In This Life, I Will Raise You Well, Your Majesty! - Chapter 84

“But your master belongs to the Western Magic Tower, doesn’t he?”

Isabelle, who had been squeezing her mind, finally caught a flaw.

“After all, it is because he is the official guardian of the 3rd Prince that he permitted the talents of the Magic Tower to belong to the prince.”

Instead of a pact between the 3rd Prince and a genius mage, it induced the appearance of a political relationship between the 2nd Consort’s Palace and the Western Magic Tower.

But nothing was on Isabelle’s side today.

“About that… My master belongs to the Western Magic Tower, but I have not been officially listed. After spending time at the 2nd Consort’s Palace, I have been taught by the 2nd Consort. She and the 3rd Prince helped me a lot in reaching the 5th-circle. It is obvious to whom I should repay the favor; my choice is mine alone. I only need to ask permission from my master to do the oath.”

Jillian didn’t need to say a lot. As long as many people were listening, misunderstandings should not have occurred.

And she had been discussing with her master about a way to clean up their unnecessary entanglement with the Western Tower that had been causing them a headache.

She didn’t know it would be with such a radical method today.

Jillian turned to the side where her master was, and their eyes met with authenticity. Although the disciple had not changed her shy smile, she showed the characteristics of a high-ranking mage that arose from awakening into the 5th-circle.

Those who had broken the wall and felt the expansion of the world could not go back to the past. As they realized the weight of existence, a day would only mean adding more weight to it.

So, there was no reason to be discouraged unless the opponent ranked higher than her. This was why Jillian was still Jillian, and she could be so confident.

Georg only thought that it was already like this and smiled. He had received a lot of help from the 2nd Consort’s Palace, and thought he would end the rest of his life there.

He didn’t have a seat in the Western Tower and didn’t want to go there even if they called him. Why would an old man go, leaving his grandchildren behind?

While the gaze of the two mages was exchanged, the situation was roughly settled.

“Now what remains is to announce who has made the greatest achievements with the greatest talent.”

The nobleman of the barony, who acted as the host, said while sweating profusely.

He even had to look at the paper he had taken out of his sleeve and swallowed and gulped repeatedly.

When the crown prince’s sword was pulled out, he was amazed and anxious, and when the 2nd Prince made a mistake, he lamented and thought it would work out somehow.

However, when the 3rd Prince and the mage girl made an oath, he wanted to check over and over again with the person who brought him the paper to see if it was really okay to announce it as it was written here.

The nobleman went up to the stage. He trembled, looking at the 1st Consort once, the paper once, then again at the 1st Consort.

As the strange sight continued for anyone to see, the corners of the eyes of the 1st Consort trembled. The 1st Consort’s green eyes pointed to the left.

The nobleman glanced at the crown prince standing to his right and nodded. The crown prince had a reason to win here rather than the 2nd Prince, and although it was surprising that the 3rd Prince presented something a little more than the original purpose of the contest…

The moment he opened his mouth in relief.

The crown prince’s words came out.

“I give up in honor of what I saw today.”

Whoever beat Leon here would be talked about that they have someone behind the scene, for a long time. Even if that was not the case, the people would believe it to some extent.

Ascencio’s younger brother’s singing skills, which he had been worried about all along, was very good, and he was happy that a trusted friend swore that she would continue to protect his younger brother.

The nobleman’s expression turned as if he had lost his soul. It was disappointing that only unexpected events occurred at the first event after a long absence, where His Majesty the Emperor and the nobles gathered.

In the meantime, the 2nd Prince kept an eye out for why he wasn’t making an announcement. He believed that he should receive it because he decided to receive it.

“What are you doing?”

When the 2nd Prince finally shot the nobleman openly, the nobleman closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.

“One has given up and the other has prepared a little contrary to the purpose of the contest, so it is difficult to rank today’s competition, isn’t it?”

Said Marchioness Bahrain. Because there was a reason, no one objected to her words.

“All three princes were brilliant and wonderful. They deserve applause.”

Marchioness Bahrain applauded first. The 1st Consort clapped her palms accordingly, and the Eastern nobles followed her.

Loud applause filled the garden.

“Well done.”

Isabelle tilted her face to Marchioness Bahrain and whispered.

“You did a great job, Crown Prince.”

“It is a talent worthy of praise from the swordmaster, Marquis Blemir, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Haha!”

When praises flowed from one side, the other side did not lose and was busy praising the prince they served.

