Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 182

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 182   Circumstances of the royal family

As I casually glanced around, it seemed that the knights’ situation was not favorable. The unfamiliarity of the mission within the cave and the surreal circumstances seemed to be overwhelming them. Suddenly bombarded with terms like magic, magical power, demons, and Crimson Day, it was understandable that they couldn’t easily believe it. Time was running short. If only there were more time to train and practice magical powers and magic, their mindset might be different. Many remained skeptical.

“I…,” Dominic suddenly murmured.

“Huh? Is something wrong?”

“…Am I doing well?”

“How would I know? From my perspective, you’re doing more than fine.”

Dominic let out a small sigh, seeming relieved.

“This is the first time I’ve been entrusted with such a major task by His Majesty.”

“…You seem quite fitting for royalty, Dominic.”

“Did you hear that from my father?”

“Yeah.”

“I see… It’s not something I’m trying to hide, but I thought it might make things awkward if I declared myself as royalty. I deliberately didn’t mention it. I apologize.”

“It’s okay. No need to. You don’t have to tell everything… I’m the same, after all.”

I, too, had a mountain of things I was hiding from Dominic. I had kept the secret of my magic until today. It didn’t necessarily mean that everything needed to be disclosed. Perhaps I just wanted to believe that.

“I lacked the talents in swordsmanship, academic studies, and politics compared to my siblings. As the youngest, I have no claim to the throne, but being a member of the royal family is undeniable. I lived freely, but there were many restrictions. Many disapproved of me, saying that even without the right to inherit the throne, I should behave like royalty. However, with my nature, it was challenging. After all, unless one achieves remarkable feats, the right to become king is not easily obtained. I often wondered what I should strive for.”

While the circumstances and positions were different, Dominic might be similar to me. I had admired magic, but on Earth, it didn’t exist, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t use it. Dominic might have shared the same struggle. There was a dream that no matter how hard you worked, it remained unattainable. A longing heart existed. Yet, people kept urging to strive for something. What goal should one live for?

“I liked swordsmanship. However, I enjoyed it without a clear goal. When asked what I would do with swordsmanship, I would give vague answers. I had nothing I wanted to do. But recently, it’s different. Watching you, Shion-sama, and Marie-sensei, I found a goal.”

“A goal?”

“My goal is to surpass both of you.”

I stared in amazement.

“Sis, you might be, but I’m not such an extraordinary person.”

“Excessive modesty degrades those around you, Shion-sama. Your achievements include research and popularization of lazy syndrome treatment, magic development, repelling demons during Scarlet Night, and decoding the fairy language. Even from what I know, you have accomplished so much. If you’re not an extraordinary person, what do you think the majority of people’s achievements are?”

“Ugh! W-Well, that’s…”

Although I’ve heard it multiple times, I couldn’t accept it sincerely. I was aware of it to some extent. I had saved many people and contributed to the country and its people. But I couldn’t proudly say, “Yes, that’s right.” It was partly due to my personality and the temperament of the country I was born in. However, at times, it might make people uncomfortable. I smiled faintly and looked at Dominic.

“Got it. I’ll acknowledge it. I’ve achieved something substantial.”

“Hahaha, well, I’ll forgive you for that much this time. Anyway, I deeply respect Shion-sama, who possesses overwhelming strength, and Marie-sensei. That’s why I want to surpass both of you. I want to become like you. That’s what I thought. This is the first time in my life for such feelings.”

“Come to think of it, at first, you desperately asked me to be your disciple.”

“I’ve never begged someone so desperately in my life. Even though I’m royalty, most things can be obtained by giving orders. But I didn’t want to.”

“You didn’t want to?”

“I didn’t want to. I was tired of using royal authority to gain something.”

Looking at Dominic with a distant gaze, I felt an unexpected sense of closeness. I had a sudden question and voiced it.

“Why did Dominic become a Royal Knight? Was it your own decision?”

“No, joining the Royal Knights was my father’s order. Since I was the only one who enjoyed practicing swordsmanship, he suggested that I become a knight. Originally, I wasn’t doing much work and was wandering around, so it was probably out of concern.”

“But you’re doing your job properly.”

“If I were doing my job properly, they wouldn’t assign me tasks like being the Count’s bodyguard and caretaker. Certainly, the Count is a national treasure, but the duty of the Royal Knights is to guard the monarch. Ideally, we should be near the king, performing security and eliminating threats. In name, I’m a Royal Knight, but people around me probably see me as the playboy son.”

