Finally, there was Cedric, who had once dismissed Claudia outright and refused to acknowledge her at all, but their interactions had changed after he’d come to regret his past behavior and had chosen to face Claudia properly.
“This gathering is a testament to the bonds Her Highness has built with you all. I offer my deepest gratitude for your willingness to lend her your strength,” Noah said. He placed a hand over his heart in a knight’s salute and bowed deeply. Those seated nodded in return.
Ashbal smiled encouragingly at Noah before leaning back in his chair and steering the conversation forward.
“Then, let us continue our efforts for our dear friend Claudia. Prince Ehrenfried, why did you want both me and Cedric to make our reports on Lemilsia’s barrier prior to your own?”
“From childhood, Claudia’s remarkable magical talents have drawn the attention of scholars across the continent,” Ehrenfried replied. “And according to Noah, Lemilsia has set its sights upon her. Is that not so, Noah?”
“It is as you say, Your Highness.”
At least, that was what Noah had reported to Prince Ehrenfried, but it wasn’t entirely the truth.
Sieghart’s obsession with Her Highness stems from having seen her as a child. It was my own vengeance against that kingdom...the vengeance she aided me in pursuing...that led to the catalyst of Sieghart’s fixation.
No matter how prodigious a child Claudia had been, the deeds that she’d accomplished in her youth were beyond what any ordinary girl could have managed. She had only been able to achieve those feats because she was the reincarnation of Adelheid—and therein lay the reason for Sieghart’s obsession.
“Before she fell into her slumber, Claudia left a letter to our father,” Ehrenfried explained. “In it, she instructed that if she did not awaken, her death should be announced publicly. No doubt, this was to prevent unnecessary conflict once Lemilsia opened its borders after the mourning rites. Would you agree, Noah?”
Noah nodded. He understood the logic behind her decision. If she were believed dead, no one would come to claim her. However, Claudia had made one miscalculation—how deeply she was loved.
She had not foreseen that so many would refuse to let her go. Even now, countless people refused to abandon hope, tirelessly seeking a way to bring her back.
Even if the world officially recognized her as dead, their persistent efforts to revive her would not go unnoticed by Lemilsia. Sooner or later, they would realize there was still a chance to bring her back.
“Well, I have been monitoring Claudia’s residual magical energy ever since her body was brought here,” Ehrenfried continued. “Three days ago, I noticed a faint fluctuation—”
“Your Highness, excuse me,” Noah interrupted, and his feet carried him to the prince before he knew it. “What kind of fluctuation? Please, tell me everything you know.”
“W-Wait, don’t get ahead of yourself.” Ehrenfried raised a hand as though to temper Noah’s growing anticipation. “It’s nothing that significant. The shift is so slight, I can’t even pinpoint what exactly has changed.”
And yet, a change was still a change.
As Noah’s piercing eyes bore into him, Ehrenfried sighed. “What’s more important is finding a way to avoid the worst outcome, which is Lemilsia coming after my sister before she wakes up. We must continue our efforts to revive her, but at the same time, we must also devise a means of diverting Lemilsia’s suspicions.”
Noah turned. “Prince Stuart.”
“Y-Yes! I... I-I-I shall see to it!”
At the mere sound of his name, Stuart flinched, his entire posture stiffening as he raised a trembling hand. If there was one person he feared conversing with more than he did with foreign royalty, it was Noah. Perhaps that was because they had once crossed blades in the past.
“Three days ago... That was the date of our monthly scholars’ gathering,” Noah said. “Perhaps something they did that day yielded a reaction?”
“Noah...” Ehrenfried adjusted his spectacles, eyeing him warily. “On that day, did you cast any sort of magic upon Claudia?”
Noah started to answer that he had not, but then he hesitated.
“I did not employ magic,” he stated at last. “However, I did make an attempt to ascertain whether it was possible to touch Her Highness.”
Ehrenfried blinked in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words. “Huh?”
Concerned that his statement had been misconstrued, Noah quickly added further explanation.
“I assure you, my intention was never to lay hands upon Her Highness in any unseemly manner. My only goal was to test the nature of her barrier—to confirm that she has not passed into true death.”
Ehrenfried waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not implying anything of the sort, Noah. It’s just that—though I’ve never witnessed it myself—from what I have been told, being repelled by that barrier is violent enough to cause serious injury, is it not?”
“As long as one does not force the issue, the worst result is little more than a fingernail being ripped off.”
“Little more...” Ehrenfried said before sighing in exasperation. Beside him, Stuart gripped his own index finger as if the mere thought pained him. Lauretta and Fiolina winced as well.
Cedric shook his head. “Sheesh! Does your sense of pain turn off when it comes to Claudia? Do basic survival instincts cease to exist in your brain?”
Without missing a beat, Noah responded, “There is nothing I fear more than Her Highness’s death.”
For some reason that he didn’t understand, this only made the others look at him even more strangely.
Clearing his throat, Ehrenfried seemed to have decided it best to let the matter rest.
“A-Anyway, I understand what happened now. Thank you for the information. I shall investigate further to determine what may have prompted this change.”
“Should you require anything of me, you need only call upon me,” Noah replied, inclining his head.
Ehrenfried gave a brief nod before turning to resume his discussion with Stuart. As he listened to their conversation, Noah let his stare drift downward, studying his hand, thinking back to his wound when he’d tried to touch Claudia.
What could have changed that day?
That had not been the first time that he had tried to reach out to touch Claudia’s sleeping form; each time had ended with him shedding blood. There should have been nothing different about this particular attempt.
Noah clenched his hand into a fist. And with those thoughts lingering in the back of his mind, he went back to listening to the meeting.