Birthday Trap 9
In the private residence of Ben Draco in the royal capital, Paul, the burly steward, was fervently baking a type of cake known as Baba, dressed in a frilly apron. Recently, he had procured some excellent rum. To make Baba, one must first prepare the bread. Using wheat instead of rye, he made brioche, which was then soaked in tea-flavored syrup and stored in a magic crystal refrigerator. Once chilled, the Baba was topped with rum, whipped cream, and fruit to complete it.
“Will the amount I’ve prepared be enough for the twins? The apple pies are ready, and I’ve also made nougat and macarons. Now, it’s just Petra, but I still don’t quite know her preferences,” Paul mused, crossing his arms.
With the royal prince’s birthday festival approaching, the capital was in a festive state. Various shops were selling limited-time items, and the square was filled with people dancing. Outdoor stalls were set up everywhere, creating a lively atmosphere.
The twins born to the Draco family, Belastar and Tania, were scheduled to come to the capital to join the festival. However, they had been delayed due to a recent monster stampede along the highway, and it was now expected that they would arrive after the birthday festival. Those two—especially Tania—were not the type to give up on coming to the capital just because of a delay. Even if they couldn’t participate in the festival, they still wanted to see their beloved older brother.
“I believe Petra managed to catch up with them, so it should be alright,” Paul said, although he was concerned. While a Draco family servant was assigned as a guardian, they wouldn’t be able to control the twins if they went wild. Moreover, staying at an inn near the site of the monster stampede was worrying. There were reports that a new monster stampede often occurred in areas where one had already happened. However, thanks to Petra, who happened to be nearby on business and had joined them, Paul felt somewhat reassured about their safety. He had also received a message from Petra confirming that they had safely departed for the capital. At least they should arrive by noon tomorrow—if they hadn’t been caught up in another monster stampede today.
In the capital, people were in chaos due to a sudden outburst of immense miasma. The festival was forgotten as people debated whether to flee the city or stay within the protective barrier. With the confusion, maintaining public order required more personnel. This situation had nothing but negative effects, but not many people understood that.
As a result, Paul continued to diligently prepare to welcome his master’s return and the visiting twins. Naturally, he was not without worry. To push away the faint, creeping fear from deep within, Paul focused and quickly completed the preparations for the food and pastries.
“Well, there’s nothing else to do today, so I’ll continue with the curtain making,” Paul decided.
He stopped baking, removed the frilly apron, and folded it neatly before placing it in its designated spot. It was dinnertime, but he wasn’t particularly hungry. His master, Ben Draco, had been staying at the palace and the magic ministry for the festival, which had allowed Paul to make significant progress. A simple meal would suffice, and he planned to resume his lacework, a curtain for the living room. The curtain, featuring white as the base color with floral embroidery, was designed to emphasize a spring-like feel.
Excitedly, Paul headed from the kitchen to his room at the back of the first floor, but he suddenly felt an odd sense of unease and looked toward the entrance hall. Of course, the door was closed, so he couldn’t see inside.
—“The smell of blood?”
His caution heightened. As Paul slightly opened the door, he was stunned by the sight. Yet, his agitation passed quickly. Whatever had happened was undoubtedly an emergency. Forgetting his usual admonitions to Belastar and Tania to be quiet, Paul threw open the door roughly.
In the center of the entrance hall lay Petra, bloodied and unconscious, with the twins sitting beside her, clinging to her and crying inconsolably. Ignoring the twins’ dazed, tearful expressions, Paul knelt beside Petra to assess her condition.
“What happened—? A doctor, no, this is—”
“W-we were caught up in a monster stampede,” Tania sobbed, desperately explaining.
“Did you use healing magic?” Paul asked.
“Y-yes, a robed person, a healer,” Tania responded.
“But she still hasn’t woken up,” Belastar added.
Paul guessed that the robed person was a mage who had come to their aid.
“Were there any knights nearby?” Paul asked, quickly checking Petra’s injuries. The twins exchanged glances and shook their heads. It seemed there had been no knights. Thus, it was likely a mage, not a healer from the knight order.
After a thorough examination, Paul sighed in relief. The wounds were mostly closed, but her body was cold, and her pulse was weak. It seemed she had lost too much blood, as evidenced by the robe stained so darkly with blood that its color was unrecognizable.
The wounds from the monster’s attack were heavily influenced by the miasma and required magic for treatment. However, since she had received healing magic, a physician could handle the rest.
“Are you two injured?”
“N-no, we’re fine,” Tania assured.
“Petra protected us,” Belastar added.
The twins shook their heads in unison. They were neither injured nor in pain, but seeing someone they knew well covered in blood and barely clinging to life was nothing but terrifying.
