Chapter 39 - The Fairy and His Secret
"Please consider what I am about to say as my own cynical speculation. Do not take it at face value. Assume that there are errors in the story, as I have not confirmed the facts."
After that preamble, he began to speak as if reading a picture book aloud.
It was a story full of holes, set in the Royal Capital of Grenole.
"Not long ago, there was a miraculous drug made using a cruel and inhumane method, with fairies as its raw material. There was even a country that prospered because of that drug.
The fairies, having lost patience, went into hiding.
Then, some time later, a certain fortune teller declared one thing: that a curse from the fairies would befall the king of the defiled country and the bloodline that created the evil drug.
――It was already too late. His Majesty the King had already fallen for one beautiful fairy, forced her to disguise herself as a human, and married her.
The King, who had fallen in love with a fairy, gradually began to consider eliminating the drug that sacrificed fairies. He had a child with his wife, and his heart of universal love grew stronger. With the support of the Chief Court Mage, who had proposed the drug in the first place, and some of his retainers, he finally managed to abolish it. Those of the bloodline who had continued to secretly produce the drug until then had also finished their role."
――But the situation changed in an instant.
It seems that the death of the King's wife... the fairy, was the 'Fairy's Curse' for the King.
Triggered by his wife's death, the King thought of the child left behind.
He doted on the child like a treasure, and then one day, he realized something.
That his own baby was not growing――.
"There is a difference in growth speed between fairies and humans. ...No, fairies do not grow like humans. They remain young forever and do not age."
Fairies, who take the form of adults from the beginning, do not undergo 'growth' like humans. Paying attention to the quality and storage of magical power, raising one's rank, and at most, learning and defining one's own way of life. That is the only 'growth' for a fairy.
"It was impossible to raise a child who inherited that fairy blood in the same way as an ordinary human. The King grew anxious over a child who, even after five years since birth, still could not speak simple words."
――If this continues, people will suspect that his wife was a fairy.
If that happens, the people will not acknowledge this child as a human child.
Those with mixed non-human blood will not be regarded as a human king.
Worse, might they not even be rejected――?
"His Majesty the King thought of a more plausible reason for the sake of his beloved son.
An excuse convincing enough to explain how the child fell into such a special situation of not growing.
His Majesty the King came up with an idea.
He could simply say that he gave strong medicine to his sickly child, or cast a spell on them.
It would be best if it were something more powerful and special, something that could cover up any fairy-like aspects that might appear in his son's growth in the future."
――He sought out Fairy Tale, the very drug he had prohibited himself.
"He could claim that his child was merely a human whose body had changed to resemble a fairy due to that medicine, in order to cure an illness. That was far better than letting it be known that they were different from the start. He could insist that they were human.
Not only that, but if he could truly administer a drug containing a large amount of magical power, dreams of gaining power were endless――and so on.
But he had already prohibited that drug.
He had no material to announce its lifting of the ban himself. He wanted some unnatural support.
After wondering what to do, he decided to make everyone in the country understand the importance of the drug. He worked hard so that everyone would raise their voices to create the drug, believing that strong medicine was indeed necessary in times of crisis for loved ones.
Coincidentally, there was a request for magical instruction from a distant country, so he sent the troublesome Chief Court Mage away. Seizing that opportunity..."
Claire hung her head.
She had understood what Louis was trying to say. She nodded silently in response to Louis, who asked coldly, "Will you continue?"
"When the Chief Court Mage demanded the prohibition of Fairy Tale, the King offered an exchange condition. ――To remodel the Transportation Magic Circles spread throughout the town for the King's convenience, and to issue Passes.
Of course, it was a secret that could not even be written in the established documents.
It was originally a privilege used only when he wanted to escape from work slightly, but at this time, he thought of something slightly different."
――Next, he asked the 'Rebellious Trio of Mages' inside the castle to lay down teleportation magic circles in a corner of the Royal Capital and outside where monsters were plentiful.
Since the trio was still among the excellent members within the Research Institute, they could copy the Chief Court Mage's teleportation magic circle and temporarily lay down the same one. If they could create their own new magic circles, Passes would not have been necessary――.
"If that could be managed, bringing in monsters and the like would be easy."
