Calian was looking at Alan with calm eyes. He stood there in silence, but what he wanted was clear.
âI guess it means having a conversation.â
Even if he was a prince from a foreign country, he couldnât fight him on horseback, so Alan had no choice but to get off his horse. Only then was Calian able to properly see Alanâs face.
Thanks to this, Calian was quite surprised, but it was because of the facial appearance of Alan, who he clearly knew was in his 50s.
No matter how high you look at it, heâs in his mid-20s.
Fortunately, his unique hair color, which became darker as it went down, indicated that he was indeed Alan Manasil.
âThey say that if you complete the 7th circle, you will reverse your age once.â
Only then did I understand that the voice coming from the front door was younger than I thought.
âindeed. âI found the right one.â
Calian looked at Alan without trying to hide his expression of admiration. Alanâs eyes also turned strange when he saw those eyes.
âIâm only fourteen. âHow do you examine people with eyes like that?â
What he was looking at was no different from the guards, but his gaze was different. Somehow, I felt like they were looking at their use rather than their outfit.
Alan bowed his head slightly and greeted Calian.
âThis is Alan Manasil.â
A simple greeting. His attitude was quite confident.
No one who is not a member of the royal family can greet a prince in this way when meeting him for the first time.
Now, Alan didnât know who Calian was, and he wasnât just playing tricks. This was because he knew that he was talented enough to not have to cower in front of the royal family.
âHe is someone I like.â
I thought that Allenâs attitude would not change even if he stood in front of Lemain. Calian smiled sincerely.
âNice to meet you.â
As I told Jan, Kalian was a member of royalty, so I did not mention his name. Soon Calian looked at Alan for a moment and then asked.
âItâs late. How can you just go back?â
âWhen I opened the closed door, the threshold was too high.â
Alan, who studied Calian for a moment, answered in a somewhat blunt voice.
âAre you saying letâs take it back?â
Calian smiled slightly after hearing Alanâs answer.
Now, Alan is saying that the guard kicked him out after seeing his shabby appearance.
Calian sighed so as not to be noticed, and chose the right words with a relaxed expression.
âIâm telling you this because I left the door open but you ended up looking for a closed place.â
What are you going to do about giving me an invitation?
Alan looked at Calian with a strange feeling.
The look in his eyes when I first saw him was like that, and it wasnât the response a 14-year-old boy would give.
Instead of just apologizing, Calian started to criticize Alanâs attitude and smiled brightly.
âBecause there was a lot of wind blowing, dirt piled up on the threshold. We were so busy trying to block the wind that we couldnât even wipe it off.â
And he added that he didnât even care about the garrisonâs mistakes in trying to prevent anyone from entering.
Should I call that statement, which is not even an apology, honest or shameless? The corners of Alanâs mouth slowly rose.
âHeâs going to be fun to watch.â
With that thought in mind, Alan began to look closely at Calian.
Many things that were not visible when I first saw them caught my eye.
Then, the smile on Alanâs face gradually disappeared.
âfor a momentâ¦â¦?â
Alanâs eyes landed on the hem of the red robes Calian was wearing. Then he looked at Calianâs hand and then looked at his eyes again. It was difficult to know what Alan was thinking, so Calian just silently received Alanâs gaze.
Alan took a step toward Calian.
Because his expression was so stiff, a look of caution appeared on Calianâs face.
âExcuse me for a moment.â
Alan suddenly stretched out his arm and grabbed Calianâs wrist.
â Swish!
If it were like usual, I would have avoided this, but today was a particularly taxing day for my mind and body. I was literally on the verge of collapsing because I was being called around all day with all my attention. My body couldnât move as I wanted.
Moreover, there is no one in the royal palace who can touch Kalianâs body so carelessly. Thanks to this, I let my guard down in many ways and held on to my wrist helplessly.
Alan, holding Calianâs wrist, lowered his eyes as if checking something.
âWhat is thisâ¦!â
When Calian opened his mouth to say something.
Alan poured his mana into Calianâs body.
A sharp pain that was difficult to get used to pierced my heart. Calian, unable to finish his words, clutched his chest. My body reeled from pain that seemed to be several times greater than what I had felt before.
â Diverse!
Raven, who recognized the ownerâs condition, took a step forward and placed her body on Calian. Calian, who was leaning against Ravenâs body without even being surprised by such an action, gritted his teeth.
âI canât believe my situation was discovered before we even had a proper conversation.â
Alan, who was looking at this situation, nodded. He opened his mouth with a grave face, as if he knew what effect his magic would have on Calian.
âEven if you close the door, it doesnât block all the wind.â
âYou speak very well!â
Calian looked at Alan with fierce eyes and grabbed his wrist. Alan felt that his skinny wrist would break if he tried not to let go, so he relaxed his grip. And then took a step back. It meant that I wouldnât touch it anymore.
