Wizard of the Deep Sea Chapter 64

TL/ED – Miso

I postponed visiting Dersia’s mansion.

Instead, I went to Brimdal, who was still loading food supplies onto the carriage. Maybe it was his last bit of conscience, but he had just put in a box of cabbages when he glanced at me and asked with a hint of curiosity.

“What is it, you look like you just got into a fight. Who was it with?”

“…Uh, how did you know?”

“The robe you’re wearing now has parts that absolutely won’t wrinkle just from walking, running, or sitting. If you want to hide the fact that you were in a fight, you’d better fix your outfit.”

“Yes.”

So there’s something like that. I thought it was interesting and handed him the certificate, which was still crisp and flat.

“This is what I got for winning that squire tournament you told me to get out of last time.”

“They say I can meet a member of the Imperial Guard Knights with this. Is that true?”

“Hmm, was that part of it…”

Brimdal scratched his head as if his memory was fuzzy, then soon looked puzzled.

“But why are you asking about that? You’re not planning to meet them, are you?”

“I am planning to meet them.”

“…Why?”

“There are some things I want to find out.”

Brimdal shoved the cabbage into the back somehow, crossed his arms, and shook his head with a grumpy look.

“I can’t allow that so easily. It’s dangerous.”

“I’m not planning to cause any trouble.”

“That’s not the point. Just drawing your sword in front of an Imperial Guard Knight will immediately expose you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re ultimately a wizard imitating a knight.”

“…?”

I tilted my head in confusion, and he explained slowly.

“What swordsmanship did you learn?”

“I never actually learned swordsmanship.”

“Exactly. Things like basic grip, stance. It’s all a mess. From afar, it might not show, but if you cross swords, any skilled knight will notice immediately.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, all I learned from Brimdal was physical training and Enhanced Mana Body.

“So it’s better for you to just enter a match, get good results, and then disappear among the crowd of your age group before anyone notices your sloppy grip and stance. That way, you can keep learning Enhanced Mana Body quietly, and it’s better for me too.”

“…There were a lot of spectators there, yet no one noticed?”

“You dodged everything in advance. It’s simple, but if you can do it, it’s a skill that could defeat every knight in the world with a sword. After seeing that, no one would think of nitpicking small flaws. They’ll just assume you’re slightly lacking in some areas, according to what suits them.”

But if I go before the Imperial Guard Knights and draw my sword, that difference will be exposed immediately.

“Also, from the start, getting permission will be tough.”

“Why’s that?”

“Even if they really are the one arranging the meeting, the problem is me.”

“…?”

Brimdal answered boldly, without a hint of shame.

“I had a major conflict with the Imperial Guard Knights once. So I doubt they’d be willing to meet my student.”

“If it wasn’t that serious, maybe they’ve forgotten?”

“It was kind of serious.”

“…”

I didn’t know what it was, but if Brimdal said it was serious, I was too afraid to ask. I sighed and handed him the certificate.

“Got it. Still, just in case, can you submit the request?”

“Sure. Just don’t get your hopes up.”

Brimdal took the certificate with a look of annoyance.

Three days later.

“Hmm.”

Brimdal made an uncertain expression as he held the reply letter.

“What is it?”

“The First Princess says she wants to meet you.”

“…?”

Finding information about the First Princess was easy.

Almost everyone in the world praised her name and spoke highly of her.

“Yup! I saw her once, and she was super pretty!”

Even Elysia said so.

She had been gloomy at first, but after spending all day in the cabin with me, and because I often played with her in exchange for not peeking at my training, her mood had lifted, and her face was full of smiles.

While reading a book listing the First Princess’s achievements, basically a biography, I asked again,

“Does she have any other traits?”

“Hmm…”

Elysia, who had her arms crossed and seemed to be thinking, added as if something had come to mind.

“She was beautiful!”

“You already said that.”

“But really, out of everyone I’ve seen in my life, she’s the most… Anyway, why are you asking about this?”

“…It’s nothing special, just curious.”

