Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

49

It had been a month since returning to the Academy after the war.

Yumir and I headed to the Paragon Forest located in the north of Calipha.

Similar to Rainfall, this place faced Crossing and the border, but it was not inhabited by people except occasional loggers using the roads or cutting trees.

I felt a strange uneasiness here.

“So… this is it.”

“Yes, this is where the Lord was born.”

Even in Yumir’s usual emotionless voice, a hint of loneliness was evident.

“Lady Rizna, who carried the Lord… Lady Rizna Almain felt labor pains passing through here. It was too far to reach the village, so the group decided to give birth here at the edge of the forest.”

“The group, as expected?”

“Yes, the Pensylion Revival Faction I mentioned before. It’s where I was.”

“What was the specific purpose of that place? I understand they wanted to restore the Pensylion Empire.”

“I don’t know specifically what activities were carried out. At that time, I was just a young slave rescued from the arena by Lady Rizna’s favor.”

“I see, keep going.”

Tracing the footsteps of that day, Yumir guided me as if entranced.

“Lady Rizna’s labor lasted a long time. By the time the midwife she had arranged gave birth to Als, a day had passed and it was already night.”

The birth created a festive atmosphere among the group.

“That’s because another royal bloodline was added. Lady Rizna’s husband, Myos Almain, was the leader of the Pensylion Revival Faction and the last surviving prince of Pensylion.”

“Another one. There was already one, right?”

“Yes, Lord Arios, the son of Lady Yufemia.”

He was none other than the protagonist, Cassius Lloyd.

In other words, the protagonist and I were like siblings with the same father but different destinies.

“That night, a small party was held. Everyone blessed the Lord’s birth. Even the three-year-old Lord Arios held his younger brother in wonder.”

However, tragedy began that night.

“That night, suddenly a group attacked us. Whether they were bandits or soldiers, it’s unclear. Everyone was in chaos, and they all started to flee.”

But Mother couldn’t run away.

“Lady Rizna was weak from childbirth. Her guards, who should have protected her, were nowhere to be seen engaging in battle. Knowing she would be caught quickly if she ran, Lady Rizna asked me, who was at the end, to take this child and escape.”

“Is that so…”

It wasn’t profoundly sad, but a melancholic feeling was inevitable.

“I didn’t run away immediately. I thought I would be caught if I ran away recklessly. So, I hid my body in the hole I had dug to bury food scraps. I prayed for them to pass by, hoping the young lord wouldn’t cry out, for hours. When the surroundings quieted down, there was nothing in front of me.”

“Nothing?”

“They burned all traces, including the bodies.”

“That’s…”

It was the method of thieves and outlaws.

This made it difficult to determine the scale of the attack and the origins of the victims.

“You don’t know the identity of the attackers?”

“No. I was hiding in the pit, holding my breath, so I couldn’t properly confirm who the attackers were.”

The destruction of the Epsilon Revival Faction was a major issue at that time. There were rumors even among nations about who had attacked the Revival Faction.

“It can’t be helped. Please continue.”

“Yes… I tried to find any trace of Lady Rizna in the debris. If there were no traces in the debris, it could mean she might still be alive.”

“…”

“But even that small hope was soon betrayed. …I ended up finding her hairpin among the remains.”

Thud, thud. Before I knew it, I was in the center of the forest. There was a grave made by Yumir on the summit of this hill.

“I buried it here. Hoping Lady Rizna finds peace.”

There was nothing to call it a grave. Just a towering tree symbolically stood there. Since there was no body to bury, it seemed they were content with just burying it.

Yumir smiled warmly, deeply moved.

Then, he gently stroked the tree.

“Lady Rizna. This is your son, Lord Als. He has grown up wonderfully, resembling you.”

“Saying this now doesn’t mean much, but when someone calls me ‘mother,’ my own mother comes to mind first.”

“Of course.”

“In that case, how did Yumir end up at the Ilain Manor?”

