[V3C16] Reason for Embarrassment

“I deeply apologize for the considerable inconvenience I have brought you all.”

Henrik Blanquet, the Margrave of Valmbelk, bowed with a sincere attitude, his head lowered.

Meanwhile, Isaac took a step forward and responded to him.

“Please raise your head, Lord Valmbelk. Everyone present knows that you were acting for the sake of your family.”

“Excuse me, who are you…?”

Despite looking puzzled, Henrik stood firm and straightened his posture. A single glance at Isaac allowed Henrik to sense that he was no ordinary person.

Isaac gracefully put on the smile of the second prince.

“I am Felix Arc Ridill, the Duke of Erin.”

“…! Oh my… the renowned Prince Felix… I’ve heard of your outstanding character. The rumors have reached the Empire as well.”

“You honor me.”

While Isaac and Henrik exchanged friendly words, Glenn’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Artillery Mage.

“Your magic earlier was amazing! Flames roaring and exploding, like kaboom!”

“Hahaha! You get it, young man. Let me tell you, when dealing with weird crap like curses, the best way is to blow them all up with high-density offensive magic.”

“High-density? I don’t really get it, but your magic is totally different! So cool!”

As Glenn enthusiastically clenched his fists, his mentor Louis adjusted his monocle and said, “Well, what’s truly amazing is my defensive barrier that endured that high-density magic without a scratch.”

“If I were to unleash my full power with a sixfold reinforcement, it would shatter any barrier of yours.”

Bradford bragged about his abilities confidently, and in response, Louis raised a slender eyebrow.

“My defensive barrier will allow me to remain unharmed even against your sixfold reinforcement. Are you sure about that?”

“As soon as your barrier is broken, my victory is certain. The only thing I couldn’t completely break with a sixfold reinforcement was the Thorn Fortress.”

“Hahaha, my vines are known for their regenerative abilities.”

Raul laughed cheerfully in response to Bradford’s muttering.

Raul’s tone seemed nonchalant, but what he was saying was quite extraordinary.

He was essentially claiming that he could withstand the full force of the Artillery Mage, the wielder of the most powerful magic in the country, until his mana ran out.

While Louis’ barrier magic boasted high versatility, Raul’s Thorn Fortress continued to regenerate as long as his mana held. In some cases, it might even surpass the durability of Louis’s barrier magic.

“I know! Let’s have a magic battle between the Seven Sages since it’s been so long! Monica, you’ll join, right?”

Monica, who had been quietly listening until now, widened her eyes in surprise at Raul’s proposal.

“Eh!? N-n-n-no, I will just watch, um…”

“Let’s team up! If you use chantless magic from inside my the Thorn Fortress, I think we can even beat Bradford-san and Louis-san!”

The pair of aggressive old guys, Louis and Bradford, reacted intensely to Raul’s words.

Louis cracked his knuckles, as Bradford put his fist against his palm.

“Oh my, you youngsters sure know how to talk.”

“Alright, let’s do it with a bang. Time to show these young ones the glory of their elders.”

Louis and Bradford’s words made Monica turn pale and tremble uncontrollably.

…Observing their interaction from a distance, Cyril silently thought to himself.

(Why am I even here?)

Isaac performed the duty of the second prince, settling the situation down and negotiating with Henrik.

Monica, as one of the Seven Sages, was standing shoulder to shoulder with her fellows as a matter of course.

The anti-curse defensive barrier Monica had activated was splendid. Defending against curses alone was complex enough, but doing it without chanting was remarkable.

Though Cyril had seen Monica’s chantless magic before, witnessing her perform high-level magic like this without chanting further emphasized her greatness.

And he was reminded… of his own immaturity.

Turning his back on Monica and the others, Cyril quietly left the scene.

(…I am inadequate.)

Today, Cyril had been constantly reminded of his own lack of experience.

The engagement with Miss Aurelia had not progressed smoothly.

In the face of Ray’s curse outburst, he couldn’t do anything.

