MTL NOVEL C104
Chapter 104
Why? How come his appearance transformation magic wasn’t working?
But now wasn’t the time to think about such things.
“Se-Senior, why are you here…?”
Buy time. Change the subject.
Under such determination, Amon answered the meaningless question with a disgruntled face.
“I came with the headmaster for work, but why are you here?”
“Th-That’s…”
Kaias looked at Amon with a forced smile.
Amon was still staring intently at Kaias with furrowed brows.
He was staring intensely at the ‘ceremonial robe with the imperial crest’ that Kaias was wearing.
“Wait. You, could it be…”
At Amon’s voice, which seemed to have realized something, Kai’s face turned serious, and Amon spoke with a grave expression.
“Could it be that the Straw family was a house directly serving the imperial family?”
“…Pardon?”
Kai’s mind went blank for a moment at the unexpected question.
But soon he could understand why Amon had asked such a question.
The ceremonial robe with the imperial crest.
Wearing it means one is either a member of the imperial family, that is, royalty, or a close aide serving the imperial family.
However, Amon didn’t consider at all the possibility that Kai was ‘royalty’.
To be precise, he didn’t want to think that way!
A junior he knew was actually royalty? Then what about all the disrespectful actions he had shown until now? That’s why he absolutely couldn’t accept it.
And meanwhile, Amon’s misunderstanding was an opportunity for Kai.
‘I shouldn’t reveal that I’m the crown prince yet. When we can trust each other more, only then should I reveal it to break the long-standing bad blood between our families in our generation.’
Having made up his mind, Kai boldly exclaimed.
“That’s right! Our Straw family serves the imperial family!”
“Huuuck!”
Amon covered his mouth.
‘Th-Then I’ve been saying things like I don’t know His Highness the Crown Prince to such an important family without even knowing!’
How should he apologize for his terrible rudeness!
Unconsciously, Amon instinctively bent his waist at a 45-degree angle.
“Se-Senior? Why are you suddenly bending your waist?”
“My waist is naturally like this?”
“…”
Amon, whose only remaining pride as a senior was maintaining his way of speaking!
Realizing this fact, Kai reaffirmed his resolve.
‘For now, I absolutely must not let anyone know I’m the crown prince.’
If Amon were to learn the truth, he would surely faint on the spot.
Anyway, after successfully deceiving Amon, Kai realized the immediate problem at hand.
‘So how should I act now? Mother called for me, which means I need to enter the detached palace as the crown prince. Then what about having deceived Senior Amon?’
The situation had become complicated!
While swallowing his saliva, Kai carefully observed Amon’s reaction and spoke.
“Um, Senior Amon?”
“Yes, no. What?”
After confirming that the appearance transformation magic was definitely working, Kai spoke with an awkward smile.
“Doesn’t my face look a bit strange today?”
“What? Your face?”
“Yes…Like, different from usual.”
“Hmm? Uh, hmm.”
After examining Kai’s face from various angles, Amon tilted his head.
“It doesn’t look any different from usual?”
“R-Really?”
“No, wait. You’ve lost weight?”
“…”
At Amon’s natural response, Kai slightly turned around and used magic.
After confirming that the appearance transformation magic was cast on his face again, Kai spoke to Amon once more.
“How about now?”
“What? Did you just put something on your face?”
“…”
Kai found this situation difficult to understand.
‘Is he unable to recognize the appearance transformation magic itself…?’
While Kai was trying to confirm a few things in this shocking situation, Amon waved his hand dismissively as if this wasn’t the time and said.
“Hey, this isn’t the time for this. His Highness the Crown Prince is coming soon.”
Amon, who had that very Crown Prince right in front of him, lowered his voice and spoke.
“So you should hurry along your way too, don’t accidentally run into His Highness the Crown Prince. It’ll be chaotic with all the attendants following and such.”
“…Ah.”
Finally emerging from his shock, Kai cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem! That’s why I’m here.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain the details once we’re inside.”
