The Black Crystal and the Legend 2

In a detached palace, a three-day carriage ride from the Yunatian imperial capital of Tutelary, a young girl was reading a book. A refreshing breeze blew through the airy room, and Princess Edith Darla Unakaytis looked up, enjoying the pleasant sensation.

There were no ladies-in-waiting or maids in the room, a state of affairs Edith found quite comfortable.

“Edy.”

“Brother!”

Called by a familiar voice, Edith’s cheeks flushed with pleasure as she looked up. Standing in the doorway was her elder brother, Prince Roland.

“Were you reading?”

“Yes, the Duchess of Blumberg lent this to me.”

Edith showed Roland the cover of the book in her hands. The prince, reading the title in an instant, raised his eyebrows in impressed surprise.

“The Kingdom of Slibegrad and Its Legends? I didn’t realize you were reading books from the neighboring kingdom.”

The book she was reading was a collection of legends passed down in the neighboring Kingdom of Slibegrad, written in a narrative style. The Yunatian Empire and the Kingdom of Slibegrad were adjacent, and in the distant past, they had even been one country, so they shared many legends and stories. For this reason, few in the Yunatian Empire made a point of learning the kingdom’s traditions. Princess Edith had undoubtedly been one of them, but since Prince Roland had introduced her to the Duchess of Blumberg as a tutor, she had started reading stories and books from the kingdom.

“The Duchess of Blumberg is so kind. The more questions I ask, the more she praises me.”

Princess Edith’s eyes sparkled, and she looked truly happy. Roland gazed gently at his younger sister as he sat down on the sofa across from her.

The tutors previously assigned to Edith had detested it when she tried to think and ask questions for herself. If she asked anything, they would dismiss her with a curt, “That is not something you need to know.” Not only that, but no one in Edith’s circle had ever educated her to “think for herself.” She had been taught, time and again, that her father the Emperor’s word was absolute and should be believed without question.

It was during their diplomatic visit to the Kingdom of Slibegrad three years ago that Prince Roland began to feel a sense of crisis regarding Edith. Initially, Roland had been searching for a safe haven for her, but in the end, he changed his mind and decided to change Edith herself. He believed it would give her a better chance of survival.

But whether Edith could be changed was a gamble. It was one thing to change oneself, but there was nothing more difficult than changing another person’s thoughts and values. The saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” was all too true.

“What sort of questions did you ask before?” Roland asked gently.

Asking questions meant that Edith was beginning to think for herself. Thinking was a skill that required practice, so it wouldn’t happen overnight, but it seemed the princess, over time, had begun to come up with various questions.

Unaware of the deep emotion welling up in her brother, Edith looked a little embarrassed and pointed to the book in her hands. “It was about this book.”

“You know the story of the Black Crystal in the Yunatian Empire, don’t you?”

“Ah, the story of the first emperor.”

“Yes.”

When one mentioned the Black Crystal in the Yunatian Empire, everyone thought of the legend of the first emperor.

During the three hundred years of darkness, known as the Age of Demons, this land was a chaotic mess of small, constantly warring countries. But as the era neared its end, one man rose up. He was the founder of what would become the Yunatian Empire. He conquered the small nations one after another and unified the continent. Though conflicts never ceased, the first emperor’s power was absolute. As the empire grew, large-scale wars vanished, and though skirmishes remained, a sense of peace settled over the continent.

The three hundred years of darkness were said to have begun with the descent of the Demon King upon this land. Therefore, no matter how much territory was conquered or how many wars were quelled, the miasma that had spread across the land would not disappear. The miasma scattered by the Demon King could not be purified even by the combined efforts of humanity.

“They debated for three days and three nights on how to deal with the miasma the Demon King had left behind, and they came to the conclusion that a giant silver crystal was needed. Fortunately, such a crystal was found, and it managed to absorb most of the miasma from the continent. Once it had finished absorbing the miasma, the silver crystal turned into a jet-black crystal.”

