Chapter 11 :

Episode 11 - The Agony of an Onlooker(1)

 

"Tollin!"

 

When the lake came into view in the distance, the duke spotted his aide lying collapsed over the horse standing by the lakeside and ran forward in shock.

 

"What in the world is...."

 

"Ugh."

 

Perhaps he had even discovered the blood dried on his head, because the duke began looking around sharply.

 

But the culprit was standing beside him, so there was no way he could find him.

 

For my part, I was flustered because I had not expected him to still be unconscious.

 

No, I don’t think I hit him that hard?

 

After examining his condition for a moment, the duke also seemed to decide that Tollin’s state was not as serious as expected, and carefully pulled him down from the horse.

 

Watching the duke’s back as he laid him down by the lakeside and rummaged through his bag, I slowly moved toward the grass we had walked out from.

 

First, I had to return to human form before I could do anything.

 

- Prrr?

 

The brown horse, which had been looking at its master along with me, tilted its head at me as if it found me strange, but it did not cry out loudly or anything.

 

After entering the forest and confirming there was no one around, I went inside the space created by two beech trees that had half-collapsed and were leaning against each other.

 

Then I closed my eyes and thought that I wanted to return to human form.

 

Fortunately, whether it was a crow or a horse did not seem to matter, because the same warm energy as before wrapped around my body, and when I opened my eyes, I had returned to the seventh prince’s body.

 

Adjusting the bag that had turned slightly crooked, I hurried my steps.

 

If Tollin’s condition was truly bad and the duke decided to return and treat Tollin first, that would be troublesome in its own way.

 

It took a little longer than when I had been a horse, but I quickly found the path I was now walking for the third time and pushed through the bushes.

 

My view opened, and I saw the familiar lakeside, two horses, and two people.

 

Things had become more complicated than expected, but in any case, it was a relief that the tangled thread was now slowly being unraveled.

 

As I drew closer, I gradually heard their conversation.

 

"Tollin, do you know who did this?"

 

Tollin, who was holding a towel to his head, mumbled in response.

 

"I am not certain. I just suddenly felt a huge impact to my head...."

 

"This was lying nearby. It seems someone threw a stone at you."

 

The duke showed Tollin the bloodstained stone.

 

It was not a lot of blood, but the bloodstained area looked especially large.

 

Damn it, I can’t believe I left that there.

 

"Good heavens, at this size.... Could there have been an assassination attempt?"

 

"I cannot be certain. You and I were riding similar horses. It may have been aimed at me."

 

Could I not just postpone my meeting with the duke until a year later?

 

The protagonist is the protagonist, so he might have something like a protagonist buff.

 

I shook my head.

 

No, if I caused this mess, I had to take responsibility for it.

 

Judging from how dazed Tollin had been earlier, he might not properly remember my face.

 

Originally, when a person is hit on the head, their memory can briefly disappear.

 

Thinking so, I took another step forward.

 

"But.... Your Grace, before I lost consciousness, I saw a familiar face."

 

"What? Who was it! That person could be the culprit."

 

"The seventh prince.... It was the seventh prince."

 

Our protagonist was a growth-type character, so no matter what happened to the timeline, he would be able to overcome it well.

 

This time, I turned around without hesitation.

 

I thought I would make an opportunity to face the duke later, at least not right now.

 

Crunch.

 

But as always, god was not on my side, and I was usually the type to resent the other party, so my brief escape soon ended.

 

I glared at the beech nut beneath my foot, which looked especially large.

 

The thing, which seemed to have gotten caught on the end of my bag when I transformed back into a human earlier, had already been miserably crushed.

 

I took a short breath, then turned around.

 

I saw the duke looking expressionlessly near my feet, and Tollin, whose already pale face had turned even whiter as he bowed his head.

 

So, is the hunt going well?

 

If it is already ruined anyway, it would not be bad to completely wreck it.

 

* * *

 

A brief awkward silence filled the chilly space between the three of us.

 

The first to regain his senses was Duke Feedus.

 

"I greet the seventh prince."

 

"I, I greet the seventh prince."

 

Tollin, who awkwardly bowed his head after him, kept his head lowered and did not raise it again.

