Chapter 61

At night, I was swaying in the carriage, advancing down the main street of the capital.

The capital of the strongest empire in the world is known as the city that never sleeps, thriving even at night. As I gazed at the bustling night streets, I suddenly noticed Shirley's tense face.

She was walking beside the carriage, her expression as stern as if she had made a resolution.

"What's wrong, Shirley? Are you nervous about something?"

"Y-Yes. I will protect Your Highness with my life!"

"Really, why so suddenly? Today, we're having a small banquet with Oscar and Henry. There's no need to be so tense."

"That's exactly why."

Shirley became even more determined.

A customer at a night market on the main street dropped and broke a dish. Shirley turned sharply, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to leap out at any moment.

It was clear that her nerves were overly sensitive, though I didn't know why yet.

"What do you mean, 'that's exactly why'?"

Shirley looked at me and answered in a suppressed voice.

"The current situation is clear to everyone. The next emperor will be either Henry, Oscar, or Noah."

"..."

I didn't respond.

I didn't even nod, for the same reason Shirley had suppressed her voice.

On the other hand, though her voice was initially low, it became more fluent as she spoke, though still quiet.

"Oscar, who is one of the parties involved, inviting Henry and Noah to a banquet... It can't end without incident. We must be on guard."

"I see, I understand. But if that's the case, there's nothing to worry about."

"Huh?"

I said it so casually that Shirley was taken aback.

"Why not?"

"After the Albert and Gilbert incident, His Majesty is very sensitive to any attempts to usurp the throne."

"Oh."

"Oscar, Henry, and I. It's clear to everyone that it will be one of us. That's why we can't fight each other, at least openly. At least tonight, there's no way anything will happen. On the contrary, if anything does happen, Oscar will protect Henry and me with his life."

"I never thought of that... Impressive."

I smiled at Shirley.

"That's exactly what's happening."

Shirley's eyes widened in surprise.

"Try to carefully sense the surroundings."

At my words, Shirley looked around sharply.

"Is... is someone guarding us from a distance?"

"Exactly."

I grinned.

Oscar's men have been following us from a distance ever since we left the Thirteenth Prince's residence.

I have a decent ability myself, and I have Shirley, my most trusted knight, by my side.

Even so, this is a cautious, distant guard.

"When did you notice?"

"Right after we left the residence."

"S-Since then!? Amazing... I didn't notice at all."

"Hmm."

Shirley's tension and unnecessary vigilance eased appropriately.

I looked straight ahead from the carriage, thinking.

I didn't tell Shirley, but I had a good idea of Oscar's true intentions.

What I told Shirley was just the reason why nothing would happen tonight.

It wasn't the reason why Oscar had suggested this gathering of the three of us.

From His Majesty's perspective, it's best for the three of us, who are clearly the top contenders, to get along.

If we were always at odds, it would raise concerns about who would be the smoothest successor to the throne.

Depending on the level of conflict, it might even be smoother to choose someone other than the three of us.

But if we got along, such concerns would disappear.

Oscar is trying to create that impression.

As evidence, when I recommended Rice Cake to lead the Galwan expedition, Oscar fully supported and backed me.

Oscar's personality is often compared to that of the fifth brother, Mile Ararat.

Both are known for being gentle and easy to get along with.

However, while Mile is genuinely easy to get along with and is seen as having no ambition, Oscar, though he seems easy to get along with, always seems to have something on his mind.

So tonight, knowing that His Majesty's attention is intense, he has arranged for me to be secretly guarded, even calculating that it will be known by His Majesty.

That's why nothing will happen tonight.

Indeed, the three of us, including my two brothers, spent a pleasant evening together, free from state affairs.

☆

The next day, the antique dealer Alan came to the residence.

I greeted him in the living room, sitting down.

"Your Highness, I have brought the item you requested."

"The gemstone?"

"Yes."

"I see... but you don't look happy. What's wrong?"

"Actually..."

Alan, looking as if he had bitten into a bitter pill, took out several jewelry boxes and lined them up in front of me.

When he opened the boxes, there were several gems that looked almost identical inside.

There were six beautiful red rubies in total.

"What's going on?"

"It's my mistake. In an attempt to get them as quickly as possible, I sent a messenger with the request, and it leaked, leading to a competition to present similar items."

"Hmm."

"At least five of them are fakes..."

"Ahaha. Given the nature of the item, it's possible that all six could be fakes."

I laughed, and Alan seemed a bit relieved.

The gemstone was originally said to have been held in the hand at birth, a dubious claim.

Given that, the possibility of it being a fake was high.

Alan, who was embarrassed by his mistake, was somewhat relieved when I laughed it off as a joke.

"I thought I could sort them out, but I lack the ability to distinguish them..."

"Hmm... Ah!"

"What is it?"

"I found the real one. This one."

I picked up the rubies one by one and then looked away, holding one of the six.

"Can you tell?"

"Yes."

I wasn't looking at the gemstone but at the corner of my vision.

In the corner, my status, which always appears, had changed the moment I held the gemstone.

――――――――――

Name: Noah Ararat

Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 15/∞

HP C+D Fire E+A

MP E+E Water C+S

Strength C+A Wind E+F

Stamina D+E Earth E+D

Intelligence E+D Light E+C

Spirit E+D Dark E+C

Speed E+E

Dexterity E+D

Luck E+D

――――――――――

The "+" in HP had risen slightly.

"What's different about this one compared to the other five?"

"Watch."

The emotions transmitted from the gemstone appeared in my mind not as words but as images.

To realize this, I drew Leviathan.

I threw Leviathan straight up, and it spun and fell to the ground.

I extended my arm and intercepted its falling point.

"!"

Alan gasped.

The spinning Leviathan hit my arm, bounced off, and then stabbed into the ground.

"What's happening?"

"Look."

"The ruby... it's chipped."

"It seems to work like this. When you have it, it takes the place of your injuries or illnesses."

"I've never heard of such a gemstone. Impressive, Your Highness, to have noticed it."

"Hmm."

"But... that's disappointing."

Alan, peering at the ruby, sighed regretfully.

"It takes damage when it takes the place of an injury... It's impressive, but it can only be used once."

Indeed, that was true.

Moreover, hearing that it would take damage, I thought it would be a waste to use the ruby's effect.

The "+" in HP had risen slightly thanks to the ruby.

I thought it would be better to keep it intact rather than let it shatter by taking the place of an injury.

"Hmm?"

"What is it?"

"This is..."

Another image flowed into my mind from the ruby.

After reading the image, I thought.

Once I had completed the simulation in my mind, I put on the armor ring.

Using the ring, I created a block that looked exactly like the ruby, then pulled out the embedded Leviathan and shattered the ruby.

"Aah! What are you doing!?"

Alan was shocked.

However, I looked at the newly created block and checked my status again.

The status hadn't changed, which meant the ruby—what it was—was still alive.

Then, I cut myself again, this time more forcefully.

The block created by the armor ring shattered, and my body, of course, was unharmed.

"What! Did you... mass-produce the ruby?"

I explained to the shocked Alan.

"Not exactly. I just provided a new host for what was possessing the ruby."

As I said this, I created another one with the armor ring, exactly like the ruby.

"So... you can use it multiple times...?"

"Yes."

"Amazing..."

Alan was so surprised that he lost for words.