Chapter 24

Balere Lowell

Everyone in the castle was running around frantically whenever I arrived. I tried to call out to a few of the servants, Servus included, but all of them were busy. I walked around the castle until I reached the living room, where I saw Rexana.

"Rexana! Finally, someone who isn't freaking out!" She laughed before turning to me. Her eyes already showed that she was exhausted and that she was barely holding on. "I'm more scared than half of these servants combined."

Rexana, scared? This must be bad... "What's happening?" She sighed. "I guess no one has told you yet. In Salyar, a bit before you left, a group of terrorists shot fireballs or something along those lines. I'm not sure about the details, but what I do know is that they're on a path headed straight for the castle."

That is bad. "Dad, me, and a bunch of other people are all cramped up in a room. I snuck out to get some fresh air."

The door in front of us opened, and Vito exited. He looked better than Rexana, but not by much. "We were able to figure out that they are from the Cuvaria Kingdom. We just went and visited them earlier this month to become alliances, so why would they do this?"

"They could be people who are against the alliance," I offered. Vito noticed I was there once I said it. "Yes... that makes sense. How do you think we could console them without a fight?" He asked me. "I'm not sure if you can. First, I would listen to their demands, and if you can make a compromise for them to stop, I would do it. If not, then action will have to be taken."

"Who taught you to be so smart?" Rexana asked, putting me in a headlock. "Just an observation..." Vito put up his hand. "Rexana, with me. Thank you for your perspective, Balere. Servus!" The old man came instantly. "Make sure the dungeon is safe and secure." He nodded before quickly turning away.

I went to the window, where I saw a marching band with masks begin to enter the city. If only I could go invisible... I dipped outside and hid behind a bush.

"What do you wish from us?" Vito yelled to the people who were almost to the castle. "We want you to give up on the alliance!"

"For what reason? The alliance was beneficial for everyone, including the poor!" One of the people in the yellow masks stepped up. They had long, purple hair and a very feminine body with milk-white skin. She pointed her katana up at Vito, yelling, "We don't want our kingdom involved with people who do atrocities to the beastmen!"

Everyone got quiet, listening to what she had to say. "There have been survivors of what you've done to beastman tribes, and we won't stand for it!"

"I've heard enough," Vito said clearly. She stepped back, shocked by his sudden comment. "W-what?"

"Is there any evidence of your claims? Where are the beastman survivors? If you're calling me a racist, I'll assure you I'm not. Laurence, please come here." Laurence stood next to Vito.

"This beastman has been tutoring my son in the ways of magic. Initially, I wasn't sure about him, but as our relationship has grown, I've come to enjoy his company more. Now, do you have any questions?" She looked down. "No..."

"Then I suggest you leave before you meet your imminent demise." With that, he turned and walked back inside.

"Miss Faye, what do we do now?" A red-masked soldier asked the lady. She sighed before turning to face him. "We return home. There isn't anything we can do. We may have lost today, but we will win in the end."

I tried to readjust my position, but I accidentally shifted the bush, making a loud noise, and making them all turn toward me. "Prince Balere, correct? What are you doing over there?" I sighed before standing and approaching the lady. "I was interested in how it would go down, and I wanted to get close enough to hear the conversation. So, I hid in this bush."

She leaned in, making her cleavage more noticeable. "Now, didn't your daddy tell you it wasn't good to spy on people threatening your life?" My face flushed red. Dammit Pony, pay attention to what's happening. I shook my head and looked up at her. "Didn't yours tell you not to kill the king of a country?" She smirked before standing straight up again. "Seems like you have a sharp tongue. Let's hope we won't ever have to see each other again." I tipped an imaginary hat to her before she walked away.

My heart was pounding out of my chest. She could have killed me at any point, but she decided to spare me. She must plan to come back, overthrow Vito, and place me as king instead. Well, I think so, at least.

I watched her battalion leave, and I walked back inside. I was greeted by Vito and Rexana. "You..." She looked back and forth between me and my room. "YOU WERE OUTSIDE?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW DANGEROUS IT COULD HAVE BEEN IF SHE HAD SEEN YOU?!" I chuckled awkwardly. "She did see me..."

Vito sighed. "Balere, you shouldn't do that in case this happens again. Do you know how dangerous it could have been if she wanted to attack you?" I shrugged. I don't, as no one has told me about any other kingdom besides this one. "I suppose you wouldn't... Just stay safe, alright? I have to talk to the council, but after that, I'll give you a lecture."

He walked off and left Rexana and me alone. "So, do you have any clues as to who that girl was?" I queried. "No, we only know that she's from the Cuvaria Kingdom. Did you find anything out from your spying?"

