.｡.:✧ Chapter 6 ✧:.｡.

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
Everyone was waiting for Rudrick’s answer.
The weight of the words spoken by Princess Elena and the imperial mage in this place was that significant. It was none other than the imperial mage who had practically vouched for the matter, that through self-study alone, Rudrick had already reached an advanced level as a mage, and if he were to find a mentor to guide him, he would undoubtedly become a great mage of the future.

Since the imperial mage himself was an outstanding mage, undoubtedly among the finest in the empire, this was almost a prophecy.

‘…My son?’
As evidence, Lady Weiss’s eyes were wide as lanterns behind her glasses.

Today was a day filled with learning many new facts. She had only known that her eldest daughter, Serilla Weiss, had been doing well academically at the academy, but it was news to her that she had already joined Princess Elena’s faction. And she had only thought her son could simply use magic to some degree, not that his talents were so remarkable.

Objectively speaking, it was an enticing offer that was difficult to refuse.

Thus, neither Lady Weiss nor the imperial mage standing behind them doubted that Rudrick would accept this proposal.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve already decided to go study at the Magic Tower.”
“The Magic Tower…so you have academic aspirations?”

Raising her brows at Rudrick’s unexpected response that defied everyone’s expectations, the Princess showed no other reaction, simply echoing his words as if mildly surprised.

“May I speak frankly?”
“Sincerity is one of the virtues a human can possess. I will not rebuke you for rudeness, so speak freely.”

“I just don’t want to get entangled in anything.”

Everyone watching, except for the two parties involved, gasped at Rudrick’s nonchalant response.

“My…my apologies, Your Highness! I will firmly educate my son, so…”
“Lady Weiss. I have already said I will not rebuke rudeness. Are you asking me to say two contradictory things with one mouth now?”
“That is not what I meant…”
“You may be the master of this mansion, but I am not speaking with you right now, I am speaking with your son. Please keep that in mind.”

The Princess closed Lady Weiss’s mouth as she frantically tried to make amends, and now a smile played on her lips. At her gesture of tilting her chin, inviting him to speak again, the escort knight Cherin squeezed her eyes shut.

Regardless of how difficult it was to discern her master’s true thoughts, she knew how cruel the Princess could be to her enemies, separate from her capabilities.

“Am I to understand that you do not wish to enter the world of political strife by assisting me?”
“…Well, something along those lines, I suppose. And Your Highness must know where one must go to study magic professionally, no?”

“Nine times out of ten, you would say the Magic Tower. But I am not under the impression that those under me are somehow inferior—even the skills of the imperial mages are quite formidable. They would be more than adequate as mentors for a promising young mage.”

“I do not doubt the imperial mages’ abilities either. I’ve simply intended to go to the Magic Tower from the start.”
“How interesting.”

A wry smile formed on the Princess’s lips.
To an outsider, it would have seemed like the son of a mere count was being insolent to the Princess of a nation. In fact, everyone present except for Princess Elena and Rudrick saw it that way.

Lady Weiss’s eyes were already trembling with barely suppressed anxiety.

However, Princess Elena was not at all offended.
Rather, this bold demeanor was precisely how Rudrick had appeared in her memories before her regression.

‘So you’re saying it’s something a child, a sibling, would do to kill both your sister and your own mother? You were completely insane!’

‘Rotten parts must be cut off before they spread the rot elsewhere. Think of it as a simple surgical procedure. What’s the problem with that?’

‘Of course it’s a problem! For once, I’m not asking for much, just try to think like a normal, sane person. Don’t try to fit the world to your own standards!’

‘A difficult request. To use a more concrete analogy, what you’re asking is no different than demanding proof of why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.’

‘Sheesh, if a civil war breaks out because of this, just know that you and I will be strangers from then on. Whether you become the Princess or the Emperor, I won’t care, and I won’t get involved.’

‘While it’s true that we are not related in any way yet…well, that could turn out to be a rather sad outcome.’

Memories of the past flashed through her mind, whether it was when Elena was the Second Princess of the Empire, or when she truly ascended the blood-stained throne by rejecting Rudrick’s dissuasion.

Rudrick’s attitude toward her had been consistent. Sometimes, she found his casual demeanor, treating her like a neighborhood friend, to be vexing. But that did not mean she found it offensive.

Unlike ordinary men, Rudrick’s temperament had a rather feminine aspect to it.
His refusal to bend to status or power, boldly speaking his mind—it was the very embodiment of womanly integrity.

Perhaps it was because of that quality that even she, who had little interest in men, had been drawn to him.