The warmth of Petra’s body grew colder, her breathing shallow. It was the first time Velasta and Tania had been so close to the concept of “death.”
They could only rely on Petra’s protection while she was severely wounded. The thought that Petra might die made them shiver uncontrollably. Their minds went blank, but they desperately searched for words to answer Paul’s questions.
Despite their trembling, the twins clung tightly to Petra’s blood-soaked robe, fearing that letting go might cause Petra’s life to slip away.
Paul, gently stroking their heads, decided to move Petra to a room to clean her up and show her to the Draco family doctor.
However, Paul realized that handling this task himself might be inappropriate. He thought it would be better to leave it to a woman, but the only female staff member who lived on the premises was an elderly cook. Although she was strong for her age due to her work, it would still be a heavy task for her to change the clothes and clean up an unconscious, injured person alone.
“Don’t worry, it’s just that she’s lost a lot of blood. I’ll have her checked by a doctor, but she’ll recover soon,” Paul said in a deliberately calm voice. The twins finally relaxed a bit, their bodies releasing the tension. Exhaustion seemed to hit them, and despite their tears, their faces showed a dazed expression.
“W-will Petra be okay?” they asked.
“Yes, there’s no way she’s going to die,” Paul asserted firmly.
At Paul’s clear reassurance, Tania and Belastar burst into tears of relief. Paul, narrowing his eyes at the sobbing twins, refrained from offering further comfort and instead asked Tania.
“Tania, can you help?”
“Y-yes, I’ll h-help,” Tania stammered.
Her eyes were red from crying, and her love for her older brother had made her initially antagonistic towards Petra.
It seemed she didn’t like Ben paying attention to anyone other than herself. However, after Petra had saved her from a monster attack caused by Tania’s recklessness, her attitude had softened somewhat. The current situation seemed to have shocked Tania deeply. While she might have previously protested with “Why me?”, now she nodded sincerely.
Belastar Draco, the other twin, tugged urgently at Paul’s sleeve.
“I-I want to help too,” Belastar said, desperately trying to be of assistance.
Paul responded, “Of course.”
To protect the twins, Petra had endured such severe injuries. She could have defended herself even during a large-scale monster stampede if it had been only her. Regardless of whether they understood that or not, Belastar and Tania fully grasped that Petra had been injured while shielding them. Paul knew well that to alleviate even a fraction of the regret, remorse, helplessness, and despair felt by someone in such a situation, it was essential to do something—anything.
*****
The royal palace was in chaos.
"The miasma... has it disappeared?"
Everyone was stunned, staring at the direction where the miasma had been just moments ago. The once darkened sky, covered completely by the miasma, had vanished in an instant.
People stared at the direction where the miasma had been, questioning whether they were seeing an illusion. But there, only a beautiful sunset sky stretched out.
Understanding came slowly— the monster stampede had been suppressed. The disappearance of the miasma and the beautiful sunset sky were taken as proof that the terrifying monsters had all been slain.
Before any official reports could arrive, Crown Prince Riley Williams Slibegrad had already noticed the miasma's disappearance. A sigh of relief escaped him, and the tension left his shoulders. He assumed that the Knights accompanying along Austine had defeated the monsters and suppressed the stampede. If that were the case, they would likely return safely, though not all might make it back.
The immediate crisis had passed. Now, the focus shifted to assessing the damage and providing swift support for recovery. Additionally, there needed to be an investigation into the confusion in the instructions and the delay in response.
However, Riley’s influence in national affairs was practically nonexistent. He knew all too well that merely making a claim would be futile.
"In that case—there’s no need for me to speak," Riley muttered to himself.
He had long thought about this but had never acted upon it. To make his opinions heard in national politics, he would need to cultivate strong connections with influential nobles and have them relay his thoughts to the advisory council. Simply put, Riley needed powerful backing.
Given the current situation, most nobles likely believed that Duke Clark was Riley’s primary supporter. Riley had relied on him almost entirely when presenting his opinions or gathering information. However, it became clear during the monster stampede that Duke Clark’s decisions were in direct opposition to Riley’s. Their priorities were completely different.
Riley pondered Duke Clark’s words: “To save a hundred, one must be prepared to sacrifice one.” These were also the words of his renowned grandfather. To protect the country as a king, it might be necessary to make such sacrifices. But that couldn’t be the whole story. If it were possible to save all hundred, that would be ideal.
Moreover— Riley narrowed his eyes, as if enduring fear and anxiety.
—Can I truly say that I am willing to sacrifice my friends—Austine, Clyde—and Liliana to save others?
