Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Sharton Street Preparations
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"…Mother."
Lawrence paused during his meal and carefully broached the subject. Queen Helia smiled and replied in a gentle, measured tone.
"Louis, what is it?"
"Do you know anything about that commoner Lianus brought with him?"
Queen Helia furrowed her brow slightly at the question and set down her utensils.
"Why is a prince concerning himself with such lowly trash? Leave it to your mother. You just carry on as usual."
"……."
At the queen's rebuke, Lawrence started to bow his head but quickly straightened up. Pretending to be nonchalant, he spoke.
"I was just a bit curious seeing Lianus clinging to that commoner."
"Is that so? They say he's been holed up in his room all day without coming out. And that he's mute, too."
"…Mute?"
"He might just be the quiet type, but they say he communicates only with lip movements. He avoids the servants, they say. There are all sorts of bizarre rumors floating around about him being some divine beast or spirit animal…."
The queen recalled the reports she'd received and grimaced faintly.
She'd ordered them to dig up info on the commoner child—where he came from, who picked him up—but not a single person had gotten even that straight. All they'd uncovered was that his looks were so striking, weird rumors were spreading.
When she sent someone sneaking in during the princes' lesson times to avoid the servants, they couldn't even spot the kid and got chased off by the guard knight.
Even the pharmacist she'd barely gotten her hands on had gotten tangled up and fired, and now the 2nd Prince's Palace was hiring their own. It was all immensely irritating.
"Louis, my prince. Don't worry. I won't just sit by and watch that trash run amok."
Her crimson eyes darkened lowly.
11:30 a.m.
The exact time Lianus had hopped down from the carriage.
He'd rushed over so hastily his hair was still damp, a towel wrapped around his neck. Sir Evan, who climbed down after him, looked utterly drained, like all his energy had been sucked out.
If there weren't restrictions against driving carriages over a certain speed inside the royal palace, the coachman would've suffered greatly too.
Lianus asked Nihil if he'd been bored or lonely, then chattered away about how great his condition was today. He'd come so quickly he hadn't dried his hair, soaking his shoulders, so he had to change clothes again. But arriving early meant they could enjoy not just lunch but tea time leisurely.
Lianus's conversation topics were mostly about where they'd go play once the weather warmed up. Just as Nihil rarely shared about himself, Lianus never brought up his own past. Maybe there weren't any fun stories from it worth chirping about so happily.
Then the talk turned to tomorrow's experiential learning session.
"Rian, we're heading to Sharton Street early tomorrow."
"Yeah, sounds good."
"It's not just sightseeing. We have to become them. Real wandering orphans, that's the idea. It'll probably be tough, and it might not even help with the homework."
"Mmm, we're not going for homework. I want to know more."
Lianus wanted to learn more about their lives since Nihil had been a wandering orphan until just recently. It might even be a good chance to understand his dear friend better.
In truth, Nihil's life had been nothing like theirs, but he didn't correct Lianus's misconception. Instead, he lowered his eyes slightly and spoke.
"…All right. It's just an overnight thing, so that's fine?"
"…Huh?"
"What're you talking about, little lynx?"
Lianus and Evan questioned him in unison. Nihil calmly fiddled with his wavy dark green locks and continued.
"Brothels, taverns, gambling dens, slums. Their survival struggles start at night. Staying just during the day won't teach us nearly enough about them."
"No way. Too dangerous."
"I see."
Sir Evan's firm opposition met Lianus's nodding agreement, and their eyes locked.
"Your Highness, I'm against it. It's dangerous."
"But Nil's right."
"That little lynx means sleeping rough! Pretending to be orphans, we can't exactly book an inn."
"Then we'll rough it."
"Your Highness! It's not simple camping. To blend in, we'd have to go completely bare. Maybe lay out newspaper or a tattered blanket instead of a sleeping bag, pull an all-nighter. Go hungry with no food. Rats and bugs crawling beside you while you sleep—could you handle that?"
Lianus's eyes went wide as he stared at Evan. Yeah, rats and bugs crawling nearby while sleeping? No thanks.
Seeing that, Nihil continued calmly.