"They called the woman Faye, but that could have been an alias." She raised an eyebrow. "That's an unusual name, even for the Cuvarian Kingdom." I began racking my brain to find some meaning to Faye, but I couldn't. "Do their names differ from ours that much?" She nodded. "They use a different alphabet, too. It's all in weird lettering."

I heard walking, and Laurence walked in. "That could have gone better..." He groaned. "You're telling me. This one almost got in a whole world of trouble by spying on us around two feet away from her!" His head slowly turned in my direction. "You did what?' He growled in a low voice.

"H-hey! I didn't do anything! I just wanted to hear what they were saying, and I just so happened to be in the area..." I awkwardly explained. He walked toward me slowly. "That was such an idiotic thing that you did, I don't even think I can lecture you on this. Come with me." He grabbed me by my collar as I looked to Rexana for help, to which she shrugged and walked away. I WILL REMEMBER THIS!

I got up from the ground and looked up at Laurence, holding his wand. "Are we finally done?" I questioned, scared. "One. More." I quickly braced myself for the spell. "Hic titillandus homo!" Feathers flew out of his wand and began tickling me all over. "This... is pure torture!"

At first, I tried to put up a fight, but I eventually ran out of mana, and before I could replenish it, he began ticking me with his feathers.

After a few minutes, he released his spell, and I gasped for air. "Now, I hope you will consider what you have done." He helped me up, and he sat me down on a bench. I picked up my water flask and brought it to my mouth. "Thank you for punishing him for me, Laurence."

I rolled my eyes as Vito walked in. "I was going to punish you before this, but since Laurence has already done that, I'd like you to look through the list of the deceased and tell me if you recognize any names." I raised an eyebrow. "Why me? I don't know anyone."

"You've spent more time there than I have. I would also like Laurence to look through it as well." I sighed and grabbed the papers from his hand. I quickly scanned through all of the names before shaking my head. "This would be better if they showed age since I only know people around my age." Laurence snatched the paper from my hands and looked through them carefully.

"What's the estimated total?" I queried. "Around two hundred, which was more than I expected. Although, most of these deaths came after the fireballs. Mongrels..." I took another drink before Laurence sighed. "I do recognize a few of these names. I also recognize the last name."

"Which ones do you recognize?" Vito asked. "Paul Bither, Samuel Esta, and the last name I recognize is Witherspoon." Witherspoon? I looked at the paper. "How do I know that name..?" I scanned through the Ws before I found it. "Patrem Witherspoon. Laurence, how do we know that name?"

"That's Celesse and Alva's father," He solemnly told me. Oh. I sat back down in my seat and rubbed my temples.

"What're we going to do?" Laurence asked. "We're going to—"

"We're going to go to the homes of the families who lost someone and give them our condolences, along with a small payment," I firmly said. "Why do you think we would do that?"

"We're trying to have you be in a better light, are we not? A good way of doing that is taking advantage of the vulnerable people to put their hope in you." He looked at me curiously. "You are malicious, you know that?" I shrugged before seeing Laurence shaking his head in shame. I'm turning too much like Vito, aren't I? Well, I'm doing a good thing before it's evil, so I believe I'm still on the good end of the spectrum.

"We should get going now. We want to do it fast. Servus!" The butler approached us. "Get two, no, three carts ready. Gather mages that can help with the situation and put them in the third cart. Laurence will be in the second cart. Rexana, Balere, and I will be in the first cart." Servus bowed before dipping out. "Let's get going."

I hopped out of the cart and looked around at the buildings which had been almost destroyed. Those mages are strong...

"King Vito?" I turned to see a man still under the stone. I instantly rushed over to him and tried pulling the stone off of him. I started infusing mana into my arms, which let the man crawl out. "Are you alright, sir?" He nodded before I handed him off to a healer. "Prince, you shouldn't have to help people, that's what we're all here for," The mage said, motioning to all of the standby mages.

"It goes against my morals to ignore someone in need." I got up and scanned the area, infusing my eyes with mana.

I helped the mages help people until it began to get dark, which is when we stopped seeing people. I stretched and cracked my back. "Balere, you doing alright?" Rexana asked me. She was dirty and sweaty, letting me know she has been working hard. "I'm doing better than you, it seems. Here..." I helped her onto a bench and handed her a water flask. "Thanks."

"I think we've done all that we can," Vito said, appearing out of nowhere. "I'm not so sure about that. You said that the injured people were taken to a hospital, correct? We should go visit them to let them know that everything would be alright." He complained, "But we've already done so much!"

