Strolling in the Capital City
The alliance has been formed safely(?), and a party is going to be held. However!! I won’t participate. I feel like I will be targeted by troublesome nobles, so I’ll make a graceful escape.
“I haven’t made my debut in society yet, so I can’t attend such events.”
If I were to enter another country’s social circle before my own, it would raise suspicions of rebellion, and the nobles of Arland would definitely make a fuss. They would say, “Why are you neglecting your own country’s social circle?!” and I wouldn’t be able to refuse future invitations.
So, I avoided it for that reason. Being a debutante in society and also a Royal from another country. The nobles seemed dissatisfied, but they couldn’t say anything.
“Ho, ho, ho, that’s unavoidable. It’s not worth forcing it, so let’s just look forward to the future. Also, Viceroy’s stay will be as per your request, so feel free to spend your time as you please with your girl friends. Of course, if you have any requests, I’ll do my best to accommodate them.”
“Then, may I see Eyvon’s Grimoire?”
“………… That’s a rare request… but such an item does not exist in our country.”
At this point, the King looked surprised. However, despite his surprise, His Majesty, who understands Arland’s intelligence network, looked grim. It’s not something we should show.
The Great Mage Eyvon, was a magician hailed as both a criminal who single-handedly destroyed a great nation and a Hero. He’s revered as a Hero by the descendants of a small country that almost fell to the great nation at the time, while the Empire refers to him as a criminal. After the great nation was destroyed, it was absorbed by the Empire under the guise of support, as it was only a mid-level country at the time.
He created many spells. Sometimes, he wasn’t alone but existed as multiple individuals. There were those who were convinced he was a Demon King. The only thing he left behind is Eyvon’s Grimoire. As for everything else, he realized his end was near and burned it along with himself, leaving nothing behind. Additionally, to conceal his grave, his disciples mass-produced hundreds of graves throughout the continent, so no one knows which one is genuine. They were so thorough that if you dug them up, you would find someone’s remains in every one of them. Rumor has it that his disciples later became a family of gravekeepers, guarding the real graves. If it follows the usual pattern, there might be a staff or other grimoires inside the graves.
By the way, according to the spirits, “Those people who called him Demon King have ‘retired.’”
“…”
I stared at the King. My gaze said it all. I know something.
“… It seems I’ve been defeated… Indeed, it exists. However, it’s not something that can be easily read by just anyone. It’s written in a code passed down only to those of his lineage.”
“I’ll manage to decode it.”
I am good at decoding too, so what? Well, it’s Eyvon’s Grimoire, so it’s definitely full of nasty traps, but I won’t say anything. If I did, someone around me would stop me.
“Sigh, understood. It’s further underground than the forbidden section of the library, at a shrine on the lowest level. It seems to be there. I’ve only heard of the genuine one, and so far, no one has reached it, just encountering golems. It was entrusted to our care by a King from several generations ago, who was said to be a descendant of Eyvon, and since then, no records or anything else have been left. It could be fatal, but I will leave it all to your discretion, at your own risk.”
“Understood.”
“Princess!! Why do you seek it so desperately? Why not just create things as usual? It’s not worth risking your life for…”
“I’m interested in his magic. Especially his clone-type magic… It’s a magic unknown to my knowledge. It takes too much time to create. I’ll mobilize the Woofers Squad and execute the Clean-up Operation.”
There’s no need to boldly conquer the maze. My pets will find the way.
“Sob… Why… Why always… I’m just trying to help you become more suitable of your status as a princess…”
She seemed stressed to the limit. But I really want Eyvon’s Grimoire. Clone-type magic. In a sense, it’s the essence of magic. Magic that no one else could use—truly fascinating! The angel and devil within me were joining hands, loudly declaring, “Conquer it and gain wisdom!”
For now, it’s been postponed due to various procedures on their end. Naturally, after Alicia spilled the danger to the family and I received a strong persuasion, things settled down when I agreed to let Big brother accompany me. It’s better than just me, and my Big brother will be there to guard and supervise so that I don’t destroy the underground… the Crown Prince as a guard… that’s a heavy responsibility.
“I can’t call myself a Royal if I can’t do that much. Besides, I’ve been overshadowed by your name for a while, so I want to do something big here.”
“I think you’ve been quite active too… mainly in the darker aspects of politics.”
It’s his own fault, but what is my Big brother aiming for, being the egg of a tyrant who makes many nobles cry? He’s reputed to trap anyone other than family for the sake of the country. By the way, he’s probably heading to the party now. He’s wearing a terribly wicked smile. I should remind him that we’re in another country… but can’t say anything about other people.
The next day,
“Long time no see~~!”
“Hmmgh.”
Big brother and the others rested quietly in the inn yesterday due to security reasons at the party. It seems we can’t use the dormitory this time. The Capital city is quite damaged, and noble children were temporarily living in the dormitory, so it was not available for rent at the moment.
And in the morning, Helios (in his butler uniform) and the maids led by him joined Anon and me in front of the dormitory. Suddenly, Anon hugged me—or rather, lifted me up. Are we really the same age? I couldn’t lift a millimeter.
“Hey, Anon!! It’s too rude to suddenly hug someone like that.”
“Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it. Alice doesn’t mind either… Oops, sorry, that must have been uncomfortable.”
“Cough… I thought I was going to die. Well, I don’t really mind most rudeness. I am not the type to be bothered by that. Anyway, there are a lot of companions today, so forgive me. They said I really needed the guards… There are probably people hiding somewhere as usual.”
“I thought those hiding in the shadows were Lord’s enemies, but they’re guards, huh? I almost killed them.”
Helios said something eerie, but it seems he was already on guard, sensing the hidden guards. Mr. Coote? He seems to remember people’s scent and usually ignores them if there’s no malice… but he was hiding in my shadow via the Familiar Summoning because I was curious about something.