INFINITE - 42
Marc instantly looked at her.
"Really?!"
Brea laughed softly.
"Of course. We're at the biggest market in the kingdom, after all."
Noria then turned to Bell.
"What about you, Bell? Would you like one too?"
..
Bell simply smiled and shook his head.
"I'm still too full from breakfast."
Noria nodded with a small smile before turning back to the stall owner.
"Then we'll have three sweet and spicy skewers, please."
After paying for the food, the group continued wandering through the bustling marketplace.
As Marc happily bit into his skewer while chatting with Noria and Brea, Bell quietly scanned their surroundings.
His eyes caught seven unfamiliar figures.
They weren't walking together, nor did they openly stare at the group, but each of them subtly adjusted their pace whenever the children changed direction.
Following them.
Bell casually glanced at one of the strangers.
Their eyes met for only a brief moment.
The man immediately looked away, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.
Now there were six.
Bell let out a quiet sigh before continuing to follow behind the others, keeping the remaining six within his peripheral vision.
The group eventually stopped at another stall, this one displaying colorful gemstones of every shape and size.
Marc, Noria, and Brea eagerly examined the sparkling gems, discussing which ones looked the prettiest.
Bell, meanwhile, noticed something else.
Only three strangers remained.
"I guess they realized it wasn't worth the risk," Bell thought to himself.
They continued strolling from one stall to another.
As they moved deeper into the market, the number of people secretly trailing them continued to shrink.
Three became two.
Two became one.
Then...
None.
Bell quietly let out another tired sigh.
In front of him, Marc excitedly bounced from stall to stall while the two princesses happily showed him around the kingdom's largest marketplace.
Watching over energetic children was somehow more exhausting than keeping an eye on suspicious strangers.
As they rounded another corner, Noria and Brea suddenly stiffened.
Not far ahead, another child was walking toward them.
The moment they recognized him, both princesses immediately changed direction, hoping to avoid crossing paths.
Marc blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Why are we going this way all of a sudden?"
Brea sighed.
"That boy over there is Kel."
"He's a noble who's a year older than us," Noria explained. "We attend the same academy."
Brea continued with an awkward smile.
"He's... been trying to win the affection of both of us for quite a while now."
"Even after we've made it clear we're not interested," Noria added.
Marc tilted his head.
"Ohhh... isn't he just determined to make you two like him?"
Noria gently shook her head.
"It isn't that simple."
A faint look of discomfort crossed her face.
"He has a rather unpleasant personality... and he doesn't take rejection very well."
Just as she finished speaking, a familiar voice rang out across the marketplace.
"Princess Noria! Princess Brea!"
Both sisters froze.
"...He saw us," Brea muttered.
Noria sighed in defeat before the two turned around.
The noble boy approached them with a confident smile, accompanied by two Custors walking a respectful distance behind him.
Custors were members of the Custorium, a renowned organization with branches spread across Demanas, much like the Adventurer Guild. Unlike adventurers or mercenaries, however, the Custorium specialized in identifying and training individuals with exceptional combat ability. Those who passed their evaluations earned the title of Custor.
Nobles, wealthy merchants, and even kingdoms frequently hired Custors as personal guards or escorts. Their services came at a high price, but their reputation for protection was considered far more reliable than that of adventurers or mercenaries.
"Princess Noria, Princess Brea," he greeted politely. "What a pleasant coincidence to see you both here."
Noria returned the greeting with a courteous smile.
"Hello, Kel. We were simply taking a walk around the market."
Kel looked around curiously.
"Oh? And where are your knights and mages? Shouldn't they be accompanying the two of you?"
Brea smiled calmly.
"We asked not to have any knights or mages follow us today."
She then gestured toward Bell and Marc.
"After all, we already have our own personal assistants with us."
"Oh?"
Kel tilted his head slightly, looking past Noria and Brea until his eyes landed on Marc and Bell.
Marc immediately raised a hand with a friendly smile. "Hi!"
Kel simply stared back at him with a blank expression.
Marc slowly lowered his hand. "...Eh? Did I wave wrong or something?"
Bell smiled, already having a rough idea what Kel was thinking.
"You're fine, don't worry."
"Besides... how can someone wave wrong...? (ᵕ—ᴗ—)" Bell thought to himself.
"I see..." Kel's gaze wandered over the boys' simple attire before returning to the princesses. "But are you sure those two are enough?"
"They're amazing," Noria answered without a moment's hesitation.
Kel smiled politely. "Then I suppose I should greet them."
He walked over to both marc and bell.
Marc was the first to step forward, extending his hand without the slightest bit of hesitation.
"Nice to meet ya, Kel. I'm Marc."
Kel looked at the offered hand for a brief moment before accepting it with a faint smirk.
The handshake started normally.
Then...
His grip slowly tightened.
Marc blinked, instinctively matching the pressure. Thinking Kel simply had a strong handshake, he smiled and tightened his own grip just enough to respond.
Kel's eyebrow twitched.
Marc's expression hadn't changed at all.
"...Tsk."
The quiet click of his tongue barely escaped his lips before he released Marc's hand and turned toward Bell.
Bell calmly extended his own.
"I'm Bell. Nice to meet you."
The faint smirk on Bell's face rubbed Kel the wrong way.
This time, the moment their hands met, Kel didn't bother holding back. He squeezed Bell's hand with far more force than before, enough to make an ordinary child wince.
Bell, however, simply smiled as though nothing was happening.
Seeing no reaction only irritated Kel further.
So Bell finally responded.
Not by much.
Just a slight squeeze.
A sharp pain instantly shot through Kel's hand.
"...!"
He immediately pulled away.
"Y... You!"
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them.
