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The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

No Way. It Couldn't Be His Highness

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「I refuse,」 the man’s voice, screaming in the darkness, was audible.

「I didn't fail, I was just interrupted!」

Clang, clang... The surroundings were dim, and the faint light of a lantern flickered beyond the iron bars. The man—the same young man who had caused a commotion as the jewel thief during the day—was in the cell. There should have been no one else there. Yet, he desperately shouted toward something, banging on the bars. 「Shut up,」 a neighboring inmate complained in a voice like a yawn. But the man paid no attention and screamed again.

「Don't come closer! Don't come, don't come, don't come! I don't want to go back!」

「It was as if he was talking to someone,」 the inmate later told the guard. The frantic shriek echoed through the area, and even the guard, wondering what the matter was, approached with brisk footsteps, but then.

「Hii, gyauh!」

The man was crushed flat.

Even a drop of blood was swallowed by the shadow, and his corpse vanished. Unfortunately, the guard did not notice this. He was merely surprised that the cell he approached was empty, causing the lantern light to flicker.

「W-What? Where did he disappear?! The door is locked, so how is this possible?!」

The man's final, bird-like scream reached no one. The guard who rushed over frantically illuminated the cell. He hurriedly unlocked the door to check inside. He peered into the darkness with narrowed eyes, but of course, there was no one there. The guard turned pale, clenched his jaw, and yelled, 「No, impossible...?! Damn it, someone! A prisoner has escaped!」

「He must still be nearby, search for him!」

The guard disappeared, his armor rattling noisily as he rushed to call for reinforcements. The wide-open cell door was left to sway quietly, leaving behind only a faint, unreliable creak.

And in the depths of that cell.

A pair of glowing red eyes were staring intently from the darkness—.

***

Two days after the festival, the lighthearted atmosphere among everyone was gradually returning to normal. Noma seemed as busy as ever, fighting and making up with the person she couldn't quite call her boyfriend, making for rather heartwarming days.

（I myself have skipped a lot of work, come to think of it...）

To make up for it, Elna was even more determined than usual. She loaded a basket overflowing with clothes high onto both shoulders and marched forward. The maids and soldiers who passed by blinked their eyes at the bulky laundry piled up on Elna's shoulders, doing not just a double-take but a triple-take, but Elna herself didn't mind at all. Efficiency was always her priority. March, march.

She had the strength. She had the stamina.

（...But something feels strange.）

For some reason, she kept recalling the day of the festival. When she remembered Cross's profile as he spoke of eventually relinquishing the throne to his brother, she suddenly felt useless.

（The reason I was reborn was because I wished to die alongside Cross...）

Cross—no, Vaid—was only human, no matter how strong he was, and there was a difference in lifespan that could never be bridged with Elna, who was a dragon. Elnalfia, who was left alone, wished for death.

To become the same species, and live the same life. This should have been Elna's wish.

...Yet, her chest ached unbearably.

（And why... couldn't I bring myself to hurt a person?）

No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn't understand herself. She stopped quietly, still holding the laundry basket, and looked down at her feet. Wind spirits were rolling around, playing happily, when the Hamster Spirit jumped out from the top of Elna's head.

「El—GAAAH!?」

「NJURAAA!!??」

Noma was startled by the mountain of laundry Elna was carrying, and the chain reaction caused the Hamster Spirit to jump up and stretch vertically. The spirits playing at Elna's feet were also startled away.

「Noma? Is something wrong?」

「You scared me! Elna, that's way too much to carry! You'll drop it... And also, didn't a noise like the end of the world just come from the vicinity of the hamster?」

「...Ham-ham? Ham? ...I'm a ham-ster!」

「Oh? Was that really your voice?」

The spirit, pretending to be a hamster under suspicion, widened its dark eyes and blinked excessively, but to change the subject, Elna asked, 「So, did you make up with your boyfriend?」 Noma gave the usual reply, 「He's not my boyfriend! He's just a childhood friend!」 then, startled by her own loud voice, cleared her throat and said, 「Well, never mind that, it's something else.」 Noma then told Elna the real reason she had come.

Elna, upon hearing Noma's words, frowned and tilted her head in confusion, but decided to head toward her destination for now.

「Elna, the jewel thief you captured—a report has come in from the soldiers that he vanished from his cell last night.」

「Vanished? ...You mean he escaped?」

「Presumably.」

After receiving the message from Noma that His Majesty was calling her, Elna headed to Cross's office, where she was greeted by the King sitting in his chair with a grim expression.

