It felt as though all my internal organs were in a revolt for feeding them this repulsive thing.
“Ugh…,” I groaned. My stomach twisted again at the strange feel of the slippery mass that remained on my tongue. Even so, I couldn’t throw up. This was what Kaichen made for me. The great recluse who didn’t care about anyone else, who also suffered from mysophobia. Someone who had hated me for some unknown reason. He had made this for me.
I have to at least pretend to like it. I ate the porridge and muttering to myself, laid down on the bed. He had said that he had made the porridge with only nutritious ingredients, but it felt like this one dish had sucked all the remaining nutrients from my body. I wanted to ask what else he had put in the porridge but decided that it was better not to know. I closed my eyes.
For the first time I acknowledged that living as Kaichen’s disciple wouldn’t be easy.
* * *
After receiving communication from Kaichen, Julius immediately started an investigation on Momalhaut and Acrab. His suspicions were right. It was confirmed that Momalhaut’s forces had frequently visited Acrab.
The Momalhaut was a rebel group formed by the remnants of the vassal states that had been merged after the war and were aiming for independence. The fact that such Momalhauts went in and out of Acrab likely means that Countess Alshine was on their side. Why else would she allow them in her city otherwise?
According to Kaichen, she, herself, had been the medium for the time magic that was cast on Acrab. She must have been in contact with the mage. There seemed to be an undeniable connection between her and Momalhaut forces unless something went amiss…
Julius stroked his chin and sighed. If Countess Alshine was really involved with Momalhaut, his friend, Kaichen, would be in terrible danger. Of course, Kaichen can take care of himself against a drunkard but it still worried Julius. Kaichen usually returned to his home to recover.
It would have been better if they had directly gone to the magic tower. But Kaichen would have already noticed this. Did he take her home despite knowing that she was involved with Momalhaut…? Julius smiled dryly. Kaichen pretended to be indifferent, acting as though this didn’t affect him at all. He must have been unable to forget his childhood memories. Perhaps when he met her, he was reminded of their childhood yet again.
Is he still not over her or is he planning his revenge? Julius wondered. He was curious. He sprinted out of his office neglecting the documents on his table.
“Your Highness?” said Bart with surprise, the Crown Prince’s aide, with a pile of documents in his hands. “Your Highness! Where are you going?”
“Bart! I need to be away for a while. Can you do me a favor this once?”
“Nooo, I can’t!” exclaimed Bart. But Julius patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the room.
“I trust you with everything in my absence,” said Julius with a friendly smile.
“Your Highness! No! Please…”
Ignoring Bart’s cries, Julius stopped the guard who followed him and left the imperial palace on his own. Usually, royalties weren’t allowed to leave the palace without a guard, but he was Julius, the Crown Prince. He had had a rough childhood and he wandered around freely as a disciple of Matabju. He was strong and capable and didn’t need a guard. He had appeared out of nowhere and pushed aside the Crown Princess to take her position. Julius was that kind of a person.
Leaving the Imperial Palace, Julius took out the parchment Kaichen had given him and tore it. It would teleport him to Kaichen’s private residence. There were only two ways to reach Kaichen’s home: either memorize the winding ways through the forests and travel on foot, or use the parchment given by Kaichen.
The house was different. A bench had been placed in the desolate yard and a new vegetable garden was the recent addition. It was a house where an old mage could rest his feet and recover. Julius smiled. He recalled Kaichen would never take the effort to do this.
It seemed the seeds were just sprouting and somebody had put some effort in beautifying the garden. Julius stroked his chin, deep in thought. Only someone talented and skilled in farming could have done so much to make this dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere look like a home.
He felt a presence in the doorway. Julius had thought it might be Kaichen who had come out annoyed by him tearing the parchment that he had given Julius for emergencies. However, the door did not open. He heard a thump. Did Countess Alshine do something to harm Kaichen? He wondered.
His imagination ran wild even though he knew Kaichen could take care of himself. He pushed the door open. If Countess Alshine had really joined with the Momalhauts, she must have many tricks up her sleeve to best Kaichen.
However, it wasn’t Kaichen that he saw when he stepped in. Black hair and a lean body. A tall woman who was so skinny that the feet poking out of her nightgown looked painfully frail. She was on the floor, groaning. It was pitiful to see.
“Countess Alshine?” he called. Countess Alshine was the only woman in the Empire who had black hair as dark as night. It could be no other. She had collapsed on the ground. He approached her confused and worried.
