The Prince in Question Is Not Stable-Chapter 47: Redemption [Part - 2]

"Do you always travel with friends who can tear apart a castle with just a whisper, Count Rile?" Mordrak looked at me.

"Even the best tend to lose their composure at the situation you just made us witness, Duke Krell," I said, and gestured for Janus to retract his mana.

"What you did is considered as war-crime," I said.

"War in itself is a crime," Mordrak replied.

"You can’t expect me to be ethical while committing a crime now, can you, Count Rile?" He said.

"War is a crime when your opponent is clearly weaker than you, but if both parties have similar strengths, it’s not a crime anymore, it’s considered an art," I replied, as the knights who had suffered severe internal injuries groaned and tried to stand up.

"You don’t have the authority and the power to teach me about the ethics of war, Count Rile," Mordrak countered and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Believe me, Mordrak, I have both the power and the authority to make you kneel, but I see no reason to prove you my strength...look around you..." I said, spreading my arms.

"Barely a whisper and you had to clench your fist, and endure the pressure. Your knights knelt on the floor, and the castle was starting to fall apart. You think I wouldn’t have the power to kill you and your army right this instant?" I said, and chuckled.

"Don’t act like a fool, Mordrak. I’m not like Vahns. If I want you dead, I wouldn’t fall to schemes; I’d face you head-on. Think about it...Do I even need your help? Do I even need to kneel under you? What could I possibly gain from using you as a tool?"

I paused and sighed.

"Nothing," I said. "You’re not worth my time, my resources, and my interest, so if you think that I need to manipulate you to have your resources against some fucking prince who slaughtered my family, I believe you’re wrong."

"I did what I wanted to. I saw a grieving father the first time I met you, and I decided to help. I didn’t see a monster that would slaughter normal humans, murder his own ally, and rape his wife,"

"People know you’re strong. And there’s no need to inflict any more fear on your people. This could’ve been sorted out if you had just killed Count Vahn and been done with it, but no... You had to go through and rail the whole estate just because of your measly honour, which looks even more pathetic now..."

He clasped his hands together and sighed.

The room fell silent.

One of the knights coughed violently, staining the floor with blood.

"I expected arrogance from a man with power," Mordrak said. "I didn’t expect disappointment."

"Count Rile, fear is the only language nobles understand. You can’t unpluck a noble house like it’s a weed, no, you need to be cruel." He paused.

"Cruelty is just honesty without decoration, and I am honest." He said.

"So...what do you want, Count Rile? I’m a man of my word. And I don’t think you’re here to lecture me on the art of war,"

"Nothing," I replied.

"I don’t want anything," I repeated.

Silence followed for a while, and Mordrak kept staring down at his feet, as if pondering over something.

Then finally, he spoke.

"I-" He thought for a while. "I never thought of you as an ally, or an enemy, Count,"

"And I wouldn’t want someone like you as my enemy either. You’re the worst kind of enemy a man can face, I know that when I look at you...But you are already a part of an unprecedented war." He said, and looked at me.

"Someone I trust informed me this. He’s a great scholar, so I heed his advice a lot," He said, and that caught my attention.

’Someone he trusts? Someone who can make Mordrak listen to him?’ I thought.

"He said that...You have been noticed by the brain behind the rebellion, and that’s why things went awry..." He said, and took in a deep breath.

"You’re a good man, Marcus. You also suffered the consequences of someone else’s actions, and maybe that’s why I feel compelled to warn you..."

He looked into my eyes.

"Don’t place your trust in anyone, Marcus,"

He paused.

"You’re being watched by someone who already understands how dangerous you are."

His words were sharp. He meant what he said.

’I’m being watched? If I don’t sense anyone, then it’s probably someone who’s assessing my actions, not me literally,’ I thought.

I didn’t speak for some time.

’Someone who’s assessing my actions, and Someone who’s a scholar. The way Mordrak spoke of it, people who are helping him with the rebellion, and the scholar he trusts, are the same person. So that excludes Cymbal Celestie. But the fact they’re the mind behind the rebellion...Someone who’s close to Cymbal and meets him often, who is it?’ I thought.

"Well..." I tilted my head, still in thought. A smile crept up my face.

Janus was right. There is a mastermind.

But that person doesn’t seem to be Cymbal Celestie.

"People should learn to pick their enemies carefully," I spoke.

"I hope they do," Mordrak said. He wasn’t aware that the one who’s helping him, and the one who’s running the rebellion and using him, are the same people.

I turned back and began walking towards the shattered doors of the hall.

Janus followed without a word, carefully handling Soreya, the countess, in his arms.

I looked over my shoulder before exiting the room.

"Next time I witness a similar scene, you’ll be facing me, Mordrak," I said.

