CH 122

Chapter 122 of “Mastering Magic in an Otome Game Part 4 (Eildart Castle During Winter Break)”

“…So Ivan-sama was inching closer and then pounced on the cat, but it looks like he was just messing around. He started playing around on the grass with the cat…”

Cutely guilty as charged.

I was currently caught up in my brother’s treasured beast-child story while being carried in his. arms, squirming and enjoying the story. Brother Will also seemed satisfied, so apparently, it was all okay as long as I didn’t keep Brother Oluris all to myself.

But somehow, since the end of the semester, I felt that Virgil’s brothers and I were physically closer to each other. Almost as close as I was with my father.

It’s wasn’t really a problem, because it was actually quite a common sight to see with children of the nobility…especially those from Lovaine, who were being carried by adult escorts, or walking close to them for their own safety.

Surprisingly, in this world, there really wasn’t much of a tendency to say things like, ‘You are a nobleman, so act in moderation,’ or ‘It’s not right to snuggle so casually.’

This is because it would be impossible to protect the target from unexpected dangers such as magic, magical beasts, and criminals without doing so.

As I think back, a lot had happened since I entered the academy.

There were a lot of dangerous things that happened such as my magic running amok, getting involved in another’s magic running amok, encountering a knife fight and a duel at night…I felt very guilty when I heard that Brother Oluris, who learned about those stories later, had turned pale and almost collapsed.

If I traced everything back further, there was also the Rouge incident that occurred.

Moreover, because I was currently out traveling, he might have subconsciously wanted to keep his hands near me and keep me close to him.

As a sign of this, Brother Oluris would sometimes stare out the carriage window.

When he was holding me in his arms, Brother Will did the same, so while they didn’t seem to be particularly in agreement, they both seemed to be taking turns watching the outside.

This carriage and the carriage that the Heimer siblings were riding in had guards with them on the outside, but they must have been curious.

“Brother Oluris, where are we now?”

“Hmm…It’s been a long time since we crossed the border between the royal capital and the Heimer territory, so we’re close to the territory. In terms of place names, I’d say around Clarus.”

“Heh…”

I had only been to the Heimer castle once, but I had slept most of the way there, so I had no idea of the surrounding places.

I still have no idea what the names of these places were, but it seems that the brothers knew it because they had been to the Heimer’s castle before as relatives.

“That’s a relief.”

Connie, who had been keeping quiet, patted her chest in relief. It was not unreasonable for Connie, who couldn’t use weapons or magic, to feel that way.

Because of the way this world was.

The habitat of creatures such as demons and magical beasts were usually settled between territories or countries.

“It’s not often that ordinary people go out of the range of Protection Stone’s blessings. It’s understandable that you’re nervous.”

Connie nodded when Brother Will said that.

“I’ve heard that nobleman’s carriages are equipped with small protection stones, and I know that it is rarely dangerous…But I’m still a little nervous…”

“Small protection stones?”

When I reacted to that fantasy term I had never heard before, Brother Oluris turned to me.

“Do you know what a protection stone is?”

“Yes. You can find them in the center of the country or territory, and they are used to ward off monsters…right?”

I had already learned this at boot camp with Sister Thulite.

When I answered yes, my smiling brother resumed his explanation in a slow tone.

“Because can’t carry a normal protection stone with you, instead you can carry a small protection stone to ward off evil. It’s quite expensive, so it’s only used for these cross-border carriages. It seems that the material and everything is different from that of the normal protection stone, but since the effects are similar, the names can be similar as well.”

I couldn’t help but listen. The tension in my heart rose.

It was an item that could only be found in a fantasy world!

By the way, the reason why monsters in this world only appear between territories or at the borders is basically because of the general rule that they would appear in places far away from the range of the protection stone’s blessing. It was said that there were occasional flukes, though.

There is a large protection stone in the center of the imperial capital, which had a thin and wide protection that covered the entire country.

And the protection stones in each territory were said to extend a medium-sized web of protection around the capital.

In other words, there were weaker monsters in between the territories, and stronger demons near the borders that were outside the protection of both the large protection stones and the smaller protection stones.

It also seems that these protection stones were not man-made, but have been around since ancient times.

It was no exaggeration to say that the borders of today’s countries were all drawn according to their sphere of influence.

“We live within the stone’s protection, but I’m sure that there migrant people who move around because of countries that do not have them, right?”

“Yes. We cannot really imagine what it’s like to live like that.”

When Brother Will said that, Connie strongly agreed. That’s right. It was impossible without a significant means of self-preservation.

As we were talking about this topic…

…The carriage suddenly and quietly stopped.

***

[Original Author’s Note] I tried to give a detailed story while the characters were traveling outside, though I’m not sure how much of the image is easily understood. (;｀・ω・´)

In any case, this kind of fantasy is really fun to write!

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T/N: I normally go ahead and translate the side notes that the original author of this novel wrote at the end of the chapters (unless it’s something unrelated like how quickly they originally released the chapters and stuff). But I really don’t have to if it’s not that important to you guys. What are your opinions? ^_^