Volume 5 Chapter 29 Well, If You're That Absorbed In It... Right？
"Seriously... just yesterday──."
Cedric had a look of disbelief, but he showed a perfect smile only to Liz, saying, "Liza, you can come by anytime."
He's still the same old brother, but Randy deeply bowed his head in gratitude for the little time Cedric made for him, especially since he was set to head north tomorrow.
Randy thinks Cedric's busyness is, no joke, the most intense in this world.
Supervising various businesses.
Social events as a representative of Marquis Lucian.
Investigating the royal family's movements.
And... keeping an eye on his beloved sister.
"It seems like the exam went well."
The big smile he showed Liz probably came from her being all smiles after finishing the test, saying, "I nailed it!"
"You really catch that, huh?"
"Just look at your face; it says it all."
Even now, as Liz is surprised, he's saying, "Well, I'm your brother," but it's clear he's getting reports from the shadows about Liz.
If he's that busy, he could just keep tabs on her to a certain extent. Randy thinks that way, but for Cedric, it's like an oasis in his hectic life.
There's no way he'd stop watching over Liz.
After enjoying a good chat with Liz, Cedric turned to Randy with a serious look.
"...So? You said you wanted to talk about something?"
"Yeah. It's this──."
Randy handed Cedric a photo of a mural.
"...What's this?"
Before Randy could explain, Cedric murmured, clearly recognizing the mural.
"This mural is from the ruins you guys visited during training, right?"
Randy nodded, saying, "So you knew about it after all."
"Of course I remember it well. I went there when I was a student too."
Cedric sighed, squinting at the photo, saying, "Brings back memories."
"I'm surprised. Someone like you, Sir Cedric, couldn't make it to the fifth level?"
Cedric chuckled wryly and glanced back at Miranda.
"...Just youthful folly, that's all."
Miranda looked like she just bit into a sour bug, while Cedric shrugged and said, "Well, I guess it was a bit naive." It seemed like there was something only they understood.
"We can talk about your school life during the celebration if this goes well..."
Randy cut off the conversation, and Cedric and Miranda turned their gazes back to him. Randy was curious too, but there wasn't enough time to discuss it right now.
"I decoded the content of this mural."
Randy said this to him, and Cedric couldn't hide his surprise, responding with, "Oh, really?"
"The content is... if used well, it could create chaos in the government during negotiations with the North..."
As he said this, Randy handed Cedric a note with the poem written on it. It looked like just a simple piece of paper, nothing that seemed to hold any significant information──just a scrap from a notebook.
Still, Cedric felt a strange weight from the note as he slowly picked it up. Miranda leaned in to peek at the note over Cedric's shoulder.
"This is what I decoded from the writing on the mural."
"...This is quite meaningful."
Cedric pondered, while Miranda asked suspiciously, "Are you sure about this content?"
"Well, I can't say it's absolutely safe──."
Randy gave a wry smile, and Miranda replied seriously, "So you're pretty confident, huh?" She shifted her gaze back to Randy from the note. Her doubts were valid. This was the content of the mural that the country's research institutions had failed to solve despite their best efforts.
When handed this content, saying "Wow, that's amazing!" and just trusting it wasn't an option.
Of course, her skepticism didn't stem from distrust in Randy or Liz. It was more about being prepared for any risks as Cedric's bodyguard.
As if to echo Miranda's thoughts, Cedric placed the paper on the table and spoke up.
"I'm definitely curious about the content. It could be linked to the mural's appearance."
A man sitting on something like a throne.
A huge circular figure visible behind him.
Swirling black flames.
A giant black moon and a church.
They can definitely be linked to the content of the poem. But, since the mural itself is abstract, it's still a bit of a stretch for Cedric and Miranda to fully accept it as "this is amazing."
After all, Randy is saying that this information could confuse the government. Cedric and Miranda understand that if the content is true, the government will definitely be in chaos. So, they need to be extra careful.
If this turns out to be wrong and can be easily overturned, it could mess up negotiations with the North.
With serious looks from the two, Randy thought to himself, "Yeah, that makes sense," and handed over 2 more pieces of paper.
"This is the original text."
It was the text written by Ellie and Liz, along with what Principal Lucius had written.
"...This font is──."
"I think it's from Principal Lucius."
Cedric nodded in agreement with Miranda's words.
"The text written on the mural was confirmed with the principal's help, so there's no mistake about it."
"Sure enough... it matches when compared to the photo."
As Cedric compared the string of Roman letters to the photo, Randy handed him a piece of paper with the so-called 'resurrection spell' written in hiragana.
"...Ancient language?"
"Can you read it?"
"Not at all. I just know it exists."
Cedric shrugged, and Randy let out a sigh of relief. If a guy who can do all this could also decode ancient languages, that would be downright monstrous.