 

"I found Your Highness’ horse in the forest. Fearing that something might have happened to you, I followed as the horse led me, Your Highness."

 

Leaving the troubled Tollin behind, Duke Feedus took one step forward and opened his mouth.

 

When I looked around at those words, he seemed to realize something and continued.

 

"The horse disappeared while I was briefly distracted. I am truly sorry."

 

He bowed his head with a truly apologetic expression.

 

"Ah, there is no need to worry about that. It must have returned on its own. My horse is very clever, after all."

 

It was not wrong.

 

My horse, which was not merely clever but impudent, was probably grazing somewhere by now, and the black horse that had faced the duke had somehow found its way back here properly.

 

"Even so, I have no excuse."

 

He still did not raise his head and apologized to me.

 

I looked at his obedient figure and recalled the conversation in the forest.

 

The way he had muttered that there was no happiness greater than ignorance and oblivion.

 

In the book, because of an incident he experienced around this time, his heart wavered, but he desperately ignored it.

 

In other words, the duke currently lacked confidence in himself and was in a confused state.

 

And I intended to take advantage of that gap.

 

I watched Tollin, who was gauging the duke’s mood, and twisted my mouth.

 

He needed a slightly stronger stimulus.

 

"More importantly."

 

When I opened my mouth in a voice tinged with amusement, the duke seemed puzzled and raised his head to meet my eyes.

 

"Your aide does not seem to be in good condition. Is he all right?"

 

When I moved my feet and approached Tollin, who was standing half a step behind him, I felt the duke flinch.

 

"It seems he injured his head?"

 

Since the timid Tollin still had his head deeply lowered, I could see the cold sweat running down the nape of his neck.

 

"Raise your head. I did not ask to see the top of your head, sir."

 

"I, I apologize, Your Highness."

 

"What did I just say?"

 

When I pressured him, he had to raise his head while trembling.

 

Tollin Crisa.

 

The third son of the Count Crisa family, he was well-informed about political affairs and capable, but too timid to stand out.

 

The one who first trusted and brought him in was Duke Feedus.

 

And Duke Feedus, in turn, had his own reasons for cherishing him greatly.

 

The point was that this blue-haired young man was a very good target for provoking the duke.

 

I carefully examined his face.

 

Other than his forehead being slightly torn, he was fine.

 

It seemed the impact had been so great at the moment he was hit that he fainted, but the wound itself did not appear serious.

 

That should heal if he gets proper treatment and sleeps well for a week.

 

Since he had been injured because of me in the first place, tormenting him for a long time would not be a very humane thing to do.

 

I should end this quickly.

 

"It seems you were hit by a stone."

 

"Hic!"

 

Perhaps he remembered the conversation he had been having with the duke before I appeared, because he could not answer properly.

 

"Your Highness, right now, he is not feeling well...."

 

"Can you not see that I am speaking to your aide right now, Duke?"

 

I spoke coldly to the duke, who had cut in out of panic.

 

As though he still could not disobey a command from the imperial family, he shut his mouth tightly and stepped back.

 

Tollin, who had even begun hiccupping, had red-rimmed eyes and looked as though he was about to cry.

 

Perhaps he was remembering the rumors about me.

 

There were even rumors that I was a prince who boiled people alive.

 

Hoping that the rumors he had heard were not too cruel, I continued speaking.

 

"And earlier, I heard you say you saw something, and that it was me. Is that true?"

 

"N…no! That is absurd! I was out of my senses, so I did not see anything."

 

As though he understood what I was saying right away, he shook his head madly.

 

I saw the duke’s fist clench tightly as he watched that desperate sight of Tollin shaking his head frantically with a blood scab on his head.

 

I smiled.

 

"Yes, then you were not hit by a stone today, nor did you see me. Correct?"

 

"Yes, yes. That is correct, Your Highness."

 

He answered that way and lowered his head deeply again.

 

As if that could be true.

 

It had not been intentional, but he had been hit by the stone I threw, and he had indeed seen me.

 

Originally, he should have demanded an explanation from me on the spot, received an apology, and insisted that I be given a fitting punishment.

