episode_0186

“The Crown Prince…?”

‘The Crown Prince’, does that mean the Prince?

So, Fosao killed the Prince?

I looked behind me.

If I could have seen my own face, it probably looked similar to Marie’s expression.

I didn’t understand.

First of all, I had just learned for the first time that there was someone called ‘the Prince’ in this country.

And how could Fosao have killed such an important person?

Right. Anyway, even if Fosao had murdered the Prince.

…What did that have to do with me?

The merchant simply blurted out a massive conspiracy, one that we couldn’t even dare to imagine.

Trying to understand, I recalled a story I’d vaguely heard.

“Is it related to the King being exiled?”

“No, no. What I’m talking about is ‘King Lykene’, who ascended the throne 40 years ago from now.”

King Lykene? It was a name I’d never heard before.

Memorizing the history of Deseo and the names of its dynasties was something only nobles did.

Commoners like us only knew that a ‘King’ existed. We weren’t curious about his name. At best, a king who fought many wars would be remembered by a nickname like ‘the Conqueror King’, and an unusually peaceful one as ‘the Tranquil King’.

The merchant looked up at me and sneered.

“Your eyes show you know nothing. Hehe… Of course, how would country bumpkins know?”

“I didn’t come all the way to Deseo to chase after the Prince. I’m chasing Fosao.”

“Still don’t get it? How I know that fact. Hahaha….”

A cold laugh echoed inside the dark antechamber.

“About 15 years ago, that pig-bastard came to find me. He wanted to buy a poison that could ‘dispose’ of someone, you see. What I sold him then was a drug known as ‘Madman’. It’s a drug that, once consumed, makes you run like a lunatic towards where the sun is visible, then disappear without a trace.”

“You sold such a dangerous drug to him? Are you insane?”

“Hehehe… Little one, this is ‘Deseo’. There’s nothing you can’t do if you have money.”

From his withered lips and yellowed teeth, I felt not just ridicule, but malice.

“No. You should be grateful to me, actually? You saved your life with ‘Dienvus’, the drug I sold to your girlfriend.”

“…So you sold Fosao another drug to nullify the effects of Dienvus?”

The merchant’s expression went blank for a moment before he burst into laughter.

“Heh. Hehehe!! What?! You know everything!!”

“You treated human lives like toys and expected gratitude?”

*Swish!*

I pressed the tip of Rose Shabel’s blade firmly against the merchant’s neck.

“Don’t misunderstand. The only reason I’m not killing you right now is because you know more about Fosao than I do.”

“Hehe… I’ve lived long enough to die anyway. There’s nothing left to wish for with this rotten body that has nothing left.”

Indeed, there was no strength left in the merchant’s body.

It looked as if he wouldn’t last more than a month even if I left him as he was, without killing him.

He sighed and continued.

“Hoo… Right. After I sold Dienvus to your girlfriend, a few days later, Fosao came to me and, conversely, commissioned an ‘antidote for Dienvus’. At that time, I became very curious about his true identity. Who exactly had he killed 15 years ago with the Madman drug? And why would he help a pathetic girl buy Dienvus, only to try and buy a drug to neutralize it afterward? Hehehe… Anyway, I figured that pig-bastard must be so wicked even a demon would stick out its tongue in disgust. So I made an effort to investigate, and sure enough, there was one person who disappeared from your village, Brizedon. Exactly 15 years ago, too.”

“…!”

“That person was ‘Albert Anshier’. Helena Anshier’s husband, a man with one daughter. And that daughter is Tia Anshier, isn’t she?”

*Clutch.*

Marie’s hand gripped my collar tightly.

It was true. Unmistakably, everything he said was correct.

It sent shivers down my spine. A merchant from Deseo, not from Brizedon, someone I’d never met before, knowing the entire family history of Tia Anshier, a girl from some mountain village—the fact itself filled me with unspeakable dread.

And when I felt certain that everything the merchant had said so far was ‘true’.

I finally understood.

“Then, surely… Tia’s father…?”

“Hehehe-!!”

The merchant laughed.

“…Yes. King Lykene’s only Prince. The sole Prince who inherited this country’s legitimate and noble bloodline. The deposed one who left the palace on his own accord. And the missing person, forever lost. …That man is none other than ‘Albert Anshier’.”

My head reeled.

The fact that Tia’s father was this country’s Prince was shocking enough.

The moment I realized his disappearance was Fosao’s doing, my legs gave out.

“Gasp- Gasp-.”

How long had I been holding my breath? The already dark antechamber felt even colder and darker.

If I hadn’t felt Marie’s warm hand tightly gripping my arm, I might not have even known I was alive.

Barely regaining my composure, I spoke.

“How, how….”

“How did I know? Is it true? Hehehe!! I didn’t know anything until I was trapped in this antechamber. It was only after I ended up like this that I finally realized. All of this happened because ‘Tia Anshier’ stirred up the nobles to buy Dienvus from me and to get 1,000 gold! Hahaha-!!!”

I had known it since he first attacked me, but Fosao was even more dangerous and insane than I had thought.

He tried to kill this merchant to conceal the fact that he had killed Tia’s father. If this old man hadn’t quickly realized and hidden in a secret room, this secret would have been hidden forever.

Tia didn’t know. She had no idea that the pig by her side was such a heinous and cruel human being. She didn’t even know he was the very person who had killed her beloved father.

It’s dangerous. Tia is in danger.

Tia is next to that bastard who readily harms people.

There’s no time to just stand here.

“Where did that pig-bastard go?”

“I don’t know either. Hehe-!! I’ve been trapped here for too long. I can’t even count the days and nights, so how do you expect me to know what’s happening outside?”

