85. Foreign Prince

“Hey, hey, hey, Sir Knights, don’t you remember me? Come on, we’ve met before. At the slave market! When your lord mobilized knights to raid the slave market! Man, that was cool. Anyway, I’m telling you, we saw each other’s faces then!”

As the knight struggled to handle the situation, I saw Sir Lucion approaching.

“What’s going on? Why is he being detained?”

“I don’t know, Sir. This person suddenly appeared and is insisting that he must see the Grand Duke, being completely unreasonable.”

“How many people want to meet the Grand Duke? Are we supposed to accommodate every single one?”

Lucion frowned as he looked at the person blocking the procession. But the man’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Oh! Yes, you! It’s you! I gave you advice! I told you to put cotton in your ears before entering because there was a mermaid inside, remember?”

‘Mermaid?’

At the familiar word, I stepped out of the carriage and peeked from behind Sir Lucion. As I got out, Darius somehow appeared beside me and took my hand.

Mermaid. The only mermaid I knew was the one I met at the slave market.

‘Come to think of it, I meant to ask Sir Lucion in detail how he knew about putting cotton in his ears back at the slave market, but I forgot because we were busy.’

Hearing the man’s words, Sir Lucion also tilted his head. Tracing back my memories, the face of the troublemaker who had laid down in the middle of the road, insisting he wouldn’t move until he met the Grand Duke, seemed somehow familiar.

“Could it be…… that guy? The suspicious man who said his piece and disappeared at the slave market?”

“Wow, who would have thought I’d be with the lord and his wife at that slave market! Our disguises were too good to recognize each other. I found out later when I heard the rumors. That the Grand Duke himself! Overturned that rotten slave market! So cool, so cool!”

Despite Sir Lucion’s sour expression, the man hugged him tightly as if meeting an old friend.

“If I had known the Grand Duke was there, I would have joined your side. I didn’t need to deliberately make a scene and get beaten by the slave traders.”

Tanned skin, curly black hair that rippled like waves. His appearance had the typical characteristics of a foreigner.

“Do you know him, Lucion?”

Darius asked, unable to stay silent. Before the foreign man could raise his hand and make another scene, Sir Lucion explained.

When Sir Lucion and Barbarossa had led a special unit to infiltrate the illegal slave market, they encountered a man who advised them, “There’s a mermaid inside, so if you have a brain, it’s better to cover your ears before entering,” and then disappeared. This man was that person.

‘But that face is strangely familiar. That boisterous commotion, it feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before……’

A scene from the past flashed in my mind.

〈Who are you demanding to verify your identity to?〉

〈Slap.〉

The man who had slapped the manager’s cheek and caused a disturbance at the formal slave market.

〈You lowly thing. Not clearing the way at once.〉

〈I apologize for not recognizing such an esteemed guest. Let me give you the treatment you deserve, as you said.〉

The braggart was dragged away by the slave market guards as a result.

‘Why is he here now?’

The hunting competition concluded with the addition of one more unexpected “prey.”

* * *

The lord’s chamber in Castle Inkheart. After the hunting competition ended, the guests went to rest, but the knights of the Grand Duke’s household, who had been running around all day, pitifully couldn’t do the same.

Darius, me, and the knights surrounded the suspicious man who had mentioned the slave market. Everyone gathered here had played a role in raiding the slave market last time.

Sir Daniel looked the suspicious-looking man up and down and said,

“I didn’t expect there would still be remnants of the slave traders we thought we had eradicated.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slave trader? Wait a minute, I’m not one of them!”

The man, who had been grinning, scratched his curly black hair as if bewildered.

“If I had been close with the slave traders, would I have taught you how to deal with the mermaid? To ruin the slave traders?”

“If you were of legitimate status, you wouldn’t have disappeared like a thief. Why didn’t you claim credit at the time?”

“Status, ah talking about status makes me sad again. Living in this world, I’ve found that treatment differs according to position and wealth gap. Yes, yes, how sad. Nobody looks at a person’s essence, do they?”

“Hey, unidentified person. Show some respect in front of the lord.”

Sir Lucion reprimanded him with displeasure.

“Hmm! After all this talk, seeing is faster than a hundred words!”

The man went “ta-ra-ta-ta-tan” and pulled out a token from his chest.

“In the name of the royal family, this token certifies the identity of its bearer. Whoever possesses this token, the royal family is favorable to them and guarantees their good intentions.”

The long, thin token was inlaid with jewels, and the knot decorating it was twisted with our royal family’s emblem.

‘Oh, what is that?’ I wondered, but it seemed I was the only one who didn’t understand his words.

“That is……”

“No way, but why would that guy have that?”

The room stirred at the token the man presented.

Darius, who had been quietly observing the commotion, finally spoke heavily.

“The royal family’s identity guarantee token is not something just anyone can possess. If it’s real.”

