How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 142

Nihil rubbed his face in exasperation at Carus’s ridiculous misunderstanding.

“From the very beginning. I was never one of ‘them.’ Why on earth did you mistake me for one of ‘them’? No, more importantly, how much do you actually know about ‘them’?”

“They use their contractors’ mana to manipulate nature!”

“…And?”

“That’s all I know!”

His answer was so confident that Nihil briefly thought he’d been given some sort of impressive response.

“Teacher, didn’t you say you were a scholar?”

“There are no records about ‘them,’ only about their contractors.”

“…I’ll tell you in advance: I don’t know how to make a contract with those guys.”

“What?! Then what are we supposed to do?”

“What do you mean, what? Your mother must have left behind records, right? We should look through those.”

“But I can’t read them! Still, I believed you would translate them for me, my dear friend, so I’ve gathered everything together!”

“…Aren’t you being a little shameless? And how did you organize something when you don’t even know what’s in it?”

“I found all of it and stacked it neatly.”

“…….”

“So, when would you be able to visit? There is enough material to keep you occupied for several days…”

“Teacher, where did your conscience go?”

“Is it really necessary?”

“…….”

Behind those large, round glasses, his turquoise eyes gleamed with madness. Feeling rather overwhelmed by that gaze, Nihil gave his cheeks a few light slaps.

“Teacher, I’m not going anywhere and leaving the child behind. Is there no way to bring the records outside?”

“Unfortunately… no. They cannot be taken even a single step outside the estate. I tried once when I was young, but… they burst into flames.”

Carus gave a bitter smile, saying that he had never made a mistake as painful as that one.

“Copying them is impossible, either. Whenever I tried to read and write them down, the paper tore. I even tried carving them onto sturdy wooden boards, but they were destroyed regardless of the method.”

“…I suppose I’ll have to go there myself.”

It seemed the wind spirits were directly interfering with the records.

“Teacher, it would be troublesome if rumors spread that the Marquess’s family supports Rian. Make arrangements so the child can officially visit.”

Carus thought about it for a moment before speaking, sounding somewhat displeased.

“There is an occasion, but…”

“…What is it?”

“Our adorable and beloved youngest, Cara, has a birthday coming up. However…”

“However?”

“It’s still a month and a half away. Should I move her birthday celebration forward?”

“…Why would you do that?”

“But, my dear friend! It’s still a month and a half away! How am I supposed to survive until then without withering away?!”

Nihil repeatedly smacked Carus’s whining mouth before hopping down from his arms.

“I have plenty of things to do, too. Just wait.”

“Then… I suppose there’s no helping it. You must bring a birthday present for our Cara, all right?”

“…Fine.”

What do children like these days?

 

***

 

Late in the afternoon, after all the guests had left and dinner was over, an apothecary came to the Second Prince’s Palace.

“H-Hello, Y-Your Highness! I-I-I am L-Lima!”

“Mm, Li-Lima. Nice to meet you.”

“N-No. It’s Lima! I’m sorry. I-I’m just s-so nervous…”

“Okay, come with me. I’ll introduce you to my friend.”

Rianus took Lima by the hand and led him upstairs. His dear friend still couldn’t come out because of his ears and tail.

At first, Rianus had wondered why an apothecary had suddenly arrived. But since they couldn’t publicly reveal that Nihil was the one making the medicine, it seemed His Majesty had found someone to serve as a substitute.

“Neil, the apothecary is here.”

When he opened the bedroom door, he found Nihil staring intently at his tail while gripping it tightly.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter with your tail?”

“…Nothing.”

Nihil had been contemplating cutting his tail off before the boy arrived, but in the end, he hadn’t managed to get rid of it. He finally stood up.

“H-Hello. M-My name is Lima.”

Nihil tilted his head as he looked at the boy, who appeared to be in his teens. He sensed a quiet yet sharp presence about him, something he wouldn’t normally feel from an ordinary person.

“An assassin?”

At those words, Evan drew his sword. The little kitten, instead of thinking about protecting himself, hurriedly threw his arms around Nihil.

