Chapter 85: Dead or Alive
The next day, when the sun was high in the sky.
The front gate of Blueton was swarming with people.
On one side...
“You truly went through a lot, Princess deia.”
“Thank you for your various accommodations.”
“No, not at all. We were only doing our duty.”
“I'll be sending an envoy soon, so please handle the follow-up matters as well.”
“Y-Yes, of course. No doubt about it.”
There stood Princess deia and her escorting knights.
The officials of Blueton had co out to see them off, and then—
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
“Truly, thank you so much! We will never forget this grace!”
“Hey! Don’t push! I told you not to move forward!”
“Let’s not be so harsh now!”
Refugees who had co to see deia’s face just one more ti were crowding in.
Soldiers trying to control them and curious free citizens of Blueton had tangled together, creating a chaotic scene.
Amidst the dizzying confusion at Blueton’s castle gate, away from the princess’s entourage, a different group stood off to the side.
Their identities were...
“Hey, can’t we just leave?”
“Ah, please wait a bit. It wouldn’t be proper to leave before the princess does, don’t you think...?”
“The job’s done. Why bother with manners now? If we were gonna be polite, we should’ve done it from the start.”
“I was polite though? The one who wasn’t is you, hyung... haah, never mind. Let’s just not talk about it.”
Hardin wore a sulky expression while Malion turned away as if fed up.
And then—
“Aigoo, my head...”
“I told you not to drink so much.”
“You drank just as much as I did, Beryl-hyung.”
“Do you think you and I are the sa?”
It was the Maw rcenaries, still suffering from their hangover from the previous day.
They had wanted to leave Blueton in a rush as soon as they woke up, but had been briefly caught up by the crowd seeing Princess deia off.
“What a fuss... why don’t they just leave quietly?”
“If the princess leaves without any formal farewell, wouldn’t that put the officials in an awkward position?”
“What’s so awkward about it? Just let it be.”
What on earth twisted this guy so much to make him this kind of person...?
Malion shook his head in exasperation.
With Hardin grumbling on one side, and the Maw rcenaries whining from their hangovers on the other, the veins on Malion’s forehead began to rise one by one.
‘Hold it in... Just be thankful we made it back alive.’
He closed his eyes tightly and let out a deep sigh. Then, after slowly steadying his breath, he glanced at Hardin and asked,
“Hyung, what happened with the promise?”
“What promise?”
“The deal was that if we succeeded in this mission, the princess would use Fabione. So... what happened with that? Was there any progress in the discussion yesterday?”
Hardin’s grand plan to receive a ten million gold investnt for the construction of a trade port.
Regardless of whether it was feasible or not, even attempting it would require one thing... the royal house would have to finance it using Fabione, just as Princess deia had promised.
To go around bragging, ‘The Daphne Viscounty received investnt from the princess for the trade port!’ at the very least, it needed to be true that Princess deia actually gave them money.
“Oh, that—she said she’d use Fabione. And she also said she’d invest.”
“Pheewww, that’s a relief. This ans it’s at least possible to use this to draw in other investors...”
At that mont, Malion, who had been rambling in a breath of relief, suddenly paused and asked again.
“Wait a second, what did you just say?”
“I said she agreed to use Fabione.”
“No, no. That bit you tacked on afterward.”
“Oh, that the princess said she’d invest?”
“...Is that true? She’s really going to invest? How much are we talking?”
“How would I know? Still, she made it sound like it’d be a decent amount. She even gave this thing as proof or whatever.”
Hardin raised his left wrist and tapped the bracelet worn there with his fingers.
“This is...”
When Malion adjusted his glasses and brought his face closer to the bracelet, he spotted the emblem of the royal house—the sun and the sword—etched onto it.
Malion stared at the emblem for a while and asked,
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“What do you an lying.”
“You’re saying Her Highness gave this to you?”
“I’m telling you, it’s real.”
