Chapter 40

# Chapter 40: <I Don't Know, I Don't Know>

Kael smiled softly at the crown prince and repeated to himself.

'I don't know. I don't know.'

The black dragon kept rambling about how ridiculous it was that a dragon would use great magic for such a trivial human, without reflecting on its own actions. But Kael refused to listen.

- Hmm? His eyes are dyed too? This insignificant human seems to have some ulterior motive. He's a weak human. Be careful.

If you just stop talking, I'll be fine.

- Hmm? This human isn't weak. Weak human, be especially careful. You will die.

Damn. Kael was scared of the black dragon's pointless explanations for the first time. At the same time, his mind started to race.

The crown prince's mother was not the queen. She was a concubine, originally a maid from a commoner background who worked in the royal palace. The third prince's mother was the current queen. And it was said that the crown prince's mother had died under mysterious circumstances when she was young.

Kael began to naturally speculate about the identity of the crown prince's mother.

The crown prince is known to have average combat skills. But not weak? The crown prince, who was judged to be just average, what is he hiding? How did the dragon know?

…No, it doesn't matter. Whether he hides it or not, it's none of my business.

Kael ignored the black dragon's continuous muttering. The black dragon kept talking about the crown prince as if it were something fascinating.

"…Mr. Kael, you seem a bit similar to me."

Whatever the crown prince said, Kael, whose mind was in turmoil, gave a vague response.

"It is an infinite honor in my life, Your Highness."

The crown prince seemed taken aback and quickly let go of Kael's hand. Kael, who didn't notice the awkwardness, silently stepped back and stood quietly behind Eric. When things got complicated, it was best to use Eric as a shield. The crown prince observed Kael carefully and then turned his gaze to Eric.

Eric resumed his conversation with the crown prince.

Kael thought to himself.

'There was a reason.'

Why the crown prince was wary of the second and third princes. And why the king's favor suddenly shifted to the third prince. He had a rough idea.

'Is he not the king's son? Or is there another secret about his birth?'

In Kael's mind, a melodrama that the restaurant owner used to watch at eight in the evening when he was working part-time after his college entrance exam, back when he was Kim Rok-soo, began to unfold.

Of course, the protagonist was Crown Prince Albert Crossman.

Kael reaffirmed his decision.

'Just stay quiet.'

From now on, he would stay quiet and decide not to know anything else.

Kael kept his promise thoroughly. He didn't drink today, and because of that, the young nobles from other regions who were meeting him for the first time approached him. Each time, Kael would look at Eric, and Eric would step in.

After a few repetitions, Kael muttered softly.

"Oh, this is good."

Gilbert and Amir were startled by his soft muttering. They communicated with their eyes.

'This is strange, right?'

'Right.'

They slightly distanced themselves from Eric and Kael. However, Kael looked at Lady Amir, and Amir stopped retreating at his gaze.

"By the way, Lady Amir."

"Yes."

"I heard the coastal scenery of your estate is beautiful. Is it really that beautiful?"

"Excellent. The coastal cliffs are quite beautiful."

Beautiful, indeed. As Kael recalled those cliffs, he thought it would be incredibly difficult to obtain 'Whisper of the Wind.' The third ancient power, 'Whisper of the Wind,' was a power possessed by a non-mage during the civil war in the Viper Kingdom. It might seem strange that someone from the Viper Kingdom had an ancient power in the Rowen Kingdom, but there was a long story behind it.

In any case, that power belonged to a mage killer. A tyrant filled with madness who appeared in the later stages of the civil war, it wasn't a power that held much significance.

'The mage tower will soon fall.'

After the civil war, the site where the mage tower fell became the territory of Rosalyn, a strong candidate to become the new master of the mage tower in the Western Continent.

'Cuihan, the mage killer, and the empire's crown prince.'

These three people are the characters who appear early in the story, involved in all the incidents and accidents in the northwest of the Western Continent and are hailed as heroes. Of course, in the early part of the book, there was a hint that the queen of the southern jungle would unify the south and later become entangled with them.

Separate from the secret organization Cuihan was involved in, this continent would become a battlefield where various powers vied for dominance, breaking the two-hundred-year peace.

Kael watched Eric bustling about and checked his watch. The banquet would soon end. Of course, many young nobles would be waiting for the conversation time that would follow.

'It's none of my business.'

It was none of Kael's business.

"Mr. Gilbert, can I leave after this time is over?"

Seeing Kael leisurely eating fruit as if he were on a picnic, Gilbert nodded.

"Yes. There will be a meeting with the crown prince after the banquet, but you don't plan to attend, do you?"

"No. What would I do there? The three of you know more about the investment."

Kael's words changed Gilbert's expression. He looked slightly surprised.

"…You read the documents, I see."

"Just a bit."

Kael gave a vague answer and saw the crown prince getting up, signaling the end of the banquet. Kael didn't fully understand the purpose of today's gathering, but he wasn't disappointed. It was better not to be involved.

But Kael's face crumpled at the crown prince's words.

"Today's banquet was enjoyable. For those who wish, I've prepared a simple wine party afterward. Enjoy it. Oh, and I've arranged seats for you at the upcoming birthday celebration."

Crown Prince Albert said with a rather cheerful expression.

"I hope you all come to that event and enjoy the happy day together."

Ha. Kael suppressed a sigh that was about to escape. It was supposed to be enjoyable, but it sounded more like a command.

'…I'll be in the square when the bomb goes off.'

It was something he had roughly anticipated, but Kael wasn't pleased.

"Then let's end the banquet here."

Kael got up at those words. Most people would want to attend the wine party with the crown prince, the second and third princes, but those not allowed to meet the crown prince couldn't go even if they wanted to.

