Chapter 19
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
Chapter 19
Crown Prince Kiaros and Fron received urgent treatment.
Fron barely escaped death's threshold, but the Royal Physician said she would never move with her former agility again.
Crown Prince Kiaros, of course, had fared better.
"A few days of medicine and you'll be perfectly fine, Your Highness."
Unlike Fron, the dagger had only grazed him, and he possessed a natural resistance to such toxins.
"Though if you'd taken the blow directly, it would have been catastrophic."
The Royal Physician wrapped a bandage around his arm as he spoke.
"Especially during the Dark Period...."
Crown Prince Kiaros lowered his head and fell silent.
The Emperor had warned him so earnestly, yet the boy had failed to grasp how treacherous the world truly was.
Had he not carelessly uttered the words "Dark Period" aloud, Fron would never have been wounded.
Guilt flickered across the arrogant youth's expression.
"With a few months of rest, Fron will recover completely."
"But she said she can never move as she did before...."
"She'll likely find it difficult to remain with the Imperial Knight Order. However, she considers this outcome deeply honorable. Please, do not worry."
The Royal Physician smiled warmly as he spoke.
"That sharp tongue of hers remains intact, and Fron is perfectly sound. For a guard knight, sacrificing one's life for their charge is simply the natural order of things."
“....”
"So please do not burden yourself with concern. Your Highness's safety is what matters most."
Crown Prince Kiaros's safety.
Had it not been for that mysterious girl, he might well have wandered between life and death.
Those scrolls, which he had dismissed as trivial, had shielded him from harm.
He slowly lifted his head and spoke quietly to the Attendant standing beside him.
"Has there been any word from Count Kalto's Residence?"
"No, Your Highness. We sent word immediately, but no one has visited."
"Have you checked the Library again?"
"Yes. The librarian didn't know who the girl was either. But she visits frequently, so I asked them to contact us the moment she returns."
The Attendant spoke respectfully.
"She'll likely appear at Count Kalto's Residence tomorrow, or perhaps the Library. Do not concern yourself, Your Highness."
"And that Goblin...?"
"His Majesty the Emperor is conducting an immediate investigation. There are many peculiarities, but fortunately we captured it alive, which should make tracking its masters easier."
That they had managed to capture the Goblin was also thanks to the girl.
Had he collapsed there, the guard knights would have swarmed around him while the Goblin escaped.
"His Majesty the Emperor wishes you to cease worrying about external matters and focus on your recovery, Your Highness."
At the Attendant's words, Crown Prince Kiaros released a shallow sigh.
Now, during the Dark Period, he finally felt the vast distance between himself and the Emperor's power.
'When I grow older, I too must become an existence like His Majesty.'
Crown Prince Kiaros felt his mind ease even as his shoulders grew heavier with the weight of that realization.
"Rest well, Your Highness."
The Royal Physician offered me a sedative, his voice calm and assured.
"Everything has already been resolved. By tomorrow, you'll understand it all."
I nodded and retired to bed.
Yet the Royal Physician's reassuring words were only half correct.
The next day, everything had been resolved—but I couldn't know everything.
"Your Highness, the Goblin was an escaped test subject. Apparently, there's a vile Criminal Syndicate in the Southern Region conducting experiments on magical beasts."
"A test subject? There was a group experimenting on magical beasts?"
The Emperor had swept through the magical beasts' habitats, yet some had remained hidden among the human settlements.
The Attendant responded to my question with respectful deference.
"Yes. The modified Goblin possessed considerable intelligence and could understand human speech."
"I see...."
"It appears that when His Imperial Majesty exterminated the magical beasts, they harbored a grudge against him. Unable to approach the Emperor directly, they attached themselves to Your Highness instead."
It was something I could never have imagined.
To conduct experiments on magical beasts—creatures that were humanity's enemies—seemed inconceivable.
I asked in astonishment.
"Experiments on magical beasts... is such a thing even possible?"
"Yes, it is remarkable. His Imperial Majesty identified the Criminal Syndicate and had them all executed by beheading."
"Executed...."
"His Majesty reasoned that any group capable of conducting such experiments on magical beasts would be capable of far worse. Indeed, they had committed countless crimes to facilitate their research."
All of this had transpired in less than a day. The Emperor's decisiveness was extraordinary.
He always said that speed was essential in matters such as these.
Since childhood, I had watched the Emperor and learned, piece by piece, what it meant to be a sovereign.
"A few remnants escaped, but they are all being pursued."
"I see...."
"We've destroyed their headquarters and eliminated the magical beasts as well, so they won't be able to conduct such experiments again."
I considered asking more questions but decided against it.
After all, I was merely in my period of weakness—an ordinary boy with nothing to contribute. There was nothing I could do to help.
As the Emperor had said, it was better to focus on my recovery, which was slower than usual.
Instead, I asked about something that had been nagging at me.
"What about that girl? Did you find out who she is?"
"Ah, well...."
The Attendant's expression grew troubled at my question.
"She hasn't appeared at Count Kalto's Residence or the Library. Without knowing her appearance, tracking her has proven difficult."
This wasn't the Capital, so there weren't many people I could employ for such a task.
Moreover, the capable informants were occupied pursuing the remnants of the Dark Organization.
"We still need to find her. She saved my life."
I spoke quietly.
"There's no rush, but we can search steadily."
The Emperor had said there would be lessons to learn during this period of weakness.
I had learned helplessness, guilt, and a sense of crisis.
It was an emotion the boy had never experienced in his short life.
At the same time, I learned something else—gratitude, and how to express it.
[If someone saves your life, you have to face them and thank them properly!]
He hadn't yet said a proper thank you. So he intended to express his gratitude exactly as that girl had said.
His promise to grant any wish was sincere. Crown Prince Kiaros had lived with a certain arrogance, but he wasn't the type to make empty promises.
But that girl's wish was....
[I want to marry a man with a huge, huge, huge amount of money!]
She looked young, but her desires were surprisingly materialistic.
In that case, wouldn't she eventually come to Count Kalto's Residence?
He tilted his head and asked his attendant.
"By the way, who is the richest man in this Empire?"
And he quickly added.
"Ah, around my age."
That girl appeared to be around his age at most, and no matter how wealthy, he doubted she'd want to marry someone old enough to be her grandfather.
The attendant then answered with a look that suggested he was asking something obvious.
"Well, if we're speaking of the richest boy around Your Highness's age... that would be Your Highness yourself, would it not?"
Crown Prince Kiaros's mouth fell open at this sudden realization.
'Of course! Among all the ten-year-old boys in the Empire, naturally I would be the richest!'
It was truly an obvious fact.
The Imperial Treasury was overflowing, and the budget allocated for his future was equally enormous!
"Right, I see."
Crown Prince Kiaros nodded slowly.
He was beginning to understand what he should say when he met that girl again.
"In any case, continue searching for that child. Even after the Southern Region inspection is complete, I'll mobilize my Ravens."
If that girl's wish was to marry a wealthy man....
He would first need to reveal that he was that man and ask if she would consent to marrying him.
After that, Crown Prince Kiaros added while fidgeting with his fingers.
"I want to thank Fron in person as well."
The Royal Physician shook his head in surprise.
"There is no need for that, Your Highness. As I mentioned, Fron was simply doing what she was supposed to do."
The old Crown Prince Kiaros would have agreed and thought no more of it. But he shook his head and spoke.
"No. From now on... I will always thank my lifesavers in person."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org