Realizing the princesses were watching, Kel quickly swallowed the rest of his frustration. He quietly rubbed his aching hand before forcing another smile.
"...Looks like you two have found yourselves some very competent assistants."
Noria smiled proudly. "Yeah. They're both really talented with magic, so we've already learned a lot from them."
Kel smiled back, though it looked noticeably more strained than before.
"They're only your personal assistants... right? Just while you're outside the castle?"
Brea shook her head.
"Nope. They'll be staying in the castle with us."
She smiled as she continued, "And they'll also be attending the academy with us starting tomorrow."
Kel's eyes widened before he could hide it.
"What? But... aren't there already knights assigned to the academy?"
"There are," Brea replied calmly. "But we'd like Bell and Marc to come with us as well."
For a brief moment, Kel struggled to maintain the composed image expected of a noble.
Bell noticed it immediately.
Beneath that courteous smile...
Kel was furious.
"Ah... the classic scenario."
Bell had seen people like this countless times before.
Someone whose pride had just taken a hit.
Kel noticed Bell's amused smile and quietly clenched his fists. After taking a slow breath to calm himself, he bowed politely.
"Very well. I'll be taking my leave now, Princess Noria, Princess Brea."
Without another word, he turned around and walked away with his two Custors following closely behind.
The moment he was out of sight of the group, the smile vanished from his face.
"Tsk... Those damn commoners are actually entering the academy?"
His jaw tightened.
"Fine... At least they'll be placed in the lower classes."
Watching him disappear into the crowd, Brea let out an exhausted sigh.
"Eugh... I don't know why, but there's just something about him that's so unlikeable."
Marc scratched the back of his head.
"He seemed fine to me." He grinned. "He even gave me a pretty firm handshake."
His attention shifted toward the two people following Kel.
"Also... those two behind him. Are they... uh..."
Marc frowned, trying to remember the word.
"...Fthoss?"
Marc hit on a word block.
For a second, nobody said anything.
Then Noria, Brea, and Bell all let out light chuckles.
Marc laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ahem... Anyway, what I meant to ask was... are they his guards?"
Noria let out a light chuckle.
"Yes. I believe they're called Custors." She pointed toward the emblem embroidered on the two guards' uniforms. "Remember the symbol on their chests? That's the emblem of the Custorium. It tells people that they're officially recognized as reliable protectors."
Marc remembered back at the emblem with interest.
"Ooooh... that actually sounds pretty cool."
Brea smiled. "Anyway, should we keep looking around?"
Marc's eyes lit up once again.
"Yeah! Let's keep exploring!"
Bell simply smiled to himself and followed behind the three of them as they disappeared deeper into the lively streets.
...
Back at the royal castle, Juro had been led into a quiet meeting room.
A sturdy marbled table sat in the center, with Gerl, Fey, and Juro seated around it. The relaxed atmosphere from earlier had disappeared, replaced by the serious mood of an official discussion.
Gerl folded his hands together.
"Now that we have some privacy, let us begin."
Juro leaned back comfortably in his chair and smiled.
"Go on."
Fey spoke first.
"Regarding those unknown mages... could you describe them? Any detail, no matter how insignificant, may help."
Juro thought back to the battle before answering.
"Most of them were wearing brown hooded cloaks. Since we were fighting in the air, I managed to get a decent look at their faces."
He paused briefly.
"But honestly... there wasn't anything particularly unique about them. They just looked like ordinary people you'd find anywhere in Demanas. Orange hair. Orange eyes. Nothing that really stood out."
"The only one I remember a little more clearly was the mage giving them orders."
Juro scratched his cheek before letting out a small laugh.
"You should've seen him. There were streaks of black hair mixed in with the rest, so he was either getting pretty old..." he joked, "...or life had been stressing him out a little too much."
Even Gerl couldn't help but let out a faint smile.
"Did he have any distinctive facial features?"
Juro lightly shook his head.
"Not really. He looked fairly average to me. Even the magic they used wasn't anything particularly extraordinary."
Gerl quietly lowered his gaze, his expression turning thoughtful before asking another question.
"What about the assassin who killed our lead mage? Were you able to see him?"
Juro's smile faded as he shook his head again.
"Unfortunately, no. I was still inside the carriage with the kids when that happened."
Fey slowly clenched his fist.
"So... we still don't have a single clue who they were, or what organization they belong to."
Juro looked apologetically at the two men.
"Sorry I couldn't give you anything more useful."
Gerl immediately shook his head.
"No, that's more than enough. We came here expecting even the smallest details."
Fey gave a slow nod before continuing.
"Then... could you recall the magic they used during the battle?"
Juro thought quietly for a moment.
"...Yeah."
Fey's eyes sharpened.
"That's good enough. Please tell us everything you remember, in as much detail as possible."
Juro smiled.
"Alright."
.…
Meanwhile, back in the bustling marketplace, Marc was having the time of his life.
Nearly every few steps, something new caught his attention. One moment he was staring at strange fruits he had never seen before, the next he was fascinated by handmade ornaments, more magical trinkets, colorful fabrics, or curious little creatures being sold by merchants.
Noria and Brea happily introduced the various shops and answered every question that came to Marc's mind, while Bell quietly followed behind, occasionally glancing around out of habit.
Thankfully, the rest of their trip remained peaceful.
There were no suspicious followers.
No unexpected incidents.
Only one small inconvenience.
Because the two princesses were walking through the capital, people from every social class, whether commoners, merchants, or even nobles, eagerly approached them whenever they had the chance.
"Your Royal Highness, please accept this gift!"
"A small token for the princesses!"
"I hope this pleases Your Highness!"
Wherever the group went, gifts were constantly being offered to Noria and Brea, each person hoping to earn even the briefest smile or word of gratitude from the kingdom's beloved princesses.