Chapter 5 : Chapter 5
Chapter 5. Following the King's Path (1)
Revenge was sweet.
The tangled distracting thoughts in his head melted away cleanly and it felt like removing a huge rock placed in his chest.
“Lots of bastards to kill…….”
In the previous life, he was in Batai’s mercenary corps for about 3 years.
Of course, as a slave carrying luggage, not a mercenary.
Noon when he was caught by Batai. Rakshar died.
That evening, at this ferry dock, Batai killed the smugglers and took the gold.
The first burden Blanc shouldered as a slave was exactly the gold chests here.
“I won’t touch the gold. I want to escape from here right now rather than money.”
“Yes! Yees! Please do so!”
“Hiek, Hiiiek!”
“Just save us! Please!”
Seeing the lump of meat emitting warm steam in front of Blanc, the smugglers wet their pants.
‘Worked out well.’
Perhaps because they saw the sight of killing Batai, the smugglers who were resisting saying no just a while ago became obedient.
“You seem to be injured. Can you move the boat?”
“We will do our best!”
It is a flaw that they listen too well, but.
Although it wasn't that Blanc didn't covet the gold placed in front of his eyes, he decided to give up.
These gold placed in front of eyes were not gold but poison.
‘Thinking about Batai being chased for 3 years, leaving it here is the best plan.’
To smuggle an item called gold, not only simply stealing it, but a method to dispose of these without being caught must also be prepared.
And if capable of disposing of gold through such a sophisticated process, it wouldn't be an ordinary criminal organization.
Batai overlooked that. No, maybe he committed it while knowing.
As a result, 3 years later he gets murdered by an assassin sent by a criminal organization whose name is unknown.
Blanc, who lost his master like that, was sold, sold again, and sold yet again.
He escaped barely after doing slave life for a whopping near 10 years and started mercenary work.
“Now the starting point is different.”
Watching Blanc constantly muttering to himself under the moonlight, the smugglers were just desperately waiting for the werewolf from earlier to return again.
***
Two days later, in the morning.
There was a group of troops storming into Free City Baywood on horses.
Although they had the attire of mercenaries, it could be known that they were soldiers in disguise seeing that obedience to orders happened naturally.
The soldiers arrived at the center of Baywood on horses and finally arrived in front of an inn which was their destination.
“Welcome. Lord Nasnore.”
A middle-aged man came out and greeted the man called Nasnore, but he just stared coldly at the middle-aged man who greeted him without even getting off the horse.
“You didn't find him?”
“I apologize. We confirmed his entry up to this Baywood but…….”
“But?”
The middle-aged man answered Nasnore’s question while sweating profusely.
“His tracks after that are obscure.”
“Damn it.”
Nasnore got off the horse and strode into the inn.
The middle-aged man following behind Nasnore.
Nasnore, having entered the room prepared by the middle-aged man, sat naturally in the seat of honor at the table.
“Continue the report.”
“Yes. So we confirmed up to their arrival at the inn we are currently staying at.”
“And?”
“According to the owner here, the maid was left alone and only 2 people presumed to be the heir of the Cadmus family and the gamekeeper left at night.”
“At night?”
“That is so. The fact that only the two moved at night is a part we also find strange, but when checking the next morning, that maid also disappeared completely.”
“Hmm.”
Nasnore drinking the beer ordered in advance in one gulp as if he had a headache.
“So what is the conclusion you reached?”
The middle-aged man lining up poor excuses without even being able to wipe the flowing sweat.
“Perhaps…… I think maybe he was victim to human trafficking in this Baywood. ‘Maybe the person called gamekeeper sold him off…….’ is my thought.”
Even Nasnore who ran here didn't see the possibility of a thirteen-year-old noble boy being alive in Baywood that largely.
At least kidnapping or confinement, in the worst case murder.
The problem was that there should be traces remaining in any case, but in the current case, it was literally like he disappeared into thin air, so Nasnore was in a bind on what to report to the higher-ups.
“If you thought he was victim to human trafficking, you should have at least brought back traces of being sold. Failing to find a single brat and making even me be called!”
“I apologize!”
The middle-aged man bowing flat on the floor begging for forgiveness.
Although Nasnore wanted to smash the head of the man in front of him right now, he was suppressing his anger exercising maximum patience.
Because he knew well that if he killed this man, the person who would have to sit in this smelly and dirty city to find the boy would be himself.
“I give you a last chance. Within 24 hours, bring any trace related to that boy.”
“Yes! Lord Nasnore.”
Nasnore, having sent out the middle-aged man with a hand gesture, let out a long sigh and tilted the remaining beer glass to the end.
‘To cover the distance that takes two days on horse in one day, and on top of that disappear completely after that…….’
Actually, Nasnore was thinking Blanc would still be wandering in the mountains.
But how surprised he was when told tracks were discovered in Baywood.
‘Whoever it is, seems a capable talent is attached next to the boy Blanc Cadmus.’
Nasnore couldn't imagine at all that he overcame the difficulties with the judgment of a thirteen-year-old boy.
‘If we don’t find him, it will become a troublesome situation…….’
A very troublesome situation would unfold.
