Chapter 131: A Connection I Suddenly Rembered
Raion quietly slipped out of Taron’s Palace and headed east.
The eastern side of the Royal Capital belonged to the Kright Territory.
There, the legitimate son of the Kright Ducal Family, William Kright, and all remaining family mbers who had served as lords were imprisoned in Derafro.
For now, another noble had been assigned as lord and was running the territory.
“The one who supposedly ca here was Marquis Walter Wellis, right.”
He was one of the royalist nobles, just like Marquis Salad.
He was an unusual figure—a civil official who hadn’t followed Duke Alito Kright but instead had chosen to follow the king.
As I stepped into Kright Castle, I pondered that for a mont before deciding to find the Adventurer’s Guild first.
“Welco!”
Heron, a female clerk of the Adventurer’s Guild, greeted .
I walked straight to the counter and took monster corpses out of storage.
Thud! Thud-thud! Thud—!
They were five Pugbears and ten Black Wolves that I had hunted on my way from the Royal Capital to the territory.
For a mont, all attention around
focused on the sight.
“Ah… you’re disposing of all of them?”
“Please do.”
“May I see your badge?”
It was to check adventurer certification. I handed over my badge.
The mont the golden ‘S-rank’ insignia was revealed, Heron’s eyes widened in shock.
It was because this was a rank she had never once seen in the Kright Territory.
“Are you really S-rank?”
“You can see it for yourself. Please convert everything to coin. And a al as well.”
Saying that, I moved to a seat tucked in the corner and sat down.
As I did, I pictured Patrick trembling in Taron’s Palace.
‘He must have noticed by now, right?’
I had slipped out of the Royal Capital when everyone was asleep.
From that mont, I ran nonstop and managed to arrive at the Kright Territory by dawn.
“Well, it couldn’t be helped. The thought ca to
so suddenly that I had no choice but to rush out.”
After a short wait, stir-fried pork was served.
It was a dish made using the recipe I had spread earlier through Fordman.
“They made it pretty well.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s good.”
In response to Heron’s question, I smiled.
After that, I finished my food.
Right as I did, Heron returned with a pouch full of gold coins, perhaps having finished disposing of the Pugbears and Black Wolves.
“Altogether, including the at, hides, and usable materials, it cos to 230 gold.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
“The hides were very clean. How did you hunt them?”
“I ended it with a single strike. Well then, if you’ll excuse .”
After settling the paynt, I exited the Adventurer’s Guild.
I walked for a while, then slipped off the main road into an alley.
‘Even though I openly revealed that I was an S-rank adventurer, did they decide not to believe it?’
There were people who had been following
since I left the guild.
They were the group that had been sitting on the opposite side while I was eating.
All five of them were closing the distance with a shady air about them.
‘What should I do with this…’
I had sothing important to take care of, so I needed to stay in the Kright Territory for a few days.
If I caused trouble here, the news might reach the lord.
“Hey!”
As I walked through the alley, two n rushed ahead of
and blocked the path.
At the sa ti, three appeared behind .
They were the very ones who had tailed
from the Adventurer’s Guild.
“What annoying pests. Is it the money you want?”
I lifted the heavy pouch of gold coins in my hand.
As if it were obvious, the n grinned with wicked smiles.
“You catch on quick. Just from looking at you, you seem like so spoiled noble brat full of bluff. Guess you don’t know how serious it is to impersonate an S-rank adventurer.”
“Is that such a serious cri?”
“Of course. If you get caught pretending to be S-rank anywhere in the kingdom, you go straight to prison. So before things get ugly, hand that over.”
Their eyes were fixed on the pouch of gold.
I gave the n a brief once-over.
They were C-rank rcenaries with not even a hint of real force coming from their bodies.
“I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
“What…?”
I didn’t even need to draw my sword. Just as I was about to swing the sheathed blade—
Thud! Thud-thud!
The three n behind
were knocked away.
It wasn’t my doing.
A figure who had jumped down from the rooftop had taken them out.
“…Who?”
“You’ve got nothing better to do than surround a person in an alley and try sothing foul!”
The sudden newcor shouted that and kicked the two n in front as well.
The movents were so fast they couldn’t block or dodge.
I, who had been about to swing my sheathed sword, instead wore a bewildered expression.
‘Could it be…’
The voice flowing from the figure was that of a woman.
Her appearance left
feeling unexpectedly unsettled.
“Hey! Are you alright?”
“Deborah… Mineta?”
The mont the na slipped out, her face stiffened.
She imdiately lunged forward, trying to grab
by the collar.
But I swiftly dodged her hand.
“You—! What the…!”
“You’re still as hot-tempered as ever.”
“What is that supposed to an! ‘As ever’?!”
The woman called Deborah this ti swung her fist.
The left-right jabs she threw were remarkably fast for a woman.
‘It really is Deborah Mineta?’
Her movents matched those of a warrior of considerable skill.
Impressed, I leapt backward and landed.
At the sa ti, she darted forward and brought her raised leg down in a stomp.
Thud—!
I could have dodged, but instead I raised my arm to block it.
The distance between us shrank until we were face-to-face.
“I thought you were a man in danger. Who are you? An assassin aiming for my life!”
“Let’s move this leg first.”
“If you don’t reveal yourself, I’ll smash the arm that blocked my attack first!”
Pak!