"I’d love to, Count Rile," He replied.

.-.-.-.-.-.

[Duchy of D’Arterri]

The medical wing was certainly quiet and calming compared to the aftermath of Vahn County.

Oil lamps burned along the stone walls, and the sun had set.

Soreya Vahn lay in one of the medical rooms for her treatment. Her treatment was expensive, to treat someone who’s been inflicted with aura or mana damage, they need to be purified of the remaining residue that blocks their healing.

And she was unconscious. So she wasn’t able to push the residual mana out of her body willingly. But Janus had helped her with basic healing that he could manage, and knew of.

He wasn’t well-versed in healing-type magic. According to him, he barely gets injured enough to require them.

Leaning on the stone railing of the infirmary’s balcony, he sighed and looked at his copper pocket-watch.

"What’s the matter?" I asked, feeling the cold breeze hit my face. I needed it to cool off my mind for once.

"Tonight...is the thirtieth night," he said.

But he didn’t explain anything further. Because I knew of it.

Janus forgets about himself and anything that happens every thirtieth night. He’s a new person every month, and that’s why he writes everything in his diary.

All he remembers is the spells he acquired, how he trained himself, and how he was raised until a certain point in time.

He glanced back at where Selene had been before, near the ward of Soreya.

He took out a pen and smiled, writing something in his notepad.

I turned around the corridor, leaving him some quiet space. I couldn’t imagine living as a new person every month. Forgetting about the person you love, or the memories you build... that’s just something else.

"Professor Marcus?" I heard a soft voice sitting outside the ward’s bench. Along with him were two little children sleeping on the bench.

A teenage boy, blonde, fair, playing with the fur of his jacket.

"Nicole?" I echoed his name, if it was the right one.

"Ah...yes, I’m Nicole...Nicole Vahn," he replied, standing up.

He was exhausted. It was clearly visible on his face. Pale skin, dark circles beneath the eyes, and limbs that barely survived frostbite.

"What about the knights that were with you?" I asked.

"About them...they were disbanded since the Vahn county is no more," he replied.

"Actually-" He paused, for a second, and bowed deeply.

"I don’t know if I can ever repay you for saving our mother," he said. "I’ll forever be indebted to you,"

"Thank you...Professor," He was about to kneel.

"That’s the least I could do..." I said, ruffing his hair. "You don’t need to thank me for that."

"But still-" tears welled up in his eyes.

He wiped his tears with the sleeves of his jacket.

"Father’s dead. The castle, our home, and no one st-.." He sulked. "No one stepped up to help us..."

"If you hadn’t come...I – I saw what they did to her... Our mother is all we have and love, I don’t-"

"It’s alright. She’s here now, isn’t she?" I said.

"Besides, you want me to feel embarrassed, huh?" I let out a dry chuckle.

"No, definitely not,"

"Don’t worry about it..." A hug was all I could offer. And I did. "Title’s temporary. Just focus on recovering and the future. You can gain a better one."

"Just never fall into the depths of revenge...that’s an ugly path," I said.

Nicole didn’t answer immediately. His hands clenched the sleeves of his jacket.

For a moment, I thought he might argue, but instead, he nodded.

"I understand..." he said.

"I don’t know if I can be as strong as you, Professor, but I’ll try..."

"That sounds promising," I replied.

A faint sound came from inside the ward.

Nicole’s head immediately turned towards the door.

"Mother... "he whispered.

The physicians stepped out, wiping their hands with a cloth.

"She’ll wake soon," he said calmly. "Her condition is...somewhat stable,"

Nicole let out a breath, and without another word, he hurried inside the room.

The children on the bench also woke up, and followed him, still half-asleep.

I stayed where I was.

Through the slightly open door, I saw the younger child rush toward the bed, clutching the countess’s hand.

I didn’t need to witness the rest.

Families deserved moments that outsiders shouldn’t stand in.

I learned that the hard way, because I was an orphan in my last life.

I inhaled a deep breath.

Another day had ended.

Even if Krells lost their own county, and utilised their own military during their own civil war.

Rebellion wasn’t delayed by much.

And Cymbal isn’t someone who loves to wait much.

The way I had been moving until now...

That would have to change.

.-.-.-.-.-.

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.-.-.-.-.-.

[A/N: And Volume One – Ignorance, ends here. I just want to thank every single one of my readers who stayed up and journeyed until this point in the story. Because this was only the beginning. Remember, this story was occurring One Year before the plot of the "Harmony of the Flute" game begins.

From here, the story will expand with tons of action, politics, humour, interesting characters, and more academic arcs. Up until now, everything has been just like setting up the introductory stage.

Thank You!

Stay Tuned~

GymCat writing peak from within the gym itself!]