Chapter 34: The Enemy Behind
The excited explanation from the head of the Mage Corps continued, but inside, I was cursing that I just wanted to go home already. Upon returning to Prime Minister Nagalan’s reception room, his aide presented a single card on a tray to the Marquis.
In response to the Marquis’s inquiry, Prime Minister Nagalan stated that the Marquis Hamawar’s guard needed to have it and urged me to take it.
The card shimmered in gold with a crimson outline, depicting crossed swords and a howling Fang Wolf within a ring of flames, along with the royal family crest. When I flipped it over and was told to channel my mana into it, a portrait resembling my status card emerged, just like an Adventurer’s card. Below my name and age were the words Earth Magic, Spatial Storage, and Transfer Magic, followed by the numbers Human Race 6, Dwarf Race 2, Elf Race 2, and a Mana Grade of 40.
Seeing my grim expression as I stared at the card, the Marquis leaned in and murmured, “Prime Minister, this information won’t leak out, will it?”
“Once the task is complete, if you channel mana into the registered emblem, everything will vanish. No one will know. If there are details you wish to keep hidden, simply channel your mana over the text and it will become invisible,” he replied.
I slid my finger over the words Spatial Storage and Transfer Magic while channeling my mana, and just like that, they disappeared. Magic truly is high-tech.
“Until the ceremony concludes, you are free to act as the guard for Marquis Hamawar. You need not follow anyone’s orders except mine and His Majesty’s, and if necessary, you can command all security personnel. Don’t embarrass the Marquis.”
That last part was directed at me, so I silently bowed in acknowledgment. If I messed up, the Marquis’s house would be in jeopardy. What a heavy responsibility this is. As I put the card away, I noticed that the royal family crest glimmered faintly due to the mana I had channeled.
After that, I reviewed the security arrangements, the action plan for the day, and the emergency protocols for all relevant departments. I also met with Prince Herarus, and while I recognized the faces of the guards, one of them standing behind the knight caught my attention, prompting me to have him removed from the deployment through the Marquis.
Two days later, I received word from those monitoring the situation that there were suspicious movements, and tension spread.
“Why do you find him suspicious?” I asked.
“It’s his aura. I’ve seen him appear before the Marquis and various departments, and I’ve observed a range of negative emotions—resistance, dissatisfaction, irritation, and disdain. But he alone displayed a strong sense of wariness. His vigilance and aggressive gaze were directed solely at me and the prince. Considering the possibility of an emergency, I thought it best to remove him from the vicinity of the security department.”
“We need to investigate the guards directly and those supporting them from behind,” the Marquis replied.
While I accompanied the Marquis on another inspection of the security department, I also made rounds among those working behind the scenes, introducing myself as a security officer directly under the Marquis. As a result, I removed three individuals from their posts: a stableman responsible for the royal carriage and horses, and one of the event’s supervising staff members in charge of the audience area.
Those removed from their posts were secretly investigated for connections to the earlier individual, but nothing could be charged against them. However, the one who had been responsible for the audience area vanished immediately after being dismissed.
With only three days left until the Royal Academy’s entrance ceremony, I stood behind the Marquis during a meeting of the security leaders when the chief security officer questioned me.
“Kaito, was it? How did you know?”
“I didn’t know for sure; I only sensed a strong wariness and intent to attack from him. I simply removed him from the department because he couldn’t be placed near the target. The real threat is someone who approaches without any emotion and attacks. A big player will quietly conceal their presence until the moment to strike.”
“What a naive thing to say! You’re supposed to be patrolling to prevent that!”
“That’s not my job. I’m the Marquis’s guard. I’m not responsible for royal protection; that’s your duty.”
“Marquis, could you have this outsider leave?”
“That won’t do, Commander Dold. I have permission from His Majesty and the Prime Minister to have him guard me. Let me explain why he’s accompanying me through each department and attending this meeting. Kaito, show them.”
I thought to myself that revealing the royal insignia was something for the climax, but I pulled out the card, ensuring the royal crest was visible. Everyone present, except for the Marquis, stood up in awe. The power of this insignia was incredible.
“Is that… real?”
The Marquis chuckled softly.
“It was given to him by His Majesty, not to me. This means that if necessary, he might take command of you all. I have also been personally tasked with guarding Prince Herarus, and I pray that the ceremony concludes without incident.”
