The appearance of the magic circle was something Amidio, who had been watching the unfolding events, immediately noticed.
Amidio himself was not particularly skilled in magic. He could only use common, general magic. But even he could sense the immense scale of the magic.
After the magic circle disappeared, about ten figures appeared.
“Th-this can’t be…”
Amidio confirmed that he recognized someone among them. In fact, he knew several people surrounding that individual, but he was so focused on that one person that his confirmation was delayed.
It wasn’t particularly strange that this person would come to this place. After all, there was information that they were heading towards this town of Eiren. That was precisely why he had gone to the trouble of arranging for the regular army to be present, hoping to resolve this matter before that person arrived. He just hadn’t expected them to use Teleportation Magic to do so.
Teleportation Magic was not a spell that could be easily used. Furthermore, moving a group of people who appeared from a magic circle would require considerable skill. It was likely that the old man standing by that person’s side, along with the other wizards, were capable of performing such a feat. That old man was none other than Orche Yurholt, the chief wizard of the Florece Kingdom. The reason Amidio had been so rushed to resolve this matter was because Orche was taking orders from Prince Renard, the second in line to the Florece Kingdom’s throne.
***
“My name is Orche, the chief wizard of the Florece Kingdom! Both sides, cease combat!!!!” Orche’s voice echoed across the battlefield. Naturally, he was using magic to amplify his voice.
In response to his name, the regular army’s attack halted. Mitsuki and Peach also did not pursue their attacks. The captain who had been attacking Kousuke had also stopped attacking once he confirmed the magic circle.
The sudden appearance of such a prominent figure caused a commotion among those who had been observing from the sidelines. The group at the center of the commotion, after confirming that the fighting had stopped, began to move. Towards Kousuke’s location.
Seeing this, Amidio panicked. He had assumed that they would naturally come to his location, and he wondered why they were going to some mere adventurer. At first, Amidio thought this way, but then he reconsidered, thinking it more convenient that they would first head towards the side opposing the army. He reasoned that if the regular army and adventurers were fighting, they would naturally side with the regular army. However, that naive thought would be instantly dispelled.
Among Prince Renard’s party, who had begun to move towards Kousuke’s place, a man clad in armor gave an instruction to the captain. “Captain, sheath your sword and stand down.”
“Yes, sir!”
Despite his confusion, the captain immediately followed the order. After all, the person who had given the order was Armin Schaefer, Number Two of the regular army. In the military, the commands of a superior officer must take precedence over all else. He immediately instructed a nearby subordinate to rally the combatant soldiers. Leaving only the captain and one other subordinate, the rest of the subordinates rushed towards the soldiers.
***
It had become eerily quiet, as if the earlier clamor had been a lie. Mitsuki and Peach were already heading back towards Kousuke. Among those observing the situation, some doubted the statement made by the chief wizard. It was natural. They had suddenly appeared from a magic circle, and then they had made that statement. There wasn’t enough evidence to believe them immediately. However, seeing Amidio’s panicked reaction and the captain’s immediate compliance, some began to consider that it might indeed be true. And, of course, the question arose: why had such an important person come to a place like this?
Amidst this, something happened that surprised everyone present. A young man from the group that had appeared from the magic circle approached Kousuke and suddenly knelt. The audience, who did not know who he was, was not particularly surprised by this. It was Orche, who claimed to be the chief wizard, who panicked. Hearing Orche’s words, the audience was surprised.
“Prince Renard! Please refrain from doing such a thing in a place like this!!” Orche skillfully demonstrated the art of shouting in a small voice. He knew it was problematic for the Prince to be recognized in such a state, so he controlled himself. Of course, any citizen of the Florece Kingdom would know Prince Renard. He was, after all, the eldest son of the current King and the second in line to the throne of the Florece Kingdom. Naturally, the first in line to the throne was Prince Maxim, the current King’s son and Prince Renard’s father. The young man, addressed as Prince Renard, spoke to Kousuke while still kneeling. “I apologize for the circumstances of our first meeting.”
“Ah, no, that’s fine… but you look like you’re about to faint, are you alright?” Kousuke, who had been suddenly knelt before, asked, offering a bitter smile and turning his gaze to the old man. There stood Orche, looking pale and as if he were about to collapse.
“Orche. If you feel that way, what is the point of saying my name in a place like this?” Prince Renard admonished Orche with a laugh.
“B-but…!!” As Orche tried to protest further, Prince Renard leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Upon hearing this, Orche’s face, which couldn’t have gotten any paler, turned even more so. Armin, who was standing nearby, also changed his expression. As a soldier, he was known for not showing his emotions, yet he displayed a distinct change in his expression. They too had not been properly informed about who Kousuke was. Of course, they suspected he was a person of some renown, but they likely hadn’t expected him to be non-human.
“I-I’m sorry…!” Kousuke interrupted Orche, who was about to kneel again. “Ah, that’s fine. More importantly, can we finish this quickly?” Kousuke said, with a visibly weary expression, pointing a thumb at Amidio.
***
Amidio, watching the scene unfold from a distance, was utterly confused. Prince Renard, whom he expected to come to his location, had prioritized a mere adventurer and had even knelt before him in public. Prince Renard, who was said to be guaranteed the throne unless he lost his life in a major war. In the current Florece Kingdom, the only individuals Prince Renard would likely kneel before would be the current King and Prince Maxim, his father, who was considered the next King. At least, that’s what Amidio had thought until a moment ago. But in reality, Prince Renard was inexplicably kneeling. Towards the person he had been opposing until just moments before. To Amidio, who was at a distance and completely unable to hear their voices, the scene unfolding before him was beyond comprehension.
“Wh-wh-why!?” He could utter nothing more. Unfortunately, the only ones who noticed his pathetic state were the few soldiers who remained as his guards. These soldiers also left their positions according to their superior’s orders, and in the end, only he and his private soldiers remained.
And so, a Prince has appeared. Aside from Prince Renard himself, the only ones in the Kingdom who knew of Kousuke’s presence in Florece Kingdom until Prince Renard whispered to Orche were the King and Prince Maxim, Prince Renard’s father.
