Chapter 10
‘At this rate, my face will be pierced.’
Askari’s gaze staring at me from the seat next to me was so intense.
Mir continued his class, watching Askari with an anxious look.
“…In that way, the war between beastmen and humans ended.”
Aside from the emotional discomfort, Mir’s class was excellent. With even forgetting the sharp gaze of the cat staring at me from my side, I was drowned at Mir’s explanation.
To summarize Mir’s class, it was like this.
Akamar, the Archmage of the continent, joined forces with the Twelve Wise Men of the Tower to end the ancient war between humans and beastmen. And the eight kingdoms that had been holding each other in check were unified into one empire.
Up to this point, thanks to the memories of my past life, I knew it well.
‘Is Akamar the founder of the Myo World?’
I didn’t know about it because the picture book that the nanny gave me didn’t mention the name of the magician who created the Myo World.
As I bit the tip of the feather pen like a habit, I raised my short arm and asked a question.
“Is Akamar the human magician who created the Myo Clan?”
“How dumb. Can’t you just look at it?”
I looked at Mir, ignoring the sarcastic remarks I heard next to me.
“Anyway, I want to talk about it now. Do you remember the Wise Man Ryan in my story earlier?”
“Um. I remember.”
“Sir Akamar, who was nominated as the next owner of the Tower, and the First Wise Man Ryan were childhood friends and well-meaning competitors. However, Ryan had a deep inferiority complex to Sir Akamar, who was born with exceptional talent. That feeling of inferiority eventually led to betrayal towards the end of the war.”
After the war, they promised to join forces to rule the unified continent together, but Ryan betrayed Akamar.
As soon as the war was over, Akamar was imprisoned in a special prison that control mana.
It was the next head of the Persian family, who was the head of the Myo Clan at the time, who saved Akamar, who had been waiting for his death in a helpless state.
“The two made a deal. Myo Clan would rescue Sir Akamar from prison and punish the traitors, and in return, please set the Myo Clan to be the leader of the beastmen.”
Akamar accepted his offer.
It was in this way that the present Myo World was born.
Akamar, who possessed power comparable to that of a god, kept his promise by providing and protecting the Myo World, a unique dimension of the Myo Clan.
This was the background for the Myo Clan, which belonged to the lowest rank among carnivores, to rise to the top of the food chain.
“In the process, two people who fell in love got married, and Sir Akamar ruled both worlds by alternating between the Myo World and the Continent.”
The head of the Persians gladly surrendered his place to Akamar.
“Only the direct descendants of the Persians, who were born with the blood of Akamar, can be born with magical powers. Thanks to Akamar, our Myo Clan were able to share the miracle that God gave only to humans.”
In other words, among the beastmen, it meant that only direct descendants of Persians who were born with magical powers could use magic.
It is said that after Akamar died, a temple was even built to honor him.
‘The High Priest I saw at the banquet at that time was the priest of the Great Hall of Akamar.’
My expectations that the Myo Clan would vaguely serve something like a cat god turned out to be terribly wrong.
“Then what would happen if a human was born between them?”
Since it was a union between a beastman and a human, it wouldn’t have been only beastman born between the two.
“A man born of the two was sent to the Empire.”
Fortunately or unfortunately, it is said that there was only one human born between Akamar and the Myo Clan’s companion.
The human child was sent out as the heir to the imperial family, and it was said that he was the only child born to Akamar who wasn’t born with magical powers.
‘That’s why the life of magic in the human world was cut off.’
It is said that Akamar, who became the ruler of the Empire, mercilessly slaughtered the Wise Men who betrayed him. Even the magicians who followed the Wise Men thoroughly.
Then, gradually, as time passed, those who were born with mana became rare and eventually disappeared.
The public murmured that God, who felt a sense of crisis over Akamar’s arbitrary and transcendent behavior, had taken away the gift he bestowed upon humans.
If I were really four years old, I wouldn’t have been able to understand half of the content of the class.
“Today’s class will end here. I’m glad that you two have been following along from the first day.”
Askari, who had been resting on his chin with a bored expression throughout the class, frowned.
“Nevermind. When will Brother come back?”
“That…”
However, Mir’s words didn’t continue. It was because of the noise from outside.
***
Licht came back.
It was also in a state of unconsciousness with his whole body covered in blood.
As soon as he received the report, Mir ran out of the study with a stiffened face I had seen for the first time.
I followed Askari and climbed the stairs, but firmly grabbed the railing so as not to fall over.
‘Licht is in critical condition?’
According to the soldier who delivered his report, Licht suddenly fell from the air in his office.
‘Where and what have you been doing all this time?’
Licht’s office was located on the top floor of the main palace, where the security was most severe.
It was time to follow Askari down the last stairs and turn the corner of the hallway.
“Ah!”
Askari, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and I slammed my face against his hard back. I groaned as I was thrown helplessly down the hallway floor.
‘What is this.’
“Askaㅡ”
I was grimacing at the sudden situation, but I stopped talking when I heard a strange aura that crushed the entire hallway.
A soft voice broke the silence in the frozen hallway.
“It’s been a while, Askari.”
“…”
“Has it been exactly four years? Did you receive the gift I sent you from the continent last year?”
The faintly mixed with purple eyes, were curved with a subtle smile. In the Myo World, it was believed that only direct descendants of Persians were born with those eyes.
‘That beastmen…’
It seems that he is the Second Prince of the Myo World that I had never seen before.
Long, wavy blonde hair, as if it was made by weaving sunlight, ran down the boy’s shoulder.
Has he just turned ten?
