On the way there, we ran into Jean, who had changed his clothes and was waiting for us. I told him he could rest and again tried to check on his injuries, but he stopped me and returned the book made of copper plate. The sword had been removed, leaving only the damage it had wrought.
Sounding grumpy, Jean asked, “All right if I come along?” He seemed to know where we were headed.
His Highness agreed with a quiet sigh.
Since the inside of the royal palace was still a bit chaotic, we were surrounded by Glen and his guards. When we arrived at the room, my chest tightened. It can’t be. I looked up at His Highness, who had a stern expression on his face, and he wasn’t hesitating at all. That told me he was prepared to face this head-on, and so I strengthened my resolve.
We left the guards on standby and proceeded through the open door with only Glen, Alexei, and Jean. His Highness called out the name of the person standing by the window where the sunny winter sun shone in.
“Professor Orphen.”
Orphen looked up and smiled once he saw us. As usual, he seemed like a kindly old man. He had been Prince Christopher’s chief tutor since childhood, and he was one of the “three wise men” of the royal palace.
“Your Highness, what’s going on?” Orphen asked. “There’s still a lot of commotion going on in the castle. It seems that Lady Elianna has returned safely, much to my relief.”
There must have been a lot happening in the royal palace, with the aggressive pro-war faction moving and members of the Black Wing Knights joining them. It wasn’t unusual that Orphen had heard about it.
“Ah then, Lady Elianna...” he began, as if he were about to start one of our usual conversations about books, but His Highness interrupted him.
“Professor,” he said. “Aren’t you the one who oversees the royal family’s Shadows? Dirk Orphen.”
“Oh!” Orphen’s eyebrows rose. “The royal family’s Shadows, eh?” he said with amusement, then began explaining their history. “The royal family’s secret unit has been continuously employed since long before the Hero King. Behind the scenes, they protect and support the royal family, undertake secret investigations and missions, and even carry out assassinations of important people. In public, they are the royal guard, and in private, they are Shadows. They always protect and support the king so that his reign will not be overshadowed.”
Orphen paused, then his cheerful laughter rang out. “Ho ho ho! You think I am in charge of them?”
Like an obedient student, Prince Christopher quietly replied, “The head of the royal family’s Shadows is only revealed during the ceremony of succession to the throne, so I didn’t know either. However, this time, there were some disturbing actions among the Shadows. They were following someone else’s instructions, defying my orders as the temporary ruler.”
“Oh?” Orphen said, urging him to continue.
“I gave two orders, one to protect Elianna and one to watch Duke Odin’s movements. Unfortunately, those who were watching over Duke Odin defected and began targeting Elianna. That was the first problem. The second was that there were those who were trying to destroy the possibility of a cure.”
“Ho ho! Your Highness, I think you know this already, but that can also be said of Duke Odin.”
If Duke Odin was the leader of the Shadows, he could have done all those things and not been suspected. Plus, he was the one who had tried to squash any possibility of a cure.
“No,” His Highness denied. “It was not Duke Odin. He didn’t know about the existence of the book that led to the cure—Furya’s Jar.”
I’d had the same thought. The person who had talked about the ancient tome was Nigel, the chief herbalist and head of the Royal Pharmacy. At the time, I had thought it was just a legend, but I had later found out that a research journal called Furya’s Jar actually existed. And the other person who was present during that talk was...
“You were the one who told the duke about my friend Ian in advance,” His Highness stated, trying to mask his emotions. “Only a small number of people know that when I was fifteen, I met Ian by chance in a port town, but the Shadow that followed me then would know.”
Ian Brennan, one of the Black Wing Knights, was a friend of His Highness. I had met him only once. Rather than a knight, his gentle atmosphere made him seem more like a noble’s son.
His Highness’s voice contained a hint of irony as he continued. “A delegation from Maldura was coming. At the same time I received the news, I ordered the Shadows to investigate Alexei, Glen, Alan, Uncle Theodore, Alfred, Marquis Bernstein, the senior chamberlain—everyone around Elianna. One Shadow, however, had a hunch that the report was mixed with lies, because there was a subtle difference from what I had heard from him in the past—but just in regards to Ian.”
Who could tamper with the Shadows’ report?
“Hmm,” Orphen hummed as he stroked his mustache. When he continued, his words took my breath away.
“I’m pretty sure that person... Well, there were reports that he died in an unexpected accident.”
Bewildered, I looked at His Highness.
“Did you attack him? Your own friend?” Orphen asked in a soft voice.
“Yes...” His Highness replied reluctantly. Sounding emotionless, he added, “Because he was the one who intentionally infected His Majesty.”
Ian had deliberately infected the king with The Ashen Nightmare. That was a mortal sin for which no excuses or circumstances could be considered.
As I stared at His Highness, my chest tightening, Orphen let out a peal of laughter that sounded like an owl hooting. I doubted my ears and returned my gaze to him.