By Zephyria =======
The warriors jumped in surprise. A flurry of shocked gazes rained down on the mantis fairy, who had flopped onto the dirt floor along with flint, silver coins, charms, and glass vials. Even Black Weasel leaped back before quickly regaining his composure. No one would be fooled by a brief moment of pretend calisthenics.
“Silver!”
Wolf shouted, his face turning pale. Red Eagle simply collapsed onto his backside. It seemed that, in the eyes of the Prince and the Attendant, a scene had unfolded like a fairy tale illustration—of this side being roasted golden in the flames.
However.
“I’ve never seen a mantis this big. Hey, kid! Where’d you find such a magnificent bug?”
“Sell it to me. Four silver coins!”
“He even dressed it up? Kids will be kids.”
“Hey, Big-Eyes! Come here and hop onto my hand!”
The warriors competed with one another, reaching out toward the mantis fairy. Silver shrugged at Black Weasel’s glaring gaze. What does it matter? It worked. Aside from us, no one would ever mistake a mantis fairy for a real fairy.
“It’s over. Put your clothes on.”
The mantis fairy returned to the pocket, but the glass vial was gone. As expected, it had been confiscated. He wondered if a pickpocket felt this hollow when their coin purse was stolen.
“Stay quiet. It’s dangerous here,” Silver whispered to the mantis fairy before closing the pocket. Wolf glared at him fiercely. Has this guy never seen someone talk to a cat before?
“Get up!”
Surrounded by the warriors’ axes, they crossed the planks. Silver gazed intently at Black Weasel, who was walking ahead. Good, unarmed here and there. I’ll look for a chance to land a punch first; if that doesn’t work, I’ll start a brawl, and I’ll think about the rest later.
“You fine mercenaries over there! Have a drink with us!”
A coarse voice rang out. On one side of the wind-swept deck, Bronze-beaked Hawk raised a glass high and winked in their direction. White Deer was lounging beside him. The smell of alcohol seeping from the tan wooden barrels rolling around them wafted strongly over to where they stood.
“You lot stop it too. The mercenaries are unarmed.”
At Bronze-beaked Hawk’s words, the warriors lowered their axes and stepped back. Once the path cleared, Black Weasel headed straight for the drinking circle without hesitation. Wolf and Red Eagle were pushed toward the hatch by the warriors. They looked less like a Prince and Attendant and more like prisoners being dragged away.
Suddenly, Wolf looked back at Silver. The face of a boy his own age. In this chaotic mess—where the smell of alcohol on the deck, the endless scent of iron wafting from the village, and the shadows of rough warriors intertwined—he alone stood out clearly. Moreover, he was conveying something through his gaze. Silver read the silent message immediately.
Want me to go to Atania with you? Persistent brat.
But maybe you… hate goodbyes too? Like I do?
It felt as if a drumstick had struck his chest. Silver turned away from Wolf. He followed along with heavy steps, staring intently only at Black Weasel’s back. If White Deer had even a shred of a mother’s heart, dinner would be waiting below the hatch.
“Sit comfortably! Sit!”
“Thank you.”
“Take this. Drink!”
Bronze-beaked Hawk handed a glass to Black Weasel.
“Actually, I received a report. I heard my men sent to Morgan were taken down. A giant clad in wolf skin and a boy in a black robe. You act well. If I hadn’t received that report, I might have carelessly overlooked you.”
“I am merely a fool with nothing but bulk.”
“Humble. But looking at you reminds me of a rumor I heard once. There’s a wandering mercenary who travels with a young son, said to have skills as great as the legendary thunder. Could that person be you?”
“You are mistaken. That brat is not my son, but a slave. We don’t look alike at all.”
“Naturally, you’d disguise him as a slave. A young son is a fatal weakness for a contract killer like you. And a wise man looks at aptitude rather than features. From what I see, the malice in that child’s eyes is identical to yours.”
Black Weasel said nothing. Bronze-beaked Hawk didn’t ask further and tilted his glass. The heartless Prince, who had slaughtered his own siblings, seemed to have taken a liking to the wandering mercenary. His intention to entice him into becoming one of his warriors was written all over his face.
