After leaving the building where Rivage was being confined, Valen headed straight for the royal palace. As a matter of fact, Rivage was being held in a room in a tower located a stone’s throw from the palace. This way, he could be kept under strict surveillance.
As Valen was walking through a palace corridor, Duke Masroono, his uncle, also arrived. The duke usually resided in the Duchy of Masroono, but he was still staying in the palace to deal with the aftermath of the recent war. The duchy was in his wife’s capable hands, so there shouldn’t have been any problems.
“Hello, Your Highness. You look busy.”
“You too, Your Grace.”
“I will be returning to my territory soon. We have many problems, but I feel more relaxed in the duchy.”
“I also like the Duchy of Masroono, as well as my position as chairman.” Valen was normally the chairman of Masroono National School; that job suited him well. While he was away from the school, Duke Masroono would take over as temporary chairman. In his absence, the duchess was acting as his substitute.
“Yes, yes, please come back soon. Incidentally, did you go see Prince Rivage earlier?”
“Yes, I did. It’s great that the border conflict has settled down, but then Myzahn fell into a civil war. Both my father and brother are unsure what they should do with Prince Rivage.”
“The situation in Myzahn is an issue... Until things calm down over there, it would be better to keep him confined here. I wouldn’t want us to execute him and give Myzahn a pretext for making the conflict worse.”
“There are many things we need to do, so I don’t want to cause any unnecessary problems. Earlier, I tried asking for Prince Rivage’s collaboration in magical research, though he flatly refused.”
“I’d actually have been surprised if he’d agreed. You’re quite the curious one.”
“Wouldn’t it be reassuring to have someone talented as an ally?”
“I respect your charisma. This time looks like it will be difficult, but I wish you the best of luck.” With these parting words, Duke Masroono continued down the corridor and left.
“Charisma, huh? I still have a long way to go. There’s always a bigger fish.” Valen knew what true charisma was.
She... Lady Agnes was once again incredible. After all of the confusion had been cleared up, Valen had conducted various investigations and discovered the shocking truth. Agnes’s power had largely been responsible for leading Polpystan to victory in the border conflict.
First, there was Agnes’s own mysterious magic. Second, she had solicited the help of Davier Addamsgomes. He’d lost a power struggle and been exiled to Peppel Island, but had apparently temporarily joined forces with the king to lend his power. Thanks to his help, the Myzahni army had been thrown into great confusion. Furthermore, there was also the young Myzahni that Valen had met before, Defi... Apparently, he’d also been recruited by Agnes and now lived in her territory. He’d accompanied Nazelbart on the battlefield, and strangely enough, Robin’s magic and the sealing magic hadn’t caused any damage near him. The specifics were still under investigation, but there was a strong possibility that Defi had done something to help.
It was likely also Agnes’s doing that the Polpystani mountbeasts had been reinforced just like Valen had been. After the fight, Valen had cut a deal with Nazelbart: In exchange for Valen keeping quiet about Agnes’s magic, she wouldn’t undo the magic she’d placed on him.
Lady Agnes’s magic may truly be that of the saint’s, just like Duke Masroono said before. They might not be strictly identical, but the saint herself was a vague existence to begin with. Just like Robin’s magic—no, even more than his—Lady Agnes’s magic was undoubtedly very similar to the saint’s.
But I’ll keep quiet about it. Valen would never make an enemy out of Sutrena. Nothing good would come of it. That territory had countless people and mountbeasts whose bodies had been reinforced by Agnes’s magic, just like Valen had been. There were also Nazelbart and his powerful magic, the mysterious Defi, and the formidable Torre and Paul. Fortunately, we have a friendly relationship. Let’s keep getting along as we have until now. This would ultimately benefit Polpystan.
In any case, Lady Agnes was as soothing as ever. I’m so glad I met her. As a bridge of friendship between our two countries, I’d like to visit Sutrena again to hang out—ahem, to inspect it. Valen looked northward from the palace corridor, a faint smile on his lips.