“Well, caution is good, but if this is real, doubting it would be the Grand Duke’s household’s disloyalty, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s harder to believe when an unidentified guest suddenly appears, presents a rare treasure, and insists on being treated well.”

In response to Darius’s wariness, the man shrugged somewhat theatrically.

“Then it was my mistake for failing in the presentation. Please forgive my appearance like this, Grand Duke. In that sense, let me formally introduce myself again.”

The man grinned. Though his smile was open, there was something unpleasant about it.

“As for me, I am a foreign merchant who came to buy what money cannot buy, a celestial adventurer who walks where there are no paths…… or a prince of Hershma challenging for the throne.”

‘Hershma?’

Where is that? Hearing this unfamiliar name, I was puzzled, but again I seemed to be the only one confused.

“I am Prince Arshama of Hershma. This identity token was given to Hershma by the royal family as a sign of goodwill, and I stole it!”

“What? You stole what?”

“Haha, hearing that mermaid meat is good for extending life, I thought if I presented it to my father, he would say, ‘I’ll appoint you as crown prince!’ So I stole the identity token and secretly infiltrated Inkheart’s slave market. But halfway through, I realized that even if it was real mermaid meat, it would be problematic. My father would have to die for me to inherit the throne. So I changed my plan and gave up on the slave market auction I had worked so hard to enter! Investments must be strategic, you know.”

Why is the story going in that direction? You clearly just said you stole a precious item from your royal family. Isn’t that the more important story?

“Ah, but I’m glad that my difficult entry into the auction held in the back that day was helpful to the lord!”

Feeling embarrassed that everyone except me seemed to have figured out his identity, I nudged Barbarossa’s side. Barbarossa had also been called to this meeting as someone who had played a role in raiding the slave market.

“Hey, where is Hershma? Why is that person acting so smug?”

“What? The Grand Duchess of Inkheart doesn’t know about Hershma?”

Why did you have to say that so loudly for everyone to hear!

“Hershma is an allied nation of this country. Just across the mountain range that Inkheart guards, our country lies.”

The Prince of Hershma, seemingly having heard Barbarossa’s voice, explained without showing any sign of offense.

“Ah, the country beyond the mountain range. Inkheart’s closest……”

“Yes, the country beyond the mountain range where monsters emerge. That’s why, despite being so close, our countries cannot easily interact.”

Arshama smiled brightly.

This man smiled cheerfully time and again. It was as if he was deliberately portraying harmlessness.

‘He’s like the opposite of a poisonous mushroom.’

Don’t eat that one, please eat this one.

“I haven’t finished my introduction yet. I have foreign blood flowing in me, which allowed me to cross the mountain range. Foreigners were originally people who lived in the mountains, you see.”

Arshama twirled and scratched his head.

“Ah, I crossed the mountain range with such difficulty. Thinking that the Grand Duke of Inkheart, who might become my strong ally, is already married! The mermaid auction story is water under the bridge, and I was planning to find meaning in this journey by asking if the Grand Duke would consider my sister as a wife.”

What? Marriage?

Feeling a surge of indignation, I reflexively clung to Darius’s arm. What nonsense are you spouting to a married man!

“No, no. Of course I know now. I’ve done quite a bit of research since arriving here. That’s why I appeared so late. The Grand Duke of Inkheart is already married, and this place practices monogamy, I hear.”

Arshama hastily waved his hands.

“In our Hershma, we practice polygamy, and I myself was born to my father’s fourth wife.”

“What kind of violation of decent customs…… utterly immoral.”

“Let’s move past cultural relativism.”

Darius wore a thoughtful expression as he seated me beside him while I grumbled.

“I haven’t heard from any source about a state visit from a prince of Hershma.”

“Ah, strictly speaking, I’m running away from home. I’m still considering when to follow legal procedures and officially enter the country.”

“Why would someone in a princely position move so recklessly, knowing it could cause conflict?”

“It’s not like our countries communicate that well, right? We share a border, but the northern mountain range blocks us, so we can only contact each other by sea, which takes a long time. If I want to marry off my sister, I need to check if this household is proper. Official movements would involve sending a formal delegation with gravity only after a royal marriage is actually decided.”

The knights exchanged opinions.

“Even if the Prince of Hershma suddenly arrived…… though we call them neighboring countries, in reality, they’re no different from a distant land across the sea, aren’t they?”

“So foreigners really can cross the mountain range. A prince with both foreign and Hershma bloodlines.”

“If we find a way to interact with each other, it would benefit both sides, so if he’s really the Prince of Hershma, it’s worth our attention.”

The opinions shifted from hostile glances to considering it worthwhile.

“Besides, winter is coming soon.”

Arshama maintained his confidence throughout.

“If you’re preparing for winter, you’ll need me.”