How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 27

Rianus froze with his hand suspended in midair, while Carus’s face turned deathly pale.

Evan, meanwhile, panicked, wondering what kind of trouble the wildcat had gotten himself into this time and what kind of nonsense he was spouting.

“W-What do you mean, someone’s eyes got gouged out?!”

“I misspoke. Watch your language in front of the kid.”

“Weren’t you the one who said it first? And don’t change the subject! What could you possibly have meant to say that came out like that?!”

“I told you I misspoke. Apologize.”

“I don’t need an apology. Just explain what the hell you’re talking about!”

Evan ranted furiously, but Nihil seemed unwilling to listen. He picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor, wrapped himself up in it from head to toe, and abruptly turned over to lie down.

He looked just like a caterpillar curled up to protect itself.

Evan tried to yank the blanket away, but the little brat was surprisingly strong. He would sooner lift the entire bundle than manage to take the blanket away from him. Evan shook the caterpillar back and forth, but when the little kitten’s eyes started wobbling along with it, he finally gave up and set Nihil down beside Rianus again.

The little kitten carefully lifted the head of the wildcat who had turned into a caterpillar and rested it on his lap.

When Rianus timidly pulled back the blanket, Nihil relaxed his grip and revealed his face, unlike when Evan had tried to uncover him.

Frustrated that all his efforts had been in vain, Evan flopped down onto the sofa, let out a hollow laugh, and propped his chin on his hand.

Afraid his friend might hide under the blanket again, Rianus cautiously spoke up.

“Neil. Were you talking about when you got that scratch on your cheek?”

The eyes that resembled the night sky slowly blinked up at Rianus.

“Don’t worry. I won’t get hurt like that again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t you tell me why it happened?”

“……”

“Hm?”

Nihil quietly met the gaze of the two differently colored eyes looking at him with concern. Then he raised a hand and covered Rianus’s eyes.

Confused by the sudden darkness, Rianus nevertheless remained still and waited for his friend to speak.

Nihil turned his head slightly and met Carus’s eyes.

“Rian.”

“Yeah?”

“My eyesight is exceptionally good…”

“Yeah.”

“I can see things I shouldn’t see, too.”

“Things you… shouldn’t see?”

“That’s right. Your eyesight is good, too, so if you ever happen to see more than you should, tell me.”

“Okay. I will.”

“Even if you’re curious, never go peeking where you shouldn’t.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t listen, either.”

“Okay.”

“If you happen to see or hear something anyway, don’t let anyone catch you.”

“Okay. I’ll remember.”

Nihil watched Rianus obediently nod along, then removed his hand from the boy’s eyes. With his vision suddenly restored, Rianus blinked several times to adjust to the light.

The conversation made little sense given the situation, but Carus understood what Nihil was implying through his calm words. Nihil had peeked at something to confirm something on Carus’s behalf, only to be discovered and nearly harmed as a result.

He was indirectly warning Carus that digging too deeply into this matter would be dangerous.

“Teacher.”

Nihil had already risen and approached Carus, calling to him quietly.

Without realizing it, Carus lowered himself into a crouch in front of Nihil. It was a habit he had picked up from talking to his younger siblings.

“Yes, my young friend.”

“When the time comes… No, next time I ask, invite me to your estate. In the meantime, absolutely do not try to learn magic.”

“I understand.”

“And there’s one last thing I’m going to tell you about your mother.”

“…About my mother?”

“Never tell anyone about it, and don’t go looking for answers yourself. Just carry on as though you know nothing. Otherwise, your mother’s efforts could all go to waste.”

Carus’s turquoise eyes widened behind his round glasses. He had never imagined he would hear something about his mother from someone else.

“If you promise, I’ll tell you.”

“I promise! I swear I won’t tell anyone or investigate anything!”

Carus’s expression grew solemn, as though he were making a grave oath.

Nihil grabbed Carus by the collar and pulled him closer, then whispered carefully into his ear.

Very quietly. Quiet enough that his voice wouldn’t reach the spirits that might be lurking somewhere in the room.

His warm breath tickled Carus’s ear.

“Your mother was…”

A spirit mage.

People who had been hunted and slaughtered because they were mistakenly believed to control monsters. They had been wiped out so long ago that they were now mentioned only as villains in fairy tales.

A new generation of these people, who had survived by huddling together and hiding, was waiting to awaken.

 

***

 

Carus’s face grew deathly pale as he listened to what Nihil had told him. As a scholar, he knew all too well how spirit mages had been treated and how they had vanished from the pages of history.

Nihil reminded him once again to remember his warning. Carus nodded solemnly, as though he had made up his mind, then bid Rianus farewell and left.

“Neil, what did you talk about?”

As soon as the marquess had gone, Rianus hurried over and pressed himself against Nihil before whispering the question.

There was no need to whisper unless it concerned spirits, yet the little prince was still being so careful that Nihil couldn’t help letting out a quiet chuckle.

“Rian, I can’t tell you anything yet. I’ll explain when the time comes.”

“Was it about that ancient language Carus’s mother used to say? Wait, you said it wasn’t an ancient language, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t translate the sentence for him. I told him something else instead.”

“But how did you know that language?”

“Rian, just as my eyesight is good, my hearing is good, too. Remember that. If you ever see or hear more than you should, make sure you tell me.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Even Rianus, who wasn’t particularly perceptive, realized this was a continuation of their earlier conversation and didn’t press him any further.

