Chapter 43

Tomorrow, the Crown Prince's birthday celebration will be held.

However, Sora, who is aware of his role as a "liveliness provider," barely tried on the newly tailored formal suit and set out into the city with a few guards and Razette.

He would spot unusual items displayed in stores and ask the clerks questions. His enthusiastic inquiries about the origin, transportation routes, and delivery times made the townspeople doubt whether he was really the child of the Count Kleinserdt. Some even speculated that he had been switched with another child by mistake, leading to such rumors spreading.

For Sora, this was rather convenient. Being seen as the same as the Pig Lord would only cause his popularity to plummet to rock bottom and stay there.

As if to send a message to the Kleinserdt territory, Sora was charmingly strolling around, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw a group ahead.

They seemed to be gossiping about someone nearby, whispering and frowning in the same direction.

Sora, finding it strange that their gazes were not directed at him, followed their line of sight.

"...The Capital Guard?"

The Capital Guard is a lower-level organization under the Royal Guard, which itself is a subordinate unit of the Capital Defense Force. Some unkind people mock them as dropouts who have no hope of joining the Royal Guard. However, they are better trained and better equipped than the average lord's army.

However, the Capital Guard soldier in Sora's line of sight had soot and burns on his equipment, and the mantle indicating his affiliation was singed at the edges. The side profile of a soldier turning a corner revealed a severe burn scar from his temple to his cheek, and a passing merchant had stepped aside in fear.

"Is he a specialist in rough work?"

He didn't look particularly muscular for that role.

"Master Sora, it's about time we return to the mansion."

"Hmm? Oh, right."

On the way back, Sora greeted the townspeople he had befriended over the past few days. This was a calculated move to earn a reputation for being diligent and approachable, but according to the rumors Zez and the others had gathered, it seemed to be working well.

Sora intended to do the same when he returned to the Kleinserdt territory.

Despite his tireless efforts, when Sora returned home, he asked the butler who greeted him about his parents' whereabouts.

"Sir has gone to see the High Priest, and Lady is with him."

"I see. I was looking forward to dinner at the famous chef's restaurant in the capital today."

"I believe they will return in time."

Sora inwardly sighed at the butler's response. He could see that trouble would arise when his parents went out.

However, Sora hid his frustration and put on a broad smile, pretending to be happy.

"That's a relief. I'll play in my room until then. Razette, let's go."

He walked off, pulling Razette's hand in a seemingly innocent manner.

Unlike the Kleinserdt territory's manor, the servants in the Kleinserdt mansion in the capital did not know Sora's true nature. To avoid attracting traitors like Minan, Sora made sure not to break character.

Especially with the butler, whom Sora suspected, he glanced over his shoulder.

He saw the butler talking to the guards who had accompanied Sora in the city.

Since the visit to the Belzec侯爵's mansion, Sora had been under surveillance whenever he went out in the city.

With the power balance between the Kleinserdt family and the church now reversed, they likely wanted to avoid provoking the church as much as possible.

Sora was somewhat regretful of his rashness. He resolved to perfect his cover and alibi the next time he acted, and entered his room.

Sora pulled out a secret box and placed it on the desk while Razette changed the air.

He slid the board to open the box and took out two books.

"More calculations?"

Razette looked at him with a mix of exasperation and amazement, but Sora opened the book with the delight of a child playing with a favorite toy.

The opened page was filled with a magic circle composed of complex shapes and countless formulas.

This book was Sora's long-desired magic book, specifically for heating spells used in cooking.

Almost every page explained the meaning of each shape in the magic circle and how to solve the formulas, making it look like a math textbook.

Zez and the others had secretly bought it and given it to Sora.

Sora had already read it along with the magic book for paperweights and was now trying to simplify the two magic circles.

"An amateur can't simplify something that many mages have spent a long time developing."

Razette said, but unfortunately, Sora was not just an amateur. He had received higher education in his previous life and had extensive mathematical knowledge.

Mages in this world were persecuted by the church. The suppression was so severe that even mages hailed as geniuses were said to have met untimely deaths.

Many valuable magic books were destroyed by the church, making it difficult for the mathematics directly related to magic circles to develop. Research into classical literature related to incantations also lagged.

Sora muttered incomprehensible words as he simplified the complex formulas.

When Razette listened closely, she heard phrases like "differentiate it" and "use algebraic expressions, you're using the adjacent formula. Unify them."

"...Is it a spell?"

"No."

Sora immediately denied Razette's guess and focused on the shapes.

The magic circle's power is determined by the total area and number of angles of the shapes that make it up, and the size of the solution obtained from the formulas. If the solution is incorrect or the shapes are not accurately drawn, the magic circle will not activate.

It's like a puzzle that uses comprehensive mathematical knowledge.

"With a compass and ruler, you can draw anything."

Razette watched in amazement as Sora rearranged and replaced the shapes.

By the time the white clouds in the sky were dyed red by the setting sun, Sora had completed a magic circle that was one-third the size of the original.

In this room alone, the mathematics of this world had advanced by over a hundred years, but Sora had no interest in this fact. Given that his father was a church-aligned noble, he could not publicize this achievement, so it was purely a hobby.

Sora thought it would never see the light of day until he inherited the title.

Unaware that a situation would soon arise to completely contradict his expectations, Sora reached for the magic book to simplify the paperweight magic circle when the door to his room was knocked on.

It seemed the Pig Lord had returned and was planning to go to a restaurant in the capital.

Reluctantly taking the magic book from Sora, Razette began preparing to go out.