Chapter 21

This is the second part of today's story.

Thank you for reading.

The remaining two parts of "Prince Sariel's Aftermath" will be released tomorrow at the same time.

Sariel gazed out the carriage window, lost in thought.

Today, he would begin his new life at the Vionne family estate.

The king had passed away, and his mother had been exiled to the northern palace.

She would never return.

Thanks to this, Sariel could live in peace.

His mother had been mad.

Life as a queen had been too painful for her.

Even though it was her own doing, he felt pity for her.

Since realizing that his mother was disliked in the palace, Sariel had only thought about living quietly.

He was kind to everyone and never disobeyed.

As the son of a queen who had the king's favor, he had guards and attendants, but they all treated him as if he were a sore spot.

Sariel neither liked nor disliked Zeraphi.

He had only become engaged to her because the queen had ordered it.

Zeraphi was a young lady who lived freely, unlike Sariel.

In front of Sariel, she acted meekly, but her true nature was known to others, as she often exposed herself when with other young ladies.

Sariel had given up on many things and had little interest in her.

He knew that Zeraphi frequently argued with other young ladies and often secluded herself in empty classrooms with a quiet young lady from a lower noble family.

—He knew about it but did nothing.

He didn't know that she was threatening the young lady to do her homework.

Zeraphi was shockingly ignorant and couldn't keep up with the lessons.

In the magic class, Zeraphi always gleefully cast fire attacks.

They were incredibly powerful.

However, the magic teacher looked displeased.

Sariel knew why.

Zeraphi was rough.

She couldn't use her magic efficiently.

The glittering after the fire attack was the magic that had failed to ignite.

She should practice gathering more magic and preparing carefully before casting fire attacks.

—If I used magic so carelessly, it wouldn't work at all.

Sariel always saw the arrogance of the talented in Zeraphi.

Sariel had little magic.

His mother's pain in telling him to become the crown prince was something Zeraphi couldn't understand at all.

Zeraphi started to make sexual advances on Sariel after her parents from the Vionne family pressured her.

The Vionne family was on the verge of ruin.

They had lost their income from their territory.

The Vionne couple had been barely getting by with magic recharging work.

Zeraphi should have helped, but she didn't.

The reason was that she lacked the motivation, but fundamentally, magic recharging was difficult for those who couldn't control their magic well.

Zeraphi couldn't do it.

Sariel knew this, and everyone else should have known too.

Boiling water in a cup was good practice for magic control.

Zeraphi couldn't do it.

After throwing a tantrum and destroying all the cups, the teacher stopped making her do it.

Zeraphi couldn't use any magic other than fire attacks.

Sariel had heard that Zeraphi was strong in earth magic besides fire.

She had a little water magic too.

Zeraphi couldn't use earth magic at all.

When the magic teacher told her to infuse the ground with earth magic, she cast fire attacks on the training field.

Everyone was amazed.

Earth magic might be a dull magic, but in an agricultural country like ours, it was the most in-demand magic.

Infusing farmland with earth magic made crops grow very well.

Zeraphi, who never regretted anything, must have made her parents regret it.

If Zeraphi had been better at earth magic, it would have been a good source of income.

Sariel was good at earth magic.

Although his magic was low, he had improved through intense training since he was very young and was skilled at casting spells.

He was always praised for his efficient use of magic.

If he had a bit more magic, he could have become a good mage.

Sariel, due to his low magic, couldn't become a capable mage, but he could become a low-level mage.

Sariel's mother was said to have very little magic.

Even less than commoners.

However, this wasn't entirely accurate.

She actually had more magic.

But she had neglected her training and couldn't use it.

Otherwise, Sariel wouldn't have been born.

Sariel was born because the king's illness had reduced his magic.

If the difference in magic between a couple was too great, they couldn't have children.

It was fortunate that Sariel was born before the king's health declined too much, his mother had said happily.

She must have been hurt by the whispers about her inability to have children.

If she hadn't married the king, she might have been happier.

But it was her own stubbornness that made her become a queen.

This year, there was an autumn ball at the palace, and Zeraphi stayed overnight.

During that time, he ended up sleeping with her.

He lost himself when he saw the arrogant woman shyly undressing in front of him.

—It's understandable, I'm a young man too.

Zeraphi got pregnant from that one time.

Despite the difference in their magic, she managed to get pregnant.

Zeraphi's magic was just below "great."

Sariel's was low, but he was on the higher end of that level, almost at the "medium" level.

Given the significant difference, he thought contraception wasn't necessary.

He learned of her pregnancy from a report from the Vionne family.

Although Zeraphi was arrogant, she wasn't promiscuous, so he was sure the child was his.