“That’s…”

Yumir, who had left the Paragon Forest, had to wander Caliper Vale. Yumir had traveled to many places in search of shelter, but no one was willing to offer it.

“Merfolk are scorned on the continent, you see. Moreover, I was not in good shape at the time and was young, so no one wanted to bother with me. It was during that time that I started to develop a fever. It was a tough journey for a newborn to endure.”

So Yumir, in that situation, did not hesitate to ask for help.

And the one who helped was none other than the Ilain Viscount who ruled the Rebel.

“It must have been heaven’s will. They introduced me to such kind people.”

“I agree.”

“Viscount Berial gave me medicine and allowed me to rest at the mansion. Since I couldn’t keep burdening them, I planned to leave as soon as I recovered. But then Lady Yulia suddenly started to insist.”

“Lady Yulia?”

“Yes, she insisted on treating the young lord as her brother. Lady Yulia, who was the youngest, had always wanted a sibling.”

“I see.”

Lady Yulia always called me the youngest and treated me with affection. I never knew there was such a backstory.

“As a result, whether it was a turning point, or she simply pitied me and the young lord, Lady Yulia suggested that we become siblings. Including me.”

“You too?”

“She was too kind. It’s impossible for a noble to make a commoner a sibling… So, they made only the young lord a sibling, and I became a servant of the Ilain Viscount.”

The hidden secret of Als Ilain’s birth.

I held up the necklace I was wearing.

“Yumir, is this necklace you gave me…”

“Yes, it is yours, Lady Rizna. It’s a gift from your father for your coming-of-age ceremony. He said to pass it on to you once you became an adult. He mentioned that it would protect you in the future.”

“This necklace will protect me? What does that mean?”

“I also do not fully understand the meaning.”

From the sapphire shining brightly with a pure light, there was an inexplicable warmth felt. It was as if it was always watching over me.

I believed this necklace held great significance.

Well, it was understandable since King Paraine immediately recognized my identity upon seeing this necklace.

“Could this be a symbol of the heir to the throne?”

If this necklace represented the heir to the throne, it would make sense, but at that point, Fensilon was long gone. There was no emperor or anything like that.

Moreover, there was already a firstborn son, the protagonist.

“It would be good to hear the truth from King Paraine.”

For some reason, I was fixated on that aspect.

“Am I of the Fensilon royal bloodline?”

I had learned the secret of my birth, but it didn’t particularly shock me. I had already heard roughly about it from King Paraine, so accepting it was easy.

The issue lay in the meaning behind it.

Two children with the bloodline of the emperor. Cassius Lloyd and Alse Iline.

In the game, the two fatefully met and cooperated, but one day, one of them would be falsely accused and driven out.

“The possibility of them being in conflict as the main storyline is too high.”

In other words, I was the true rival of the protagonist. It was highly likely that I would be the main villain.

That’s why I deviated from the path and gained loyalty from the Seven Divine Beings. I couldn’t predict how things would unfold afterward.

“Wouldn’t it be the right choice to not follow the story?”

If I followed the story, as the villain, I would ultimately be defeated.

“No, it’s not confirmed yet.”

The possibility of Alse and the protagonist reconciling couldn’t be ruled out. If I, as I am now, decide not to oppose the protagonist, it could very well happen.

The key point would be how the protagonist would perceive it.

Even if I resolved to cooperate with the protagonist, they might see my position as a threat and try to eliminate me.

“Perhaps that happened in the game too.”

If there were movements to eliminate me, wasn’t Yumir trying to eliminate the protagonist first?

“Darn, it’s complicated.”

The story was still up in the air. It seemed to have gotten even more tangled.

But then Yumir speaks.

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“If you are seriously considering the royal bloodline, please don’t. Lady Rizna wouldn’t want that either.”

“My mother?”

“Yes, while she was carrying you, Lady Rizna would often say. She wished for this child to live happily and freely, without being bound by any constraints. It’s okay to forget about the extinct Fensilon. You are not Alse Almein of the royal family but Alse Iline. It’s okay to live as you wish and follow your heart.”