During the monster stampede, there was a significant chance that Austine might have fallen victim to the monsters. While Riley felt relieved that the miasma had dissipated and the situation seemed to be under control, he couldn’t shake the lingering fear until he confirmed Austine’s safety.
"Candidates—"
Duke Ealdred, Baron Kennys, Baron Calvert.
At present, Riley had contact with and trusted three influential nobles. However, Barons Kennys and Calvert were neutral and had not expressed support for any future king. Duke Ealdred had not stated his position either, but his attitude indicated some level of recognition of Riley. Nevertheless, if it appeared that Riley had chosen Duke Ealdred as his supporter, Riley would likely lose the backing of Duke Clark. He wanted to avoid losing the support of the Chancellor.
Still, Riley desperately needed the assistance of Duke Ealdred and the others. As he was pondering what to do, he heard a knock on the door.
"Enter."
"Excuse me."
Riley diverted his gaze from the window and looked at the newcomer. Clyde Benito Clark appeared, with a hint of relief showing on his face. Riley offered him a smile.
"It seems the suppression is complete."
"Yes. But now the real work begins.”
Clyde murmured with a somewhat gloomy expression. He understood well the difficult tasks ahead, such as assessing the damage and supporting recovery. Another major concern was the evident lack of unity among the upper echelons.
Thus, Clyde wasted no time. "I have several confidential reports," he said with a serious expression, looking at Riley. Riley set up a soundproof barrier and urged him to continue.
The fact that Clyde said "confidential" indicated that he was acting on his own judgment—meaning the information had not been explicitly directed to be communicated to the Crown Prince. This implied that someone might be deliberately withholding this information from Riley, whether because they intended never to disclose it or believed it was too early to reveal.
"First, the captain of the knights, the second squad, and Austine have returned to the knights' quarters via teleportation magic. They are currently being treated by the healing magicians attached to the knights."
"—Is everyone safe?"
"Fourteen have died in the line of duty, and they are beyond return. Out of the fifteen who returned, five are severely injured, eight are lightly injured, and two are uninjured but nearly depleted of magical power."
The extent of the damage made Riley groan softly. Even the uninjured two being nearly depleted of magical power suggested a critical situation. It was unstated, but other knights were likely in similar or worse conditions. In other words, the second squad was nearly annihilated.
"What about Commander Hegaty and Captain Danhill?"
"Both are severely injured. The most critical is Deputy Captain Eden. Austine has injured his left shoulder, but it should heal with rest."
Riley gritted his teeth. Despite his efforts to remain calm, a low growl escaped him. Clyde whispered in an attempt to offer comfort.
"Most likely, you will be able to meet with them from tomorrow onward."
"—Understood."
Riley suppressed the raging emotions inside him and maintained a calm exterior. With a neutral expression, he asked Clyde, "What else?"
Clyde lowered his voice further. "Regarding the tampering with the teleportation array, there are suspicions about Vice Director Ben Draco's involvement."
"Vice Director Draco?"
Riley’s eyes widened at the news. Ben Draco was someone he had met through Liliana. Highly dedicated and intelligent, he was a rare figure who challenged the “natural occurrence theory” accepted by the advisory council concerning the monster stampede. Riley had admired Draco’s rapid rise to the position of Deputy Director of the Magic Division. He knew Draco’s character well enough to find it hard to believe he would tamper with the teleportation array.
"Tampering with the teleportation array? That could be punishable as high treason."
"Deputy Director Draco has a history of investigating embezzlement within the Magic Division and punishing those involved. It is possible he made enemies somewhere along the way."
Clyde nodded with a bitter expression. Currently, Draco was under magical suppression and confinement, and it was not hard to imagine that a search of his residence would soon follow once the immediate aftermath of the monster stampede settled.
"For now, I'll return my sister to our residence in the capital. I will stay in the palace for a while."
"Return—?"
Riley blinked in surprise but quickly composed himself and nodded.
"Indeed. It’s probably for the best. It will be difficult for her to return to her residence."
The monster stampede had occurred along the highway. Leaving the capital would be quite a challenge. However, what worried Riley was not Liliana’s return home, but the fact that he had to consider whether she had truly returned to her room.
—Is she really in her room?
When Riley visited the room where Liliana was supposedly resting, he found an illusion designed to make it look like she was asleep.
Riley could not determine where the real Liliana was. The illusion was so expertly crafted that if he had not recognized the magical power as Liliana's, he would have judged it to be a planned kidnapping. If Liliana still in the room was an illusion, what was the correct course of action?
Riley, holding his aching head, struggled to suppress the sigh that was trying to escape.
—