The Water Magician

The delegation arrived at the royal capital without any particular issues.

After the disbanding ceremony, they each went their separate ways.

The Royal Knight Order headed to their newly constructed barracks.

The adventurers went to the Guild.

Negotiator Ignis and the officials proceeded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

And then, Ryo went to the Alchemy Workshop.

Ryo and Abel planned to leave the royal capital for the City of Run by Guild carriage the next morning.

Therefore, if they were going to do something, it had to be tonight.

Thus, Ryo headed straight to the Royal Alchemy Workshop where Kenneth was.

Meanwhile, Abel...

Knocked on the stone door of the crown prince through the hidden passage from the basement of the Ilalion Mansion to the Royal Castle.

As usual, the door opened, but the person there was not the crown prince.

The face of the man, who looked earnest, was familiar.

"Surely, you are Daniel, the crown prince's chamberlain."

"Indeed, your highness Albert. Please, come inside."

Abel had known from the signal before opening the door that the person on the other side was not the crown prince, yet he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Indeed, the crown prince was in bed.

He could no longer walk.

"Ah, Albert, I'm glad you came."

"Elder Brother..."

Abel could not weave any more words.

"Albert, please don't make that face. I knew this would happen since childhood. This body has held up better than I imagined. And yes, I can no longer walk, but my mind is still sharp."

Saying this, the crown prince smiled.

Abel would never forget that smile for the rest of his life...

"By the way, did you bring your homework?"

"Yes, I finished all of it."

"I see, as expected of you. You've always been serious about these things since we were young."

The crown prince nodded once and picked up one of the submitted homework assignments, flipping through it casually.

"Hmm... as expected, this is quite an interesting answer."

"Is it... not good?"

Abel asked with a worried expression.

"Hmm? No, not at all. It goes without saying that many of these questions have no absolute correct answer. As long as it adheres to basic principles, it ultimately comes down to your thoughts, Albert."

That was, in itself, difficult. Abel thought so.

"A country exists because of its people, and so does the royal family. As long as you don't forget that, I believe you can become a good king."

With those words from the crown prince, their brief meeting as brothers came to an end.