Despite his youthful face, the atmosphere he gave off was so mysterious that it couldn’ be expressed in words.
‘Why are you reacting like that?’
I turned my eyes and checked Askari, who hadn’t moved since before.
From the moment Askari discovered the boy who was supposed to be the Second Prince, he had been hardened like a stone.
The boy clicked his tongue briefly.
“This. Our Ash…”
A drowsy sigh escaped from between the boy’s lips, who slowly bent his knees and made eye contact with Askari.
“You still look like a coward.”
As if those words had become a spell, faint convulsions ran through Askari’s body like wildfire.
It flowed down
“W-Why are you hereㅡ”
“Ah. Mir called. Brother is in critical condition, so I, who is second in the line of succession, must keep my seat…”
Before the boy’s friendly explanation could be finished, Askari turned around and started running straight away.
At a glance, his profile was colored with deep fear.
“Hm?”
The Second Prince seemed to have recognized my existence only after Askari disappeared. His mouth was curved as he slowly looked back at me.
“… Ah. So it’s you. The Messiah that my Brother brought from the continent.”
His long, smooth hand reached out in front of me.
“Are you okay?”
Unlike the lips that drew the arc, the eyes looking down at me were dry enough to give me goosebumps.
No, that’s beyond dryness…
“I’m owkay. Huft.” (I’m okay. Huft)
I got up on my own without holding on to the boy’s outstretched hand.
My elbow tingled as I hit the cold marble floor, but it didn’t bother me much.
“You’re stronger than you look.”
“The nanny told me to be careful of the beastman I didn’t know.”
The boy smiled and pulled out his hand again.
“I heard you are still four years old. You’re smart.”
“Yesh. Yeni is smart.” The need to refer to myself in third person was creepy, but I had no choice.
‘It doesn’t feel good.’
It was fortunate that I had gotten used to the innocent tone of a young child over the past time.
“Is your name Yeni?”
I closed my mouth and looked at the boy with my eyes narrowed.
‘Rough, unrefined magic.’
A flow of mana resembling the intense sunlight of midsummer was felt in his whole body. An instinctive repulsion arose from the raging mana that seemed to seize my body at any moment.
Unlike the smiling lips, the eyes looking down at me were colder.
“My name is…”
It was when I reluctantly tried to open my mouth. Suddenly, the sound of urgent footsteps echoed through the hallway.
“You are here, Your Highness the Second Prince. It seems that there is an unknown abnormality in His Majesty’s magical powers…”
Mir, who found me in a confrontation with the Second prince, blurted out. It seemed unexpected that we were together.
The Second Prince, who had been watching me with cold eyes, turned around with a smile as if he had never done so.
“Alright. Let’s go now.”
Mir, who bowed his head to me, disappeared over the corner with the Second Prince in front.
Left alone in the empty hallway, I finally let out the breath I had been holding back.
Contrary to his always friendly attitude, what appeared in the boy’s eyes toward me was clear contempt.
It was also a level of antipathy that was different from the childlike chirping that Askari showed towards me.
Shaking my head to shake off the afterimage left by the boy, I took a deep breath.
‘More than that, there’s something wrong with Licht’s magic?’
In my mind, I wanted to take a look at Licht right now, but I struggled with it.
‘I think I saw a book about magical diseases at first glance in the royal library.’
After I was able to move my body freely, I often went in and out as if taking a walk in the royal library.
Fortunately, the library of the Myo World had a wealth of books on magical powers and magic, probably due to the influence of the Archmage, Akamaar.
‘Let’s stop by the library first… Huh?’
As I walked down the hallway, immersed in my thoughts, I stopped in place at the feeling of a foreign thing under my feet.
‘What is all this?’
It was familiar clothing that was scattered in the hallway.
I glanced around the hallway where I couldn’t feel anyone’s presence.
“… Askari?”
The neat clothes Askari was wearing, starting with cravat, were scattered randomly in the hallway.
‘He’s not even a cicada that has been stripped of its skin.’
I was picking up clothes one by one in case someone stepped on them and slipped. I stopped at the sound of unstable breathing coming from a dark crevice.
As I narrowed my eyes, I saw a cat crouching and trembling in the cramped darkness without a single ray of light.
At the same time, bad memories hit the surface.
[What are you doing there? Yernian.]
[…I-I hate it. Please leave me alone.]
Nervous voices and sighs that were clearly felt even in the dark.
[Stop and just come out. I don’t wish to use force on you, a valuable resource.]
A voice modulated with a special drug still lingered in his ears.
Feeling my stomach churn, I leaned against the wall and shook my head violently.
‘Let’s be calm.’
The occasional remnants of the past shook me up in a mess, even in my peaceful daily life.
That’s probably why. The reason why I couldn’t pass the trembling Askari and reach out my hand.
“Askari. The Second Prince is gone. You can come out now.”
Askari, who covered his eyes with his front paws, didn’t even move at my call, crouching in front of the narrow gap. Rather, toward the end of the cramped space, he pushed his body like a ball of red cotton more fiercely.
‘Should I call a maid or a servant?’
However, I had a hunch that he wouldn’t let me go if I called another beastman with that pride.
‘Hmm. Then there is only one way.’
Frowning my nose in embarrassment, I ran straight to my bedroom.
Fortunately, the top of the main palace and the bedroom I stayed in were one floor apart.
“Princess? Have you finished class already?”
“Alice! Where’s the toy room key?”
As soon as I arrived, Alice, who was looking at me stamping my feet, came back with the key to the toy room.
Click,
with a sound, the door to the toy room that I had never looked in before opened.