‘What’s with today?’ Eugene thought exasperatedly.
There was no way this was a coincidence. This had to be a move by that Commander of the Court Wizards who had been following him around like a trail of goldfish poop. But for now, Eugene put down the lobster claw he had been holding and got up from his seat.
“To think I’d meet such an honored personage in such a shabby place…,” Eugene trailed off.
“This place can hardly be called shabby,” the person Eugene was addressing disputed. “Even in all of Pentagon, this restaurant is quite famous after all.”
“But you’re not going to deny that you are an honored personage?”
“If it were up to me, I would deny it, but wouldn’t it be ridiculous of me to commit lèse-majesté by doing so?”
The person Eugene had been addressing was Honein Abram. The Crown Prince of Aroth had just entered the private room they had reserved in this restaurant without a single attendant accompanying him. With a bright smile, he pointed at an empty seat at Eugene’s table.
“May I sit there?” he asked politely.
Eugene replied, “It doesn’t matter to me, but….”
There might not be much meaning to this choice, but Eugene still glanced over to Lovellian for permission. Like Eugene, Lovellian similarly got up from his seat.
“I’m fine with that as well. However, Crown Prince, would it be better for you if I were to leave my seat?” Lovellian asked.
Honein assured him, “There’s no need for that. If the Red Tower Master were forced to leave his seat, I’m sure that Sir Eugene would also feel uncomfortable, and I also don’t want to disrupt this meal between a master and his disciple.”
“I’m afraid that it’s already been disrupted,” Eugene grumbled as he wiped his hands with a wet towel. “If you were really taking that into consideration, you should have just approached us after dinner.”
This way of talking was far too rude to be used when speaking to the Crown Prince, who was the first in the line of succession. However, none of those present pointed out Eugene’s rudeness. It had been two years since Eugene had arrived in Aroth, and though it wasn’t too often, he had met with Honein a few times during this period.
“That was also my intention,” Honein revealed. “But it seems that Sir Eugene, your meal ended up taking longer than I intended. Were you really planning on eating all the lobsters this restaurant has available?”
“Hey now, that’s an exaggeration. Don’t you know, Crown Prince? These lobsters actually have very little flesh once they’ve been peeled from their shells,” Eugene defended himself.
Honein changed the subject, “I didn’t know that Sir Eugene enjoyed seafood so much.”
“I like anything as long as it tastes good. But why haven’t you taken a seat yet?” Eugene asked as he pulled out the empty chair.
At this invitation, Honein laughed and took the seat.
“Seeing you show such unusual courtesy, it seems that walking all the way here has been in vain,” Honein observed.
“You should have suspected it in your heart before you even came here,” Eugene said.
“Well, that might be the case.”
“Now then, let’s see, it seems like it will take quite some time for them to serve us new dishes, so….”
Honein said, “If you’re inviting me to dinner, I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s get straight to talking,” Eugene said with a smile as he put down the wet towel. “Though no matter what the Crown Prince offers, I’m afraid my decision will not change.”
“Even if I’m promising you the position of the Commander of the Court Wizards?” Honein calmly replied as if he had been waiting for Eugene’s refusal. “I can guarantee this offer with my own good name.”
Eugene raised an eyebrow, “I believe that should be outside your capabilities for now.”
“In ten years,” Honein firmly declared.
Although Honein had promised that the position would be his in ten years, Eugene was still only nineteen-years-old. Not a single wizard in Aroth’s history had managed to become the Commander of the Court Wizards at the young age of twenty-nine.
“Isn’t that a little bit too optimistic?” Eugene asked doubtfully.
Honein calmly explained, “In ten years, I will be the king of Aroth.”
Even hearing these words was enough to be dangerous for the listener. However, this VIP-only room was designed so that any conversation taking place within it absolutely could not leak out. Moreover, the moment Honein entered, Lovellian had personally cast a spell to increase the room’s protection against surveillance.
That said, it wasn’t like Honein’s words were any less dangerous for all these precautions.
“I believe the reigning monarch should still have the final say on this matter?”
As Lovellion asked this question with narrowed eyes, Honein smiled brightly and raised both hands in surrender.
“Please don’t get the wrong idea,” he said. “I have already received a promise from my father regarding the succession of the throne. Not only is my right of succession unrivaled, but the people of Aroth also trust in me and have no doubt that I will become their next king.”