His friend had exceptionally good eyes and ears. Just as he had seen something he shouldn’t have, he must have heard something he wasn’t supposed to hear.

Don’t look. Don’t listen. If you see or hear anything, tell Neil.

Nihil watched Rianus quietly muttering the instructions to himself, as though committing them to memory. After a moment’s thought, he smiled gently and called to him.

“Rian.”

“Hmm?”

“Shall we play now?”

At the suggestion, Rianus’s eyes widened, then began to sparkle. The corners of his mouth lifted into a bright, innocent smile.

Nihil smiled back, but his smile was so pretty that a cold sweat trickled down Evan’s back.

Whenever the wildcat smiled like that, Evan felt a creeping sense of dread. It was as if he were making preparations behind the scenes before causing trouble.

“Neil, what are we going to play?”

The little kitten, growing excited at the prospect of playing, began urging him to hurry. Nihil took Rianus by the hand and led him to the sofa.

“We’re going to play blind man’s buff. Since it’s your first time, I’ll simplify the rules a little.”

“Blind man’s buff?”

“It’s a game like tag. The person who’s it closes their eyes and tries to catch someone. Have you ever played tag?”

“Um, no.”

Nihil briefly explained how to play blind man’s buff.

He had deliberately chosen a game that required someone to cover their eyes because he wanted to test the extent of Rianus’s sensory abilities.

The innocent prince had no idea. He simply listened eagerly, eyes shining at the thought of playing with his friend. When the explanation ended, he tilted his head.

“But Neil, are only three people playing?”

Having naturally included his own knight among the players, Rianus gazed up at Evan.

Evan hadn’t expected to be included, so he regretted letting the rules go in one ear and out the other.

“This game is more fun with lots of people. Let’s get a few more. The butler is on vacation right now, so he must be bored. I’m shy about talking to people I don’t know well, so you can explain the rules for me.”

Nihil smiled sweetly as he spun his little lie.

Evan’s mouth fell open.

Shy? Who? The wildcat? The brat who didn’t care in the slightest what other people thought of him?

“Neil, you’re really shy, aren’t you?”

“……”

Unlike the horrified Evan, the innocent little kitten took Nihil’s words at face value and nodded.

“I’ll explain it properly! The person who’s it closes their eyes and tries to find the next person to tag, right? Everyone else can move around within the designated area and clap their hands to help them find us?”

“That’s right. If you run around somewhere with lots of obstacles, the person who’s it might get hurt, so we have to make sure nobody runs.”

“Okay, got it!”

Nihil considered where they should play, then dragged Rianus and Evan toward the butler’s office. Along the way, he also rounded up two maids, a cook, and a coachman.

“Y-Your Highness, what brings you all the way here…?”

The butler, who had been personally demonstrating his defiance of orders by working during his time off, hurriedly tried to hide the documents he had been reading when Rianus appeared.

“I came to play, Butler. Are you busy? Why are you in your office if you’re on vacation?”

“B-Busy? Of course not! I’m on vacation right now, you see. Ha ha…”

“Right? Then let’s play together!”

Cold sweat trickled down the butler’s back. Behind Rianus, Nihil smiled sweetly at him.

And so the butler’s office was transformed into Rianus’s playground. It wasn’t particularly spacious, but it contained only the essential furniture, so there was enough room to play.

As they had discussed, Nihil would be the first person to be it.

Smiling sweetly, Nihil mouthed something to Rianus without making a sound.

Rian, I’m going to catch you.

Reading his lips, Rianus’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly scurried away.

You’d better run.

With that final warning, Nihil covered his eyes with a piece of black cotton cloth.

The moment his eyes were covered, he heard hurried footsteps moving all around him. The light, bouncy footsteps belonged to Rianus.

Nihil stood still, looking down at the floor as he slowly tapped it with the tips of his toes.

Tap, tap, tap…

Once, twice, three times…

After hearing ten taps, Nihil raised his head.

Then he began to move.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he headed straight toward Rianus.

The servants clapped and made a racket to distract him, hoping to keep their prince from being caught, but their efforts were utterly useless.

As he hurried away, Rianus called out, “Neil, can you actually see through that cloth?”

Nihil merely smiled and tapped his ear.

“H-How can you follow only me, even with such good hearing?! It’s so noisy in here!”

The maids burst into giggles.

Standing motionless at one side of the office, Evan marveled at Nihil’s sharp senses. He already knew from experience that the boy had excellent hearing, but tracking a single person’s movements through all this commotion required more than just good ears. At this point, the claim that there was a hole in the blindfold and Nihil could see everything would have been more convincing.

Still smiling without answering, Nihil pointed at his nose.

Unless they were in a very large space, it wasn’t difficult to locate the direction of Rianus’s faint forest scent in a room this small.

“I smell?!”

Rianus stopped running, his mouth falling open in shock. He seemed to have forgotten that he smelled like a forest.

“Your Highness, that boy can smell your forest scent.”

When the little kitten was too stunned by the revelation that he had a scent to move, Evan hurried to clear up the misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, his explanation only shocked the servants even more.

Following someone by their scent? That’s practically a beast cub!

This incident lent considerable weight to the theory that the prince’s friend was a beastman.