When Hardin took off the bracelet and held it out, Malion gently traced it with the tip of his finger, his eyebrows twitching.
From the overall craftsmanship to the subtle mana flowing over the bracelet—
No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t seem fake...
Scratching his head, Malion asked again,
“No, but why would Her Highness do so much for soone like you—or rather, for our house?”
And on top of that, after hearing your absurd, ridiculous plan, she agreed to invest?
He had a lot to say, but couldn’t quite bring himself to say it aloud.
Then Hardin simply shrugged and replied,
“Why? Because I’m .”
“...Excuse ?”
“A bright future. Infinite potential.”
“...”
“What’s with that face? Got a problem?”
“Ahem, no sir.”
Just as a strange air lingered between the two of them—
“Um... mister?”
“Hm?”
Hardin turned around to find a kid and a woman standing behind him.
It was the sa brat who had been mouthing off in front of Hardin just yesterday.
The boy, who had been so full of mischief and unaware of fear, now stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a slightly tense expression.
Hardin let out a chuckle, bent slightly at the waist to et his eye level, and said,
“What’s up, kid?”
“Well, um...”
With an awkward expression, the child fidgeted nervously.
The woman standing behind him gently stroked his head and said,
“Milen, you said you’d give a proper thank you.”
“...Okay.”
Perhaps encouraged by her words.
The kid slowly brought forward the hands he had been hiding behind his back.
Resting in those hands was a doll.
A crudely made doll woven from straw.
It had black stones for eyes, and ssy tufts of straw poking out in all directions for hair—sothing that couldn’t be called cute even as a joke.
“This is... a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. Um, the princess said so. That we were able to co this far thanks to you, mister. So, so I made this.”
As Hardin let out a snort and made a displeased face, Malion glanced sideways at him.
‘Is it okay to give him sothing like that?’
At the sa ti, a ridiculous scene naturally played out in his mind.
– Forget this, give money! Money! What am I supposed to do with sothing I can’t eat!
– Ugh, this is so badly made!
– Waaaaaah!
Given Hardin’s recent behavior, nothing would be surprising anymore.
“Hey, kid. I appreciate the gesture, but...”
Just as Malion was about to step in and stop the child before things got out of hand—
“Thanks.”
Hardin grabbed the doll and began turning it over in his hands, a faint smile forming on his lips.
‘What’s gotten into him?’
As Malion awkwardly pulled his hand back, Hardin grinned and said,
“Kid, did you make this? It looks just like you.”
“It’s you, mister.”
“What?”
“It’s you. I made it to look like you.”
At that, a deep crease ford between Hardin’s brows.
“How does this look like ? It’s... it’s way too ugly.”
“Huh? It looks exactly like you though?”
The kid tilted his head innocently, as if he genuinely didn’t understand, and a blush slowly spread across Hardin’s face.
Malion quickly nudged Hardin aside and responded in his place.
“Thanks, kid. It’s a perfect match.”
“Like hell it is.”
“Hyung seems really happy too. Right, hyung?”
“Happy my ass. That brat totally did this to ss with .”
“Anyway! I’ll treasure it, so off you go now. Haha!”
Malion hurriedly cut off Hardin’s grumbling with a shout.
The kid and the woman quickly bowed and disappeared back into the crowd.
“Okay! Then take care, mister!”
“Hey! Wait! Kid! That’s not !”
Only once the kid was completely out of sight did Hardin mutter,
“Damn it, if he was going to make sothing, he could’ve at least made it cute. Damn brat.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Hardin carefully tucked the straw doll into his coat.
Seeing this, the corners of Malion’s lips curved into a soft smile.
While that small commotion was unfolding—
“Safe travels, Your Highness!”
“You’ve truly gone through so much!”
Voices from the Blueton officials could be heard from the opposite side.
It seed that the farewell for Princess deia was finally coming to an end, as she and her escorting knights began mounting their horses one by one.
Malion glanced at Hardin and asked,
“Hyung, aren’t you going to say goodbye? Looks like they’re about to leave.”
