At night, swayed by the motion of the carriage, I made my way down the capital's main thoroughfare.
The capital of the world's strongest empire was so prosperous that even at night it was known as a sleepless castle.
As I gazed out at the bustling nocturnal cityscape, Shirley's tense expression caught my eye.
Walking alongside the carriage, she wore an exceptionally stern look—one that bordered on fierce determination.
"What is the matter, Shirley? Are you nervous about something?"
"Y-Yes. I will protect Your Highness's safety, even at the cost of my life!"
"Where did this sudden resolve come from? Tonight is just a small banquet among the three of us—Brother Oscar invited Brother Henry and me. There is no need to be so wound up."
"That is precisely why."
Shirley became even more fired up.
At a stall along the main street, a patron accidentally dropped a dish, shattering it.
Shirley spun around instantly, her hand flying to the hilt of her sword as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Her nerves were clearly on edge to an unnecessary degree. I had yet to grasp why, though.
"What do you mean, 'precisely why'?"
Shirley looked at me and replied in a hushed voice.
"Given the current political climate, it is obvious to anyone. The next Emperor will be Lord Henry, Lord Oscar—or Lord Noah. It will be one of the three of you."
"..."
I did not answer.
The reason I did not even utter a word of agreement was the same reason Shirley had lowered her voice.
On the other hand, though she had started in a whisper, her words gathered momentum as she spoke. While keeping her voice low, her cadence grew smoother and more fluent.
"For Lord Oscar, one of those very contenders, to invite Lord Henry and Lord Noah to a banquet... there is no way it will end innocently. We must remain on guard."
"I see. I understand your point. But if that is what you are worried about, there is no need."
"Huh?"
Shirley was taken aback, surprised by how casually and definitively I dismissed her concern.
"W-Why is that?"
"After the affair with Albert and Gilbert, His Majesty has been extremely sensitive about any usurpation of the throne."
"Ah..."
"From an outsider's perspective, it certainly looks as though the contenders have been narrowed down to Brother Henry, Brother Oscar, and me. That is precisely why we cannot fight among ourselves. At least not openly. Under circumstances like tonight, there is no way he would summon us just to pull something. In fact, should anything happen, Brother Oscar would protect Brother Henry and me even at the cost of his own life."
"I had not thought of it that way... As expected of you."
Flashing Shirley a faint smile, I added:
"In fact, that is already what is happening."
Shirley's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"
"Try carefully sensing our surroundings."
Prompted by my words, Shirley scanned our surroundings with sharp, focused eyes.
"This is... are they guarding us from a distance?"
"Exactly."
I grinned.
Ever since we left the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion, Oscar's men had been shadowing us from a distance.
I possessed a fair amount of capability myself, and I had Shirley, my most trusted knight, at my side.
Even so, he had posted a distant escort around us as a precaution.
"W-When did you notice?"
"Right after we left the mansion."
"S-Since that early on?! Incredible... I did not notice at all."
"Heh."
Shirley's tension and needless vigilance eased considerably.
Looking straight ahead from the carriage, I fell into thought.
Though I hadn't told Shirley, I could also read Oscar's true motives to some extent.
What I had explained to her was strictly the reason why "nothing would happen tonight."
It was not the reason why Oscar had gone out of his way to arrange a gathering for the three of us.
From His Majesty's perspective, it would be ideal if the three of us—the obvious frontrunners—got along well.
If we were constantly at each other's throats, concerns would arise over which choice of heir would ensure a stable succession.
Depending on the severity of the feud, it wouldn't be surprising if His Majesty concluded it was safer to pick someone outside the three of us entirely.
However, if we appeared united, that concern would vanish.
Oscar was trying to stage that very harmony.
As proof, when I recommended Rice Cake to lead the subjugation of Gyelwang, Oscar had thrown his full weight behind the proposal.
Oscar's personality was often compared to that of our fifth older brother, Mile Ararat.
Both had a reputation for being gentle and amiable.
However, while Brother Mile was naturally affable and viewed by all as possessing zero ambition, Oscar was the type who, despite seeming genial, was always plotting behind the scenes.
That was why tonight, fully aware of His Majesty's vast intelligence network, he had calculated that his discreet protection of me would inevitably reach the Emperor's ears.
Thus, nothing untoward would happen tonight.
Sure enough, my two older brothers and I gathered and enjoyed a peaceful, harmonious meal together, setting aside affairs of state for the first time in a while.
