Chapter 171
Chapter: 171
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 171
>Chapter Title: Logistics Relay Station (2)
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§ 171. Logistics Relay Station (2)
Unrefined emotions or impulses rarely take form as thoughts. Moreover, for such thoughts to lead to actions or phenomena requires far more causal links than one might expect.
So what is to be done? Since we cannot control people's hearts, we have no choice but to manage the driving forces that give rise to those thoughts, do we?
* * *
Seongjin's party ended up camping on the very first day.
They had set out early in the morning with plenty of time to spare, but the problem was the sheer number of carriages heading to and from Delcross due to the overlapping Holy Emperor's Nativity Festival. Even on the wide paved roads, it was hard to pick up speed.
To make matters worse, one of the merchant caravans ahead broke down, causing the road to back up completely for a while.
"We should have already arrived in Regina and unpacked by now if everything had gone according to plan. This is all my fault."
Hermann, one of Orden's subordinates, bowed his head to Seongjin with an apologetic expression. He was the one in charge of the group's travel itinerary.
"No, how could you prepare for every possible accident? It's fine."
Seongjin waved it off dismissively with a half-hearted reply.
All he wanted right now was a good rest. Around that time, Seongjin was utterly drained from mental stress.
He had originally planned to just meditate and take it easy regardless of the traffic, but even that fell apart due to an unexpected variable. The moment the divine grace vanished, the Demon King felt liberated and spent the entire day causing chaos with glee.
"Ahahaha! Uhahaha! Look at this, Seongjin! Even though I've gone this far away from you, nothing's happening!"
The guy popped in and out of Seongjin's head nonstop, driving him mad.
"Wow! Check this out, Seongjin! I can control this field mouse!"
He possessed a baby mouse and squeaked loudly as it chased after the carriage.
"Hahaha! How's this, Seongjin? This body's flying through the sky right now! Uhahaha!"
He dragged over a crow from somewhere, circled it around the area, then landed on the carriage roof and cawed obnoxiously.
"Where are these crows keep coming from...? Aren't crows servants of the demonkin? This is ominous."
Masain, who was particularly sensitive to demonkin, kept peeking anxiously out the window, making Seongjin uncomfortable too.
On top of that, the only one who could understand Seongjin's plight, Captain Bruno, was...
"Red, please quiet down already..."
"What? Who's Red, you dimwit! Huh? Can't you recognize this great Demon King's majesty even seeing it with your own eyes?!"
Caw caw! Caaaaw! Arrrgh!
He kept pouring oil on the fiery Demon King, only making things worse.
By the time the sun set and Hermann announced they would camp, Seongjin was already past caring.
Seeing the prince's face with heavy dark circles only made Hermann feel even guiltier.
"Umahaha! Seongjin! Look at this! I'm eating grass with the horse right now! Weird, huh? It's just grass, but it tastes good!"
Seongjin scowled for a moment but got out of the carriage without much nagging.
'I'll let it slide for now...'
He couldn't blame the guy too much, all things considered.
The Demon King, the worst of all demons, had endured for months in Delcross—where divine grace filled the air like oxygen—using a single barrier as his shield.
Not to mention constantly cowering in fear whenever the Holy Emperor was around.
"Seongjin! Come look at this quick! I can even use magic with this guy!"
Neigh hee haw!
The horse suddenly bucked wildly, forcing the coachman to break out in a sweat to calm it.
"Whoa! Whoa! What's wrong with you all of a sudden? Whoa, whoa!"
Seongjin changed his mind. If this continued tomorrow, he'd head straight to the nearest church and exorcise the damn thing!
In the meantime, preparations for camp were proceeding smoothly.
As he approached the campfire under Hermann's guidance, the Wolf Knight Order's cook was bustling about with Edith, preparing dinner.
"Regina is just a few hours from here. The schedule's delayed, but even if we arrive early tomorrow, we'll probably need to stay there an extra day."
As Seongjin's group settled in, Orden came over and said.
"Regina?"
"Yes, there's a major logistics relay station there."
Regina was a city one day out from Delcross's northern gate.
Originally just a small suburban village, it had grown rapidly over the past decade or so once the Merchant Alliance began operations in earnest. All the logistics from merchant caravans heading to the northern and eastern continents passed through it.
"Once we reach Regina, the rest of the itinerary shouldn't change much."
Hermann added from the side. With all these caravans dispersing to various parts of the continent after the relay station, the road to the Sigismund Territory should clear up afterward.
"It might even work out for the best. We can naturally spend a day in Regina, just like the other caravans."
"......"
Seongjin followed Orden's gaze, who was staring intently somewhere, and turned to look across the road.
There were many other caravans like theirs, stuck and setting up camp.
Directly opposite them, the group by a campfire bore the emblem of a merchant company Seongjin knew well. It had definitely been in the information Dasha investigated.
The rough-looking caravan leader with the goatee beard was familiar too.
"The Milo Merchant Company?"
"That's right."
Seongjin clicked his tongue.
What a simple-minded fool. No wonder he was rushing the schedule so much—he planned to tail and monitor the Milo Company's dealings!
In the meantime, Edith brought Seongjin a bowl of warm stew. As he picked up a spoon first, he felt eyes glancing at him from all around. They were the Wolf Knight Order members who had come with Orden.
It was unreasonable to expect a feast while camping, but it was admittedly a bit meager for a meal served to a prince.
