1458화
Simon and Lorraine were riding the phantom horse with the Crown Prince, crossing the border.
On their way to the border, they witnessed an immense refugee procession. In small rural villages like Reshill, people were busy farming despite whatever was happening in the center, but it seemed that larger cities were experiencing more population exodus.
Having crossed the Baldwin border, they took the teleportation magic circle of the Kizen subordinate waiting there and returned to the Langustine hideout.
Only Dick was in the hideout, looking engrossed in organizing information, while the other members were all active in Baldwin.
“Please wait here for a moment, Your Highness.”
Click.
Lorraine, with her hair tied into a ponytail by a ribbon, placed a brewed tea in front of the Crown Prince.
“Soon, the Great Lord Cardel of Baldwin Kingdom will send someone to escort you, Your Highness. You will be safe once you go there.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince did not respond at all.
He simply hugged his knees on the chair and remained motionless.
“Now, Simon.”
“Thank you, Lorraine.”
Simon took a sip of the tea that Lorraine had served and glanced sideways at the Crown Prince.
Crown Prince Rias Baldwin.
Known as ‘the small Rias.’
Unlike the physically blessed Crown Prince who manipulated royal capabilities, the third prince Henrik, Crown Prince Rias was said to suffer from ‘dwarfism,’ making him physically smaller with thin arms and legs.
He had round eyes, a round face, a delicate voice, and a youthful appearance.
All his martial arts, studies, and black magic were below standard, with his talents lying mostly in the arts.
Such a weak Crown Prince was now in a situation where he must inherit the throne. Likely, the Great Lord Cardel would take Rias and make him king right away since he was the only remaining royal bloodline besides Henrik.
“……Commander.”
At that moment, the silent Crown Prince spoke. Simon quickly softened his expression and responded.
“Yes, Your Highness. And please just call me Simon.”
“You said I must become a king when we escaped from Sagarin.”
He bowed his head deeply between his knees.
“……I really lack confidence. Is there no other way?”
Simon fell into a moment of deep thought about how to respond.
Encouragement? Support? Or some optimistic outlook?
But even if he offered such sweet words, he didn’t seem like the type to gain courage from them. After pondering, Simon decided to speak plainly.
“Now the only remaining bloodlines of the royal family are Henrik and Your Highness. Crown Prince Rias must become king.”
“I……!”
Crown Prince Rias lifted his head sharply.
“I can’t even match Henrik’s toes! There’s no rule saying that I must be of age to be king in our kingdom, and among the two of us, Henrik, who was a Hound Kid, is overwhelmingly superior! He is strong and possesses the royal’s unique aura! But someone like me……!”
Unable to overcome his guilt, Rias banged his forehead on the table.
As a result, a small notebook that had been placed on the desk fell to the floor.
While Simon hurriedly got down from his chair to pick it up, Rias was trembling as he held back his tears.
“…….”
Simon looked at the open notebook from falling.
During the ride on the phantom horse to this point, he had endured his suffering, continuously drawing something in the notebook.
What he drew in the notebook was a portrait of his deceased older brother, the Crown Prince.
A portrait of the Crown Prince.
The smiling face of the Crown Prince.
His figure raising a hand amidst the crowd, delivering a speech in front of many people.
The scene of him inheriting the throne and being crowned by the king.
As he flipped through the pages, they were all drawings of the Crown Prince.
‘He kept doing this while coming here…….’
Each wrinkle on the face was carefully expressed. There were blots of ink smeared in several places, looking as if they were tears. Simon carefully laid the notebook down in front of the table. Just as he was about to tentatively speak.
Thud.
Suddenly, Lorraine approached and placed her hand on Simon’s shoulder, shaking her head.
It was a look that said to leave them alone.
Thus, the two of them passed through the kitchen where the dining table was located and headed toward the open common area of the hideout.
“Wow, it’s like absolute chaos!”
Dick was busy sticking various clues and information gathered from the Thief Guild onto the walls of the hideout.
He scratched his head and chewed on his fingernails.
Seeing Dick, who looked unusually haggard, Lorraine approached with a smile.
“Here, drink this.”
“Oh! The future leader of the Dark Alliance personally brewed this tea! I’ll have to boast about it for generations to come!”
Dick exclaimed with excitement as he hurriedly drank the tea but found it too hot, causing him to stick out his tongue. Lorraine chuckled softly.
“Dick is amusing.”
It was a response that had become rare, unlike the daily interactions he used to have with Meirin and Kamibarez. Dick had an overwhelmed expression of joy.
“My self-esteem is coming back! Ugh, I was originally a funny person!”
Simon smiled warmly as he looked at Dick