Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Chapter 9: Mad Prince Route
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“The management of Verit’s territory residents falls entirely under the lord’s authority. Of course, as regent, I can send advisory letters, but this is a long-standing policy passed down from the past, and it’s not something I can change on a whim.”
“I’m not asking for much. Please just show them enough mercy to keep the territory residents from starving to death!”
Davi dropped to his knees right there and pleaded. Jess furrowed his brow with an annoyed expression.
“Are you saying that Verit’s territory residents are starving to death right now?”
“They managed to hold on somehow until the year before last. But the drought worsened from last year, and this year’s harvest is practically a total disaster.”
“Hmm…….”
“Even so, the lord, Talisman Count, is collecting even heavier taxes than last year, driving the territory residents to their deaths! Please, have mercy!”
Davi slammed his forehead against the floor and wailed. The reason he was pleading so desperately was that he was the one and only knight from Verit in the entire world.
Of course, a normal human would never have been able to leave Verit until death.
But Davi had shown remarkable talent for knighthood since childhood. The previous lord noticed this and sent him to the officer academy in Emperlord via special recommendation. Before even graduating, he was scouted by the White Knight Order and commissioned as a formal knight.
Davi had been just fifteen at the time.
He grew tremendously afterward, becoming a Knight Commander at eighteen, and at twenty-two, he broke through to the realm where he could earn the highest rank of ‘Knight Master.’
“Stand up, Davi.”
Jess glared at the top of Davi’s head and spoke.
“The Empire right now is on guard against enemies on all sides. To the northeast, there’s the异種族 alliance; to the east, the undead army; to the west, ogres; and to the northwest, barbarians and bandit hordes eyeing the borders and trade routes.”
“…….”
“As much as the Empire toils to fend off external enemies, the internal imperial citizens must naturally share the suffering. That includes Verit’s territory residents.”
“Your Highness!”
Davi shot to his feet in indignation. Then Phiren, standing beside him, gripped the sword at his waist and stepped forward.
“This concerns the Regent Highness’s safety. Refrain from rude behavior.”
“Knight Phiren…….”
Both were the strongest knights—Knight Masters.
But without magic armor or a weapon, Davi couldn’t match the fully armed Phiren at this moment.
“……I’m sorry, Your Highness. I got emotional and raised my voice without knowing my place. Please forgive me.”
Davi hurriedly bowed his head. Jess narrowed his eyes and replied in a low voice.
“Remember this, Davi. You are a Knight Master representing the Empire. There’s no need to cling to the past.”
“Your Highness…….”
“Forget Verit. Obsession will only hold you back. Think of Emperlord as your home now.”
“…….”
Davi squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. Jess waved him off dismissively and commanded.
“If that’s all, leave. Since you’ve taken leave anyway, rest well in Emperlord for a few days before returning.”
“Thank you for your consideration. I’ll take my leave then.”
Davi saluted and exited the office. Jess shook his head with a pathetic look on his face.
“For the Empire to have only three Knight Masters, and one of them is that guy…… It’s truly lamentable.”
“But he is a threatening presence. Given his dubious origins, wouldn’t it be better to eliminate him if possible?”
Phiren asked as he released his grip on his sword. Jess clicked his tongue and fell into thought.
“I think so too. But we can’t just kill a Knight Master that easily. He’s also a key figure in the White Knight Order, which is facing off against the异種族 alliance.”
“His evaluations within the order aren’t good. The previous captain shielded him, but he’s retired now. Of course, his skills are beyond question.”
“Right. His skills are impeccable. But with origins like that…….”
Jess glared at the closed door. With mountains of urgent tasks piling up, he had not even a shred of concern for Verit’s territory residents.
* * *
‘What do I do with this…….’
The sky shone a clear, embarrassingly blue. Having left the imperial palace, Davi looked up and let out a sigh.
Forget Verit.
Even nine years after leaving his hometown, closing his eyes still brought faces of the villagers he missed so dearly.
Davi had lost his entire family young and become an orphan.
But the whole village had taken care of him. They were all dirt poor, yet they gritted their teeth, looked after each other, and endured the hard times.
The day he boarded the carriage to Emperlord after catching the lord’s eye had been the same.
All the villagers had rushed to the main road, waving their hands.
-Good job, Davi! Do well!
-Hang in there even if it’s tough! You can do it!
-You’re never alone! We’re all family!
-You can make it! Definitely!
-Stay healthy! Don’t starve anywhere!
“…….”
Tears suddenly welled up.
Were they all doing well?
Compared to other villages, things should be a bit better. He sent every bit of his salary back each year.
But with the major drought hitting Verit and rumors of people dying in droves, he couldn’t stop worrying.
On top of that, the new lord from five years ago, Talisman Count, was tormenting the residents with even harsher exploitation than before.
He wanted to rush to Verit right now, cut down that damned lord, distribute the food and supplies from the granaries, and save the people.
But Davi couldn’t do that.
He had the strength for it. A Knight Master could slice through a local militia in an instant.
But committing such an act would spark a rebellion. The Empire would mobilize knight orders in earnest and send a subjugation army.
“That can’t happen…….”
He might escape somehow, but the lives of his fellow Veritians left behind would become even more hellish than before.
‘What should I do? Who can I ask to save Verit?’