As Roland recited the legend with ease, Edith beamed. He had been told this story as a bedtime tale so many times as a child that he was rather tired of it. But strangely, to Roland’s eyes, Edith seemed to love this story.

“Exactly! And the Black Crystal is in the palace, so I’m sure it’s a true story.”

“Ah, yes, I suppose so.”

Roland nodded at his sister’s words. It was a national treasure and thus heavily guarded, but it was true that the Black Crystal had been protected by the imperial family for generations. Above all, it was the legendary crystal that had purified a land once ruled by the Demon King, a place where people could not live. That meant it was also a symbol of the authority of the Unakaytis imperial family.

Heroic legends are generally embellished by later generations, making it very difficult to judge how much is true. But at the very least, the existence of the Black Crystal was a fact. Furthermore, when the Black Crystal was appraised, it was found to contain a high concentration of compressed magical energy. For these reasons, the legend of the Black Crystal and the first emperor was considered to have a fair amount of credibility.

“So, the first emperor who brought peace to this land is a hero, right?”

Edith tilted her head. The innocent gesture made her look younger than her actual age, but Roland paid it no mind. He was more preoccupied with what Edith was about to say.

If she had noticed it on her own, it would be Roland’s victory. And at the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Duchess of Blumberg’s ability to teach someone “how to think.”

In front of a wide-eyed Roland, Edith voiced her question in a puzzled tone.

“But in the Kingdom of Slibegrad, they say the first emperor was the Demon King. What does that mean?”

Roland’s smile deepened.

There was, indeed, an answer to that question. But the prepared answer was one that favored the Yunatian Empire. To utter words that doubted it was not permitted in this country. A single word, and you would be branded a traitor to the Empire and, sooner or later, lose your life. The current Unakaytis imperial family was descended from the first emperor. Therefore, to question the legitimacy of the first emperor was tantamount to publicly declaring you had treasonous intentions against the imperial family.

But Roland had no intention of teaching her the answer that was parroted in the Empire. Edith had likely posed the same question to the Duchess of Blumberg. So he was curious to know how the duchess, who must have received the highest education in the neighboring kingdom, had answered.

“What did you think?”

“Me? I couldn’t figure it out, so I asked the Duchess.”

“Oh?”

It seemed she was able to notice the contradictions in the knowledge she had acquired and form questions, but she still found it difficult to derive an answer on her own. And for Edith, who had lived for so long without thinking for herself, simply memorizing the answers given to her, spending a long time thinking about and researching things seemed to be a mental burden.

Perhaps understanding this, the Duchess did not immediately scold Edith when she voiced her question, but first offered a word of praise. Then, in the course of conversation, she would apparently guide Edith to find the answer herself.

“What did the Duchess say?”

“She said, ‘Let’s think about why the first emperor is considered a hero in the Yunatian Empire.’ And then she said, ‘Let’s also think together about why he’s called the Demon King in the Kingdom of Slibegrad.’”

“I see.”

Roland smiled in satisfaction. The Duchess of Blumberg was born and raised in the Kingdom of Slibegrad, so there was a possibility she might have tried to instill a pro-Slibegrad narrative in Edith. But it seemed the duchess had prioritized Edith’s education over that.

He hadn’t made the wrong choice, Roland thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

“What did you think?”

“I still don’t know. That’s why I’m rereading the book.”

With a weary sigh, Edith looked at Roland. Then, with a pleading look in her eyes, she asked her beloved brother.

“What do you think, Brother?”

“Me? Let’s see.”

Roland made a show of thinking. He didn’t know about the other princes and princesses, but Roland didn’t believe the “reason” that was whispered about in the Empire. He didn’t know how accurate it was, but he had formed a hypothesis of his own. However, he had never voiced that hypothesis before.

After a moment’s thought, Roland smiled gently.

“If I tell you now, you’ll become fixated on that idea. That would be no fun. When you’ve come up with your own answer, I’ll tell you my thoughts as well. And I’ll pick out and send you a few books that might be helpful.”

