秘密入口

The people who were present were King Patrick, his advisor and Allen’s homeroom teacher Godorfun, the Knight Captain Olina, and Allen’s mentor and the commander of the Third Legion, Dew.

While Patrick had been in a good mood during the progress report of the transport mission, his expression darkened significantly upon hearing Glover’s report about Allen Rovenne’s unprecedented move.

This matter had not been communicated to him through magic birds in fear of potential leaks.

“...I would like to think it was mere luck... but it seems too fortuitous to dismiss everything as a coincidence. To place such a heavy burden on a child his age is quite troubling.”

Next to him, Captain Olina continued, her tone incredulous.

“...He\'s far bolder than what I’ve heard. If this matter leaks, our Kingdom’s international standing will be in serious jeopardy. Even if we had been consulted beforehand, it would be impossible for us to approve such a thing. Frankly... I can\'t imagine anyone with a sane mind attempting something like that, let alone effectively pulling it off.

Considering the circumstances, it seems he hadn\'t conceived that plan at least until he was ordered to move to the Roma Naval Port. Had he shown any sign of contemplation as if he was deep in thought beforehand?"

Glover firmly denied it.

“For the times that I had seen him, there were no unnatural signs, surprising enough. Cass, who was with him the whole time, was rather surprised at how relaxed he was despite the nation’s peril. 

However... Looking back, perhaps that in itself was the unusual sign all along. Cass and I had seen his grim determination during the transport mission first-hand, so we really should have noticed it. That there had to have been a reason for him to act so nonchalant after putting in all that effort.”

Dew, sleep-deprived and with bloodshot eyes, which was a common trait of his, nodded in sympathy for Glover as he listened to the details and chimed in.

"Haha, finally had a taste of the bitterness I\'ve been having eh, Glover? That brat is so adept at hiding his thoughts behind his carefree attitude that I, for the love of my life, can never figure out his ideas, and he definitely doesn\'t have any self-restraint as well. His excuse has always been \'It was a coincidence\', \'It just kind of happened\', \'Aha, I was careless\', or \'U was a bit off...\' All of it had been so irritating that I was very close to giving him a beating so many times!

You know what? How about you take that brat under the Second Legion for a while? I think it would definitely straighten out that crooked personality of his when he finds himself surrounded by fellow ruffian sailors like himself who are more fussy about discipline—”

“I refuse. He’s beyond my capabilities… Moreover, he said sailing is just a hobby to him, and that his true forte is wind magic. Since that’s the case, then his mentor can only be you, Dew, who has no rival in this Kingdom when it comes to outer mana circulation and detection magic. I can now understand why even Sir Godorfun went against the established customs and enlisted him under your care."

Glover firmly rejected Dew\'s suggestion.

“Hmm. I merely listened to his wishes and introduced him to Dew. I personally never assumed he would have such influence over the Kingdom\'s state of affairs in a mere span of a few months, not even years. I don\'t have such a clairvoyance ability. It truly was once a series of coincidences."

Hearing Godorfun\'s remark as he stroked his beard, Dew glared at him. 

"This… That brat has undoubtedly taken his infuriating, unmanageable aspect from you, Sir! What in the world have you been teaching them?!"

“...What’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do about it now. But frankly, this much is concrete: Our kingdom has been dragged back from the edge of the precipice.

However, if this is ever exposed, the Empire would undoubtedly publish an international bounty for his head. His extradition, if ever requested, is certainly not an option for us, but that would possibly trigger a war. After all, they could lay the blame for the mutation of the Hellrowcast on us.

Furthermore, with the crisis of the Empire\'s assassination attempts looming over his head, he will never be able to have a tranquil life. This absolutely has to be confined within our walls... Have you secured that civilian who was acting as their tour guide?”

Glover shook his head at Oliana\'s query.

“We haven\'t made any moves yet. They kept their identities as knights hidden, so it\'s safe to assume that he also doesn\'t know that the flight of the blue flamingos was caused by Allen Rovenne\'s wind magic. Cass, who had been following them, evaluated so.

It’s impossible to identify all the witnesses, plus we risk unsavory things happening if we capture or persuade them without a concrete plan. That could become a critical vulnerability in our current predicament, so I thought it would be better for me to return and seek your guidance.”

King Patrick immediately shook his head.

“I will never allow the arrest of innocent citizens who just happened to be at the wrong place while my body still breathes. However... attempting to silence them without a plan is also dangerous. In a way, that third party who happened to speak to him and witnessed the outcome of that fishing contest is also a witness to his innocence.”

Olina, too, nodded at the side.

“...It’s somewhat precarious, but we can only place our hope on the scenario Allen Rovenne devised. Officially, we’ll say that he was training at the Roma Naval Port. The fact that he raced against military ships in front of many witnesses will bolster his alibi. 

