Chapitre 14: The Escape (Part 2)
Time passed quickly, and with only three days left until the big annual event, Niel was very excited to know what his grimoire would look like.
At that moment, he was in a carriage, with Noelle beside him. Noelle kept calling him, but he seemed distracted thinking about the big day.
Noelle then called out to him with a scream, snapping him out of his pensive state.
"Ah!? What happened?!"
"You're so silent. What are you thinking so seriously about?" she asked.
"Sorry, nothing much really, I was just thinking about the event in three days. So, what's bothering you Noelle?"
Now with Niel's attention, Noelle asks him. "Do you think you'll have time to help me train my magic later?"
Niel smiles and agrees. "Of course, you don't even need to ask. I'll continue helping you with whatever I can."
In his free time, Niel tried to use his knowledge to help Noelle with her mana control problem, but there was a problem, even though he learned things quickly, Niel was a terrible teacher, he didn't know how to transmit his knowledge to others.
But Noelle had made some progress since they started, so Niel continued teaching her.
They ended up reaching their destination after some time. As they got off the carriage, they came face to face with a very unique and majestic infrastructure, the central royal palace, where the King of Clover resided.
Just as they were about to enter, they heard someone shouting and coming running from the distance, he seemed to be shouting Niel's name.
Getting closer, they realized that it was Leopold, the young prince of House Vermilion.
When he got close enough, Leopold spoke in a very loud voice. "Niel, my rival! Are you ready for our duel today?"
Niel smiled when he saw Leopold, who was his friend and rival, they both liked to have fun and challenge each other in different ways. "Leopold, you don't change, always full of energy. Why are you breathing so heavy, did you come here running?"
"A Vermilion and future Crimson Lion don't use carriages. We train our legs whenever we can. I'm just following my dear brother's teachings."
Niel doesn't seem surprised, Leopold was like that, he had seen that part of the Vermilion family up close and everyone seemed a little insane, especially Leopold's older sister.
Another person appeared, she arrived greeting everyone with kindness and a beautiful smile. "Hello, everyone. How are you?"
"You're here Mimosa." The one who responded was Noelle, exchanging a friendly look but with a slight touch of rivalry.
"Hello Noelle." She said with a smile.
The one who had arrived was Mimosa, another royalty from the Vermilion house. But she was related to Niel and Noelle, being their cousin.
"Mimosa, it's been a while, it's good to see you my dear cousin." Niel greeted Mimosa, his smile becoming more radiant.
"It's good to see you too Niel, yeah, it's been a while. I don't think we have as much fun as we did when we were kids."
They both smiled at each other. After Noelle, Mimosa was the person Niel got along with the most, it was always a joy to reunite with her.
Not giving them time to chat, a certain woman appeared, her clothes indicated that she was a nun, she then invited the princes and princesses to enter, as classes were about to begin.
Well, they were in that place to receive their royal weekly class, the last of all, as they were at an age considered adults in that world, ready to choose their careers.
After a while, classes ended. Each of them should separate at that moment and go to their residences, but Niel stopped everyone and said.
"Guys, I think that after today we won't see each other very often, saying goodbye like this would be a bit banal."
"What are you getting at, Niel?" Leopold asked, looking curious and expectant.
It was then that Niel shared his idea.
He proposed that they escape the surveillance of the royal guards to go to the city and enjoy the festival that would take place today, to celebrate their graduation.
All of this was clearly Niel's excuse to go to the festival.
"As expected of my rival, you always have the best ideas. I'm in!" Leopold accepted enthusiastically.
"That sounds fun, I'd love to." Noelle said, trying not to show her enormous inner joy, going to one of these festivals is something she has always wanted to do.
Mimosa, initially hesitant, ended up giving in. "Well, I don't want to be left out. Let's do it!"
So, with Niel's leadership, the plan is put into action.
Part 2: The Festival
When the moon shone in the night sky, the four friends found themselves walking to the festival, they had successfully managed to escape.
Being royalty had its advantages, but it also came with several restrictions, one of which was not spending too much time outside the palace, and if you were going out, always be accompanied by magical knights.
This restriction ceased to be valid if such a member of royalty enlisted in the magic knights. Thus gaining freedom to do whatever you wanted.
Upon arriving in the city, they were impressed by the spectacle that unfolded before their eyes.
The streets were filled with colorful tents, twinkling lanterns and the delicious aroma of food in the air. Lively music and laughter filled the room, creating a festive atmosphere.
"Hey, look at that!" Leopold pointed to a shooting range. "Let's see who's the best shooter!"
He was full of energy, dragging and challenging Niel right from the start and it went on like this for a long time, with both of them challenging each other in each tent and having fun.
As for the girls, they were a little shy at first, but they gradually loosened up and started to enjoy the environment.
They had fun for a long time, with lively laughter and laughter. This continued until their stomachs began to growl, tempted by the various appetizing foods around them.
Noelle, who was particularly curious about the festival food, asked Niel what it might taste like. Niel, with a smile, reassured her, assuring her that she wouldn't regret it if she tried it.
