Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

Three days had passed since the attack on the Imperial Palace. During that time, the two remained secluded in the Ryusen Residence.

Abel spent his days engrossed in practicing with the Flight Ring, while Ryo devoted his time to analyzing it.

On the evening of the third day, a message arrived from the palace.

"They say we can move into the residence starting tomorrow."

"…Isn't that a bit fast? It's only been three days, right?"

Of course, the residence bestowed by the Emperor wasn't newly constructed.

So, it likely didn't take much time to prepare…

"Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen moved into their new residence the day after the palace attack…maybe he wants us to join them quickly?"

"Well, moving in is fine. But there's a huge problem."

"A problem? What is it?"

"The housewarming present."

"Huh…?"

Abel froze, unable to grasp what Ryo was talking about.

As usual.

"You say, 'We've just moved in next door. Here's a trivial gift', and present something to the neighbors."

"I don't really get it…you bring something trivial?"

"T-That's just a figure of speech. It's called humility…or modesty, I think. In any case, we'll need a small gift."

"I see… sounds like a hassle."

Abel shook his head slightly.

"Why are you acting like this has nothing to do with you?"

"Huh? I'm involved too?"

"Of course! We'll be delivering the housewarming gift together, so if it's embarrassing, we'll both be embarrassed!"

"You're exaggerating…"

Ryo muttered to himself as he thought.

"First of all, alcohol is out. Since they're both young. Princess Shio Fen is only seventeen, still underage. So, maybe classic baked sweets? But we don't know which confectionery here is good. If this were the royal capital, we'd go to Cafe de Chocolat… ah, but I've only had cakes there, not cookies or anything. Do they even sell baked goods like that…?"

Watching him, Abel murmured,

"You're so meticulous, Ryo…"

The two spent the entire night pondering.

Abel, to his credit, accompanied him the whole time.

The next day at 9 a.m., after greeting Von Debout, who was also staying at the Ryusen Residence, Captain Li Chu and the White Flame Army arrived to escort them.

The fifty soldiers also served as porters for their belongings.

However, the two had very little luggage.

"Huh? Is that really all?"

Aside from their usual robes, cloaks, and swords, all they had was Ryo's bag.

Containing just a few books—not heavy at all.

Seeing Captain Li Chu looking puzzled, Ryo decided to ask:

"I'm not sure about housewarming gifts here, but are there any trendy baked goods popular among the Shitaifu social class?"

"Oh!"

"I'll have one of my men go buy some."

"Thank you so much!"

Thanks to Captain Li Chu's suggestion, Ryo's concern was resolved.

Ryo was overjoyed.

Abel, watching beside him, chuckled wryly.

For now, the two mounted Andalusia and Feiwan respectively, and as before, moved under the escort of the White Flame Army.

They were led to a southeastern section of the Imperial City.

While Prince Ryun's residence had been newly built, several disused residences nearby remained.

These were now the property of the Emperor, and one of them was granted to Duke Rondo.

Although unused, the area was regularly patrolled by the city's guard units to prevent them from becoming havens for bandits or criminals.

These guard units were similar to town watchmen or garrison soldiers in the Central countries.

Since Prince Ryun moved in, patrols around the area had increased in frequency and intensity.

"Captain Li Chu, are the guard units under the Ministry of War or something else?"

"The guard soldiers belong to the Guard Corps, which is independent of the Ministry of War. Their commanding officer is First Rank Marquis Hau Gin."

"First Rank Marquis? That's different from a Duke or Count?"

Another unfamiliar term.

But upon seeing Ryo's puzzled face, Captain Li Chu smiled wryly.

"It's hard to understand, I know. I once heard someone say the Darwei system is even harder to grasp than those in the southern continent."

It seems that dukes and counts are noble ranks, while titles like First Rank Marquis are bureaucratic ranks.

For example, Count Matan, Von Debout is a Second Rank Marquis.