Here, Louis brought the cup to his mouth once. After moistening his throat with a sip of tea, Claire, who had been listening quietly until then, quietly raised a question.
"Shouldn't those magic circles isolate dangerous things?"
The question was reasonable.
Louis answered smoothly.
"Monsters, creatures with a certain amount of poison, blades, drugs――we prohibit anything that can be considered rough. But if a 'Permission' mark is placed on the Pass, this does not apply. Otherwise, procuring monsters for experiments at the Research Institute would become difficult. For the sake of the knights, the swords at their waists must pass through without problem. And only I, the Corps Commander, and His Majesty can issue that permission."
"That is a matter of state secrets."
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
"...No... Um... The King also originally wanted to abolish the fairy drug, didn't he? Why did that become a bargaining chip with the Chief Court Mage?"
"Simply put, I didn't know. That the King was considering abolishing the drug. So I was used there, and I became the 'one who proposed abolishing the drug.' Even if I was in a hurry, well, I did something foolish. If I could go back to the past, I would be forgiven for taking a running start and flying kicking my past self."
"Are you done with questions?"
"...Yes."
Claire had more she wanted to ask, but the words would not come.
Telling herself that she could ask about this soon enough anyway, Claire nodded after thinking for a moment.
"And so, that is how it is."
"Hm?"
"In other words, almost everything was my failure. Neglecting problem children due to busyness, and easily trusting His Majesty by prioritizing my own desires... Because of that incident as well, I thought of resigning."
Claire gently tilted the cooling apple tea with her right hand. Louis's tea should have been delicious, but she could not taste it now.
The other side of the King she had served. It was too large to accept, and she was struggling just to understand it.
Striving to be a knight was indeed difficult. Claire secretly twisted her lips. She had been swayed by the words of one man, but she never expected him to bring a surprise that soared high above problems like the suffering of love.
"One last thing, alright?"
"Yes."
"What did you ask of the King? I don't think you would make such a one-sided deal just to prohibit drugs."
Then Louis placed down his cup. His raised gaze was directed toward Elenoa, who was still sleeping on the second floor.
He kept his mouth shut for a while, but eventually looked back at Claire and solemnly opened his mouth. "The prohibition of Fairy Tale. And,"
"The position of Chief Court Mage."
This time, Claire was at a loss for words.
"The 'King-favoring' teleportation magic circles, the prohibition of drugs, and various other things that were established only after I became the Chief, were all decided from the time I was provisionally appointed as Chief. Because that was the promise."
"Why...? With your ability, you didn't need to do such things... Why!"
"Even if you ask me why. I think this kind of negotiation is basic in power struggles. Money moves for this position, and if the court were truly meritocratic, I would have become the Mage Corps Commander long ago."
"............"
"However, I have no interest in power itself. There was simply an existence that could not be protected without power."
That dirty effort was also torn up, though.
Saying that decisively and smiling, Louis had a refreshing expression, contrary to his confession.
Facing the female colleague who seemed about to scream betrayal, he further exposed his inner thoughts, as if cornering her.
"You say I am a result-oriented person, but this is the fate of those who lost to that 'result.' I think to myself that I pushed myself too hard, despite having no talent for using people from the start."
"That's not true. Your subordinates always admired you."
"It doesn't matter now."
Rather than remembering the names of his former subordinates, he wanted to keep information about fairies in his head. With such a childish person above them, were his subordinates happy? Louis did not know the answer, nor was he interested.
――Well then.
Louis placed down his cup. He did not ask Claire if she wanted more tea.
"I will give you a warning."
"...I will listen."
"Please flee from Grenole as soon as possible, preferably immediately. Having let Lumina die, and with her ending up in such a state, it seems unlikely that you can forgive the people here."
Claire could say nothing more.
What she had slightly 'understood' until now, she was convinced of just now.
Seeing the ruined figure of the woman who had been her eternal love rival in Claire's heart. Hearing this story. Catching a glimpse of Louis's eyes, which had lost their gentle light and reflected only a vague darkness. Finally, considering the prior knowledge that it was the people of this Royal Capital who took away his family and hurt the fairy he loved.
There was no way she could find words to save them.
Claire clenched her hands tightly on her knees. ――She could no longer run away. What she must do was about to begin.