The Rune Magician Who Lost Everything to Her Older Sister, Becomes Doted On by the Genius Prince – Chapter 10
Chapter 10: First time feelings
Clang-clang.
Only the sound of the carriage shaking echoes.
His Highness and I are riding in the same carriage.
Two people alone in a narrow carriage, within easy reach if we were to stretch out our hands.
Even though it has only been a few minutes since departure, my tension has reached its peak.
“Meiana.”
“Y-Yes!”
“You suddenly raised your voice.”
“I’m sorry…”
Startled by the sudden call, I became flustered.
I regret having surprised His Highness.
I cleared my throat softly and faced His Highness again.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m not good with silence. I thought we could talk about something. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Why did you decide to learn Rune Magic?”
“Well…it’s because I couldn’t use anything else.”
My voice faded due to a lack of confidence.
His Highness continued to question me.
“There are various other things you could have tried, right? There are dozens of types of magic, including those from the past. Did you try them all?”
“Yes. I tried them all.”
“All of them? All of them?”
“Yes, everything that’s recorded in the literature.”
When I said that, His Highness widened his eyes in surprise.
Is it really that surprising?
Or is it the surprise of being amazed that I could only use runes after trying so hard?
If it’s the latter, then I can understand, but it’s sad to be thought of that way by His Highness.
It stings in my heart more than if it were someone else.
“That’s amazing. It must have taken a lot of time to try that much, right? You also needed knowledge. You must have put in a lot of effort.”
“Uh, well…I suppose so.”
“You worked hard. You should just answer honestly and say ‘yes’.”
“Y-Yes! I did my best!”
It’s a strange feeling to tell someone that I worked hard.
I couldn’t say it even when I did work hard before.
Even if I said it now, nobody would acknowledge it…
“Because of that knowledge, you were able to master the runes. You put in the effort in the right way.”
“――Thank you very much.”
I was praised for my efforts.
My heart started to surge and tremble. Tears welled up, but I held them back.
Instead of crying, I wanted to laugh with all my might.
“So you must have researched other types of magic too, right? What did you find interesting besides runes?”
“Um, the geo-texts was difficult, but interesting.”
“Geo-texts, huh? That’s also very deep.”
From there, we talked about magic and got excited.
Even His Highness, who is called a genius magician, knows more about magic than I do.
Not only is he knowledgeable, but he has his own interpretations and tries out applications.
You could feel that he enjoyed learning magic.
This is the first time I’ve talked so deeply about magic, and I forgot about time in the joy of it.
And so, time passed, we grew tired and slept through the night…
Before you know it, it’s morning.
Just as we woke up, the carriage we were on stopped.
“We’ve arrived.”
“This is…”
The city of Laurier.
The place where ancient ruins were discovered.
The size of the city is about one-tenth that of the capital, but its area is about the same.
What’s distinctive is that nature is incorporated into the city, with a river flowing, a forest and a lawn present.
The city of Laurier blends nature and artificial structures together seamlessly.
It was also a famous tourist spot.
“The knights will handle the luggage transfer. Let’s go to the ruins.”
“Yes.”
His Highness and several knights accompany me as we leave the carriage and head towards the ruins.
The ruins are located on the riverside, away from the center of the city.
Children playing nearby happened to discover a hole that people can pass through by chance.
When they widened the hole, it was discovered that there was a staircase leading underground, and the investigation revealed that it was a ruin from four thousand years ago.
I was excited.
It’s my first time going on a mission far from home, and it’s also my first time entering a ruin.
Even though I know it’s a job, my childlike curiosity wells up inside me.
Perhaps I was found out, as His Highness looks at my profile and chuckles.
“Y-Your Highness?”
“No, you’re just easy to read.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yeah, it’s obvious. I understand how you feel though. I feel the same way.”
Is His Highness excited too?
When he says that, I can sense some anticipation from his expression, at least a little.
And then we arrive at the site.
The entrance hole is maintained, and a knight stands guard.
We descend the stairs and head to the basement.
Magical tool lanterns are installed at equal intervals, illuminating our feet.
“Remnants of magical tools used in combat are said to have been discovered from this ruin. Researchers speculate that this might have been a frontline base for magicians.”
“A frontline base…did a battle happen in this place?”
“Perhaps. The key to knowing that is…”
We arrive at the front of a stone slab illuminated by magical tools.
“…might be hidden here.”
The stone slab is three times my height.
Familiar runic characters are engraved on the large stone slab as I look up.
With twelve characters horizontally and ten lines vertically, it is a considerably long passage in runic characters.
To take a closer look, I take a step forward.
“Can you decipher it?”
I touch the stone slab.
“I don’t know.”
I cannot conclude.
I don’t have enough confidence to assert that I can decipher it with certainty.
Still…
I turn around.
“I’ll give it a try.”
I don’t want to disappoint this person.
“I’m counting on you. The only modern Rune Magician.”
“Yes!”
I’ll do my best.
For the person who has placed their first expectations on me.
So that I can say that his eyes and choosing me were right.
