“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”
Standing at the head of the welcoming party was a girl who still had a trace of youthfulness about her.
Her beautiful face and the black hair streaming beneath it were striking, but something else stood out even more.
Her clothing.
There was nothing unusual about the leather armor and axe if she was dressed as a female warrior.
But the raw hide she wore over her head was impossible to overlook.
It was probably from a wolf.
Judging from the size of the wolf’s head alone, which was large enough to completely cover the girl’s face, it had not been an ordinary wolf.
Something that large might have been a type of monster rather than a normal beast.
Saul recalled the peculiar custom of this region that he had read about in books.
When receiving a particularly important guest, the person sent to welcome them would dress in what they considered their finest attire.
And among the warriors of this land, the most prestigious clothing was said to be made from the raw hide of the first prey they had hunted entirely through their own strength.
In the royal capital, people considered silk, finely processed luxury fur, or high-quality woolen garments the finest attire.
But warriors of this region regarded the raw hide of prey they had personally hunted as their finest clothing.
This girl was not challenging Prince Saul or expressing dissatisfaction with him.
She was showing him the highest respect she knew.
‘Just as I heard.’
If the other party had shown him respect, it was only proper to respond accordingly.
Saul smiled faintly and said,
“It is good to meet you. What is your name?”
“My name is Aina Hopkins, eldest daughter of House Hopkins.”
“Ah. The lord has sent his precious daughter to welcome me. I look forward to your assistance.”
“Yes, Your Highness. It is an honor to welcome such an esteemed guest.”
After greeting Saul, Aina bowed her head to Kastel, who stood behind him.
“You must be Lady Kastel.”
Kastel nodded.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. It is an honor to welcome the benefactor who saved our territory.”
Kastel nodded again.
At first glance, Aina seemed proper and sufficiently courteous.
However, having been born a prince and trained from childhood to judge manners and bearing, Saul could see several shortcomings.
The angle of her body when she bowed, the way she walked—there were flaws in practically every aspect of her etiquette.
Saul simply saw no reason to complain so long as she was not openly disrespectful.
Besides, Aina practically ignored Saul as she openly gazed at Kastel with admiration.
She seemed to have forgotten entirely about Saul, who technically outranked Kastel.
“Escort His Highness!”
At Aina’s command, the soldiers moved with crisp discipline.
Unlike the somewhat awkward manner in which she had greeted Saul, she seemed entirely accustomed to commanding soldiers.
Before long, the troops brought by House Hopkins merged with the royal escort.
Saul climbed back into his carriage, while Aina personally mounted a horse and rode beside it.
Watching her through the carriage window, Saul muttered,
“That girl is rather interesting.”
Instead of agreeing, Gray clicked his tongue.
“I understand that this is the custom and etiquette of the region, but.... Hmph. I do not like it. Dressing a young girl in raw animal hide like some barbarian and sending her to welcome a prince....”
Kastel, however, saw things differently from Gray.
“That girl appears quite skilled for her age.”
“Yes. I sensed it too. She seems capable of using mana.”
“Her axe was not ceremonial. It was made for actual combat. I also saw signs that it had been used.”
“Exactly. She looked much more comfortable commanding troops or fighting than doing something like this.”
Saul’s first meeting with Aina, the lord’s daughter, had certainly been memorable, but nothing else of note happened afterward.
The royal escort and the forces dispatched by the lord guarded Saul with extraordinary care as they traveled toward the center of the territory.
Sajeta.
It was the central city of the Gallet Region and the home of its lord.
Compared with Ledia, the capital of the Kingdom of Darsen where the royal palace was located, Sajeta barely seemed worthy of being called a ‘city.’
It had walls and gates surrounding it and was the busiest settlement in the Gallet Region, but it could not compare with Ledia in size, splendor, or population.
After passing through walls and gates less than half the height of Ledia’s, Saul was greeted by an unfamiliar sight.
Compared with Ledia, most of the houses were smaller and shabbier.
The residents themselves were also markedly different.
It was not merely that their clothing was simpler.
Some were not even human.
The Darsen capital of Ledia was thoroughly a human city.
There was no formally enacted ‘law restricting other races from residing in Ledia,’ but such a restriction existed as an unwritten rule.
Members of other races were allowed to visit Ledia briefly when they had business there, but except in truly exceptional circumstances, they were not permitted to remain for long or take up residence.
The same unwritten rule prevailed not only in Ledia, but throughout the Kingdom of Darsen and even in the neighboring Kingdom of Gamelda.
As a result, other races such as elves and dwarves generally lived in neutral territories beyond the influence of the two kingdoms or along their remote frontiers.
Places like the Gallet Region.
Saul spotted a handsome young man with long, pointed ears conversing with a heavily bearded man barely half the height of an average human.
The beautiful one was an elf.
The short, heavily bearded one was a dwarf.
Roland had seen their kind several times in his previous life, but this was Saul’s first time seeing them in his current one.
Saul spoke as though he were seeing other races for the first time.
“Are those the other races I’ve only heard about?”
Gray truly seemed to be seeing them for the first time.
“Fascinating. I had heard that this region maintains extensive contact with other races, but....”
House Hopkins, which governed this region, dealt extensively with other races and was skilled at managing relations with them.
That was one of the reasons the royal family had allowed House Hopkins to retain its autonomy.
Rather than handle other races poorly and risk creating problems, the royal family had acknowledged House Hopkins’s autonomy and, in return, entrusted the house with responsibility for matters involving the other races in the region.
It truly was very different from the capital.
