Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 16
Chapter 9.1
Carlot shot to his feet, fists clenched.
“It must be because I created the barrier scroll while half-asleep! I’ve been tired lately!”
Iskan stared directly at Carlot’s face, which was dusted with snack crumbs. His expression said, “What could you possibly be tired from, when all you do is lie around eating snacks?”
“It was just a slip-up, okay?”
“Sure.”
“I mean it! It was just a mistake!”
Carlot sat back down, still simmering with frustration. After exhaling six deep breaths, he finally started to calm down.
With peace restored, Carlot comfortably laid down again, picking up the snacks he’d tossed aside earlier. He resumed his munching, thinking.
‘I must have messed something up.’
Sometimes, it happens. The base of a sloppily made magic circle will become warped, or a hole will appear. Once, he engraved the wrong formula, and chicken feathers started sprouting inside the circle.
‘Other than His Highness, there aren’t many who can break through my magic.’
Prince Iskan. The one person immune to his magical power. He was a fascinating person. Every single one of Carlot’s attacks would pass right through him, as if moving through empty space.
‘What exactly is our prince‘s secret?’
It was this very curiosity that had first led Carlot to stick by Iskan’s side.
Just who exactly is this prince? And why is it that none of my magic has any effect on him?
The mana meter reads him as totally empty, and yet, he’s incredibly strong. Even with exceptional physical abilities…
Carlot had initially stuck close to Iskan out of sheer curiosity, and that’s how he found himself permanently bound to him.
‘Still, it was a good decision. He’s someone I’d proudly serve for the rest of my life.’
Breaking from his thoughts, Carlot reached into the air, pulling out stacks of documents that appeared from thin air.
“Your Highness, more paperwork. Will you be going out after you’re done with all this?”
Iskan didn’t respond.
Ever since they had arrived in the capital, Iskan would disappear every night after dark.
Tonight would be no exception. Carlot knew he would finish his paperwork late, then roam the streets until dawn before returning for more training. It was a grueling schedule.
Once, driven by curiosity, Carlot had tried to secretly follow him, but somehow, Iskan and without a sound, had snuck up behind him and knocked him unconscious.
When he regained consciousness, Carlot was back in the mansion. After that, he gave up trying to follow Iskan.
“Don’t you ever sleep?”
“…”
“Aren’t you tired? You’re not a monster, so why don’t you ever need rest?”
Iskan ignored his pointless questions entirely.
“Why do you even keep going out at night? Do you have a secret lover?”
“…”
“Are you embarrassed of meeting them? Is it someone you’re ashamed of? A man, perhaps?”
“…”
“A criminal? Or an old lady? …Please don’t tell me it’s a married woman. That would be awful.”
“Just bring me the documents.”
Iskan coldly demanded, not answering a single one of Carlot’s ridiculous questions.
Carlot reached into the dimensional wall that connected to the Anagrok territory’s office and pulled out an enormous stack of documents. The amount was overwhelming just to look at.
“Your Highness, if you work yourself to death, I’ll be the first to dissect your body.”
“Do as you wish.”
Even at Carlot’s insolent words, Iskan didn’t blink. He responded indifferently and began reviewing the documents Carlot had floated over to him.
Carlot stacked the rest of the papers onto Iskan’s desk like a mountain, announcing that he was off to bed and left the room.
After that, Iskan remained rooted to his seat. The only sound in the quiet office was the dry rustling of turning pages.
He reviewed documents for a long time before finally setting down his pen. Rubbing his tired eyes, he quietly called out someone’s name.
“Rowton.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He appeared out of thin air.
Of course, he didn’t actually appear out of thin air. He wasn’t an invisible guard who stayed hidden by his master’s side. He was just the commander of the knights guard, who’d been napping behind the potted plant on the left side of the office the entire time.
“Sleep in your own room.”
“It’s comfortable here. My apologies.”
Rowton responded in a tone that sounded anything but apologetic.
“The sound of you turning pages brings me peace, Your Highness.”
“…”
His shameless subordinate claimed that the sound of his paperwork brought him peace of mind, but hearing that only made Iskan feel more weary.
There was Carlot the mage, who had been lounging on the sofa earlier eating snacks, and now Rowton, the capital of the knights guard, who had made himself comfortable sleeping behind a potted plant.
At some point, only strange people had gathered around him, but the problem was that both of them were far too skilled to be dismissed.
Carlot’s magical powers were unmatched across the empire, and with Rowton’s swordsmanship, no one in the nation could stand against him.
‘And…’
And recently, yet another unusual person had appeared around him.
Delinda Schultz.
‘The infamous “Foolish Noble Lady” possesses magic so powerful it can break through Carlot’s magical defenses…’
Iskan tossed his pen aside and thought of Delinda. When they had met again at the duke’s mansion, she had stared him straight in the eyes, insisting he spared her life.
Most people would at least try to act scared when making such requests.
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