Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: The Prince's Exposed Identity
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‘Wasn’t the prince’s status supposed to be a secret?’
‘This damn duke! What the hell is he thinking?’
Deeply flustered inwardly, the prince’s entourage had no choice but to remove their hoods at Eugene’s words.
Even though he was a fake posing as the prince, Prechella’s eyes shook even more upon seeing Vizak, the handsome attendant whose refined features befitted his noble lineage.
‘The real prince of the Roman Empire? Is this reality? No, why would royalty be here?’
“I greet you, Your Highness the Prince. I am Prechella, daughter of Vincenzo Feilin, serving as the branch manager of the Maren branch.”
“Pleased to meet you, Feilin branch manager.”
“It is a great honor! Please, come inside… No, tea or ale, or perhaps wine…”
Prechella grew even more flustered at his curt reply.
Though she dealt with various nobles regularly due to her position as branch manager of a major merchant group, this was her first time meeting royalty in person.
“It’s fine. Treat me as you would Lord Bartla.”
“Gasp! How could I dare…”
“Hm? Dare? Hey, branch manager, are you saying it’s fine to treat me casually but not the prince?”
“No! That’s not what I…”
“Enough. Anyway, I already made a contract with the prince first, you see. Not sure if our schedules will align now.”
“Ah…”
Amid the confusion, Prechella’s face paled.
If he had refused for some other reason, she might have taken offense, but this was on another level entirely.
How could she ask him to break a prior promise with the royalty of the Roman Empire, of all people?
‘What do I do? Grandfather and the mayor, the other guild masters—they’ll be incredibly disappointed. Ah! This isn’t the time.’
No useful solution would come from agonizing alone, so Prechella forced a smile.
“P-Please, come inside first. You’ll be staying for at least a few days, right? Right, Lord Eugene?”
Please say yes!
Prechella had completely lost her ability to manage expressions—one of the most vital virtues for a merchant—due to the shock of the prince’s appearance.
“Hmm. Well, that was the plan…”
Eugene, who could easily read her inner turmoil, replied leisurely while turning his gaze to the prince’s group.
It was a silent gesture saying he was fine either way but would leave at their discretion.
Prechella’s heart raced.
“Your Highness the Prince! Our city may not compare to the imperial palace, but there is much to enjoy here! Please grant me the honor of entertaining Your Highness and your entourage!”
“Hmm.”
Vizak exchanged a sidelong glance with the real Prince Rocroph and slowly nodded.
Whatever his scheme, they had already agreed to follow Eugene’s lead in the Kingdom of Kaylor, provided it didn’t tarnish the imperial dignity.
* * *
Having spent dozens of gold coins to provide Eugene and the prince’s group with the finest lodgings and meals, Prechella rushed straight to City Hall.
“What!? Lord Eugene is in our city? And with Roman Empire royalty no less!?”
The mayor and guild masters, just wrapping up a meeting, sat back down in shock.
The man they had been agonizing over how to bring quickly was already in Maren?
And accompanied by a heavyweight from the Roman Empire?
“Yes. I thought it odd that Lord Eugene had such a large entourage unlike his usual style, but they were the prince’s escort knights.”
“Wh-which prince? What’s his name?”
“Is it really the prince? Why would a direct descendant of the Roman imperial family be here?”
Prechella patiently answered the barrage of questions from the flustered guild masters.
“He said he’s the third prince Rocroph. The imperial seal ring looked genuine, and I confirmed he speaks the Roman imperial tongue. Besides, would Lord Eugene travel with a fake? He’s the Duke of Brantia, after all.”
“True enough. Well! So what happens now?”
The mayor looked around at the guild masters.
But with the unannounced arrival of royalty from the acknowledged great power, the Roman Empire, they were still too stunned to respond easily.
Prechella then cautiously brought up what she had thought of on the way to City Hall.
“Mayor, and guild masters. I don’t know the details, but Lord Eugene said he has a contract with the prince.”
“A contract? What kind?”