“How about that?” he asked. Princess Edith puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.

“More books to read?”

“You don’t want to?”

When he answered her question with one of his own, Edith thought for a moment and shook her head.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s hard work and tiring, but learning things I don’t know is fun.”

Roland smiled, satisfied with his little sister’s answer. Whether Edith would change had been a gamble, but her growth was more remarkable than he had expected. At this rate, he could safely focus on his own work, Roland thought with an inward sigh of relief.

Edith, smiling brightly at Roland, said cheerfully.

“By the time you visit next, I’ll have read the new books and thought about it on my own. But you’re so mean, Brother. You could at least give me a little hint.”

But the princess quickly adopted a sulky tone and went back to reading her book. It seemed his little sister was a bit peeved, Roland thought with a wry smile, and replied, “Alright, alright, I get it.”

“Don’t make that face. I enjoy hearing what you’re thinking. You never used to tell me before, did you?”

Hearing Roland’s words, Edith looked up and blinked her large eyes. She was silent for a moment, mulling over Roland’s words, before she smiled and said, “You’re right.”

“I also like putting my thoughts and feelings into words and hearing you and the Duchess respond. I don’t know why, but it’s exciting.”

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

“Though my head starts to hurt if I think too much.”

Edith shrugged with a wry smile. She added that when her head hurt, she ate something delicious or went out into the garden for a change of pace, and looked up at her brother with a mischievous expression. Roland looked at his sister with gentle eyes. Then he let out a small sigh and stood up from the sofa.

“I must be going now. I’ll stop by again when I have time. Tell me more of your stories then.”

“Yes, I will.”

Roland had his official duties as a prince. Compared to the Kingdom of Slibegrad, there were more heirs to the throne, so his workload was far less than that of Crown Prince Riley Williams Slibegrad. Still, he was not so idle as to be able to spend his time leisurely with his little sister.

Edith understood her brother’s busy schedule, so even with a hint of loneliness in her eyes, she didn’t try to keep him. He remembered fondly, though he didn’t let it show on his face, how she used to cry and cling to him when she was younger. How she had grown.

“Well then.”

“Yes, see you again.”

With a feeling of reluctance, Roland left the detached palace.

A carriage and guards were waiting in front of the palace gate. Seeing Roland emerge, Dolmir Butler opened the carriage door.

“How was Her Highness the Princess?”

“She was as lively as ever.”

“That is good to hear.”

Though the words were polite, they had a faintly impertinent ring to them, something that hadn't changed over the years. As Roland climbed into the carriage, Butler followed and closed the door. He then knocked three times on the window to the driver’s side, and the carriage began to move slowly.

“Butler, I need to speak with you later. Can you make time?”

“Understood.”

Butler nodded at Roland’s words. After a moment’s thought, the capable Assistant Chancellor posed a question.

“Is this concerning the cancellation of your diplomatic visit to the Kingdom of Slibegrad?”

“It is.”

Originally, Roland was supposed to travel to the Kingdom of Slibegrad around this time. It would have been his first visit in three years, and informal arrangements had already been made, with only the official dispatch of the letter remaining. However, following a skirmish at the border last year, tensions between the two countries had risen.

Influential nobles had argued in unison that since a member of the imperial family would be attending Crown Prince Riley Williams Slibegrad’s investiture ceremony in the kingdom next year, this year’s diplomatic visit should be canceled.

“Tell me in detail what has happened with the influential nobles.”

“—As you wish.”

At Roland’s words, Butler nodded without changing his expression. Having confirmed this, the prince gazed out the carriage window. The endless blue sky was so bright it made him narrow his eyes.

There was so much to think about, not just his official duties. Three years ago, he had decided to usurp the throne, and with Butler’s help, he had been gradually expanding his network of contacts and laying the groundwork to exert his influence. But that also meant there were many things he had to be on high alert for. Unconsciously, a sigh escaped Roland’s lips.

—-

Toc

Chapter 183