I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 66

“Then, Your Highness, we will take our leave now. We will prepare so that you can depart for Misty Port as quickly as possible.”

“I will also be on my way.”

“Yes, I know you are busy, but please do your best.”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

As Jereuth and Heinshtangl spoke while leaving the room, Leonardo gave a light wave of his hand to see them off.

Heinshtangl said nothing until he was out of the room.

However, as soon as he was completely out of the Crown Prince’s room, Heinshtangl asked Jereuth in a bewildered voice.

“C-Commander. Did you by any chance know that His Highness was going on an inspection to Misty Port?”

“I did not.”

“……You did not know?”

“I said I didn’t.”

“Ah…… I thought you knew, Commander. Since you didn’t say anything in opposition when His Highness said he was going to Misty Port.”

At Heinshtangl’s words, Jereuth gave him a slight glare and replied.

“Are you saying you oppose His Highness' words?”

“Th-that’s not it. I am just worried about him going on a long journey when it has only been a few months since he collapsed and woke up. Are you not worried, Commander?”

“Of course I am worried. To be honest, I am not too keen on His Highness going to Misty Port either.”

“Then why did you not say anything to His Highness—.”

As Heinshtangl was asking in confusion, Jereuth cut him off.

“Because there must be a reason why His Highness said he would go to Misty Port.”

“A reason?”

“Yes. Has there ever been a time when His Highness said he would do something and proceeded without any reason?”

“There has not.”

“For such a person to say he himself will go all the way to Misty Port, there must be a reason. That man has a plan for everything.”

“Then…… why do you think he didn’t tell us the reason?”

“Does His Highness have to explain the reason to us? The one who is above us?”

“Th-that’s not it, but……”

“Even if you have doubts about His Highness' judgment, just trust and follow for now. That man has thoughts and senses that an ordinary person cannot comprehend.”

After finishing his words, Jereuth walked down the corridor. Heinshtangl silently watched Jereuth’s retreating back.

‘Just follow even if I have doubts…… is it. Yes, that might be easier on my mind.’

Heinshtangl already had a lot on his mind.

In the midst of that, he lacked the ability to also read Leonardo’s intentions or mood.

‘Wait, but if His Highness is leaving the royal capital soon…… then that means I have to prepare all the reports and items for review before then. If His Highness is not here, I can’t get approval.’

Usually, when a superior is absent, the subordinates are at ease.

But it was not so in the Plank Kingdom. Because they didn't know what kind of punishment the tyrant would mete out for a single mistake, the officials had been getting confirmation and review from Leonardo for even the most trivial matters.

—Until now, Leonardo had never punished anyone for making a ‘mistake.’ Nevertheless, the officials were afraid. At least within the royal palace, the politics of fear had taken root as a culture. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, no one yet knew.—

‘……I won’t be able to go home for a while.’

Heinshtangl’s wrinkles deepened.

***

After Jereuth and Heinshtangl left, Elly spoke to me with an awkward smile.

“Th-then, Your Highness…… I will go and bring your lunch.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“……”

Even though I smiled and thanked her, Elly stood still, looking at me and hesitating. Usually, when I greeted her lightly like this, Elly would smile brightly and go to get the meal.

Why is she acting like that?

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Pardon? Ah, no!”

“If you have something to say, please feel free to say it. If you’re not feeling well, you can rest today. I’ll ask another maid for my meal.”

“I am fine. It’s just……”

“Just?”

“……It’s nothing.”

She said ‘it’s nothing’ again, but Elly looked like she had a lot to say.

Come to think of it, she seemed to have been like this since Heinshtangl’s daughter was mentioned earlier.

‘Did I say something strange then? I don’t think there was anything particularly important.’

While I was briefly recalling the previous conversation, Elly hastily bowed to me and left the room.

“I-I’ll go get your meal!”

I was a little concerned about Elly’s behavior, but since she herself said it was nothing, I decided not to press the issue.

There was something more important.

‘Since I’ve decided to go to Misty Port, I should check the <Future Diary>. If any problems arise on the way, I need to prepare for them in advance.’

Chwarak—.

I opened the diary. It was the future closest to the present.

…….