“…Anyway, since I plan to go to the Magic Tower, I’ll have to decline your offer, but thank you.”
“For me, that is a disappointing outcome. Yes…or should I continue calling you informally? Would your resolve waver on this matter?”
“Probably not.”
“Then the Magic Tower has taken away a valuable talent from me.”

With a shrug, the Princess turned to face Lady Weiss with a look of clean resignation.

“Then there is one more thing I wish to ask you.”
“…It is my fault for failing in my son’s education, Your Highness. I will accept any punishment gladly.”
“Oh, dear.”

The Princess shook her head, as if unable to dissuade her.

“I clearly said I would not rebuke rudeness. This is the third time now. How unfortunate to be born into such an esteemed status so ineptly. Would you not agree, Cherin?”
“…Your Highness, this is an official occasion.”
“Truly, I cannot speak freely. You are such a stuffy person.”

The Princess grumbled as she sipped her now-cold tea.

“So when will the meal be prepared?”

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

At any rate, he had managed to get through it safely. Though something felt unsettling. After perfunctorily finishing the flavorless meal, as if chewing on sand, Rudrick returned to his room and flopped onto the bed.

If his father had seen him, he would have scolded him for such unrefined behavior unbefitting of a noble. But at least today, with the Princess visiting, that was unlikely to happen.

In the end, it had turned into a blessing in disguise.
Thanks to the Princess’s attempt to take him to the capital and groom him as a mage to serve her, he had inadvertently received the endorsement of the imperial mage.

No matter how strict the gender segregation in this pre-modern, gender-reversed society, if the imperial mage himself had officially attested that “this friend has the qualities of a great mage,” what could one do?

An imperial mage’s seal was already an excellent leverage.
If someone asked, “Who threatened you with a sword to make your son a mage?” he could counter with, “The imperial mage threatened me with a staff instead of a sword.”

“But didn’t she give up too easily?”

As he tossed and turned on the bed, a thought he had been harboring unconsciously slipped out.

The Princess, who had acted so swiftly as to inspect their territory as soon as she became aware of her regression, simply gave up when he said he would go to the Magic Tower. Wasn’t that a bit odd?

Whether it was truly her desire for talent, or if she had taken a romantic interest in him as the heroine of this gender-reversed world and sought to possess him.

To purposefully travel all the way to this rural territory, only to give up so easily?
Didn’t her words seem a bit forced?

My lingering unease stemmed entirely from the Princess’s clean and swift acquiescence. As a result, I spent quite some time mulling over what her true intentions might be.

Just as I was tossing and turning on the bed, ultimately deciding I had no idea, there was a knock at the very moment I got up.

Knock knock.

“Young master, you have a visitor…”
“A visitor?”

It was a familiar voice. When I opened the door and poked my head out at the voice of the servant working at the mansion, an elderly man dressed in the robe of a mage was standing there.

The imperial mage.

“I know it is rude to visit an unmarried man’s room uninvited, but it cannot be helped, as it is the Princess’s command.”
“…Ah, yes.”

The first feeling I had was one of bewilderment.
In this world where gender segregation was so strict that it could slap the Confucian Taliban across the face, for an outsider man to casually visit a noble’s personal room was a great rudeness—no, an accurate term would be taboo.

While my way of thinking differed slightly from this world, I could hardly leave a visitor who came under the Princess’s orders standing outside, so I let him into my room.

“Haha, the Princess has instructed me to obtain your final answer, so I had no choice. Let me apologize again for the rudeness.”
“…No, it’s really all right. What final answer did you mean?”
“She wishes to know if it is certain that you will go to the capital to enroll as a student of the Magic Tower, even if you do not come to the imperial palace to follow her.”
“Huh?”

This was an unexpected question. While it was true that I had made up an excuse about not wanting to get entangled in palace politics and intrigue as my reason for declining to go to the imperial palace, now that it had come to this, I would truly be going to the Magic Tower, so it wasn’t an outright lie.

“…Yes. Most likely, as soon as Her Highness departs, I will promptly make preparations to head to the capital.”
“I see. Then this is not the Princess’s command, but an old man’s personal question…”
“Yes.”
“This old man has lived a life contrary to the principles of the Magic Tower. Mages are originally truth-seekers. Yet I left the stuffy, tradition-bound Magic Tower decades ago because I disliked it.”

The imperial mage carefully chose his words, as if deep in thought.
Then, with a resolved expression, he spoke quietly.

“If Rudrick truly wishes to pursue the truth, how about coming to the imperial palace instead of the Magic Tower? It need not be the Princess’s faction.”

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