☆
The next day, Alan the antique merchant visited my mansion.
Instead of the formal reception room, I received him while seated comfortably in the living room.
"I have procured the item Your Highness desired."
"The gemstone in question?"
"Yes."
"I see—though you look rather troubled. What happened?"
"The truth is..."
Looking as though he had swallowed a bitter bug, Alan produced several jewelry boxes and lined them up before me.
Opening the lids revealed several gemstones inside—all nearly identical in appearance.
There were six beautiful red rubies in total.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"It was an error on my part. In my haste to procure it as quickly as possible, I sent a messenger stating it was an item desired by Your Highness. Word leaked out, and merchants vied to present similar pieces."
"Hmm."
"At least five of them are counterfeits..."
"Ahaha. Given what it is, there is a chance all six are fakes."
I laughed it off, and Alan visibly relaxed a little.
To begin with, the tale of a baby "born clutching a gemstone" sounded suspicious.
From the very start, the story itself carried a strong likelihood of being a fabrication.
Alan, who had been wracked with guilt over his blunder, felt somewhat relieved when I treated it as a joke.
"I had hoped to sort them out beforehand, but I lacked the discernment to tell them apart..."
"Hmm... Ah."
"Is something the matter?"
"The genuine article is right here. It's this one."
Having picked up all the rubies in turn, I held one of the six while glancing aside.
"You can tell?"
"Yeah."
I wasn't looking at the gemstone itself, but rather at the corner of my vision.
My status display, ever present in the periphery, had shifted the instant I picked up the gem.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Imperial Prince Minister of Justice Gender: Male Level: 15 / ∞
HP: C+D Fire: E+A MP: E+E Water: C+S Strength: C+A Wind: E+F Stamina: D+E Earth: E+D Intelligence: E+D Light: E+C Spirit: E+D Darkness: E+C Speed: E+E Dexterity: E+D Luck: E+D ――――――――――――
It was subtle, but the "+" on my HP had gone up by one tier.
"H-How does it differ from the other five?"
"...Just watch."
The emotion transmitted from the gemstone formed an image in my mind rather than words.
To put it into practice, I drew Leviathan.
I tossed Leviathan straight up into the air, and it spun as it plummeted back toward the floor.
Reaching out smoothly, I thrust my arm right into Leviathan's path.
"—!"
Alan gasped.
The spinning Leviathan struck my arm—was deflected cleanly, and plunged into the floorboards.
"W-What is the meaning of this?"
"Look."
"The ruby from before... Huh? It's slightly chipped."
"It seems to have that sort of property. When held, it acts as a scapegoat, taking on injuries or illness in place of its master."
"I have never heard of a gemstone with such an effect. As expected of Your Highness, you saw right through it."
"Heh."
"However... that is somewhat unfortunate."
Peering closely at the ruby, Alan murmured with genuine disappointment.
"If acting as a substitute damages it... remarkable as it is, it can only be used once."
That was true enough.
Furthermore, knowing that it sustained damage made me feel it was a waste to trigger the ruby's substitute effect.
Thanks to the gem, my HP modifier had risen by a tier.
Rather than letting it shatter as a scapegoat, it was far better to keep it intact in my possession.
"Hm?"
"Is something wrong?"
"This is..."
Another impression flowed into my mind from the ruby.
After interpreting the imagery, I considered the possibilities.
Once the complete simulation played out in my head, I put on the Ring of Armor.
Using the ring, I conjured a mass that looked identical to the ruby, pulled Leviathan from the floor, and crushed the original gem.
"Aah! W-What are you doing?!"
Alan cried out in sheer panic.
Ignoring him, I inspected the replica created by the Ring of Armor and checked my status once more.
My stats had not changed—which was proof that whatever had been inside the ruby was still alive.
Then I swung the blade against myself once more, this time with greater force.
The moment I did, the duplicate created by the Ring of Armor shattered to pieces.
Naturally, I remained without a scratch.
"Wh-What in the world! Could it be that you have mass-produced the ruby?"
I explained to the astonished merchant:
"Not quite. I simply provided a new vessel for the entity that was dwelling inside the ruby."
With that, I used the Ring of Armor to form another one.
An exact duplicate of the ruby, once again.
"M-Meaning... it can be used indefinitely...?"
"Yeah."
"In-Incredible..."
Alan was left utterly struck dumb.