"Dukes and counts are hereditary. And indicate regional lords. But separately, there are bureaucratic ranks like First Rank Marquis to signify a government position."

"So First Rank Marquis is the top?"

"Yes. There are only a few, including Hau Gin-sama. The system ranges from First to Ninth Rank… even ministers overseeing the Six Ministries, like the Ministry of War, are only Second Rank. That should give you an idea of how powerful Hau Gin-sama is."

"I see…"

Back on Earth, Ryo had studied China's civil service examination system, which had aimed to break the hold of the aristocracy.

The imperial examination—used for over a thousand years—was meant to widely recruit talented individuals.

That it was even used under the rule of northern nomadic tribes made it all the more fascinating.

Dawei seemed to adopt new talents through such exams while preserving traditional elements… the system appeared to be thoughtfully constructed.

"Using the term 'Marquis' just adds to the confusion… I keep thinking of the five noble ranks: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron."

The Central countries were based on the Five Ranks, and Ryo muttered his complaint.

Hearing him, Abel shook his head quietly.

"Well, let's just remember that First Rank Marquises hold great power. And ministers are Second Rank Marquises!"

Ryo summarized it that way…

The residence the two were led to by Captain Li Chu and the White Flame Army was visibly spacious even from the road.

First, the wall was massive.

A white wall stretched to the edge of their vision.

Everything within that wall belonged to their residence.

"This is… a bit too big, isn't it?"

"It's the largest among the available residences in this area. Still, it's only about one-third the size of Prince Ryun's residence."

"How many people are supposed to live in the prince and princess's residence…?"

After walking along the wall for a while, they finally reached the gate.

There, a woman was waiting.

"Welcome, Duke Rondo. I am Lan Fa from the Ministry of Engineering."

"How courteous of you. I am Ryo Mihara, I go by the title of Duke Rondo."

Lan Fa was a young woman in her early twenties with beautiful black hair, though she wasn't particularly tall.

Rather than beautiful, cute would be more fitting.

Wearing a proper Eastern-style outfit as if going to the imperial court, her black hair was neatly tied up and adorned with a small silver crown.

Having been told that Duke Rondo was close to the Emperor, she had dressed with utmost formality.

She couldn't afford even the slightest misstep!

Captain Li Chu began explaining.

"As I mentioned earlier, Lan Fa from the Ministry of Engineering is a Seventh Rank official. She's a brilliant talent who passed the central examination—a potential future minister."

"C-Captain Li Chu, please don't tease me!"

Flustered, Lan Fa waved her hands at his words.

"Seventh Rank… official? Not Seventh Rank Marquis?"

"Oh, yes. Normally, it's just 'official'. Only First and Second Rank use 'Marquis' as a courtesy title."

"This is so confusing… They should've just called it 'First Rank Official' to avoid misunderstandings…"

Ryo's grumbling drew chuckles from both Captain Li Chu and Lan Fa.

The residence bestowed by the Emperor was a standard Darwei-style home, with several one-story buildings connected by covered walkways.

But it was massive.

"Rather than buildings…how many rooms are there…?"

"Forty."

"Forty rooms…"

Lan Fa's answer was beyond what Ryo could imagine.

"They've all been repaired and cleaned for immediate use. We can also arrange attendants and maids if you'd like…"

"Um, please let me think about that."

Ryo paused before responding to Lan Fa's offer.

"There's no way the two of us can manage this alone. Let them arrange some staff."

"What if one of them turns out to be an assassin?"

Ryo replied in a hushed voice to Abel's suggestion.

Of course, he didn't think Lan Fa would do such a thing.

But in a vast empire like Darwei, you never knew who was lurking where.

You had to be careful.

Abel couldn't deny Ryo's concerns as mere paranoia and could only sigh lightly.

"It can't be helped… I'll do my best."

"Hm? Ryo?"

"No, it's fine. Until then, I'll have you help me."

"Help? Well, I guess I don't mind giving a hand."

