A cold sea breeze was blowing from behind.
I quietly stepped into the warehouse.
The place was filled with old wooden tables and chairs, nets, and piles of useless trash everywhere.
“Ugh, it reeks of fish. Who would even think to eat here? Disgusting.”
Pinching my nose, I checked around when I noticed the black wolf keeping watch over Heffner.
“Still alive?”
“He’s alive.”
“In that case, let’s go already.”
I pulled out a potion and sloppily sprinkled it on him before using telekinesis to lift Heffner up.
Telekinesis really is the most convenient skill, isn’t it?
“What’s this?”
The black wolf pointed at something – it was one of the kidnappers lying unconscious.
With a shrug, I glanced at the cut on his nose then approached him. It’d be impossible for me to carry two grown men with my level of telekinesis.
“Hmm, carrying this guy too would be tough. Can’t help it. We’ll drag him instead. When Earl gets here, we’ll make him carry it.”
“I can carry it if you want.”
“Nah, nah.”
Grabbing the unconscious man’s head, I slowly started heading outside when I spotted a still-lit cigarette butt.
This will do for covering our tracks.
Using telekinesis, I covered the butt with a net and poured some unidentified alcohol from the table over it. The dying embers immediately burst into flames.
“Let’s go.”
“Right.”
Leaving the growing fire behind, we exited the warehouse. In the distance, Earl was running towards us with illumination magic glowing.
On his back was Lucy, who seemed to have passed out.
“Hey! Are you done?”
“Yeah. Take this.”
“W-WHAT?!”
When I tossed the kidnapper at him, Earl freaked out and tried dodging. Seeing that made me smirk.
“What are you doing?”
“Damn it! You scared me! I almost used magic!”
“Stop the useless talk already. Did you take care of everything else?”
Earl nodded while holding the kidnapper with telekinesis.
“Yeah, they’ve probably become fish food by now?”
It was a brutal thing to say, but I didn’t really care. One informant should be enough anyway.
After checking the area once more for any remaining enemies, I asked Earl.
“If they came this far, they were probably planning to smuggle out. Did you contact the navy?”
“Of course. There’s somewhere specific you’re thinking of?”
“Hmm? Then let’s leave the rest of the cleanup to them and head back.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t we stay here? It’s so dark.”
“Spare expenses. We’re leaving.”
Without waiting for Earl’s reply, I pushed off the ground.
From behind, I could hear Earl shouting.
“Seriously leaving? At least take Lucy with you…!”
Though he was muttering complaints, I could sense his mana beginning to flow. Carrying one person on his back while using telekinesis to lift another – it’s a high-difficulty task requiring physical strength, stamina, and mana control, but Earl should be able to handle it. We’ll deal with him later if he slacks off.
***
In the end, we managed to return to the red-light district before sunrise. Since the hideout where the kidnappers arrived wasn’t too far away, it was possible.
“Kheee…”
Earl looked exhausted as he flopped onto the bed without even changing clothes.
Shaking my head, I covered him with a blanket before stepping out.
“It’s still noisy around here.”
Probably because it’s a red-light district and they don’t want to miss business until sunrise. Though it was unavoidable to choose a place close to Rainbow Sherbet that also offered lodging…
“Oh. Sir Allen.”
At the table, Lucy waved at me. Sitting beside her was a dazed Heffner and a Black Wolf casually sipping alcohol.
I naturally took a seat and asked Lucy.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. Since I didn’t resist, it’s fortunate it ended like this.”
“Good job. By the way, why aren’t you bringing any subordinates? What if something happens to the guild master being so defenseless?”
Lucy smiled gently in response.
“Because I knew Sir Allen would come save me.”
“You…”
At her ever-mysterious smile, I shook my head. Even without me, wouldn’t she have been able to protect herself?
Picking up some appetizers from the table, I patted Heffner’s shoulder to console him.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…Yes.”
He must be more heartbroken than physically injured. It’s probably best to leave him alone right now.
