And then, shortly before Deir turned four, great change came to Belisario. We learned how to raise spirits, discovered the existence of spirit beasts, and even met a Spirit King. All of it was thanks to Deir.
Not too long ago, I hadn’t even had my own spirit, but now I had a water magic spirit and three sword spirits. We’d met the Royal Spirits of Azelia, learned about Deir’s reincarnation, and forged an even stronger sibling bond.
I was going to the training field every day to try and master fighting with my sword spirits. I was the only one there with spirits of all elements, but there were other knights with their own sword spirits, so it was fun to try out various techniques together during our training. I could feel myself getting stronger.
The prodigy, the fairy princess, and now the swordsman who would no doubt become part of the imperial guard—at some point, we three siblings had become famous.
“Alan, our history teacher complimented you to me today. Said you picked things up quick.”
Chris and I were relaxing on a bench by the training field while Deir ran around with her guards and valet.
“History can be useful is all,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve noticed Deir doesn’t seem to fall over anymore.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed. Anyway, politics and international affairs will also be useful.”
“You’ve got those covered, right? More importantly, I hear Viscount Collier is coming to the castle.”
Chris paused for a moment, before his lips turned up. “What a thick-skinned man he is.”
The March of Belisario had two large ports. One was the port in our castle town, which served regular liners or cargo ships to and from Luftanen. The other port was the one that faced the channel between Belisario and Stark. Viscount Collier had formerly been in charge of that port and its surrounding area. During that time, the viscount had managed to make allies of several barons, and then he’d cozied up to Stark and begun selling goods and information to neighboring countries. Since father had still been new as a margrave back then, the viscount must have been underestimating him.
It had been around that time that our aunt had brought along the heir of an unlanded count from the central region and stated that she wanted to marry him. Though he had been a talented man working as a foreign adviser for the imperial palace, he’d stated that he didn’t see much difference between working for the imperial family or working for the Belisarios.
Father had given Viscount Collier’s lands and control of the port to the newly married couple and scattered the viscount and the other barons who had tried to collude with Stark across various small holdings in the mountains. Even if they had wanted to protest, their opponent was a count, regardless of whether he had his own land or not. He was also my aunt’s husband.
In order to get back at father, the viscount had sent his son to the castle to try and turn Chris against us. Unfortunately, his son was a complete idiot. After wailing in the dungeon for three days, he’d ended up bowing on the floor in apology to my mother and me, and one of the viscount’s valets had had to drop by to pick him up.
As it turned out, the ladies-in-waiting who’d tried to insult me were also tied to Viscount Collier. They’d been told to either persuade Deir to join their side, or to worsen the relationship between Chris and me. Of course, against Deir, such a plan would never have worked.
“Perhaps they believe they still have a chance to strike at us,” Chris said.
“Apparently, there’s a Stark vessel that’s often been seen going up the channel to a small village recently,” I mentioned.
“To Viscount Collier’s territory?”
“No, to one of the barons he was associated with.”
“I see,” Chris murmured. “Maybe his intention is to turn tail and run. Now tell me, where exactly did you get that information?”
“From Luther.”
“You make him take the blame for everything.”
“He’s incredibly good at his job.” I shrugged.
I wasn’t lying either. All I’d done was pay him since I was two years old to keep an eye on the viscount and report on his movements to me. Thanks to that, I’d even been able to scout two more talented people to become my valets. Retainers were annoying, though, so I didn’t have any.
“If he’s going to escape abroad, he may be thinking of taking along a souvenir,” Chris suggested.
“Surely they wouldn’t target Deir? She has her spirit beasts—he’d be risking the destruction of Stark.”
“This is Viscount Collier we’re talking about here.”
I hated that I couldn’t argue back.
The viscount and his associates were coming to the castle on the day that we had granted permission for them to visit the lake and look for their own spirits. Because of the disrespectful behavior of Viscount Collier’s son and the ladies-in-waiting that he’d personally recommended, they had been refused an invitation to Deir’s birthday gathering. They hadn’t been allowed entry to the lake at all until now.
It wouldn’t be so easy for them to earn forgiveness after they’d dared imply that a lovey-dovey couple like my parents would even consider cheating on each other, or that it wasn’t clear who my father was. The viscount had no power in Belisario anymore. Other nobles had also begun distancing themselves from him, talking behind his back and sending cold glares his way. In fact, he was now in the position that I had once been in. To be honest, it—
“Serves him right,” Chris said, taking the words right out of my mouth. “That’s what he gets for thinking he can use you or Deir.”
Nobles were only allowed to visit the lake one day a week. The rest of the time was left for our knights and soldiers, for days when people were forbidden from entering at all, or for maintaining and cleaning the area. We had an annex specifically for nobles staying at our castle, so their visits caused no issues. Belisario had already served as a summer retreat before now, so we’d had the facilities and security in place for guests anyway.