf."
"Then the reason why Mistorm's child didn't make it is…!"
"Undoubtedly, the fetus couldn't endure the toxin in her blood. That effect is likely
what gives Stealth Extinction its name. By poisoning captives and releasing them, it's
possible to eradicate a whole community's population."
"But then how was Prince Salius born? He's Geizeric's son, isn't he?"
Lilinrala averted her eyes, as though to flee the gazes of her fellow high elves.
"Yarandrala, you know very well we high elves possess a great vitality. A human baby
might succumb, but there was a chance that a hybrid could survive. It was the only
way for Geizeric to have a child."
Geizeric, the mighty pirate who stole a country, had known the truth about Prince
Salius from the start. Yet after taking the throne, that iron will began to crumble.
Perhaps he grew frail beneath the powerful impulses of his Emperor blessing, which
demanded he ensure his lineage.
I wondered what the pirate king thought as he faced his death.
"Lilinrala, tell me this honestly." Yarandrala was glaring straight at the high elf pirate.
"What?"
"Was there nothing else to it? Did you betray your friend Misphia solely to protect
Geizeric's line and your positions?"
"That's… all it was supposed to be." Lilinrala's expression twisted. "But I loved him. I
loved Geizeric, and I love Salius. I was willing to betray anything and everything else
if I had to. Was there anything else? There was, Yarandrala. My heart swelled every
time I saw Salius's face."
"I see." That was all Yarandrala offered. Her voice was flat, and her eyes were closed.
More so than most other races, high elves were reluctant to trust others. But once they
did, if they did build a proper connection, they would never betray that bond.
To high elves, that act of treachery was far more wicked than human morals could
comprehend.
Yarandrala had been so enraged as to attack Ares for pushing me out of the party
because, in her view, Ares comitted the most unforgivable sin.
"Lilinrala, Misphia…"
Prince Salius was next to break the silence, and the two women looked at him.
"Whatever the reasons, and whatever fate may lie in store, I'm glad to acknowledge
my true mother properly. And I'm also happy to meet the human mother I thought I'd
never see again. I just… wanted to let you both know that."
No malice or regret colored Prince Salius's words. His face was pure and clear,
betraying a hint of the high elf features he'd inherited.
"Shall we step outside for a moment?" I suggested.
Ruti nodded. "Mhm."
The rest was a problem for the three of them to handle.
It would surely take time, but if they could talk things through, I believed they would
come to an understanding.
Yarandrala had gone still, so I took her by the hand, and we all left.
We went to the next room over, leaving Prince Salius, Lilinrala, and Mistorm to
themselves.
"Good job holding it in, Yarandrala."
When I said that, she let out a long sigh, as if expelling everything that had built up in
her chest. "I've seen a lot of different humans, and I recognized their kind of
perspective and doubt in her."
To a high elf, what Lilinrala had done was an unforgivable betrayal. Considering
Yarandrala's usual temperament, I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd attacked the
pirate upon realizing the truth. Honestly, the look on her face during Lilinrala's story
was terrifying.
"She's become far more human than I have," Yarandrala remarked.
"Is that right?"
"Yes. The humans that we high elves hate, fear, and love. It's kept secret, but high elves
believe that each of us loves a human once in our lives."
"Really?"
"To us, your lives are so short. Look away one day, and you're gone. But in that short
time, you achieve things that we never could. Not for far longer anyway. That radiance
charms us, but it's something we can't attain because we're high elves. No matter how
much we might love a human, we're proud of who we are."
As Yarandrala spoke, her anger appeared to subside, and she took on a tranquil air.
"I last saw her sixty-eight years ago. And in that time, she's become an entirely
different person."
"A high elf who became human?"
"That was just how intense her love was, I suppose. So powerful she forgot that she
was a high elf."
"And the one she loved was Geizeric."
"Yes."
What was Yarandrala thinking? How did she feel upon realizing who Lilinrala was
now?
"You know, Red…"
"Hm?"
"I was much happier than her when I met you."
It was just like Yarandrala to say something like that so directly.
"Ah, well, if you say so."
"Ah-ha-ha, you're so quick to get embarrassed."
Evidently, Yarandrala had put her anger at Lilinrala to rest. Their rivalry had existed
because they were both high elves. Now that Lilinrala was human, she was no longer
an enemy to be held to the same moral standards.
