Chapter 43 : Chapter 43
chapter 43
Ian, who had been standing blankly, snapped to his senses at Trimia's voice and offered a polite greeting.
“Ian de Moner of the Moner family greets Prince Trimia of the great royal family that rules the northern part of the continent.”
To think that Trimia was the mad second prince of the Reime royal family.
Even as I offered my greetings, my mind was in turmoil.
'The royal family's scoundrel is the Righteously Mad King?
That can't be.'
Though he suffered from madness, there were few commanders in the game as brilliant as the Mad King.
The very fact that he, with no martial prowess, stood shoulder to shoulder with heroes and was active on the front lines showed just how outstanding a commander he was.
'Then the rumors of the second prince being mad must be false.
Trimia is acting mad.'
As I was thinking that, Trimia's golden eyes twinkled and he laughed.
“Hahaha!
It's a pleasure to meet you.
By the way, the Mad King!
I've seen many people badmouth me behind my back, but you're the first to do it to my face.”
Then, he frowned for a moment and muttered to himself as if for all to hear.
“No, wait, even if he's mad, a king is a king, so is that a compliment?
If I can become king, being a little mad isn't really a problem……”
For a moment, the thought that his madness might not be an act made me raise my head, and the prince said with a smile.
“Well, it's our first meeting and I like you, so I'll take it as a compliment.
Even if it were an insult, I can't very well punish the young lord of the Moner family.”
Then, as casually as if asking about the lunch menu, he asked.
“So, do you prefer hanging or burning?
Or perhaps, since they played with food, starving them to death would be best, don't you think?”
Even Ian, who had lived as a scoundrel from the moment he opened his eyes in this world, couldn't follow Trimia's train of thought.
“What do you mean by that……”
“I'm talking about the count's second son.
The moment I saw you, I was certain.
The Obsol merchant guild must have sold sand as food.
This is forbidden by the strict laws of the land, so if the young lord wishes, I shall give you the second son's head as a gift immediately.”
“Your Highness!”
The count, who had been listening from the side, cried out as if having a seizure, but Trimia's golden eyes remained fixed on Ian.
“You should decide right now.
Actually, my older brother was supposed to come for this investigation, but I insisted on coming.
If the count requests an investigation team from the royal palace… sometimes, truths different from the facts tend to spread in the world.”
“Your Highness, what on earth are you talking about right now……!”
The count shouted, his trembling eyes darting between the prince and Ian.
“What's the use of having power?
It's only meaningful when you use it at times like this.
The Moner family will receive just punishment and compensation, and Obsol will be able to sell food again to pay off their debts.
Isn't that a perfect solution?”
Ian faced the prince, who was still smiling at him, with a look of disgust.
For the first time since coming to this world, he could somewhat understand the feelings of those who had feared him.
Whether he was righteously mad or just pretending to be, just exchanging a few words with the prince was mentally and physically exhausting.
Ian, who had a heartfelt apology for everyone he conversed with daily, bowed his head slightly and spoke.
“I am humbled to address you.
Your Highness, the Moner family did not raise its voice just to catch the tail of a lizard.”
Surprised by the unexpected answer, the prince looked at Ian, who continued calmly.
“Obsol has insulted not only the Moner family, but also the people of the Moner domain and the elite soldiers who protect the Demonic Beast forest.
Even if Obsol claims it was the merchant guild's independent action, the Moner family will no longer remain silent.”
At his words, the prince's expression hardened.
“Does that mean the Moner family wants a domain war?”
“Then a civil war will break out.
We do not want a civil war either.”
In the first place, the three domains could not defeat the Moner family.
At the same time, the kingdom did not want the Moner family to swallow the three domains.
In the end, if the Moner family wanted a domain war, the kingdom would have no choice but to intervene.
“According to the long-standing covenant, the royal family has promised not to invade the Moner family's territory, and the Moner family has promised not to invade the royal family's territory.
The Moner family will keep its faith with the royal family.”
Ian continued with a crooked smile.
“As long as no one accidentally invades the domain, that is.”
“Hmm… a difficult problem.
Obsol has requested the royal family's mediation to resume trade with Moner.
Obsol's wishes are clear, so we must listen to Moner's demands, but Moner wants nothing?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
As the prince smacked his lips in disappointment, Ian spoke as if in passing.
“If you really want something, Obsol's granary or the heads of the count and his son could appease Moner's resentment.”
Ian turned his head, made a throat-slitting gesture with his finger, and grinned.
“How about it, Count?
For the sake of your family, will you sacrifice your body, no, that head of yours that is clearly just for decoration?”
The prince's eyes widened at Ian's words, and he looked back and forth between Ian and the count.
Just as the count, his face flushed red, was about to shout at Ian, Ian continued.
“Of course, a man with that much spirit wouldn't have tampered with the food in the first place.
Isn't that right, Your Highness?”
“Hahaha!
That's true!
They said the young lord of the Moner family was extraordinary, and it seems the rumors were not wrong!”
I didn't know when scoundrel became a synonym for extraordinary, but thinking it was a relief that the madman liked it, Ian smiled brightly and said.
“I am a bit on the extraordinary side.”
* * *
“Stop!”
The hunting captain, who had stopped in his tracks, looked around.
