[278] 2. The Trap of a Forced Choice (2)
"Shirone, even the most beautiful butterfly is a monstrosity up close. No one in this world is beautiful except you, and it's never wise to show your emotions. Especially if you want to protect someone you love."
Shirone drew a deep breath to calm himself. Now was the time to make a plan, not to lose his temper.
"So what should I do from now on?"
"Show them your power. If they want a criterion for which side to take, giving them a precise source is one way to provide it."
Orcamp finally spoke plainly.
"I'll arrange a venue. Perform Ataraxia. If you demonstrate your power there, at least friend and foe will be clearly separated. At the very least, they won't touch your family."
Shirone's gaze dropped. His mind steadied, but a hotness crawled up his throat and lodged there.
"So... that's the real reason you called me."
Orcamp exhaled softly. As expected, Shirone couldn't be deceived.
"Have you heard of the Valkyries? They're the army Teraje organized to prepare for the final war. The Kazra Kingdom survived economically because they won contracts supplying war materiel. But the outlook isn't good. Teraje planted children here to one day drive me out and swallow Kazra. We need to increase our influence within the Valkyries. Your Ataraxia would be more than enough for that."
Shirone felt strength drain from his limbs. He had suspected it, but hearing it from the people he believed were his birth parents brought tears to his eyes.
In the end, blood wasn't what mattered. What they wanted was the archangel power, Ataraxia.
"I'm asking you. Perform the demonstration. Even showing it before the nobles will be hugely influential. It's our chance to pull the neutral faction to our side."
Shirone swallowed the falling tears. Orcamp wasn't crying, so he shouldn't either.
"Did you think I'd comply just because you asked?"
"On the contrary. That's why I'll make you an offer. You said a few days ago you wanted to go home. Is that still true?"
"No. Not anymore. I want to go home even more now."
Orcamp didn't take offense at Shirone's sarcasm.
"If you perform the demonstration, I'll send you home as soon as the paternity check is complete. You can attend Alpheas School of Magic or do whatever you like. If you don't want to come to the palace, you don't have to. How about that?"
Shirone couldn't let that offer pass.
After experiencing the royal court, returning home wasn't as simple as he'd once thought. In that situation, Orcamp's proposal was undeniably tempting.
"But if I leave like that, you won't be able to use Ataraxia. Eventually you'll need me again. How do you plan to convince the ministers?"
Orcamp looked uneasy, as if his true intent had been seen through. His reason for proposing a demonstration went far beyond swaying neutrals.
Arius had said that by witnessing Ataraxia directly, they might find a way to replicate it.
If replication succeeded, Shirone would no longer be necessary. It would be better for him to leave the castle—for Shirone's own life...
"That's why a covert deal is necessary. To the ministers we'll announce that you'll return after graduating from the School of Magic. A year, was it? During that time I'll purge the Teraje faction. After that, everyone can go their separate ways."
So if Orcamp failed to eliminate the Teraje faction, the deal would be void.
Shirone nodded as if that level of risk was only natural. If they guaranteed only a year, he didn't care whether they kept the promise.
He planned to move after graduation anyway. A slightly longer move was no problem.
He could live that way until he had enough strength not to be swayed by the crown.
"Who will observe the demonstration?"
"I've already sent word. All the high nobles will attend. They're expecting a spectacular show."
Shirone looked at Orcamp with sad eyes.
"You knew from the start I couldn't refuse."
"Shirone, you were the one who asked for this three days ago. I only provided a pretext to allow it."
Orcamp remained cold to the end.
But thanks to that, Shirone regained his composure. Not for Kazra—he would do it for his family.
"All right. Call me when preparations are complete. I have to go see my 'parents' now."
He wanted to storm out. He knew Orcamp wouldn't punish him for it.
Still, Shirone left the room with proper manners.
Orcamp was the king of a neighboring country.
@
When Shirone arrived at the lodgings, he checked on his parents first.
They had dark circles under their eyes as if they hadn't slept. They forced smiles so as not to worry him, but Olina's face was as pale as paper.
Even Shirone, who had learned magic, felt his heart slam in his chest; the burden would have been too great for someone who'd lived their whole life without harming anyone.
"I'm sorry, Mother."
Amy, who greeted him, made no forced cheerfulness nor visible anxiety. She simply lifted a hand in a rueful smile.
From her demeanor Shirone felt a deep comradeship.
Rena, who had been holding a meeting with attendants in the next room, greeted him with a bright face.
"You're back, Shirone. We've been waiting."
Though everyone else looked worn, only Rena seemed full of energy. True to a court musician, she was used to the palace atmosphere.
Seeing this side of her was refreshing, but at the moment Shirone didn't feel much like rejoicing.