“I don’t know that either. But that’s not the point. He said he has to enter the Roman Empire with the prince’s group—what happens to our city then?”
“This is bad…!”
The mayor and guild masters panicked further. If that happened, they’d lose their most reliable card in the current situation.
“I’ve managed to keep Lord Eugene and the prince’s group here for now, but they could leave the city tomorrow if they decide. Shouldn’t we come up with a plan before then?”
“Ugh.”
The mayor and guild masters, their faces darkened by this unforeseen headache, hurriedly exchanged glances.
To them, Prechella added the worst-case scenario—or rather, what seemed ninety percent likely given the circumstances.
“Esteemed mayor and guild masters. Not only our merchant group but the inn staff hosting the prince’s group have already seen Lord Eugene. In other words, word that he’s here will spread throughout the city soon.”
“……!!!”
Everyone’s eyes shook violently.
If word of Eugene’s arrival in Maren stayed hidden, it might be manageable, but once the citizens knew, things would spiral out of control.
Yan Eugene was a heroic knight acknowledged by all in Maren.
Let such a man leave in the current climate?
The citizens’ backlash would inevitably target the mayor and guild masters.
They could even collapse from within before properly clashing with the royalist faction.
“Where are Lord Eugene and the prince staying now?”
“Let’s hurry! We need to talk… No! We must hold onto them, even if it means granting every demand!”
“The city’s liquid funds… No. For now, each guild should collect whatever funds they can, right?”
The leaders of Maren grew urgent.
* * *
“I was a bit surprised earlier, my lord.”
“Surprised by what?”
Eugene turned his relaxed face toward the attendant Vizak, still playing the prince.
“Is the Roman golden blood so lightly spilled to just anyone in your eyes? If so, a heads-up would have spared me such great expectations.”
‘This guy?’
Eugene smirked at the blatant sarcasm.
“Are you upset I revealed your identity? Or worried for other reasons? The honorable heir of the golden blood lacks boldness.”
“Ha!”
Vizak’s face flushed slightly at the jab at both his master and himself.
“The Roman golden blood does not fret over such matters. I merely worried if any scoundrels with ill intentions might be around.”
“In Maren? Targeting my group? You serious? Didn’t you hear what people were saying at the docks earlier?”
“That’s…”
Vizak’s face reddened further, leaving him speechless.
Eugene’s prestige in this city was beyond imagination.
Workers, knights, merchants, nobles—all revered the knight Yan Eugene.
He’d win a mayoral election in a landslide. Given the impending civil war, he could probably claim the throne and still garner majority support.
“At least in Maren, no lunatic would target the prince.”
“Suppose that’s true. But we won’t stay here forever, right? As you know, we must leave soon. Considering the chaos of civil war in the Kingdom of Kaylor…”
“So they’ll attack the prince?”
“……There’s no guarantee such irreverence won’t occur.”
“Interesting.”
Eugene bared his fangs and retorted coldly.
“Has Your Highness the Prince forgotten who I am?”
“……!”
Vizak flinched and shut his mouth.
In his excitement at Eugene’s seeming disregard for Emperor Rocroph—his master and true prince—he had momentarily forgotten.
Eugene’s prestige in Maren wasn’t unearned. It was a towering, sturdy edifice built from his unbelievable feats.
Its foundation was his prowess as a knight surpassing what even Prince Rocroph admired, combined with the powers of the Night Clan.
—Infiltrating Marecasio’s castle is harder than raiding the imperial treasury. The former offers no chance day or night, but the latter is feasible at night.
Recalling the proverb passed down in the empire, Vizak gulped unwittingly.
Marecasio, the highest vampire who roamed freely by day, was a being of immense power and transcendent mystery.
Attacking a Night Clan member who walked in daylight was tantamount to suicide.
“I have one thing to say to Your Grace the Duke. Is that alright, Your Highness the Prince?”
At that moment, the hitherto silent real Prince Rocroph spoke up.