“Get him something to drink.”
“He did ask for something, but there’s only milk available, so I just had it warmed up.”
Thank goodness Lucy is taking care of him. I ordered a beer too. Since today doesn’t seem to be going well, let’s drink until sunrise before leaving.
“Here you go.”
Soon, the beer and milk arrived. Taking a big gulp of beer, I told Heffner:
“Drink up and rest. If you’re tired, go upstairs to room 304 and sleep.”
“And what about you, Sir Allen?”
“I’m drinking until morning. If you’re tired, you can sleep with Black Wolf.”
“I’ll drink until morning too.”
“Do you really think you can handle it?”
“I’ve never gotten drunk in my life, no matter how much I drink.”
“Wow.”
Listening to Lucy’s confident statement, I chuckled and clinked glasses with her. The clear sound of glass rang out as we began guzzling down drinks like crazy.
Her claim of never having been drunk wasn’t false – Lucy kept pace with me glass for glass.
How much time passed?
The server cleared away the numerous empty glasses on the table, and the customers filling the shop began to leave. Just as the black wolf, who had been lazily sipping his drink, started dozing off, Heffner spoke up.
“What happens to me now?”
“What do you mean ‘what happens’? You’re going to the royal palace to ascend the throne. You’ll become Arigon V.”
“So what if I become king… I don’t need it at all.”
“What can be done? Being born a prince is your crime, if anything.”
“If you hadn’t come!”
Bang!
Suddenly slamming the table and shouting, Heffner looked drunk judging by his red face. Was that milk actually alcohol disguised as milk?
Glancing at the bartender and server who were watching us suspiciously, I gestured that everything was fine while smirking.
“If I hadn’t come? Do you really think you could have lived well and comfortably?”
“No, right?”
“That’s unknown. In any case, we’re the first ones to find you buried out here in the boondocks. Those kidnappers finding you might be because of us, or it might not be.”
But the important fact is that as long as Heffner is a prince, his location would have been discovered eventually. Our Crown Prince wouldn’t have given up searching for him before finding him. Other countries would be the same. Capturing a prince is the easiest way to devour this country.
“In any case, you haven’t done anything wrong. Neither have the shop employees. If you must blame someone, maybe the heretics? If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t have been chased out of the royal palace, and you wouldn’t have had to experience these events.”
“…Was Queen Sara really such a bad person?”
“Didn’t you know? She didn’t chase you out here.”
“I don’t know. I just followed my nanny here.”
That’s right… If the High Priest had personally expelled him, Heffner probably wouldn’t be alive anymore. That nanny seems to have been a loyal servant.
“That person?”
“The nanny… She brought me here and left. I don’t know where she is now or what she’s doing…”
She’s probably dead by now. But it wasn’t something to say right now, so I held my tongue. Thinking about it, Heffner has only been here for less than a year. How did he grow so attached?
Casually asking, Heffner replied with teary eyes.
“They all treated me like family. Without knowing where I came from or who I was… In the end, they even sacrificed their lives for me.”
How could those tears not flow when they’re brimming like that? His story was nothing special. Listening carefully in case there was some extraordinary event, I now regret doing so.
If explained simply for modern people:
– Comforting him during the mental and physical exhaustion from receiving heir education in the cold royal palace.
– Treating him like an older sister despite him having no siblings.
– Letting him feel the warmth of family after losing his mother and being separated from his father.
That’s about it, right?
For Heffner, who had lived like a flower in a greenhouse in the royal palace, it must have been quite the fresh shock. People tend to yearn for what they lack, after all. And there must have been some reaction against living strictly as the kingdom’s successor. Isn’t it natural for kids to prefer uncles who help them misbehave over parents who push them to attend school?
“Is that so? You must have had a tough time.”
While sympathizing and comforting him, Lucy’s somewhat awkward smile suggested she thought of him as a naive child. Her poker face may be decent, but she can’t fool me. Not wanting to listen to any more of this young whining, I briefly said:
“It’s a problem caused by your weakness.”
