**Chapter 76**
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I found myself sitting on the sloped roof of an inn in the royal capital, gazing up at the clear, cloudless sky.
“Are you sure you’re okay not handling your knight duties, Zenoa?” I muttered.
Beside me sat Zenoa Almerida, a beautiful woman dressed in knightly attire, serving as the vice-captain of the knight order. I had spoken with her enough to know she was the type of person who took her responsibilities seriously. The kind who would never shirk her duties.
Which was why I couldn’t help but ask.
“I was told to take a break, for once,” she replied.
“Ah, I see.”
Given her outfit, I had assumed she was still on duty, but apparently not.
“And what about Amses?”
Two days had passed since the incident. I had heard the basics of what happened from Lilea and Sophia, but not the details. So I figured I’d take the opportunity to ask now.
“Alsted has disappeared. But with the price he paid, it’s doubtful he’s alive.”
“Oh, right. You mentioned something about a price,” I recalled.
“Indeed. I haven’t read the specifics, but for a magic of that magnitude, the cost must have been significant.”
Zenoa’s magic was called “Mind Reading—Doctus.” If she wanted to, and if she had enough time, she could’ve learned everything about the situation.
“By the way, what’s the price for the ‘Mage Hunter’s’ magic?”
She hesitated at my question, probably because it wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. But only for a moment. Perhaps because I had already delved this far into the matter, she decided to explain.
“Loss.”
“Loss?”
“Yes. The price for his magic was to lose all the magic he had ever acquired, including that of the ‘Collector.’ Therefore, I must apologize, but—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I interrupted.
I assumed that Zenoa had come to see me because of this very issue. All the things they had done—their principles, their ideals, their circumstances—and ultimately, the price they paid.
It seemed like she was trying to ask for leniency toward Oliver, at least, if not Amses. Reading between the lines, that was likely the reason for her visit, so I answered with a chuckle.
Zenoa appeared surprised by how nonchalantly I responded.
“If that’s the case, you didn’t have to come all the way here to tell me,” I added.
“…It’s not something I could ignore.”
“No, I mean, it’s fine. I really don’t care.”
To be honest, I didn’t care what happened to Oliver or Amses. As selfish as it sounds, I only appreciated them for sticking around and helping me in my own self-indulgent way. But beyond that, I didn’t feel much else for them. That’s just the truth.
“In the end, if this whole mess is resolved, that’s enough for me, don’t you think?”
My words seemed to leave Zenoa exasperated, and she let out a deep sigh.
“…You risked your life for such a vague reason?”
“Now that you mention it, I think Fiore said something similar.”
I brought up Fiore Isleburk’s name. If not for her telling me to rely on Zenoa if things went south, the outcome of the recent events might have been completely different.
“Well, I suppose it’s Shiva and Lilea who are the odd ones here for understanding this,” I said, recalling the red-haired swordsman Shiva and Lilea, who had fought alongside me to defeat the monsters.
“Like, if I die, then I die?” I muttered, glancing at my heavily bandaged right shoulder, which was still in pain since they refused to heal it with magic to keep me from doing anything reckless for a while.
Despite knowing that my current attitude was a rejection of the bonds I had formed, I couldn’t help but act this way. Honestly, I couldn’t be saved.
“…I can’t say I relate to that,” Zenoa said coldly.
I had expected her to reject me, and it didn’t bother me. This feeling, this longing, this glow—it was mine alone. As long as I understood that, it was enough.
So, I kept smiling.
“Hey, Zenoa,” I said.
“…What?”
“Have you ever heard of magic that lets you show someone else’s memories to another person?”
Amses’ words from that time crossed my mind. The memory I had gained—there was a chance it had been placed there by someone’s magic. His words lingered like a thorn in my throat.
“I’ve never heard of such magic… but with magic, I wouldn’t say anything is impossible.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
I had seen all kinds of magic—everything from pure destruction to mind control, and even a semblance of resurrection. It wouldn’t be surprising if Amses’ words were true.
“Why do you ask?”
I thought about it. If those visions had indeed been implanted into my mind by someone’s magic, would it change how I lived? Would the passion I had felt on that day disappear?
“Nah, I was just curious.”
But—even after considering all that, my answer didn’t change. It wouldn’t. If such things could easily sway me, Zenoa wouldn’t have told me my thoughts were incomprehensible to begin with.
“…May I ask you something as well?” Zenoa asked.
