Shadowless Night

Chapter 77

They say it was the Sun, not the Wind who removed the Traveler’s clothes. But it’s all lies. It’s the Wind. A destructive, unpredictable gust of Wind tore the traveler’s clothes!*

[E/N: Please see the note at the end of the chapter for the explanation of this hilarious paragraph. Skip if you already get it.]

Isserion burst into tears at the wretched disgrace of his master, who had become naked. Is this not complete disarmament?

“I knew you like thorny roads, but... Your Highness... Why... of all things... You don’t actually like thorny roads, do you?”

Isserion wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

‘Sniff... Sniff... Your Highness, can you please be more sensible...? Didn’t you hear it from Calyx?’

An unknown existence made of magic that has lived for many years... Isserion had been baffled. He had also noticed that the knight, Rosaline, had changed since the hunting competition. But, like an old man, his thoughts were at the limit of, ‘Aren’t children at that age where they act and think differently every day?’ Thanks to that, he experienced double the shock. But Ricardis was not agitated. It’s not that he suppressed his emotions; he just wasn’t surprised. He had calmly chatted with Calyx.

Ricardis, Isserion knew, was skilled at summing up situations and information so he could reach numerous results. Isserion didn’t expect this skill would shine on even such an unimaginable thing. Ricardis had led the conversation so that he checked the information he had rather than simply receiving it from Calyx.

Just because you’re expecting it doesn’t mean there will be no shock. However, Ricardis’s attitude toward Rosaline was similar to before. No, it’s more familiar than before. His tone had softened, and the sharpness in his eyes and expression had rounded.

It was a face that reminded Isserion of when Princess Setistia was alive. Isserion’s heart fluttered at the smiling Ricardis, and he watched the scene silently.

Of course, the harmonious yet heartbreaking picture soon came to an end. Rosaline, who had spilled a drop of sandwich sauce on Ricardis’ hand, grabbed his hand and licked it. Isserion immediately grabbed the back of her neck.

“Sir Rosaline, blah blah blah on the body of an Imperial family member!”

The nagging continued endlessly. Even Ricardis could not stop Isserion.

After a while, Isserion remembered the original purpose of his visit to the office. He shuffled the papers he was holding.

“Your Highness, there have been some results.”

“For which one?”

“The White Jade castle. Taking advantage of the mess, we confirmed that they had contact with Balta.”

Ricardis’ expression changed in an instant. White Jade Castle was the residence of the 5th Prince Diech. Balta made direct contact with the White Jade Castle instead of Elpidio’s Quartz Castle?

“What about Elpidio?”

If Diech had acted as a bridge between Balta and Elpidio, he would have sent someone to Elpidio’s Quartz Castle. However...

“It is believed that this is purely His Highness the 5th Prince’s doing.”

She answered so vigorously. Ricardis thought that nobody was this lively even at the senior knight ceremonies...

Ricardis’ expression was somewhere between smiling and crying, and he could only cover his face with his hand.

“If someone is unwell... then they should eat when they’re hungry...”

“That’s right!”

“You should go back and rest. It must have been a hard journey from Vista.”

“There are not many escorts. I’ll stay by your side.”

“These days, the number of assassins has gone down drastically. They seem to be hiding in Balta. There’s nothing to worry about.”

With Haqab’s help cut off, Elpidio, who was in a hurry, also sent out assassins whenever he could. However, there was no way that the Knights of the White Night, who had blocked Black Moon assassins, could not deal with these domestic hitmen. Thanks to this, Ricardis had more pleasant days than usual.

“I will watch over you.”

However, Ricardis’ words did not work, but it’s not like he expected them to in the first place. Isserion joined in and comforted her.

“Won’t you take a good rest today, Sir Rosaline? Isn’t there a festival today? The streets are overflowing with food, attractions, and food.”

Ricardis looked at Isserion. Did he just say ‘food’ twice? Somehow it didn’t seem like a mistake.

“... I will stay by His Highness’ side.”

The repeated word, ‘food’, created a look of dismay on Rosaline’s face. However, rather than leaving Ricardis behind as soon as possible, she looked determined to starve for three days.

Ricardis crossed his arms and exhaled lightly through his nose. He could give her orders as a superior, but it was clear that Rosaline would still escort him while hiding, as she was not a good listener even if he was the prince. Ricardis pondered and nodded his head.

“Come to think of it, I have something to do at the festival.”

“Is that so?”

Rosaline’s face lit up, while Isserion’s crumpled. ‘There is no such schedule, Your Highness!’ A retort was on his lips, but Ricardis met Isserion’s eyes tiredly.

“I have business.”

And so, Isserion was blocked before he could even speak. He shuddered in anger. He could only swallow all the words that came up his throat. ‘Cannot be done. Dangerous. What are you thinking? Does it make sense?’ He had to put those words to sleep.

T/N: Ricardis’ only business at the festival is to feed Rosaline.

E/N: The Sun, the Wind, and the Traveler is an Aesop fable. Full story here: https://read.gov/aesop/143.html. Basically, to see who was stronger, the Sun and the Wind competed to remove the clothes of a passing traveler. The Wind blew hard and aggressively, but the Traveler just wrapped his cloak tighter. The Sun shone hot and bright, and the Traveler took off his clothes. So, the Sun was “stronger.” Isserion is lamenting that it was not a gentle and warm sun-like attitude that caused Ricardis to lower his shields. No, it was the storm of chaos that is our Rosaline who tore through them like paper.