They then continued exploring the festival, going from stall to stall and tasting different delicacies.
Leopold and Mimosa also seemed to be enjoying this moment, there was something about that simple cooking that was fascinating them. The aroma and flavor were authentic, something you didn't get with the food in the Royal palace.
They continued to enjoy the festival, playing in tents and watching performances by street artists, most of whom were musicians or jugglers.
The night passed in the blink of an eye, and when fireworks began to light up the sky, everyone gathered to watch the colorful spectacle.
They were especially enchanted by the brilliant explosions and magical patterns that formed in the air.
At the end of the night, they took one last look at the festival, which was still full of life, but they knew it was time to return.
As they walked through the quiet streets of the night city, Leopold, with a big smile, walked up to Niel and said.
"That was amazing, my rival. I will definitely be attending more festivals in the future!"
Noelle, whose eyes were still shining with joy, added, "I've never had so much fun! And the commoners' food is pretty good!"
Mimosa, in her soft and gentle way, expressed her appreciation. "That was a great idea, Niel. I don't regret coming." She laughed adorably.
When they finally arrived at the palace, they sneaked in the same way they had left, noticing several royal guards who seemed agitated, probably looking for them. It was almost like a triumphant return from a secret adventure.
They then said goodbye, each heading to their respective homes. Niel and Noelle, members of Casa Silva, walked together towards it. Looking forward to getting to their rooms and getting some rest.
However, as they approached their quarters, the joy of the evening was interrupted by an unexpected encounter.
"Look, the trash that calls itself royalty has finally decided to come home." Said a young man a little older than them, with a look that seemed to have a lot of contempt for the two.
"Now, with the way you two are failures, you shouldn't even have the right to participate in the upcoming event. You will definitely end up embarrassing our family, just like always." Added a certain girl, also older and with the same look.
Noelle seemed to shrink and tremble in fear as soon as these figures appeared, as they were the main reason she hated spending her time in that residence.
Niel however, already accustomed to these occurrences, approached both of them and said with a touch of irony.
"Hello dear brothers, good to see you today, how are you?"
Well, those who appeared and said such unpleasant things were none other than their older siblings, Solid and Nebra.
When they were approached by Niel in such a way, Solid reacted with an expression of disgust, saying with contained anger. "Don't you dare call me brother, you trash. And be more respectful when addressing me."
Nebra added with equal disgust, "You always like to be funny, don't you, Niel?"
Niel smiled with a carefree air then said. "Nothing like that, dear sister. I'm just glad to see you, because you always have something nice and interesting to say."
Upon noticing the mockery in his younger brother's words, Solid reacted violently and tried to slap Niel as he said it. "Put yourself in your place, you insolent!!"
But at the exact moment his arm moved, someone appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist firmly. "Enough!"
It was Nozel who emerged, the oldest of the Silva brothers and current captain of the Silver Eagles. His gaze was serious and authoritative, seeming disappointed in Solid.
Solid backed away, intimidated. However, his face showed indignation and he questioned "Why are you stopping me, Onii-sama? He was disrespectful to me."
With his serious look, Nozel faced Solid and scolded him. "You're the one being insolent, Solid. You're a Magic Knight now, I don't allow you to touch a civilian for any reason, control yourself!"
One would expect Nozel to say something like, don't hit your younger brothers for such petty reasons.
But that family was a real mess at that moment, so things could only take that turn.
Solid, still with visible hatred, ended up responding "Forgive me, Onii-sama. It won't happen again."
Nozel nodded, implying that the matter was closed.
Niel was trying his best not to laugh at that moment.
Nozel turned to Niel and Noelle and, for a brief moment, an almost imperceptible smile crossed his face, before disappearing.
Without speaking to them, Nozel began walking and ordered Solid and Nebra to follow him. Appearing indifferent about the presence of his other siblings.
While following Nozel, Solid ended up turning around and gave Niel a threatening look and said in a low voice. "You won't be so lucky next time."
Niel just responded with a calm look, not showing fear, but also not provoking any more.
Meetings with his brothers were always something like that. Over time, he learned that this was the best way to deal with them, standing firm and not giving any real importance to their provocations.
Noelle, however, remained with a grim expression, remembering the long years of psychological torture inflicted by her older brothers.
Niel then grabbed her by the shoulders and broke her out of her trance, saying with understanding, "It's funny how these idiots always manage to say the same things, don't mind them, Noelle."
Looking a little apprehensive, Noelle responds. "I wish I could do the same as you, but I can't Niel. I always lose my cool when they're around."
Niel gives a reassuring smile and tells Noelle confidently, "Don't worry, sister. You sure can do this. You'll soon put those idiots in their place."
Noelle then smiled brightly, acknowledging her brother's genuine support, "I know you're just trying to cheer me up, but thanks for that, brother."
"None of that, sister, it's just the truth.
But, well, that's enough for today. We'd better go get some rest."
"You're right, it's been a busy day."
They ended their day with laughter as they remembered the great day they had, while also looking forward to the upcoming annual event.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone