It was exactly ten days after Felix concluded the negotiations with the neighboring Falforia Kingdom and left the Dukes Reinberg mansion.
Although there was a major incident like the appearance of the cursed dragon──or rather, because of this incident, the negotiations could be concluded so smoothly. And Count Marre of the Falforia Kingdom, who had been opposed to the expansion of trade at first, now softened his attitude after experiencing actual cursed dragon damage.
Perhaps after having overcome the crisis together, he can feel some sense of solidarity among the Falforia's guests and Ridill's people.
And when Felix proposed an information exchange between the two kingdoms to counter the dragon damage in the coming future, Falforia's emissaries took a different attitude since they accept the proposal easily.
In common cases, the kingdom would deal with the dragon damage by themselves. So it was rare for a kingdom to cooperate with another to counter the dragon damage since each country had different methods.
However, if Ridill and Falforia form cooperation, they could become the spearhead that leads other countries in countermeasures against the dragon damage, and above all, it would create a strong ally for Ridill.
In this diplomacy, not only did Felix increase the wheat import for the kingdom, but he also formed an alliance with Falforia. And through this opportunity alone, he had achieved big merit that would impact his achievements.
The nobles of the second prince's faction would be delighted to know that he has defeated the cursed dragon, prevented the foreseen dragon damage, and gained benefits more than they had planned in diplomacy.
Even so, the cursed dragon incident, that man-made disaster, was brought by Duke Crockford.
Inside the carriage on his way back to the castle, Felix gazed idly out the window and recalled the events that happened at Duke Reinberg's residence.
Ever since he had arrived at Duke Reinberg's household, he had kept his eyes on a certain servant. But the man in his prime age called Peter had disappeared a few days ago.
He suspected that the person who orchestrated all of the cursed dragon incidents and wanted to put Felix as a hero was that man.
Perhaps the real scenario was to make me have defeated the cursed dragon, but the curse went out of control and it almost killed me. And Peter, who didn't want to take the blame and face Duke Crockford's fury, run away.
But contrary to expectation, people in Duke Reinberg's household were worried about his disappearance.
Rumors said his close-up encounter with the cursed dragon had frightened him so much that it made him mentally unstable.
Well. I guess that saves Duke Crockford the trouble and it's more convenient for him to keep his underling quiet.
Everything has been under the palm of the hand of Duke Crockford.
And the king, the only person who opposes his cause had fallen ill not long ago.
And this will be his best chance to make his move.
There was also a letter that he received before leaving Duke Reinberg's mansion.
What was written in the letter was, in summary, that the third prince faction had surrendered to the second prince faction.
He suspected that Queen Phyllis, the mother of the third prince, had made some deals with Duke Crockford.
In the current situation, the third prince faction only had a small influence over the kingdom and was also the furthest faction that could succeed their prince to the throne. Anxious about his son's future, Queen Phyllis decided to surrender to Duke Crockford at an early stage.
In this way, even though the third prince can't succeed to become the king, he would be able to maintain some status in the future.
At first, the king was sprawling in his bed because of his illness.
Then, Felix was regarded as the hero who defeated the cursed dragon.
And lastly, The third prince faction had joined his faction.
With all of these foundations laid down, it could be said the preparation for Felix to succeed on the throne was almost complete.
All he had to do is predicting the move that Duke Crockford would do after this…
He could assassinate the first prince and make it look like an accidental death. But considering his ambition, it would be better to kill him after he made me succeed the throne… the death of the first prince would be the signal for the beginning of the war with the Randall Kingdom.
Even without killing the first prince, most of the nobles in the kingdom were more inclined toward the second prince faction.
Despite all the thoughts, all he can do is silently follow his duty as a convenient puppet of Duke Crockford to do his bidding.
Still, I haven't thought I would receive this many personal benefits in this mission.
One of that benefits was his interaction with Glenn Dudley. Things that he grasp from his conversation with him was, that despite his teacher, the Barrier Magician was sided with the first prince faction, the person himself didn't have any particular interest in these political struggles.
Still, his mana capacity is sure quite extraordinary. And I am certain it had increased more after he overcame that incident.
In near future, he will definitely become the candidate of the Seven Sages. If Felix can bring him to his side, he surely could be useful in the future.
It would be better if Felix could continue to build a friendly relationship with Glenn. After all, he had a high opinion of Glenn's talent, and he was also rather fond of that open and honest personality.
There was also another benefit he gained… he pulled out a sheet of paper from his luggage as a warm smile appeared on his face.
It was the essays that had been reviewed by Lady Silent Witch.
He had never dreamed that the essays that he had written through his diplomatic and school life would be reviewed directly by a magician that he adores so much.
…more than anything, I've got one step closer to her.
Silent Witch was at Serendia Academy.
Either way, whether she's a student, a teacher, or a school staff, it wouldn't take him long to narrow the possibility of finding her.
According to Lord Abyss Shaman, the remains of the curse on Lady Silent Witch and Glenn Dudley would vanish shortly, but the pain will be lingering for a month or so.
In that case, he just has to find a female, who has a small build and has a wound on her left hand.
Soon… I will meet her in her revealed face.
Unable to contain his delight, Felix was letting out a small chuckle.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Welcome back, brother."
The third prince, Albert, received Felix who was returning to the castle.
The impression of the 14 years old Albert was of a clever boy, with unkempt blonde hair and hazel eyes.
His attitude might be polite but the eyes he directed toward Felix were sharp as if he couldn't let his guard from him.
"I thank you for this welcoming receive. Is there any improvement in His Majesty's health?"
