Alsaid and his party arrived in the capital, Zantar, only on the fifth day.
"Thank you, Grand Duke."
"Isn't it such a big event? Indeed, I brought my third child to study the world. Greetings, Shion."
Shion wanted to act confidently like the son of Halias, but his father bowed his head at the sight of the King wearing a crown that he didn't wear much.
"Shion Andreas Halias, the third son, is here to see His Royal Majesty and his wife."
"Nice to meet you, Shion Halias. How old are you this year?"
"Seven."
"Oh, I asked if you were about the same age as our third child, but he's been around for a long time. If you go out to the garden, you will probably meet the third one. He likes to play ball, and his hair color is very light, so it's easy to recognize."
"Yes! I will take good care of him while I stay in the palace!"
Then King Medad burst into laughter.
"Grand Duke, didn't you give birth to two Caliph Halias?"
Alsaid rolled his eyes and denied it.
"That's not right. He is a child with a gentler belly than Caliph."
The word "belly" is omitted just in case.
In this royal family, the second and third sons of powerful families are often targeted under strange names.
The King retorted, still not laughing.
"Every time I see your sons, it's amazing. It must have been born by the Grand Duke, but didn't he resemble the Grand Duke to the point of injustice?"
Alseid was reluctant to see the King speak of the Grand Duchess in front of Shion, but he held back.
"If it's a son, he's the one I wanted to look like to be, so I won't be wronged."
Fortunately, there was no discomfort on Shion's face as he stood nervously
His eyes, which were the brightest of all the Halias and sparkled with silver, were just full of anticipation.
***
A few days later, the grand celebration of Spenta, which returns every five years, began.
There were quite a few faces that looked at the King, as if he had turned the invitation seriously, but they all bowed their heads in front of Alseid as if they were doing it to the King.
"Greetings, Your Excellency"
"You have always guarded the north wall, so our Pasia is safe."
"Well, that's good."
As they exchanged greetings moderately, a young nobleman approached and shook his head, as if he had just finished his coming-of-age ceremony.
"It's an honor to meet you, Sir. My father passed away, and I was entrusted with the role of lord of Eos Castle."
"Oh, the next Count Estelle."
Eos was a fertile land at the southwestern end of the Meridy estate.
He doesn't know the details of what happened after it was incorporated into the royal domain.
"How is the situation in the South lately?"
Alseid asked with interest, and the young lord replied with a little bitterness.
"It is the most difficult to control public sentiment. The people think that the Meridy estate is cursed for losing pyromance."
Unfortunately, it would take some time to clear up that terrible misunderstanding.
He still has a lot more to train the pyromancer who has just appeared.
Alseid put his hand on his shoulder, and Louis Estelle stiffened.
"Give me a little more strength."
"Oh, thank you, Your Excellency."
Then, in Alseid's gaze, he saw the black-haired Kegel de Haan.
He was surprised to see that he was not far away and didn't approach him first to say hello, but Alseid approached him and greeted him as if nothing had happened.
"It's been a long time, Marquis."
"...Your Excellency, you have been very polite."
The Marquis de Haan bowed his head, and the discomfort was clearly revealed.
He still resents him for the death of his eldest son.
However, when it comes to the rumored illegitimate child, Alseid was also curious.
This is the son who is listed on the Sword Master list and looks like a new birth. Padier de Haan.
"How are you?"
When asked in a plain voice, de Haan couldn't hide his growing emotions and bit his lip.
"...As usual, Sir."
"When I met you, there was something I wanted to check for myself. Your son became a sword master, right?"
"Yes?"
The Marquis de Han flinched in surprise and managed to regain his composure.
"I am sad that you even know the news of my lack of children."
Alseid smiled softly.
"Last year, we held a meeting of the Sword Masters, but only your son was absent."
"...As you know, pirates were infested in the sea of wind and lived in Norton. It seems to be a little quiet lately, so he'll say hello when he has a chance."
He's in Norton?
Norton was the largest island in the kingdom and was located in the Sea of Wind.
It was also the closest land to Lausanne.
Alseid had checked the facts with Garcia last year after Liana woke up and muttered to her not to scout Lausanne like she was sleeping.
After that, Garcia replied.
"The central sky is in chaos, so I hope you will refrain from preemptive actions for the time being."
Garcia's intentions were really in line with what Liana had said.