Hatred layered thickly over Davi’s tormented heart.
He felt utterly alone. In this vast Empire, was there really no one to join him in saving Verit?
Then, he suddenly thought of the White Knight Order he belonged to.
But even there, he had no allies. After the previous captain who recruited him retired, most knights either envied and scorned Davi for being from Verit or treated him like he was invisible.
Today, it all felt unbearably painful.
Despite all his efforts and struggles to get this far, he couldn’t even protect his own body, let alone save his hometown Verit.
“Damn it…….”
Davi hung his head and ground his teeth.
He was one of the Empire’s mightiest.
Yet the fact that he couldn’t achieve what he wanted dyed the heart of this mere twenty-four-year-old youth pitch black like coal.
* * *
I opened my eyes to dawn.
I wanted to flop back into bed, but I had to get up now. Ugh, tossing and turning all night has my whole body aching.
“Greetings to Your Highness.”
“Greetings to Your Highness.”
As I stepped into the corridor, the maids who had started their duties bowed in surprise. I waved roughly and headed down the stairs to the first floor.
“Your Highness? Coughing already?”
In the drawing room, Lania was giving instructions to the gathered maids. I nodded and naturally stretched.
“Went to bed early, woke up early. Where’s Meredes? I need her for something.”
“Meredes went to the forest to gather elixir ingredients. There are materials that are hard to collect unless it’s dawn.”
“Herbs and such?”
“Mostly insects.”
“Bugs go into elixirs?”
I pretended to be shocked despite knowing. Lania smiled softly and nodded.
“They’re used a lot in elixirs that enhance physical abilities. Dried and powdered. Most of the elixirs Your Highness has taken so far haven’t included them, but…….”
Bang!
Then the mansion door flew open, and Meredes barged in shoulder-first, shouting in a sharp voice.
“Get the priest here, quick!”
“Meredes! What’s wrong! Calm down!”
Lania jumped and rushed to Meredes. I let out a silent sigh as I saw the girl she cradled.
Mad Prince Route.
It’s starting now. Thanks to Meredes, it’s about thirty minutes ahead of schedule.
“I encountered her while collecting stag beetles in the forest. Her whole body’s covered in wounds, and she’s so starved she has no strength left. I gave her a Recovery Elixir first, but her body can’t take it after starving so long. For now, treat the wounds with holy magic…… Your Highness?”
Meredes apparently hadn’t expected me here this early in the morning. I crouched down, patted the floor, and said.
“Put her here. Let me see.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The girl’s body was covered in wounds. Serious ones that had festered and oozed pus.
I used Healing and Anti Poison simultaneously, carefully restoring the girl’s battered body.
“Ugh, uuu…….”
The girl regained consciousness and groaned, writhing. I told Meredes to fetch water, then pulled out a pre-prepared sugar bar from my pocket, broke off a piece, and placed it in her mouth.
“Can you eat this?”
“Ugh……. Nom nom……. Hmm?”
After finishing the piece, the girl’s eyes widened round, and she flailed her hands. I handed her the rest of the sugar bar and said.
“You can eat all of this. What’s your name? How’d you end up in the Lunenbreth family’s forest?”
“Ugh……. I, I’m……. Lu, Lu…….”
This girl’s name is Luneda.
But before she could finish saying her name, she suddenly flipped over and buried her face in the floor.
“Please help! Please save the village!”
“Village? What village?”
“I-I ran away from Alun Village in Verit.”
Instantly, the surrounding maids gasped and buzzed.
“Oh no, she really is from Verit…….”
“Alun? That one nearby?”
“Heavens, even so, for a child like this to come all the way from there…….”
Verit was a discriminated territory, so reactions were usually negative or hostile.
But the maids’ voices held pity because half of them here were from Verit themselves.
“This year’s harvest was so bad……. Everyone’s starving. But the lord took everything left, so we can’t live. No tree bark to peel in the mountains, no dried potatoes hidden in the cellar. Sob, no, I’m sorry for lying. I actually stole potatoes secretly and came here. Without them, my mom and siblings might starve to death. I don’t know who you are, but please save us. Please save my family and the villagers…….”
The girl desperately kept talking until she suddenly went limp and lost consciousness.
Whew.
Even though I’d seen this scene repeated every regression, it still tugged at my heart each time.
If I could, I’d have saved and brought her here before she suffered to get this far.
But doing so would change her fate. That’s the problem—I can’t interfere sloppily.
Lune, having left the village, takes a total of seven days to reach here.
Saving her on the first day means nothing happens.
If rescued between the fourth and fifth day, she uses her last strength upon seeing me and dies on the spot.
But if she makes it to the mansion somehow, I can revive her like this afterward.
It seems around the sixth day she reaches some awakening beyond her limits. She said so herself.
Anyway, in past regressions, the Lune saved on day one and the one who reached the mansion became entirely different beings.
Race: Human
Current Magic: F
Potential Magic: A
Yeah. She awakened this time too.
Appraisal Eye confirmed it instantly.
Lune, who fled to Lunenbreth mansion solely on her own power, awakens to magic afterward and grows into a mage rivaling an Arch Wizard.
But this is just the beginning.
The reason I’ve rushed through various tech trees so far is exactly for this.
To start the Mad Prince Route today, September 6th of my first regression year.