Upon returning to Alec’s mansion, Kousuke and the others held a discussion after properly setting up a barrier.
Of course, Alec was included in the discussion.
Kousuke had received permission from Leonard to tell Alec about this matter.
“So? Kousuke, what’s your actual assessment?”
Floria suddenly asked, and Kousuke responded with a wry smile.
In Kousuke’s stead, Silvia made a calming gesture before speaking.
“Floria. I understand how you feel, but shouldn’t we speak with Alec first?”
Alec had entered the room, as if dragged by Floria, who had returned home.
Furthermore, upon seeing Kouhi suddenly erect a strong barrier, he understood that something had happened and his expression hardened.
Alec had also visited King Maxim, so he was aware of the grave situation.
It was natural for Floria’s demeanor to spark a sliver of hope in him.
Floria offered a brief apology to Alec and then simply recounted what had happened in the castle.
When she heard about the power in the King’s private chambers, she let out a small groan and tilted her head.
“A power to alleviate illness…? Hmm. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Floria, who had harbored some hope that Alec might know something, looked disappointed.
Alec continued speaking to Floria.
“If such a power existed from the beginning, wouldn’t it have been mentioned during my father’s time?”
Kousuke and the others nodded in agreement at Alec’s words.
The “father” Alec referred to was the former king, Philip.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible that Philip had only told Maxim, but it was hard to believe that it went unnoticed by anyone during his prolonged battle with illness.
At this point, Alec suddenly looked at Kousuke.
“Could it be that it’s difficult for others to notice…?”
“I wonder? Silvia noticed it immediately…”
Kousuke said this while looking at Silvia.
Kousuke himself was unsure whether his senses in such matters were divine or general.
Silvia, her gaze directed by Kousuke, shook her head slightly left and right before answering.
“I’m not sure. The power that was present in that place felt like something only those among the clergy who had received special training could detect. This is purely based on my feeling.”
Silvia added, “Given that the target is a king of a nation, there’s a possibility that clerics who received that ‘special training’ were present, but…”
After Silvia’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to Alec.
“…Hmm. Certainly, high-ranking officials from the temple might have been involved… but there’s also the possibility they weren’t called deliberately to suppress information. It’s a subtle point.”
“No, wait. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be strange for the Queen and Prince to have tilted their heads at that moment?”
At Kousuke’s reasonable point, the others finally looked like they had realized that.
However, it was understandable that Alec had thought that way.
After all, Kousuke and the others’ access had been easily granted.
Even if high-ranking clerics had been invited, it wouldn’t be strange.
“…Thinking further here won’t help. Besides, isn’t that irrelevant to what’s important right now?”
Floria nodded at Alec’s words.
“That’s right. What is that power that was present in the first place? There must have been things that couldn’t be discussed at that time, right?”
At this point, they could finally return to what Floria had said immediately upon returning to the mansion.
Floria’s gaze conveyed that she wouldn’t allow any evasion. Kousuke responded with a wry smile.
“No, when I felt the power in that room, I just thought for a moment that it was closer to what Sura uses, rather than the holy magic that people use.”
When Kousuke said this, Silvia and Floria both groaned with expressions of understanding.
It was indeed something that couldn’t have been said at that time.
Furthermore, not knowing what Sura was, Alec looked surprised at the reaction of Silvia and Floria.
“…Are you suggesting His Majesty, my brother Maxim, might be using a monster?”
“Whether it’s a monster, a divine beast, or where it belongs, I don’t know. Also, it was just a fleeting thought, and I don’t know if it’s correct,” Kousuke told Alec.
However, the others took his words seriously.
Kousuke’s intuition in such matters was rarely wrong.
To Silvia and the others, it was perceived as an “oracle” from a living god.
Of course, Kousuke himself felt embarrassed because his intuition could be wrong.
Silvia and Floria’s reaction caused Alec to put on a serious face and ponder.
“A familiar of the royal family? …I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Me neither. Besides that, could it be a familiar, or perhaps they inherited from a blood relative?”
If it were a familiar from the tower, it would be obedient to those it followed, even if not directly its master.
This was evident from observing the familiars Kousuke had granted.
It would be odd if such beings didn’t watch over their bloodlines, not just for one generation.
However, how they identified their successive masters remained an unknown point.
Alec, as if he was concerned about that, shook his head left and right.
“That’s unlikely. If such a thing existed, they would surely have informed the royal family.”
“That’s true.”
Even if familiars or subordinate spirits had secretly served for generations, it was nearly impossible for them to remain entirely unnoticed by someone in the royal family.
While it couldn’t be stated with absolute certainty, Alec and Floria having never heard such a story made it highly improbable.
At this point, Floria and Alec’s gazes turned to Kousuke.
Although no words were spoken, they could readily sense what the two wanted to convey.
“I wouldn’t know if there were monsters other than familiars. Unless they were nearby.”
If they were familiars, some would convey their will even from a distance.
But for those other than familiars, Kousuke couldn’t find them unless they were at close range.
If such a monster were nearby, Kouhi would surely have noticed.
“Just to confirm, you didn’t sense any such presence, did you?”
Kousuke asked for confirmation, and Kouhi immediately nodded.
If a monster had infiltrated the place, Kouhi would undoubtedly have reacted.
But there was no sign of it at all, so Kousuke had dismissed that possibility from the start.
Floria sighed at the exchange between Kousuke and Kouhi.
“Then, we have absolutely no idea. It’s not like a monster just happened to pass by and cast a spell by chance, is it?”
“If such a coincidence were possible, I’d love to receive it too,” Alec said, joining his daughter’s remark with a wry smile.
If something like that had happened to King Maxim, it would undoubtedly have been told as a touching story.
In short, what Floria had just suggested was impossible.
However, Silvia posed a question to Floria and Alec.
The unexpected suspicion of a monster (a premonition by Kousuke).
What is the actual truth of the matter? lol.
*Update Notice*
As the manuscript work for volume six has arrived, I will be taking a break from updates on Saturdays and Sundays this time as well.
… Is it better to take one day off a week or not?