“…!”

These words pierced through me.

Not Alse Almein, not Alse Iline.

Simply me.

“What I want to do…?”

From Noble mtl dot com

I had never considered such a thing. Just by entering the game in a miraculous form, I thought that I was given some purpose and intended to fulfill it.

That was the kind of person I was. A fallen divine being. A fake genius subjected to ridicule from those around me.

My home was shattered, my family scattered, and I had no friends to rely on. I was so empty, both inside and out, that there was nothing else for me to immerse myself in except mobile games.

What breathed life into me up to this point was the essence of Alse, with whom I had come to be associated.

“So, I owe Alse an apology.”

I had no right to merge with someone as desolate as myself and encounter insults.

In reality, Alse in the game subtly possessed a fervent spirit. Different from who I am now, they harbored a passion I no longer had.

Thinking like that, I wanted to make Alse… the me here now, happy.

“Is this my happiness…?”

Money, fame, they didn’t matter much to me. I was well aware of how futile they were.

“If possible, I want to have a child.”

“…Excuse me?”

Yumir, too, was taken aback by this request.

“With a wife, with a child. I want to leisurely play with the child and live such a modest life.”

This was the common happiness that Alse and I desired.

It was then that I finally realized I had become one with Alse.

Not Alse Almein as Yumir had known, nor the empty shell of a person I used to be, but truly Alse Ilain in essence.

“Is this a goal for my happiness… Good. I feel motivated.”

I hadn’t felt such refreshing eagerness in a long time.

Of course, to achieve that goal, I had to navigate through the situations that lay before me. If I couldn’t overcome this turmoil, the continent would be thrown into chaos to the point where even such modest happiness would become unattainable.

So, I decided to look ahead and move forward.

* * *

Life at the Academy once again gave me the sensation that time was flowing leisurely.

The repetitive daily routine.

Well, that’s how I felt. Others didn’t feel the same way.

Eo was busy working under Viscetta, Ruttger and Anton were faithfully carrying out their duties, and Gaspar unexpectedly poured his enthusiasm into security tasks, clearing out the troublemakers in Rainfall one by one.

“The atmosphere at the Academy has changed.”

With this year marking the end of the secondary academy course, there were various uncertainties lingering.

Those who gave up on entering the high academy began to enjoy their time, while those aiming for admission started studying fervently, dividing into two factions.

“We don’t have much time left to leisurely exist here.”

Entering the high academy would mark the beginning of the game’s story in earnest. So, I decided to make the most of this leisurely time.

“Um… Ilain?”

As I absentmindedly gazed out the window, a girl approached me cautiously.

“If you’re okay with it, would you teach me?”

“Uh…”

Lately, such requests had been unusually frequent. It could be due to my academic excellence at the Academy, or perhaps because I had been keeping my distance from Estelle recently.

Speaking of Estelle, she was chatting and smiling with the girls, including Beril. As a former delinquent, it was a heartwarming sight for me.

“Oh!”

She caught sight of me conversing with the girl and her expression changed as she approached.

“Um, should we move to a different location first?”

“Uh, okay!”

I quickly led the girl out of the classroom. Estelle stopped in surprise and then looked at me with pitiful eyes.

“It hurts, but… this is the right thing to do.”

I had to part ways with Estelle anyway. I would be going to Caliper High Academy, and she had to go to Crossing High Academy.

It was desirable to lower her reliance on me.

While spending time studying and doing my own thing, the teacher who had left for the west returned after two months.

Having nothing particular to do, I went with Eo to greet the teacher and couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

“Teacher! What happened to these wounds?”

Eliya, the teacher, had always been rough, having many scars from mercenary work, but this time it was worse. Especially the scar that ran across his face was enough to instill fear in onlookers.

Nevertheless, the teacher laughed heartily.