The queen scolded him severely, but Sariel couldn't help but feel happy that Zeraphi, with her high magic, was carrying his child.

He was sure the child would have more magic than him.

He thought he would teach the child all the magic knowledge and training methods he had.

While he had trained hard under his mother's harsh words, he wanted to use more positive reinforcement with his child.

He later thought it was foolish to have such selfish thoughts even for a moment.

When Zeraphi, in a fit of rage, cast fire attacks on the young ladies, Sariel was there.

He had always known he wouldn't become the crown prince.

He didn't want to.

He wouldn't be able to make the royal scepter shine, the palace mage Luka had said.

Luka could speak his mind to the king.

It was dangerous to anger Luka.

"You are a very good mage, Prince Sariel.

Your magic is efficient and well-cast.

I'm impressed that you can do this at your age.

But it's better that you don't become king.

In times of crisis, the king must protect the country.

He must raise the royal scepter and destroy the monsters attacking the capital.

If you use the royal scepter, you'll die from a single fire attack due to magic exhaustion.

The royal scepter will drain your magic without regard for your life.

It's better not to take on a job that will leave you dried up and dead after fulfilling your duty."

Sariel laughed at Luka's serious words.

Luka said the king was just a job.

"I can't, and I don't want to.

Somehow, the magic inside me says it's not right to become king."

"Haha, the voice of magic is the voice of the national deity."

Just thinking that he wouldn't become king made Sariel feel a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

When Zeraphi happily reported that she was carrying the child who would become king, Sariel cursed himself for ever being happy about having a child with her.

The magic he felt from her belly was somehow familiar.

It was definitely his child, which was now a nuisance.

Why was she so happy, Sariel wondered.

Does she think we have a future?

In reality, they had no future.

Sariel didn't become the crown prince, and the news reached the Vionne family before he could tell them.

Zeraphi was furious.

She was so angry that it was hard to approach her.

Her aura of fire was visible.

Zeraphi, who couldn't control her magic, let it leak and waver with her emotions.

Sariel sighed.

—That's why I don't like her.

Zeraphi was meek in front of Sariel.

But when she didn't like something Sariel said or did, the leak of magic was immediately noticeable.

Sariel, who could use wind magic in addition to earth magic, knew of her bad reputation.

Wind magic could be used for eavesdropping.

Zeraphi confronted him.

"Why can't you become king, even though you're the queen's son!"

Her emotions were out of control.

It was bad, he thought.

A woman like Zeraphi couldn't control her emotions, let alone her magic.

"Oh, Lady Vionne, what a pity you were a candidate for crown princess."

Simone, the daughter of the Marquis, taunted her.

She had been one of Sariel's engagement candidates.

"Shut up! You were a loser long ago!"

"Hey! It's because you're such an unladylike woman that Prince Sariel couldn't become the crown prince!"

Sariel was exasperated.

Didn't she realize that this statement also insulted the queen who had chosen her?

The argument became more intense.

Sariel sent a servant to call a teacher and whispered to a guard to restrain Zeraphi from behind if necessary.

The guard hesitated to leave Sariel's side but moved when ordered.

The argument was getting more heated.

The guard approached Zeraphi carefully to avoid provoking her.

Zeraphi raised her hand.

Magic gathered.

Sariel was complacent, thinking she couldn't do much with such a crude method.

Still, Zeraphi had a lot of magic.

He put up a barrier with all his might.

He thought she would hold back.

There was no way she would try to kill him.

Sariel didn't understand Zeraphi.

Zeraphi, while rough, could cast spells very quickly.

Sariel realized he had misjudged.

Zeraphi was no longer human.

She looked like a fire dragon.

Her face, red with rage, was twisted and ugly like a demon tormenting its prey. Sariel's eyes widened in fear.

Zeraphi, burning with anger, unleashed a fire attack.

Sariel put up a barrier with all his strength.

He could smell the burning of his flesh.

Everything in front of him turned red, and then he lost consciousness.

He must have died.

To think he had such a woman as his fiancée.

Sariel thought he had died once.

At least, he felt like he had died for a moment.

He was saved by his brother.

His older brother, Sirius, was a rare healer who saved his life.

His body was mostly healed, but his mind was not.

That fear would never leave him.

Simone, who was slightly outside Sariel's barrier, died instantly.

Sariel stood in the way and cast a desperate barrier, saving the other young ladies from serious injury.

The guard who tried to restrain Zeraphi was hit by her fire attack at close range but survived because she had just used her magic.

Zeraphi tried to escape and attempted to leave the academy. Students who were in her escape route suffered burns. She was apprehended by teachers and guards equipped with barrier magic devices just before she reached the gate, and a magic control collar was placed on her.

"She was like a demon,"

witnesses to the capture said.