The topic was the incident in question. When Elna inquired further, she learned that a guard, suspicious of a commotion, went to check and found the prisoner's cell empty. Apparently, no matter how well they searched, they couldn't find a trace of how he had managed to escape, and many soldiers were still searching for the missing inmate.

The captured prisoner should have been wearing mana-sealing chains, and he would have been thoroughly searched. What kind of trickery did he use without any weapons?

Furthermore, the [Dragon Scale], which had been stored separately from the prisoner, was also missing.

「We had planned to return it to the robbed jewelry store after a detailed investigation, but this has backfired...」

「So, he didn't just escape, he intentionally took the jewel with him?」

「The [Dragon Scale] can be used as a powerful medium for magic, not just as an ornament. Even if each one is minuscule, considering the number that the 'jewel thief' has stolen so far...」

Elna heard that the provinces, not just the Royal Capital, had also been targeted. It was unknown if the same culprit was responsible for all the thefts, but the cause for concern was significant. Involuntarily, Elna looked at the scale of Elnalfia hanging around Cross's neck, the namesake of the stolen jewel, but of course, it was a different item, merely similar in appearance.

The [Dragon Scale] is a rare mineral that strongly resembles Elnalfia's scale. Elna was unfamiliar with jewels and only learned this recently, but she had done her own research. It looked like glass, but one of its characteristics was a faint, rainbow-like iridescence when held up to the light.

「...The culprit should have been placed under strict surveillance and incarcerated. However, since the outcome is this, we have no choice but to admit our lapse.」

「Who on earth and for what purpose...? We don't even know the name of the man who escaped, so where should we search...?」

「No, his name is known.」

「You do know his name!」

「I told you the interrogation was complete. The name of the man we captured this time is Nicola. He is a servant of the Duke of Halburn's household.」

「Halburn...?」

—Lady Elnalfia, would you consider becoming my daughter?

Elna's memory of the red-haired, lion-like man was still fresh. It was only recently, in this very office, that the Duke had proposed adopting Elna.

「Furthermore, our ongoing investigation into the Calzeed family has revealed instances of fire magic users disappearing from the Barony's domain. There are also signs that these missing people were sent to the Halburn house. During questioning, Baron Calzeed himself testified that he went to the Duke for money.」

Elna widened her eyes in surprise. She hadn't known that people other than her mother were also victims.

Human trafficking is not permitted in the Kingdom of Wizrain. That is why Cross was still personally leading the investigation into this matter.

「...That is, well.」

Elna, though surprised, immediately knitted her brows into a look of distaste, prompting Cross to throw the documents he held onto the desk with a sound.

「Ah, it is too convenient. It feels as if the answer is being spelled out for us.」

「The Duke did say he preferentially hired fire magic users, but that was just because he was a devout follower of the Elnalfia faith, and the thief you caught used water magic, so he doesn't seem to have a strong preference, does he? I find it strange that the Duke would commit a theft in a way that makes him look like the mastermind.」

「However, there is a reason. Do you remember the farce when your step-sister claimed to be Elnalfia? The pitiful plot was that gaining Elnalfia's reincarnation would upset the balance between the Royal Family and the nobles, leading to rebellion.」

From Cross's perspective, he must have been content to simply buy time to expose Laura, his step-sister's, lie. It was just over two months ago that he borrowed soldiers from the Duke of Halburn, creating a situation with no escape.

「The proposal to adopt Elna also came from the Duke. It is possible that by refusing the offer, the Duke feared the concentration of power in the Royal Family, exactly as the plot suggested, and is now gathering fire magic users for military strength, while also collecting the [Dragon Scale] as a weapon to enhance magic.」

「Do you actually believe that?」

「Of course not. I only considered it forcibly. I have dealt with the Duke for a long time. I believe I understand what kind of person he is, and if this story were true, he would have been preparing for a long time, but that is impossible given the timeline since the Duke learned you are Elnalfia. The sequence of events is reversed.」

Elna felt a wave of relief at Cross's words, yet the feeling of unease persisted.

Elna had only met the Duke of Halburn once, but though he was large, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would plot deceit. The only impression she had was of a man with extraordinary hearing who would cup his ear with a fancy gesture while laughing loudly... She muttered to herself with her hand on her forehead that this was not a good impression at all, but Cross, surprisingly, was making a similar gesture.

No matter how many reasons they considered or denied, there was a deep rift in the relationship between the Royal Family and the nobles, and complete mutual understanding was impossible.