Pushing aside the unhelpful Elysia, I went back to reading the biography.

To cross-reference, I also looked up all the documents listed inside. The result was clear. I learned one thing.

The First Princess is a superhuman.

Despite being only 21 years old, she has been actively involved in state affairs for a long time. And she excels.

Though I had received a lot of help from her in things like the Orphanage or the Fallen-related things, in hindsight, it was only natural.

She’s so competent that there’s no place her influence hasn’t reached. The reason the Empire is so peaceful and the people so generous might be thanks to the Princess.

No, it is thanks to her. She doesn’t just throw the national budget into welfare through her authority. Everything is calculated through meticulous political reasoning, and the benefits gained are not used to secure her own position but are reinvested into the country…

Even I couldn’t have done that. Now I understand why Lumia feels jealous.

So there’s only one question left.

“…Why?”

I knew that a knight alone couldn’t do anything.

Lumia, the Second Princess, probably doesn’t know. So trying to dig up information from the First Princess was indeed part of the plan.

In other words, things were going my way.

However, something didn’t feel right.

I’d only know the details once I got there. There were still three hours left, but to avoid committing lèse-majesté, I had to arrive at least two hours early.

“Don’t get nervous. But don’t let your guard down either.”

“Understood.”

Brimdal, who dropped me off in the Capital, made an expression that said ‘what is this?’ and then left.

I followed the map written in the letter and walked along the path.

I arrived at a small tea shop, hidden in a corner of the Capital, but not so obscure that there were no people.

So this is the place. I sat at the designated window-side seat, lightly tapped my fingers on the table, and ordered black tea.

Using current sense, I scanned my surroundings, but there were no knights, not even any weapons. No one stood out as particularly beautiful either.

Even after checking outside the tea shop, I found nothing.

…Was this a trap? It didn’t seem likely that a Princess would appear in such a public place without knights.

“Hello, have you been waiting long?”

Just as I was thinking that, a brown-haired woman naturally sat down across from me.

Not that I had expected much, but she looked fairly ordinary. I gave a polite nod in response.

“I am honored to behold the face of Princess Sharmia.”

I didn’t make a fuss. Being overly formal in a crowded place might draw unwanted attention.

The woman smiled gently and shook her head.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not the Princess.”

“Huh?”

“I’m merely a maid acting as her representative. I know it’s disappointing, but I hope you’ll understand. The Princess is currently overwhelmed with work and cannot attend in person.”

“…I see.”

Now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense.

I should have guessed just from the meeting being held in a tea shop.

So I won’t be able to get any information, I thought, but then the maid suddenly pulled a letter from her bag and handed it to me.

“She left a letter in her stead.”

“This is an honor.”

As I tucked the letter inside my coat to read later, the maid shook her head.

“Please read it now. You must.”

“Yes, I apologize. I’m unfamiliar with court etiquette.”

Is it a rule that she has to verify I’ve read it?

I took the letter out again, opened it, and read its contents.

[Greetings, Jern. This is our first meeting.]

The letter started that way.

And that was the end of it.

“…?”

No matter how much I searched, that was all there was.

A short, informal line that felt too casual for a Princess. The content meant nothing.

Wondering what this was supposed to mean, I looked up, and the maid was still smiling brightly, waiting for some sort of reaction from me.

Forcing a smile, I responded.

“…A fine message. Short, but I could sense Princess Sharmia’s firm conviction.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that.”

It didn’t seem right to press the maid for answers. She was just the messenger.

Since the letter was written like that, the Princess must have told the maid some part of the truth. Clearing my throat, I asked what I could no longer figure out.

“Then, why did Her Highness the Princess summon me? You see, I used the certificate because I wanted to meet a knight.”

The maid smiled lightly instead of answering and pulled out another letter.

“I just read one.”

“Yes, I know.”

“…?”

Why didn’t she give this earlier and instead waited until I asked?

No wonder it felt too short. I read the second letter.

