CH. 81 — GUARDIAN OF THE 3RD PRINCE

“Aran should have been a prophet, not a warchief. He’s really made such a big flower in the desert. Although it’s red.”

[T/N: Refers to Aran and Shamir conversation about revitalizing the oasis, the flower of desert]

While squeezing out his own blood and flesh.

When Elisha spread her palms out, the water snakes were cut and fell apart. Water seeped into the earth, going back to where it came from.

Like herself.

Elisha and her party got down outside the basin. Including Dahil and Taro, whom she had promised to take out.

As her gaze turned to him, Shamir opened his golden eyes wide.

“You’re not going to leave me just because you’re done with your business, are you? Think carefully, our consort. It’s still the desert. Don’t tell me you trust him?”

Shamir was joking, but his fingertips were pointing too accurately to Taro. Taro couldn’t even get angry and shrank his shoulders.

“Don’t bully him.”

“Your Ladyship, are you discriminating against me? Discrimination is for others because of me, not against me. How strange.”

Elisha immediately realized that the best way to deal with Shamir was to ignore him, and that was something she was very good at. So she talked to Dahil and Taro without sparing Shamir a single glance.

“We need horses, don’t we?’

“Yes. Besides horses, we need food, drinks, and other things. What I’ve prepared in the carriage should’ve been enough for us, but I don’t think there will be anything useful left because the carriage is somewhere in the basin…”

That was right.

In fact, there was no need to mention anything in the basin, because the basin itself was all ruined.

All those who were inside and outside the basin died… They said they would hold a wedding ceremony early in the morning, and the basin, which had been bustling with people, turned into ruins within a day.

It all started with the abduction of the 2nd Consort and ended at the 2nd Consort’s hands.

“Then what should we do?”

Elisha, who had been muttering in a tone that implied the situation wasn’t that grave, turned her gaze to somewhere. Towards a low stone mountain a little far from the basin.

“I heard that desert warrior prepare for camping no matter how close their destination is when they go outside. Is that right?”

“Yes, Goddess.”

“2nd Consort.”

“What? Oh, yes! 2nd Consort!”

Taro replied loudly.

“Alright, then. Wait a minute.”

Taro, who almost asked back “what?” again, quickly shut up.

Elisha blinked at Shamir.

“There must be something.”

Shamir clung to Elisha’s side.

“Right, I don’t know why the rats came out of the rat hole and were stuck there, but that’s good for us.”

Elisha, who answered, speeded up. She thought she could take the horses and food that should be there.

She couldn’t wait to go back.

Where her children were.

Where there were people waiting for her.

To Barossa!

To the battlefield of the emperor.

Elisha’s hair fluttered in the dry wind.

***

After the disappearance of the 2nd Consort, many people were worried about the 3rd Prince. Right now, the fame that the 2nd Consort has built up was so great that he could survive, but how long would it last?

Without a party to show practical power, even if the people of the empire would honor and sing her songs for a long time, it was not the 3rd Prince who would be decorated with flowers.

Because there was no need to count the number of people who would use a member of Barossa to fill up their own belly. Moreover, even without the 2nd Consort, the 3rd Prince himself was quite a mouthwatering prey.

Wasn’t the noble lineage of Barossa the best ornament to carry anywhere?

“It’s Baron Dionyl. I came running to see the 3rd Prince.”

“I’ve come from afar. What can’t be done to comfort the 3rd Prince?”

There were already quick-moving people who wanted to occupy a good spot.

“Those who haven’t made an appointment in advance shall not enter.”

Baron Dionyl’s eyes twitched when the maid, Jean-Marie, refused. However, a handmaiden of the imperial palace was not an opponent that he could not handle. In addition, the maid would surely regret it if not more.

“Don’t do that. Look at this.”

Baron Dionyl took a pouch of gold coins from his bosom and tried to hand them over.

As Marie stepped back, the pouch fell to the floor.

Marie didn’t even pick it up and kept the distance even further. That was a quiet way of refusing to accept a bribe instead of giving him a dismissal.