It took ten days just to prepare for the departure to Misty Port. Even that was because I had said, 「”It’s just a simple trip and inspection, so you don’t need to prepare too much for this and that,”」 which shortened the time.

As mentioned before, the reason the travel preparations took so long was because Jereuth, Heinshtangl, and Elly tried to prepare too much for my trip. They prepared all sorts of things, as if trying to prepare my lodgings and meals during the trip to be the same as in the royal palace.

The tent was bigger than my room in the royal palace, and the furniture to go inside was splendid. What more can be said when they even packed a bed as large as the one in my room.

I was very grateful that they prepared so much for me, but…… honestly, I felt burdened by such preparations. Seeing the soldiers packing the carriage with so much luggage made me feel sorry, as it reminded me of the ‘combat readiness posture training’ I hated most during my military service in the Republic of Korea.

According to the <Future Diary>, the Ingrid Island Pirates would arrive on the mainland in about three weeks. It would take about two weeks at a leisurely pace to get from the royal capital to Misty Port, so I would arrive at Misty Port faster than the Ingrid Island Pirates.

Thus, time was on my side. I just felt sorry that the soldiers seemed to be suffering more than necessary.

This was the first page of the newly written content.

‘There’s nothing special.’

It just said that it took a long time to prepare to go to Misty Port because I had a lot of luggage.

‘Shall I read the next page?’

…….

I left the royal castle and departed for Misty Port. For convenience, we were moving along the river on flat ground. It was my first time riding in a carriage, but perhaps because it was the Crown Prince’s carriage, there was little shaking and I didn’t get motion sickness.

The weather was very nice until we left the royal capital. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

However, from the day after we departed, the sky became gloomy and the wind blew hard, and on the third day of our departure, the dreaded event finally occurred.

It started to rain and the wind began to blow.

And not just a gust of wind, but a ‘gale.’

—Uh, uh! Hey! Be careful!!

—Hold on tight over there! This is His Highness' tent!!

—Come and help out here!! The wind is too strong!!

—The, the ridgepole is falling!!!

As if to show that humans are powerless in the face of nature, it seemed my tent kept collapsing even with dozens of soldiers clinging to it.

I was waiting in the carriage until the tent was pitched.

Even the carriage was easily shaken by the wind.

Rattle!

There were soldiers outside the carriage supporting it to keep it from toppling over in the wind, and their pained groans and words could be faintly heard through the sound of the rain and wind.

—Ugh…… Hey, hey! Hold on tight!

—Can’t you be quiet?! Don’t you know His Highness is inside?

—You bastard, your voice is the loudest!

—Ugh…… I can’t open my eyes.

—Then close your eyes, you idiot.

—What if something comes flying at me, how am I supposed to dodge it!

—That bastard is saying unlucky things again. What’s going to come flying! Shut up, will you?!

In the midst of that, someone opened the carriage door and came in. It was Jereuth, who had been pitching the tent with the soldiers and was soaked to the bone.

“Your Highness, I apologize. The wind is so strong that the soldiers are unable to properly erect a single tent. ……When we return to the royal capital, I will personally reprimand each and every one of them. So please, do not be angry.”

But I wasn't angry. Rather, I felt sorry for the soldiers. I, too, had been injured while trying to set up a tent in the rain and wind when I was in the army, so I knew how difficult it was.

“Haha…… It’s alright. We can’t help it if the wind is blowing so hard. It’s fine.”

“Thank you for saying so. We will do our best to build a tent where you can rest as soon as possible.”

After saying so, Jereuth went outside again.

……

10 minutes passed. Just as I was getting drowsy and bored.

An urgent voice was heard from outside.

—The, the tent is flying away!!

—Hey, hey! Be careful! Get out of the way!!

It was the voices of the knights and soldiers who were directing the tent construction.

—Protect His Highness' carriage!!!

—Uh, uh uh uh?!

—Ge-get out of the way!!

—Hey, open your eyes!!

—Huh? Huh?!

Along with those bewildered voices-

Crack!

A wooden pole the size of my torso broke through the carriage roof. It broke through the roof and came straight into the carriage.

