Chapter 37
“Zephyr, did you memorize it clearly? You must not mistake him for anyone else.”
Solinor described the appearance of the reincarnated Sylvius Peregrine—shortened to “Sylviorene”—in as much detail as possible. Zephyr nodded gracefully.
“Yes, I’ve memorized it perfectly. You mean someone who looks like this, right?”
Zephyr reshaped his body to depict the face of a young, handsome man.
“Wow, you can do something like this? Amazing. Hmm, it’s close, but tweak the chin a bit like this.”
“Like this?”
After a brief adjustment, the almost perfect likeness of Sylviorene was complete.
“Perfect. Memorize it exactly like this.”
“Princess Muriela, what should I say to this man once I find him?”
Solinor wanted to deliver something grand and eloquent to Sylvius but knew this wasn’t the time. Katrina and Brandon could be in grave danger. Wasting time was not an option.
If he wasted time trying to be stylish and his beloved grandchildren ended up dead…
Solinor would never forgive himself—or rather, he’d be consumed by regret for eternity, despite already being dead. Anyway, he would deeply regret it.
Saving the flair for later, Solinor accelerated his internal brainstorming process by several hundredfold. In truth, he just made a quick decision.
The message that the wind spirit Zephyr would deliver to the reincarnated Grand Magician was decided:
“Find the shadows and tell them the true king has returned. Ask them to protect the noble ones of the streets. A prompt response is requested, signed ‘From the Songbird in the Cage.’”
The message encapsulated Solinor’s return and the care needed for Katrina and Brandon—an all-in-one declaration.
And wasn’t it stylish enough?
Let’s compare this to a message Solinor once delivered to Aiorin after much deliberation:
“Solinor. Descent.”
Clearly, the spur-of-the-moment creation was leagues better. It made Solinor wonder if putting in effort was worth it.
“Now, deliver this message exactly as it is. Repeat it twice to ensure it’s heard correctly. Not a single word should be wrong!”
“Yes, Princess Muriela. I’ll make sure it’s delivered perfectly. I’ll be back.”
After bowing, Zephyr struggled to calm his pounding heart (despite not having one).
“This is Princess Muriela’s first request. I must succeed brilliantly!”
Overflowing with enthusiasm, the freshly promoted baby spirit took off, wings imbued with energy, chest puffed out with pride.
“I am the first spirit (not really) of Princess Muriela, the greatest (not really) Spirit Mage!”
Zephyr quickly left the palace and soared above Solineum.
“She said it should be a large and luxurious house. Let’s see…”
Even though Solineum was the capital of a relatively new nation, a capital was still a capital. There were quite a few houses that fit the princess’s description.
But who was Zephyr? The wind spirit, fast as the wind—or rather, the wind itself. His confidence in boasting to the princess wasn’t misplaced.
He began examining each house with remarkable speed.
“Hmm, this doesn’t match the description. Not here.”
“That’s a woman. This place is out.”
“This man is too short.”
“No hair at all. Definitely not him.”
“Too many wrinkles. Rejected.”
Before long, Zephyr found himself critiquing human appearances. Though technically part of his mission, it was starting to feel like an evaluation panel.
While Zephyr carried out his first errand, the royal family’s secret meeting resumed.
“Muriela, what did you ask the spirit to do?”
Adeline looked at Muriela with curious eyes. Solinor, however, found it difficult to answer. In times like these, a woman’s secret weapon was the only solution.
“Well, it’s a secret.”
But the problem was Alfred.
“A secret? What do you mean, a secret? You said you’d talk to the spirit, but then you went and sent it somewhere without telling us. How could I trust a kid like you?”
Well, dear grandchild, your point is completely valid.
But how should Solinor explain? He was at a loss for words.
“Brother, don’t be too harsh. Muriela, if it’s hard to give specifics, could you at least tell us roughly?”
“Kaelen! You’re the only one who understands me! My swordsmanship comrade!”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Solinor lightly clapped his hands to grab everyone’s attention.
“I’ve thought about it, but asking the Spymaster to help Katrina and Brandon doesn’t guarantee he’ll comply.”
“That’s exactly what I said, you annoying brat. So when we were trying to decide what to tell the Spymaster, you just walked out and disrupted the whole discussion.”
“Well, you’re right about that. Maybe I overestimated Muriela because she’s still just a child.”
“Kaelen, not you too…!”
Muriela trembled with betrayal at Kaelen’s words, but Solinor remained unfazed. He had experienced far worse betrayals in the past.
But Queen Elodia came to her defense.
