Chapter 24 Part 1
Idle Talk: Commoner with All Attributes (Richard's Perspective)
I entered the door of His Majesty's office in the royal palace with a slight nervousness.
As the prime minister of this country, I am not nervous about coming into this room. Rather, I am a bit nervous about talking to His Majesty about the young boy named Leon who came to the mansion yesterday. I must inform him about it. That's why I'm feeling a bit nervous.
Now, I wonder how His Majesty will react...
His Majesty is someone who promotes talented individuals, even among commoners. So, I don't think he would have any objections to taking care of Leon in the Duke's household. But how will he react to the fact that Leon possesses all attributes?
I was truly amazed when I saw it yesterday. Even witnessing him using all attributes of magic with my own eyes, it's still hard to believe.
Although Leon claims he is not an apostle, his intelligence, refined behavior, speech, and everything else make it seem as if he is an apostle and a testament to it. And to top it all off, he has all attributes.
I believe that Leon is an apostle more than 90%. I can't say it to him directly, but I should call him Lord Leon.
Perhaps there may be some reason why he shouldn't reveal his true identity. If that's the case, I must act as if I haven't noticed and do my utmost to protect him.
For that, I need His Majesty's cooperation.
"Your Majesty, good morning."
"Ah, good morning, Richard."
"May I have some time to talk before we start our official duties today? If possible, I'd also like to have some privacy."
"Is it that important to require privacy?"
"I believe it would be better that way."
"Understood, then I'll make sure we're alone."
His Majesty's name is Alexis Laasuracia. He is the current king of this country. He is an incredibly capable and wonderful person who possesses both kindness and strictness.
In the office, with only His Majesty and myself, we moved to the sofas and sat facing each other.
"So, what is this about?"
"Yes. It's about a commoner boy named Leon."
"A commoner?"
"Yes. He's eight years old and the son of a restaurant in the outskirts of the capital. Frederick first met him by chance and said he was an incredibly capable commoner. So, we invited him to the Duke's house for dinner yesterday. At first, I thought that being capable was an exaggeration, but his manners and behavior were on par with well-disciplined noble children, and he seemed to effortlessly understand complex topics. And that's not all, he can use all attributes of magic."
"All attributes of magic!? Could it be... Is he an apostle?"
His Majesty, who is usually unshaken unless something significant happens, seemed greatly surprised. It's only natural.
"I also thought he was the Apostle-sama. However, he himself says he is not the Apostle-sama. I believe there must be some reason, and he is hiding his true identity, but what does Your Majesty think?"
"Just by listening to the story, it's hard to tell, but it's true that he possesses all attributes and has various knowledge, just like the Apostle-sama. If the Apostle-sama is indeed hiding his true identity, it would be better to pretend not to notice and protect him. It would be troublesome if a noble who dislikes commoners gets involved."
So, Your Majesty has come to the same conclusion as I have.
"I also share the same opinion."
"So, what will Leon-sama do next?"
"Leon-sama himself wants to attend the Royal Academy. Frederick handed him the teaching materials, but he said he doesn't need them since he can already read, write, and do calculations. He seems to be interested in studying history alone."
"That's... Richard, there is little doubt that Leon-sama is the Apostle-sama. There is a biography of the Apostle-sama, which only the king can read, and it states that the Apostle-sama is perfect in reading, writing, and calculations, but had to learn history from scratch."
What... I can't believe such a biography exists. It seems almost certain that Leon-sama is the Apostle-sama.
"Well... it's safe to say that Leon-sama is the Apostle-sama now. However, what we have noticed should be kept a secret."
"That's right. Let's keep this conversation strictly confidential."
"Yes! What about Leon-sama's possession of all attributes? I told Leon-sama personally to keep it a secret until he graduates from the Royal Academy."
"For now, that should be fine. It wouldn't be the Apostle-sama's intention for the truth about possessing all attributes to be revealed and cause a commotion. After graduating from the Royal Academy and becoming a noble, those nobles who dislike commoners won't be able to touch him. Can the Duke's family protect him until then? Of course, the royal family will provide maximum assistance as well."
"Of course. We plan to have him commute to the Royal Academy from the Duke's residence. Lucian, the eldest son of my family, happens to be the same age as Leon-sama, so I hope they become good friends..."
Lucian is an intelligent child, and I've heard he has no discrimination. It should be fine.
"That's good to hear. In that case, my children are also the same age as Leon-sama. Should I teach them about the truth of possessing all attributes?"
"No, even if the children are intelligent, they are still children. Until they graduate, we should keep the truth about possessing all attributes a secret and simply tell them that Leon-sama is an exceptional commoner, so they should be good friends with him, right?"
"That's also true. I would like to meet him once, but would it be too strict?"
To meet with Your Majesty, we would have to bring Leon-sama to the royal palace... that would attract too much attention.
"That might be a bit difficult. It's probably better not to draw too much attention to Leon-sama at the moment. While Leon-sama himself may be protected, there is a concern about not being able to protect Leon-sama's family."
"That's true... However, if Leon-sama enrolls in the Royal School, he will inevitably stand out. Moreover, he will be under the protection of the Townsend Duke's family, who are at the top of the influential circle."
That was also a problem they had considered. It was entirely possible to kidnap Leon-sama's family to lure him out.
If something were to happen to Leon-sama's family and they ended up angering him, it would be a big problem. They must not provoke the Apostle-sama.
The best solution would be to publicly announce that Leon-sama is the Apostle-sama and have him use all his attributes, but since he is keeping it a secret, that would be impossible.
It might be better to hide the family in the Duke's mansion.
"We should consider either keeping a shadow guard on Leon-sama's family or, if they wish, hiring them at the Duke's mansion."
"Yes, that sounds good. If we end up assigning guards, we can lend the shadow of the royal family as well."
"Thank you."
As the conversation came to a close, His Majesty and I took a sip of the slightly cooled tea that the attendants had prepared for us.
"It seems like it will get busy from now on. Could the appearance of the Apostle-sama at this time be related to the expansion of the Demon Forest?"
"I also considered that possibility. It seems nothing short of God's will for the Apostle-sama to appear at a time like this."
"If we don't somehow contain the spread of the Demon Forest, this world will be dominated by demons within a few decades. It would be great if he could become the beacon of hope that prevents that..."
"For that purpose, we must protect the Apostle-sama with all our might."
"Yes, especially the noble families that are at high risk. Let's list them and strengthen our vigilance."
"Understood. I will make sure to do it by tomorrow."
With that, our secret meeting, His Majesty's and mine, came to an end.
Secretly, I had always wished for the Apostle-sama to become the savior who would save this world.
First and foremost, I must protect the Apostle-sama without letting him realize my true intentions. I don't think anyone in the house would reveal the secret, but I should make it clear once again that Leon-sama's identity is to remain secret.
It will be busy again starting from tomorrow.
With determination, I began to focus on my work.