They were probably curious what reaction the famously spoiled prince would have.
'No matter what they expect, I've survived on preserved rations for decades.'
Seongjin thought with inward leisure.
Of course, that leisure vanished the moment he took a bite.
The Wolf Knights found the prince's reaction amusing and exchanged smirks and giggles.
"......"
Seongjin furrowed his brow slightly but swallowed the stew without complaint. He immediately asked Edith.
"Edith, did you cook this?"
"No, Your Highness. I just prepped the vegetables and checked the seasoning."
Ah, that explains it. It's not tasty, but at least it's edible.
The moment Seongjin thought that.
Pfft! Puak! Gack!
Loud retching sounds erupted from here and there.
"Poi... poison?"
"It seems like a poisoning attempt, Young Master! Put the bowl down now!"
"An assassin! There's an assassin among us!"
...No, that's not it.
Seongjin tried to intervene as things escalated, but Masain—now pale as a ghost—snatched his bowl, smashed it on the ground, and shouted desperately.
"Priest! Priest! His Highness has been poisoned! Hurry and treat him!"
"No, Sir Masain. It's not..."
"Ugh! We monitored the cooking from start to finish, and this still happens! I should have tasted it first! And those crows have been ominously cawing since earlier...!"
Seongjin clutched his throbbing temple.
In the midst of it, Edith—tilting her head blankly—absentmindedly took a spoonful of stew and grimaced.
"Blech! It tastes like bile!"
Is that what you should be saying right now?!
"Wahaha! Seongjin! Look over here. Can I possess people now too? I made this guy feed it to himself! But why does this stew taste weirder than the grass the horse was eating?"
Why the hell are you tasting it too?
The sudden poisoning panic only calmed once the priest arrived.
"His Highness is fine, Sir Masain. It's not poison, so rest easy."
The plump man withdrew his holy power with a friendly smile. He was Gustav, the Wolf Knight Order's dedicated healer priest.
"You're sure? Not even the slightest lie?"
"Yes, yes. Of course. Don't worry. The stew was just... a bit... no, extremely... unpalatable."
He was remarkably sociable. Who else could flash such a warm smile at the wildly agitated Sir Masain, acting like a protective guardian?
In any case, the situation settled, and the bile-tasting stew was reborn into something barely edible through the cook's painstaking efforts. Seongjin had ordered it rather than waste it all.
Of course, he made sure to keep Edith far away during the recooking.
Once the prince polished off the awful stew first, the others reluctantly choked it down. Before long, the Wolf Knights' gazes toward Seongjin held a hint of respect.
'Prince Mores is impressive! Eating that like it's nothing!'
'And he keeps that maid alive somehow!'
'He's more magnanimous than I thought!'
He didn't want respect for that, though.
By the time Seongjin's group finished their late dinner, the surrounding caravans—who had eaten early—were already deep into drinking parties.
Mostly the hired mercenaries for protection, leaving only night watchmen as they got thoroughly drunk. It was an unsightly sight. Could they even guard like that?
"We're still on safe roads with plenty of accompanying caravans. The caravan leaders turn a blind eye to this much."
Priest Gustav noticed Seongjin's incredulous look and whispered.
"Such leisurely journeys end once we leave Regina."
But wherever people gather and alcohol flows, trouble is bound to brew somewhere.
Sure enough, coarse swearing and shouting soon echoed from various spots. Fights broke out haphazardly in places.
It was a sight never seen passing through the northern gate. Like they had shed one layer of their veil, revealing their sharp true faces.
"I heard that once you leave the capital, everyone turns feral like beasts, and it seems true."
Masain spoke, a bit flustered, apparently not the only one noticing the oddity. Captain Bruno shook his head.
"It's probably the opposite, Sir Masain. Fierce people just become meek upon entering the capital."
"Meek?"
"Yes. I heard from a mercenary acquaintance once. He had this troublesome subordinate who was a heavy drinker with the worst habits, always causing incidents. But strangely, the moment they entered the capital, his antics dropped off like magic. He thought it was the influence of divine grace."
"Divine grace?"
"Yes. Those with hot tempers noticeably calm down. I hear that's a big reason why the capital's security is so good despite people from all over the continent gathering there."
"That's fascinating."
Amid the conversation, a woman caught Seongjin's eye.
She was a waitress hired by the Milo Company across the way, bustling back and forth to the mercenaries with a tray full of drinks. A woman from the Barsha region with dark skin.
And a sleek build and quiet gait very familiar to Seongjin.
'...Dasha?'
Seongjin blinked.
Why was Dasha there? He had expected her to secretly tail him using aura concealment.
Noticing his gaze, Dasha winked at Seongjin before vanishing into the caravan wagon.
At the same time, Captain Bruno's expression turned subtle. He must have recognized the familiar presence from the Pearl Palace too.
Seongjin realized Dasha's plan and stuck out his tongue in admiration.
Wow, what a capable woman!
Instead of sneaking around, she got hired by the caravan to follow them openly and comfortably?
That solved food, shelter, and the need to constantly hide her presence with aura concealment.
And she was conducting infiltration intel on the Milo Company simultaneously! Was Dasha a genius?
'Didn't you just call the Young Master simple-minded earlier?'
The Demon King, having ended his antics and returned to Seongjin's head, asked sullenly.
Well, Orden was Orden.