“It was as if an angel was playing the instruments. Such a lovely person who resembles the 1st Consort.”

The emperor was sitting at the same table as the 1st Consort, so naturally, the Eastern nobles raised their noses in pride. Wasn’t there one more anticipated event for the Eastern nobles? That, too, was something flashy enough to wash away the disgrace that just happened.

Everyone wondered what kind of prize could make the 1st Consort, who had the richest man in the empire as her father, say that no one could offer anything better than this with her mouth. But Isabelle kept dragging the time. The Eastern nobles, who had been wondering the reason, soon found out why.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I’ve prepared it.”

Ascensio organized the presents he had opened and accepted what Blemir offered. It was a flat, long wooden box.

It seemed old and vague in size, so it didn’t seem like a very good thing, but what about the person who gave it? It was dedicated to the crown prince, the nephew of the swordmaster, who was called the most talented in the empire and would serve as his lord.

It couldn’t be sloppy.

Creak!

Ascensio unlocked the front lock and opened the lid…

“It’s a sword, isn’t it?”

It was a sword for boys that was perfect for Ascensio. The blade was a bit blunt because it wasn’t sharpened on purpose.

“Is it a magic sword?”

Murmured someone. But who would make an expensive magic sword for a boy, who would only use it once, and not for a lifetime?

In addition, Marquis Blemir was a man who valued basic skills. There was no way he could give Ascensio, who he had evaluated as a talent, a magic sword.

[T/N: Ascensio is talented in swordsmanship, but perhaps not so much in magic/mana. So perhaps this implies it is impossible for Blemir, who finds Ascensio very talented in vanilla swordsmanship, to give him a magic sword and have him counting on magic]

“It is a sword made by Basma.”

When Blemir answered, those who did not know who it was, wondered who it was, and those who knew widened their eyes.

“Are you talking about Basma, the master craftsman of the Zeon Empire?”

“They say that reservations have been booked for ten years, and no matter how much money they give and threaten him with, he will never make it.”

When those who had an eye for swords asked in wonder with admiration, Blemir replied as if it were nothing.

“I gave him a little help in the past. It wasn’t specially made for today’s event. It was originally ordered for the crown prince, so I received it a little earlier.”

“If it’s Basma’s sword, why don’t you get it for an adult? Isn’t it wasteful to use it only for a few years?”

An Eastern noble approached without realizing it after hearing Basma’s name.

“Of course I’ve ordered a separate sword for the crown prince for later use. Basma said he would create a masterpiece of his life, so His Highness doesn’t need to worry about wasting a sword for practice.”

When Blemir answered as if it was nothing special, the man returned to his seat.

As a swordmaster, Blemir, one of the most prominent not only in the Empire but also on the continent, would not be treated rudely, even if the other party was Basma.

Giving the best sword to the strongest knight was a dream of every craftsman.

“Catch it.”

As Blemir said that, Ascensio was honestly surprised when he caught the sword. It was a sword with a perfect balance that he had never used before, with a different feel to his hand.

“Thank you.”

Ascensio thanked him, and Blemir nodded. The owner opened the remaining gifts, and everyone enjoyed them together while the attendants organized the other items to be brought to the Crown Prince’s Palace later.

Isabelle got up when the crown prince’s side became quiet, had her maids bring what she had prepared, and then put it on an empty table. It was huge enough to fill half the table.

“Open it. Yours is the best.”

Stoneham’s face, worried that he would lose again because of Basma’s name, brightened.

Stoneham wanted to open the box himself, but it was impossible. It was one meter long and half high, making it difficult for adults to lift it alone, not to mention Stoneham.

When the maids lifted the lid together, there was a replica modeled after the topography of the empire.

Detailed maps were a top secret used only by the military, so the maker based it on the popular maps in public on purpose, and some areas were a little out of place, but other than that, they were perfect. The land was made of sprinkling gold powder, the forest was marked with emeralds, and the places where there were many monsters were marked with black obsidian.

What about the last name of each noble family? They were made like a small doll’s house using gems. Then there was Barossa. This beautiful place was made entirely of diamonds; inside, a black-haired male doll and a blonde and green-eyed doll were drinking tea.

Everyone thought they could buy a whole castle with the jewelry in that replica, but it would be difficult to price if the work fee was added.

“As expected of the 1st Consort.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I didn’t think there would be anything more surprising than a mage’s oath, but now I can only see this in front of my eyes.”