To overcome this situation, Kai took the lead and entered the detached palace.
Soon after, Victoria, who was sitting face to face with Anar’el in the back garden of the detached palace, turned her head when she saw two young men approaching from afar.
‘Hm? Is Kaias coming in together with the young man from the Drake family?’
Thinking this, Victoria opened her mouth while looking at Kaiyas.
“You’ve come, Crown Pri…”
Victoria, who abruptly closed her mouth, narrowed her eyes.
She had noticed that appearance transformation magic was overlaid on Kaias face.
If Reinbelt could recognize it, there was no way she, the emperor’s teacher, wouldn’t be able to.
‘What’s this? Why has Kaias come like this?’
Even the empress, who had turned the mother Kraken worshipped by the Gunter Island Alliance into lavish octopus sashimi while leading her lady-in-waiting corps, was taken aback by this unexpected situation.
Therefore, while she was hesitating with her words held back, it was Anar’el, sitting opposite Victoria, who reacted immediately.
“Teacher Kai? Why is Teacher Kai here…?”
Seeing that reaction, Kai was certain.
‘As expected, the transformation magic works properly on everyone except Senior Amon. Mother’s expression shows she can recognize the magic itself too.’
The mystery about Amon, who couldn’t even sense the presence of transformation magic, only deepened at that moment.
Anyway, now wasn’t the time to think but to act.
Kai, who made a respectful bow, spoke in an affected voice.
“The eldest son of the Straw viscounty, Kai, presents himself before Her Majesty the Empress!”
“…Huh?”
At Kai’s sudden proclamation, the empress wore a blank expression, and Kai shot a desperate look toward the empress.
‘Mother!’
‘Ka-Kaias? What in the world is this situation?’
‘Please go along with me for now!’
The empress’s face contorted at Kai’s pleading gaze.
‘You went to Amonis Academy and only learned strange things!’
Though she wanted to tell him to forget about past grudges and everything else, there must be a reason for the usually brilliant crown prince to act like this.
The empress, who let out a deep sigh, nodded.
“Seeing that you’ve come, I suppose something must have come up that prevented the crown prince from coming?”
The empress had the ability not just to go along but to actively create the story.
Kai, who momentarily broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly jumped on Victoria’s words.
“Ye-Yes, that is correct.”
“I thought as much. Really, that crown prince, I don’t know what’s so fascinating about fiddling with those bugs that he’s so absorbed in it.”
“…Pardon?”
Kai’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
‘Mo-Mother? What do you mean I fiddle with bugs?’
At that moment, he could read Victoria’s eyes twinkling with mischief.
Before Kai, who had realized this fact, could open his mouth to say something, Victoria quickly continued speaking.
“Child of the Straw family, since you serve the crown prince, please give him some advice too. Every other day he’s fiddling with bugs and giggling, do you think that’s proper behavior for a crown prince?”
At those words, Anar’el recoiled in disgust.
“Ugh, His Highness the Crown Prince has such a hobby?”
“Oh my, don’t even mention it. He enjoys poking and prodding at weird caterpillars and venomous insects wiggling around, I don’t know what to do as his mother.”
“Eek! Even venomous insects…?”
Amon also frowned and muttered.
“Wow, that’s a bit…”
Even Amon, who had lived rolling around with monsters in the Arma Mountains, doesn’t particularly like insects.
That’s why Amon was looking at Kai with sympathetic eyes.
‘To serve such a crown prince, you must really have it tough in various ways.’
That sympathetic gaze drilling into the back of Kai’s head!
Kai, who could feel his reputation deteriorating in real-time, hastily spoke
“Yo-Your Majesty the Empress. His Highness the Crown Prince has no such hobby.”
“Do you want to defend him so much because you’re bug-fiddling buddies?”
Amon and Anar’el were shocked.
“Te-Teacher Kai too!”
“Good heavens! That fellow, to think he had such a hobby!”
Seeing the two people trembling with shock, Kai’s eyes rolled back.
