After several days of travel, the royal carriage finally arrived at the capital of Aerith Kingdom.
The massive gates opened as soldiers welcomed the returning delegation.
News of Prince John’s victory in Wilhelm Kingdom had already spread throughout the capital.
Many citizens gathered along the streets to catch a glimpse of the young prince.
John, however, paid little attention to the cheering crowd.
His mind was already focused on the future.
Soon, he, Nick, and Sir Carol entered the royal palace.
Inside the throne room, King Alexander waited for them.
The moment they entered, Sir Carol bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty.”
King Alexander nodded.
“Welcome home.”
His gaze shifted toward John.
“I heard you caused quite a stir in Wilhelm.”
John smiled faintly.
“Only a small one.”
Sir Carol almost laughed.
Defeating Rudolf and impressing King Magnus was hardly a small matter.
The king gestured for them to begin their report.
For the next hour, Sir Carol explained everything.
The duel.
The negotiations.
The agreements they had secured.
Freshwater access.
Trade cooperation.
Military support from Wilhelm Kingdom.
As the report continued, King Alexander’s expression gradually brightened.
When Sir Carol finally finished, the king leaned back in his throne.
“Excellent.”
For the first time in many years, relations between Aerith and Wilhelm had significantly improved.
“Both of you have done well.”
John and Nick bowed respectfully.
After a few more discussions, the meeting ended.
Later that evening, John walked through the palace corridors toward his room.
The palace was quieter than usual.
Most officials had already retired for the night.
As he turned a corner, he suddenly heard voices coming from a nearby chamber.
The door was slightly open.
John stopped.
Inside, he recognized two familiar voices.
King Alexander.
And Sir Carol.
Neither had noticed him.
John remained silent and listened.
Sir Carol looked concerned.
“Our workforce is slowly returning to work.”
King Alexander nodded.
“That’s good news.”
Sir Carol hesitated.
“Not entirely.”
The king frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Sir Carol placed several reports onto the table.
“A growing number of workers have become addicted to a certain drug.”
The king’s expression darkened immediately.
“I heard rumors.”
Sir Carol nodded.
“At first, we thought it was a minor issue.”
He pointed toward the reports.
“But the number keeps growing.”
The king slowly clenched his fist.
“If we don’t stop this…”
Sir Carol finished the sentence.
“We could lose a significant portion of our workforce.”
Silence filled the room.
John’s eyes narrowed.
A drug problem?
He vaguely remembered something similar happening.
But back then, nobody had acted quickly enough.
Eventually, entire districts suffered because of it.
For several moments, John remained silent.
Then he quietly left before either man noticed him.
As he walked back toward his room, a decision formed in his mind.
He would investigate personally.
An hour later, a palace servant knocked on Nick’s door.
“The prince requests your presence.”
Nick sighed.
Whenever John called for him unexpectedly, trouble usually followed.
A few minutes later, he entered John’s room.
“You called?”
John looked up from his chair.
“I need your help.”
Nick immediately became suspicious.
“With what?”
John calmly answered.
“Bring me two sets of beggar clothes.”
Nick blinked.
“…What?”
“Beggar clothes.”
For several moments, Nick simply stared at him.
Then he asked the obvious question.
“Are you leaving the kingdom?”
John stood up.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“No.”
Nick narrowed his eyes.
“Then why do we need beggar clothes?”
John walked toward the window and looked out over the sleeping capital.
His expression became serious.
“Because we need to go somewhere.”