After Felix excused himself from the room, Monica stood up wobbly then plopped down on the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and let out a muffled "aaAaAahhhhhhHH" whine. It continued until the curse's effects on her throat wore off, the itchiness in her throat went away and her voice returned to normal.
Afterward, she whined, "I-It's all oveeer for me… Aaaaaahh… I'm so stupid, stupid, stupiiiiid" in grief.
Nero, not entirely understanding the situation, turned his head to Monica, who was huddled like a caterpillar on the bed.
"Okay, so what does that have to do with it?"
"His Highness Felix realized it! The Silent Witch, which is me, was connected to the Serendia Academy!"
"H-He what!?"
If she know it would end like this, she shouldn't have made a poor attempt to probe him and touch the Conch Flame matter… and now she really regretted it.
She should have realized it beforehand. With her horrible communication, gaining an advantage over the discussion with a diplomat like Felix would be impractical.
"Uuuuuuu… On the other hand, he had made me spill my secret."
Perhaps, after the winter break, Felix might have started to look for the Silent Witch's whereabouts around the school.
With almost six months left before her escort mission is over, this incident had made her think frantically about her next move.
"Furthermore, I haven't asked him questions like: why was Your Highness quite knowledgeable about the witchcraft?; Or is Your Highness by any chance able to use magic?"
Even with all the questions she had asked, everything was answered with lies.
Looking at the depressed Monica, Nero said to her with a nonchalant voice.
"Maybe we can think all of them were related to the prince's contracted spirit. If we're talking about his contracted spirit's knowledge of witchcraft, he might be quite knowledgeable. And he should have a few spells to attack in his sleeve."
"………"
Unable to follow Nero's words, Monica fell silent for a moment. She then sluggishly got up from the bed before turning her gaze to Nero.
"What do you mean by His Highness' contracted spirit?"
"I'd told you before. I think the white lizard I saw crawling over the prince was his water spirit, a high-ranking at that."
"Hold on, hold on, hold on…"
She had never heard that Felix had a contracted spirit. However, she had a faint recollection that Nero had told her about the lizard.
I think I remember Nero talking about His Highness trying to use a lizard to probe him, but it was trailed off in the middle…
Since high-ranking spirits can use magic, it should enable him to confront the cursed dragon.
But Nero's words mentioning Felix had formed a contract with a high-ranking water spirit only made her doubts begin to surface.
"You said Felix has formed a contract with a high-ranking water spirit… but it shouldn't be possible."
"Why is not possible? I mean, look at that wicked Lololo Lowlowis, he was able to form a contract with a high-ranking wind spirit."
"But he needs a huge mana capacity to do that. There's also the matter of their affinity…"
The minimum mana capacity required to become one of the Seven Sages is 150, and the necessary mana capacity to form a contract with a high-ranking spirit is not much different from it.
Forming a contract with a spirit can be extremely dangerous. It was not uncommon for a magician with a small mana capacity to lose all his or her mana and die after performing such a ritual. That's why, among so many magicians in the kingdom, there are only ten or so people who were able to form a contract with a high-ranking spirit.
Felix clearly possesses a good head on his shoulders, and judging from the quality of his finished thesis, he should be able to perform the ritual of summoning a high-ranking spirit if he consolidates on his research. However, he needs to have a tremendous mana capacity before he can successfully perform that ritual.
"…Nero, do you think His Highness has a huge mana capacity?"
"Hmm~ If we're talking about the mana capacity between humans, I don't think they possess any different from each other. But, if it were the chilly guy and the loud boy, I can tell them apart easily."
Nero's sensing ability can deduce a person's mana capacity but it only tells him vaguely, not the accurate number, so it's best for her not to rely on it.
Let's say Felix had the required mana capacity to be a high-ranking magician, even then, he still had to meet another requirement before he was able to summon the high-ranking spirit.
"Before a magician can summon and form a contract with a high-ranking spirit, they had to have the same affinity with the summoned spirit. Take Louis as an example, since his highest element affinity is wind, he was able to form a contract with a high-ranking wind spirit."
On the other hand, since Monica's highest element affinity was wind, she was able to summon the Spirit King of Wind. However, she can't summon any spirits other than the Spirit King of the Wind.
"Then, does it mean his highest element affinity is water?"
"Perhaps his highest element affinity is earth…"
Nero tilted his head when hearing Monica speaking unconfidently.
"How can you tell when you'd never seen him using any magic?"
"I can tell from his middle name, Ark."
In this kingdom, there was a particular tradition where parents would give their children a middle name of the Spirit King related to their highest element affinity in hoping to have its blessing.
For example, Neil's full name. There was a word "Clay" in "Neil Clay Maywood". And his middle name was derived from the name of the Spirit King of the Earth, Arklaid.
"Talking about a middle name, the word ‘Ark' in his name came up from the name of the Spirit King of Earth, and it can tell us that he has an affinity with the earth element. As for forming a contract with a high-ranking water spirit, it should be impossible for him…"
"I can't really tell anything about it, but what if his affinity changed in his growth?"