Invading Norington, the territory of the Cadmus family, was the result of the alliance of 3 families of the Kingdom of Gartaria.
Langketa, Kamora, Vicious.
Putting forward the names of noble families instead of the kingdom name was purely because they wanted to end it as a dispute between territories.
Although it was transparent deception, if it was about the level of local provocation between lords rather than an all-out war with the kingdom, they could compensate in other ways sufficiently.
If things go wrong, they could just detach land much more valuable than Norington and give it.
Since the region called Norington wasn't such a valuable strategic point to the Kingdom of Felix, it was possible.
However, to Gartaria, it was land there was a reason to obtain by any means.
‘But to lose the heir!’
However, the situation where they lost the legitimate successor of Norington.
It was the Cadmus family that had been ruling Norington for a whopping 3 generations.
Their dominance was solid, and they were a baron family acknowledged by the Kingdom of Felix and the true owners of Norington guaranteed by the Goddess Religion.
Under the feudal system, ownership of territory was established like that.
An inherent right that even a king cannot take away carelessly.
And Blanc Cadmus, the last remaining Cadmus possessing such rights.
If this boy rushes in presenting legitimate ownership even later, there was no way for the Kingdom of Gartaria to intervene.
Unless it is an all-out war with the Kingdom of Felix.
“Damn it…….”
Nasnore felt the aftertaste of the beer was bitter.
***
They came down riding the ferry boat for a day and a half.
Probably if they came walking, it would have been a distance taking a week.
The smugglers and Blanc’s party arrived at a small fishing village without even a name like that.
Without stopping there, following a narrow path, riding the mountain and passing through a cave that was undoubtedly made artificially, on the 3rd day since leaving Baywood, they were those who arrived at ‘King’s Path’, the road of the Kingdom of Felix.
Since it was the road Wilhelm I, the founding king of the Kingdom of Felix, used for the northern conquest, if they just followed this road, they would be able to arrive at ‘Baltimere’, the capital of Felix.
“Then we will leave…….”
“Good work. Although I want to give you ample payment if I could, circumstances are not favorable so.”
“N-No! If it weren't for the Young Master, we would have already died and become corpses. We only repaid the grace of saving us.”
“Really? Then we can part ways with light hearts. Rakshar.”
The smugglers flinching as the hunter of huge build raised his body.
Although it was an appearance overwhelmed by Rakshar to anyone, if looking from a little further away, one could know that they were trying to get far away from Blanc rather than Rakshar.
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Escort them to the cave entrance we came from earlier. Since they brought us here while their bodies aren't sound, we should show consideration too.”
“N-No. Young Master, we can sufficiently go by oursel…….”
“Don’t decline.”
The 3 smugglers leaving receiving Rakshar’s escort unavoidably at Blanc’s strong recommendation.
Emilia, who was watching that figure quietly, let out a big breath as soon as the figures of the smugglers disappeared.
“Phew. Ah, I can live now. In the meantime, I really couldn't even breathe properly. How can the Young Master mix words with such terrifying people as if it’s nothing?”
“Because I’m a noble.”
“No matter if you’re a noble, can you not blink an eye at those who murdered people so brutally?”
“Nobles are originally like that.”
Emilia, who didn't utter a single word looking only at the ground during the escape period spanning 3 days.
Emilia who was trembling in anxiety wondering if she was abandoned alone, crying alone in the inn room.
The first sight such Emilia saw after being moved to the ferry dock by Rakshar was corpses thoroughly mangled.
‘The smugglers here rushed in saying they would avenge their colleagues. There was no way to stop them.’
Blanc, who explained the situation quietly to Emilia, had said therefore it would be good to stay quiet and since she shouldn't provoke them uselessly, she should reduce speech if possible.
Blanc gave a moderate scare because he just wanted to move quietly, but perhaps because that threat worked too well, Emilia hadn't uttered a word for the past 3 days.
Perhaps as an aftermath to that, Emilia was speaking as if speaking in tongues without resting for a moment after the smugglers disappeared.
“First, since the sun is setting, prepare to camp moderately…….”
“It’s my first time doing something called camping. Still, I should prepare dinner first, right? If I knew this would happen, I should have bought a few fish at that fishing village back then. Fortunately, since it doesn't seem like it will rain today, do I just need to find flat ground? Come to think of it, Rakshar has a big build too, how much amount should I prepare? Does he eat spicy food well? Or…….”
“I’m not eating dinner.”
“Pardon?”
And Blanc getting fed up with such Emilia.
“Originally nobles don’t eat dinner.”
“What does that…….”
“If you say one more word, I won’t eat dinner. Just know that.”
Emilia was the maid Blanc’s mother cherished most and a maid who had been with him since Blanc was born.
In other words, because she was a maid the Cadmus family cherished like family, he couldn't openly tell her to shut that mouth despite it being a relationship between noble and servant.
Still, perhaps reading the atmosphere, Emilia taking out the pot obtained from the smugglers and preparing dinner quietly.
Since she couldn't speak to Blanc, Emilia was lining up chatter constantly to Rakshar who returned after seeing off the smugglers.
Was it because she was distracted chatting to Rakshar?
Emilia didn't notice exactly 3 arrows were empty in Rakshar’s quiver.