“…Y-Yes? W-What do you mean by that?”

Ignoring Lima’s stammering, Nihil picked up Rianus, who was trying to shield him, and gently patted him as he continued speaking.

“It would have been fine to send an ordinary apothecary, you know.”

At that, the bewildered expression vanished from the boy’s face. In its place came a flat, emotionless voice.

“The contract period is three months. Unless you express your intention to terminate the contract fifteen days before its expiration, it will automatically renew for one month at a time. The employment fee will publicly be equivalent to an apothecary’s salary. Any additional expenses related to confidentiality and other matters will be borne by the client.”

Nihil nodded indifferently. It seemed the child’s father had hired someone from the Assassin’s Guild while avoiding the Queen’s attention. Most people wouldn’t expect an assassin to be stationed nearby, so it was certainly an effective way to catch an enemy off guard.

“The contract?”

“A magical contract.”

“Hand it over.”

Lima took two documents from inside his clothes and handed them over: the contract and a blank contract.

“The client has the other half of the contract. If you have any additional requirements, you may negotiate them and draw up a supplementary contract using the blank one. The client will bear those additional costs as well. I’ve already soaked the blank contract with my blood, so you can fill it out and hand me one half.”

Nihil skimmed through the contract. There were unusually extensive confidentiality clauses. The child’s father had been thorough about everything he could think of, so there wasn’t much to add. However, Nihil wrote in an additional clause restricting access.

Lima watched him closely before speaking.

“The client recommended adding a bodyguard assignment as a supplementary contract.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Isn’t this a magical contract? If I violate its terms, my heart will explode.”

“That only works on someone who wants to stay alive.”

“…….”

Nihil fed his own blood into the supplementary contract he had written, tore it in half, and handed one piece to Lima.

“Don’t go above the second floor for personal reasons unless you’re summoned. Do you have any knowledge of medicine or pharmaceuticals?”

“…No.”

“I’ll prepare the medicine separately and send it down. If there are any servants who might be keeping an eye on you, make an additional list and bring it to me.”

“Understood.”

After giving him the usual courtesy of telling him to ask if he needed anything, Nihil called for the head maid. Perry flinched when she saw Lima, but quickly composed herself and spoke calmly.

“You called for me?”

“This is a temporary apothecary we’ve hired. Show him where he’ll be staying.”

“Understood.”

“Lima, you’re permitted to move around the palace as long as you’re accompanied by the head maid.”

After giving those instructions, Nihil handed over the emergency medicines he had prepared and sent the two of them away.

Evan, who had been watching silently with his sword still drawn, awkwardly stood there for a moment before clicking it back into its sheath.

“…I didn’t know you could be so cold toward a child.”

“I dislike those who lack vitality.”

Especially those who would so readily give up their own lives.

“Doggy.”

“…….”

Evan debated whether to ignore the white wildcat that had stealthily crept into his room late at night. In the end, he sat up.

He hadn’t even been asleep, but the brat had managed to approach right beside him without making a sound. Evan had only barely managed to suppress a scream when Nihil finally called out to him.

“…What?”

“About your awakening…”

“My awakening?”

He had come all the way here in the middle of the night just to talk about that?

Evan pouted, making no effort to hide his displeasure. Meanwhile, the white wildcat was trying to climb onto his bed, so Evan promptly picked him up and sat him on his lap. Then he began stroking his head.

Truthfully, he wanted to touch those ears.

Evan was so fascinated by the cat ears attached to the boy’s head that he absentmindedly fiddled with them as he answered.

“Are you talking about that wolf bastard or dog bastard or whatever?”

“…I never put it quite like that.”

“Whatever. What about it?”

“I was going to find another member of the Moonfang Clan and get help with your awakening, but…”

“And?”

“…Apparently, the clan was wiped out.”

“……?”

Evan raised one eyebrow, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

“When?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but… roughly three hundred years ago.”

“…I see.”

Well, fine. I suppose my ancestors could have been wiped out.

He had lived his entire life without knowing anything about the Moonfang Clan in the first place, so it wasn’t particularly important to him.