"According to the doctors, his condition is still poor as we speak. Attending a meeting would only put strains on his body."
"I see…"
Felix plastered a sad expression on his face while Albert was looking at him in probing.
According to Duke Crockford's letter, the third prince had given up his right to claim the throne and joined Felix's side.
And from his expression… it seems the queen has not convinced him fully.
Although his mother, Queen Phyllis has given up on the idea of supporting her own son to succeed on the throne, the key player, Albert himself hasn't acknowledged it.
And Felix, just like a gentle brother, narrowed his eyes and said.
"That's right. I received a letter from Grandfather. According to it, it seemed you will be transferred to Serendia Academy from your current school Minerva."
"I've heard it so…"
That words made Albert's face contort as if he was swallowing a bug.
Many people were attracted to attend Minerva because it was the best institute for training magicians, but there was also another advantage of enrolling there. It was politically neutral.
And why did the third prince who attended Minerva have to transfer to Serendia Academy, a school ruled by Duke Crockford?
It was to let everyone know that the third prince had surrendered to Duke Crockford.
Perhaps, Albert himself was not wished to end up with that result, but his mother had made the decision.
"I'm so happy to be able to attend the same school as my dear brother. We have the best facilities, teachers, and courses in Serendia Academy. I wish you could strive hard in your studies to live up to Quenn Phyllis' expectations."
To live up to Queen Phyllis's expectations—which is to step down from the struggle for the throne and live out the rest of his life in peace.
Albert himself should have known that meaning. But looking at his twitching cheeks, it seemed he can't suppress the feeling of humiliation. Even then, Albert tried his best to respond to Felix.
"…Yes. I will strive hard so I can be a respectable person like you, brother."
The ministers behind Albert, who was hoping to talk with Felix seemed to have been refraining themselves. Perhaps he should end his pleasantries with Albert now.
Felix walked past by and briefly told him, ‘I'm looking forward to your transfer.'
Since Felix was no longer looking at Albret, the ministers began to greet him to welcome his return and began discussing future arrangements.
Albert was giving him a hateful gaze in response, but eventually, he was walking away quietly.
＊ ＊ ＊
Albert walked away quietly for a while, but when he reached the corner of the hallway, he started to run.
His attendant who had been following behind him all this time briefly admonished his behavior, ‘Lord Albert, you mustn't run in the hallway~,' but his words were unable to reach Albert's ears whose emotions drowned in anger.
Shortly after, he stopped his step when he reached the end of the hallway and shouted.
"Patrick! Patrick!"
The attendant called Patrick walked leisurely up to Albert as his short olive brown hair swayed slowly.
That behavior made Albert involuntarily stomp angrily.
"Patrick! How can you walk so slow?! You can see your master is running! As his attendant, you should have followed your master and run with him too!"
"However, Your Highness, it's a bad manner to run in the hallway~"
He had a point. But it only made Albert angrier and said, ‘don't talk back to your master!' fumingly.
Albert's lips pouted like an upset child even when his attendant had arrived.
"Did you see how my brother's attitude has become?"
"I would say he behaves like as usual."
"He was treating me like an unimportant person!"
"In other words, it's as usual."
"Thanks to my brother, I have to transfer to another school from Minerva! Unlike him, I had a talent for magic! I could even obtain more achievements if I continued my study at Minerva! And yet…"
Albert ruffled his hair irritably, while Patrick was fixing his disheveled blonde hair.
But, to such a caring attendant, Albert gave him an order.
"Patrick, find out all information about my brother's school life. The subject he is good and bad at, his hobbies, his close friends, his potential fiancee, anything that he can't tell anyone about! Anything! You must find out anything about him! Perhaps, we could find his weakness from there!"
In response to Albert's order, Patrick only gave him a laid-back ‘eeh~?' answer.
"I wonder if the perfect Lord Felix has a weakness."
"That's your job to find out!"
"Haa~ I guess I could only try with my utmost effort~"
His laid-back response only made Albert stomp around even more.
Damn, this is not funny at all. Both the adults who were bossing him around for their own reasons and his older brother who was looking down on him were really irritating.
Compared to other children, Albert has achieved many achievements. Despite he was not athletic, often missing the target when swinging a sword, bad at riding horses, and being slow at running, he had worked harder than anyone else in his studies to overcome his shortcomings.
And yet, no one had paid attention to Albert. It was as if there was no difference between having him there or not… in fact, everyone had thought of the third prince that way.
As a matter of fact, Albert didn't dislike his older brother, the first prince Lionel that much. On the other hand, he inclined to like him more. He might be a bit hotheaded, but if anything happens, he would take care of Albert, and when he knows Albert was bad at riding horses, he didn't make fun of him, he even let him ride along with him.
However, Albert just can't like his second brother, Felix.
Everyone says my second brother is the most suitable person to succeed the king, but what's so good about someone whose thoughts are so hard to understand? He didn't even change his expression when he learned Father collapsed.
Felix might look sad when he told him that His Majesty's health didn't have any improvement, but his eyes didn't give that impression. In fact, he quickly moved on to a meeting with the ministers.
As royalty, it might not good to get carried away by emotions, but his reaction was too cold. When Brother Lionel received that news, he was so shaken that he couldn't even finish his dinner.
He felt uncanny when looking at his second brother. He couldn't help but had a feeling that he was hiding something behind the cover of his beautiful face.
In that case, all I have to do is to uncover the true face that he's hiding… I'll be attending the same school as him after this holiday. This is my chance to find out what his weakness is!
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