"According to research, one's affinity is inherited from either both parents, and it would never change even after he/she grows up."
Many studies, including his late father's, had proved that there was a genetic factor involved in mana. Even her father's book that she brought from Porter's Antiquarian Bookstore mentioned this.
"Hmm… Hmmmmm… Even after that explanation, I still don't understand. So what does it basically means?"
"Basically, no matter what happens, an earth dragon won't turn into a water dragon."
"Oh, nyow I understand."
Nodding in understanding, Nero rubbed his chin and tilted his head.
"Then, what if he just happened to have a middle name that has nothing to do with his affinity?"
"…I don't think a royal family would give a middle name to their children that had no relation with their highest element affinity."
"Well, maybe he was the rare case."
Nero might have disregarded it since a name was not particularly meaningful to him, but it was not for Monica. She can't erase this uncomfortable feeling from her mind.
Maybe the reason His Highness can't use magic in public has something to do with that…
Through the recent incidents, Monica's doubts and discomfort with Felix were slowly beginning to build up in her mind.
His unnatural attitude toward the cursed dragon.
His reason for keeping his high-ranking spirit in the dark.
And lastly… his obsession with the throne.
But, what would happen if she try to satisfy her curiosity by delving into it?
Perhaps, this matter is something that I shouldn't touch…
It was the thoughts that running in Monica's mind at that time.
＊ ＊ ＊
After Felix left the Silent Witch's room, he stopped his step when he saw a man sitting in the hallway corner hugging his knees.
The man wore the same dark blue robe as the Silent Witch, which only the Seven Sages are allowed to wear. A purple hair, which is uncommon in this world, peeked out from his hood.
The man was Ray Albright, the Abyssal Shaman, one of the Seven Sages.
Felix had assumed he had gone to Glenn's room to treat his injury, but what was he doing in the corner of the hallway?
"…I want to be loved, I want to be loved so badly and be told that she only needs me alone. I want to be loved, I want to be loved, I want to be loved…"
"The usual thing, huh," Felix thought in his mind. He had witnessed this on several occasions when Ray tried to woo the maids in the castle. So he lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me, I presume you are the Abyssal Shaman, Lord Albright. You didn't look well, are you alright?"
Even though he knew Ray was fine, he still showed his concern warmly. In response, Ray slowly raised his head and looked up at him… only to find him covering his eyes with both of his hands.
"Ugh, his royal aura is crushing me…"
Hearing such a response, he ignored 90% of his words.
"From your response, you seem to be alright. In that case, I would like you to go to Dudley's room to examine his injury…"
"…Okay. I will go…"
Ray Albright was a man who would say "do you love me?" to women and speaks curtly to men.
The man himself didn't intend to fix his way of speaking toward the royal family. But even after knowing this fact, the king still appointed this man as one of the Seven Sages.
After getting up from his position, Ray walked down the hallway wobbly like a sick person… but he stopped his steps and turned his head back.
"…where's Glenn Dudley's room?"
"If it's okay with me, I could take you to his room."
If he wants he could make the servants guide the Abyssal Shaman to Dudley's room but Felix didn't do so since he had a few questions he wanted to ask him.
Felix was walking ahead, while Ray was trailing behind at a certain distance.
Feeling a strong depressing gaze from behind, Felix decided to start a small talk.
"I have to thank you for coming to our help this time. After all, it feels reassuring to have an expert in curses like you here."
"…there's Miss Silent Witch as well."
"Of course, I am so grateful to receive her help as well. If it were not for her barrier, I would have died a long ago. And thanks to her too we were able to confront and survive against the cursed dragon."
In fact, if she were not there at that time, everyone in the hunting ground would definitely have been wiped out. And right now, the cursed dragon would have continued its rampage in the duchy Reinberg while spreading its curse, leaving nothing within in its trail.
"I know my knowledge of the curse is limited, but I would like to ask your opinion as an expert on this subject… is it possible to control a living creature at will through witchcraft?"
"…what you're asking was far from the essence of the witchcraft."
Felix stopped his steps and looked behind.
The jewel-like eyes of the Abyssal Shaman behind his long bang were gleaming, looking at Felix with somewhat disdain.
"…Witchcraft isn't created for ‘controlling' living creatures, it was to make them suffer. If you want to control a living creature, use a mental manipulation spell instead."
"It's as you said…"
"If there's someone who tries to manipulate living creatures through witchcraft, he must be a disgrace among the shamans and a trashy one at that."
To common people, manipulating and tormenting others were equally horrible things, but in the eyes of these shamans, they seemed so different apart.
…he was using this kind of power to raise the prince's status to a higher standing.
The road Duke Crockford has prepared for Felix Ark Ridill was a bloody one that was painted with numerous sacrifices.
And he was aware that had no longer had any choice but to walk through all of it.
Just wait a little more… ‘Ark'
Author Note:
Nero: I'd told you about the lizard! (a reference from the chapter V10C6, "Aih heh Ih hah hih hohnhackheh hiriht" = "I bet it was his contracted spirit")
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