"Rian, your knight's right. Better to head back late at night."
"But seeing and hearing isn't the same as experiencing it."
"True, but you don't need to suffer more discomfort than necessary. No need to push yourself."
"Exactly, Your Highness. Plus, I can't openly guard you. A healthy adult like me tagging along would ruin the orphan act, and they wouldn't buy it."
"…What if you pretend to be an unhealthy adult?"
"Sit around helplessly, stagger around clutching a booze bottle, gamble, yell like a madman outside, beat the kids… is that it?"
"…No."
Acting wasn't hard, but that'd blow any protection. And as one of the burlier knights, the only role he could pull off was thug. He'd stand out like crazy.
"Rian, if your knight shows up, thug's his only option. And a strange thug in the streets? They'd be super wary."
Nihil's confirmation made Evan look a bit downcast.
"H-hey, Sir Evan, don't be bummed! Means you've got a great build. How reassuring!"
The lynx had landed the finishing blow on the guard dog, but the kitten was the one comforting him.
Evan shot Nihil a dirty look and grumbled on.
"Anyway, Your Highness. Can't show myself, so can't openly handle meals or beds. Best I can do is play drunk getting pickpocketed or mugged."
"Wh-what's that?"
Lianus's eyes bulged at the unfamiliar terms. He knew pickpocket, but the others sounded bad too.
Nihil explained.
"Stealing from drunks on the sly or knocking them out cold for their cash. Theft or robbery, basically."
"That's a crime!"
"Exactly why your knight's offering to be the victim. Can't have a prince robbing or mugging passersby."
"C-can't we just get jobs?"
"…Trying it wouldn't hurt. I'll bail you before any kidnapping. But if I give food, pretend to eat—might be drugged."
"……."
"In a normal village, sure, try for work. But I don't recommend it in Sharton Street. The air reeked of drugs."
"Yeah……."
Lianus scrapped the job idea clean. No point risking his guards if he stirred trouble.
"…Your Highness, still seems too risky."
"Still wanna go. But if it feels really dangerous, I promise to come back without stubbornness."
"Understood."
Evan conceded a step. Truth be told, with him shadowing and the lynx staying vigilant, it shouldn't be too bad. Sharton Street had high crime, but major gangs were dismantled—no one could match him.
As they debated options, Lianus's lesson time arrived. They agreed to talk after classes ended, and he headed to the main palace.
With Lianus gone, Nihil dove into potion-making. He washed and sorted herbs, ground some, simmered others patiently. He threw in handfuls of the herbs his kid dad brought, using them generously. For missing ones, he asked the butler to procure them.
His study-turned-pharmacy reeked of potions, the air thick with it.
He couldn't risk anyone catching him brewing yet, so no ventilating. With heat and humidity rising, he improvised: detached a mana stone from the bathroom heater, jury-rigged a ventilation spell.
Crude and narrow-range, but without mana, no choice.
Another issue: mana stones were rare now, mostly magetower-managed. Discovery meant uproar. So, always return it after.
Nihil figured he'd ask Lianus for one later, focusing on brewing. He drained the stone's mana entirely—startling, but he slotted it back like nothing happened.
When Lianus returned from imperial studies, Nihil's prep wasn't done, so as pre-arranged, he skipped imperial language.
Lianus looked a tad disappointed, but Nihil handed him a note: "Give this to the history teacher." And a mission whispered: "Keep it secret. No letting others know." The innocent sea slug nodded solemnly, vowing success.
"Play after class."
"Yeah!!"
Simple Lianus beamed innocently, forgetting disappointment, and headed to class.
With the kid off to study hall, Nihil summoned the butler to prep supplies while classes were in full swing.
Ragged clothes, ill-fitting old shoes and robe, a single blanket, multi-tool pocketknife, dagger for self-defense, compact high-calorie jerky or chocolate, cheap trinkets for pawnshops, emergency spares just in case.
Plus, have a rickety carriage wait outside the palace at dawn tomorrow. Instruct non-butler/head maid staff not to notice the prince's outing.
The butler looked like he had questions, but Nihil slipped away quick.
The lynx was super busy right now, after all.