He didn't dislike her. But no one could know what it felt like to spend a day as a fool while leaving his family's lives in other people's hands.
"I met with Orcamp."
Rena's expression stiffened.
Aside from the chill in Shirone's voice, using the king's name showed how furious he was.
"Sorry I didn't tell you beforehand. I didn't want you to worry—"
"I know why. But it was dangerous for everyone."
Rena swallowed hard. It was the look Shirone had shown once before—when he was truly angry.
Now that it had happened to her, her heart froze. Had her father felt the same?
"It's okay now. I strengthened security. I asked the guards to beef up protection—"
"You should have told me."
Rena's mouth snapped shut. Amy, watching the exchange like an outsider, sighed.
"Told you so."
They'd gotten into this mess because they underestimated how much Shirone loved his family.
But honestly, Amy had little room to complain. Even though she could predict Shirone's reaction, she had followed Rena's judgment because it had been the right call.
If Shirone had known then, things might have escalated beyond control. He knew that. In the end, Rena's decision had been the right one.
Vincent, unable to hide his embarrassment, tried to smooth things over.
"Shirone, Rena had no choice. Besides, she did consult us before deciding. If you want to be angry, be angry at me."
Shirone bowed his head. He already knew that.
He was simply angry.
His family had been threatened with assassination; his supposed birth parents were ravenous for Ataraxia; and now even Rena seemed to have set him aside. The thought made him ache with sorrow.
"I'm sorry. I know Rena saved us all. I just... got so frustrated I didn't know what I was doing."
Rena caught a faint tremor in Shirone's voice. What had Orcamp said to reduce a usually steady child to such tatters?
"No—I'm the one who's sorry. You had every right to be upset. It's part of my duty to inform you. From now on I'll report everything without fail."
When Shirone forced a smile, Rena visibly relaxed.
This child was most beautiful when smiling. He didn't want to see such a sad face.
To leave the castle safely, they had to be cool-headed. Even if the same situation came up again, Rena would make the same call.
With their emotions settled, Amy asked, "So what did you talk about in the audience chamber?"
"Ah, well..."
Shirone told them Orcamp's proposal. Amy considered it thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Hmm, it's a reasonable offer. Provided he keeps his promise, of course."
"It doesn't matter. I'll move after I graduate anyway. We can deal with what comes next then. So I accepted the offer for now."
"That's true. Same here."
Nobles keep a family home because their jobs force them to move residences.
Amy's brother Dian served as the palace's chief archer, and her younger brother Ares, an explorer, wandered the wilds—no one even knew which country he was in.
Globally, mage job-placement sits around eighty percent and the hiring rate approaches ninety-nine percent. Placement lags because many mages refuse certain jobs.
Competition is fierce, so most students head to the capital, Vashka, to look for work or prepare for official exams after graduation. If neither works out, studying abroad is common.
There were mage institutions in Creas as well, but Shirone had no desire to end his mage life in a provincial town.
If he reached roughly official level five later, he might serve as deputy chief of the Mage Association's Creas branch, but for now he had many things he wanted to do.
Alpheas School of Magic is a state institution and grants an unofficial level-10 mage certificate upon graduation. With that certificate, guilds will offer work, and he could even take mercenary jobs. Then he wouldn't need to buy a house and could keep moving.
If he lived like that and met the right person, he might eventually settle somewhere.
Amy applauded and cheered him on warmly.
"Good! If you're going to do it, do it properly!"
@
The Colosseum stood in a basin two kilometers north of Kazra Castle. It had once been a massive gambling arena where warriors bled against beasts and nobles placed bets, but now it was closed indefinitely for budgetary reasons.
Uncleared sand still bore stains of blood. No matter how much the workers swept, the red marks wouldn't vanish.
Nobles arrived with entourages, and Amy and Rena took seats in the third tier.
Orcamp, considerate of Shirone's feelings, had allowed his parents to attend, but since Olina was still weakened, Vincent stayed behind at the lodgings.
Shirone waited in the underground preparation room beneath the Colosseum until the time came.
Around him lay exercise equipment and sandbags once used by champions, and weapons lined the shelves.
When the iron door to the waiting room opened, Jion and Uorin entered. Uorin looked around the subterranean chamber as if it were his first time.
Shirone no longer welcomed anyone. After learning what had happened last night, everyone looked like an enemy.
Jion swaggered over and said, "What a desolate place. I wonder what the warriors who waited here were thinking. 'Please don't let the lion eat me'? Or maybe they were planning to break down that door and run."
"No. They must have vowed to kill the enemy. A warrior has no other path."
Jion's smile twisted. As expected, words alone couldn't match a mage.