By Zephyria =======
“I was hired to escort the Prince three months ago. I arrived in Morgan a month after that. It was exactly then that I heard news of the ‘Blood Union.’ Stohl is so vast that it takes at least a month for rumors to spread across the entire region.”
“So, the latest information you’ve received is actually about a month old?”
At Red Eagle’s question, Black Weasel nodded.
“Exactly. Anyway, there are still two months left until the Prince arrives in Morgan. The remaining balance is too large to just take the advance payment and quit. I decided to wait and see how things unfold, so I set up this hideout.”
Black Weasel spread his arms wide and gestured around.
“Now, let me give you the latest intel. The chick Prince’s older brother is currently busy cleaning house among the tribal chiefs. He’s killing the chiefs who block his path through war and sparing those who are useful through peace treaties. Three chiefs have already been crushed. White Deer is still holding out. Though, again, that was as of a month ago.”
“In other words… there’s a possibility that the situation flipped in the last month and my mother won.”
“Asking about possibilities… I guess even the Prince thinks the odds of his mother winning are low?”
Black Weasel shot back sarcastically. Red Eagle’s complexion turned pale.
“One question. If White Deer loses, will I kill the Prince or let him live?”
“That’s…”
Red Eagle trailed off and lowered his gaze.
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
“My goodness! It’s not even a difficult question, and you can’t get it right?”
Black Weasel grinned, showing his teeth.
“If White Deer wins, I deliver the Prince and collect the balance. If she loses, I set the Prince free. End of story! Prince, you said you wanted to go back to Atania, right? Pray every night that your half-brother’s blade cuts your mother’s throat. Rest assured, no matter who wins or loses, there’s absolutely no way you’ll end up dead. Your Uncle isn’t that scary of a person.”
Wolf stared silently at Black Weasel. To say ‘Uncle isn’t that scary of a person’ while smirking like a bear that had just discovered a mountain of honey pots… it made him seem like a truly terrifying person.
There are only two types of people who know the face of a contract killer: colleagues and witnesses. If White Deer wins, Red Eagle has monetary value as the client’s son. If White Deer loses, Red Eagle is nothing more than a witness who knows his face. In that case, he would kill both Red Eagle and Wolf.
I must bring Silver to my side.
* * *
“Even so, she is my mother; I cannot offer such a prayer. I must face her in person and persuade her.”
Red Eagle’s tone was calm. Though he likely realized Black Weasel’s ulterior motive just as Wolf had, he showed no sign of agitation. Wolf felt a deep sense of relief. It was a rare stroke of luck to have a companion in a crisis who was a courtier skilled in human relations.
「He’s quite the talker.」
Silver muttered in the Stohl language and dove headfirst into the hot spring, submerging himself completely. Bubbles rose to the surface.
“Now, enough with the gloomy talk. Prince, how do you like Stohl? You’ve only been here a few days, so maybe you haven’t thought much about it?”
At Black Weasel’s question, Red Eagle smiled.
“Yes, as you said, Uncle, I haven’t been here long, so I haven’t quite organized my thoughts yet. However, the natural scenery was very beautiful.”
“Hmph, boring. What about the Attendant?”
“Me? Uh…”
Wolf trailed off, then snapped his fingers with an ‘Ah!’
“The cow that looks like a black bear! The rabbits were amazing too. They were completely different from the rabbits in Atania.”
“What are Atania rabbits like?”
Silver popped his head out of the water and asked. Wolf explained using hand gestures.
“Their fur is only this short. I think Stohl rabbits have long, curly fur because there are so many cold and cloudy days. Are the cats here long-haired too?”
“Of course.”
“Wow, I knew it! How fascinating!”
Wolf became wildly excited.
“Almost all cats in Atania have short hair. Especially in Levenon, where winters are short, you only see long-haired cats in the palace. Stohl animals are amazing. The human mutants were fascinating too, but…”
“Spruce and Birch?”
Black Weasel cut Wolf off and asked. Wolf looked puzzled instead.
“What trees? I saw Birch trees in a fairy tale book.”
“I’m talking about the human mutants. Men are Spruce, women are Birch. In the Stohl language, Nart and Rekrivt.”
“Oh… was that what it was?”
Wolf found it fascinating once again.
“So that’s what they’re called in Stohl. It’s mysterious to name human mutants after trees. Is there a special reason?”
“Nothing much. Both are common trees in Stohl, and they’re monoecious. Species where male and female flowers bloom on a single tree.”
Black Weasel raised and shook his index and middle fingers.
“They say they were called Pumpkins and Cucumbers at first. Pumpkins and cucumbers usually bloom with separate male and female flowers, but occasionally, hermaphrodite flowers that seem to be both bloom.”
“Ah. I see.”
Logically, there was no problem with that, but…
“Then, at some point, it changed to Spruce and Birch. As for the reason… I don’t know exactly, but if your child is called a Pumpkin or a Cucumber, the parents would probably feel offended, right?”
“You’re right. Pumpkin and Cucumber are definitely not okay.”
Wolf nodded vigorously. Black Weasel flicked a droplet of water off his shoulder with his fingertip.
“Still, Attendant, you aren’t completely clueless about Stohl, are you? Knowing about Birch and Spruce and all.”
“Human mutants are famous even in Atania. As for Stohl itself, all I’ve done is read one encyclopedia-style book. I was curious since it’s my motherland, after all.”
The title was simply
“Admirable. Did that book happen to mention how to identify the traits of a mutant?”
“No?”
Wolf opened his eyes wide.
“It only said they are identified immediately after the child is born. As for the specific method… do you know, Uncle?”
“I’m a Stohl person, so of course I know. They say mutants have a slightly lower body temperature than normal infants. It’s a subtle difference, and the people who can detect it are called trait appraisers. These roles are usually filled by elderly priests with keen fingertips.”
“By body temperature? But…”
“Yeah, for various reasons, babies with low body temperatures aren’t uncommon. Since it’s been said since ancient times that mutants are born very rarely, most babies identified as mutants were actually ordinary babies. But since those appraisers were priests, no one could protest. There are quite a few cases where someone deliberately identified a rival’s child as a mutant to get revenge.”
The explanation from a local was different from the book Wolf had read while fighting back yawns. It was more detailed and concrete. It felt like the stinging sensation at the back of one’s neck when you visit a friend’s house and accidentally spot a pair of expensive leather gloves stolen months ago on their desk. It would have been better not to know such stories.
“How could they… that’s unfair.”
Red Eagle intervened. His face looked quite flushed, as if he were angry.
“It means the power of life and death over countless babies was handed to untrustworthy old men. The fact that they are killed just for being mutants is unfair in itself, but…”
“Prince. This is Stohl.”
Black Weasel cut the Prince off. Not only Red Eagle, but even Wolf flinched.
“The killing of mutants is a law established 145 years ago by the ‘Great’ Thorn Spider King, with the consent of all Stohl tribal chiefs. Unfair? You can hang a god with words. If you don’t have the courage to fight the entirety of the Stohl tribes, shut your mouth.”
Silver, who had been listening silently until then, flicked water toward Black Weasel with his fingertip.
「Those idiots don’t seem to know about the Ash tree.」
「Well, the Ash tree was treated as a legend even 150 years ago.」
Black Weasel curled one side of his mouth into a smile.
「Young masters who learned about Stohl from books obviously wouldn’t know. Even native Stohl people barely know about the Ash tree.」
18 – Hell Execution Order