LP 3.18 The Prince’s Rebellion

Gosrick, who had been curt with Kosha lately, sneered. Lucian frowned at Gosrick, and at the same time, Kosha, having calmed down a bit, continued his explanation with a more composed demeanor.

“So, in my opinion as a Mage, it seems highly likely that the cycle has… shifted slightly.”

“The cycle?”

Mylotte asked, knitting his brows.

“I feel as though a portion of my mana is still inside Your Highness. So, strictly speaking, the ‘elixir’ hasn't been fully released. However…”

The Mage blinked troubledly, synthesizing various things: the few times they had had sex recently, what he had felt then, and what he could feel now in the heart beneath the skin…

“It’s as if the mana doesn't want to come out. It is definitely my mana… but it feels as though it has become a part of Your Highness. To use a metaphor.”

Kosha tilted his head.

“I think it has undergone a kind of adaptation. As if it has learned how to govern itself. I don't know how that's possible since Your Highness is human, but…”

Lucian tilted his head slightly. Behind Kosha, Mylotte and Gosrick exchanged a look. Unaware of anything, Kosha simply focused once more on the mana within the heart.

“Still, a human shouldn't be able to control this completely. It's an area that requires more research… but there may be situations where it suddenly erupts, as if bursting. So, we'll have to keep an eye on it for a while.”

“Still, the situation is much better than it was at first,” Mylotte muttered with a sigh.

Kosha agreed. Being able to buy a few days at a time was a hundred, a thousand times better than going crazy every single night.

But… how could this be?

How could mana coil itself and take root in a human body?

Swallowing a slight seed of doubt, Kosha tied the laces of the front of Lucian's shirt again. Lucian, quietly enjoying the clumsy touch, stood up, put on his courtyardy, and fastened the buttons.

Seeing Lucian meticulously covered by thick clothing made him feel strangely relieved. Thus, Kosha willingly extended his hand toward the Idelma gold shackles being held out to him.

Then, the others entered, and the meeting began. In truth, there wasn't much for Kosha to do. Nevertheless, Kosha sat still with proper posture and listened intently to the conversation.

Occasionally, he peered at the map on the desk… and though some people glared at him with suspicious eyes, Kosha did not waver. After all, wasn't he now an officially recognized vassal of Lucian?

And since he had joined later than the others, there was much he didn't know, so he had to learn by observing carefully.

The Izelant map in Lucian's office was a magnificent thing. The markings of mountain ranges, villages, and river veins were incomparably more detailed than those Kosha had seen as a child. There were even several more maps drawn in even greater detail for specific regions.

Kosha, who had lived in Osterwick for years but only knew the path between the village and the castle, checked the geography of Osterbelt for the first time in his life. He learned for the first time that the stream he used to draw water from was a branch extending from the Elga River.

The gateways of the east, west, south, and north; the main roads and small shortcuts; forests, mountains, and hills. And the flag markers covering them in a chaotic fashion.

Somehow… it reminded him of a very distant memory. A finger pointing at a map on a wall, a voice both familiar and strange, and the lessons shared with that person…

“The movement of the Bastian army is certainly suspicious. They are too slow.”

“According to the information brought by the scouts, from Vitten to the northeast, it's only…”

“Is their goal perhaps just to waste military rations and return? Can you even call that a march?”

“Five thousand is a lot for a first command. Still, they are too slow. There is definitely another motive.”

“In the first place, they don't even have enough food to feed them through the winter. Moreover, a blizzard will soon strike that area.”

“Still, it's the northeast, so it should be a bit better. Winter comes from the west.”

The voices of the vassals mingled chaotically.

“It feels as if they are waiting for something.”

“Waiting for what? The appropriate time for treason?”

“Look at the route. According to reports, they passed through the northern gate and…”

Mylotte's finger traced a line across the map.

“They say it's the northeast, but they are clearly moving along the border of Osterbelt.”

“First, we must verify if all five thousand soldiers are actually marching. They could be dispersed at every crossroads…”

“If the front is formed that long, from a defensive standpoint, it would be quite…”

“By the way, what is Duke Malleste doing now? He said he would help Bastian. Any news from that side yet?”

The meeting continued for quite a while. It was just as the Mage, who had been struggling to concentrate by pinching his thigh even while wearing the oppressive Idelma shackles, finally let out a yawn.

Even though he had tightened his jaw, trying not to make it obvious, Lucian suddenly raised his hand.

“Let's stop here for today.”

Then he spoke abruptly. The people who had been attaching and detaching clusters of flags on the map looked up with bewildered expressions.

“…So suddenly?”

“What do you mean suddenly? There are only three or four hours left until sunrise if we sleep now.”

Since when did he care about such things? They had seen the dawn break while in meetings countless times. However, ignoring all those questioning gazes, Lucian waved his hand.

“There's a schedule early tomorrow morning. I can't stand seeing you look sleepy because you didn't get enough rest, so go get some shut-eye. Let's finish this matter before lunch tomorrow.”