I thought I saw a trace of loneliness on Yarandrala's face as she smiled at me.
After finishing the conversation with Yarandrala, I went to a different room.
I opened the door and found the high elves who'd been held in Ruti's mansion.
"To think they were keeping it secret for so long."
"Ugh, Cap'n, thank goodness."
"Does anyone have a handkerchief I can borrow? The tears just won't stop."
The three of them were bawling.
There was nothing else to do, so I lent them my handkerchief.
"There's something I'd like to ask, if you all don't mind," I said. Waiting for them to stop
sobbing might take all day, so I tried to push things along. "Do you know what
blessings Prince Yuzuk and Silverio have?"
"""Huh?"""
They looked at me with obvious confusion.
"They're both Warrior, from what I've heard."
"Have you ever seen them using any skills?"
The three pirates glanced at one another.
"I never have, but Warrior's innate skills are all physical enhancements, so they don't
really stand out."
"There's no mistaking their physical strength, however. They're undefeated in the
castle when it comes to wrestling."
"I know a guy who said he went a few rounds with them once, and he told me they
were powerful and had some crazy good techniques."
"But you've never seen them use a skill or heard of them using one?" I pressed.
"Y-yeah…"
The high elf trio looked suspicious at my questioning.
Saying my thanks, I returned to the room where Rit was waiting.
"Why the serious look, Red? Is there something bothering you?"
"Where did Prince Silverio and Prince Yuzuk come from?"
"Lilinrala said that Leonor probably had an antidote."
"But where did she get the poison in the first place?"
"The previous king of Veronia had an Herbalist blessing, right? So maybe it was in a
collection of medicines he'd gathered?"
"I'd believe that if it were a normal toxin, but Stealth Extinction is from the dark
continent, and not even a high elf could neutralize it. Leonor is a royal family member,
but it's still hard to accept she'd obtain such a rare concoction on Avalon. It would've
required connections to the dark continent."
I'd read about Stealth Extinction in a book. Curing someone after they'd been affected
by it was no simple matter. A miracle like the Hero's Healing Hands was one thing, but
there was no way simple magic or medicine could expunge it quickly.
And if Leonor had drunk the potion and passed it to Geizeric, then both of them would
need to be healed for her to conceive.
If she was actually going to heal Geizeric, it would surely be a long process, and there
was no way he or Lilinrala wouldn't notice.
"So there's no way she had the poison neutralized."
"Hmm. I guess she could've brought in adopted children."
"That isn't very convincing, either."
"…Yeah, there are two of them."
Lilinrala not noticing anything amiss was unusual, but it was even stranger because
Prince Silverio and Prince Yuzuk were brothers. It went without saying that switching
out a king's child was dangerous.
If the truth leaked, Leonor would be ruined.
Thus, if she were going to claim a kid to be hers, the most logical thing to do was only
have one. There was no reason to borrow trouble by having two.
"Of course, if there was no risk of getting caught, then for Leonor's purposes, the more
princes she bore, the better. I'm sure Lilinrala believed the Stealth Extinction cure was
beyond even high elves because that fit best when she trusted the princes were truly
Geizeric's sons."
But given what I knew, an antidote seemed impossible.
"As far as Leonor was concerned, her second son, Silverio, wasn't a risk."
Leonor had absolute confidence that her trick would not be discovered.
"…If my guess is right, Leonor is a terrifying monster."
I know of two who could fill the prince roles perfectly—the Asura demons Gajasura
and Chugarra.
They'd followed Geizeric to Avalon.
"I've seen Gajasura before," I said
Rit raised an eyebrow. "Gajasura? The Asura demon in Mistorm's ship's logs?"
"Yeah. When I met Leonor, he was there as a guard."
"So the Asura demons joined Leonor's faction."
"No, I think they are her faction."
"That's…"
I recalled Shisandan, who'd transformed into an adventurer named Bui.
The people of Zoltan didn't notice that Bui was an Asura demon, and I couldn't tell at
a glance, either. It was a perfect disguise because he was functionally human. His hair
grew out like anyone else's, as did his fingernails. He was indiscernible from the
genuine article.
So if an Asura demon transformed into a baby, would it grow up as a person did?
"Do you think she'd really go so far for personal ambition?" Rit wondered.
I'd encountered Leonor when I was still a boy, and she was the most terrifying woman
I'd ever met.
It was over six years ago…