I knocked her leg aside and stepped back.
My gaze shifted around, and I saw the n collapsed on the floor.
anwhile, Deborah threw another punch at .
Bang! Kwa-bang!
Startled, I hurriedly dodged.
That small fist, which had looked delicate, dug into the wall.
Her attacks continued. I couldn’t leave it like this.
‘If I drag this out, the misunderstanding is only going to get worse.’
At that mont, a faint blue aura flowed out from Deborah’s entire body.
As the misunderstanding grew, she also seed ready to attack for real.
In response, I lifted the sheathed sword and struck the ground.
Kwaang―!
The impact spread from the floor to the wall, shaking the surroundings.
Deborah’s posture loosened in surprise.
“Let’s stop here. I’m not trying to harm you.”
“What was that shock just now! And how do you know my na?”
“I learned it through information. Princess Deborah Mineta.”
At the accurate address, Deborah’s expression darkened further.
It ant her identity had been a secret.
Then she raised her aura again and asked,
“Who are you? How do you know !”
“I am Raion Canel of the Canel Kingdom.”
“……Canel? The third prince of the Canel Kingdom here?”
“That’s right. I waited because I heard that the princess would be passing through here after leaving the Mineta Kingdom.”
My purpose for coming to the Kright Territory had been Deborah Mineta.
I didn’t know the exact date she would arrive, so I had planned to wait several days.
Of course, I never imagined I’d run into her like this.
“You knew I’d be passing here? How?”
“Before that, let’s move from here.”
“You’re really the third prince of the Canel Kingdom?”
I took out the royal badge and showed it.
Even with that, it might have been hard to believe.
Deborah glanced at the badge and tilted her head.
“You’re not an assassin aiming for my life, right?”
“If I were that kind of person, wouldn’t I have already gone for your life?”
“How did you know I’d be passing through here!”
“I have an informant. And the assassin……”
“Why are you cutt—!”
In that instant, I drew my sword from the sheath I had driven into the ground.
A single-edged blade shot upward like the wind, blue aura bursting forth as it sliced toward the roof behind Deborah.
Swaaah! Kwa-bang! Kwa-kwa-bang!
It all happened in an instant.
A man dressed entirely in black fell from the collapsing roof.
Thud!
“So the assassin did follow this far.”
Judging by the aura he had just released, he was a powerhouse just before reaching the level of Swordmaster.
He had been waiting for an opening the mont Deborah let her guard down.
“How did you…….”
“Let’s move first. I’ll call people to clean up here.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just a mont. You all, disappear quietly. Don’t twist your mouths in your sleep later.”
I spoke to the ones who had collapsed earlier after getting their jaws twisted by Deborah Mineta.
They must have been pretending to be unconscious, as their shoulders twitched slightly at my voice.
Then I took Deborah and headed to the lord’s residence.
When we reached the entrance, the mansion guards blocked our way.
“Halt! For what reason have you co?”
“Tell Walter Wellis that Raion Canel has arrived.”
I held out the royal badge toward the guards.
Their expressions stiffened imdiately upon confirming it.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“No need to make a fuss. Just open the gate and call the marquis.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll notify the inside right away!”
Deborah followed behind
into the mansion.
Not long after, Walter Wellis, lord of the Kright Territory, rushed out.
As the distance closed, he, too, recognized .
“Your Highness! What brings you here……! If you had told
in advance, I would have prepared sothing!”
“It’s fine. More importantly, I’d like to borrow a quiet room to talk with this person.”
“Ye……s?”
Walter Wellis’s gaze moved to Deborah Mineta, who had been standing behind .
Her arms, legs, and abdon were carved with firm muscles.
She emanated the presence of a warrior, making it hard to guess what relationship she had with .
“She is Princess Deborah Mineta of the Mineta Kingdom.”
“……Pardon? Princess? Truly? Ah—let
guide you to the reception room.”
Even while walking, Walter Wellis continued tilting his head as if still unable to fully trust Deborah Mineta’s identity.
After we reached the reception room, he bowed and withdrew.
Once the two of us were alone, Deborah sat on the sofa and spoke.
“Now tell . How did you recognize ? And how did you know I’d be passing through here?”
“Because I obtained information that the Mineta Kingdom recently fell into the hands of the Dior Empire.”
At those words, Deborah’s expression turned ice cold.
It was not a distant story. Even now, whenever she thought of that day, it felt as though her blood boiled backward.
“And the reason you waited for ?”
“To assist you.”
“You an the Canel Kingdom wants to help the Mineta Kingdom?”
“If necessary. For now, you must take back the throne that your uncle usurped.”
The reason I rushed to the Kright Territory after rembering her was exactly that.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
But among everything involved, the most crucial puzzle piece was Deborah Mineta.
Whatever needed to be done, having her ant possessing the key to resolving the most important matters.
“Where in the world did you get information about our Mineta Kingdom!”
The Mineta Kingdom was located at the far eastern edge of the continent’s center.
From the Canel Kingdom, one had to travel northeast and cross the Danas Federation for a long stretch to reach it.
The distance made information-gathering difficult, so it was understandable that Deborah found it hard to believe.
“If you need information, I can introduce you. More importantly—do you have the will to reclaim your kingdom?”
Her decision was the most important factor.
If she, the princess, had no will, then nothing mattered at all.
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