Evan muttered that it was more remarkable that their bloodline had survived at all, then flopped back onto the bed.

But a moment later, something occurred to him, and he sprang upright again.

“Hey!”

“……?”

“Give me back my kwa!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb! Give it back right now!”

“I don’t remember taking your kwa.”

“You woke up in the middle of your sleep and took it!”

Evan shook Nihil vigorously. That wildcat really did lie every time he opened his mouth.

“I really don’t remember. Besides, I couldn’t have known whether I took it since you weren’t in pain. And even if I had taken your kwa, I couldn’t return it even if I wanted to.”

Once breaths had mingled, they couldn’t be separated again.

“Of course I’m not in pain! That’s because I took the medicine you gave me! You thieving wildcat!”

Evan shouted in frustration. Nihil merely tilted his head calmly.

“You took the medicine?”

“Yes!”

“Then how are you moving?”

Evan shook Nihil a few more times before abruptly freezing.

“…What… are you talking about?”

“If you took it, you shouldn’t be able to move.”

“You… What exactly did you give me?”

“I gave you something strong so you’d stay in bed and rest quietly.”

“…….”

“That’s why you shouldn’t accept just anything people give you.”

Was that really something the person who gave it to him should be saying?

“So even sleeping incense doesn’t work well on you, and neither does paralytic poison?”

“…….”

“You won’t have to worry about dying from poison somewhere, then. Congratulations.”

“…….”

Evan stared blankly, utterly dumbfounded, before lying back down on the bed. A small hand naturally pulled the blanket over his body, then began patting him.

“…Stop patting me.”

The sulking little puppy slapped away the hand patting him, but Nihil paid no attention. He continued patting him and smoothly changed the subject.

“Anyway, since the Moonfang Clan members who could help you have been wiped out, I intend to delay your awakening as much as possible.”

“How are you going to delay it?”

“If I prevent your mana heart from growing…”

“Why would you do that?!”

Evan shouted in frustration and sat up again.

Nihil continued speaking to soothe the puppy, who looked terribly aggrieved.

“Instead, I’ll keep training your physical strength. Your mana capacity is already considerable, so if you develop your physical abilities and gain some experience, you’ll become quite useful.”

“…I don’t want to be merely useful.”

The puppy whined. His behavior was hardly any different from Evan II.

At the moment, Evan II had been temporarily entrusted to a maid who was about to give birth. Small, cute things were good for one’s mental well-being, after all.

Thinking about it that way, perhaps the first Evan, who was neither small nor cute, was even less helpful than the second…

“…Still, if His Highness might be in danger, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Even while sulking, the puppy was mature enough to face reality. Now that he was a little older, he seemed marginally better than Evan II.

That was a relief.

“Once you awaken, reaching the level of a Master shouldn’t be particularly difficult. That’s why I needed someone who could help you control your awakening rampage.”

“…I see.”

That additional explanation seemed to improve the puppy’s mood a little. Nihil smiled contentedly, then gently pushed Evan back down and tucked the blanket over him. He could feel Evan’s gaze fixed on his tail, but he ignored it.

“Wait.”

“……?”

Nihil had finished saying everything he needed to say and was about to turn around and leave when his wrist was caught again.

“But… didn’t you say you’d met a member of the Moonfang Clan before?”

“…….”

“If they were wiped out about three hundred years ago… then… when did you meet them?”

“…….”

Faced with that sharp question, Nihil quietly lowered his eyes. This brat was unnecessarily perceptive. He should have simply forgotten their previous conversation.

Nihil gently slipped his wrist free and hurriedly made a run for it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to take more than a few steps before someone grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him into the air.

“…What a shame to have such short legs.”

How had he ended up with legs this short?

“You…”

Before Evan could say anything, Nihil stealthily curled his tail around Evan’s wrist.

“…….”

Evan opened and closed his mouth a few times, apparently finding the situation utterly ridiculous. In the end, however, he said nothing.

It seemed he really did like the tail.

I’ll have to cut it off for him later.