Chapter 37

“Isn’t this flower pretty?”

Unable to just walk past a flower, Princess Amalfi of Floria approached Nephitia’s side. Squatting down side by side, Amalfi flipped the petals over and over as she offered various explanations.

“Fascinically, the color of these petals changes in all sorts of ways on nights when a full moon rises. Nobody knows what color it’s going to turn.”

“Whoa.”

“And in Floria, we call this the ‘Flower of Destiny’. It’s also a rare flower that’s hard to catch a glimpse of, and there’s even a legend that if lovers share a kiss when it blooms, they’ll stay together forever.”

“The Flower of Destiny?”

Nephitia sharply raised her head. The moment their gazes suddenly tangled, Arkin stiffened with a start. Her golden eyes lingered on Arkin for a brief second before naturally dropping back to the flower.

Watching Nephitia’s slender fingers gently stroke the tender stem of the yellow flower, Arkin turned his head away. His heart beat a little fast.

Though a soft breeze blew, the sunlight grew even hotter as it neared noon. Having climbed up and down this sloping island since early morning, everyone was exhausted.

“I’m tired.”

When Amalfi whined that her legs hurt, Zafiri readily reached out a hand to her.

“Legs hurt? Want me to hold your hand?”

Her eyes growing round, Amalfi blushed. Despite Seneca having warned him so much, the Vine Prince—who wore whatever he pleased—was still flashing a grin right this second while exposing his bronze upper body wide open.

“Cut it out. I’ll take Amalfi.”

Petra swiftly wedged herself between the two, pushing Zafiri’s hand away gently yet quite firmly while supporting Amalfi instead.

“Oh dear, I’m beat.”

“Seneca, how much farther do we have to go?”

The trainees were growing exhausted one by one. Heavy, ragged breathing could be heard here and there. The only ones maintaining their pace without much effort seemed to be Arkin, Draconis, Petra, and Zafiri. Arkin glanced slightly over his shoulder to look for Nephitia.

Though she had fallen a bit behind, Nephitia looked decent enough. Her long hair was gathered up and tied back tightly into a single bundle.

“Now, this really is the last stop.”

The place they reached was a spot where tall shrub hedges intertwined in all directions. The inside was hard to see because of the branches tangled up in a complex maze. Saying the maze couldn’t be open to the public yet because it was under maintenance, the priest didn’t let them inside.

“This is the ‘Maze of Death’, said to have no known end. In the past, the remains of beasts that couldn’t escape and died were scattered everywhere inside. People too, of course.”

“Are you saying you’re going to let us into a place like that?”

As if he couldn’t believe Seneca’s words, Kaichen furrowed his brow.

“Naturally, there’s no such thing nowadays. I guarantee your safety. Details later…”

“You guarantee our safety? You’d have to be a trustworthy person for us to trust you. I can’t believe the words coming out of your mouth, you see?”

A sharp, bouncing voice cut through the air and flew in. Stepping forward while glaring daggers at the priest with cool eyes was Princess Serena of Lakelium. Since she rarely ever opened her mouth under normal circumstances, most people were looking at Serena with questioning eyes.

“Seneca, I have something I want to ask you.”

Walking up to the front of the priest with a straight gait, Serena lifted her head stiffly and interrogated the large priest.

“Stop being evasive and answer clearly what I’m asking. Even if it’s education for sovereigns, it’s hard to understand why it goes through such dangerous processes. Did our home countries agree to the contents of this training? Truly?”

“Hmm.”

Looking down at the tiny princess, the priest gave a snicker as if she were pathetic. Perhaps because of the long scar slashing across his cheek, his expression looked unusually sinister.

“Let me put it this way. Everything that happens during the training period on our island is kept strictly confidential. Furthermore, each kingdom has entrusted the daily lives of you precious children entirely to us.”

“Could it be that you harbor some other scheme, and intend to cut off the bloodlines of the allied kingdoms altogether? Aren’t we simply going to die helplessly on this island without being able to put up any defense?”

“Goodness, your imagination is wonderfully rich. Is this the aptitude of a bard?”

Eventually, the priest burst into a loud, booming laugh. Yet he was the only one laughing out loud in this place. Surrounded by the priest and Serena, not a single person could manage a smile.