The only one with a schedule early tomorrow morning was not Lucian or his strategists, but the Mage. The very schedule of ‘treating’ the King.

But Lucian's attitude was too firm to argue with. Furthermore, since this had never happened in their entire lives, the vassals didn't even know the appropriate way to respond. Since he was giving them a break, it felt like a win in its own way.

“…T-then, please rest.”

“I'll see you at sunrise.”

The dismissal was light. The vassals gathered their necessary documents and stood up, and as Mylotte passed Gosrick, he grumbled just loud enough for him to hear.

“I've never seen such fussing…”

It's not that, it's not romance! Honey trap, honey trap! To be honest, Gosrick was also glad for this sudden declaration of rest, but that was that, and this was this. He tried to widen his sleepy eyes and glared one last time toward the inside of the room.

Of course, his lord, who was pulling the Mage up from his seat, didn't pay him any mind. It was already a world of their own.

Lucian pulled the chain connecting the center of Kosha's shackles. Being dragged along, Kosha suddenly asked,

“Are we really going to sleep?”

“Then should we go sleep fake-ly?”

At some point, they had naturally begun sharing a bedroom. This path, passing through the drawing room to the inner chamber and then to the bedroom, was now as familiar to Kosha as his own home.

Only after Lucian firmly locked the bedroom door did he unlock Kosha's shackles. He first pulled Kosha's tunic off over his head and then unbuttoned his own outer garment.

While Lucian went to the bathroom to pick out scented oils and towels to wipe his hands and feet, Kosha… was reading the room. Then, when Lucian sat him on the bed and began wiping his hands and arms with a warm towel, his eyes widened again.

“Are we really just sleeping?”

“…?”

Lucian narrowed his eyes, gauging the intent behind the question. Kosha's eyes darted back and forth as if he were cautious. The tips of his soft ears were red.

Ah… Having read his inner thoughts, the corner of Lucian's mouth tilted.

“Do you want to have sex?”

“S-sex?!”

Kosha was appalled by the explicit word. He flapped his hands, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

“It is strictly, a treatment, a treatment.”

The amount of mana that ‘returned’ by melting away with a single ejaculation had been gradually decreasing and was now almost negligible. It was as if the mana had noticed the method and was intentionally avoiding it.

Still, for now, that was the only way he knew to get the mana back. Besides, wasn't Kosha in a position where he had ‘promised’ to achieve ‘detoxification’ regardless?

However, Lucian's reaction was completely different from what he expected.

“A treatment?”

“Yes?”

“Just a treatment?”

He stopped wiping Kosha's fingers, stood up abruptly, and crossed his arms.

“If someone is a person in need of treatment, could you do such a thing with anyone?”

His voice was quite aggressive. Kosha was flustered by the sudden accusation.

“N-no? How could that be!”

Kosha nodded urgently. No, in the first place, his mana control was now good, and there would be no need to make things like magic potions. Therefore, such a person would never appear.

Only then, looking satisfied, did Lucian kneel again and begin wiping Kosha's other hand with the towel. Then, he spoke in a much softer voice.

“I wasn't particularly close or affectionate with my parents, but…”

It was a somewhat random topic.

“The only teaching I received from my mother was that ‘a man must be chaste in his conduct.’”

“It was also the most meaningful teaching,” he added.

It was truly out of nowhere, and moreover, Kosha had been a virgin until he met Lucian… but since the story about his mother was quite interesting, Kosha simply nodded.

“I think so too.”

“Right? It's nice that we see eye to eye.”

Lucian smiled as he applied small amounts of scented oil to Kosha's wrists, ankles, and the nape of his neck. Then he repeated the same for his own body. He was fast. It seemed he had intentionally been slow when wiping Kosha's body.

“Your eyes are full of sleep; what sex?”

He kissed Kosha lightly on the forehead and pushed him down onto the bed.

“Just sleep for today. I'll make up for it later as much as we've missed.”

No, you don't have to go that far. Besides, mana absorption only happens once a night anyway… Kosha thought to himself. Regardless, he had enough tact not to say it out loud.

Sharing a bed became familiar faster than he expected. Since he had started sleeping away from his nanny, this was his first time sleeping with someone, so he wondered at first if it would be okay. On the contrary, it felt even better. Was it because the bed was wide and plush? Or because the body heat was warm?

His body was on the firmer side, so it hurt a bit if he accidentally pressed against him while sleeping, but in truth, even that was kind of nice.

Because… Kosha loved him.

Kosha and he… that is, they were a kind of, lovers… something like that.

Just thinking of those words made Kosha blush, and as he rubbed his face against the pillow for no reason, Lucian, lying beside him, turned toward Kosha and asked,

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing…”

They slept together, and they were obviously lovers, but, well, saying such things openly was a bit, too… Still lacking in boldness, Kosha eventually chose avoidance. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Just, uh, what kind of person is your mother?”

“My mother? My mother?”

He was actually curious. It was obvious at a glance that Lucian didn't look much like his ‘father,’ the King, but his ‘mother’ was an unknown entity. Did they look alike? Since she was someone who taught that chastity was most important, was she a strict and wise person?