"But it isn't enough. I can go by myself to visit them, but at least one of us needs to." We stared at each other for a few seconds before he caved in. "Laurence will go with you. Rexana and I will go home, but you can tell the driver to take you there after you're done." I smiled. "I would go with you, too, but I am just too damn tired, and I'm sure that Dad has to talk with the Cuvarian leaders about this whole ordeal tomorrow."

They waved before getting in a carriage. "Are they leaving you behind?" Laurence asked me. "No, I still have business here. We, as in you and me, are going to visit people in the hospital." I walked past him, signaling to our driver. "Of course we are..."

We got in the carriage and we began going to the hospital. "We're visiting the injured at a hospital." He nodded. "I'm guessing it's the one where you, me, and Pardalis went?" I nodded. It's been so long since I've seen Pardalis. I wonder what she's doing, where she is. I sighed shortly before we stopped.

When we entered the hospital, guards were standing at the entrance to the main hospital and not the lobby. "You can't enter without a pass." I looked at Laurence confused before he shrugged. "What if the king came through?" The guard looked to the other guard. "Royal family is permitted."

"Well, that's fantastic! Prince Balere, at your service." They turned to each other before looking back at me and laughing. "You, the prince? Yeah, and I'm the queen of Cuvaria!" They laughed wildly. I sighed and pulled out my status card. I shoved it in their faces before saying, "You two are idiots..." They read it before their eyes went wide from realization. "I-I'm so sorry, your majesty!"

They held the door open for us and we walked in. "Can one of you two bring us to where they're holding the injured from the attack?" I requested, and one of the guards began leading us. It wasn't the same hospital as my world, and by that, it wasn't just one building. It was a bunch of tents and a huge tent in the very back.

The guard led us into the tent, where the first thing I saw was the man I saved when I arrived in the city. "How are you feeling?" I asked, crouching down. He didn't notice me until I said something, but his smile grew when he laid his eyes on me. "My savior, Prince Balere! I am feeling much better, thank you." Everyone had heard the man's yelling, so they all had their eyes turned to me.

"Are you going to check on everyone in this room?" Laurence asked me. "Might as well. I want them to know someone cares for them." He nodded. "Alright. I'll wait here for you if you don't mind." I waved him off and began talking to everyone.

I got to a younger fellow, around my age, and I sat down next to him. "Hey, buddy. How are you holding up?" He shrugged. "I'm not hurt, I'm just here because my mom died. There are a bunch of those types of people here." I nodded. "Were you close with your mother?" I asked. "Very. She was the only family I had, but now..." He began sobbing.

I held him close. "It's alright, let it out. I know what it's like to lose a mother. It's tough, and it'll take some time, but you'll get there. You'll think about them a lot, but you should remember that they'll always be there for you, in spirit."

He cried into my shoulder for a few minutes before he held his head up and wiped away the tears from his eyes and cheeks. "Thank you." I rubbed his shoulder a few times before saying, "It's no problem. I hope things begin to get better for you." I stood up and continued what I was doing before.

Eventually, I got to everyone. I was about to go back to Laurence before I saw a white-haired girl in the corner. That's Celesse's sister, right?

I walked over to her and sat next to her. She slowly looked over at me before laying her head back on the wall. "I heard what happened," I told her. "You aren't the only one to," She coldly said. "Well—" She cut me off. "You're going to tell me that you also lost a parent. I heard what you said to the other kid."

"Good. Then you should already know what I would have said to you." We stayed quiet and sat next to each other in silence for a few seconds before she spoke up, "I'm scared, Prince. I'm scared of what's going to happen after this." I planted my head on her head and ruffled her hair. "I have to be honest, I am too. I've lived so many different lives in these twelve years that I'm not sure what to expect. I'm sure you wouldn't expect me to say something like that, but it's true. You've lived three different ones yourself. Before, during, and after your sickness. I think you've started your fourth now."

"My third one wasn't very long, now was it?" She joked. We laughed together before she rested her head on my shoulder. "Can I just... stay here for a few seconds?" I nodded and let her sleep on my shoulder. I guess I can rest my eyes for a few seconds, too.

"Balere?" What're you doing here?" My eyes shot open and I looked around. Right, I was visiting people at the hospital. I looked to my shoulder to see Celesse's sister sleeping on my shoulder before looking up at who woke me up. "Oh, hi Celesse. I came to help comfort the injured, but it seems I fell asleep." I slipped her sister off of me and had her head resting on the wall on the wall before standing up.

I awkwardly looked at her before coughing and asking, "So, do you come here often?" She laughed awkwardly. "Sadly from now on, yes." She rubbed her arm and looked down. "I'm sorry for your loss." She sighed. I could see the bags under her eyes, and how exhausted she was. "Have you been helping out around here?" She nodded. "Wherever I can, which apparently is a lot of places." We laughed awkwardly before I noticed the large box she was holding.

