The next day, it came time for Yui to leave the palace. Layce accompanied her to see the king so that she could say her goodbyes.
“It’s impossible for me to express how grateful I am,” Bernard said. “I never thought the day would come when I would be able to hug my son. From the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks.”
Yui bowed deeply. “I am unworthy of your gratitude, Your Majesty.”
“I’d like to reward you in some way. Is there anything you want? As long as it’s within my power to grant it, you can have anything.”
Yui was surprised. After all, Bernard was the most powerful person in Garlant, a nation with both military and financial resources that far outstripped its neighbors. He could give her just about anything, and he would probably grant whatever she wanted without batting an eye—whether it was gemstones that were so large that she couldn’t hold them in one hand, or a sum of money that would allow her to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Those rewards might’ve seemed excessive, but from Bernard’s perspective, the day before had been worth that much.
After thinking for a little while, Yui made a request. “I would like to ask for one thing.”
“Say it, and it’s yours.”
“I want all of this to be kept confidential.”
“You mean, you don’t want it made public?”
“Yes. I want both spells to be kept secret—the one I used to suppress the magic energy in Their Highnesses and the spell I cast on Your Majesties to protect your bodies from Prince Filiel’s magic.”
Bernard seemed to have expected Yui to ask for money or gemstones, so he was taken aback by her request. “Is that really all right with you? I said you could ask for anything. If you want it, you can have gold, jewels, expensive dresses, or even an important post in the palace. Researchers have tried and failed for many years to produce the spell that you created. If you publicly announced that you’d succeeded, they would all acknowledge your splendid ability, and your future after graduation would be secure. Knowing all this, you want to act as if it never happened?” He looked as if he couldn’t believe it. An ordinary person would have jumped at his offer, but Yui didn’t waver.
“I made the spell that let Your Majesty touch Prince Filiel by referencing a formula that was on one of the palace doors, so it isn’t entirely my creation. If the door hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been able to create the spell so quickly. I can’t accept praise because of that.”
“But you only used it as a reference, and it’s a completely different type of magic. You have the rights to the spell you created, and your contribution, which no other researcher has been able to match, is a large one. You’re well deserving of praise.”
“That may be true. However, I only created the spell because I wanted to help Prince Filiel, not because I wanted fame or a reward. If I’ve been able to lighten the weight on his heart, even if only a bit, I’ll consider my original goal to have been fulfilled. Besides, I don’t really like it when people make a fuss over me.”
“Yes, but—”
“Your Majesty,” Layce interrupted. He could clearly see that Bernard was against hiding Yui’s talent. “Didn’t Your Majesty say that you would grant any reward? Yui has requested that you make absolutely sure not to leak the fact that she created that spell. She asked for it, so you’ll grant that request—right, Your Majesty?”
“Ah, hmm, very well,” Bernard said. He couldn’t very well back out now, even if he wanted to.
“Also, after Yui healed the crown prince, it seems that His Highness let the secret slip to the chief doctor and the blue commander. Please ensure their discretion as well.”
Bernard grimaced when he heard who Layce wanted him to silence. He knew those two—both of them had a strong thirst for knowledge, and they weren’t very accommodating. He expected that, even if he firmly warned them against talking about it or trying to learn more, they wouldn’t accept it lying down. “It had to be those two... All right, I’ll make sure they stay silent. I promise on my honor as king that I won’t let any of this get out.”
“Thank you,” Layce said.
Bernard turned to Yui, looking like he didn’t quite know what to say. “However, I do have one question. Would it be possible for me to get the formula of the spell that lets me touch Filiel, for research purposes? I won’t say who created it, and I’ll compensate you for it. I promise I’ll also protect your rights to it.”
“I don’t mind,” Yui said. Her spell was based off of the formula on the door, but most of its contents came from her own research. Her formula was completely different, which meant that she had the rights to it. The formulas that acted as foundations for spells were the most important products of a researcher’s work, and the people who created them had the rights to them. Compared to simple formulas that anyone could mimic, the one Yui had made was, as Bernard had said, worthy of high praise. There was a possibility that the fruits of her labor might be stolen, so she normally wouldn’t have wanted to show it to too many people. However, if the formula was released and the country’s researchers were able to improve its effectiveness, it would help out Filiel, so she had decided without hesitation to make the formula publicly available.
“Really?! My thanks. With this, research that can do something about Filiel’s magic energy might advance,” Bernard said, smiling happily. He had been thinking the same thing as Yui.
“I’ll also continue my research into extending the time the spell stays active.”
“Yeah, truly, thanks for everything. Good luck.”
Yui gave a small smile and bowed her head.