“I should make an effort to get along with the people here.”
Kastel agreed.
“That would be wise. House Hopkins takes great pride in itself. If you slight them, they will bear a grudge.”
“You’re right. There’s no reason to travel this far only to create enemies deliberately.”
Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the lord’s estate.
The estate was fairly large, but its appearance was rugged and unadorned.
It had been built sturdily from stone, with decorations that served no practical purpose kept to a minimum.
There were also signs of burning, destruction, and subsequent repairs in several places.
They were probably remnants of the Six-Year War, when the estate had briefly fallen under the occupation of the Kingdom of Gamelda.
‘The people here must hate the Kingdom of Gamelda as well. Just like I do.’
Thinking this, Saul stepped out of the carriage and saw the lord’s family waiting to receive him.
At their head stood a somewhat tall, graying man.
Although he was older, his sturdy physique, the large scar across his face, and the axe strapped to his back all revealed that he was a seasoned warrior.
This was undoubtedly Duncan Hopkins, lord of the region.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Duncan spoke first and bowed.
His daughter Aina quickly moved to his side, followed by his son Kalland, the household retainers, and the soldiers, all of whom bowed in turn.
A poor first impression would be troublesome.
Saul gave them the most gracious smile he could manage.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, Lord Hopkins.”
“Please come inside. We have prepared a meal.”
As Saul entered the estate, a man approached him.
The royal guards, unaware of the man’s identity, immediately became wary, prompting him to introduce himself.
“Your Highness. My name is Pierre. I am the Royal Inspector.”
“The Royal Inspector? I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
“Yes. I will do everything in my power to ensure that Your Highness suffers no inconvenience while staying here.”
“Thank you.”
Saul studied Inspector Pierre as the man greeted him.
He had a balding head and a stout build, and Saul could not sense even the slightest trace of mana from him. He was clearly neither a warrior nor a mage.
At first glance, Pierre looked like an ordinary official who merely wanted to hold onto a comfortable government post and earn his living.
But there was no possibility that he was such an insignificant man.
House Hopkins was one of the few remaining lordly houses in the kingdom.
It possessed not only autonomy but also a private army known as the Lord’s Army.
The Royal Inspector served as the link between House Hopkins and the royal family while simultaneously keeping watch over the house.
Father would never have chosen just anyone for such an important position.
For now, Pierre was probably the person Saul could trust most within the Hopkins estate.
Saul greeted Pierre once more.
“I’ll be relying on you from now on.”
“Of course. If there is even the slightest inconvenience, please tell me without hesitation, Your Highness.”
***
From his arrival in the Gallet Region until the banquet that evening, Saul was treated with all the courtesy befitting a prince.
Not a single member of House Hopkins openly showed discomfort at Prince Saul’s presence, instead doing their best to accommodate him.
Saul likewise paid close attention to his behavior and bearing so that he would leave as favorable a first impression as possible.
Thanks to that, everything proceeded smoothly.
The night had grown late, but the lord, his children, and most of the others still remained at the banquet.
Saul decided it was finally time to address the real reason he had come.
“Lord Hopkins.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Duncan had drunk more than ten cups of alcohol, yet he barely seemed intoxicated.
Perhaps the man was as formidable a drinker as his appearance suggested.
Saul, who had yet to develop any familiarity with alcohol in this body, took a sip of a magically chilled drink before continuing.
“Although I am young, I have learned many things, and I am still striving to learn more.”
“What do you mean, Your Highness?”
“I did not come here to amuse myself or become a burden to you. I came because I want to help both you and the kingdom.”
Duncan asked calmly,
“I am grateful for Your Highness’s words. But as you can see, this region is insignificant compared with the royal capital. I am not sure there is anything here that would require a prince’s assistance.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure there will be something I can help with.”
“Your Highness intends to assist me personally?”
“You saw my Magic Sword, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“As Kastel’s disciple, I would like to gain practical experience while helping resolve the problems in this territory.”
It was not the first time Duncan had heard such a claim.
The Royal Inspector had told him that Saul was Kastel’s disciple, but Duncan had assumed that the message had either been distorted or exaggerated.
Was this prince truly a disciple of the ‘Black Witch’ Kastel?
Suppressing his surprise, Duncan asked,
“Your Highness, what I am about to say may sound somewhat discourteous, but... my territory is not a good place to gain practical combat experience.”
“You mean because it’s dangerous?”
“That is correct. I understand that monsters have largely disappeared from around the royal capital. But in my territory, once you leave the few safe areas, you may encounter not only wild beasts such as wolves, but monsters as well. Then there are bandits, rebels, other races that do not readily obey the kingdom’s authority, and spies from the Kingdom of Gamelda who are undoubtedly hiding somewhere within the territory.... This place is far more dangerous than the capital.”
From Duncan’s perspective, he had offered the warning as tactfully as possible.
Saul, however, had no intention of heeding it.
“I understand what you mean. But I still want to help.”
Duncan sighed inwardly.
He could hardly refuse a prince to his face.
Saul’s manner was undeniably courteous and his tone gentle, but in practical terms, it was little different from delivering an order in an imperious voice.
If Saul had come all this way with the king’s permission, then Duncan, a mere lord, could not simply refuse because he disliked the idea.
“Understood. I will gratefully accept Your Highness’s assistance.”
“Thank you.”
Having finished discussing the main issue, Saul rose from his seat with a final greeting not long afterward.
Kastel and Gray, whom Saul had brought with him, followed, as did Royal Inspector Pierre.