Don’t waste your breath, Uncle. The Ice Armor Warrior loathes warriors.
Silver covered the smirk on his lips with his glass. Beside the husband preoccupied with the assassin, White Deer silently gulped down alcohol. Heat radiated from his bright red cheeks like an open forge.
Suddenly, White Deer looked straight at Bronze-beaked Hawk.
“You look quite happy.”
Following the blatant provocation, he slammed his fist onto Bronze-beaked Hawk’s shoulder.
“I guess you’ve taken a real liking to the son you met for the first time today, eh? Huh!”
“White Deer? What are you talking about…?”
Bronze-beaked Hawk blinked, furrowing his brow.
“You’re very drunk. That child isn’t my son; he’s yours.”
“He’s your son.”
“Yes, since I married you, he is my son as well. As his half-brother and stepfather, I will gladly bless his future. Now, let’s forget the past and enjoy our drinks.”
“He’s not a stepson. Not a half-brother either. He’s your biological son.”
“Excuse me? What? What?”
Bronze-beaked Hawk, who had been asking repeatedly, fell silent. His face looked as if he had suddenly remembered something. In an instant, the deck became as quiet as a graveyard. In the whistling winter wind, Black Weasel, Silver, and the warriors all held their breath, staring only at the future royal couple. Everyone instinctively knew that a spectacularly entertaining spectacle was about to unfold.
Bronze-beaked Hawk threw his glass.
“That’s impossible! There was only one time that my father, you, and I enjoyed ourselves together!”
“If you enjoyed it then, you should know. Your father is a eunuch.”
“He told me he wasn’t in the mood that night!”
“The child I see now is my son, appearing four years after the women who claimed to carry the King’s child stopped visiting every other day. Did you never think it was strange? You’re a dull bear in that regard.”
“That…”
Hesitating, Bronze-beaked Hawk shouted again.
“Then why did you lie and say he was my father’s son! Wait, do you have proof that your son is my biological child? Not some other guy’s seed?”
“You insult me?”
White Deer threw his glass and grabbed Bronze-beaked Hawk by the collar. A knee lunged toward her husband’s face. Just before his face was smashed, Bronze-beaked Hawk grabbed his wife’s wrist and threw her down. It was a movement befitting people who slept hugging axes every night.
Cheers erupted. One warrior whistled. Another stomped his boots on the deck. Some warriors shouted out betting amounts. Amidst the hot cheers, the marital brawl became even more violent.
“I was a widower back then! Why didn’t you tell me he was my child!”
“Why else, you idiot! I didn’t want to marry a widower with seven children!”
“No, no! You’re lying again! You spent the whole night calling my father’s name, and now you say he’s my kid!”
“That’s because your father’s face was more presentable!”
Just then, two men pushed through the warriors and rushed out. One spread his arms and blocked White Deer’s path. The other hugged Bronze-beaked Hawk and pushed him back.
“Please, Stepmother! You’re drunk!”
“Father, calm down! It’s only been a few days since you married; how can you treat your bride so recklessly!”
“Let go, you brat!”
Bronze-beaked Hawk pushed his son away. He glared at White Deer for a moment, then snatched a glass from a nearby warrior’s hand and downed it in one go.
“As soon as dawn breaks, we head for White Deer’s tribe!”
Bronze-beaked Hawk shouted, throwing his glass into the river. The glass sparkled briefly before being swallowed by the black water.
“However, this ship will head to the nearest seaport! Ensure that White Deer’s son is sent on a ship to Atania!”
“The son of Bronze-beaked Hawk and White Deer.”
White Deer corrected him immediately and opened her arms wide toward Bronze-beaked Hawk’s two sons.
“Be happy, stepsons! You have a youngest half-brother! Much like a certain someone we know, he’s quite a deficient fellow!”
“A half-brother?”
“What…?”
The two sons’ gazes darted busily between their father and stepmother. Bronze-beaked Hawk gripped the railing tightly with one hand.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
The wood of the railing snapped under the future king’s grip.
66 – Hell Execution Order