“Even though that might be the case, your words were still inappropriate,” Lovellian warned him.
Despite having said this, Lovellian also had no doubt that Honein would be able to become the next king. Of course, there were other potential successors, but Honein was unrivaled among all his siblings.
The people of Aroth held so much respect and admiration for magic that it was called the Magic Kingdom. Though this country had produced many great wizards generation after generation, even among all of these wizards, the royal family of Aroth could proudly boast of possessing an excellent ‘bloodline’ for magic.
And even among the royal family, Honein was absolutely exceptional. Everyone in the royal family of Aroth might have started learning magic from a young age, but Honein was the first in the royal family's history to have reached the Fifth Circle before even becoming an adult.
‘....And it’s not just compared to the rest of the Royal Family either,’ Lovellian mused.
Among all the wizards who had studied in Aroth, none had managed to reach the Fifth Circle before entering adulthood. Even Lovellian, who had constantly been called a genius from a very young age, rose to the Fifth Circle only after he had become an adult.
If Lovellian hadn’t met Eugene, he would have believed that this Crown Prince held the most talent for this generation in terms of ‘magic.’
“The Court Wizards are under the direct command of the king. Of course, it will take some mediation in respect of the parliament, but if it’s you, Sir Eugene, then I’m sure that in ten years, you would have obtained sufficient qualifications for the role,” Honein professed.
Eugene expressed his doubts, “Although I’m grateful for your high esteem, Crown Prince, you can’t be sure of what level my magic has reached, correct?”
“Isn’t that because Sir Eugene and the Red Tower Master have been quite thorough in hiding it. Now, why would you hide it?” Honein asked with a smile. “I suspect you’re hiding it because there’s a good reason for you to do so. Since you haven’t revealed it directly, I can only make guesses, but… the other wizards should also suspect something along those lines.”
“...Hm,” Eugene grunted at him to go on.
“Witch Craft,” Honein uttered as he stared at Eugene with narrowed eyes.
Honein was using the Sixth Circle spell Search-Eye. This spell was able to detect the mana contained within Eugene’s body. Just from looking at the amount of mana that Eugene possessed, he could tell that Eugene’s mana was far beyond what an ordinary Fifth Circle wizard could possess.
Honein cut straight to the point, “Have you comprehended the Eternal Hole?”
“Do you really need me to reply to that?” Eugene asked in return.
“If you say something like that, then you’re practically admitting it,” Honein pointed out.
“That’s because I can’t do something like lying to the Crown Prince, right?” Eugene smirked, “Though that doesn’t mean I have any intentions of telling you the whole truth.”
“The Commander of Aroth’s Court Wizards — does this position truly not interest you?” tempted Honein.
Eugene dismissed his offer, “It’s certainly a prestigious role, but I can get something like that wherever I go.”
Eugene truly wasn’t interested in such a position. Especially since it came with military duties. Besides, as he had just said, Eugene was confident that, with his abilities, he would be welcomed anywhere he went.
Just solely in terms of national power, the Kiehl Empire was superior to Aroth. After all, only three countries in this vast continent were powerful enough to be called empires: The Holy Empire of Yuras, the Kiehl Empire, and the Devildom of Helmuth.
At the moment, Eugene was just a member of the Lionheart clan. Although the Patriarch of the main family hadn’t held a noble title since the passing of the Great Vermouth, there were actually many members among the Lionheart’s collateral branches who held high-ranking noble titles. If Eugene were to take up a title by swearing fealty to the crown, he would be able to obtain the lowest rank of baron with ease.
“If it’s with Sir Eugene’s skill, then, of course, that’s the case,” Honein agreed. “But is it really impossible for us to tempt you to stay in Aroth with this position?”
“It’s not that I dislike Aroth or hate the thought of becoming a Court Wizard. It’s just that I’m not that interested in it,” Eugene confessed.
Honein suddenly changed tracks, “If that’s the case, then what about knowledge?”
Unable to understand what Honein meant by that, Eugene tilted his head in confusion, but at his side, Lovellian’s expression stiffened.
Hesitantly, Lovellian asked, “Crown Prince, could you be talking about…?”
“Only the first volume of Witch Craft has been stored in Akron,” Honein said in a calm voice as he stared directly at Eugene. “As you are already aware, the Wise Sienna wrote Witch Craft as a complete set of three volumes. The first of these is stored in Akron… and the other two volumes are stored in the royal treasury.”