However, in Baron Dionyl’s opinion, it was considered too inappropriate. Wasn’t it too unpleasant to have to bow down in front of a mere head maid to pick up that?

However, it was a pity that the pouch was quite heavy to throw away. While he was doing it, the man next to him made so much noise that the sound entered the palace directly, not through Marie.

“How can you be so cruel? Even though I’m like this, when the 2nd Consort was there…”

“When she was there.”

The man was startled by the sudden words from behind and shut his mouth.

“When she was there, what’s next?”

A polite voice was heard. The coming person was so tall that when the man turned around, all he saw was auburn hair hanging down the man’s shoulders.

Just looking at that, he knew at once who the opponent was.

“S-Sir Rohan.”

The manly, well-groomed side face was slanted and looked down at the man. As the serious brown eyes turned towards him, the man held his breath, unable to exhale.

“When you entered Barossa, what did you get permission for?”

“Pardon? W-what do you mean?”

“I’ve never heard that the 3rd Prince invited anyone. I’m asking because there are people who come to the 2nd Consort’s Palace to find the 3rd Prince.”

“That’s… I…”

“I’m going first. I was originally going to meet someone else in Barossa, but I stopped by for a while, so, farewell.”

When Baron Dionyl left with his tail tucked between his legs, the man left alone swallowed with his dry throat and blinked his eyes.

Rohan was displeased with those men who did not follow both courtesy and law, but in fact, there were so many people coming and going to Barossa for different reasons, so it was rare to properly write down the purpose of visit as long as their identity was confirmed.

“I hope you won’t make the same mistake in the future.”

Still, he left a warning because of the fact that the child inside would be scared for quite a long time if he hadn’t come on time.

After the man apologized and disappeared, Rohan entered the palace of the 2nd Consort.

“You’re here.”

“The 3rd Prince has been waiting for a long time.”

The maids of the 2nd Consort’s Palace welcomed Rohan. As if familiar, Rohan greeted the maids with a wink and headed towards the backyard.

Leon was lying on his cheek against a table in the backyard.

“Why are you upset?”

Leon lifted his head as he heard Rohan’s voice. Then he ran straight to him and hugged him.

Rohan held Leon in his arms as if he was familiar with the motion, and walked not to the table, but to the promenade of the backyard, because Leon liked to walk together like this.

Rohan continued walking. Rohan’s legs were long and his stride was wide, so even though he didn’t move quickly, one step was fast enough.

Leon felt like Rohan was holding him and dancing round and round. Leon grabbed Rohan’s neck with both arms and rubbed his head. At that lovely cuteness, Rohan stroked his back with his large arm.

What other sad words have you heard, little prince?

“If you hear something you don’t like, cover your ears with both hands and run to me.”

“…”

“If you’re scared, just run and hide behind my back.”

“Sir Rohan, do you remember the secret I told you back then?”

Rohan’s breath was caught for a while.

“Yes.”

“Hihi.”

Leon laughed. When Leon wanted to call him “dad”, he said it was a secret.

Continuing to rub his head, Leon swallowed his tears. Rohan calmed down Leon, who had not been sleeping well these days, and stayed by his side until he nodded off.

Although Rohan was extremely busy as the 1st Knights corps commander and count, he never forgot to come to see Leon, and when he came, he never left his seat in a hurry.

Rohan, who grabbed Leon and laid him on the bed, pulled the duvet up to cover his neck, and asked Marie while crossing the room.

“Who has been here lately?”

“The 2nd Prince Stoneham came and went with Her Ladyship Isabelle.”

Rohan’s eyes hardened and then loosened. He asked something else.

“Did the Western Tower send another person?”

“Yes. He said he would come in person soon.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll send them a message and talk to Lord William again.”

“…Thank you.”

Marie was grateful that Rohan paid this much attention to the 2nd Consort’s Palace, but she was also worried.