 

But at least today, no such thing would happen.

 

Because I was still the seventh prince.

 

Laws had no effect on me.

 

And this would be no different for the other members of the imperial family.

 

I wiped the smile completely from my face and looked at the duke expressionlessly.

 

The duke looked confused, and he also looked angry.

 

That was how it should be, because breaking out of self-hypnotic rationalization and facing objective facts always came with confusion and pain.

 

If one broke out of the egg by oneself, the pain might be a little less, but that was difficult for the duke right now.

 

If he could not overcome this now, the duke would lose something even greater later.

 

Leaving the trembling Tollin standing where he was, I slowly approached the duke and patted his shoulder.

 

"Look here, Duke. Since he obeys every word from the imperial family like this, your subordinate is truly….loyal."

 

The duke did not answer.

 

He only nodded slightly, so faintly that it was hard to notice.

 

"Just like a subject of the duke, who is like a loyal dog toward the imperial family."

 

He said nothing again. But the inside of him would not be as quiet as his mouth.

 

"The young duke must be the same, right? Since he grew up watching you. I truly look forward to his future."

 

When the young duke was mentioned, he became visibly shaken.

 

He had been unable to meet my eyes, but now he abruptly raised his face and met them.

 

What was contained in them was clear anger.

 

I did not avoid his gaze.

 

"He will become a faithful dog of the imperial family too. He will walk the same path as you. A path where he simply grovels before every word of the imperial family like this."

 

"Th, that is....."

 

"Are you not pleased?"

 

At my question, he seemed to regain his senses and slowly opened his mouth.

 

"…That is so. It is the glory of the family."

 

"And the person who will watch that from closest by will be you, his father, Duke. I sincerely hope you will be proud then as well, Duke. Proud of your son who obeys the imperial family’s orders under any circumstances."

 

The deeply wrinkled corners of the duke’s eyes trembled faintly.

 

This should be enough.

 

"Pojab and Plin must have worked hard for this. They must have tended to my horse and been dragged around here and there to help me, so this is for them."

 

I took off the bag I had been carrying the whole time and set it down at his feet.

 

Thud.

 

The mouth of the bag, which had fallen at his feet with a heavy sound, opened slightly, revealing what was packed inside.

 

….Stones.

 

Yes, this was the reason why I, who was not even hunting, had been carrying this extremely heavy bag all day.

 

To hand him this pile of stones packed into a bag.

 

Although it had not been my intention, because I had hit Tollin with a stone, it had ended up looking as though I was completely mocking him.

 

Did it not look as though I was teasing him after hitting Tollin with this stone?

 

Here, this is the stone that hit your aide. Even if I openly say it was me like this, Duke Feedus still cannot say anything, can he?

 

It looked as though I was delivering that kind of message.

 

I had not planned to go this far, but if it could provoke the duke even more, I supposed that was fine.

 

"I thank you, Your Highness."

 

"Yes, make sure you do not part with it for the rest of the day."

 

Without a word, he picked up the bag I had thrown, or rather dropped, and slung it over his shoulder.

 

When he straightened his bent waist and looked at me, his eyes still looked confused, but at least they did not waver as they had before.

 

I thought it seemed like he had steadied himself somehow.

 

He still maintained the flawless posture of a knight toward me, and he did not look at me insolently either.

 

But something inside him had certainly changed today.

 

I examined his eyes a little more, then turned around, saying I would leave now.

 

Though because I had lost my horse, I had to borrow the duke’s horse.

 

Truly a perfect piece of trash to the very end.

 

As I rode away, I turned my head briefly and took in the sight of the two still bowing their heads to me by the lakeside.

 

I had done something sorry. But it could not be helped.

 

In the original work, at next year’s hunting tournament, he would speak to the emperor against tradition, then fall off a cliff.

 

The duke at that time had already lost what was most precious to him, so he did not need a catalyst like me.

 

He did not die.

 

Because then he would not be a major character.

 

He lost one leg and miraculously survived.

 

And then he abandoned all status and names and was reborn under the name One-Legged Jing.

 

One-Legged Jing, the friend and parent who stayed by his side until the end of the novel, and the protagonist’s one and only master.