Perhaps he had become complacent after being recognized as the successor to House Highown. He needed to tighten his slackened resolve, and once again devote himself to fulfilling his duties.

(…First, let’s clarify my goals.)

Cyril thought about what he aimed for.

Meeting his foster father’s expectations. Delighting his birth mother.

And…

——Cyril-sama is amazing!

——That’s why… I don’t want anyone to say bad things about my respected Cyril-sama…

The image of a small girl looking up to him popped up in his mind.

When Monica had spoken those words to him, Cyril felt as if his eyes had been opened.

He realized that, while he wished for the acknowledgment of others, he was the one not acknowledging himself.

Monica wasn’t good at loudly asserting herself. For her to speak those words at that time required a considerable amount of courage.

She was shy, inarticulate, timid… Yet the girl moved forward step by step despite her fears. She had called him “amazing.”

So, he wanted to be of help. He wanted to extend a hand.

Above all, he wanted to be someone Monica could rely on.

(In other words, I want to be respected by Monica as a senior.)

In the future, he resolved to behave in a way that would earn him Monica’s respect as a senior.

As Cyril came to this conclusion, at that moment…

“U-Um, Cyril-sama!”

The voice calling him from behind made Cyril’s heart skip a beat.

Turning around, the girl he had just envisioned was running toward him, dragging the hem of her bright red dress.

Despite inwardly worrying that she might trip on the hem again, Cyril walked toward Monica.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Uh, um, well… um…”

Monica released the hem of her skirt, and with a shy demeanor, she fiddled with her fingers while looking down.

In this state, she seemed more childlike, nothing like one of the Seven Sages.

Yet, Cyril recognized that she had grown a little taller in these two years. Although she still appeared younger than her actual age of nineteen, thanks to the light makeup she wore today, no one would mistake her for a child in her early teens.

The bright red dress she was currently wearing wasn’t to his liking, but the light blue dress she wore before suited her very well.

As Cyril contemplated such matters, Monica, as if making up her mind, lifted her face and began to speak.

“Um, um, congratulations, on your… engage——”

Monica, who was stammering even more than usual, was interrupted by the sound of slipping fabric before she could finish. Both of them froze.

The bright red dress Monica was wearing was apparently too large for her, so she had loosely fastened it around the chest area with threads. Those threads had apparently come loose.

Although it didn’t completely fall off, the dress now hung off her shoulders, exposing a portion of her skin. Most notably, her neckline was wide open, revealing her corset.

”~~~~~!?”

Monica screamed silently, attempting to lift the fallen dress. However, whenever she tried to lift one sleeve, the other one slid down. Regardless of her efforts, the fabric covering her neckline only fell lower and lower.

She could only make strange squealing sounds with tears in her eyes. Cyril quickly took off his own coat and covered her with it.

“Put this on and hide in a nearby room! I’ll have a replacement dress sent to you immediately!”

“Hyah, r-right!!”

Desperately averting his eyes from Monica, Cyril hurriedly walked away to find a servant.

His face and ears were completely red.

＊　＊　＊

Having borrowed Cyril’s coat, Monica watched his retreating back for a moment. Then, she sank to the ground on the spot.

Covering her reddened cheeks with her hands, she quivered her small lips.

“…S-So embarrassing…”

There was someone watching Monica crouch down in embarrassment, observing the scene from the corner of the corridor.

He had long, graceful limbs and a beautiful face that any girl would admire——the charming prince who had chased after Monica, Isaac.

Isaac gazed at Monica’s back for a while, but eventually, he quietly left the scene, trying to avoid notice.

If he were to approach Monica and she responded with her usual “What’s the matter, Ike?” he wasn’t confident in his ability to keep a smile on.

As Isaac walked briskly down the hallway, the prophecy of the Starseer Witch echoed in his mind.

——Sooner or later, you will lose half of the world before you.

His family, his best friend, his own face and name… What would he lose next?

(What would the kind prince do at a time like this…)

“Arc…” he whispered, as if clinging to the name of his late friend.

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