Not only the Eastern nobility, the nobles of the Crown Prince’s faction, and the Imperial faction could not stop their tongues, saying it was something they couldn’t get tired of.

Even amid the hustle and bustle of Basma’s sword and imperial jewels, there was a quiet place alone. It was the 3rd Prince Leon’s table, but there were many more presents than expected.

But.

“Huh? This is the cookie I said was delicious. Dorian must have baked it.”

Most of the items were made or bought by the family members of the 2nd Consort’s Palace. Magic items that Georg loved, the luxurious fountain pen Viscountess Cain sent through Timothy, or the ornaments Ascensio painstakingly selected…

These were the items that a normal imperial child would have received on their birthday, so many people around laughed at him.

After the magic pact, they didn’t openly quarrel, but it was certain that they looked down on him. Leon tried to think of something else rather than to care about them.

“I wish I had Sir Rohan today.”

And…

“He’s coming.”

“Huh? How can he get here? Sir Rohan went out to hunt monsters, bad trolls harassing people in the forest at Viscount Palmer’s place.”

While Leon was talking, the loud noises that echoed around him disappeared, and soon it became quiet. And everyone in the garden was focused on the place Jillian pointed to.

Leon looked back, tilting his head, and a rather tired-looking Rohan walked up.

“Whoa!”

As Leon ran, Rohan stopped walking and bowed down. Rohan, kneeling on the floor on one of his knees, was at eye level with Leon standing in front of him.

“How was the song? It looks like you sang well because of the good expression on your face.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll sing it to Sir Rohan later.”

Leon paused while he was about to hug Rohan.

“I was in a hurry and couldn’t wipe the blood. Are you surprised?”

“No. It’s not that; I’m afraid you may have an injury. What if I touch it and it hurts more?”

“It’s all right.”

Rohan, who answered, moved forward, went to the emperor, covered his left chest with his right hand, and bowed his head.

“I’ve returned, Your Majesty.”

“You came earlier than expected.”

“I was fortunate.”

“Was the Sir Rohan I knew a man of fortune?”

“…”

“It would not be surprising to hear that Count Scherzer is pushing the 3rd Prince to be the next emperor.”

“That is absurd, Your Majesty.”

“You’re doing that absurd thing, Sir Rohan, not anyone else.”

There was no emotion in his voice. The emperor simply looked at Rohan for a long time with his face tilted to the side.

Then he waved his hand.

“The 3rd Prince is waiting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rohan stepped back and walked over to Leon.

“Have you been scolded? Is it because of me?”

“It’s not like that.”

Rohan said, but Leon could not easily raise his face. Then Rohan changed the subject.

“Aren’t you curious about the gift I brought?”

“Your arrival is a gift already.”

“But I have prepared it. Was it not your first competition? It seems like you’ve already received a lot of good things, but I think you will like this too.”

It took him a while to reach in with his arm and get a good grip. At that moment, something soft with black hair poked through Rohan’s collar. Two silver eyes were looking at Leon.

“Huh? Huh?”

As Leon grinned, Rohan put the small creature he took out on the table. Leon wanted to put his face close to it, wondering if it was a puppy, but Rohan was quicker. Rohan, who blocked the two with his palm, warned him.

“Don’t get too close. It’s dangerous because it’s not tamed yet.”

“But it’s such a small baby.”

“Even if it is small, this is a cub of Barcado.”

As soon as Rohan finished speaking, a shriek was heard.

“Barcado? Barcado, he says?”

“Those creatures still exist?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Leon’s table. To obtain Basma’s sword, you need honor, and to make a model of the Empire from jewels, you must have money. But Barcado could not be obtained from either or both.

“Give it a name, 3rd Prince.”

The black Barcado cub fell forward while scratching its ear with its hind paw. Leon didn’t know why that was dangerous, but he held back from touching it since Rohan said so.

“Well then… Remy. The pronunciation is cute. Remy.”

“Well, I’ll take it with me and stop by whenever I have time to teach you how to tame Remy.”

“Yes! Yes!”

No one knew if his excitement was because he would be taught how to tame Remy or if he would be able to see Rohan more often.

Leon’s face was full of laughter as he nodded his head.

The moment it was decided which of the day’s gifts would be the best.

“It’s a cub of Barcado. How could anyone beat that?”

Many people sympathized with the voice of someone muttering in despair. Isabelle’s hands trembled with her eyes closed.

The banquet was over.