[I understand that you wanted to meet a knight, but there is something I wish to request, and so I was forced to take this approach. I offer my sincere apologies for causing your certificate to be used in vain. I will make sure you are compensated accordingly.]

I could feel my expression slowly hardening.

With a tone slightly lacking in courtesy, I asked the next question.

“Yes, if I can be of help to Her Highness the Princess, it would be an honor. However, I am merely a weak squire. I doubt I have much means to offer assistance.”

The maid handed me a third letter. I opened it as soon as I received it.

[It’s not you as a knight that I wish to call upon, but you under another identity. A wizard… that would be the better term for both of us, wouldn’t it?]

As I opened my mouth to respond to the content, the maid handed me a fourth letter.

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Yes, Her Highness instructed me to hand this one over before you asked the fourth question.”

“…”

With slightly trembling hands, I opened the letter.

This time, it wasn’t a sentence, nor even a word.

[Yes.]

One character.

Clatter! I stood up immediately upon seeing it.

“My apologies. I happen to have a severe allergy to green tea, and I must have accidentally drunk it. However, I still have a bit of time before the effects begin, so how about calling a doctor while I spend some time at a nearby pub?”

Still smiling, the maid handed me the fifth letter.

[That’s a serious matter. Even if the effects appear later, it would be best to go to the hospital immediately. And going to a pub this early in the day might be a bit much. How about a cake shop instead?]

Thud, I collapsed back into my seat as soon as I read it.

This… is undoubtedly the real thing.

I checked her bag and the letters several times using current sense, but there was no action of writing anything after I responded.

The First Princess, Sharmia, was undoubtedly a prophet.

…So that’s how it is. That must be how she managed to dominate the political world without a single mistake from such a young age.

No. It doesn’t matter how the situation is analyzed.

This is a life-or-death crisis. Equal to, or even beyond that of Crimson Circle.

It’s practically as if everything about me has been exposed. Interlocking my fingers, cold sweat dripping, I replied.

“There’s literally a god in the Imperial Family.”

[It seems you may have misunderstood. Certainly, if I were perfectly aware of everything in the world, I could be called a god. But my prophecy is truly a limited ability. I can only catch glimpses of the future I have chosen.]

“…”

I looked at the maid thoughtfully.

If she could predict all my words, then even if it’s just glimpses, she can intervene with certainty when it comes to the details.

“How can you possess such a power? It’s a rude question, but perhaps-”

[Occasionally, someone like me is born into the royal family. Some say it’s because we carry the blood of the primordial wizard, but I’m not entirely sure. And no, I haven’t Fallen. At least, not yet. Though perhaps I’m close.]

It was hard to believe that someone with such a mysterious power wasn’t a Fallen.

[As I said before, it’s really a very limited ability. My prophecy allows me to see the process of what I’ve chosen, but not the result. It’s an incomplete power. The best I can do is create a good process.]

“I don’t quite see how that makes a difference.”

[I’m sorry. It’s hard to explain after all. Just please understand this, I have absolutely no intention of harming you, Jern.]

It was the answer I wanted most, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

[I always strive to achieve the outcome I desire. Reaching out to you is part of that effort.]

“What would you like me to do? I’ll do my best.”

[I’ve seen many futures branching off from my choices. I couldn’t see the outcome, but every one of those processes was utterly dreadful. I want to stop that from happening.]

There wasn’t much left of the letter when I opened the next part.

[Among the nobles, there is a traitor who doesn’t even know they’re a traitor. Please help me find that person.]

After a brief pause, more content was written.

Along with a photograph.

[Jern, I don’t only know the future.]

“…?”

[I know the past as well. Perhaps, a past that no one else knows but me. That’s also the reason I chose you.]

“Hmm.”

I scanned the final part of the letter.

A child with black hair, who looked to be around three years old, was being held in someone’s arms.

[I won’t force you.]

I let out a sigh.

If she’s a prophet, then she must already know my answer, so what’s the point of saying she won’t force me?

[Thank you!]

By the time I had made up my mind and reached the end of the letter, a thank you message was already written there.