However, we’re still left with the mystery of his timing. Dew, you mentioned that his detection range through wind magic is gradually improving. Do you think he was aware of the situation at the scene several dozen kilometers away? His timing in driving away the blue flamingos north perfectly coincided with the beginning of the chain-hatching due to the accident. It’s hard to chalk it up as mere coincidence."

Dew showed a contemplating expression.

“I think that is still beyond his capability... but I can’t say for certain. He might have some hidden ace aside from wind magic detection. I hadn’t heard of anything about the ship matter or that ‘organization’ behind Rose. Personally, I doubt that brat had grasped the details to that extent..."

\'Speaking of which,\' King Patrick chimed in, seemingly figuring something out.

“...Perhaps… Perhaps I do have an idea. It\'s that new, classified magical tool that is currently being developed in secret at the Academy for Advanced Magical Tools. I can’t divulge the details with you yet due to its confidentiality, but if that magical tool already exists… 

...Keep this to yourselves, but the researcher behind its development is actually Allen Rovenne’s sister. I heard that it’s a prototype only usable by highly skilled mage engineers, and mass production is impossible... but it wouldn’t be surprising if he secretly borrowed that prototype from her. Bringing it outside the academy is a serious crime, though… Hmm, is something the matter, Olina?”

Seeing Olina’s troubled expression as she rested her chin on her hand, Patrick tilted his head in curiosity.

“No... It\'s just, my grandchild holds Allen Rovenne’s sister in high regard. I heard that he was completely floored by her martial prowess when he went to visit Allen Rovenne\'s home in the capital. So, I didn\'t expect her to be a considerable genius in magic tool engineering. Maybe it shouldn\'t be unexpected though......"

“...I won’t go into details, but this is revolutionary research. If it leaks, not only the other countries, but even the unsavory elements within our Kingdom will take great risks to try and seize it with underhanded tactics. Therefore, until the technology is generalized, we’re keeping it strictly confidential for her sake. I doubt she would carelessly spill anything, even if a friend of her brother drops by to hang out... but considering she’s the sister of that trailblazing Allen Rovenne, I can’t completely rule it out. 

Keep an eye on the situation. If he learns anything, issue a royal decree to pass the gag order. Still, she defeated your grandchild, the champion of the Rising Star Cup, bare-handed, huh? Now I really want to meet Roselia Rovenne in person.”

Seeing Patrick’s old habit flaring up again, his blue eyes sparkling, Glover brought the conversation back on track.

“Ahem... Even if he somehow knew the situation at the scene, it seemed unlikely that he had the detailed information. You might have heard about it, but the shock he displayed when I told him about the tragic accident that befell his friend was too genuine to be mere acting. His change in attitude from flippant to grim certainly didn\'t seem like a lie."

King Patrick grimaced.

“I received the report from Hugo. It’s truly tragic what happened to this young man, having risen up for the sake of our Kingdom. For what he has accomplished by his sacrifice, we must pay him respect as the representatives of the Kingdom… Have you come to a decision over him, Gramps?”

Godorfun’s face contorted with sorrow.

“The decision regarding Aldol Engraver will be made at the staff meeting. There’ll likely be many opposing opinions, and it’ll be a bitter choice for me as well, but I believe we have no other option than to drop him to Class E at the next grade advancement period. According to that boy\'s temperament, keeping him in Class A regardless would only add insult to his injury and maintaining his slot out of pity would likely be more harmful than beneficial. This is the only conclusion I could come to after having taught him up close for over a year."

“...Is there really no other way?”

Godorfun shook his head when King Patrick asked, his tone laced with melancholy.

"There will be criticism from all over, that is for certain… You’ve always been covering for us and taking all the blame, Godorfun-san. It should\'ve been you, not me, as the Supreme Commander of the Knights..."

Godorfun shook his head again as Olina said so with a sigh.

“Do not worry about this old man.  However... With what I have seen, with their experiences, Aldol Engraver\'s character, and his position in the class— this would be a change too painful for him, as well as the other kids. 

As rational as those kids are, have sophisticated ways of thinking, they\'re still kids by heart. I... can only watch over them, and it will be aggravating, but we can only pray for them in hopes that they can overcome this."

Out of habit, a cross-armed Dew picked on his ear, and blew on his fingertip before uttering.

"......Look at you, old man, haven’t you been molded into the persona of a \'Teacher\' quite well?"

But no one reproached him for this impolite behavior in front of King Patrick.

T/N - Well, well. If anyone’s wondering about Al’s situation and everyone’s reaction, it will have to wait. Author hasn’t dumped everything in one chapter, rather it’s more of gradual reaction and situation unfolding—an overarching story point. As the title of the last chapter goes, it perhaps is origin story behind Al’s title.

E/N - Well, ‘The Great Cascade’ never really screamed Ice Mage to me. My guess is that Al will probably transition to water magic after Allen builds him a prosthetic arm artifact. Who wants to bet?