It was something that had plagued even the Founding King, Vaid, for many years.

「...In any case, I plan to send an envoy to the Duke's estate tonight.」

When Elna looked up to say she would go with him, she was immediately dismissed. 「I didn't tell you because I expected to borrow your strength.」

「I only informed you because it concerns you, but that is all. ...It will still take some time for everything to be resolved. I sincerely apologize.」

「Huh? Well.」

When he looked her straight in the eye and apologized again, she didn't know what to say.

A quiet fire of anger burned in the young man's eyes.

Cross was angry at the tragedy of Elna's mother as if it were his own, and he was determined to expose every crime to the light of day, tirelessly continuing the investigation. Thinking of that, Elna naturally bowed her head.

「...Yes. I leave it in your hands.」

It was because she was Elna's mother. It was because Elna inherited Elnalfia's memories. Elna understood intimately that Cross's anger was not solely for those reasons. Even if Elna were just Elna, he regarded her as a citizen of the Kingdom of Wizrain.

That is why Elna quietly offered her gratitude.

「Thank you.」

「It is too soon for those words.」

The light streaming in through the tall window behind the smiling young man was incredibly warm.

***

「And yet, I would like to do something to help if possible, so I'm taking action,」 Elna murmured to herself.

「A night stroll, is it? However, the sunflower seeds are delicious today. I live for this single seed. Munch, munch.」

「You're losing more and more of your hamster-ness lately, you know.」

In response to Elna's involuntary whisper, the Hamster Spirit, which cried out in surprise and trembled, continued to stick its face out of Elna's dress pocket to assert its presence. 「Oh well,」 Elna muttered to herself and quietly looked around the castle, where the sun had already completely set. The flames of the torches hung here and there flickered in the wind, illuminating the darkness.

Since an envoy was going to be sent to the Duke of Halburn's estate tonight for the investigation, Elna thought she could investigate from a different angle. It was highly unlikely that a runaway servant would simply turn up at the Duke's residence. Even if they were still searching for the missing person's whereabouts, having more hands available wouldn't hurt.

She glanced around, silencing her footsteps, and softly flared the hem of her skirt as she approached the castle wall. Sensing the presence of patrolling soldiers, she held her breath, climbed over the wall covering the castle, and landed softly on the ground.

「...Hey. Did something just jump over?」

「Impossible. It couldn't be His Highness.」

Elna walked briskly, ignoring the voices beyond the wall. Oddly enough, Elna's actions were reminiscent of Feliol's escape just the other day, but the guards would never imagine that a mere human could jump over the wall without a ladder, relying only on physical strength.

「The servant who worked for the Duke of Halburn—Nicola, I think. We haven't grasped his movements since he vanished.」

「Gonsu?」

「I thought about it a lot, but the [Dragon Scale] that should have been stored in the castle vanished at the same time as Nicola. So, conventionally speaking, if I follow the missing [Dragon Scale], I should be able to find Nicola, right?」

The townspeople had returned to their homes, and it was quiet. She could hear distant sounds of laughter, perhaps from people talking, but her own tapping footsteps seemed unnaturally loud.

The night town was like the flip side of the coin. Knowing the lively festival atmosphere only recently, the cold air that brushed against her cheek was chilling, and the whiteness of her breath seemed oddly cold.

In the middle of the street, painted in deep navy, Elna quietly crouched down and squinted her eyes.

「It's been a whole day since the [Dragon Scale] vanished... Now then, where did it end up?」

「Can you tell?」

「Yeah. I 'saw' the jewel's shape while chasing the thief the other day. Finding mana is the same as looking for spirits.」

She gently placed one hand on the cold brick road. 「Let's see.」 Elna blinked. The moment a star faintly shimmered in Elna's blue eyes, faintly glowing footprints appeared in the path cast in night's veil, leading straight ahead.

「I see, this way.」

It was an 'imprint' that only Elna, with her sky-blue eyes, could see.

It was vaguely illuminating the night path.

「The [Dragon Scale] jewel is rare, but it's not the only one in the world. So, it's possible this trail is just leading to someone else... But it won't hurt to follow it, will it?」

She muttered, trying to cheer herself up.

Relying on others was not in her nature. She was only doing what she could. She stood up and ruffled her hair. 「It's cold, so stay inside.」 She then gently pushed the hamster deep into her pocket. Smiling at the complaint she heard, Elna swiftly ran through the night town.

—Unaware of what kind of suffering awaited her down that path.