Sure enough, the chaos in the strait became more severe shortly thereafter, and one day, de Haan's coat of arms was lowered from the castle of Lausanne.
If the castle was occupied by pirates, there was no reason for Alseid to scout.
If de Haan doesn't ask for aid, you don't have to worry about other people's territories, and if you go out on demand, it's a small island that you can just push away without reconnaissance.
'Thanks to Liana's attention, I avoided trouble.'
However, the fact that de Haan's second son stays in Norton is perhaps at the center of the chaos.
Alseid focused on 'Norton' in his heart, but said something else on the outside.
"Really? The pirates went on a rampage all the way to the Stone Age, and I thought you had given up on eliminating the pirates."
He mentioned that he had already lost an island, but de Haan just laughed bitterly.
"How could it be? According to Your Excellency, a group of baseless pirates harmed the next Marquis."
He still did not seem to believe Alseid's testimony about his son's death.
While the war of nerves between the two men was unbreakable, the attendant appeared.
"His Majesty the King and his wife are having a meal!"
***
"Thank you to all the nobles of Zantar for shining their seats. May you taste and enjoy the glory of this prosperous royal family with the grace of Spenta."
When the King at the table sat down and raised his glass high, everyone toasted.
"The mystery of Spenta!"
"Glory to Zantar!"
Alseid sat down right next to the King and made a toast, but the King was displeased with his splendid attire.
As if symbolizing the glory of alchemy, even the only spirit stone on the continent could not be overshadowed by the colorful golden garments.
The King opened his mouth and said shamelessly.
"Unfortunately, Minister Spenta has already been ill since last year. No matter how good the medicine is, he will not be able to recover his energy, so please understand that the public event of the spirit stone will be held simply."
Keep it simple?
The public event of the spirit seat did not have any complicated procedures.
It's enough to just put the spirit stone on the altar with protective spells and watch it in a row, but what is simpler?
Moreover, the high priest's illness was a major issue for the country.
However, even Alseid, who had kept his eyes and ears open to the capital, was reluctant to hide it so that he would not know about it.
One of the nobles who was in command asked cautiously.
"Are you in bad health?"
"I just hope for Spenta's grace."
The King's answer made the murmur grow.
"The high priest is old."
"Somehow, I didn't see him during my last visit to the temple, so something..."
"May Spenta bless him..."
Sure enough, it seemed that the high priest's illness was still unknown among other nobles.
Alseid shot at the King among the praying nobles.
"Then, how will the public event be held this year?"
The King replied with a cough in vain.
"Well, due to the absence of the high priest, you can't cast a protective spell, so you can only watch it outside the chapel."
It was a ridiculous sound.
Outside the chapel, you won't even be able to see if the spirit stone is broken or not.
'You decided not to show me the details.'
If the temple was solely to blame for the damage to the spirit stone, would the royal family hide it like this?
Alseid shook his head excitedly.
***
The next day, Alseid took Shion to the temple of Spenta.
Everyone had to look at the spirit stone displayed in the center of the chapel from outside the wide-open door, but the distance was so far away that it was impossible to tell the difference, even if any stone was brought in.
Nevertheless, among the crowded audience, Shion raised his claw and whispered.
"Is that a spirit stone? It doesn't show us as much detail as I thought."
It just seemed that there was something yellowish, which disappointed the child who was expecting it.
Alseid was reluctant to do so, but he made a pleasant response for Shion.
"Well, the high priest is sick and can't use protective magic."
Shion lowered his voice even more and asked.
"So now that it's on display without protection?"
Alseid laughed.
"I don't think so. However, it must be weaker than the barrier created by the high priest. That's why so many guards guard it."
Alseid said and looked at the spirit stone piercingly.
There was a distance, but the magic power was too faint.
'No, it's rather magical...'
Alseid, who had been keeping an eye on the spirit stone, suddenly turned his gaze to one side.
At the head of the audience was an old man wearing an old robe, and he could see that he was paying full attention to the altar.
Alseid beckoned to the vice-captain who was far away, and whispered to Shion.
"Shion, go back first with the vice-captain."
Then he took a few steps back and waited until the audience had fallen out to a certain extent.
When the visitors who had filled the old man's surroundings disappeared, the situation became clearer.
The faint magic power felt in the spirit stone must have belonged to the old man.
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