SWNOVELXO chapter 120
120 – Only for You (3)
Central part of the Kingdom of Nostrum, road to Sirene.
The Empire’s master and marquis, the Marquis Claydol, truly sent shivers down his spine at the sight of the man sitting in front of him.
Hehe, hehe.”
A smile that comes out as if a screw was missing from a magic machine.
Since the Marquis of Claydoll was a Master, he could clearly see that his Master-level opponent was hiding his emotions in his facial expressions.
For over thirty years, ever since I was a child, I have seen a man named Habsburg von Tersian-
Hehe… It’s fun, it’s really fun.”
It was the first time this man laughed so ‘sincerely’.
“What makes you feel so good, Your Majesty?”
“Huh?”
Others would have been afraid and tried to ignore it, but Marquis Claydoll did not bother to ask.
“You never stopped smiling the whole way.”
“Ah, it’s nothing special. It’s because I met a good person.”
“Are you going to make Crown Princess Isabella have another seizure?”
“What are you talking about? The Marquis is saying that it seems like I fell in love with the woman I met in the kingdom.”
“You’re making exactly that look right now, aren’t you?”
“…Me?”
The Crown Prince looked at her in surprise and played with her own beard.
“The marquis thinks I did it?”
“Yes. It felt like watching a young man in love.”
“It’s love… I see, this feeling. Is it love?”
“Your Highness…?”
“No. It’s love, but not the kind of love you think.”
The crown prince was resolved.
“Because the other person is a man.”
“…”
“Gray Gibraltar. Although it was a very short meeting, it was a very impressive meeting.”
“Ah, you’re talking about that brazen little boy. He seemed quite smart.”
The Crown Prince snapped her fingers.
“Now that I think about it, the Marquis said he had met Gray Gibraltar, right? Was it seven years ago?”
“No. At that time, I was leading a group of soldiers to take pictures. We met many years later, when I went out as an escort at the request of Chairman Iperia.”
“Ah, it was that time.”
“I was hiding the momentum, but at that time, about as much mana as a low-level knight was flowing out…”
“It’s over as a swordsman. The mana vein in my right leg was properly twisted.”
“Ah…”
A truly regretful sigh flowed from Marquis Claydoll’s mouth.
“Although he was arrogant, his abilities seemed certain …”
“Still, it seemed like he was training separately from his legs. He was hiding his strength and his well.”
“How much was it?”
“Well… “
The crown prince repeatedly folded and opened one of his hands her one after another.
“If you just look at the uncontrollable momentum, I think it was at the upper level.”
“At 17, even though one leg has no mana, it’s still considered a reward?”
“Wouldn’t have that level of talent give you the confidence to say something like that rather than kill me?”
“…Did you say you would kill His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Marquis Claydoll opened his eyes wide in surprise, and the crown prince laughed lowly as if something occurred to him.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. .. Hehe.”
“Don’t laugh like that. It’s really creepy.”
“Ah. I’m sorry. It’s just that I feel like I want to stay in the royal capital.”
“It looks like you really liked him. Although he seemed smart, he was just a kid when I met him.”
“I’m a complete adult now. Without even realizing it, I started treating and speaking as an adult. As a result, I made mistakes.”
“Your Majesty made a mistake…?”
“It was a minor mistake, but somehow it was quite comfortable. Yeah, it was like…”
The crown prince looked out his window and stroked his beard.
“He’s the perfect guy to have as a son.”
“If someone who has more than 100 sons says something like that.”
“A suitable person to present as my son and successor at the same time. A person who is capable of succeeding the Habsburgs.”
“Didn’t you say your leg was broken?”
“Anyway… “
The crown prince’s expression twisted as if he was truly annoyed.
“Well, if one part of your body is damaged, where will it be?”
“…Why are you so irritated with me? Like a young man who gets angry because the girl he likes got criticized.”
“So even if it’s not like that.”
The crown prince waved his hand.
“The era in which swords and spears rule the world should come to an end. And at that level, you are strong enough to protect yourself.”
“But you’re not a master.”
“All you have to do is have one master always by your side.”
“Is there anyone like that?”
“There is someone who is just the right fit. Even if I don’t do anything, the parties involved are going to fit together perfectly.”
“…No way.”
The Marquis of Claydoll thought for a moment.
“Are you seriously planning to make Gray Gibraltar your granddaughter Astasia’s mate?”
“It’s the opposite.”
“Yes?”
“I’m making Astasia the Gray Gibraltar’s mate.”
“…What’s the difference?”
“Have you ever seen the Marquis change the goal he set out to achieve and the decisions he made accordingly, no matter what people around me say?”
“No, none. Who will break Your Majesty’s stubbornness?”
“Same goes for Gray Gibraltar. He…Yeah.”
At that moment, the crown prince looked at himself reflected in the glass window and grinned.
“It looks like me.”
“…”
“You probably felt it yourself. He is no different from you or me.”
“Uh, hmm…”
“A crooked person that ordinary people cannot understand.”
“A genius recognizes a genius, what do you mean?”
“It’s not a genius… That’s right. If I were to use a new word that appeared in the Imperial Newspaper these days, it would be.”
Rattling.
The carriage shook greatly.
“Psychos have something in common with psychoelephants.”
“…I don’t know much about that. What is it?”
“I’ll look for it later. Anyway, Gray Gibraltar is a pretty good human being. If he was born in the empire, if he were around the same age as me… Yes, he would be the perfect person to have as chancellor.”
“Prime Minister…? It certainly suits him.”
“Yes. Because I can’t become emperor.”
“…”
For a moment, Marquis Claydoll stopped talking, taking a deep breath.
