Chapter 15:
Confession
A GROUP OF PEOPLE WERE SEATED AROUND A TABLE IN the drawing room of the palace with serious expressions on their faces. That group consisted of the king, Duke Eric, Prime Minister Magna, Vice-captain Daim, and Margrave Garm.
The king spoke first. “So, Daim. What did you think about the fight between Captain Tifana and Cain?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The captain started the fight with only Boost. As the battle was going nowhere, she started covering herself with the wind magic she is so adept in, increasing the speed of her sword significantly. However, Sir Cain was still able to parry her blows with ease. He then increased his speed significantly and immediately brought the battle to a close.”
The king sighed. “That level of strength at ten years of age… Why is he so strong? There’s no telling what will happen in the future.” The exhausted king looked over at Garm. “Garm, he’s your son. What’s going on?”
“It appears that he snuck out of his room and went to the Forest of Monsters on his own to hunt. He also appears to have slain a red dragon on his own—even I almost fell over when I saw it for the first time.”
The others nodded. They all remembered the taxidermy dragon from Cain’s mansion.
“That’s an SS-rank monster. What kind of child is capable of such a feat? In the first place, is it even possible for anyone to defeat a monster like that alone?”
The king felt the same way Garm did.
“I happen to recall something.” Daim said, jumping into the conversation. “I asked Sir Cain whether he was a Hero or a Disciple of the Gods, and he appeared to react to those words.”
The other three in the room immediately reacted.
“Wh-what?!”
“H-he might be a Hero or a Disciple of the Gods?”
“I asked Cain to show me his Status the other day, but he refused. He might be hiding something,” Garm said.
“We can test him by showing him that,” Magna said.
“That…? That might indeed be able to test whether or not he’s a Hero. Summon Cain here immediately. I will prepare that thing.”
The king, Duke Eric, Prime Minister Magna, Margrave Garm, and Vice-captain Daim were sitting in the usual drawing room. Cain was sitting across from the king.
“Your Majesty, I’ve arrived at your summons. I see my father is here as well—why have you called me here today? If it’s about the wine glasses, I’ve yet to finish them. If you could wait a little longer…” Cain had grown used to meeting with the distinguished elites of the country, so he immediately spoke without hesitation.
“Cain, there is something we’d like you to see. Magna, bring it out.”
Magna brought out a carefully wrapped item. He unwrapped it, revealing a book. The title was Book of Emperor-Level Magic.
The king explained, “This book contains the secrets of Emperor-level magic. It is said to have been written by the first king, and it has been carefully preserved over the years.”
“A book on Emperor-level Magic?! Are you going to let me read it?”
Cain had looked around in the library used by palace mages, but they only had books up to the Super level. This was his first time seeing a book that contained magic of an even higher level than that. He was naturally curious.
“Yes. You can read it, Cain.”
The king handed the book over to Cain. Cain opened it and began flipping through. The book contained detailed information on the names and effects of various Emperor-level spells. As it was a book about magic he hadn’t known about before, Cain forgot where he was as he dove deeper and deeper into the text.
“…As I thought,” the king muttered. The others remained silent.
Cain looked up from the book and tilted his head quizzically at the king.
“Is something the matter?”
The king cast a serious gaze at Cain. He then explained, “Cain, we can’t read that book you’re holding. Do you know why?”
Cain looked at the book once more. He had no problem reading it. After all, it was written in Japanese.
“Ah!” Cain’s sudden cry reverberated throughout the drawing room. He fell to the ground, palms first.
“Cain, sit. That book was left behind by the founder of this country. It is written in a language called Japanese. It has been passed down over generations, but so far no one has managed to decipher it—except you.”