“hahahahaha! I went on a mission with the Gunderian teacher after a long time. Well, calling it a mission, most of it was just clearing out bandits. These wounds are from that time. It was tough even for me to take on 30 bandits at once.”

“Let’s go straight to the temple.”

Estelle could erase the scars on her face as if she had wiped them away.

But the teacher seemed unable to understand.

“Why bother. Just think of it as adding another badge of honor.”

To this, Eo spoke up.

“It’s what mercenaries think. But going around like that could tarnish the Alz’s reputation!”

The teacher disregarded Eo’s concern.

“No need to worry. These scars are like a kind of medal. Well, not without any sense of defeat, though.”

“Defeat?”

“I just don’t think there’s a man out there who’d take me away in this state.”

With scars all over his body and now a gruesome one on his face, the teacher.

From the start, she had often been mistaken for a man due to her physique and appearance.

With more scars in such a situation, those who saw the teacher for the first time would freeze as if they had seen a ghost, regardless of age or gender.

“Although no man had shown interest in me before… now they seem to avoid me altogether.”

“They simply lacked the ability to see. Teacher, you are a beautiful woman worthy of respect.”

“Huh, then Alz, will you accept if a suitor appears?”

“It would be an honor.”

“hahahahaha! Alright then. I’ll count on you when the time comes.”

It was clearly a jest exchanged between them, but at that moment Eo hurriedly intervened.

“Ah, Alz! I, I also… I also humbly request!”

“Sure, sure. Eo, I’ll consider it too, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you!”

There seemed to be a different nuance here…?

While pondering that thought, Anton, who had been looking for me for some business, approached.

“Master, I intend to go to Cross Hone to handle matters regarding the establishment of the academy. Please forgive the unworthy who failed to guard your side.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. Rather than that, if you’re going to Cross Hone… how about taking the teacher with you? Didn’t you say you need to stop by the mercenary association in the capital?”

The teacher nodded.

“It’d be great if I could get a carriage. Is that fine with you?”

“…”.

Anton was staring intently at his master.

The master, perhaps surprised by Anton’s intense gaze, smiled wryly as if in self-reproach.

Anton, in a sense different from me, was truly handsome if I felt a sense of refinement in my face, then Anton was truly manly good-looking.

Standing side by side with Eo, there was no separate distinction between the two. I secretly thought that the two youngsters were a good match, but…

Eo seemed to sense a rivalry with Anton, growling at him. Anton, on the other hand, seemed to dislike Eo’s servant-like temperament, as he kept making snide remarks.

Well, who knows when they might suddenly kiss in the heat of an argument.

“…Excuse me. Of course, I can provide a carriage. Lord Anfei. Please let me know when you are ready to depart.”

“Yes, then I shall make the preparations.”

Master Ilya, along with Anton, gathered their belongings and headed towards the crossing. It was a few weeks later when I saw her again.

***

Our family, having formally inherited Rainfall, diligently worked on developing the estate.

Although Max personally visited every corner of the estate, his lack of experience was evident as he had only recently taken over the title.

Therefore, Father called all the siblings to help manage the estate.

Even Julia, who was in the army, and older brother Fergie were no exception.

They both applied the skills they learned in the military to greatly assist in estate management. Thus, the residents of Rainfall were gradually accepting the Aline family.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the mansion…”

The mansion I remembered was the Rebell mansion, so there was no nostalgic feeling.

Returning to the Aline mansion, I had to welcome the twins walking unsteadily at the entrance.

The twins, who had just started walking, clung to my legs, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Watching them, Mother smiled contentedly.

“Come here for a hug. Alsh, you don’t visit the mansion often. I’m worried the kids won’t remember you.”

“hahahaha… Yes, I’ll make sure to visit more often. Hey, Chelsea, Elsie. I’m your fourth brother.”

However, the twins seemed uncomfortable in my arms and started crying.

I quickly handed them over to Yumir. Yumir, with his gentle touch, calmed the twins down.

