After Saul left, the people of the territory who remained in the banquet hall resumed their conversation.
“He truly is reckless.”
Everyone nodded at Aina’s remark.
Duncan asked her,
“You escorted the prince here, so you had a chance to observe him. What did you think?”
“He seemed polite and kind. But he clearly doesn’t understand what he’s getting himself into. He looks so frail that I’d expect him to turn tail and run at the mere sight of a monster’s shadow.”
“This is truly troublesome.”
It certainly was a headache.
If Prince Saul truly was a disciple of the ‘Black Witch,’ then despite his young age, he probably possessed a certain level of ability.
But an inexperienced youngster who trusted too much in his own strength was more likely to die than an incompetent coward.
What if Prince Saul suffered an accident or even lost his life within this small territory?
House Hopkins would be held responsible for everything.
And the autonomy of House Hopkins would probably end that very day.
“What do you think we should do?”
At Duncan’s worried question, one of his retainers spoke.
“Why not contact the capital?”
Another retainer disagreed.
“It would be pointless. We were told that His Majesty the King personally approved this.”
“Then are we supposed to let that ignorant young prince run around doing whatever he pleases?”
“What else can we do? We cannot drive a prince away or treat him poorly.”
As the retainers argued back and forth, Kalland spoke.
“They are right, Father. We must continue treating the prince with the utmost hospitality. If we show even the slightest negligence, His Highness himself may overlook it, but the Royal Inspector certainly will not.”
Duncan nodded at his clever son’s words.
He did not know much about the prince, but he knew that Pierre was no easy man to deal with.
If Pierre sent an unfavorable report to the royal family, problems could immediately arise between House Hopkins and the crown.
And if that happened, the weaker House Hopkins would most likely be the one to suffer.
“This is truly difficult. If he had simply come here to travel or rest, we could entertain him until he was satisfied and then send him home. But that prince says he came to gain practical combat experience. Judging from what he said, he looks ready to go hunting monsters or suppressing bandits. If anything goes wrong, our territory will be held responsible for all of it.”
Everyone sighed at the worried retainer’s words.
Then Aina spoke.
“Father.”
“Do you have a good idea?”
“I think we should give the prince what he wants.”
“What do you mean?”
“From what I saw, that prince has never fought a battle where his life was genuinely at stake. He may have learned magic because he’s the Black Witch’s disciple, but does he really understand what life and death mean? Does he know the weight of blood?”
“And?”
“If he realizes how immature he really is, won’t he leave this place on his own?”
“Are you suggesting that we deliberately put the prince in danger?”
“We don’t need to go that far. But wouldn’t it be enough to show him what fighting on a real battlefield means? To show him what life and death actually are?”
Duncan considered his daughter’s words for a moment before replying.
“If something goes wrong, we could find ourselves in trouble.”
“What if I personally accompany the prince and teach him what reality is like?”
“You?”
Duncan looked at his daughter.
It had not been long since she underwent her coming-of-age ceremony.
But she had been experiencing ‘real combat’ for several years even before that ceremony.
Aina was a natural-born warrior.
She had been swinging an axe since childhood and had become an accomplished combatant before she even reached adulthood.
At thirteen, she had slain a monster and, according to the customs of the region, turned its raw hide into her ‘Warrior’s Proof.’
She was an excellent warrior, but immature in other respects, which was why Duncan had not taught her everything concerning House Hopkins.
Still, Aina might be able to show an inexperienced prince the harsh reality of actual combat.
And if the lord’s own daughter personally assisted the prince and taught him about real combat, no one could accuse House Hopkins of treating him poorly.
If Aina matured further through this opportunity, perhaps Duncan could finally teach her everything about House Hopkins as well.
After thinking for some time, Duncan asked,
“Are you confident?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Very well. Then you will deal with the prince. But remember this. Even if you come to dislike him, you must remain respectful until the very end.”
“Of course. For the sake of our house as well, I will make certain not to make any mistakes.”
“Good.”
***
Saul arrived at his room with Kastel, Gray, and Royal Inspector Pierre.
It was supposedly the most luxurious guest room in the estate, but it was nowhere near as splendid as Saul’s palace.
“I apologize for the humble accommodations.”
Saul smiled and shook his head at Pierre’s frank words.
“This is more than enough.”
“If there is anything that inconveniences you, or anything you wish to know, please tell me at any time.”
“Thank you. Then may I ask you something now?”
“Of course. Please ask whatever you wish.”
“In your opinion, Inspector, do the lord and the others truly welcome me?”
At Saul’s incisive question, Pierre did not answer immediately.
His eyes shifted as he visibly considered how to respond without offending the prince.
Saul smiled again.
“So they don’t genuinely welcome me after all.”
“M-My apologies. Those ignorant frontier folk do not know any better....”
“No. From the lord’s perspective, merely having someone like me stay here must be a considerable burden. It can’t be helped if they aren’t genuinely pleased to have me.”
At Saul’s words, Pierre muttered inwardly,
‘I thought he was just an immature child.... But if he already understands that, why did he come all the way to this frontier? And why give that strange excuse about wanting to help the territory?’
Pierre kept his questions to himself.
Saul likewise had nothing more to discuss with him today.
“I’ll call for you if I need anything. You may leave now, Inspector.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Gray, you may go as well.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Gray, Pierre, and everyone else who needed to leave withdrew.