It was right in front of my eyes. A massive, huge wooden pole that had been battered by the rain and wind just a moment ago.

“……”

A wooden pole that literally appeared ‘suddenly’ in front of my eyes. I couldn't react at all, even after a long time had passed.

—Y-Your Highness! Are you alright?

—Your Highness!

—Quickly escort His Highness to a safe place!

Jereuth and the knights were shouting near me, but their voices sounded faint to me. It was because my mind had gone blank from the near-death experience.

—Swaaaaaa!

The rain and wind coming in from the broken carriage roof soaked my face, and only then did I come to my senses.

‘……Was I about to die? So absurdly?’

Fortunately, I was not injured by the wood that broke through the carriage.

But for the first time since coming to this world, I had truly felt my life was in danger. If the wood had been just 10cm closer to my side, my head would have been smashed.

My groin felt warm.

……I was embarrassed.

This was the content of the newly written <Future Diary>. And it contained very important information.

‘The weather was fine until we departed, but the day after, it suddenly started to rain and blow. And that rain and wind turned into a gale, blowing away all my tents and luggage…… is it.’

If there was a silver lining, it was that there was no mention of me being injured or dying because of the gale. But I couldn't ignore this warning.

Why, because a gale strong enough to blow away a tent could injure or kill someone, even if it wasn't me.

‘So to solve this problem…… there are three ways. One is to avoid the day the gale blows and go to Misty Port, the second is to take a small tent instead of a large one so that the soldiers can build it stably.’

And the last one is—.

‘To avoid the gale by using the forest path, or to rest in a cave at night.’

The only way to overcome nature is to use nature. Humans cannot overcome nature.

Since a gale is a natural phenomenon that is difficult for humans to overcome, the easiest and best way to avoid it is to enter a forest or take shelter from the wind in a cave.

—I once saw a British survival expert say that in a documentary.

‘Of course, the best way is to travel on a day when there is no gale in the first place.’

But it seemed I would encounter the gale no matter how I scheduled it. Even if I departed very early, considering the schedule, the gale would blow on the way.

Conversely, departing very late was also an option. To wait in the royal capital until the gale subsides, and then depart when it stops.

But if the gale continued for a long time and my departure was delayed, I might arrive at Misty Port later than the Ingrid Island Pirates. Then my plan would be ruined. I wanted to wait for the Ingrid Island Pirates to arrive on the mainland and greet them.

‘Anyway, to encounter the gale as little as possible, it would be best to depart as early as possible. And the day the gale starts to blow, as mentioned in the <Future Diary…… is 11 days from now? From that day on, I should utilize the forest paths and caves.’

As I was coming to that conclusion.

—Drrrk.

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

Elly opened the door and entered with a cart full of food.

It was something I had wondered about for a long time, but I didn't know where she got the strength in that slender body to pull such a heavy cart.

“Th-then…… please enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”

Elly, whose eyes met mine, said with an awkward smile. Just like when she went to get the meal earlier, Elly was still awkward in her dealings with me.

It was also very obvious that she had something to say to me but couldn't.

‘I’m curious why Elly is acting like that, but she probably won’t tell me even if I ask her to.’

If she wants to say it, she’ll say it—I thought, and first brought my spoon to my soup. The unique aroma of the mushroom soup made by Elly, which was my favorite, brushed past my nose.

‘I should send a message to Jereuth after I eat. He’s busy, so it would be better to just send a short letter instead of calling him all the way here.’

There wouldn't be much to write in the letter. Just that my tent and travel luggage for the trip to Misty Port should be minimized, and the departure schedule should be moved up as much as possible.

‘It would be good to add a note about preparing for the gale, but if I say that, I might be misunderstood as being able to predict the weather. Still, I think I need to tell them to prepare to some extent…… so I should write lightly in the letter that they should also consider using the forest path in preparation for a sudden change in weather.’

If I wrote that, Jereuth would also consider the route of moving through the forest path in advance when planning the travel route to Misty Port. The rıghtful source is NovєlFіre.net

‘Sudden weather changes during a trip are common, so there shouldn't be any problem with asking him to consider that much, right?’

Surely, he wouldn’t think I could predict the weather just because I said that much.

Nah, no way.