“What for? I already said everything I needed to.”
“Still...”
“I said I’m good.”
Hardin yawned widely, clearly not interested, when—
“Let’s depart.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The horses carrying deia’s party began to move forward.
“......”
Princess deia briefly turned her head to look in Hardin’s direction.
For a brief mont, their gazes t, and Benjamin, standing at her side, asked quietly,
“Is it alright not to say goodbye to them?”
“It’s fine. For now, we must hurry to the capital.”
deia turned her gaze back and resud moving, murmuring softly,
“We’ll be seeing those guys again soon enough anyway.”
“......”
Benjamin nodded slightly, tightening his grip on the reins.
---
Early morning, inside the main conference room of the Daphne Viscounty estate.
“...So there’s still no word?”
“No, nothing has co through. And we haven’t received a letter from the Third Young Master in over two weeks now...”
Viscount Cobalt let out a worried sigh, his face pale as a sheet.
The retainers seated around the table were also sighing heavily, their faces filled with concern.
“Haahhhh... How did things end up like this?”
They had won the territorial war against Calpion, and with the coast reclaid, the people of Mudside couldn’t stop smiling.
Everything seed to be going well for the Daphne Viscounty—
And yet, the lord and his retainers looked anything but happy, their faces souring... all thanks to one man’s bold decision.
“Hardin... What in the world were you thinking? The princess... the princess of all people...!”
Viscount Cobalt scratched his head furiously and then slumped forward.
It had been about two months ago—
“Fatherrrr! Sothing terrible has happened!”
“What is it, Malion, at this hour?”
“Hyung! Hyung’s caused a disaster!”
“A disaster?”
Malion had suddenly burst in during the middle of the night and delivered a shocking statent—
“Hyung went to see the princess! He said he was going to get her to invest!”
“What!?”
Spouting nonsense about building a trade port with a ten million gold investnt was one thing.
Well, having big dreams isn’t sothing to criticize on its own.
But of all people, why did it have to be the princess?
No, even if he conceded a hundred steps, that too could have been overlooked.
After all, they had assud there was a ninety percent chance he wouldn’t even get to et the princess and would just co back.
The real trouble began... when the letters sent by Malion, who had followed after Hardin, started arriving.
Hyung actually made a promise with the Fourth Princess. He told her that within a month, he’d make it possible for her to leave the fortress... (omitted) Also, he requested that if the mission succeeded, she approve the use of Fabione.
It detailed how Malion failed to stop Hardin, and that because of the promise Hardin made with the Fourth Princess, he wouldn’t be able to return for so ti.
The people of Daphne, upon reading this... well, they weren’t just dumbfounded—they felt like their insides were burning, like leaves soaked in oil catching fire.
“My Lord, given that we haven’t received any letters... don’t you think sothing may have already gone wrong?”
“Should we consider putting together an investigation team?”
While the atmosphere remained funeral-like—
“Ahem! Aren’t you all being a bit too pessimistic?”
Forr Commander Mulgybson, who had been quietly sitting in a corner, cleared his throat and spoke up.
“What do you an?”
“The Young Master... he’s not soone who would act without thinking, is he? Let’s all wait calmly and see.”
“......”
A silence fell over the conference room, and Cobalt trembled slightly as he replied,
“Mulgybson, it’s been far too long to wait calmly.”
“...I apologize.”
Perhaps it was because of the way Cobalt held back his anger and embarrassnt so tightly—
Even Mulgybson quickly backed down.
‘We’ll be executed for insulting the royal family.’
‘It’s all over.’
Everyone could do nothing but sigh over and over, fidgeting in their seats.
They couldn’t focus on anything. Just thinking of Hardin made it hard to breathe.
As they were all sinking into shared misery—
KWAANG!
“My Lorddddd! The Young Master has returneeeeed!”
The conference room door flew open, and Gadolph burst inside in a panic.
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