Chapter 218: There Are Many Things I’m Good At

Eventually, the door to the room where we were waiting was opened and people came in.

“It wouldn’t open even when I kick or stab it with my sword. Anyway, I’ve bought a chair from the room next door.”

“Alright. Then hit the handle. There!”

*BANG* The sound echoed in the small room. I fought off the urge to shrink back from the loud and unfamiliar sound.

“Okay, it’s open!”

“Let’s go!”

All the people in the room went somewhere.

We also toured this room when Mark took us to see the barrier room. That’s why I thought about using this place as a secret base. They must have gone through the door we couldn’t open at that time.

“Nico.”

“Looks like they’re gone.”

“Ai.”

I answered then listened carefully. I can only hear the sound of footsteps in the distance. Even so, we were still talking in the quietest voices ever.

“Lei shwepth.” (Lei slept)

“Yeah. You didn’t wake up even when I poked or pushed you like always.”

The words ‘like always’ bothered me, but you shouldn’t push or poke a sleeping child in the first place.

“After you fell asleep, I got out from under the bed and wandered around the room. We should put some books and writing tools in the secret base. It’s too boring to be alone.”

“Thath’sh importhanth!”

It’s like forgetting playing cards when you go on a school trip. I regretted that I hadn’t thought of this before.

“I heard the barrier room door opening while I was lying on the carpet by myself, so I quickly rushed to hide next to Lei.”

“Scary.”

“This was pounding.”

“Thath’sh your shthomach.”

It seemed that his heart pounded, and he felt nervous while I was asleep.

“The door to this room was opened right at once. It would have been over for us if they had looked under the bed.”

“Did thhey peew?” (Did they peek)

“No, then they opened the door to the washroom right away, then they tried to open the door that wouldn’t open.”

“Won’th open.”

That was when I woke up. Their attention had been focused on the door that wouldn’t open, so they neglected to search this room. Thank god.

“Whath’sh on thhe othher shide of thhe door thhath won’th open?” (What’s on the other side of the door that won’t open)

“I don’t know either.”

Well, it can’t be helped if Nico doesn’t know either. Anyway, I think it’s time for a snack, but I didn’t want to bring this up.

“Shh.”

I haven’t even said anything. But before I could complain, I heard the sound of several footsteps coming from the next room. The sounds stopped in the middle of the room.

“This is the barrier room.”

Both the door to this room and the room which couldn’t be opened before were wide open, so the sounds coming from the next room were clear.

“I see, I’ve never seen such a big magic stone. The middle belongs to the royal family and the four surrounding it belongs to the Four Marquises. So, it symbolises Kingdom. Foolish.”

It’s the Third Prince. Nico and I looked at each other and confirmed that we were thinking the same thing.

“Remington said that the barrier loses its power when the magic stones turn light pink since they’re just like the magic stones which are used in normal magic tools. But, aren’t two of them already light pink? It’s good that we keep them away.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Kingdom should experience the horror of having Hollows at night too.”

He spoke something very disturbing in a calm and emotionless manner, just like how I know him to be.

But why doesn’t he want the barrier to cover Kingdom? Does it mean something to Easter if the citizens of Kingdom tasted the horror of the Hollows?

At that moment, the sounds of soldiers running approached from the door that couldn’t be opened.

“There was nothing.”

“Ah, it was a waste of time.”

Along with those voices.

The footsteps passed us and stopped.

“Y-your Highness.”

“It’s fine. How was it?”

“Well…”

The soldiers that had just returned were probably looking at each other. There was a pause.

“After passing through a few doors as we had done before coming to this barrier room, we found ourselves in a mere courtyard.”

“A courtyard, you say. Then what about the doors on the way there?”

“Sometimes they led to rooms like this one, but most of them were just doors leading to a passageway.”

“Did you check them all?”

There was a pause as if the soldiers were confirming this with themselves.

“Yes. We opened all the doors, but even if there was another door in the room, it either led to a passageway or a washroom.”

“Hmm. Then what were the doors for? It can’t be for resting in the courtyard.”

The Third Prince thought for a moment and then began to give our orders in rapid succession.

“Get more people and check all the doors again. Then place two soldiers at the entrance of the barrier room. Give me your report in the Prince’s palace afterwards.”

“Yes. Which means we’ll be searching through here again?”

“Where are you hiding, you naughty little mice. We’ve caught her maid, but she insists she knows nothing. I’m sure the Albans guard must have hidden them somewhere.”

Natalie seemed to have been caught. I shut my eyes. Natalie. At least they’ll keep her alive until we’re caught. The guards at the door and Natalie seemed to have managed to lie for us.

And Hans. I’m impressed that they haven’t caught him yet.

“Well, whatever. We’ve got the royals.”

Nico moved a lot, so I grabbed his clothes tightly. There’s no point in going out there now.

“They’ll come out when they’re hungry anyway.”

Rude. That’s why we made sure to have food stashed away.

“Now go.”

“Yes.”

There were sounds of the soldiers moving about. They disappeared behind the door that wouldn’t open, then returned, and then there was silence.

That was long. I quietly moved left and right, but I felt like my body was cracking from all the lying around. Besides, I also want to go to the toilet.

“Nico.”

“Okay. I’ll go check things out first.”

Nico quietly poked his head out from under the bed, looked left and right, then easily slipped out. I crawled out from under the bed as well. I’m still good at crawling.

It was already evening, but there was no window in the room in the first place. The lights were on in the daytime and they were kept on at night as well. The barrier room was lit when I came here with Mark the first time too, so I guess they’re kept on all day long.

The door that wouldn’t open was damaged, but it was closed properly. We used the washroom and quietly ate our dinner by the bed so that we could hide quickly. We put the bag back in its place after we finished eating, then Nico began to talk quietly.

“He said he has the royal family, didn’t he?”

“Which meansh he hash Lam-ojisyama and everyone ewshe.”

“Is that what he meant when he had said that?”

“Ai.”

I nodded. The Third Prince had said that they had the royal family, but he hadn’t mentioned anything else.

“He probabwy caughth thhem tho weep thhem away from thhe magic shthonesh.” (He probably caught them to keep them away from the magic stones)

“So, they can’t channel their magic into the magic stones, I guess.”

“Ai. Probabwy.”

The magic stones had been light pink when we had seen them too. The Third Prince also mentioned this. It’s possible that Kingdom’s barrier can be broken today, although it’s unlikely. I can’t let that happen. Fortunately, I’m here. I’m not sure how much magic power I have, but I’m pretty sure I can control it better than Nii-sama.

“Lei wiww do ith.”

“What?”

“Channew magic intho thhe magic shthone.” (Channel magic into the magic stone)

Nico looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t stop me. That was his answer.