CHAPTER 73…………………………………….
Land of Monsters (4):
Aris couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up, proud that he’d managed to use this much magic without losing control.
Ever since coming to the princess’s palace, all that rolling and training had finally paid off!
Of course, Carion muttered in a hushed, annoyed voice.
“You?! Why’d you follow us?”
“Don’t act like you’re the only hotshot here, you spoiled prince.”
He was about to retort with, “You’re just showing off in front of Sion,” when—
“Master…”
Minthe’s exasperated eyes landed on Aris.
“What! Why? Master, I did good this time!”
“Yes. Next time I’ll reduce your ten laps in training to five.”
“……”
“Your Highness! Please show us the way.”
“Ah, yes…! Over there! Under that rock—”
Carion’s voice trembled with unease.
The spot he pointed at was completely empty.
But Minthe only smirked.
Sure, it looked empty—yet the water rippled as if a ship was forcing its way forward.
‘Hmph. A little trick, is it?’
Then he swung his whip-like sword with all his strength.
Moments later—
The blade touched the surface, and a deafening crack, like wood shattering, rang out.
Meanwhile, Lete and I couldn’t rush out to look for Aris.
“Your Highness! What is the meaning of this?!”
We had just spotted Count Stenel and his wife at the concert, and brought them to the lounge.
The countess trembled, shouting, while the count’s face was dark with worry—
especially when confronted with Merchant Lord Bruten.
But at the mention that I had given the order, Bruten’s expression smoothed into a sly smile.
“Well, well. The young Highness must have been so excited at the concert, she summoned her servants without cause.”
“Count…”
“I understand your delight, but…”
The count sneered at Lete.
“It seems your attendant cannot look after you properly.”
I glared, letting every ounce of my five-year-old wrath fill my face.
Not that a child that age could look all that frightening.
“I ordered the search. The responsibility is mine.”
Everyone froze.
But Bruten just smiled politely at me.
“My, my… so young, yet I’ve heard you’re quite precocious.”
“……”
“Do you already understand the meaning of responsibility?”
Hah. Who in this world knows the weight of ‘responsibility’ more than I do?
Perhaps mistaking my silence for fear, Bruten puffed himself up.
“If you continue like this, we will have no choice but to inform the royal house of Illiod—”
“Watch your tongue, merchant. You too, Count!”
Lete cut him off, sharp as a blade.
“Confess, here before the princess, what dealings you had with this Illiod man!”
“Pah, Lady Epikus.”
The count shook his head.
“Our family trades as all families do. Gems from our mines—”
“Bruten promised to hand those goods to Halcyon.”
“……!”
The count’s shoulders flinched in that brief instant.
The countess gaped at him in shock.
His lips quivered, but he stubbornly denied it.
“N-no! I never—never conspired with Bruten on such—!”
He spun toward Bruten, shouting.
“This is your doing! Slandering me with this nonsense—!”
“You gave him bloodstones, didn’t you?”
The words slipped out before I could stop myself.
The room fell silent.
Ever since Carion had told me he overheard this man’s “voice,” I’d had a sinking feeling.
That he’d sold bloodstones…
“Count. Did you give Bruten bloodstones or not? I’m asking you.”
“……!”
“…You did.”
I almost laughed at the sheer greed.
To sell them off, not even knowing how they might be used.
The count still raged.
“But—the stones—they’ve lost their power—!”
“Enough, Count!”
Lete barked.
There were Illiod men in this room—if the stone’s properties were revealed, it would be disastrous.
Then, in a stern voice, she ordered:
“Count Terraine. Report to Lord Erebos at once. We’ll need authority to search the Stenel estate and mines.”
“Y-yes!”
“You…!”
Count Stenel howled in fury.
“Who do you think toiled through the war, digging out those mines?! It was us!”
“Count! How dare you raise your voice before the princess—!”
“And that war—who do you think caused it?! The Queen herself!”
The air grew deathly cold.
His glare bored into me, blazing with hatred.
“If your mother had stayed quiet, none of this would have happened! Friendship with humans? That nonsense cost countless lives!”
The knights wrestled him down harder.
But like a beast near death, he fought viciously.
“You used us until we were bled dry, then paid us off and shut it all down?! Absurd!”
“Ugh, that oily-brained voice is so annoying!”
……And at that moment, my frozen heart thawed instantly.
Who else could say something like that, but—
“Aris…!”
“Young master!”
“Our baby brother!”
All of us—Lete, Lady Terraine, and I—turned toward the door, where Aris strolled in as if nothing had happened.
“Ah? Oh, I’m back!”
Who told him to greet so cheerfully?!
‘Oh, I fell for it…’
Behind him, Minthe walked in, with Carion sulking in tow.
I wriggled out of Lete’s arms and ran at Aris.
“Sion? You wanted to see—ugh!”
“You idiot! Baby brother or not—you made us worry again!”
“What’re you talking about? Who’s a baby—ugh!”
I let all my fury out, pummeling him with my little fists.
If you wanted to go, you should have asked first, you reckless brat!
Minthe stepped between us.
“Don’t be too harsh, Princess. He was a big help this time.”
“Ah—really?!”
“Yes. Thanks to him, I had an easier shot.”
“A shot…?”
I hadn’t seen it myself, so I couldn’t quite understand.
Just then, the knights dragged in several soaking-wet prisoners—
the men of Bruten’s trade company.
‘How’d they end up like drowned rats?’
Minthe gestured at them.
“Your Highness, Lord Terraine. We found the ship that tried to leave the lake in secret.”
And finally, the last group of knights heaved a massive sack onto the floor.
It hit with a thud, spilling open.
Aris and I peered inside—
“Ugh…”
Aris wrinkled his nose, pretending to gag.
No wonder—inside were grotesque, murky-green stones.
I picked up the smallest one.
‘Will it really suppress divine power?’
Even a temporary effect would be useful.
And when I carefully, just faintly, released a trace of divine power—
Crackle…!
“Ah!”
A faint sound of shattering, perceptible only to my hand.
And in that instant, I realized—
‘Huh. Was I always this strained?’
For the first time, from head to toe, my whole body felt aligned, centered.
So this was what normal felt like.
‘And I wasn’t even using both powers at once before.’
Just coexisting in my body must have been draining me.
I thought I was simply weak because I was young—but now, suddenly, I felt light and clear.
Meanwhile, Minthe gestured at the sack.
“Their ship was full of bloodstones.”
“What…!”
“What will you say to this, Count?”
Count Stenel and his wife looked as if they might foam at the mouth.
And others seemed ready to faint as well—
“Ah… ah…!”
Merchant Lord Bruten and his men, who had been so smug just moments ago.
Minthe barked at them.
“Bloodstones are a mineral forbidden to leave our country. Bruten and his people will be imprisoned in Tartarus.”
But then—
“M-master!”
One of Bruten’s men cried out in horror.
‘What?!’
In an instant, Bruten alone vanished into thin air.
Even with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.
How could a man disappear so completely?
Then I remembered the artifacts Laocoon had shown me.
‘Ah… of course.’
Bruten dealt in such things—no doubt he had one that concealed his presence.
Carion sighed, disgusted.
“Pfft…!”
Then, swinging the sword I’d given him—scabbard and all—he struck the empty air.
Thunk!
Like wood being clubbed—or a bone breaking.
“Gah!”
A cry of agony followed.
So, being invisible didn’t mean you couldn’t feel pain.
“You filthy, sniveling little—aghhh!”
And his foul mouth still worked fine.
But before he could spew more filth, my hand moved first.