Dominic’s self-deprecating words were filled with sorrow. He seemed to have his own struggles. Rather than feeling down, it felt like he had resigned. Despite that, he seemed to have a reasonable reputation among the knights. Was it my misunderstanding?

“I’ve never been expected by anyone. That’s why I’ve never felt the need to meet someone’s expectations. Even the Count, who I’ve been indebted to since childhood, cares for me, but he has never relied on me. Everyone was considerate and treated me like a fragile thing. But Shion-sama and Marie-sensei were different. Shion-sama treated me as an equal and relied on me in various ways. I was surprised when you negotiated with me to keep the initial appearance of demons secret.”

In response to Dominic’s cheerful laughter, I returned a strained smile. Well, I thought it couldn’t be helped since reporting that monsters appeared in Alsphere would likely hinder research on fairies and such. There was no damage, and I had been considerate in various ways. King Ralfgang also overlooked the matter, so I justified it in my mind.

“Oh, yeah, there was that too.”

“You gave me the task of searching for monsters and always treated me as an equal. Of course, you two didn’t know that I was royalty, so in a true sense, we might not have been equals…”

“Even if we knew you were royalty, it wouldn’t change anything.”

“It wouldn’t…?”

“Dominic is Dominic. I won’t say anything pretentious, but we don’t really care about titles, you know?”

Marie and I didn’t pay much attention to the other person’s position or title. Of course, there were times when we needed to show respect. When we first met Duke Balkh or Queen Milhya, we greeted them with courtesy. However, after that, we didn’t really care. We used honorifics, and we understood that the other person’s position was different. But we didn’t go out of our way to be overly cautious. It’s not that our way of thinking is necessarily right; it’s just the way we are. I worried a bit that our casual attitude towards Dominic might be considered disrespectful. Dominic was taken aback, but soon he started laughing.

“Hahaha, well, indeed, that might be true. Shion-sama’s attitude hasn’t changed at all, and Marie-sensei seems to be even more strict.”

“I won’t go easy on you just because your royalty, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. Marie-sensei doesn’t know how to go easy. I suffer greatly every time. Shion-sama’s attitude towards me is also quite casual. ‘Oh, Dominic was here? Oh, right, something like that.’ I’ve even been told, ‘Your presence is so faint that I didn’t notice.'”

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

“Really, this is the first time for something like this. I’m royalty, after all. I’ve never been treated so carelessly before.”

The words sounded discontent, but the expression was cheerful.

Looking back, my treatment of Dominic might have been bad.

Perhaps it was because of the initial encounter, or maybe it just turned out that way.

Marie, on the other hand, was tough on him as well.

There were times when I treated Dominic like a servant.

When it came to matters related to Mediph, I had a tendency to rely on Dominic first.

In retrospect, I might have been quite harsh.

Despite that, I even consulted him on matters of love.

Maybe I should apologize for this after all.

Regardless of royal status, an apology seems necessary.

I straightened my posture, faced Dominic, and tried to lower my head.

“But that made me happy.”

“Huh? W-Were you happy?”

“Is that strange?”

“N-No, not strange, but I thought you might be angry.”

“Angry? No, not at all.

I feel joy in being treated as an equal.

You’ve consulted with me, Shion-sama.

For someone like me, who has never built an equal friendship, it was… very pleasing.”

“…I see.”

Certainly, Dominic and I could be considered friends.

It’s been over half a year, and we’ve spent a lot of time together.

I didn’t know much about Dominic, but talking like this brings a sense of familiarity.

Friends.

Rose, Red, Maron from the village.

Isaac, Eris, Sofia, Mice, and the students from the Lazy Syndrome Training Conference.

Winona, Queen Milhya, Freya, Freya’s subordinates, Carla-san, and then Dominic.

There were many other encounters.

I wonder if everyone is doing well.

Dominic looked uneasy.

So, I had something I needed to say.

“I also consider Dominic as my friend.”

“R-Really! A friend!”

“Yeah. Until the love consultation, I thought you were just an attendant to the count.”

“Isn’t that impolite!?”

Dominic said it with a desperate expression, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Haha, just kidding. It’s just a joke.”

“I-Is that so? Shion-sama, you have such a wicked sense of humor. But thank you very much. I’m truly happy.”

“Let’s continue to work well together, Dominic.”

“Likewise, Shion-sama. Let’s overcome challenges together.”

“Yeah. We’ll definitely win. All of us.”

I shook hands with Dominic.

It was a firm and friendly handshake.