By Zephyria =======
“Wolf, look at your situation. It’s exactly the same as Silver’s. You could climb the cave walls and escape whenever you want, yet you’re staying here. Because you’re held back by me!”
Wolf was at a loss for words. Red Eagle dropped his head. He hesitantly raised both hands to cover his face and eventually began to sob.
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have learned martial arts….”
Seeing Red Eagle cry made Wolf’s heart heavy. The area around the cave opening was rocky, with only sparse weeds. If there had been even a single tree, he would have found a way to get a rope and escape. He would wrap the rope around the tree and drop it into the cave. Once Red Eagle tied the rope around his waist, Wolf would pull him up from the outside. End of story.
He hadn’t been able to pull off this simple escape until now. All because of a single missing tree.
No… because I am weak.
As this thought crossed his mind, Wolf felt like crying too. If he had been strong—stronger than Black Weasel—everything would have ended long ago. He would have killed Black Weasel in one blow, kicked the corpse, and spat on it. By now, he would have been on a ship bound for Atania with Red Eagle and Silver, passionately playing a card game. Damn it, if only I had been strong.
After sobbing for a while, Red Eagle lifted his head. A look of grim determination was etched in his eyes.
“Wolf. I have something to say.”
“I refuse. I’m not leaving alone.”
“No. Stop being stubborn.”
Red Eagle shook his head.
“At least you go back to Atania. Meet Princess Charlotte and tell her for me. Tell her not to blame herself for suggesting I go to Stohl, and that she did nothing wrong. This is my last will and testament.”
L-last will?
It felt like a blow to the solar plexus. What kind of bullshit is this? You’re scaring me. Prince, you bastard, don’t get ahead of yourself. Last wills are things shriveled-up old men mutter in front of their children right before they kick the bucket.
“Ah, to think that the first journey of my life would be a passage toward death…! There are so many things I wanted to tell the Princess… and I have to reward you for all your hard work… Ah, that’s right! Let’s write a will… there are no quill pens here, so maybe a blood oath…!”
Before he knew it, Red Eagle was streaming tears and biting his finger. Wolf could no longer stand by and watch.
“Stop it, Prince! Stop it! You can’t just give in to despair so rashly! Look at me! I almost died at the hands of Uncle, but I survived thanks to Silver….”
Wolf stopped mid-sentence. Suddenly, he felt like something didn’t add up. Why? ‘I almost died at the hands of Uncle, but thanks to Silver, I survived.’ What contradiction was there in that…?
….
….
Wolf’s eyes unconsciously darted left and right. This was it. This was it!
“Prince. Do you really think White Deer will die?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
At Wolf’s question, Red Eagle looked puzzled.
“Don’t you know? My half-brother is stronger. Besides, Mother even called for me, an illegitimate child of the King; do you think she’d want a peaceful reconciliation? Even the way Uncle spoke back then clearly implied that Mother would die.”
“On the surface, that sounds like a perfectly painted still-life answer. One question. Why did Silver save me? He stopped Uncle when he tried to kill me, and now he hunts every day just to feed me.”
“Probably… pity, or maybe he considers you a friend….”
Red Eagle, who had been mumbling incoherently, fell silent with a blank expression. Wolf grinned.
“Prince, we were terrified the moment we arrived in Stohl and almost died. There is a Levenon proverb that says: ‘Fear is a cloth that blinds the eyes.’”
“You mean… we couldn’t see what was right in front of us because of fear?”
“Yes. Look at the food and firewood piled up here again. Uncle invested money and time into these facilities. If it were a situation where ‘White Deer would obviously die,’ as you said, would he have done this?”
“That….”
Red Eagle’s face turned bright red.
“That man! He was playing a prank on us?!”
“He was mocking the clueless idiots from Atania. That’s in the past. Getting angry now is just a waste of time.”
Black Weasel was a local of Stohl. As a contract killer, he was well-versed in the country’s political situation. In other words, he had predicted that Red Eagle’s half-brother and White Deer would reconcile and chose to watch from the sidelines. Combined with their fear, the gap in information had led the Prince and the attendant to wander completely in the wrong direction.
“If the situation were truly bad, Silver wouldn’t have saved me. I picked this up from bits and pieces Uncle said. The ritual of origin is the decisive evidence.”
“Why is that… Ah!”
Red Eagle looked at his own hands.
“The moles!”
“Yes. If the Prince’s future were bleak, he wouldn’t have suggested participating in a ritual to remove moles.”
“I see. Haa… Then we can relax now, right?”
Red Eagle closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Wolf clenched and unclenched his fist, lost in thought. No, Prince. It’s not time to relax yet.
He had bet everything on Silver alone and ended up sobbing. He couldn’t repeat the same mistake.
“…Prince. I will escape tomorrow.”
“Huh?!”
Red Eagle’s eyes widened. Wolf spoke calmly.
“Your half-brother and White Deer might not reconcile after all. They say politics are like the weather.”
“Wolf, what’s wrong with you? A moment ago, you were stubborn about not escaping alone.”
“You negotiate with Uncle. Wolf knows your face. Do you want a situation where a montage of the murderer who killed the prospective consort of the Levenon royal family is distributed throughout Atania and Stohl? There will be a huge bounty on your head.”
The look in Red Eagle’s eyes changed. Like a courtier who had dealt with black-hearted adults since childhood, he seemed to immediately grasp Wolf’s intention. Wolf met Red Eagle’s gaze and nodded. That’s it. This time, let’s give them a taste of their own medicine.
Red Eagle clenched both fists tightly.
“I see… He’ll think it’s a loss to kill me. I must cleverly lead him in that direction.”
“Yes, you take the initiative, Prince. However, if Uncle becomes fickle….”
“Forget it, Wolf. Leave the negotiation to me. From now on, just worry about yourself.”
Red Eagle took a deep breath and held out his fist. Wolf pressed his own fist against Red Eagle’s.
“Let’s. Survive.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
With this, the situation underwent a major turning point.
Until late afternoon, the two boys put their heads together and planned. The cave contained many items necessary for overnight stays, such as flint, blankets, and a compass. They could leave immediately as long as they packed them into their bags. Red Eagle continued to worry about Wolf.
“Wolf, can you really make it to morgan alone?”
“I noted the direction when we came down the river. If I walk along the riverbank, it’ll take a week at most? Don’t worry, a commoner boy is as sturdy as a nail.”
Red Eagle handed his pocket watch to Wolf.
“With this, you should be able to get on a ship. As soon as you land at the port, go to the Levenon embassy and request protection. Don’t worry about me either.”
Wolf fought back tears as he took the pocket watch. For the first time in his life, he made a sincere vow to God. If Red Eagle were murdered, he would spend the rest of his life hunting Black Weasel. Even if Red Eagle were released safely, he would hunt Black Weasel. He would dive into a world of reckless and dangerous pranks… no, adventures, without a specific goal.
Then, Wolf swallowed a self-deprecating laugh. Hadn’t he once grumbled that he would absolutely refuse any such thing as an adventure?
Well, whatever. He had chosen his dream of becoming a bakery owner without much thought, too. Plans always go awry anyway.
“Wolf… I have a good feeling. We will definitely meet again.”
“I feel the same. But Silver is late.”
Wolf looked up at the opening. It was already midnight. The stars twinkled as if finely ground gemstone grains had been scattered across the sky.
“True. I guess the prey isn’t being caught today.”
“Silver….”
Wolf suppressed his melancholy. Tomorrow, he would part with Silver without knowing when they would meet again. He felt as though he would spend the night wide awake, simply staring at Silver’s sleeping face.
That night, Silver did not return.
26 – Hell Execution Order