“…What did you say?”
Heffner glared at me with bloodshot eyes. Does he think I’ll be scared by that look?
“And it’s a problem caused by the kingdom’s weakness. Or perhaps your father’s weakness.”
“Insult… Don’t insult my father. If Mother had only been alive, none of this would have…”
“Insult? I’m stating facts. Is abandoning the country for a mere woman and failing to protect his own child worthy of a king?”
Many people have lost their families in war. Even the Emperor lost Lux’s mother but still governs the empire well. Would explaining this make any sense? A kid whose family died but refuses to seek revenge, just dragging things out, knows nothing.
“Do you think being born a prince is a curse? After seeing people struggling so hard to live in that shop? If I were you, I’d ascend the throne to seek revenge on the heretics.”
“I don’t want to hear it from you. The Empire was just looking for me to use, right?”
“What’s the problem with that? You can use the Empire too. They have no interest in this insignificant country anyway. They’re just trying to clean things up since it’s annoying to leave as is.”
They’re already busy enough chasing the heretics who dared to attack their capital. Do you know how troublesome it is to get entangled in unnecessary incidents like this? We want to leave this country immediately.
“To use the Empire…? How is that even possible?”
Heffner looked at me as if I were saying nonsense. Looking at his tear-streaked face made me want to laugh, but I maintained my poker face.
“You need to figure out the method yourself. Do I have to spoon-feed you everything?”
“This… Hint: the situation the Empire is in.”
Interrupting his impending outburst was Lucy. Too bad, I was about to knock him out with a punch. Clearing my throat, Lucy continued with an awkward smile:
“The Empire is on edge due to recent terrorist attacks by the heretics. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince is staying in Arigon Kingdom to oversee governance. Know why?”
“…To prevent Arigon Kingdom from falling back into the hands of the heretics…”
Not bad, considering he’s thinking properly. Lucy smiled and nodded.
“That’s part of it, and also to prevent other kingdoms from eyeing it greedily. As long as the Empire is standing, no one would dare start a war to swallow Arigon Kingdom.”
“Even Arigon Kingdom, which was nearly devoured by the heretics despite being a relatively powerful nation. There’s no guarantee the heretics’ influence hasn’t reached other kingdoms.”
“Sir Allen is correct. Therefore, the Empire likely judged that it’s better to establish you as king to stabilize Arigon rather than giving the heretics easy prey.”
Indeed, she’s sharp as a guild master of the information guild. I joked:
“Man, you’re revealing all our secrets. Do you know this could be considered a security breach? You’re sticking with us until the end, got it?”
“It would be our greatest honor to have Sir Allen watching our backs.”
Lucy subtly smiled with twinkling eyes. Is she really suited for the information guild? Seems like we need to develop a closer relationship with her commercial guild. I should give Theron a hint.
“In that case… I can negotiate with the Empire…”
Realization dawned in Heffner’s eyes. His serious expression truly showed his royal lineage. Already, though faint, charisma was emanating from him.
“Well, figuring that out is your responsibility. However, I do have one piece of advice…”
As I trailed off, Heffner focused intently on me. He seems to be expecting quite a bit.
But it won’t be the kind of advice you’re hoping for.
“Don’t overstep your boundaries.”
“…”
His expression immediately turned fearful at my cold words. Yes, act your age as a child.
“If you want something, first consider what you can offer. One-sided assistance leads to dependency.”
“I… understand.”
That should be enough. Rising from my seat, I looked at the black wolf who had fallen asleep sometime ago.
I wonder if he’s really sleeping. Maybe he’s just closing his eyes out of boredom.
“Lucy, wake up Earl. I’ll go look for a carriage.”
“Already moving? It’s still…”
“Still what?”
I subtly pointed outside the window.
“The sun has risen.”
The cold night had passed, and a crimson sun was rising.