Fortunately, she knew Rohan’s character, and the fact that he was asked for the safety of her 3rd Prince by the 2nd Consort, who sacrificed herself for others, was known to everyone.

Rohan, who didn’t like to go out, directly asked His Ladyship the Emperor and even got permission.

However, even if there were no scandals related to the 2nd Consort, Princess Jaylene, the lady of Count Scherzer, must be very annoyed that her husband cared so much about the 3rd Prince.

The last time the sound of a child could be heard in House Scherzer was the sound of Rohan, the current Count Scherzer. This raised wild speculation that the beautiful couple whom everyone would envy, couldn’t have children.

Rohan was seen off by Marie and left the 2nd Consort’s Palace. However, he did not go directly, but checked the surroundings once more.

Currently, the 2nd Consort’s Palace was guarded by most of the Crown Prince’s 2nd Knights Order, which he himself tested.

But more numbers were added to the people who originally existed. This was because the concerns of the Crown Prince and the interests of Marquis Blemir coincided.

Therefore, the Crown Prince’s Palace was currently laying its foundation by bringing in its own guards that Marquis Blemir raised himself, taking advantage of the fact that there were many empty seats. People were talking about the fact that Marquis Blemir’s Guards would occupy the 2nd Knights, and the members of the 2nd Knights would be changed and assigned to the 3rd Prince’s 4th Knights, but it would be safe for Rohan to say that it was already confirmed, and not just the possibility.

The knights in the 2nd Consort’s Palace might be offended by the thought that they had been pushed out of their seats, but no such mark was issued.

There must have been other stories that the 2nd Consort gave in advance at the Capital Guard, and it must also be due to the fact that they were good knights.

Rohan met with Dell Pyrion, the commander of the 2nd Knights, and told him that there were many rude people who visited, so it would be better to place the knights in a conspicuous place, and then ask for the purpose of the visit and filter them in advance.

After organizing everything that bothered him, Rohan headed to the office of the 1st Order’s Commander in the imperial palace.

***

The next day, Rohan, who started the day busy with work, averted his eyes from the documents he was reading at his subordinate’s sudden words.

“A competition?”

“Yes. Young members of the imperial family show off their talents and prizes are given accordingly. If the achievement is outstanding, the parents or the people around them give a gift separately prepared by them to show more dedication… The competition is often overheated because this is a stark comparison with each other.”

It would be natural because the talents displayed or the prizes offered by the people around them measure the prestige of the imperial successors.

So, there must be problems. It was not a rare case for young members of the imperial family to harm their health by forcibly preparing for the competition.

To show off their power, they forced those around them to donate precious gifts.

It was an event that almost disappeared, but it was suddenly brought to the surface. There was no reason to think deeply about it, though.

“The 1st Consort said that recently the empire is full of sorrow, so she hopes that the princes who will become the light of the empire will come out and give the people a smile. Unlike the competitions in the past, she said that she would like to have a light banquet and decorate it with an atmosphere of enjoying entertainment.”

The 2nd Consort was still missing, so if the size grew beyond that, there would be opposition, so this was already a moderate compromise.

The 1st Consort, who had been cautious for a while, was stretching again. She seemed to want to express that the door to Barossa society is open again.

Rohan didn’t ask if His Ladyship allowed it. It was obvious that all of this happened under his eyes.

“When will it open?”

“Leader can’t go anyway. A request from Viscount Palmer to help subdue monsters has come and you have to go there. You’ll have to leave tomorrow, and it will be difficult to finish in 3 days, even for you.”

It was said that it wasn’t just a single Troll, but a group of Trolls that appeared.

A Troll was not a monster that the local noble knights could deal with, so it made sense for the imperial knights to move when they were asked for help. However, it was unusual for them to personally appoint Rohan, the commander of the 1st Knights.

Originally, it would have been a job that the Marquis of Blemir would take over.

“That…”

“Let’s go out.”

When Rohan stopped talking, Perry scratched his head and quietly backed away.

“There’s a competition.”

Rohan muttered as he put down the documents he was holding in his hand.