“Ninety-seven…ninety-eight…ninety-nine…five hundred…”
I…I’m done!
I collapse on the spot.
I don’t care if people call me filthy or undignified. I’m a boy right now, after all. You know…I think I need to lie down for a while.
“Five hundred push-ups…with those skinny arms…”
“Th-that son of a bitch…he did it.”
“He really did five hundred push-ups…”
“Yeaaah! Wow, Bitsy! That was amazing!”
“You’ve got spunk, kid! I misjudged you!”
Cheering voices rise, one after another. Apparently, I graduated from “brat” to “Bitsy.” It feels like I won a battle; I’m on top of the world.
……But why are these guys rejoicing more than me? I should be the one cheering.
“Well done, kid.”
Captain Marius extends a hand to me. I accept it and, with his help, somehow manage to stand, taking deep breaths in and out to steady myself.
“Thank you…sir.”
“I didn’t think you’d have the balls for that, Bitsy.”
“My name’s Lia—”
“We’ll train ya even harder, kid,” the captain interrupts loudly, a happy twinkle in his eye.
Well, “Bitsy” isn’t that bad, and everyone looks happy…so I guess I don’t need to correct him.
“I’m Galious Neal, second-in-command here. You really put those skinny arms to work.”
I was right. The comparatively mild-mannered man is the lieutenant.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Neal.”
“I’d love to hear what crazy training regimen you’ve been on.” Lieutenant Neal’s wide eyes sparkle.
“Lieutenant, I hope you don’t expect us to do the same…”
“Hold up, Bitsy! Don’t say a word!”
The soldiers suddenly speak up, guessing their lieutenant’s plot.
Is Lieutenant Neal actually more sinister than he looks? Well, I’d rather he be a slave driver. I’ll get stronger that way.
“Okay, men, let’s get to training,” Captain Marius barks. In an instant, the expressions of his men turn serious.
……What a glorious platoon. The way they turn on a dime is incredible.
“Hey, Bitsy, can you move again?”
“Yes, sir!”
With an energetic reply, I jump into the training session.
I’m exhausted.
I didn’t think soldier training would be that hardcore. I got through it all, but then they made us sprint five kilometers at the end when we were falling apart, and I almost lost my faith. I managed to squeeze out the rest of my nonexistent energy to finish the race, but the idea of training that hard every single day…
I always thought the training regimen I gave myself as a kid was quite difficult, but it doesn’t even compare to this. I suppose the prince’s special forces really are special.
I lie down beside Lai, who is sleeping peacefully. His black fur feels so good to touch.
I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight.
That reminds me…in the past, there was a time when I wanted to transform into a lion. I hit a wall in my magic training and couldn’t get anything right.
I close my eyes, remembering those days.
“Good night, Lai…,” I murmur, falling soundly asleep beside him.
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. I get dressed and quietly slip out of the hut so as not to wake Lai.
……I woke up just like a manga character.
I still have time before training starts.
“I wanna go to that tower.”
It’s a lucky day for impulsive ideas. I’m marching toward that tower before I even know it. I hate that I’m doing exactly what the prince thought I would, but I can’t mope around forever. That wouldn’t be very badass.
“That tower is much farther away than I thought…”
It’s the tallest building on the palace grounds, so it’s hard to miss. It stands out. Having decided to go to it, though, I realize now just how far it is.
“Daaamn, that’s tall.”
I arrive at the foot of the tower and stop in my tracks. Anybody would have the same reaction to its height. It hurts my neck to even look up at it.
When I set foot in the tower, a thought pops into my mind for the first time: I wish this world had elevators. Instead, there’s a spiral staircase leading all the way to the tower’s peak.
“Well, I’ve come all this way. Time to get to climbing.”
I thought I climbed a ways already.
The exact same scenery twirls and twirls as I climb the stairs for what feels like ages. The end is nowhere in sight.