“Damn it. If he’s already left for another country…”

“No. That bastard is still in Deseo. That much is certain.”

“Why?”

“Think about it, bumpkin. Why would a guy who was going to leave Deseo bother to catch me? Fosao’s goal was ‘here’ from the very beginning.”

“A goal? What goal could a fugitive have?”

“Hehe-. That’s for you to find out now.”

The merchant twitched his feeble hand.

“Feel free to scream for revenge and raise hell, whatever you want. But keep this in mind: that pig-bastard has already brought all the nobles over to his side. The men who came to kill me were private soldiers of the nobles. They have completely taken over Deseo. Make sure you never get caught by the nobles.”

“……”

“It won’t be easy, young man. Hehehe….”

With those words, which could have been a curse or advice, we left the dark storage room.

The cityscape of Deseo, which we faced again outside, felt quite different.

As if, this entire country…

…this unpleasant feeling of it being hostile towards me.

Standing in the midst of it, I was an unwelcome presence.

***

First, I needed to understand what kind of place Deseo was.

I wandered aimlessly through the city, trying to learn about its atmosphere and recent events.

Contrary to my worries, gathering information wasn’t difficult.

Not all Deseo people were cold and aloof. Most were very friendly, and sometimes excessively cordial, which could be awkward.

Of course, that was when money was involved.

If you placed a few coins on their greedy palms, they would babble on with even unwanted information. If you then handed them another gold coin, they’d clear their throats, look around warily, and finally reveal the ‘rumors’ I wanted, in secret.

Marie disliked how obsessed with money the people of Deseo seemed. But I actually preferred it for its simplicity and convenience.

There was no need to spend a long time building relationships. There was no need to keep wandering through illusions using memory reading. A few of these heavy, useless coins were enough to easily learn about Deseo.

For me, with every day being precious, it was an extremely rational method.

What I learned was the political situation of Deseo.

December. The nobles, discontent with the king, finally revolted.

January. The war continued quietly and at length. The noble forces dismantled the strongholds of newly rich families one by one, and by the end of February, they had besieged the royal palace.

March. Stalled negotiations continued. It was said that a threat was issued: if the king did not step down from the throne on his own within the specified period, they would be forced to wage a siege.

Early April. Unable to endure any longer, the king accepted the condition of exile to a foreign country and abdicated his throne.

And now, in May.

After much deliberation, the nobles decided to enthrone a new king. It was now a situation where the new king was about to be crowned and announced to the world.

The people of Deseo had various thoughts about ‘the new king’.

“Heh. He’ll just be a puppet for the higher-ups anyway.”

“But usually, after such a civil war, the strongest faction takes the throne, don’t they? If the Piolo family has the most influence in Deseo, why would they not ascend themselves and instead put someone else forward?”

“Isn’t it to prevent civil war from spreading among noble families that have bad relations with each other?”

“In that case, doesn’t it mean the new king will be the most suitable one that all the nobles of this country can accept?”

“Haha! What a joke! Is there anyone like that in the world? Even the great and benevolent King Lykene had his bloodline cut off because he fought with his own Prince. Unless the Prince returns alive and well, the new king will be nothing more than a scarecrow placed on the Red Castle.”

While investigating, I heard countless stories like these.

Strangely, the names of Tia and Fosao never came up at all.

I wanted to ask more directly, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know what might happen if my identity reached that bastard’s ears.

It felt like the answer was right in front of me. I was frantically anxious.

But the more I felt that way, the more carefully I moved, following Marie’s advice to remain calm.

Finally, the coronation ceremony for the new king arrived.

‘That festival’ that had bothered us since Rottenban was now being held.

From morning, Deseo was bustling. The streets were full of people. It was hard to even take a proper step. People had gathered from all over the country, no, from all over the world, to see the face of Deseo’s new king.

Perhaps that’s why. Even on this day, I walked around various places to gather information, but the results were disappointing. Almost all the shops were closed. Even those people obsessed with money seemed curious about who their new master would be.

Left with no choice, I turned back to the inn earlier than usual.

“Oh, Ritsu Oppa. You’re back early.”

“Yeah.”

Marie was working as an inn employee. It was her own will to help with living expenses.

The festival’s influence had reached even here. The inn’s tables were not empty, filled with people drinking alcohol even in broad daylight.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“No, it’s okay. Hmm… Except for one guest who’s been sitting here for too long, that’s a bit worrying.”

Marie pointed to a corner. A blond man was sitting there.

Even from a distance, he was quite a large man. His exposed forearms had a powerful strength, like a horse’s legs, and judging by his fingers, covered in countless scars, he seemed to be a person who had fought for a long time.

The man seemed to have been drinking for a long time, as he couldn’t hold himself steady. While everyone in Deseo was in a festive mood, he alone seemed strangely steeped in sadness.

“I’ll go talk to him.”

“Be careful. If he’s a strange person, just leave him be.”

“Got it.”

But… why did he feel so familiar?

Unconsciously, drawn by curiosity, I walked towards him.

As I approached, I saw a wolf emblem embroidered on his clothes and a large sword leaning against the chair.

A knight?

Suppressing my tension, I spoke to him.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”

The knight, without answering my question, lifted his wine glass and poured it into his mouth.

“I heard you’ve been here for a while.”

*Thud!*

Setting down the glass, he finally seemed to notice my presence and lifted his head.

“……”

The moment his hollow eyes met mine.

Suddenly, the name of this man came to mind.

The quiet, indifferent, cold knight. But someone who, when you got to know him, seemed the most like a noble.

That’s right.

For some reason, I clearly knew his name.

“Robert….”