Then, as they walked through the residence… Ryo made a startling discovery.

"This is… could it be…?"

"It is what we call a bath."

At Lan Fa's response, Ryo's eyes widened in astonishment.

Before them was a square bath about three meters on each side, carved directly out of a giant rock…

"My apologies. There are no hot springs near the imperial capital, so this is the best we could offer…"

"…Eh? Lan Fa-san, what did you just say?"

"That you'll have to make do with the bath…"

"No, before that."

"That there are no hot springs near the capital…"

"So there are hot springs outside the capital?"

Ryo turned to Lan Fa with a surprised look.

With his body unmoving and only his head swiveling around, it looked just a little creepy.

"Yes. For example, the town of Yosu is famous for its hot springs, and many nobles have villas there."

"Ooooh~. Abel, we must go there someday!"

"Ah, yeah…"

Urged by Ryo's swiveling head, Abel nodded almost reflexively.

By the way, Abel didn't know what the word 'hot spring' meant…

While Ryo and Abel were being guided by Lan Fa and moved by the new residence and the mention of hot springs, next door stood the residence of Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen.

Though technically a residence, it also served as the working quarters of the Sixth Prince Ryun.

If Ryun were to ascend from prince to an imperial prince and establish his royal residence, this 'workplace' would grow in scale.

He would then command civil and military officials, and even his own general and army.

Compared to such a grand royal residence, his current operations were modest—but still employed several dozen retainers.

For now, their main duties were managing Ryun's fiefdom and collecting and analyzing information from across Darwei.

Once the royal residence is established, these people would likely become its core personnel.

That is why Prince Ryun spent his daytime hours there. Meanwhile, the residence side was effectively managed by Princess Shio Fen.

At this moment, three women were chatting in one of the residence's rooms.

"Still, I was surprised to learn that Ryo-sama is Duke Rondo."

Princess Shio Fen said with a smile.

"Yes. Even in Bosuntar, 'The Ballad of the Kingdom of Knightley' was well known, but not to the extent it is in Darwei. That's likely because the famous bard Wang A-Shi centers his activities here in Darwei."

Captain of the Princess's guard, Bizis, explained enthusiastically.

Originally, Bizis was meant to return home after escorting Princess Shio Fen from Bosuntar to Darwei for her marriage.

However, at her request, she remained at the residence for the time being.

"Apparently, not just the nobles (Shitaifu) but even the commoners know of him. Still, those who realize that Ryo-sama and Duke Rondo are the same person…must be few."

Princess Shio Fen tilted her head slightly as she spoke.

That was because the maid Mifa had been quiet the whole time.

In this room were the usual three: Princess Shio Fen, Captain Bizis, and Maid Mifa.

That's why Mifa was permitted to speak freely—as requested by the princess herself.

"Mifa, did you realize that Ryo-sama was Duke Rondo?"

Princess Shio Fen asked, and Mifa looked startled at the question.

But quickly shook her head.

"No, certainly not… But I did know he was incredibly skilled in water-attribute magic, and since he was traveling with someone like Abel-sensei, who's such an accomplished swordsman, I did suspect he might be a renowned magician in disguise."

"I see. And then you asked if he had a title or nickname?"

Princess Shio Fen responded to Mifa's answer with another question.

Renowned adventurers, generals, or magician often had nicknames or titles.

Usually not self-assigned—they just become known by them.

"Yes, I asked, but he said he didn't have one. Instead, he told me Abel-sensei's nicknames…"

"Abel-sensei's nicknames?"

"Yes. Hungry Swordsman or Unreasonable Swordsman, things like that."

Mifa replied, and Princess Shio Fen chuckled softly.

"That sounds just like Ryo-sama. I bet Abel-sensei got mad afterward."

"He did! He said 'Hey!' in a scary tone."

"Figures."

The princess giggled again.

