By Zephyria =======
“Do you think I’m trying to get rid of him quickly because I’m ashamed of him? It’s so I can act like a father for once. Do you think the Levenon royal family will just leave the position of the missing consort vacant forever?”
“What’s the problem? They can just find someone else.”
“What do you mean, ‘just find someone else’? Ha, you say that because you’ve never had to marry off a child.”
Bronze-beaked Hawk pointed aggressively at White Deer.
“Finding a suitable match to get a child off your hands isn’t easy. Moreover, that brat turned his back on his fiancée and fled from the Levenon palace. No royal family in Atania would take a man like that as a consort!”
“Then if we look for a partner in Stohl….”
White Deer hesitated, unable to finish the sentence. Bronze-beaked Hawk snorted.
“Even to you, it sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Which warrior in Stohl would agree to marry that fellow?”
“That is true.”
White Deer’s shoulders slumped.
“I’ll concede this once. You’re right.”
At those words, Silver suppressed his excitement. With this, a swift return home was completely confirmed. Their voices must have echoed down to the deck, but to Prince Red Eagle and Wolf, they likely sounded like meaningless drunken rambling. Now, all that was left was the final blow.
Turning away with a look of lost interest, White Deer glanced at Black Weasel.
“Ah, the balance? Damn, I hired people who are too good at their jobs. If I’d known he was a worm-eaten apple, I wouldn’t have brought you all this way.”
“In Atania, we call it a fragrant Yaspia Fruit.”
“I don’t need flattery; I’ll pay the balance in full. 100 pure gold Florins, Atanian gold coins. I’ll hand over the chest of gold by noon tomorrow.”
“I apologize, but I want something other than gold coins.”
“What?”
White Deer stopped in his tracks. Black Weasel remained silent, not continuing his speech. A faint smile played on his lips, which remained as motionless as a figurehead on a ship’s bow. In an instant, Silver’s entire body turned cold. A chill suddenly crawled down his spine. It was a physical signal that always appeared whenever something bad was about to happen.
Something is wrong.
“Do you mean 100 gold coins aren’t enough? If you demand more, I will refuse to pay. Do whatever you want with the worm-eaten apple. Tear his limbs apart with your own hands for all I care.”
“What I desire is modest.”
Silver’s head rang at the words that followed.
“Give me Prince Red Eagle’s attendant. That boy alone is enough for the balance.”
* * *
“You, do you have a taste for men? You must be quite smitten to try and trade a chest of gold for him.”
White Deer let out a hollow laugh. Black Weasel raised both hands and waved them.
“Think whatever you wish. I only care about getting what I want.”
“Well… fine. You can have the attendant.”
The deal ended swiftly. White Deer walked away toward Bronze-beaked Hawk, who was gulping down liquor.
Only then did Black Weasel cast his gaze toward Silver. On that face, bathed in silver moonlight, dwelt a smile of victory. Silver couldn’t move a muscle. It felt as if nails had been driven into his hands and feet.
“Silver—. I know you well.”
Black Weasel tilted his chin up haughtily.
“You were planning to stab me in the back, weren’t you? You intended to knock me out and sneak the Prince and the attendant away in the meantime. Am I right?”
The cry of a frost owl from the distant night sky reached them. The ear-scratching cry sounded as if it were cursing that godforsaken assassin on Silver’s behalf. Black Weasel flicked Silver’s forehead with his finger.
“A piece of advice. Never again measure an adult’s years with a child’s ruler. If you behave from now on, I promise to extend the attendant’s life a little longer.”
In the end, he means he’s going to kill Wolf.
You piece of shit! Why go this far with Wolf!
Silver spun around. He stomped down the stairs leading from the hatch and leaped down to the bottom in one go.
「Wolf! Prince! Where are you!」
Below the deck stretched a narrow, long corridor. The lamps hanging on the walls were the only lights piercing the darkness. At the very end of the corridor, a door opened and Wolf poked his head out. His complexion was as pale as bleached animal bone.