ââ¦â¦ under.â
Calian closed his eyes for a moment and calmed down his anger. Before long, a resigned voice came out of Calianâs mouth.
âI wish I had told you earlier that I needed to check something.â
Since I discovered Alanâs pain before I could change his mind, I guess thereâs nothing more I have to say. Of course, my voice didnât come out well.
âIt couldnât block all the wind⦠Yes, thatâs right. It couldnât block it all. At some point, I couldnât use mana.â
Alan nodded.
âDid you know there was something wrong?â
But that wasnât the problem.
âSeeing as they only talk about mana, it seems like they donât know that there is a real problem.â
I came here because the country led by the descendants of the dragon actually treats wizards poorly. The plan was to make people think that they had lost sight of the precious archmage who came to visit on their own right.
However, I encountered something unexpected.
âHmm.â
Suddenly, Alan looked up and saw the Cispanian statue standing in the middle of the fountain. All day today, sounds from all over the street lingered in my ears.
â A prince who resembles a Sispanian.
I think that would be fun to watch, too.
Alan, who looked at the Sispanian statue and the royal palace once, looked at Calian again and asked.
âHow did you follow me right away?â
Calianâs fingertips gained strength.
The prince, who seemed to be in desperate need of Alanâs help, chased after him at the right time and ended up facing him like this. Arenât there many things that are unreasonable to call this a coincidence?
âI was afraid that question would come up, so I tried to hide the pain until I made up my mind properly.â
Calian thought for a moment about what to say in response.
I came from the future and I knew you would come and go. So I canât say Iâve been waiting for a long time to win your favor. But I couldnât lie. It was clear that Alan would have seen that much.
âI was walking nearby on horseback and heard a conversation with a garrison member. So I came running right away.â
I swear in the name of Serenti, my god, that what I just said was not a lie at all. It was a trick that bordered on a play on words, but I answered honestly anyway.
Alan, who stared at Calian with incomprehensible eyes for a moment, asked again.
âWhy did you come running?â
âBecause you ran.â
For a moment, Alan burst into laughter.
This was because the answer that was appropriate for someone of my age finally came out, and the voice still contained traces of regret. Alan, who thought he must have been in a lot of pain, asked again.
âThen. Why did you look for me?â
Calian did not answer hastily.
âI know itâs because of the problem of not being able to use mana, so why bother asking?â
Alan was looking at Calian, lost in thought. Whatever the answer, please answer quickly. I didnât even bother.
After a moment, Kalianâs mouth opened.
âIf you ask why.â
The reason I waited for Alan without even looking for a healer.
The reason I came out of the palace even though I knew there would be an uproar when I returned. It was definitely there.
Calian straightened his body, which was leaning against Raven.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAllen Manasil. I want to get that name.â
The words continued like a small sigh.
ââ¦I think the wind will really blow soon.â
In fact, he meant that the day of assassination was approaching, but he could not go into more detail about it. I thought it would be good to just understand it as a fight for position between the crown prince.
Alan lightly scratched his forehead with his index finger.
It was not that he did not know what kind of situation the prince in front of him was in. I also knew well the extent of power that Queen Silike, who holds the sword hilt, had within the palace of King Kairis. Therefore, I felt like I had a fair idea of what this third prince, who needed the name Allan Manasil, was thinking.
âDo you want to stop the wind or calm it down, prince?â
Are you only thinking of protecting yourself from other forces? Or are you planning to defeat them all and rise to the top?
Calian looked at Alan without saying a word.
Is this someone you can really trust? Finally, it was a look that confirmed it once again. The same light appeared in Alanâs eyes as he met them.
After a while, Calian answered in a calm voice.
âWe should stop it right now. And what I want is not the throne. But if I need the throne for what I want, I am willing to put it to rest.â
Arrogant words that dismiss the throne as just an option.
A prince who has nothing in his hands other than his dying body speaks like that.
It was already fun.
âHow much more fun will it be from now on?â
The corners of Alanâs mouth rose again.
I made a decision.
âthen.â
He raised his finger and pointed to the Kairis Palace.
âPlease give me the invitation again.â
A proper cause that I can help you with, not just a three-day invitation to attend the Kingâs Birthday celebration party.
Calian laughed. And soon the smile disappeared.
The sharply shining red eyes look away from Allen and look at the floor. My head was lowered and my knees were bent.
â Sarahâ¦â¦.
The white cloak puffed up for a moment, hovered in the air, and soon fell to the ground like a feather.
âKalian Reyn Kairis.â
Calianâs voice spread calmly.
Alan looked down at the back of Calian, who was kneeling on one knee in front of him.
âGreetings to you, Master.â
He has eyes that donât match his age.
And that back is so small.
Alan opened his mouth.
And he answered the question to the disciple he met for the first time in his life.
âI accept your invitation.â
yes my you
Iâll save you.