My name was Monren. Monren Dargrin. I was a member of the Dargrin Royal Family, one of the houses that formed the Reiwight Kingdom, and a son of King Rafus.
I glared at the Prime Minister. Why in the world had he struck me?
"Because you fail to understand," he replied flatly.
Understand? Understand what? First of all, who was that man? Where had Alfred gone? And why did some stranger who appeared out of thin air feel entitled to reject my apology!
"Were you not listening to our conversation the other day?" the Prime Minister asked.
"The first one?" I countered. I had been listening, but none of it had made much sense to me.
He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Don't you dare heave such a blatant sigh at a prince!" I snapped.
"Then please act in a way that does not compel me to do so. Furthermore, the individual you saw was indeed Alfred... or rather, Alfred-dono."
"It’s rare to hear you use an honorific like that," I noted.
"Previously, he was merely a child who had come here for his studies. But the person standing there just now was someone else entirely."
"Because he looked different?"
"It was more than that. His resolve had changed. He is no longer a child."
"Is that so?"
"It is. Could you truly not sense it? And then, as if to spit on his goodwill, you interfered at the very last moment. You deserved to be hit."
"Wait," I said, pausing. "Was there any goodwill on his part?"
He sighed again. "Listen closely. First, you were shown Alfred-dono's altered form, were you not? High Priest Fouche of the Korin Religion and Chief Priest-warrior O'Brien of the Priest-warrior Division—the very pride of the Reiwight Kingdom—both acknowledged him. In other words, they were signaling to you that he is no ordinary man."
"W-well, his appearance changed, so obviously he’s not normal."
"Beyond that, instead of accepting our apology, he chose to apologize to us himself. After demonstrating that he is no ordinary person, he humbled himself. If that is not an act of goodwill, then what is? Do you understand the stakes? In this matter, they could have demanded the heads of the princes."
"No way..."
"I have received word privately from the Korin Religion that such a measure might have been unavoidable to settle the dispute."
"You... you're lying."
"I wish I were. But it is the truth. Yet, Alfred-dono said he was sorry. He apologized to us. Fouche and O'Brien did as well. Together, they agreed the incident was over and proposed we act as if it never happened. The matter should have ended there... but you and the other princes just had to shout for him to 'Wait.'"
"Was that really so bad?" I asked, my voice wavering.
"It was disastrous."
"I only told him to wait! You told him to wait earlier too, didn't you?"
"I did so before the formal discussion began. Do not equate my actions with yours."
"What's the difference?"
"Everything. You told a man who was offering to wipe the slate clean to wait. You understand the diplomatic implication, don't you? You were effectively saying that you refused to let the matter drop."
"I-I didn't mean it like that..."
"In the arena of diplomacy, your true intentions are irrelevant."
"Diplomacy? You make it sound like—"
"It is diplomacy. We are dealing with the Korin Religion. Good heavens, my head is throbbing."
"I... I was wrong," I muttered. "So, what happens now?"
"I will arrange another opportunity for you to apologize. When that time comes, I expect your total surrender."
"Technically, I am a prince, you know?"
"If you wish to pick a fight with the Korin Religion, do so alone. I shall be taking the Church's side."
"I’m sorry," I said quickly. "I will follow your lead."
"Please do. I will do my best to manufacture a situation where you can honestly bow your head."
I wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that.
A few days later, I found myself in a corner of the vast courtyard of the Royal Castle. I was tucked away behind some tall shrubs, just as the Prime Minister had instructed. Since he had sent me here, I assumed this was the "situation" he had prepared for the apology. I was to make it look like a chance encounter.
I understood. I just had to wait for Alfred-dono to arrive and then offer my sincerest regrets. However...
Alfred-dono soon entered the courtyard. He was accompanied by Lady Fouche and Chief Priest-warrior O'Brien. The three of them didn't seem to be heading toward me at all. In fact, they didn't even seem to notice I was there. Did they not know I was waiting?
That Prime Minister... was he really leaving the rest to me? He said he would prepare a situation!
As I crouched there feeling resentful, I watched them. It appeared they were going to train.
It was incredible. Alfred-dono seemed to be a perfect match for O'Brien with a sword. And then came the magic. Well, if he could change his entire physical form, it stood to reason he could use magic, but still...
Wait. Was magic supposed to be that powerful?
The ground beneath me began to shudder. Then came the heat. A literal heatwave reached my hiding spot, despite the distance between us. His power was far beyond anything I had seen from a Battle Mage.
Finally, the Priest-warrior Division brought out a captured magic beast. The creature was visibly terrified. That notoriously ferocious beast was trembling so violently it was almost pitiful. I began to worry that if it were cornered any further, it might snap and go on a rampage. I wondered if I should flee.
But then, the magic beast yielded. It prostrated itself before him, even though Alfred-dono hadn't made a single move.
I told myself to stay calm. I needed to process this.
First, I understood. He was magnificent. Truly powerful. I also understood why he was a central figure to the Korin Religion.
And I finally understood that this was not the "place for an apology" the Prime Minister had prepared. It was a place designed to make me witness Alfred-dono's true strength so that I would understand exactly who I was dealing with.
Therefore, I had to go to him. I had to apologize of my own volition. I decided I would request an official audience that very day.
Some time has passed since then. I was able to apologize to Alfred-dono properly. That was a relief. We were even able to establish a friendly rapport.
However, I found myself wondering why I had been put in charge of the Kingdom's Toilet Improvement Project. Don't get me wrong—I preferred clean facilities as much as the next man—but still.
Apparently, the other two princes who had insulted Alfred-dono had also come to apologize individually. It turned out they had been stationed in different parts of the courtyard that day and had reached the exact same conclusion I had. It made sense.
But they were assigned to cooking and the fields. Why was I given the outhouses? The scale of the project was massive, and the other two were helping me, but still...
I told myself not to think about it. I just needed to move. To work.
Yet, a single question continued to haunt me. I acknowledged that Alfred-dono was an incredible man. I truly did.
But why in the world was the ultimate goal of such a powerful man to become a Village Head? That was the one thing I simply could not fathom.