“Oh, their crying is so loud. Yumir, can you take care of them for me? I’ll go to my room.”

Although I had already moved all the necessary belongings to my separate mansion, some books were still here. Today, I needed those books.

As I tried to unlock the door to my room, I found it was already open.

“Oh? Brother Fergie?”

Brother Fergie was in my room, engrossed in examining the books I had carefully transcribed.

Upon seeing the covers of the books, I realized they were the medical texts I had transcribed.

“Hm? Oh, I came to tidy up the room.”

“Yes. I wanted to take some books.”

A few days ago, I had agreed to let him read the books in my room, but it seemed like Brother Fergie was practically living in my room.

“I thought I should improve my skills to support you in the future. But… I’m sorry. It seems I’ve made a mess of things. The bookshelves are all disorganized.”

“It’s okay. It’s just a few books.”

“No, I’ll find and arrange those books. You just relax.”

At times like these, Brother Fergie was quite stubborn.

With nothing else to do, I decided to wander aimlessly in the mansion’s garden.

“Hurry up!”

“Where should I put this!?”

People bustling around the mansion. Max was sweating profusely as he directed them.

Among the crowd, there was a teacher who had returned from Crossing. It seemed like he had brought the hired help that Max had employed.

“Oh, teacher. You’re back?”

“…!”

As I waved my hand and called out, the teacher, who seemed to have been looking for me from the start, hurried over. Then, in an urgent tone, he said, “Alse, I have something I want to discuss.”

“…?”

He appeared quite flustered, unlike his usual self.

“Is it something serious?”

“It’s serious. Very much so! Let’s move to a different place. I want to talk to you in private. Let’s go to your room.”

“My room is currently occupied by Peer. Can’t we talk here?”

“No! Then let’s go to the wine cellar. There shouldn’t be anyone there.”

So, we moved to the mansion’s cellar, and the teacher cleared his throat before speaking.

“Alse, I know you might not be an expert on relationships between men and women, but…”

“I’m not particularly knowledgeable about that.”

It was merely a matter of appearances causing misunderstandings.

“Anyway, what’s the matter?”

The teacher cautiously broached the topic. The content was unexpected even to me.

“Anton!?”

“Yes. He came to propose a courtship. Saying he has developed feelings for me…”

The two had first bonded during the previous Triad War.

Due to my reluctance to mingle with the officers of Crossing back then, I had entrusted that part to the teacher, which led to spending a lot of time with Anton, who was in charge of those officers.

Considering the nature of their relationship as a man and a woman, it wasn’t surprising if there were affections between them.

Moreover, when the teacher surpassed me in the previous academic competition, Anton had admired him and looked at the teacher with eyes of respect.

“It’s strange. I have no reason to attract such feelings. It must be some kind of prank. Or perhaps a scheme orchestrated by Crossing!”

“No, there’s no need to think so pessimistically. As I’ve said before, the teacher is a beautiful person.”

“That’s just…”

“At least I didn’t say it as a mere formality. This is a good opportunity. If the teacher doesn’t dislike it, I hope you give courtship a try.”

“Uh…! Is that really okay?”

“There’s no reason it wouldn’t be.”

“I, I’ve never… done something like this before.”

“Everyone has a first time.”

The teacher, his face slightly flushed, nodded reluctantly.

Whether my advice had an effect or not, the teacher accepted Anton’s courtship proposal.

From then on, everything progressed swiftly.

Whether they were truly compatible or destined to be, Anton proposed after just two months, and they became engaged.

‘Wasn’t there a saying about the quiet cat climbing onto the hearth first?’

Personally, I had thought that among the trio of Eo, Yumir, and Ilya the teacher, Eo would be the first to marry, but surprisingly, the teacher was the quickest.

I had expected Eo to have some emotional reaction upon seeing the teacher’s engagement, but…

“I’m with Alse… hahahahaha!”

For some reason, Eo always seemed to be in a good mood lately.