Chapter 39

#039 Roiling (2)

"Wow..."

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

All that came out of my mouth were exclamations. Kristel turned to look at me with a bright smile.

I nodded blankly in response to her question.

The room, which was underground and received no sunlight, was glowing brightly on its own.

It was as if the space had been carved out of stars.

"Is it platinum? But it doesn't seem to be..."

I muttered and slowly stepped into the room.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of the round room were all made of the same metallic material.

From every spot, which was washed clean of any dust, a white and bluish light was emitted, reflecting on the opposite side.

Looking down, I could faintly see the outlines of myself, Prince Cedric, and Kristel.

At first glance, it looked like a scene from an SF movie.

"Ugh, I'm dizzy."

Only then did Kristel stagger. I quickly approached and grabbed her elbow.

Having continuously manifested water in various forms, I must have used much more ether than when I fought the prince or captured the bull.

"Stay within my circle."

"Thank you."

Kristel smiled faintly at my words. I released her arm and calmly unfolded the sanctuary.

The golden glow that enveloped the three of us in a circle created a mysterious atmosphere that was more intense than ever before.

As I released more ether, Kristel's pale face began to regain some color.

The prince watched this silently.

"This must be the portal."

Kristel, who had been quietly absorbing ether, pointed to the center of the floor.

I tilted my head and followed her finger.

In the middle of the room, there was something that looked like a huge circle. However, its shape was not a 'circle.'

It was a form of two squares stacked diagonally on top of each other. Upon closer inspection, it was carved into the floor with great care.

"It's incredibly elaborate."

"I heard that ether circles and magic arrays are completely different, and this proves it."

Kristel and I kept exclaiming at the intricate design.

Compared to this, the symbols of the sanctuary I had unfolded seemed like a four-year-old's scribbles.

However, the magic array was not perfect.

There was a large crack in the middle, as if someone had struck it with a sword or an axe.

"So this is why the portal is closed."

The prince nodded once at my words.

A long time ago, part of the magic array was destroyed, rendering the portal useless.

99% of it was covered in characters and drawings that I couldn't decipher, but there was one part that caught my eye.

"‘For my beloved Juliette.’"

I read it aloud.

"Juliette is the name of the palace where the prince resides."

Kristel said. I nodded.

About a month ago, Béngamain mentioned this during tea time.

It was a story I had encountered several times in history books.

The current emperor, Frédéric, had a lover named 'Yuliette' during the reign of his grandfather, King Roméro.

She was a noble priestess of the Penetian Holy Kingdom, and since there were no issues between the two countries at the time, a royal marriage was not impossible.

Yuliette loved the way her name was pronounced in Riester, 'Juliette,' and King Roméro built two new buildings in the palace for her.

These were the Roméro Palace and the Juliette Palace.

It seemed that the Roméro Palace was placed in front of the Juliette Palace to serve as a shield, symbolizing the king's wish to protect her forever.

However...

"Juliette betrayed King Roméro. That's why the Juliette Palace is called the 'cold palace.'"

I explained. Kristel tilted her head slightly and spoke.

"I'll have to squeeze more information out of my tutor when I get home. I've lost a lot of my memory since I was ill for a long time."

I chuckled and agreed.

After the possession, Kristel was busy adapting to her new life and probably didn't have time to study history.

For me, being a hostage meant I had plenty of free time, and the pressure to gather information to survive as a 'doomed side male lead' was real, but she was different.

Still, if this portal was made for Juliette, it made sense that it was in the imperial palace.

King Roméro must have wanted her to be able to visit him easily.

However, when he activated the portal, he faced the holy knights of the Penetian Holy Kingdom.

I suspected that King Roméro himself had smashed the magic array like this.

"Then, if we infuse mana here, it won't function at all?"

I turned to the prince and asked. He answered with a matter-of-fact 'no.' Hmm...

"I'd like to see it once."

Kristel, who had the same thought as me, voiced it.

I subtly checked the prince's reaction. Kristel also looked up at him intently.

The prince's orange eyes narrowed slightly.

"What?"

"I'm curious to see how it lights up."

"Since it doesn't work anyway."

In response to his question, Kristel and I quickly made excuses.

Unlike us, he was both a mage and a swordsman.

It meant he could infuse mana into the broken magic array if he wanted to.

The portal was safe since it couldn't transport us anywhere, and this was a rare opportunity to see a relic from before the war.

It was natural to be curious.

"Hmm."

"I cleaned up by myself, so Your Highness should at least show me this much."

Kristel spoke in her characteristic sharp tone.

The last time she asked me for an 'ether sample,' she had a similar feeling.

The prince was silent for a moment, then exhaled deeply through his nose.

He then extended his left hand over the magic array.

Since Kristel's condition seemed stable, I quickly dissolved my sanctuary.

I wanted to see the complete magic array, not the one obscured by my circle.

"..."

A strange sound came from the magic array. It sounded like something from a real SF movie.

The red, hazy mana soon took on a liquid form and raced along the intricately carved magic array.

The empty grooves were quickly filled with red ink.

Eventually, the portal, now completely filled without a single gap,

-Whirr!

Emitted a red glow like blood, accompanied by a rumbling sound. The sharp metallic light was startling.