“I understand. My attitude being what it is, everything probably looks unsatisfactory to you lot. Doesn’t it?”

The priest didn’t particularly bother to hide his unpleasant mood. With a cold expression, he pulled a large parchment scroll out from inside his robe. Holding it in one hand, he snapped the sealing wax in one go, causing the rolled-up document to unroll and tumble down in a spin.

Miraculously, the scroll—which hadn’t looked very thick and even seemed light—poured out documents endlessly, flowing down in a rush. The unrolled parchment couldn’t even withstand the speed of its unwinding, and its end began rolling down the hill in a bounce. Seneca’s voice flowed over the rolling scroll.

“To leave the most precious-than-gold children, and what is more, the heirs who will inherit each country’s throne, on this unfamiliar island for six full months—it is a feat that could never be accomplished without a fair bit of trust. However…”

The priest turned his head toward Princess Serena and warned.

“The World Alliance is a very ancient community. The ten ancestors wished for the promise of peace to be maintained firmly, and in the process of that agreement, our neutral region of Credo Island was designated as a symbol of harmony. When all ten nations gathered together in the Silent Forest to perform the sacred oath ceremony, it was this very scroll that was used.”

The document covered in tiny handwriting was spread out disorderly across the ground like a snake’s shed skin. The volume looked like it could easily be a hundred years’ worth.

“If you look closely, the contract details of past training tournaments, the contents of the training, and the subjects of the tests the trainees underwent are recorded in detail. If you wish to read the full text of the contract, I will show it to you at any time, just give the order. Though a week wouldn’t even be enough to read it all.”

As if to say that was enough for now, Seneca brought his other hand to the scroll and flicked his finger with a snap. The cascading documents instantly came to a dead stop, and the scroll rod trembled violently before twisting sharply. With astonishing force, it began winding the documents back up in reverse.

“The various countries have always trusted the priests of Credo Island and sent their precious sons and daughters. Our priesthood is simply fulfilling that sacred duty.”

The parchment rippled like ocean waves. The end of the parchment document that had fallen down the hill rolled over and flew like lightning toward the priest’s palm, regaining its shape with a sharp thwack.

Puting the scroll away leisurely, Seneca chuckled and looked around.

“None of you will ever be in danger or have your safety threatened during this training course. Are any of you left with questions?”

The princess of Lakelium bit her tightly pressed lips and flushed red. As Serena returned to her spot, the priest looked around once at the trainees.

“Now, the tour of the island is all over. Let’s eat lunch in the shade before it gets hotter.”

The midday sunlight was plunging straight down onto the ground like arrows. The sunlight was so hot that the party naturally split into small groups to find shade.

Workers who had climbed the hill right on cue left behind simple picnic baskets. It was a meager meal not much different from what they had eaten first. Water-diluted wine, coarse and flat bread, a few pieces of goat cheese, and figs.

“How does the food just keep getting shabbier?”

Kaichen grumbled. The prince of Voltrion lifted a piece of cheese, held it up to the sunlight, and cringed.

“In our kingdom, stuff like this isn’t even used for horse feed.”

“Then starve. At least there are figs, you know.”

Petra, sitting beside Arkin, retorted bluntly. The princess of Stoneguard tore off a piece of bread and chewed it without complaining. It was a different attitude from the first day when she had grumbled about the lack of meat.

Arkin moistened his throat with the wine and looked around. The scenery wasn’t much different from the dining hall on the first day. Draconis and Kaichen sat side by side, while Zafiri and Nephitia chatted among themselves over there. Amalfi, Stella, and Serena formed one group. Arkin, Elio, and Petra made another.

“I hate those two the most.”

Petra poked Arkin in the side. Who? As he raised his head, she subtly pointed toward Draconis and Kaichen.

Ah. Instead of answering, Arkin nodded to take her side. Tucking a piece of bread into her mouth and chewing, Petra continued.

“And, those two over there… No matter how much they’re smiling, they’re the sort I just don’t feel like getting close to, you know? They’re a bit weird.”

Arkin’s eyebrows wrinkled slightly. She was talking about the prince of the Vine Kingdom, who had his chest wide open, and Nephitia, who was chatting with him as if nothing were wrong by his side.