Chapter 49

Thank you always.

At the training ground of the royal guard knights, Cain and Arundilano are practicing swordsmanship today as well. When they engage in sparring, they lean in and whisper to each other.

"Did Her Highness the Queen accept the proposal to accompany you on official duties?"

"She had a reluctant look, but when I spoke as you suggested, she said she would take me along."

Cain had advised that if she was hesitant, he should say things like "I want to see how commoners of the same age live," "I want to hear directly from children without parents and think about what I can do," "There are things I can only talk about with someone my age," and "If I show interest in the lives of the people from a young age, it will help the royal family gain the trust of the people." Cain had said, "Impressive! It's a plan, even though you're so young!" Arundilano had laughed, thinking the name of the plan was a bit lacking in creativity.

"You got permission. You did a great job persuading her, Prince Aru."

"Hehe. Thanks to Cain."

Perhaps because Arundilano is about the same height as Diana, Cain ends up praising him like Diana. Seeing Arundilano smile and say "hehe" when praised, Cain made a serious face. It's not Cain's job to praise the prince.

"Then, let's execute the next plan. We'll sneak out of the castle today."

"Whaaat!"

"Too loud!"

Thud

To cover up, Cain pushed Arundilano away during their sparring, making it look like he had overdone it during a normal training session. Arundilano made a loud noise to make it seem like he had been hit hard.

After the usual training session ended, they moved to the dining hall for lunch. After seeing Cain off at the exit and telling the maid, they left the dining hall together, with one maid following them. On the way from the dining hall to the exit, they would walk through a corridor overlooking the courtyard. Cain pretended to be distracted by the flowers in the courtyard and turned to Arundilano.

"Prince Aru, can we look at the flowers in the courtyard for a moment? My sister's favorite flowers are blooming there."

"Sure. If you like, you can take one... We'll go look at the flowers in the courtyard, so wait for us there."

Arundilano told the maid to wait and they both entered the courtyard. There is a small pavilion in the courtyard, but no trees, only flowers, so it has a good view. The maid, judging that she wouldn't lose sight of the crown prince from the corridor, watched their movements from the entrance to the courtyard as Arundilano had instructed.

"Under the bench in the pavilion, there's one tile that's a different color. If you remove it, a handle will appear, and if you pull it, there should be a staircase leading down."

"How do you know about this, Cain..."

While pretending to look at the flowers, they whispered to each other. Cain knows about the secret passage because he has memories from his previous life. In the game, it's used by the crown prince Arundilano and the protagonist for a secret night date. While the game doesn't show what the inside of the passage looks like, Cain knows the location of the exit. There's a scene in the game where the heroine is amazed that it really leads outside.

Even though the courtyard is full of flowers and has a good view, in the area where cosmos and other flowers are blooming, if the two children crouch down, they can't be seen.

"Is this the flower? I want the one that's blooming the most beautifully."

"Is this one? Oh, this one is more beautiful, maybe."

They made loud, exaggerated sounds to let their presence be known while crouching behind the flowers and opened the hidden entrance to the passage. Arundilano went down first, and Cain closed the lid while saying in a loud voice, "They're all so beautiful, I can't decide... I'll take my time choosing." Then he closed the lid.

"Spark"

As Cain's voice echoed in the dark passage, sparks appeared on his palm, illuminating the surroundings with a crackling sound.

"Actually, it would be better to use light magic, but that's an advanced spell, so I can't use it yet."

"Wow. Cain, you can already use compound magic!"

Spark is the weakest of the explosive spells in the fire and wind compound magic category. By adjusting the magic power, it can produce sparks like a sparkler or a handheld firework.

"Knowing that Spark is a compound magic spell, you must be very studious, Prince Aru. You're doing great."

"But I can't use magic at all..."

I can't do anything at all... Arundilano, who had been praised, became dejected. Seeing this, Cain inwardly sighed. Despite being in the position of a crown prince, Arundilano is not used to being praised. Or perhaps he has been scolded for not being able to use magic in the past.

In his previous life as a salaryman, Cain often interacted with kindergarten and nursery school children. He would praise every child he met, thinking, "They're not my own, so it's okay." The children who blushed when praised were incredibly cute, and they became very attached to Cain. When parents saw that their children trusted and were comfortable with Cain, they also became more relaxed, making his business activities easier. If the children were his own, he would have needed to scold them at times, but since they weren't, he praised them freely. Among these children, there were some who weren't cute even when praised, or rather, lacked confidence. Each time he saw such a child, Cain felt sad.

Children and the elderly are beings who can be praised just for correctly stating their age.

"Let's go. My attendant should be waiting for us at the exit."

Cain patted Arundilano's fluffy head, held his hand to keep him from getting lost, and they proceeded down the hidden passage, guided by the small sparks.

At the end of the hidden passage, they opened a door at the top of the stairs and found themselves facing a wall covered with vines. Half of the vines were artificial, planted to hide the exit of the hidden passage. After confirming that no one was around through the gaps, they quietly stepped outside. Looking back, the door was now hidden behind a wall covered with vines.

"I always wondered why this shed was here and why it wasn't rebuilt..."

Pushing Arundilano's shoulder, Cain headed towards a small gate for the servants.

"The place we're going to is an orphanage I visit occasionally. It's different from the one the Queen visits, but it will be good preparation."

"Orphans... Will they be okay?"

"They are the same age and the same human beings as you. There's no need to worry."

"The same human beings..."

The servant's gate is small, just large enough for a person to pass through, and not big enough for a carriage. Cain gently pushed the gate open and looked around.

"Huh? Ilvaleno isn't here..."

"Who's not here?"

Cain's mutterings were met with a question from behind. There should have been no one behind him except Arundilano, but the low, familiar voice was not Arundilano's.

"C-Cain..."

A small, whispered voice called Cain from behind. This time, it was Arundilano's voice. Cain turned around cautiously and saw Deputy Commander Fabian Verfadia of the Royal Guard, holding Ilvaleno under his arm.

"Thank you all for your support. We've been ranked number one in the monthly rankings for the romance genre in the isekai reincarnation/transfer category.

Thanks to everyone. I always appreciate your support.

I will continue to work hard, so I hope you will continue to follow me.