It was a notification disguised as a question, so Vizak nodded immediately, and the true prince addressed Eugene.
“I have one question, Your Grace the Duke.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you perhaps planning to involve Your Highness the Prince’s name in the Kingdom of Kaylor’s civil war?”
Eugene smiled at the serious-faced Prince Rocroph.
“Why? Would you help if I asked?”
“Absolutely not. The weight of honor borne by the golden blood is immense. We must never be entangled in another nation’s politics in such an unseemly manner…”
“No need to worry—it won’t happen.”
“But, my lord.”
“If you can’t trust that, break the contract now.”
“……!”
Prince Rocroph’s eyes widened at the unexpected pressure.
“It’s not a promise sworn on honor—just a contract of mutual need, right? Only we know the terms, and no one would fault us for ending it now. Isn’t that so, Your Highness the Prince?”
Eugene’s gaze shifted to Vizak.
“Th-that’s…”
The fake prince, with no authority over the contract, could only flounder.
Their eyes met, and Vizak bit his lip before replying.
“Let’s continue the contract. But explain why you revealed my identity to that merchant group’s branch manager.”
“To indebt them.”
“Indebt them?”
“It was something I planned anyway—making them beg first brings more gain, doesn’t it? Besides.”
Eugene turned from the tilting-headed Vizak to the real prince, who was narrowing his eyes, and grinned.
“If Your Highness the Prince gets involved too, your name will spread far and wide. If you hate that, I can handle it alone…”
“It seems best to participate in whatever Lord Eugene is doing, Your Highness.”
“R-really? Well, then…”
As expected of the real prince, Rocroph was sharper than the attendant. Vizak nodded readily at his words.
Just then, a knock sounded, and former Holy Knight Edmund, who had crossed to Maren with them, entered.
“Your Grace the Duke. The mayor of Maren and the guild masters request an audience.”
“Quick. I’ll see them right away.”
“Yes.”
After a bow, Edmund left. Vizak, still not grasping the situation, asked.
“Why are the mayor and guild masters here? Ah, are they planning a welcome banquet for you and me?”
“They could hold one for three days starting today if we wanted. But that’s not why.”
It had been only an hour since Prechella rented out an entire luxury inn annex, and already the mayor and guild masters had arrived.
Proving just how desperately urgent they were.
* * *
“Oh my! The pride of our Maren! Duke Eugene Bartla Your Grace! How long has it been! Oh! You’re still wearing the plate mail gifted by our Maren city! Haha!”
Even after becoming Duke of Brantia, Eugene still disliked excessive formality—a fact Prechella had tipped off the mayor about—so his greeting was quite natural.
“Long time no see, mayor. The armor’s still serving well.”
“If you ever need repairs, just say the word, Your Grace.”
The half-dwarf blacksmith guild master jumped in swiftly.
The plate mail emblazoned with the city’s crest symbolized Eugene’s bond with Maren itself.
He and the mayor had seriously considered enlarging the emblem under the pretext of repairs.
“That sounds good. Can’t have issues with my gear before a big task.”
“……!”
The mayor and guild masters’ eyes lit up at the words “big task” from Maren’s famed hero in these times.
What else could a “big task” mean for such a knight?
“Your Grace. As expected, you intend to aid our Maren…”
“Best to get it overhauled before heading to the Roman Empire.”
“…….”
Eugene feigned ignorance as the mayor and guild masters’ faces turned as if they’d eaten dung.
“By the way, what brings you all here together?”
“Well…”
Knock knock!
Edmund entered again after just a few minutes, escorting the mayor’s group. But he wasn’t alone; he brought a fidgety-looking man.
“Your Grace the Duke. Someone from City Hall is looking for the mayor of Maren.”
“Chief clerk? What brings you here?”
As the mayor frowned at the staffer barging into this crucial meeting that could decide the city’s fate, the chief clerk raised his voice hurriedly.
“Mayor! Big trouble! A force flying the royal banners has appeared from the Eden direction!”
(To be continued)
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