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t you agree with Alsted’s views?”
It felt like she was implying that she had expected me to side with him.
“His ideals were broken. Even though the damage was mitigated, he fully intended to destroy the royal capital. He wanted to tear down both the nobles and the mages.”
Now that she mentioned it, I could see Amses doing just that.
“For someone like you, who seeks power, wasn’t that exactly the kind of chaos you would have desired?”
“I won’t deny it.”
The words slipped easily from my mouth. Zenoa had a point. In a world filled with conflict, my ambition would have been easier to achieve. I would have no shortage of opponents to fight.
“Then why?”
Why had I gotten in their way? Zenoa’s question hung in the air, and I answered as naturally as if it were obvious.
“Because I didn’t have a reason. Besides, I found fighting Amses and the ‘Mage Hunter’ much more interesting. That’s all.”
If Amses had heard me say that, he would’ve either been furious or maybe even laughed. But that was the truth of why I hadn’t sided with him.
However, in a way…
“If I ever find a reason, I’ll pursue it to the end—no matter what, even if it means going against the world itself.”
I spoke with a cocky grin, uttering those arrogant words. Zenoa sighed again, as if to express her exasperation.
She could likely tell I was being completely serious.
“…You’re not the type to live a long life, are you?”
It sounded like she was indirectly saying that there were plenty of better ways for me to live. And she was probably right. But even as I swallowed my saliva, I couldn’t think of a reply.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
“What now, huh?”
Well, first, I needed to get my arm healed. After that… I hadn’t really thought about it.
But then—
“…If you’d like,” Zenoa said, “the captain has offered to spar with you, as compensation for the trouble caused. She told me to pass along the message.”
“The captain of the knights…?”
“Yes, Bernadette. In terms of raw skill, she’s in the top five in the kingdom. Worldwide, she might even be in the top ten.”
I hadn’t seen Bernadette fight, but my instincts told me she was formidable.
Still, hearing she was one of the top five in the kingdom didn’t give me much context.
“How strong is Bernadette compared to you?” I asked, not quite knowing how else to gauge it.
“…Let’s see. If it were me, you, and Ryuzas together, we might be able to give her a good fight.”
In other words, she was absurdly strong.
“Alright… I’ve decided,” I said, standing up and jumping off the roof.
“I’ll take her up on that offer.”
I didn’t need to feel grateful, but since the opportunity had presented itself, I’d take full advantage of it.
“Well then, I’m heading over—”
“Yuuulius~?”
—And she found me.
Before I could even finish my sentence, Sophia spotted me from where she had been keeping an eye on the inn.
“We agreed you’d rest for at least another week, didn’t we?”
…She was right. I winced, remembering the promise I had made, more or less under duress, in exchange for her healing.
“And you also promised that if you broke that, I’d wrap you up like a mummy, didn’t you~?”
“Uh… did I?”
I feigned ignorance. I vaguely remembered nodding along to her scolding to get her to stop. Unfortunately, now it was coming back to bite me.
The worst part was, I had just enough of a memory of it that I couldn’t completely bluff my way out.
“Ryuzas, please catch him,” she ordered.
“Sorry, kid. I owe this lady a favor,” Ryuzas said, his hand quickly gripping my shoulder.
Since
the incident, Ryuzas, a former knight, and I had developed something of a rapport. He had been healed by Sophia after getting injured during the chaos and had taken it upon himself to keep me out of further trouble.
Thanks to him, I found myself caught before I could head to Bernadette’s.
“How about we have a nice, long chat while you’re resting?” Ryuzas suggested.
This was his way of repaying his debt. Under the guise of “conversation,” he would teach me more about the world, including who to avoid.
I wasn’t so dense that I didn’t realize he was trying to look out for me.
“…Fine, fine.”
As much as I wanted to move around, I had to admit that I was grateful for his insights. Still, I made several attempts to slip away and get some training in, only to be immediately caught by Ryuzas. In the end, I got a stern lecture from Sophia.
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**Author’s Note:**
If you’ve enjoyed the story, I’d appreciate a five-star rating or a bookmark! Also, Volume 2 is out today! It’s available from SQEX Novels, titled *”I Was Unjustly Banished from the Royal Court, but Now I’m Traveling with the Prince of a Neighboring Kingdom!?”* Please check it out! The manga adaptation is also coming soon, so look forward to it!
[Translator – Vine]
[Proofreader – Lust]
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