How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 288
Only Noblemtl
Episode 288
“…….”
Aril sat up, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was late at night, but for some reason, he couldn’t sleep.
Next to me, Kara, Cayenne, and the cat were sleeping snuggled up to me, and I was so grateful that they were taking such good care of me, a complete stranger.
‘Should I go see my brother?’
Suddenly, that thought occurred to me. I heard that my brother wouldn’t be able to sleep because of the princes’ escort.
“Wow… Where is Sister Ariel?”
As I carefully got out of bed, Kara woke up and grabbed my sleeve.
Ariel was embarrassed and quickly made an excuse.
“Ugh, I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Ugh…, you have to come quickly.”
“Ugh……”
Fortunately, Kara soon fell asleep again, and Ariel slowly opened the door. Then, I froze in shock at the pitch-black darkness that greeted me. Unlike the bedroom, which had soft lighting, there was no light in the hallway.
But just as I was about to back away, thinking, “Should I just go in?”, a soft light came on beneath my feet, dispelling the darkness.
“……!”
Aril mustered up his courage and took a step into the hallway. The lights followed Aril’s steps, turning on one by one, illuminating the area beneath his feet.
‘That’s amazing!’
Ariel almost screamed at the sight of this new civilization that she had never seen even in the prince’s palace, but she continued walking, admiring it inwardly.
I was so fascinated by the new culture that I almost got lost for a moment while walking blindly, but somehow I felt like the stars were watching over me, so I wasn’t scared at all.
‘But can I come in…?’
Aril, standing in front of the bedroom where the princes would be staying, was lost in thought for a moment. She had come to see her brother, but wouldn’t it be awkward if the princes woke up because of her?
Moreover, I had recently been learning manners from the maid of the knights, so now I know that no matter how close we are, I should not enter the prince’s bedroom without permission. Studying is hard, but the maid of the knights is really, really cool.
‘I want to be a knight too.’
They say her brother has become a very great person, but Ariel was still a bit confused because she had never seen her brother’s swordsmanship properly.
‘If I say I want to learn swordsmanship, will you allow me?’
I have to ask!
Suddenly, Ariel felt a strong urge to talk to her brother and knocked on the bedroom door, driven by her desire.
dripping-
“Prince, angel, are you sleeping?”
Ariel poked her head out. Of course, everyone else was asleep, but if only Oppa was awake… … .
“…Aryl.”
“……!”
Ariel was startled. For some reason, everyone was awake.
“Aryl, what are you doing at this hour? Did something happen?”
“Uh… no. I just can’t sleep. I also want to talk to you…….”
This time, Evan was surprised by those words. Now that I think about it, after bringing Ariel, I only took care of the prince, and barely took care of my own younger brother. Perhaps the squirrel or the princes took more care of Ariel.
Clap clap-
“Okay, Miyeok and Pinky lie back down, and Puppy… go over to the corner and talk.”
The lynx clapped his hands and sorted out the situation. Evan also moved quietly, thinking he should talk to Ariel.
“Neil, I think I’m awake……”
“I’m all awake too.”
“Go to sleep, lie down quickly. If you stay up late, the Archduke will come and make trouble.”
The princes’ timid protests were heard, but the lynx seemed to calm them down on its own. Of course, it seemed to irritate the baby archduke who was actually hearing them.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“The baby is crying.”
“…I’ll see you after the rotten moon is over.”
‘Isn’t that kid going to get hit by the Archduke…?’
As I was thinking that, Ariel grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her.
“Brother, brother.”
“Uh, uh……?”
“Come sit here.”
Ariel sat me down on a chair and then immediately opened the palm of her hand and started fiddling with it.
“…what’s the matter?”
“It’s hard and rough. It’s so… ugly.”
“ha ha ha…….”
Evan laughed awkwardly. I guess the kids think my hands look a little ugly.
I unconsciously closed my hand, but Ariel grabbed my hand tightly, opened it wide, and suddenly raised her head to look at me.
“Brother, if I become like this, can I become a knight?”
“…what?”
Evan looked down at Ariel in surprise. Suddenly a knight… … .
“If I practice a lot like my brother and my hands become ugly… will I be able to become a journalist?”
“Aryl…, do you want to become a knight?”
“…huh.”
The voice answering was very small and slightly trembling, but the ivory eyes that resembled mine looked straight up at me without wavering.
You’re serious. It’s enough to make me think that way right away.
“…….”
But Evan couldn’t answer right away. He didn’t want to ask why he was struggling to hold the sword.
Didn’t you yourself suddenly want to become a knight just by seeing your master’s aura?
but…….
‘… I’ll see you after the rotten moon is over.’
I thought about it after hearing the Grand Duke’s threat earlier. When the Rotten Moon ends, Ariel’s punishment will surely come…
“…Brother?”
“Huh, huh?”
“…no?”
“No, Ariel. It’s not that it’s not possible… ”
What should I say? Should I ask if he can continue his swordsmanship training after the divine punishment returns? No, before that, will Ariel be able to accept the fact that the divine punishment has returned and that he will have to live through that pain again?
‘What on earth should I say… … .’
“Good article.”
“……!”
Evan raised his head. The lynx had come closer and was stroking Aryl’s head.
“Angel!”
“Aryl, do you want to become a knight?”
“yes!”
“It would suit you very well.”
“Really?”
“Okay. But before I start swordsmanship training, I need to build up my basic physical strength.”
“I will work hard!”
“You need to eat a balanced diet. That way, you’ll be strong.”
“I eat really well!”
“Should I start training right away tomorrow? Oh, then I should go to bed early. Exercising vigorously when sleep-deprived is bad for you.”
“yes yes!”
“…….”
The wildcat continued the conversation as if nothing had happened and then naturally took Ariel out to put her to sleep.
Evan couldn’t bring himself to follow her and just watched blankly. Was it okay to tell Ariel only such hopeful stories?
I looked at him, hoping that the Archduke would say something, that he would wake me up to reality, but he just glared at the back of the head of the wildcat that was leading Ariel away, glanced at me once, then turned around and disappeared.
“…….”
I feel uneasy for some reason.
* * *
“Hahahaha! I’m going to see the sky!”
“No, Revan. Since we’re in the sky, we should go see the ground.”
After a troubled night, a carefree morning came.
The group was excited from the morning as they heard that they were going out to see a scenery that could only be seen on Cheonkong Island.
“Hey pup.”
“What is it?”
Evan, still feeling uneasy from last night, answered Nihil’s words curtly.
I don’t know what the hell this guy is thinking. He had no obligation to care about Ariel since they were just strangers, but is it really okay for him to be this peaceful?
“Today I’ll teach you how to catch a demon. Remember it well and teach it to the other guys.”
“…To whom?”
It may be useful to know how to catch a demon, but who teaches themselves that?
“You should teach it to the knights. Or you can just pass it on to your teacher. I don’t think you have any talent for teaching, so that would be better.”
“It’s not like you can see demons often in the first place.”
Whether it was because the Grand Duke worked hard or because I never left the Prince’s side, Evan had never seen a demon properly until now. The most demonic thing was a cotton ball, so that says it all.
“You’ll see each other often from now on.”
“…Why?”
“The treaty of protection will soon be broken.”
“?!”
Evan was surprised. Was the Archduke perhaps mindful of the fact that he was being bullied by humans?
Of course, it was a completely understandable situation, but since this was a matter of national survival, Evan made an excuse on behalf of humanity.
“Humans… aren’t all that bad. Aren’t there kind and cute humans like our prince?”
“Who said what?”
“…Why break the treaty of protection?”
“Why…, then, how long are you going to live relying on one human?”
“…Treating the Archduke as just a human being….”
“I’m not saying I’ll break it right away. I’ll teach you how to close the cracks and deal with the demons, and I’ll give you a grace period to learn. You’ll stand on your own two feet.”
Well, I can’t even make a single child independent… The cat muttered as he scurried into the group of children.
The lynx guy opened a passage and made it easy to move to the end of the island, but Evan only realized that the land he was walking on was floating in the sky when he saw the black cliffs and clouds flowing right below.
“Wow! This is killing me!”
“I’m really flying in the sky!”
“Brother, there’s a cloud passing right below!”
“Right now, cracks are opening up in the Grand Duke’s territory and demons are roaming around, so you absolutely cannot act on your own. Now, quickly grab the hand of the person next to you. If even one person lets go of your hand, we’ll go home.”
Under the skillful guidance of the cat, the children’s experience learning about the Great Pagoda began. Perhaps because of the loud noises heard from afar, the children did not behave as they pleased.
“Come on, a rift will open here soon. Let’s wait and watch the Archduke close it before we go.”
“yes!”
“…….”
Although the experiential learning content was a bit strange, Evan stood guard quietly when he heard that a crack was opening.
Soon, the void began to warp and crack, like a hatching egg. Then the Archduke appeared.
“…….”
The Grand Duke, who had come to close the crack, took a look at the children gathered together with shining eyes, then at the lynx, and then sighed deeply.
He licks his lips a few times, showing that he has a lot to say, but he can’t because there are so many eyes watching him.
In the meantime, the crack had grown a little bigger, and an unknown attraction and a strange sense of discomfort that had not been felt until just a moment ago were now detected.
I wondered if the air was being sucked into the crack, but the hair of the lynx closest to the crack did not move at all.
“I have a question!”
At that moment, our little cat, who was holding a piece of paper and a fountain pen that came from nowhere, raised his hand.
“Does the crack absorb mana?”
At that question, Evan finally realized the nature of the suction. What the crack was absorbing wasn’t something like air, but mana.
“That’s right. The rift will grow larger as it absorbs mana. If you can’t close the rift, you can slow its progression by suppressing the flow of mana around it as much as possible.”
“I see!”
At the cat’s explanation, the kitten nodded and began to take notes diligently.
“Your Majesty, why are you writing?”
Prince Ali, who was nearby, tilted his head when he saw the sight.
“If you know the principle, you can find a way to close the crack.”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke will do it all anyway.”
“Even the Grand Duke has days when he wants to play. Right, Grand Duke? I’ll make sure to give you a day off!”
“that,”
“Instead, you have to come play with us one day. Oh, and can you come play again?”
“…….”
Next time, I should look at the toys properly. The prince muttered as he continued to write. The Grand Duke’s opinion did not seem important.
The Archduke wiped his face as if he was dumbfounded, but Evan saw the corners of his mouth slightly rise at that moment.
“Your Majesty, how enjoyable it must be to teach such a diligent student.”
“[…Shut up and finish explaining.]”
“Rian, the Archduke really likes you.”
“not,”
“Really?! I like it too, Your Highness!”
“…….”
“Ouch, kekekekekeke, gulp, kekeum, then how do we get rid of the cracks?”
The cat toyed with the Grand Duke to his heart’s content and continued his strange lessons as if nothing had happened. Evan began to feel a strange sense of kinship with the Grand Duke.
“Well… Since it’s caused by an imbalance in magical power, wouldn’t it be okay if we just balance it out?”
“That’s right. That’s why in the Holy Empire with many priests, divine power is used to offset magical power. However, as I said before, in the Rotten Moon, or Quies Mensis, divine power cannot be used. Only human power can remove the cracks… ”
Kuuuuuuu-!
“……!”
As the lynx continued his explanation, a loud noise was heard from not far away.
There was a rumbling underfoot as if something was approaching, and soon a bear as big as a house appeared, tearing down the trees.
Evan summoned his sword without hesitation. And just as he was about to jump out,
Uduk, uduk-
“?!”
The bear’s body twisted grotesquely and was compressed by some invisible force, until eventually only a rock the size of an adult’s fist remained in its place.
“…What is this….”
As Evan was stunned by the sight, he heard a grumbling sound coming from the steps.
“The kids are studying so be noisy.”
“…….”
It was immediately clear who the culprit was.
Unable to continue speaking, he looked down at the white crown of his head, when the lynx picked up the rock that had compressed the bear and handed it to Sir Cayenne.
“Cayenne.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Friend! I’m here!”
“This is a commemorative gift for the Grand Duke.”
“Thank you so much. I will treasure the teddy bear bundle.”
“…It’s a magic stone.”
“Oh, I see! Phew, that’s a relief……”
Sir Cayenne let out a deep sigh of relief, as if he was truly relieved. However, Sir Cayenne was not the only one who was surprised, and silence flowed around him after his sigh.
The wildcat realized the tense atmosphere too late and smiled brightly as he shouted.
“Now, let’s give a round of applause to the Grand Duke who has dealt with the demon so well!”
“…….”
“…….”
… shameless little cat cub.