“Perhaps the tower is under some sort of spell…”
Only a magic spell can break a magic spell. If this tower really is under some magic spell and word gets out to somebody in the palace that I broke it, my identity will be exposed in a flash.
You know, it’s not exactly set in stone that nobody in Laval can use magic…
At the very least, Old Man Will and the other three people who were exiled from Durkis were magic-wielding nobles. Which means, if they are in this kingdom, at least three people here can use magic.
Well, one thing’s for sure—if somebody cast a spell on this tower, I’d really like to know more about them. But it isn’t safe for me to use magic right now. I have to wait until I learn more about this kingdom…
I sigh, frustrated. I have to turn back for the day.
“Hey, Bitsy! What’re you doing here?”
Somebody calls out to me the second I leave the tower. It’s one of the soldiers who trained with me yesterday. He cheered quite loudly when I finished my five hundred push-ups.
“My name is Lia.”
“Ah, right. I’m Jacob! Nice to meet ya. So, Bitsy, did you go in the tower?”
He’s not even listening to me.
“I did. Didn’t get to the top, though.”
Jacob’s eyes are brimming with curiosity. “I thought so! Yeah, nobody can climb that thing.”
“No one has ever made it to the top?”
“As far as I know, no.”
“What happens if anyone does?”
“Beats me. I don’t know anyone who’s done it. There’s a lot of rumors, though. Like it gives you a status boost, or the crown gives you a reward… Though until a magic user appears, I think we’re fresh outta luck.”
“Huh? So there are people here who can use magic?” I ask eagerly.
Jacob frowns at me with suspicion. A look that clearly says, Is this guy an idiot?
“Nobody in this kingdom can use magic.”
This is the first time since my arrival that I hear the definitive words—Nobody can use magic.
The wolf that appeared at the academy must have been sent by teleportation magic. I just assumed one of the three exiled people had done it.
Oooh, the plot thickens!
“How’d it go?” Victor’s deep voice booms from the room.
“Couldn’t make it to the top, as expected.”
“Aha. Still…there’s more to him than meets the eye. I’ve never seen a Divergent like that before. Gather more intel.”
“Yes, my lord.”
……So I’m under investigation.
Come on, is there really any point to this fortified door if I can hear everything going on in the room?
After I found out there had to be a magic spell cast on the tower, I planned on sneaking into Victor’s room to do a little snooping. I stopped at the door when I heard voices inside. I can’t tell if I have super hearing, or if the door is super ineffective.
“Let’s assign a watcher to the boy,” says a third deep voice.
What is this tension? It’s so thick, I can sense it even through this door… Am I really that suspicious to these people?
I’m somebody’s monitor, and now somebody’s watching me. I have a feeling this would have been easier if I hadn’t found out.
If Liz found out I was her monitor, she would probably smile and say, “Thank you for protecting me.” She’s so simpleminded, it’s easy to imagine exactly how she’d act.
“You may go.”
Just as Victor says that, I hear footsteps approaching the door.
Uh-oh. Gotta run…
I jump out a nearby window, grab on to a branch, and hide myself. Times like this really make me love having a small frame.
I watch the man leave the room. His black hair is slicked back in a ponytail, and his eyes are a familiar violet.
……Father?
No, can’t be. He would never be in a place like this.
This man appears to be older than my father, actually.
“Wait… Is that…my grandfather?”
Thinking back, I never once met my grandfather. Rather, nobody once talked about him. Honestly, I’ve been so focused on my own stuff, I just figured he died.
Old Man Will is a genius. And if we assume he was supporting the current monarch before his exile to Roana Village, that means those around Will are the same age or older. Meaning…it’s at least possible?
I’m still not entirely sure this man is my grandfather, though.
“I guess this means I’ll have to do some investigating.”
I climb the rest of the way along the branch until I reach the ground. It’s just a working theory, but if he is one of the three in exile, then I need to find the remaining two as soon as possible.