Chapter 42
So how does Lionel actually see me?
I never did get a proper answer, which left me feeling frustratingly unsettled. Still, the important thing was this: he could give me mana.
And not just a little. Lionel’s mana vessel seemed enormous. But since he wasn’t a mage, he was just leaving that tremendous amount of mana unused!
‘Then it’s only right that I make use of it. For everyone’s sake.’
To be honest, since I’d received it from someone else, part of me wanted to conserve it. But what was the point? I didn’t even have a mana vessel in my body anymore—if I just left it alone, it would leak out anyway.
‘In that case, it’s less of a waste to just use it!’
So I properly resumed my magical studies and told my family what had happened.
“I found the person who shared mana with me. It turns out His Highness the Second Prince has the same mana trait as I do.”
“What? Is that true?”
Contrary to my expectations, my family was utterly shocked—as if they had never once imagined it could be Lionel.
‘Well, I didn’t think it would be him at first either.’
“Thinking back, when the mana entered my body, I shook hands with His Highness without wearing gloves. I think I absorbed it unintentionally at that moment.”
“So… you received mana directly from His Highness the Second Prince?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“That’s truly… an astonishing coincidence.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not coincidence—it’s fate!”
The fate that I would become a great archmage, of course.
‘I wish I could tell Master.’
At the moment, my teacher had returned to the Mage Tower.
The incident where I fainted after accepting someone else’s mana—without having a mana vessel—was apparently unprecedented even within the Tower. They said it required research or something.
Well, that made sense. For a mage, having a mana vessel was simply a given.
Naturally, no one had ever conducted research on what would happen if someone lost theirs.
“Anyway… since you collapsed once before, Cecile, don’t receive too much mana from His Highness. I’m worried that accepting mana without a vessel might cause trouble again.”
“Yes, I will!”
I answered my mother obediently, but—
‘How is a mage supposed to resist mana?’
It’s always more torturous to take a single bite than to fast entirely.
Thrilled at the thought of going to see Lionel again tomorrow and receiving plenty of mana, I drifted off to sleep happily.
The next afternoon.
“I’m sorry. We don’t know where His Highness the Second Prince has gone.”
“The Second Prince? Um… I heard he headed to the orphanage at the Eastern Temple, but I’m not sure.”
“What? No, he didn’t come here. …Ah, if he went to teach letters at an orphanage, that would be the Southern Temple, not here.”
“Yes, His Highness was here. But he left just a moment ago… I’m not certain where he went.”
Unlike yesterday—when word had spread everywhere that the Second Prince was doing charity work in the slums—
Today, Lionel was popping up all over the capital, east one moment and west the next.
After running all over the city in search of him, I eventually returned home empty-handed.
It had already been a week since the Second Prince began his volunteer work.
When he first arrived, the Central Temple had shown hesitation. But now, they were all smiles.
Was it because people’s interest in and favor toward the temple had risen thanks to his diligent service?
That was part of it. But the biggest reason was that donations from nobles to the Central Temple had multiplied several times over.
“I heard His Highness the Second Prince has been doing volunteer work… I wished to participate in such a meaningful endeavor as well.”
There were many nobles eager to leave an impression on a powerful heir apparent, one predicted to become the next emperor.
Under the guise of donations—essentially bribes—they pressed the temple to arrange meetings with His Highness.
Honestly, it wasn’t difficult. They simply participated in volunteer activities at the same time as the Second Prince.
The problem was that there were far too many such “volunteers” making thinly veiled requests.
“Your Excellency, what should we do? The donations have already come in. Shall we just pretend not to notice?”
“No, no. If we do that, they won’t donate next time. Make sure they all get to meet him somehow!”
“How, exactly?”
“Ahem. What choice do we have? His Highness will just have to move around a bit more for the sake of our faithful.”
And so the Second Prince ended up changing locations several times a day, engaging in various volunteer activities.
He would go to the Northern Temple, then the Southern Temple, then back north again—roaming across the capital.
Wherever he went, nobles hovered nearby asking for favors instead of working. The aides couldn’t help but find it strange.
“Your Highness, I believe the temple is playing games with your schedule.”
When Lionel’s official duties were canceled and he began volunteering, his aides followed him outside as well.
At first, they’d thought it would be a pleasant change of pace.
It was not.
People would come all the way to the volunteer site, but when faced with the Second Prince’s expressionless face and unapproachable aura, they instead harassed the more approachable aides.
“Ahem, this isn’t a bribe. I simply wished for you to wear finer shoes, Sir Aide…”
“That’s clearly a bribe!”
“Damn it! Do you think you’ll be safe after treating me this way? My family was a marquis house just a few generations ago!”
Just as the aides were nearing exhaustion from the constant stream of people asking to be introduced to the Second Prince—
A slender young nobleman managed to approach Lionel unnoticed.
‘Good. Step one, success!’
His plan was simple. He would get close and pretend to trip. Surely His Highness would catch him.
Then he could thank him and speak of repaying the favor—thus creating an opening.
‘All right, here I go!’
The noble youth ran toward the prince and pretended to stumble—
But his foot actually caught on a stone.
“Ghk!”
As he felt his body tipping forward, he squeezed his eyes shut, thinking this might be even better.
‘This will look more natur—’
—Thud!
“Argh!”
No hand caught him. His knees and palms stung sharply as he looked resentfully toward where the Second Prince had been.
And froze.
“What? Where did he go?”
The prince, who had been there just moments ago, had already moved far away.
A chilling realization struck him: the prince had sensed his approach and deliberately relocated.
‘How did he know I was coming? I approached from behind!’
Unaware of the commotion behind him, Lionel stood still and surveyed his surroundings.
“Your Highness, is there something you need?”
Maximus, noticing his gaze, quietly approached.
Lionel looked toward a shadowed alley between buildings, then shook his head.
“Nothing in particular. Rather, write down the names of those who came to the volunteer site only to hinder your work.”
His voice wasn’t loud. But the nobles, who had been straining their ears toward him, went pale.
As if to drive the point home, he added:
“Anyone whose name appears on that list will be denied an audience with me at any venue henceforth.”
The Second Prince was known as a man of few words—and one who did not make empty threats.
The nobles who had been desperate to gain even a fragment of his attention scattered in panic.
They hadn’t listened at all when the aides told them no. Yet at a single sentence from the prince, they fled.
The aides let out hollow laughs.
Even if they couldn’t do much about today, the rumor would spread soon enough. By tomorrow, no one would come.
“Y-Your Highness, you must depart for the Eastern Temple now.”
“What? This will be the fourth move today.”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m only conveying orders from above…”
The young priest, who looked barely of age, bowed repeatedly in distress.
How could anyone get angry at him?
As one aide thumped his chest in frustration, Lionel waved dismissively.
“We move.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Grinding their teeth and swearing never to donate to the temple again, the aides and the Second Prince departed for the Eastern Temple.
After they left—
From the alley Lionel had glanced at earlier, a vagrant emerged.
Holding a cracked bowl, he gathered bits of trash and odds and ends from the ground. No one paid him any attention.
Thanks to that, he safely retrieved a small copper fragment Lionel had left behind.
Returning to the shadowed alley, he deciphered the code etched into it and interpreted the prince’s order.
“…Huh?”
[Regularly inform Cecilia Rohaim of my location.]