"But if Ryo-sama is Duke Rondo…and he has such sword skills…then that would mean the Duke isn't just a top-class magician, but also a master swordsman?"

Captain Bizis, who once had her full-power strike effortlessly blocked by Ryo, tilted her head.

"Seems that way. Although there's no mention of that in 'The Ballad of the Kingdom of Knightley'…the bards must not know about it."

At that moment, Mifa's body visibly trembled.

So noticeably that the other two noticed it immediately.

"Mifa?"

Princess Shio Fen called out.

Realizing that Mifa's face had gone pale.

It was clearly not normal.

Mifa took several deep breaths.

Raising a hand to stop Captain Bizis, who tried to rub her back.

After about a full minute, she finally regained her composure.

"My apologies."

Mifa bowed deeply.

"It's alright. Did something happen?"

The princess asked gently.

"Yes… Now that we know Ryo-sama is Duke Rondo. That would mean Abel-sensei is…"

"Hmm? Abel-sensei is Abel-sensei, isn't he?"

Captain Bizis looked confused at Mifa's question, as if she didn't understand what she meant.

But Princess Shio Fen continued with a soft smile.

"Yes. Duke Rondo appears in 'The Ballad of the Kingdom of Knightley'. And in that same song, there's mention of a person named 'Abel', correct?"

"Yes…"

Indeed, the princess had noticed it.

Though perhaps not with certainty.

But the similarities were too great to ignore.

Abel I, and the swordsman Abel.

Both were associated with the figure known as 'Duke Rondo'.

"Which means, perhaps Abel-sensei is actually His Majesty Abel I, King of the Kingdom of Knightley."

Even Mifa, who had already begun to suspect it, gasped for breath at hearing it aloud. Captain Bizis, who had never imagined it, was left stunned and breathless.

"Gah—"

Some moments later, Bizis finally began to breathe again.

Though a strange sound escaped her lips, that alone was enough to show how shocked she was.

"Abel-sensei is…His Majesty Abel…? And that person is Mifa-dono's master…?"

"Stop it, Bizis-san…please don't say any more."

Mifa cut her off sharply, her usual polite tone completely gone.

Just recalling it made her tremble again.

That she had learned the sword from—no, had even been taken as a disciple by—a man sung of by bards, a living legend…

And yesterday, she had fought side by side with him.

"I…"

The realization of how immense he truly was began to weigh her down.

"I'm so jealous of you, Mifa."

"Eh? Princess?"

Princess Shio Fen said it with a smile in her usual gentle tone, and Mifa tilted her head, unsure what she meant.

"Because you were able to learn the sword from such an amazing person."

"But I'm just…"

"It's fine. "No, it's precisely because it's you, Mifa. His Majesty Abel… no, Abel-sensei took you on as his first and only disciple. He must have seen something in you. As expected of a king praised by bards. He truly has an eye for people."

Princess Shio Fen spoke with genuine joy.

She had grown up with Mifa from a young age. Mifa had honed her swordsmanship for her sake and even chose to become her lady-in-waiting to protect her. To have someone like her recognized by such a legendary figure.

How could she not feel genuinely happy?

Even proud?

Saying she was jealous was partly meant to ease Mifa's burden.

Though it wasn't a lie.

"That said, there may be a few who know that Ryo-sama is Duke Rondo. But I doubt many know that Abel-sensei is Abel I."

"Won't someone figure it out eventually?"

"Yes, some will eventually catch on… but Ryo-sama had introduced him back in the imperial palace as 'Albert the bodyguard'. So it may not be obvious right away."

"Then… how should we treat them?"

Captain Bizis looked troubled.

If he really was a king, improper treatment might be considered disrespect.

"We should treat him as we always have—with respect. Since he hasn't revealed himself as a king, we are not treating him as royalty, but as the Duke's bodyguard and Mifa's sword master."

"Understood."

And then—a visitor was announced.

"Princess, Duke Rondo wishes to visit to report his move to the new residence."

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

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