Chapter 84
“Ninety-eight… ninety-nine… one hundred…!”
The moment I finished counting, I let out a deep breath, “Haaah—,” and collapsed onto the ground. Around me, the members of the Third Knight Order erupted in cheers.
“Impressive, Lord Marcus!”
“Finally a hundred! Congratulations!”
It had been about three months since I arrived in this land.
Every day, I had trained alongside these sturdy knights, and now—at this very moment—I was able to complete one hundred push-ups in a row.
Yet my arms were completely exhausted, sweat soaked my entire body, and my heart was pounding so violently I thought it might burst.
“The next goal is two hundred!”
“…Hmph.”
I had just reached a hundred, and yet the knights casually set my next goal at double that number. It was frustrating, but of course, they could easily do it themselves.
Moreover, they probably had no idea how hard it had been for me to reach a hundred…
How hard I had worked to get here…!
Ah… I just want to go back to the castle.
After all, I was from a different world than them.
“Marcus.”
As I caught my breath and propped myself up for a rest, someone called my name.
I turned, thinking it was rude to address a prince so casually, and widened my eyes.
“Rick…!?”
There stood my childhood friend and fellow knight, Rick.
“You been keeping well, Marcus?”
Rick had stayed behind in the palace, yet he had gone out of his way to come here… He came to pick me up! Of course, he’s one of my few friends!
“It’s late. I’ve had enough of this place. Let’s go home quickly.”
“…What are you talking about?”
I forced myself to stand quickly in front of my friend, wiping the sweat from my forehead, trying to appear composed. But Rick frowned.
“…What do you mean, ‘let’s go home’? You came to get me, didn’t you? Where’s the carriage?”
“No way. There’s no way I can go back so quickly.”
“What!?”
Rick snorted as if mocking my words, dismissing them effortlessly.
“Your Highness is as stubborn as ever. Your brother, even as crown prince, would never treat us this way.”
“…!”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t hide my irritation at Rick’s deliberately polite, teasing tone, and I swung a punch at his face.
After these three months here, I had grown stronger, but I had apparently overestimated my own strength. My fist never reached Rick’s cheek; it landed lightly in his palm with a “pash” sound.
“…Ugh.”
I tried to shake off Rick’s hand, which held my fist as if it were nothing, but it didn’t budge. Seeing the difference in strength made me even more frustrated.
“You still seem full of energy.”
“…Hmph!”
The moment Rick relaxed his grip, I managed to shake my hand free, but my fingers tingled.
This guy… to a prince…!
“So, if you didn’t come to pick me up, what are you here for?”
Trying not to let him notice my tingling fingers, I asked casually. Rick seemed to remember something, pulled a hand mirror from the bag he carried, and handed it to me.
“This is for you.”
“A mirror?”
“Yes. From Sybel.”
“Sybel… sent me a gift?”
My heart skipped a beat as I took the mirror.
Sybel had thought of me… Could it be that being apart made her realize her feelings? After all, Sybel and I had been engaged for seven years…!
“What did Sybel say to me?”
“Hm? Oh, just so you know, Sybel gets along very well with Prince Leopold.”
“Huh?”
“Did you know? Sybel likes knights. Strong… knights.”
“Eh!?”
Rick scrutinized me from head to toe with a smirk.
Even if I had gained some muscle over the past three months, compared to Rick or my brother, I was still not particularly strong. Yet Sybel liked rough and brash knights…!
“And Sybel is completely smitten with Prince Leopold, and he adores her in return. Watching them is so embarrassing—it’s that intense. The other day too—”
“Enough! That’s not important! But why would Sybel give me a mirror!?”
Was it meant for me to check my body every day? Surely I didn’t need to become as strong as my brother to come back, right?
But then, why a handheld mirror? She could have just given a full-length mirror. Or why did Rick have to carry it?
As I listened to Rick, irritated, my frustration melted instantly when he continued:
“Since you were gone, Queen Melanie has been grief-stricken.”
“…Mother?”
Rick’s expression suddenly turned serious.
Mother was grief-stricken… Well, of course. I had worried about her. She only had me.
Yet I had betrayed her expectations. When I left the capital, I couldn’t even face her…
“Seeing that, Sybel went to the Grand Mage of the neighboring country, Jürgen Wagner, to have this magical mirror made, so that Queen Melanie could see your face anytime.”
“A magical mirror…!?”
“Of course, together with Prince Leopold.”
“What…!?”
A magical mirror is extremely rare. Even I, who had lived in the palace, had never seen one in person. And Sybel and my brother went out of their way to make one for Mother…!?
“This isn’t for you—it’s for Queen Melanie.”
“…I know. But still…”
My brother disliked Mother. She not only avoided him but treated him coldly, trying to secure me as crown prince. Once, there had even been an assassination attempt on him. Now I realize it was probably the work of the pro-queen faction—not that Mother ordered it, I hope…
Yet my brother, and Sybel engaged to him, had gone to a neighboring country to make a magical mirror for her…
“It must have been expensive. How much did it cost?”
“…Well, yes. But it wasn’t bought with money.”
“What?”
“My master is Jürgen, you see.”
“I see. So your master made it for free? He’s very kind.”
Rick had studied magic abroad for many years. I was surprised that the Grand Mage Jürgen Wagner was his master—impressive.
“No. Don’t measure value only by money. If it could be bought with money, it would have been easier. But what was required was ‘magical stones imbued with the blessing of a saint.’ And a large number at that.”
“What…? So Sybel granted the saint’s blessing… I see. That is indeed valuable.”
“Right? Sybel had just awakened her saintly powers, so she hadn’t applied blessings like that so many times yet.”
“…I see.”
So Sybel must have gone through a lot. Yet the mirror exists here—that means she succeeded.
For Queen Mother…
As I looked into the mirror Rick had handed me, my reflection distorted, and faintly, my mother appeared.
“Mother…?”
Immediately, her face appeared clearly in the mirror.
“Mother! Ah… you’re well?”
Her skin and hair lacked the former shine. She also seemed slightly thinner.
“Are you… keeping well?”
“I… I’m well. I’ve been training daily with the knights. See? I’ve grown stronger, haven’t I?”
“Yes… yes… indeed…”
I put on a brave front for my weary mother.
I could see how lonely she must have felt. She might blame herself for not being able to protect me. But this time, it was my fault. I didn’t want to make her suffer.
“So, Mother, please eat well too. I will become strong and return to you, I promise.”
“Yes… yes, you’re right. If you’re doing well, I must do the same.”
So I straightened my back in front of the mirror, lifted my chin, and looked directly into her eyes, which shared the same color as mine, and spoke bravely.
I didn’t want to worry her. Even though the words weren’t true, speaking them made me feel a resolve settle deep within me.
My brother, the first prince, Sybel, who had become the true saint and was engaged to the crown prince, Rick, who had studied magic abroad, the knights here, Mother…
Maybe I wasn’t the only one going through a hard time.
I realized this very deeply.
Yet Mother will be alright.
It might be irresponsible, but as long as Sybel is near her, she’ll be okay.
Sybel is no longer Mother’s daughter-in-law. But even so, as long as Sybel is in the palace, Mother will be fine.
I thought that naturally.
Whether it’s the power of a saint or just Sybel being that kind of person, I don’t know. But until I return to the palace as a proper prince, I’ll entrust Mother to her.
In my heart, I silently prayed so.