As the entrance ceremony began, I spotted Hyaru and Fi behind His Majesty the King. I was seated in the front row, next to Prince Herarus, wearing a friendly expression. After the headmaster’s greeting, when His Majesty stood up to address the crowd, I was suddenly struck by a sensation similar to when the Black Wolf boss approached.
I heard the incantation of a spell and turned around to see a Fireball floating in the seat just behind the prince. Distant shouts echoed, and the surrounding students stared at it in shock. There was no time to waste; I grabbed the prince’s collar and yanked him back.
Boom! The sound of the spell exploding and the pain caused my knees to buckle, but I managed to encase the prince and myself within an Earth Magic Dome.
Just before the explosion, I heard screams and a thunderous roar coming from the direction of the king. Inside the dome, enveloped in pitch-black darkness and silence, I could feel the prince trembling. It was understandable; he had just turned twelve.
I lit a light to check for injuries, and it seemed that Prince Herarus had only sustained some bruises. My left hand wasn’t functioning well, but I was grateful I had brought an Advanced Potion. I retrieved it from my Spatial Storage, but the cap wouldn’t budge. I asked the prince to open it for me, but he was trembling and dropped it, ruining two bottles.
I tried to open a potion on my own, but my strength was fading. My body was going numb, and I could hear a knock knock knock… knock knock knock… on the dome.
It was Fi. When I opened the dome, a storm of shouts and chaos erupted, but it seemed the attack had ended.
“Kaito! You’re badly injured. Just wait, I’ll heal you! Be healed!“
The pain began to subside, but perhaps due to the excessive blood loss, I couldn’t muster any strength.
“Fi, what about Hyaru and His Majesty?”
“They’re safe. When I saw the attack aimed at the prince, I pushed His Majesty down and took cover. The attack came right after, but Hyaru immediately erected an ice wall to defend us. The assailant was subdued on the spot.”
“Then the Marquis’s neck is safe too.”
“If His Majesty and the prince are safe, then of course.”
“Prince Herarus, your subjects are watching. You must stand up, even if it means gritting your teeth, and wave your hand to show you’re alright.”
He looked at me wide-eyed, but surrounded by the royal knights, he made his way to His Majesty, giving me a small nod of thanks as he left.
“Fi, lend me a hand. I think I’ve lost too much blood and can’t hold myself up.”
The Marquis arrived and led me to His Majesty, but with Fi’s support, I managed to stand beside the Marquis before the king.
“Kaito, thank you. Because of you, my son was saved.”
“I am the Marquis’s guard. The Marquis can’t sit in the new student’s seat, so I’m just acting as his proxy. If you wish to thank someone, it should be the Marquis who hired me. Also, I think I need to step back for a moment; I feel weak from the blood loss.”
My vision was starting to blur, and I felt like I would collapse if I let my guard down for even a moment. Supported by the Marquis and Fi, I staggered back from the king, but my consciousness faded along the way.
When I woke up, two days had passed, and I struggled to regain my strength with the help of Fi and Aisa. I found myself in a more luxurious room than usual when staying at the Marquis’s residence, and the table in the distance was adorned with lavish gifts.
According to Aisa, these were presents from His Majesty the King, the Queen, and Prince Herarus to wish me well.
Fi suddenly let out a scream. It seemed that word had spread about my ability to use Healing Magic, and proposals for marriage were flooding in.
My injuries were a terrible sight, stretching from my back down to my waist and thighs, yet I managed to heal them with a single word in front of a crowd. Nobles and wealthy merchants alike, not to mention proposals from the Royal Family, had been pouring in, leaving the Marquis with a grim expression. On top of that, requests for healing treatments were flooding in, causing him quite the headache.
As October reached its midpoint, I finally regained the ability to move normally and was considering transferring to a hotel when a summons arrived from the Royal Family for the Marquis Hyalda, Fiene, and me. Since I was employed as the Marquis’s bodyguard, I had no reason to be called by the Royal Family. I entrusted the Status Card I had been given back to the Marquis and prepared to move to the hotel.
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“Is Kaito not coming?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. He is my bodyguard and not employed by the Royal Family, so he declined the summons. He has asked me to return the Status Card he was entrusted with.”
The card had been beautifully erased of its Mana.
“Lady Fiene Hamawar, you are quite the skilled healer.”
Seeing Fiene bow her head in silence, the King continued.
“Viscount Hyalda Hamawal, Lady Fiene Hamawar, and Marquis Sharda Hamawal, your efforts this time were commendable. Do you have any requests for a reward?”