"Here, let me get that for you." Without getting permission, I took the box from her hands. The box dropped my hands a little, the weight surprising me. I "Where am I supposed to take this?" She laughed and led me away. Laurence winked at me as we passed him, so I blushed and shook my head.

I followed her into a room with a large number of doctors. "Just put them down over there," An old man told me, not paying attention to who exactly I was. I put the heavy box down on the floor and turned to Celesse. "Now what?" She shrugged before walking out.

I checked my stats to just check on them while we were walking back to the large tent.

Power: 30

Stamina: 23

???: 30

I still wasn't sure what stat it was, but it was the only one that went up. Now how about my level?

Balere Lowell

Level 6

HP: 370/370

MP: 440/440

Level six, still. Excellent. I looked over and saw Celesse going to pick up a rather large box, so I cut in front of her. "Here, let me get this for you." I tried picking it up normally, but it was just a little too heavy for my prepubescent arms. I infused them with mana before picking the box up. She laughed quietly at my struggle before picking up a box lighter than mine.

"Bring those to the large tent, if you could," A nurse said. We nodded and turned to go that way. "You didn't have to get the heavy one," Celesse told me. "My conscience wouldn't allow me to do that."

She stopped in front of me, and her head whipped in my direction. "What's that supposed to mean?" She said in a serious tone. "Celesse, your father just died, you are physically and mentally tired, and are not in the right state of mind. I understand your want to be of some help, but you shouldn't have to push yourself."

She put down her box and approached me. "Don't tell me anything about what I'm going through, Princey, because you don't. I don't want your sympathy. What you did for my sister was an amazing thing, but don't go around thinking that my family is helpless. Before you came, I was top of the class, swordsmanship-wise, and magic-wise. Don't think just because you have more resources means that you're so much stronger than I am. I don't need you, Balere."

A memory from my past life flashed in my head. My entire family was surrounding a person in a bed, my sister pointing at me. "You could have been here sooner, but you weren't! We don't need you, Pony!"

It felt like she was going to continue, but since we were just outside of the tent, two people peeked their heads out of the tent. "Celesse!"

A redheaded man and blonde woman rushed out and knelt, putting their hands on Celesse's shoulder to stop her from continuing. Those are...

"Celesse, you shouldn't talk that way to someone that high in power," The redheaded man said. His voice sounded much rougher than I'd last heard it. "Like he said. You should apologize." Her voice was still smooth...

My parents looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Please, excuse her. She's been going through a hard time recently," My mother said. "You see, her father just died, orphaning her," My father said.

"It's... alright." I was so glad I was using an artifact because if I were using my actual voice, it would be all shaky, and they could tell I was getting emotional.

"I'll put this in the tent with the rest of the boxes, then I'll take my leave. Excuse me." I moved past them, still holding the box.

I looked straight ahead as I walked. My hair was covering my eyes, but since I was so attuned to mana already, I could tell where I was supposed to go. I put the box down and turned to see Laurence talking to someone.

"...great to see you again," The doctor said as I approached. "I apologize for the interruption, but I think it's time we left." They both turned to me before Laurence nodded. "Sorry, but it seems I'm leaving! I hope I'll see you again soon!"

We walked past my parents and Celesse as they were entering. My face was steady and cold, as was her's. Fine, I see how it is. I had to hold back my urge just to let the mana take control as we entered the carriage. What would happen if I did just let it take over? Would I even be able to take control back?

"Are you alright? I can feel your mana bubbling like crazy," Laurence checked in on me, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'm... just living right now..."

I turned to look out of the window, which instantly shattered. "Glass..." I grumbled. He laughed at my annoyance, which helped lighten the mood. "Laurence, I have a question." He turned to me. "What is Adive's prophecy, and how does it relate to me?"

He went silent and sighed. "I cannot tell you. I honestly wish I could, but you can only figure it out by yourself..." His eyes widened as he looked past me. I looked out the window to just see trees and darkness. "Uh, hello? What caught your eye?"

"It's... I think I saw... never mind..." He turned away and went silent. I peeked my head out the window to see what he was seeing, but I couldn't see anything since it was so dark. Damn Beastman's vision, always makes me envy them. I sighed and rested my head on the back of the chair and just let the carriage take us home.

When we got there, no one was awake. I waved goodnight to Laurence as I trudged to my room. I immediately flopped onto my bed. Why did she have to say that? I pulled my blanket over my head and drifted off to sleep.