“Don’t be too harsh. Muriela must have her reasons. She might seem a bit quirky, but she’s truly kind and pure-hearted.”
“Oh, Your Majesty, kindness is great and all, but my siblings are suffering outside the palace. Right now, we need results.”
Just a few days ago, Alfred had called Katrina a lunatic and Brandon an idiot. But Alfred meant what he said. Katrina might be a lunatic, and Brandon might be an idiot, but they were still his siblings.
“So, I thought the Spymaster could be reached through someone absolutely trustworthy.”
“What? Who could that possibly be? There’s no one who can meet the Spymaster freely except Father.”
At that moment, a gasp filled the room.
“Gasp! Big Brother! Did Muriela send a spirit to Father?”
“No way, Kasper. That’s impossible, right, Muriela?”
Do they think I’m an idiot?
Muriela almost burst a vein in her forehead, but alas, she lacked the muscles for it.
“Of course not. Well, this is the secret I mentioned earlier. Somewhere in Solineum, there’s someone the Spymaster absolutely trusts. I asked that person to deliver the message.”
Crown Prince Alfred, now overwhelmed with frustration, clutched his chest and looked ready to roll on the floor.
“Then why is that a secret? And how would someone who has lived their entire life inside the palace even know anyone in Solineum?”
“Big Brother Alfred, Muriela did go outside once, remember?”
“What? She did?”
“Yes, with us. Oh! Could it be someone she met then?”
Adeline, sharp as ever, pieced the situation together. Even Queen Elodia joined in, pretending to know something.
“Oh my, that could be true. Who did Muriela meet back then?”
“Weren’t there a bunch of drunk old men yelling at her?”
At that moment, Kasper dropped a bombshell.
“What? Drunk men?”
“Yeah, they were shouting at her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s right. That happened.”
“Your Majesty, is that true? What happened to those scoundrels?”
Nice job, Kasper!
The little prince’s innocent comment created a butterfly effect.
Alfred and Kaelen, who had been giving Solinor a hard time, along with Queen Elodia, were now sidetracked.
This gave Muriela some time to come up with a proper response. She had to end this with style.
“On that day, didn’t we meet someone else as well? Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, you mean that bard, Muriela?”
As expected, our clever daughter-in-law!
“Yes! Her Majesty is correct!”
With that exclamation, all eyes were once again on Muriela. She took a deep breath.
“That bard was actually a Grand Magician, one who knows the Spymaster well. So, I asked him for help.”
Barely a minute after Kasper’s bombshell, Muriela delivered a carpet-bombing revelation.
***
Meanwhile, in a large mansion in Solineum, a young, handsome blond man was seated by the window, reading documents. His voice, full of irritation, echoed through the room.
“Seriously, where did my brother go? He dumped all the work on me and said he was off to meet some friends. A guy who’s lived his entire life in the capital suddenly has friends in the countryside? It’s obviously just an excuse to travel.”
Truly, his brother was the disgrace of the family.
At that moment, Zephyr spotted him from the window and entered.
This is the one! No doubt about it.
The wind spirit immediately began delivering the message.
“Find the shadows and tell them the true king has returned. Ask them to protect the noble ones of the streets. A prompt response is requested, signed, ‘From the Songbird in the Cage.’”
Startled, the man looked around but saw nothing.
Then, the voice came again.
“Find the shadows and tell them the true king has returned. Ask them to protect the noble ones of the streets. A prompt response is requested, signed, ‘From the Songbird in the Cage.’”
He was dumbfounded. Tossing the documents aside, he pondered deeply.
“What was that strange voice just now? Shadows? True king?”
A chilling premonition struck him. The face that flashed in his mind was eerily similar to his own—his older brother, one year senior. That brother was always saying cryptic things.
Could my brother be plotting something strange?
He began reviewing recent events one by one.
Yes, he remembered. It was when he passed by his brother’s chambers. He overheard something about kings and princesses.
Recently, his brother had been carrying around an unfamiliar instrument. On top of that, he’d been leaving the house more often, supposedly to meet friends.
The ‘true king’? That sounds ominous. Could it be… rebellion? No, that can’t be.
Sure, the king had lost a lot of support. But there wasn’t anyone who could serve as a rallying figure against him.
Especially since their family was a merchant house that frequently traded with the royal family.
As much of a disgrace as his brother was, he wouldn’t do something to destroy the family.
I’m overthinking this. But still…
Better safe than sorry. Reporting this to a close government official and having it relayed to the king would be prudent.
Excessive loyalty is always the right choice, after all.
And if his brother were to disappear…
Heh heh heh.
—
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