This forest, with trees about 3 meters tall packed so densely that not a single ray of light could get through, always gave him an unlucky feeling whenever he came.
“Captain, what's wrong?”
“It's too quiet.”
The forest is full of noise.
The wind passing through the branches and leaves creates all sorts of sounds, and insects, birds, and animals alike assert their presence, leaving no room for silence.
But this forest was too quiet right now.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
He had a bad feeling.
One of the lessons learned from hunting elves was that a hunter should never let their guard down.
A moment later, one of the hunters who had taken up his weapon and begun to watch his surroundings shouted.
“Elves!”
* * *
Akasha looked down from a tree at the armed hunters.
“I despise hunters.”
In her childhood, it was hunters who had taken her parents, and it was hunters who had taken most of her friends.
“Don't worry.”
At the voice from her side, Akasha turned her head and looked at Reina.
“To make such a big fuss and then send only one maid.
The young lord seems to be overestimating the Rangers.”
Rangers were outstanding warriors of the Dark Elves, but they couldn't overcome the hunters' poison.
They had been researching an antidote ever since Ian had told them the recipe, but they still hadn't managed to create one.
In the end, they would have to resort to guerrilla warfare while fleeing again.
At the fact that she had to run away even with her enemies right in front of her, Akasha bit her lip, and Reina replied in a somewhat sharp tone.
“The young master is not looking down on the Rangers, he thinks highly of me, Reina.
Oh, but it's not an overestimation……”
Reina, who smiled sweetly at Akasha, jumped down from the tree and said.
“The young master always sees me for who I am.”
“What is that mad woman doing right now……!”
Before the flustered Akasha could reach out and grab Reina, Reina, who had landed on the ground, kicked off and rushed towards the hunters.
Bang!
She didn't know what was happening, but this had to be the young lord's plan.
For now, she had to move, if only to save the maid.
“Rangers will support the humans from a distance!”
With a shout, Akasha advanced towards the hunters, and Reina, who was swinging a flail, welcomed her.
* * *
On the road from Moner's Lier to Obsol.
Lina, who had reached the 4th level of the Ghost Absorption Method, moved silently, unnoticed by anyone.
“Young master, will this really be okay?
If rumors start to spread about this……”
“It's fine.
Whether they succeed or fail, once the hunters come out of the forest, I'll kill them all too.”
Holding her breath, she listened to the conversation coming from a distance and assessed the number of enemies.
'One knight, two, three…….'
As the duke had warned, Treon was surrounded by knights.
They were probably planning to ambush the elf hunters as soon as they left Lier, just as Ian had said.
‘Will Reina and that Dark Elf be okay?’
According to Ian, she was a very strong Dark Elf, but since Reina's life depended on that Dark Elf, she didn't feel very confident.
Didn't he even say she had been slapped by the Duke?
'Even I've never been slapped.'
During the hundreds of spars, only Reina and Lina were Ian's equals.
To her, that was a source of pride and proof that she wasn't wrong.
'Since he's someone who can make me this strong, he must have something prepared for Reina's side too.
For now, I'll focus on my task.'
Lina's objective was to rendezvous with the Dark Elves coming out of the forest and safely deliver Treon to Ian.
Lina's bated breath grew even quieter.
* * *
Ian, sitting at the round table in the reception room, rolled his eyes and glanced at the prince.
The prince, who was grinning foolishly for some reason, seemed to have no intention of taking his eyes off him.
‘In the game, when he called himself the Mad King, I thought he was a comic relief character, but he's a real, proper madman.’
Trimia in the game, who I thought was a comic relief character, was, to put it bluntly, a character who was thoroughly self-aware.
“Ahem!
Ahem!”
At the count's cough, Ian turned his head.
‘Come to think of it, that old man must feel like he's talking to two madmen…….’
Thinking that, his mood inexplicably improved and the corners of his mouth went up.
The count, scowling deeply, declared.
“I'll say it again, Obsol has no connection to this matter.
I assure you that all the food that left our domain was perfectly fine, and I swear to the Lord that I did not mix sand into the food.”
That was the truth.
They had mixed the sand after bringing the food into the domain.
“Is that so?
Then I'll have you know that the Moner family has no intention of dealing with those who can't even manage their own domain's merchant guilds.”
“What kind of rude remark is that!
Young Lord!
You'd do well not to expect Lyt to be able to supply food forever!”
“I never had such expectations?
It seems there won't be a problem for at least this year.”
At Ian's calm reaction to his threat, the count's face crumpled even more.
“I will request the dispatch of an investigation team from the royal family.
Depending on the results of the investigation……”
As if prepared, when the count brought up the investigation team, Ian glanced at the prince and said.
“…Of course.
If an investigation team is dispatched, we must follow their findings.”
After staring meaningfully at the prince who was looking at him blankly for a long time, the prince pointed to himself and asked.
“Why are you looking at me?
What can I do for you?
But what can I do about the investigation team……”
Trimia in the game was almost the only intelligent character.
It seems that too was a game-stat boost.
“Your Highness, I'm talking about the faith I mentioned earlier.”
“Ah!
That!
It was cool!
Kaa… the young lord of the Moner family… hmm?
Ah?!”
The prince, finally understanding the look, slapped his palm with his fist and shouted at the count.
“Count!
I cannot permit the dispatch of an investigation team!”
***