「Silver, over here. Hurry!」
Wolf gestured urgently. Silver ran quickly.
「What is it?」
「There’s something I want to show you. That.」
Prince Red Eagle was clinging to Wolf’s back, trembling. What is it now? There aren’t even any corpses here.
The moment he entered the room, the question was answered. Silver felt a powerful shock surge through his entire body. Something more terrifying than a corpse blocked his view.
A large tapestry hung on the wall. It was larger than a bed. Densely woven silver and black threads shimmered dully in the lamplight. In the center of the haphazardly woven tapestry, a girl stared back at them. A young face with pale blonde hair. A body of white bone. It was ‘that.’ A skeleton wraith.
The ceiling thundered, and the tapestry swayed slightly. Silver flinched and stepped back. For a moment, it looked as if the skeleton wraith was about to step out from the tapestry.
「Why is that… here…?」
He barely managed to force the words out. His tone was so vacant it was embarrassing even to his own ears.
「You’re surprised too, right, Silver? That… could it be a god rather than a wraith? This looks like a room used by someone of high status…」
At Wolf’s words, Silver looked around the room. A bed pressed tight against the wall. A neatly folded blanket. A small chest beside the bed was locked. The lamp hanging from a ceiling hook cast a long shadow on the floor. There were no ornaments or luxuries. Only the tapestry broke this bleak practicality.
This was the room provided for the Prince. Then, was the owner of this place White Deer?
「There are thousands of gods in Stohl. That skeleton might be a god that even you didn’t know about, Silver. Right— Prince!」
Wolf supported Prince Red Eagle. The Prince covered his head with both hands and mumbled in a cracked voice.
「Princess…. Princess….」
The sight made Silver’s chest feel tight. Whenever he fell into a delirium, Red Eagle called for the princess without rhyme or reason. Did he consider it a magic spell that would save him?
Back when they played together in the cave, he had been a kind and lively fellow. At the time, Silver could never have imagined he would break into such a frail madman. Perhaps this state was more natural. It was Wolf, who remained sane or calmly chewed on jerky at a scene of catastrophe after such an absurd experience, who was actually the strange one.
Damn it, why am I feeling gloomy? Do I consider that crybaby a friend, on top of Wolf?
「Prince, please be at ease. I am here.」
Wolf, who had been soothing Red Eagle, looked up at Silver. His eyes were brimming with tears.
「Silver, what should we do? If the Prince never comes back to himself….」
「…Don’t worry. He’ll recover soon.」
Silver plopped down in front of Prince Red Eagle.
「Prince, good news.」
「Princess…. Princess….」
「Your half-brother and stepfather said it would be a waste to miss a good match like the Levenon royal family, so they want you to return quickly. At the latest, you’ll be on a ship to Atania within three days. A reunion with the Princess!」
「Pr— really…?」
Focus snapped back into Red Eagle’s blurred eyes. What a simpleton. Still, it was a relief that his ears were functioning properly.
「It’s not a lie. So, from now on, all you have to do is pray that the Princess hasn’t cheated on you with another man while you were gone.」
「The Princess and I, soon….」
「Not immediately. It’ll take at least three months before you reunite. So don’t think about anything else and just pray day and night.」
「Yes. Thank you, Silver.」
Prince Red Eagle wiped his eyes with his sleeve. A faint but definite flush of color returned to his cheeks.
「But I still hate it here. I-I’m scared. I feel like that monster is going to kidnap me.」
「Let’s go out to the corridor, Prince! It’s not that cold.」
Wolf quickly helped Red Eagle up and led him out of the room. The corridor was steeped in a heavy scent of salt. At the thumping sound of footsteps, the ceiling trembled like drum leather, shaking down dust. The sound of something crashing was followed by erratic bursts of laughter.
Silver sat with his back against the wall. Wolf was to his left, and Prince Red Eagle was beside him. The lamplight spilled the shadows of the three boys black against the wall. They looked like castaways, clinging to a broken raft, swept away by steep waves.
67 – Hell Execution Order