“Your Majesty the Empress! What are you saying!”
“It’s a joke. There’s no way the crown prince and you would have such a hobby.”
“Phew…”
“You’ve both recently changed your hobby to eating bugs instead!”
“What did you say!?”
This time, all three—Kai, Amon, and Anar’el—were shocked simultaneously.
“Yo-You eat bugs?”
“Surely you don’t eat them alive…?”
“They eat them raw!”
“Eeek!”
Terror rose in Amon and Anar’el’s gazes as they looked at Kai.
And by this point, Kai was coldly serious.
“Moth…Your Majesty the Empress, I think your joke has gone too far.”
Victoria smiled brightly at her son’s serious tone.
“Yes, let’s stop the jokes here. I just made too many jokes because I felt disappointed that the crown prince couldn’t come.”
“…He’ll come ag…He will come again.”
“Hoho, yes. I understand. You may withdraw now.”
Kai bowed his head in respect again.
“Yesh. I shall withdraw now.”
“Hohoho, yes. Yes.”
Kai turned sharply and left the detached palace, and only after the bug-eating Kai disappeared did Anar’el, who finally let out a sigh of relief, wipe his cold sweat and speak.
“Whew…I was really shocked for a moment, thinking it was true that His Highness the Crown Prince and Teacher Kai shared bugs to eat.”
“Hoho, Anar’el is still as innocent as ever.”
“Victoria is the same as ever too. Even though it doesn’t seem like you would, you always tell lies at every opportunity…”
The simple-minded elf used to suffer from numerous pranks while traveling with Victoria.
“Anyway, it’s a shame. I wanted to introduce you to the crown prince while you were here.”
“Hmm…”
Anar’el observed Amon’s expression.
Though she thought he might be disappointed that the meeting with the crown prince had fallen through, fortunately, Amon’s face showed that he was relieved not to have met the bug-eating crown prince.
Anar’el, who patted her chest in relief, said.
“It can’t be helped. There will be another good opportunity next time.”
“Hohoho, yes.”
“Then Victoria, it was nice to see you after so long. Let’s meet again soon.”
“Soon…Are you speaking in elven time perception?”
“Ahaha. No, soon in human time perception.”
Victoria smiled brightly and stood up.
“Yes, then. I should head out soon…”
Victoria suddenly stopped speaking and turned her head.
It was because she sensed a familiar presence.
“Gr-Grrrr!”
There was the emperor, foaming at the mouth while glaring at Amon, having somehow heard that Anar’el had come.
“…Anar’el.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll hold him back, so hurry and run away.”
“Yes, Victoria.”
Amon and Anar’el fled hurriedly, hearing the emperor’s screams from behind—”Kyaaak! My wife! Today I will surely tear that bastard to pieces…!”
* * *
Returning to the headmaster’s office, Anar’el spoke wearily.
“Sigh, I don’t understand why there’s such an uproar every time I visit.”
Amon also nodded while sighing.
“Indeed. I don’t know what crime I’ve committed for him to act like that.”
“You really have no idea?”
Though of course he knew about the countless grudges accumulated since the previous generation, he pretended not to know and said.
“I’m just wrongfully accused.”
“…By the way, it’s a shame. It was a chance to meet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“No, I have no desire to meet His Highness the Crown Prince who chomps down on live bugs.”
“Victoria said it was a joke.”
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? She must have made such jokes because he does similar things…”
“Could that be? Well, Victoria has never made jokes without reason…”
At that time, Kai was outside the headmaster’s office, listening to that conversation and sobbing with his fist in his mouth.
“Anyway, Teacher Amon.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
“Hohoho! It’s finally here!”
“Something’s here again. But until when will things just keep coming?”
Despite Amon’s criticism, Anar’el resolutely pointed at the mountain of academy promotional flyers piled up behind her and shouted.
“Finally, from tomorrow we can start promoting the academy in earnest!”
At those words, Amon let out an exclamation.
“Ah! We’re going to fail again!”
“…”