Chapter 18
The Coming of the Crown Prince (3)
"So, is that you?"
It was the first sentence of the crown prince when he saw Ian, standing in front of the province castle and that was the end of his words.
Intended and blatant ignorance of Ian.
It seemed he didn’t really care about what the emperor asked of him before.
Of course, Ian didn’t care about that, either.
‘He acted exactly the same as in my former life.’
He hadn’t inherited the talent of a king like his father, nor the wisdom from his mother.
Literally, he was an inferior man. Ian expected nothing from him.
If there was no love of the emperor, he should have been kicked out a while ago.
‘Who I really care about is,’
Instead of the emperor, Ian paid attention to another person.
The three mages who came along with the emperor.
Between them, he focused on the mage, who was the only female among them.
‘Cecilia.’
Ian was able to recall her clearly.
Of course, the other two mages he also remembered.
However, Cecilia was a special case.
‘She was a spy from the Coldwood Empire.’
In his former life, this truth was revealed a long time later.
A very rare case where a mage was revealed as a spy.
It shocked the whole empire at that time.
‘I expected they would try to contact me, but.’
From the Coldwood empire, or the Republic of Lo.
He expected they would try to contact him.
However, they sent not other spies, but her?
‘In an emergency, are they trying to suppress me with her magic?’
Coincidentally, Cecilia looked at Ian.
With an attractive and fresh smile.
Ian also didn’t avoid her eyes,
He replied to her gaze with an innocent child’s face.
It would be a long night.
Late at night, at the dinner hall of the province castle.
A huge dinner party was held to welcome the crown prince.
Considering they only had two days, it was quite a satisfying party.
Forgetting about each sides’ standing in public, but welcoming the guest.
It was an old traditional manner of north n.o.bles.
The tradition the crown prince had looked down upon with hatred.
However, the crown prince didn’t deny the party.
"Haha! I never knew that North wine was so good!"
Instead, he enjoyed the party.
He loved alcohol more than any others.
Actually, It was more like tenacity, more than love.
The magic potion which lets him forget everything.
‘The crown prince has no solid standard at all.’
A lady looked at the empire in the crowds.
The lady, Cecilia clicked her tongue.
‘Well, It’s good for us, though.’
She was the spy of Coldwood empire.
Foolish crown prince? Nothing bad for her country.
Even the emperor, who was called as good and wise, always tried to cover for him.
It was clear evidence that the future of Greenriver was doubtful.
‘Where is the boy….’
She didn’t need to spy on the foolish crown prince forever.
Today, her only target was Ian.
Cecilia’s eyes were searching for Ian.
He didn’t show up at the dinner hall.
Of course, he was a kid.
‘I’ll find him eventually, there’s no hurry.’
Cecilia left the dinner hall quietly.
The first order from her country was simple.(E/N: execute order 66!)
Joining the march of the crown prince, which headed to the northern territory.
‘Well, I accomplished that at least.’
It wasn’t that hard.
She was a 3rd cla.s.s mage who would have some power in the ivory tower.
If she wanted, she could’ve come easily.
‘Is it really true?’
The report about Ian from the conducting mage.
A few rumors about him which came from the northern territory.
She reported everything to her country that she heard.
However, whenever she sent the report, she doubted it.
Taught himself how to manage mana?
Casting magic that he was never taught?
Just like the first mage of the same legend?
Her country also had the same suspicion.
‘I still can’t believe it.’
A few days ago, the second mission was ordered.
‘Figure out whether the
It meant that she had to check it in person.
What if the rumor was just an exaggerated story?
She could just make simple excuse,
As a mage and a senior of the Ivory tower, she challenged him with her curiosity.
The tower lord also ordered her to pay attention to Ian anyway.
But if the rumors were truthful, then everything would change suddenly.
‘Kidnap him and his mother alive, then return straight to the Coldwood empire.’
The chance would decrease later.
It must be now, while he was staying in the northern territory, the mission must be accomplished.
So, while everyone was not paying attention due to the dinner party, today was the perfect day.
‘But kidnapping is quite an odd mission.’
Try to bring him alive by any means necessary.
We will try to convince him after that.
But if it turns ugly, he better be killed.
We can’t let other countries grab such a dangerous weapon.
The order clearly showed the will of the Coldwood empire.
‘He is not in the bedroom.’
His mother was helping kitchen maids, which was very unusual.
Rumor said his mother was kitchen maid, and it seemed to be true.
‘As I heard, he usually stays in the gymnasium, doesn’t he?’
That’s what the servants of the castle said.
The 1st gymnasium which is the biggest area of province gymnasiums.
They said he always stood in the center of it.
Some said they saw some great magics.
Being honest, she thought it must be exaggerated.
‘Rumors are always getting bigger and bigger like a s...o...b..ll.’
Hundreds of goblins? It must be about a hundred goblins.
Still, it would be a great talent.
Great enough talent that provides her good enough reason to kidnap him.
‘Is he here?’
Cecilia arrived near the first gymnasium.
She looked inside sneaky.
With magic, she erased her trails as well.
‘There he is,’
As expected, Ian was there.
Exactly the same as the servants described.
He stood at the center quietly.
He didn’t move at all.
‘Let’s start with,’
The testing time had come.
‘Warm-up level.’
Above the head of Cecilia, a few blue spheres appeared.
Un-elemental, A pure chunk of mana.
It was the beginner level magic which power was about the same as a light punch.
‘Magic missile.’
The three spheres were flying to Ian.
If the rumors were true, he shouldn’t simply be defeated by a magic missile.
Even It was just a rumor, it wouldn’t harm him that much.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A dull noise.
It was different to Cecilia’s expectation.
It wasn’t the sound of beating flesh.
‘s.h.i.+eld?’
So it was.
The semi-transparent s.h.i.+eld was covering around the boy.
It was the source of dull noises.
‘How?’
Reacting with a s.h.i.+eld with this sudden a.s.sault.
Did he expect it?
It can’t be.
‘So It’s not just a rumor huh?’
Cecelia revealed herself in front of Ian.
There is no meaning in hiding.
"Who’s there?"
In the boy’s voice, there was no emotion.
The emotion which he was supposed to feel in this sudden situation.
Embarra.s.sment, Curiosity, Fear, etc.
This was strange, and suspicious.
"Didn’t you see the magic? I am your great, great Ivory tower senior."
Cecelia replied without swaying.
She put on a smile.
She wanted to have a conversation with him.
"What are you doing?"
"Can’t mages greet each other?"
"Do you call this rudeness a greeting?"
"Huh? Look at what this young boy says."
While making some funny gesture, Cecelia approached.
She wanted to check Ian’s face closer.
"Come on, A Senior should be able to do some small tricks on a newbie, don’t be harsh."
As she expected,
Ian wasn’t embarra.s.sed at all.
"Should you really make that serious face? You make me embarra.s.s…"
"Stop. Cecelia."
Cecelia stopped suddenly.
Did she tell her name to the boy?
No, she never did.
"Cecelia Coldwalker."
"…….. What?"
Coldwalker.
Children who were born to be trained as Coldwood spies.
The children who survived from the last training and started the mission.
It was a secret surname which was only given to such children.
Even in her country, only a few knew about the existence of Coldwalker.
But then.
"Just who…. are you?"