Kays Translations

Chapter 42: A Secret Between Two

The men who had caused the disturbance were taken away by the guards. Anyone who created trouble at the racetrack was barred from returning for a time, even if he was a noble. House Heine’s high standing made it possible to enforce such a rule.

That also meant only a limited number of territories could safely operate a racetrack. A lesser noble might cooperate with a more powerful house, but unless the two were on excellent terms, disputes would be inevitable.

Perhaps the competing racetracks we had feared wouldn’t spread very far after all. If so, House Heine would continue making a great deal of money.

“Julius, what was that?” Caro asked in a low voice.

She was clearly curious about the spell I had used. It would be safer to tell her and ask her to keep it secret.

“I cast a spell called Hold.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Was it a spell that didn’t exist in this world? That seemed unlikely.

“It’s a rather unusual form of magic, so I’m not surprised you don’t know it.”

“I see.”

Caro appeared to accept the explanation, although she was still clinging to my arm and trembling slightly. She must still have been frightened. I decided not to pull away yet.

I was relieved that we were both still children. If we had been older, having her pressed so closely against my arm might have been embarrassing.

Father was bowing to His Majesty, no doubt apologising for the disturbance. If the King judged the racetrack unsafe, he might order it closed.

Still, His Majesty seemed to enjoy wagering too much to ban the races outright. The nobles who had caused the trouble were far more likely to suffer. They could never have imagined the King was present; only a handful of people in the Heine Margraviate even knew of his visit.

Once the commotion ended, Chloe finally turned away from the captured men. Then she saw us and froze.

“Hey! What do the two of you think you’re doing?”

“What?”

It was a complete misunderstanding. Rosalia and Caro were holding my arms because they had been frightened, but Chloe had apparently interpreted the scene very differently. It reminded me uncomfortably of Brother Alex, Daniela, and Hilda.

“What’s wrong, Julius? Well, well. It seems you’ve found yourself in quite a situation too.”

Brother Alex had heard my cry and come over—though Daniela and Hilda were each holding one of his arms.

Was this what a love triangle looked like? Rosalia was my sister, of course, but that still left two girls apparently competing for my remaining arm.

“Brother Alex, it isn’t what you think. Rosalia and Caro were frightened by the fight.”

“Oh, is that all?” Chloe’s voice immediately returned to normal. Apparently, she had realised her mistake.

“I see. Julius really is dependable,” Alex said. “I wish you could have seen him bring down the wyvern.”

“A wyvern?” Chloe exclaimed.

Rosalia flinched and tightened her grip.

“Brother Alex, please stop. Rosalia is still frightened by what happened.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Alex raised one hand in a casual apology, but I was certain he had mentioned it deliberately. Perhaps he wanted Chloe or Caro to become interested in me so that he would have a companion in misery.

That was unfair. He shouldn’t drag me into his problems.

“Julius, tell me about the wyvern,” Chloe demanded.

“Later. Look, the next race is about to begin.”

I managed to divert her attention for the moment, but the tactic stopped working once we returned to the mansion.

There, everyone separated into different salons. Father took His Majesty to the finest salon in the manor, while Alex and his companions used the next most prestigious room.

Daniela and Hilda were once again smiling at each other so sharply that sparks might have flown between them. I had no desire to enter that room, so the younger children took refuge in another open salon.

“I suppose Brother Alex has his own difficulties,” I said, drinking a glass of cold juice brought by a servant.

The coolness of the summer resort was a blessing. Even at the height of the season, the salon remained comfortable.

“Are you really in a position to say that?” Brother Cain asked with a wry smile.

He might have had a point. I was beginning to envy him.

“Tell me about the wyvern,” Chloe said again.

“I can, but some people may not want to hear it.”

I glanced at Rosalia and Caro. Rosalia had gone pale, but Caro looked more curious than afraid.

“You should tell them,” Cain said.

He led Rosalia to a sofa farther away. She followed without protest, clearly relieved not to hear the story again.

With only Chloe, Caro, and me at the table, I described the attack.

“Wind Blade? How could you use such advanced magic?” Chloe exclaimed.

Caro showed little reaction. After seeing me cast an unfamiliar spell without chanting, perhaps she had already accepted that I could do unusual things.

“Can you use any other amazing spells?” Chloe asked.

“What sort of spell do you mean?”

I should have studied this world’s magic more carefully. Because I had focused almost entirely on magic potions, I knew far too little about ordinary spellcraft. From now on, I would need to research both magic and magic tools.

“What about something like a Fireball?”

“Probably. To be honest, I don’t know everything I can use.”

“You don’t know?”

“My tutor has only taught me elementary magic. He says I must be able to cast elementary spells smoothly before moving on.”

I spread my hands as if there were nothing I could do. It wasn’t a lie; my tutor truly had made me practise nothing but elementary spells.

“It’s the same for me,” Chloe said.

“Even in the royal family?”

“Yes. Repeatedly using elementary magic improves control. They won’t teach us intermediate spells until we can manage that safely.”

That made sense. If a child mishandled a powerful intermediate spell, the damage could be tremendous.

“Then how did you learn advanced magic?” Chloe pressed. “Caro wants to know too, don’t you?”

She was trying to recruit Caro to her side.

“I’m curious,” Caro replied, glancing at me, “but Julius may have secrets he can’t tell anyone.”

Her expression clearly said, This is a secret between the two of us.

She had discovered my weakness and knew it.

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