"Are you thinking something rude?"
"Not at all..."
Randy shook his head with a wry smile and handed over the spell with kanji and rune meanings applied, along with the decoded version based on the gojūon chart.
"I see. I don't understand the content, but this character in the photo matches here."
Cedric could only make visual judgments, but even though he just glanced at the photo earlier, he was able to connect the kanji in the notes to the photo. He might really be something else.
"Indeed. Looking at the order of this decoding, I can understand your confidence."
Cedric placed all the notes on the desk and let out a big sigh, "Huff."
"Unfortunately, I can't tell if the royal family has any stories about the seal."
Randy, shaking his head, showed a disappointed face despite saying, "That makes sense." He understood. Even Cedric, as knowledgeable as he is, wouldn't know something that only the royal family would have.
Still, there's something about Cedric that makes he thinks maybe he knows...
If he doesn't know, then it's really possible that the stories don't exist.
In a situation with too many unknowns, it's hard to share this information. Honestly, for Randy and Liz, causing chaos for the government is whatever. They know Cedric would handle things well in the end, even without their help.
But it's a problem that the government and research institutions won't back off from that ruin. For the two... no, 3 of them who really want to investigate that door, they want some guarantee that those guys will disappear.
Seeing Randy and Liz clearly disappointed, Cedric couldn't help but smile.
"I don't know the legends. But I can at least guess how the current government will act..."
With a smile, Cedric was pretty sure that not just the ruins, but the whole island would be locked down.
"The current king isn't a fool, but he's a small-minded guy."
Liz chuckled at her brother's bluntness, saying "Elder Brother," but Cedric just smiled back, knowing it's probably true.
"His Majesty is basically a king who loves to 'keep things' as they are and avoid trouble."
Cedric emphasized 'His Majesty' and continued.
"His Majesty hates big changes. Like when his position is threatened... you know?"
Cedric shrugged, and Randy let out a vague "Ah." As a result, Liz got exiled. The higher-ups in the Church wiped out those who supported Lucian's proposal. That's how the kingdom has maintained its current position, protecting his own status.
"Not disowning Edgar forever is probably just him being selfish."
Cedric, looking exasperated, watched as Randy tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean?" Liz was explaining that the king has a younger brother, the Duke, who lives in a territory at the eastern edge of the kingdom and rarely shows his face in the center.
Anyway, if they were to disinherit Edgar, the next in line after Prince Gerald, who has no heirs, would be the Duke or his son.
"I see. So if that's the case, the mysterious ruins that could disrupt the kingdom's stability should be sealed off... right?"
"Of course, after the necessary investigations... I guess."
With a smile, Cedric slid the note Randy had given him back across the table. Randy furrowed his brow for a moment at the meaningful smile and the returned note, but then he realized Cedric's intention and clapped his hands.
"So we just need to pass this note to the research institution, right?"
"Exactly. They probably do some research on ancient languages there."
Cedric's smile faded as he said, "Now, the question is who will deliver it and how." After all, they were leaving tomorrow morning, and it was already late in the evening.
Even if they wanted to hand it over to the research institution, time was running out, and there was no one to deliver it.
If Cedric or Miranda were to deliver it, the royal family would be cautious. The same goes for Randy or Liz. In fact, even if a mere student brought it, it was uncertain how well it would be received.
The timing and the person delivering the information are both crucial.
Knowing this, Cedric was troubled...
"Well, I have someone in mind──."
Randy, with a smile, already had a vision in mind.
"I was thinking of asking Principal Lucius for help."
It would involve him, but it wasn't like they were planning anything shady.
"The principal, huh... that's definitely a good choice."
Cedric said, furrowing his brow. He was probably worried about how to contact the principal before their departure tomorrow morning. But of course, Randy had that vision too. In fact, it could be said that meeting was 'already decided'.
"Don't worry. I have a retest tomorrow."
Randy said it casually, and Cedric showed a look he had never seen before, saying, "Huh?"
"Exam... I totally bombed it."
Randy shrugs, and Liz lets out a sigh of defeat, saying, "You got too caught up in decoding."
"Sure, it wasn't a big deal without you guys here, but..."
Cedric looks at Liz with disappointment, probably thinking he could finally take a nice trip with his sister after a long time.
"Don't worry. It's just me left, and before we get to the north, I'll have Liz teleport over to pick me up."
With Randy sounding super confident, Liz and Cedric hold back their question, "Will you even pass the exam by then?"
In the awkward silence, Randy pouts and says, "I can do it."
"You can decode the cipher. You can talk to Sir Cedric as an equal. So why can't you pass the school exam?"
Miranda's inner voice slips out, and the two remaining friends nod vigorously in agreement.
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