"Wow..."

"Insane..."

Our mouths opened involuntarily. Kristel showed a strong reaction.

I agreed with her and looked down at my feet.

The magic array was a masterpiece of elegance and detail.

Although the large crack in the middle prevented the portal from functioning, it felt as if I were in a car with a strong air freshener scent, making my stomach...

"Ugh."

I felt nauseous and quickly covered my mouth with my hand. What's going on?

"Prince, are you okay?"

Kristel, startled, looked at my face.

The prince seemed flustered and withdrew his hand, which had been releasing mana.

I felt the blood drain from my face and gasped.

"Just a bit of nausea..."

My legs felt weak. Suddenly, my forehead turned cold, and cold sweat broke out.

I collapsed,

"Choke!"

The prince caught me by the back of my neck. Damn, I can't breathe!

"You're losing consciousness."

"Let go, Your Highness!"

Kristel raised her voice.

The moment the prince released me, I quickly straightened up and inhaled deeply.

"Phew."

My vision cleared, but my stomach was still roiling.

This was a completely different symptom from ether depletion. No, this was really...

"I think I'm getting motion sickness, ugh..."

I groaned, trying to suppress my nausea. My face naturally contorted from the sour taste in my mouth.

Suddenly, the red light on the floor disappeared.

The room instantly returned to its pristine, bluish-white state.

I wasn't sure if the red light made people feel uneasy, but the moment the magic array turned off, my chest felt a bit calmer.

I slowly lifted my head. I saw the prince's orange eyes looking down at me.

The prince had completely dispersed the mana.

"Portal motion sickness."

"What?"

His deep, low voice echoed in my ear. I was completely baffled by his words.

Portal what?

"The issue is with your mana sensitivity. Show it to the imperial physician."

"Wait, what kind of motion sickness is this...?"

I swallowed the saliva that had pooled under my tongue and managed to form a sentence.

My stomach definitely felt better, but a slight dizziness lingered like an aftereffect of the nausea.

Kristel supported my wobbling waist with her hand.

The prince, with his long legs, had already moved away from the entrance.

"No one gets motion sickness from a portal..."

Especially since the magic array didn't even work. As I mumbled, Kristel replied softly.

"The prince."

"..."

*

"Portal motion sickness."

Oh...

"It's a symptom that occurs in people with extremely low mana sensitivity. Their bodies can't handle the mana embedded in the portal's magic array."

The imperial physician explained calmly.

I was leaning against the headboard of the bed, listening to his story with Demy on my stomach.

Béngamain and Kanael stood beside me, looking very worried.

Next to the physician were Cardinal Boutier and a guest I was seeing for the first time today.

The full-course lunch? It was out of the question.

Because the prince had tattled to the cardinal about my motion sickness in the underground portal, I had to settle for two bowls of soft consommé.

Eunseo was right. That guy was just wrong...

"Even if you're not a mage, people usually have some level of mana sensitivity. You can usually tell if an animal nearby is a normal beast or a monster. But occasionally, there are people who can only tell if a monster is present when a mage uses magic."

The doctor gently drove the point home.

I recalled how, on the hill behind Juliette Palace, I only realized the bull was a monster after confirming its abilities.

I was the type who had to taste it to know if it was shit or soybean paste. Damn...

"People with such an innate lack of mana sensitivity find it difficult to use portals in the usual way."

The physician declared solemnly. I sighed quietly.

I thought I had been lucky to possess an enormous amount of ether after the possession, but now it seemed I had no talent for magic at all.

My stats were all concentrated in the cleric category.

"If it's difficult to use the portal, I'm worried about how we'll travel to the 'Great Monster Purge.' I heard the road is treacherous..."

Cardinal Boutier, who had been listening seriously, spoke.

Her beige eyes reflected concern. I was also worried about this.

Originally, as a hostage, I wouldn't have used the portal outside the palace, but I had a schedule to leave for the Demesne Marquisate next month.

"It's best to travel by carriage, stopping overnight each day to move slowly."

I offered my opinion.

Using a carriage would make the journey longer and more expensive, but I had no courage to challenge the portal again.

Just thinking about that crimson glow made my stomach churn and left me feeling unpleasant.

It seemed much better to leisurely tour the empire's scenery.

"No, that won't be necessary. Leave it to me, Prince Cedric."

At that moment, the unfamiliar man, who had been silent until now, spoke for the first time.

I looked at the slender guest standing to the right of the cardinal.

He was a handsome man with dark skin and light pink eyes, and his demeanor was completely different from his brother, the Demesne Guard Captain.

"Does the Marquis have a better idea?"

I asked, and he smiled, revealing the corners of his mouth, and opened his bag.

I could already hear the cardinal sighing.

François Demesne was a mage specialized in teleportation and had invested heavily in portal research and development.

After hearing about my portal motion sickness, the cardinal had urgently summoned the marquis, who was already in the capital.

Although she seemed to regret it now...

"Here it is!"

Soon, the marquis dramatically raised his arm.

In his hand were several unidentified, round, peach-colored pieces of cloth.

"Just stick these under your ears, and the portal motion sickness will disappear completely!"

Dude, that's trademark infringement!