Kael glanced at the wheelchair passing by. Taylor passed by, and Cage, who was pushing the wheelchair, passed by Kael and whispered in a voice only he could hear.

"See you later. My brother."

I don't want to be your brother. Kael's gaze clearly conveyed his intention, but Cage approached the crown prince as if he didn't know anything, acting like a good priest.

"Mr. Kael, shall I see you off?"

"Lady Amir."

Amir approached, wanting to accompany Kael. Kael, looking at her with her green hair and calm, refined appearance, asked bluntly.

"Are you worried I might cause an accident on the way?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Neo also left early."

"Ah."

It meant she was accompanying him to avoid any trouble. Kael, without any particular doubts, headed for the entrance and exit of the banquet hall, with Amir following him. They walked in silence until they reached Kael's carriage, where Ron was waiting.

"Mr. Kael, thank you for your hard work today."

Kael nodded at Amir's words.

"It was hard work. Lady Amir will have to work even harder."

With a slight smile, Amir spoke.

"To achieve a good result."

But the urgency in her voice was palpable. The northeastern coast was truly a useless land. It was full of coastal cliffs and had no significant water resources.

Moreover, the whirlpools near the coastal cliffs were a problem. The skilled people of the estate could navigate them well, but for others, it was a dangerous place.

'Of course, that's because of 'Whisper of the Wind.''

Amir and Gilbert must want to secure some investment in this useless sea. Kael looked at Amir. She said firmly.

"And I believe I can achieve such a result."

"Lady Amir."

"Yes, Mr. Kael."

Kael thought it wouldn't be bad to give a little help to Eric, Gilbert, and Amir, who he had used like his own limbs today. The northeastern gathering needed to be solid. And according to the information on the young nobles, Amir was known to be tight-lipped.

"The crown prince is quite interested in this investment."

"That seems to be the case."

Amir agreed. The crown prince remembered this matter, so there was no need for Eric to bring it up first.

"Lady, did you propose the investment as a tourism project?"

"Yes."

A tourism project using the coastal cliffs. To Kael, it seemed like a far-fetched idea. He leaned closer to Amir and whispered.

"If the investment is urgent, you might want to consider the value of your coastal location between the Viper Kingdom and the northern kingdoms."

"Huh?"

Kael shrugged at Amir's puzzled expression.

"Of course, it would be best if only you knew about this."

"…I'll keep it in mind."

Kael, satisfied with Amir's puzzled but silent response, got into the carriage. Ron, closing the carriage door, nodded.

"Let's go."

"Yes, young master."

The carriage soon set off. Kael, looking out the window, thought about the northeastern coast while observing Amir, who was lost in thought.

The northwest coast was mostly sandy beaches. In contrast, Amir and Gilbert's estates had a complex coastline with many small islands and steep cliffs.

Additionally, there were a few stable places where ships could dock. Of course, the local fishermen were veterans who could navigate the whirlpools to fish.

'They were only thinking about tourism because the peace continued.'

But the crown prince must know that the end of peace is approaching.

'Anyway, I just need to get the ancient power before the mage killer drifts here.'

Kael decided not to think about it any further. That night, after the banquet, he received two pieces of news.

"We found four magic bombs."

Five people, five places, as described in 'The Hero's Book.'

"They were all near the square."

"Show me the map."

Kael held out his hand to Cuihan. Cuihan, who had left the black dragon to guard the magic bombs and came alone, had a rare sweat on his face, perhaps from rushing.

"After finding one, I searched the area thoroughly and found three more. I'll need to search further, but there were none in the places I've already checked."

Kael tapped the map. This time, four places? Six people? Or is there another variable? Kael pondered and got up.

"It's safe until the day after tomorrow, so don't rush."

"But it's dangerous to leave them there!"

"Let's steal them at dawn the day after tomorrow."

"…What?"

Kael knew that the magic bombs he was familiar with required a signal from the developer to explode. But cutting off that signal was easy for someone at the level of the black dragon or Rosalyn, though it might take a bit of time. So Rosalyn must have defused the bombs attached to people.

'It has to be done on the day.'

That way, the mad mage who was connected to the signal would still think it was safe.

"You mean to steal them, not destroy them?"

Kael handed the map back to the puzzled Cuihan.

"Why destroy something so useful?"

The bombs were unusable, but the densely concentrated mana was quite useful as a material.

"I need it."

Kael's smile looked quite sinister to Cuihan. Kael said indifferently to the puzzled Cuihan.

"Keep looking. There might be more. Check if the bomb locations change regularly."

From now on, Cuihan and the black dragon would have to hide near the square and search the area. It would be a difficult, tedious, and nerve-wracking task. But it wasn't Kael's job.

Kael also told On and Hong, who had just woken up.

"Pay for your meals."

And to Cuihan, he said.

"Go to work."

The two cats and Cuihan followed Kael's instructions and went to work. Kael, leisurely watching them jump out of the terrace window, drank the wine he hadn't had at the banquet and fell asleep.

While he was sleeping, he received a piece of news. When Kael opened his eyes, he heard it.

Finally, the day before the birthday, the news that Villos had arrived in the capital reached him. Kael immediately headed to the inn where they were supposed to meet.

A place with ten werewolves. Of course, On, Hong, and Lac were with Kael. He asked, recalling what Lac had just said.

"You want me to take care of your siblings?"

"Yes. That's the content of my deal."

"What can you do for me?"

"It's not just me."

Lac spoke more confidently than before.

"Who else?"

Lac answered cheerfully.

"My siblings will also help. We are stronger together."

Kael felt a chill at the back of his neck. No way? Lac delivered a decisive blow to Kael's back.

"The Blue Wolf Clan has a history of being famous as a knight order. That history-"

"I don't know about that."

Kael turned away from Lac, who was sitting across from him in the carriage.