Side Story: The Mysterious Child (Frederick's Perspective)

I am Frederick Townsend, the third son of the Townsend ducal house and a member of the Royal Guard.

As a member of a ducal house, I keep up appearances, so people call me a strong and kind young nobleman, but I'm not really like that.

Around close friends, I'm rough around the edges and curious, and I actually like the frank, easygoing distance commoners keep with one another.

That day, as usual, I went exploring on my day off to the outskirts of the Royal Capital, planning to eat at a commoner's diner.

I arrived at the western outskirts on horseback, and while I was on my way to one of the rooms I had rented around the Royal Capital so I could leave my horse and change into commoner clothes, I collided with a child.

I was still wearing the light armor I wore for riding, so I apologized to avoid frightening the child and was about to leave, but the child suddenly spoke to me in a manner completely unsuitable for a commoner.

The child used difficult honorific language, clearly not the sort of speech a diner's son could use.

In fact, it was the kind of language that, among commoners, only wealthy merchants who dealt with nobles could use.

At the time, I pretended to accept the child's explanation, but I was suspicious of the child. I thought it would be bad if the child was a spy from another country, so I had the child investigated. I figured a spy would likely have received an education.

The war in this country ended more than a decade ago, and we have armistice agreements with the other countries, but there are still plenty of people who want to undermine us.

I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, so I had the ducal house's shadow agents investigate the child.

The results showed that the child's mother, father, and younger sister were perfectly ordinary commoners, and that there was nothing particularly suspicious about the child named Leon. Apparently, Leon had been born and raised in that household.

What could this mean...? Then where had Leon learned to speak like that?

With that in mind, I had them investigate whether anyone from a fallen noble family or a wealthy merchant family lived within Leon's usual sphere and met with him frequently.

But there was no one like that.

I was even more puzzled. Just when I had decided to visit the diner and speak with Leon directly, I happened to run into him in the central district.

I was surprised that Leon was in the central district, but I was even more surprised to see him with Marcel-dono. Marcel-dono is famous as a developer of magic tools.

I thought it would be bad if Leon was a spy and Marcel-dono was being deceived, so I invited them both out for tea.

And now, on my way back, I have to admit that the boy named Leon is strange.

His speech was one thing, but even his conduct and table manners were equal to those of a noble child who had been thoroughly trained. On top of that, apparently he can read and write.

I had absolutely no idea where he had learned all that.

Still, he didn't seem to be a spy.

In the first place, if he were a spy, he wouldn't do so many things that would make people suspicious despite being a commoner.

In any case, he was mysterious and I couldn't figure him out. However, he was certainly capable. He was so quick-witted that talking to him felt like talking to an adult.

Besides, my instincts told me that he might do something major someday.

If possible, I'd like to keep him somewhere I can keep an eye on him. First, while delivering the study materials, I want to assess his academic ability...

It might also be a good idea to have him commute to the Royal Academy from our estate.

He was talented, but he didn't seem to realize how capable he was. I casually brought up slightly difficult topics such as economics, but he responded normally and didn't seem to realize that this was unusual for a commoner.

Marcel-dono beside me was far more on edge.

There are plenty of dangerous nobles in this country, and we still need to remain wary of the other countries as well.

That child would surely be easily deceived by people like that. If that happened, his intellect being put to use by the enemy could pose a serious threat. Furthermore, if the forces aligned with the Townsend ducal house learned that Leon was a valuable asset, he might be eliminated.

I really do want to place him under surveillance.

I should discuss this with Father, Mother, and my older brothers as well.

I decided to head straight to my family's residence.

That evening, I was having dinner with my family at the Townsend ducal residence for the first time in a while.

I usually live in the knights' barracks, so I rarely eat at the family residence.

Father, Mother, and my second older brother were all present at the dinner table.

In this country, nobles generally serve as heads of their houses and manage their territories from the age of fifteen until their own child turns fifteen.

That meant my eldest brother, the current head of the ducal house, along with his wife and children, were in the territory and not here.

Once they hand the position of head of house to their child, they begin working at the royal palace and return to their residence in the Royal Capital. That is why Father and Mother were here.

During dinner, we discussed our recent activities, and once the meal was over and we were drinking wine, Father gave me an opening to bring up the subject.

"So, Frederick, you said you had something to discuss?"

"Yes, Father. I have something to tell you about a commoner boy named Leon."

Even within the family, nobles must use suitably formal language, especially when speaking to Father. I envy the family relationships commoners have, but compared to other noble families, our household isn't especially strict about rank, and we all get along well. I'm glad I was born into such a good family.

"A commoner?"

"Yes. He is the eldest son of a family that runs a diner on the western outskirts of the Royal Capital, and he is eight years old. When I went to the western outskirts of the Royal Capital, I accidentally collided with him, and that was how we met. Then I ran into him again in the central district today, and we had tea at a café. When I first met Leon, he used polished honorific language—speech that was impossible for a commoner. I had the ducal house's shadow agents investigate him, but they found nothing suspicious, nor any indication that he had been taught by anyone."

The mention of a commoner who used polished honorifics seemed to make everyone suspicious, and they began listening more seriously than before.

"And when I happened to run into him in the central district today, we had a meal at a café, and his table manners were equal to those of a noble child who had been well trained. I slipped some difficult subjects into our casual conversation, but he understood everything and responded accurately, which surprised me. He can already read and write as well."

"What does this mean? If our shadows investigated him, then their report that nothing suspicious turned up must be reliable, and it must also be true that there was no sign of him learning from anyone. Does that mean he can do everything perfectly without ever studying? Could a child like that really exist...?"

Father was extremely confused, and everyone else seemed equally bewildered.

But I could understand; I was still confused myself.

"And Father, Leon seems to want to attend the Royal Academy. If his abilities become known at school and noble houses from other factions or people from other countries take notice of him, the resulting loss could be considerable. I promised to prepare study materials for him, so if he is admitted to the Royal Academy, would you permit him to commute from our residence?"

"Hmm, indeed. Someone that capable should be secured early. He might become a valuable asset for our faction."

"Yes. Also, Lucien will enter the Royal Academy in the same year as Leon, so we'll be able to keep track of how things are going at school. I think Leon would make a good friend for him as well."

Lucien is my eldest brother's eldest son. He will enter the Royal Academy in the same year as Leon.

"I see, so he's the same age as Lucien. If this commoner named Leon is that capable, he would make a good friend for Lucien as well. If Leon ends up attending the Royal Academy, I will permit him to commute from our residence. Also, I would like to meet him, so bring him here sometime."

"Thank you. I will arrange a suitable time and bring him here."

"Ah, this sounds like fun."

Ah... It seems I piqued Father's curiosity. He really loves rare and novel things.

Well, since he had approved, I decided that today had gone well enough.

"Ah, and Frederick, make sure Leon has a watcher assigned, just in case."

"Understood. I will assign one of the shadows to him."

Since I couldn't trust Leon right away, I had intended to assign a shadow myself, so I was grateful that Father had suggested it.

That brought dinner to a close.

I hoped Leon would prove useful to this country. With that thought in mind, I returned to the knights' barracks.