How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 7.6
“Yes. Well then.”
Resena and Alken stood up. Alken escorted her out of the shop and to her carriage. As the carriage wheels began to roll, Resena looked back at Alken growing more distant, then sat up straight in her seat again.
“…That went well.”
Resena couldn’t control the smile that naturally formed on her lips.
She had known that Alken had a good character, but through this meeting, her fondness for him grew. Though it wasn’t a romantic interest, she could be certain that Alken was a good person.
‘Come to think of it, Alken was quick to grasp reality before too. And even when the imperial city was half-destroyed… he tried to fulfill his responsibility as a Sword Master to the point of challenging Eldis to stop him.’
It was because of his nature that he immediately understood the situation and responded to this sudden request for help.
She wanted to maintain a good relationship with him going forward.
Resena smiled and leaned back against the carriage wall.
Feeling the gentle swaying of the carriage, she slowly closed her eyes.
Truly.
“Thank you, Alken.”
***
“I understand. You may go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Alken bowed to Eldis and walked out. But outside the office, he made eye contact with a man in exotic attire.
The turban and the way the fabric was wrapped around his entire body, which would never be worn in the Crevasta Empire, reminded one of Amarast’s traditional clothing.
Sure enough.
“Bow your head. This is Prince Serdat Amarast of the Amarast royal family!”
“Ah. Greetings, Your Highness Serdat.”
When the man in similar attire standing beside him spoke sharply, Alken bowed at the waist in respect. Then a golden-haired young man who appeared to be in his early twenties smiled lightly.
“You’re too strict, Roin. And since this isn’t Amarast, there’s no need to be so bound by etiquette.”
“But…!”
“Besides, strictly speaking, I’ve come to request asylum. So I don’t want to cause conflicts with the nobles of Crevasta. Don’t treat them too strictly.”
The one called Roin gritted his teeth but soon bowed his head in apology. Alken nodded slightly to acknowledge it and then carefully asked.
“When you say you’ve come to request asylum… does that mean the Amarast royal family is controlled by black mana?”
At those words, the eyes of both men widened, and for a moment, silence descended in the corridor.
But Prince Serdat approached Alken and asked in a hushed voice.
“How did you know? I haven’t mentioned it once until coming here, how on earth…”
“From the fact that Your Highness came personally, and Amarast’s untimely war preparations, someone I know roughly guessed the situation.”
Serdat covered his mouth. And slightly furrowed his brow.
“Amazing. How much did that person say? No, wait. This isn’t a conversation to have here. Let’s move somewhere else. I was told I’d have to wait an hour to meet Crown Prince Eldis anyway… Is there a private place where we can talk?”
Alken nodded. And said, “This way,” as he guided them.
There was a room where visitors waiting to meet the office staff would stop by to rest. Alken flipped the sign on the door from “Open” to “Closed.” Then he opened the door to let Serdat and Roin enter.
“This room has a sound-blocking spell, so words won’t leak outside. I’ve set it to ‘Closed,’ so no one can enter from outside either.”
“What an interesting room.”
“Haha. Among those who come to speak with His Highness the Crown Prince, some have secret stories they can’t tell others. Well then, shall we continue our conversation?”
Serdat nodded. Sitting on the sofa in the center of the room, he cleared his throat with a “hoo.” Alken poured water from a bottle in the corner of the room and brought it to Serdat.
“Thank you. Hmm…”
“I’ll start first. Please correct me if there’s anything wrong.”
“Yes. Please do, I’d like to hear how much you’ve guessed.”
“To get to the main point that the person I know guessed… They mentioned that the Amarast royal family has come under the control of black mana, and that dark mages are planning to start a war between Amarast and the Kingdom of Serma to sacrifice all injured or dead regular soldiers as offerings.”
“…That’s accurate.”
Serdat let out a burning groan. Seeing his hand holding the water glass trembling slightly, Alken imagined that the sight of the royal family controlled by black mana must have been quite terrible.
And Alken’s guess was correct. Serdat was recalling others who had been corrupted by black mana and wandered the palace like zombies.
“……”
The memory of those with bloodshot eyes and prominent veins answering sluggishly, and how they had blocked the royal family from leaving the palace, still made his body tremble.
“Escaping like this was nearly a miracle. If I had simply tried to flee the palace, it would have been impossible. I was only able to leave by deliberately making the foolish statement that I would meet King Sinahta directly to request cooperation in helping with Amarast’s war preparations.”
“…I see. And how was the King? By my guess, he too…”
“Yes. That’s right. He was corrupted by black mana and was controlled by the dark mage beside him. Or rather, to be precise, he might be controlled by another dark mage. I’m not certain.”
Serdat bit his lip hard and furrowed his brow. His trembling hands expressed those emotions well. Alken silently waited for him to continue.
“So I was afraid. Afraid that I, too, would be controlled by black mana. Of course, I could be certain that I wouldn’t be corrupted by black mana since I had received consecration, but I was still afraid. Besides, if those controlled by black mana pointed their swords at me, I would have no choice but to die.”
“……”
“As you know, Amarast has no Sword Masters or magicians above the 6th circle. That’s why we were helpless against the black mana. Moreover, Amarast is a country that doesn’t believe in gods. We don’t even have priests. Fortunately, since my mother was from Crevasta, I received a blessing from Sernaus’s priest when I visited here as a child.”
“…It must have been extremely difficult for you.”
“It was. And some among my attendants were corrupted by black mana. But they received treatment as we entered Crevasta. Since in Crevasta, those possessing black mana are executed if they’re dark mages, and if they’re being controlled, they have the black mana extracted by receiving consecration from priests.”
“……”
“Thanks to that… I no longer have to worry about dark mages reading our intentions. I’m truly grateful. Really…”
“……”
Alken quietly gazed at Serdat. Serdat took another sip of water and continued speaking with a pained expression.
“But except for me, all the royals, those who were in the palace, are all controlled. Because of that, I can’t openly request help from Crevasta. If they, controlled by dark mages, officially refuse entry from Crevasta, there’s nothing we can do. So… I’m contemplating how to solve this difficult problem.”
“…I see. You must have suffered greatly.”
“Yes… Thank you for your sympathy. But did that person who guessed our situation not say anything else? If there’s any way to overcome this situation, please let me know.”
“Well, regarding that method, I’ve already spoken to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“…Hmm?”
Serdat looked at Alken with a surprised face. Alken slowly began to explain.
“Actually, that person had anticipated all of Prince Serdat’s circumstances. Because of that, I’ve already requested His Highness the Crown Prince on that person’s behalf to accept Amarast’s request for cooperation and send an envoy.”
“Such…”
“You can rest assured. You just need to return with us and watch as we liberate the palace. Of course, in preparation for when the dark mages attack, you can just watch from a safe place with that person. Since we have the pretext of responding to a cooperation request by sending an envoy, there should be no reason to refuse the envoy there.”
Serdat couldn’t control the emotions welling up at those words. He grabbed Alken’s hand with both of his and gazed at him with passionate eyes.