“I am the emperor, and if you put him under him and ask him to do things next to him, he will complain and handle things more perfectly than anyone else. That kind of person.”
“What happens if not?”
“I will admit that my eyes were hollow, and I will recognize another Prime Minister. Sigh.”
The emperor sighed deeply.
“I wish I was a woman.”
“…Are you saying you would have attacked a 17-year-old and gotten her pregnant?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
The Crown Prince shook his head at Marquis Claydol’s words.
“Oh, it’s not that bad?”
“It doesn’t matter which one?”
“…Yes?”
“It’s a shame that they’re both men. If one of them had a different gender, I wouldn’t have been able to make it clear that he was mine, even through a physical relationship.”
“…That.”
Marquis Claydoll asked very carefully.
“I am not prejudiced, Prince. However, between men and men…”
“What if Gray Gibraltar is gay?”
“…”
“Then, I might think about doing that for Gray Gibraltar.”
The crown prince chuckled and shook his head.
“Gray Gibraltar likes women, and I’m not gay either. Something about that expression.”
The crown prince blinked his eyes and pointed at himself.
“I am not gay.”
“Oh, yes.”
“And the way to become a ‘family’ that is safer and more secure than that of gay people is being created on its own, so do you think I will create such a variable?”
“…Is it really possible?”
“It is possible. Gray Gibraltar wants it, and he has declared that he will even kill me for it.”
Rattling.
The carriage passed through the highway and entered the territory of Gibraltar.
“Mixing blood. Is there any other union as sure as this?”
“Gray Gibraltar and Astasia von Tersian…”
“It doesn’t have to be Astasia, but the most likely, or rather certain, card is definitely Astasia. Really, I’m looking forward to it.”
Grinning.
“What kind of child will be born between the two?”
“Are you already thinking about your grandchildren’s names?”
“You should think about it in advance. …Oh, now that I think about it, I didn’t mention that.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“When we meet again later, I’ll have to let you know that I got a perfect score of 100. Hehe.”
The crown prince smiled brightly as he looked out the window toward the royal capital.
* * *
March 1st, evening.
“Then everyone goes to their rooms! Take care tomorrow too!”
Astasia waved her hand at the imperial students, pressed the elevator button and headed to the 4th floor.
Rattling, rattling.
An elevator that goes up very slowly.
The expressions of the Empire students passing by through the glass window just before the elevator went up changed in an instant, but Astasia did her best to pretend not to notice and quietly closed her eyes.
“Huh…”
Before coming here, ‘the man’ said.
Be sure to make it successful.
And perhaps to make her statement more certain, rumors spread right from the first day that she had taken Gray Gibraltar with her for a separate meal.
The meeting between the abandoned eldest son of the canyon and the imperial prince.
Some even expressed excitement over this, wondering if a human named Gray was already trying to take over the empire.
If it ends with excitement, that’s it.
But what if.
If Gray Gibraltar catches eyes with one of the Empire’s students and becomes a lover, or develops a further relationship…
“As expected, ine.”
Astasia clenched her fists, and as soon as her elevator opened she walked over to her door.
Crash.
When she placed her hand on the lock equipped with an imperial magic sword lock, the lock that recognized Astasia opened with a ‘clunk’ sound.
Sreuk.
Astasia carefully opened the door and went inside.
“Wow… “
Interior entirely made up of neutral colors.
A room where even the most famous interior designer in the empire would look for a designer and say, ‘I need to learn this’-
“This isn’t a room, it’s a house…?”
The house for one person was so sophisticated and beautiful.
“Oh, I’m telling you to take off your shoes here.”
Astasia took off her shoes at the entrance, opened the middle door, and went inside.
“Wow… “
The living room, entered through a vertically curved hallway, contained a sofa, a dining table, and several magic engineering tools.
“You’ve completely prepared your household… Even the furniture.”
After Astasia put down her suitcase next to the living room, she noticed something on the table.
“This is…”
A wooden plaque decorated with somnus flowers.
There were letters written on the back.
“Please come into the inner room? Hmm, how much of a surprise did you prepare for this?”
Astasia looked around.
“Do you want to come in through the window or the rooftop? If you want to get in to the rooftop, you’ll have to use the public stairs over there~”
Astasia opened the door, humming as if she were singing.
“Wow…”
One large bed that seems to fill the entire room.
A bed that can comfortably sleep not just one, but two or even three people.
“Where are you~ …Ah, further in from here?”
Astasia took her steps toward the narrow passage inside the bedroom.
A place like a closet.
At the end of it was another tightly closed door, and Astasia tilted her head and grabbed the doorknob.
Rattling.
When I pulled open the thick door, which was probably several centimeters thick, there was a small space beyond which a few people could barely fit.
“…?”
All you see is just a gray wall.
No, a fairly large pillar inside the building.
“…Ah.”
Astasia lightly extended her hand toward the wall.
Rattling.
Somewhere, with a sound like an elevator moving.
“Princess.”
Sarak.
“Is there space behind the pillar?”
The wallpaper that appeared to be a wall was lifted, and something red popped out.
“…Is it magic?”
“No. It’s just an emergency evacuation route created with magic engineering and remnants of magic using the principles of the panic room.”
“This elevator…”
“It is the only passage to escape underground. The only passage to get from the 1st basement to the 4th floor.”
A man with gray hair came out through the wallpaper and smiled.
“Nothing much, it’s just connected directly to my bedroom in the scholarship building over there through the basement. It’s like a magic passage.”
Gray, the young man, raised his index finger as he approached Astasia.
“Shh. Don’t tell anyone. No one knows about this passage.”
“That is… “
“Yes.”
The index finger lightly pressed Astasia’s lips.
“Our secret.”