Only Saul and Kastel remained in the room.
“You know this region fairly well, don’t you, Teacher?”
“It has been ten years since I last came here.”
“Ten years. A long time in some ways, and a short time in others.”
Ten years certainly could be considered a long time.
And yet it could also feel remarkably short.
Saul could still vividly remember Kastel appearing before him as an enemy and taking his life, even though that had happened more than fifteen years ago.
Concealing his thoughts behind a smile, Saul asked,
“You agreed with my decision to come here, didn’t you, Teacher?”
“I merely agreed that Your Highness requires real combat experience in order to improve.”
“Either way, you agreed.”
An ordinary person would probably have opposed Saul’s plan and used every possible means to stop him.
Kastel, however, had never objected from the moment she heard about it.
Whether that was because she sincerely believed it would benefit Saul or because she simply had not thought very deeply about it, even Saul could not tell.
What mattered was that Kastel was currently on his side.
At least until the day he betrayed her first.
“You should go and rest now too, Teacher. I should probably....”
Just then, the voice of a guard came from outside.
“Your Highness, pardon the interruption!”
“What is it?”
“Lady Aina requests an audience.”
If the lord’s daughter had personally come to see him, she probably had important business.
“Let her in.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The door soon opened, and Aina entered.
She bowed upon entering the room.
Her movements were disciplined and respectful, though her greeting resembled that of a soldier far more than that of a young noblewoman.
“My apologies for visiting at such a late hour, Your Highness.”
“It’s all right. What is it?”
“Yes. Father has agreed to cooperate with Your Highness’s plans.”
“I’m grateful. And?”
“If you permit me, I would like to accompany Your Highness personally.”
“…….”
That was unexpected.
Saul had not anticipated the lord’s daughter volunteering to accompany him herself.
Of course, Saul would need a guide for his plans.
He had intended to have the territory assign a soldier or knight to fill that role.
But now the lord’s daughter herself was offering to do it.
‘I suppose I could interpret this as them trying to treat me well because I’m a prince. But....’
Saul knew perfectly well that he appeared reckless to others.
They could not stop a reckless prince from doing what he wanted, so they had assigned the lord’s daughter to accompany him.
There had to be a reason behind it.
‘I’ll watch and see for now.’
She seemed to have an ulterior motive, but she had still approached him respectfully.
In that case, was it not proper for a prince to accept the courtesy?
“All right. Please tell Lord Hopkins that I appreciate his consideration.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Aina withdrew soon afterward, followed by Kastel.
Left alone, Saul meditated briefly before lying down on the bed.
“It doesn’t seem like the lord is exactly thrilled to have me here....”
He had expected as much.
There could hardly be a more intrusive outsider than someone who had suddenly arrived like this.
There was no reason to be flustered.
He had prepared himself for all of it.
***
For the next several days, Saul quietly spent his time training and resting.
True to her nature as a strict teacher, Kastel did not go easy on Saul merely because they were staying in someone else’s territory.
“Today, we will practice casting as many offensive spells as possible while using your mana with maximum efficiency.”
Kastel had worked Saul mercilessly even at the royal palace.
There was no possibility that she would neglect his training elsewhere.
Once again, she put him through her brutal regimen, supplying him with nearly unlimited stamina and mana while pushing him as hard as possible.
Fortunately, if it could be called that, the training sessions were shorter than they had been at the royal palace.
“That will be all for today.”
“Already?”
“We do not know when Your Highness will enter actual combat.”
Having experienced more than his share of real battles in his previous life, Saul immediately understood what Kastel meant.
In actual combat, even a minor injury that normally seemed insignificant could become a serious problem.
More importantly, when would that actual combat finally begin?
The lord’s daughter, Aina, had taken on the role of guide and said she would lead him somewhere suitable for combat within a few days.
It seemed about time for her to contact him.
In any case, after finishing his training, Saul headed for the estate’s bathing room.
On the way, he encountered Aina.
“Your Highness.”
“Aina.”
Aina glanced at Saul, who was drenched in sweat, then bowed her head.
Her bearing still resembled that of a soldier far more than a noblewoman.
“It appears you underwent strenuous training.”
“It’s fine. I did this every day in the capital. So, what is it?”
“One of the villages in the territory has reportedly been attacked by monsters. Would you like to go?”
“Really? When can we leave?”
“Whenever Your Highness wishes.”
“Then I’ll wash and we’ll leave immediately afterward.”
Aina flinched at Saul’s response.
Apparently, she had not expected him to act so quickly.
“Are you certain?”
Saul deliberately pretended not to understand, hoping to gauge Aina’s true intentions.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Hmm....”
Aina’s eyes darted about as she thought.
Saul nearly burst out laughing at the sight.
Aina seemed like an exceptional warrior for her age, but she was still not someone Saul—who clearly remembered living for more than twenty years in his previous life—could not handle.
After thinking for some time, Aina reached a conclusion.
“Understood. Then I will make the preparations.”
As Aina bowed and slowly withdrew, Saul thought,
‘She’s capable for her age, but she’s still young after all. I wonder how skilled she really is.’
In any case, this was an opportunity for real combat that would have been difficult to obtain in the royal capital.
Saul immediately began preparing as well.