“My mother is… well…”

However, Lucian's reaction was more lukewarm than expected.

“Do you resemble her a lot? Like your hair color?”

“Well, resemble… hm, but everyone in my family is originally blonde.”

He trailed off vaguely. Then, he suddenly pinched one of Kosha's cheeks.

“And what did you make of what I said earlier? I told you a man must be chaste. Are you curious about another woman already?”

“…Another ‘woman’?”

Kosha's expression became strange. No, how could his mother be a ‘woman’ to Kosha? However, Lucian nonchalantly kneaded the pinched cheek a bit.

“…There are things like that. Besides, I'm sick of having seen my father constantly playing around with women twenty years younger than him.”

As if he didn't want to say any more, he pulled Kosha tightly into his embrace. His cheek pressed against Lucian's chest. He could hear the heartbeat nearby. Kosha yawned languidly and focused on that beat, and the feeling of his own mana naturally blending into it.

“The magic potion… the remaining part, do I really have to take it all out?”

A voice half-wrapped in slumber asked in a whisper. He wasn't necessarily expecting an answer. Since they started sharing a bed, they often shared various random conversations until they fell asleep. If no answer came, they assumed the other had fallen asleep, and then they naturally followed suit.

“…I wonder. Why do you ask?”

The answer came back a bit slowly. It seemed he was also about to fall asleep.

“Just because. …Actually, I kind of like it.”

It was a time when one became honest due to being half-drunk on sleep. Kosha mumbled, rubbing his cheek against his chest with slurred pronunciation.

“If this remains, location tracking is possible. So, like my geese…”

Come to think of it, it really is like a goose. Could it be that even Lucian had become his familiar? No, that couldn't be. Creating a familiar is no ordinary task and requires a long time and devotion. Moreover, humans are far more complex creatures than geese…

After various thoughts, Kosha eventually shook his head. He was already too sleepy to handle such difficult thoughts.

“Hm, location tracking.”

A languid voice answered a beat late.

“I think that's a bit unfair. If only you can track me.”

“Really? Do you also want to know where I am and all that?”

Kosha asked in a whisper. Does he also keep wondering about me and wanting to see me? Then what should I do? Thinking that made him feel so good that his mind became hazy.

How could it be fair… what magic should I use… the Mage pondered even as he was helplessly sucked into sleep. It seemed a few of those thoughts escaped his lips unconsciously.

“…Keep talking nonsense. I told you to sleep quickly.”

He muttered, pressing his lips to the crown of Kosha's head once more. There was no further answer.

And complete silence descended within the bed shielded by thick curtains. Only the sound of the two people's steady breathing intertwined regularly.

For half an hour, it was so.

Eyes snapped open in the darkness. The blue-gray pupils, which had been a bit languid, became clear instantly with just a few blinks.

Lucian carefully limited the movement of his large frame as he sat up and checked the spot beside him. The Mage was fast asleep, his mouth slightly open. One arm was entwined with Lucian's.

As he carefully withdrew his arm and tucked the blanket in between, Kosha mumbled slightly with his lips and hugged the blanket tighter.

Under the pretext of checking if he was properly asleep, Lucian observed his face for a moment. The cheek slightly pressed against the blanket caught his eye. He had wanted to touch it once, but he was afraid to touch it recklessly for fear of waking the sensitive Mage.

Of course, he didn't have much time to waste.

Lucian moved again. No sound was made until he pushed aside the curtains draped over the bed and stood up. With his presence completely suppressed, he left the bedroom.

A few dim candles illuminated the inner chamber. As Lucian opened the bedroom door and stepped out, a man sitting in a chair stood up as if he had been waiting.

“Your Highness.”

“Eydrick.”

As was always the case when performing such missions, Eydrick was dressed like a wandering knight. A dark cloak, a plain sword, and shabby clothes with no symbols engraved on them.

“Did I disturb your sleep?”

“Not at all.”

Lucian rubbed his brow casually and threw a robe over his shirt.

Eydrick had already arrived there by the time Lucian had dragged Kosha to the bedroom.

Between him and his close aide, there were countless codes that worked without words. Just by the changed position or direction of a few objects, Lucian had already sensed Eydrick's presence in the secret space of the inner chamber.

And falling asleep briefly and recovering quickly was one of Lucian's specialties.

“I have come to give you an interim report.”

Eydrick took something out from his chest. It was a piece of paper folded neatly like a letter and sealed with wax.

“The incident suspected to be the cause is an event from about fifteen years ago. The peculiarity is that the ringleader was the King of Grafen.”

“…The current King?”

“Yes. It is presumed to be an incident the King carried out to oust his own younger brother, the Prince Regent…”

Eydrick stopped speaking and frowned.

“At that time, the Mage would have been around six years old. The records of that incident were almost completely obliterated, so there are some ambiguous parts, but for now, that is the only one where the timing matches. I've summarized the details here…”

Lucian looked down silently at the paper neatly sealed with wax for a moment. Then, he looked up and asked.