Chapter 94
(Markus’s Point of View)
“—Lord Markus, is it true that my sisters-in-law are heading to Tori?”
That day, as we waited for Sybil and the others to arrive, Annika—apparently having heard the news—came to see me.
“Yes.”
“Then does that mean we’re finally being allowed to return to the royal capital…?!”
“No. Sybil is only coming to prepare new magic stones.”
“Eh…?”
When Annika first arrived here, she was plump, but thanks to the harsh life she had returned to her former slender figure.
In her own way, she must be suffering.
“Then… does that mean we still have to keep living here…?”
“Probably.”
“…I don’t want that anymore. I’ve reached my limit…! Mother has been so distressed that she went somewhere and disappeared, too… Please, Lord Markus, ask your sister-in-law for us…!!”
“…I can’t.”
Hearing my answer, Annika’s eyes welled up with tears, and in an instant she began sobbing loudly.
Her mother, who had come to this land together with her, must not have been able to endure life here. One day, she fled and vanished.
She might be living safely in some town somewhere—but to abandon even her own daughter and run away alone…
Come to think of it, both Annika and I were taken in by that woman’s sweet words, and it seems Sybil had been treated quite coldly as well.
Even if she escaped from here, I doubt that mother, so steeped in desire, is living a happy life.
Well, it’s none of my concern.
In any case, with her mother gone and monsters appearing more frequently, Annika is utterly exhausted.
But with this state of mind, there’s no way permission to return to the capital would be granted… Even I can see that.
“That’s enough…! I’ll ask her myself! If I beg my sister-in-law, she’ll surely listen!”
“…Weren’t you bullied by Sybil?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“No… nothing.”
By now, I know that was a lie.
Still, though we had been engaged since childhood, it was also my fault for not believing in Sybil.
So I don’t intend to blame Annika alone, but—
Back then, I was terribly impatient.
With my fiancée Sybil, who had not awakened to the power of a Saint.
With the fact that I was never named crown prince.
And so, without properly investigating, I believed what Annika and her mother told me.
I regret deeply now how coldly I treated Sybil.
…When Sybil arrives, I’ll ask for another chance to talk with her—just the two of us.
Even though my brother has already been named crown prince, I still want to speak with Sybil.
I want to hear her true feelings, the feelings of the woman I was engaged to for seven long years.
And so, my heart pounding for two different reasons, I waited for Sybil to come to this land.
The moment the magic stone imbued with Saint Sybil’s blessing shattered was truly sudden.
One instant it cracked with a sharp pak, and the next it broke apart completely.
Surely, an extremely powerful monster had appeared.
That thought alone made me tremble.
A monster stronger than the Saint’s magic…?!
A demon? A dragon?!
This is bad, bad, bad…!
No, it’s beyond bad. This town will be blown away…!
The Third Knight Order—and I—will all be killed…!!
The vast demonic forest in the land of Tori.
A dangerous forest that even knights do not dare to enter on their own.
What terrifying monsters live within it is beyond my imagination.
I’m scared, scared, scared, scared…!!
Help me, Rick… Sybil… Brother…!!
I trembled with those thoughts, but even after the magic stone broke, powerful monsters did not immediately attack.
Still, there was no doubt that the number of monsters emerging from the forest increased.
They were all low-rank monsters, so the Third Knight Order could handle them, but unless the Saint’s magic stone was replaced soon, it would become dangerous.
So I used the magic mirror to tell Sybil and my brother directly what had happened.
They decided to come in person.
If Saint Sybil is coming, then we’ll be safe.
I’ve seen her power with my own eyes.
When a swarm of wyverns attacked the royal capital, Sybil defeated them all in an instant with a Saint’s prayer.
With that power, there’s nothing to fear.
The magic stone must have broken simply because Sybil was still weak back then.
Surely, in the months since, she has gained even greater strength.
So if she imbues the magic stone with the Saint’s blessing once more, everything will be fine.
And though it’s not just because Annika asked, if my brother is coming along, I think I’ll ask him directly whether we can finally return to the capital.
I’ve reflected enough. I’ve suffered enough—I’ve already been punished.
Father is strict with me, but if it’s my brother, surely—
…No. I don’t really know my brother at all.
Born between my father and his mistress, I hardly ever spoke to him.
Mother also told me, “There’s no need to talk to your brother,” and even when I saw him occasionally in the castle, I never knew what to say and never spoke to him.
Before I knew it, he had joined the knight order and left the capital.
I had believed that I, the son of the queen, would become the next king—
but then rumors began to circulate that my brother might inherit the throne instead.
I had always resented him for that—
“…After all this, would he really listen if I conveniently said, ‘Help me’ now…?”
My brother probably has no special feelings for me at all.
If anything, he might still be angry about the cruel way I treated Sybil.
“…I should stop expecting anything.”
We may share blood, but we were never close enough to be called true brothers.
