The country that that man described as ‘beautiful’ was certainly magnificent and prosperous.
Even the remote towns far from the royal capital stayed clean and vibrant. There was, of course, always a gap between the rich and the poor, but generally, the commoners remained reasonably wealthy. At least, much better than the living skeletons back in Skeltz. Not once did I see anyone starving, dying, or lying in the middle of the road.
The fields were filled with crops, and the roadside with flowers. Never were either under threat of being trampled by a warhorse. It felt like I was shown unshakeable evidence that peace truly existed in this world.
The royal capital was all the more abundant, with the main castle standing proud at the back of the orderly townscape; a true work of art. Unlike the vulgar, rugged, and gaudy Skeltz castles, it was breathtaking to see the chalk-like structure illuminated by the setting sun.
However, I didn’t feel the desire to live in this country like what that man had claimed.
It was so different from where I was born that I couldn’t imagine actually living in this dream-land.
Besides, this is where I die anyway.
With that in mind, a grand castle was no different from a well-decorated graveyard.
I knew myself enough to trust my arm with the sword.
But I never thought, not even for a single moment, that I would ever taste a sliver of a chance of assassinating the king of Nebel.
And of course, I failed miserably.
As I was pinned down by the guards who captured me, I looked far into the distance before silently muttering in my heart, I knew it would be like this. With mounds of riches and power at their beck and call, the Nebel Kingdom possessed abundant human resources. I couldn’t possibly do anything alone.
Just getting this far and so close to the King’s chamber was already an achievement in its own right. But however, in their eyes, I’m just a small fry that could be crushed at any time.
“And from which hole did you crawl out from?”
A nonchalant voice came above me as I was roughly held down against the floor.
Because my arms were restrained tightly, I barely managed to raise my face towards him.
A man who sank deeply into the single sofa leisurely crossed his legs. He had neat and handsome features, and I realised without a doubt he was the one who spoke earlier.
When I was seen by those piercing deep blue eyes gazing from behind his platinum bangs, my body instantly tensed up. I felt like I was suffocating.
I saw a born champion who was able to bend his enemies to his will without having to lift a finger. King Nebel Randolf von Wervard was looking down on me with no urgency whatsoever.
As I endured the temptation to avert my eyes, he quietly spoke.
The king also slightly tilted his head to the side. His perfectly straight hair sharply moved out of place.
“Don’t feel like saying anything, are we? Well, I have a rough idea anyway.”
That’s a given, I agreed, throwing the towel deep within my heart.
Only a handful of countries were currently willing to fight Nebel, a kingdom that was booming in commerce, mining, and agriculture.
Although the Raptor Kingdom fit the criteria above, that country’s leaders preferred to use their cunning methods and opt to slither around like a snake instead. Those guys would probably wait for an opportunity when Nebel’s powers waned, like during a war, not when they were in their currently matchless condition.
It wasn’t common to send out assassins outside of one’s own country, but if a king were to be killed when international tensions were high, chaos would definitely ensue. An event like that would be far-reaching. Since the stakes were high regardless of the possible benefits, only an idiot would ever attempt to do something like that.
That means there was only one person foolish enough to send out an assassin for the King of Nebel in times like this.
But I wouldn’t admit it despite the obviousness of it all.
Of course, I wasn’t doing it out of a sense of duty or loyal devotion. Rather, it was my own sheer stubbornness.
Since being born, I had always been treated as something cheaply expendable, but at the very least, I had the grace of being born a human.
I’d rather die proudly than beg for my life before being miserably killed off.
I wanted to be the one to choose how my own life ends.
The king continued to gaze at me as I refused to say even a single word. His brows furrowed in slight irritation. I heard a sigh escape from his well-shaped lips.
“It seems the rumour that a certain spendthrift king is more than willing to waste his excellent men by throwing them at my castle is true.”
For a moment, I was dumbfounded by what I’d just heard.
Who would’ve thought that despite being treated like trash even back in my own motherland, the king of an enemy nation—and my target, no less—would just casually praise me?
The king, however, continued without paying me any mind, and I stared at him, still stunned.
“Even if the attempt was successful, I doubt the situation would improve on his end. What foolishness.”
“…Wouldn’t this country plunge into chaos when you fall? Nebel wouldn’t be in any state to wage a successful war.”
Curious, I raised a question to him.
My determination to remain silent was broken by the interest I had for this man.
I thought I would be reprimanded for my attitude, but the king didn’t care at all. And perhaps it was because they knew the king’s intentions, the guards holding me down didn’t say anything either.
“Sure, it would be somewhat chaotic, but it would soon return to normalcy almost immediately. This country wasn’t built so brittle that it can be toppled by the death of one person. Both the country and my successor.”
The weight of those simple words almost made me forget how to breathe.
The cold, rational thinking where one would only see themselves as a mere piece on a board while standing on top of a country. His trust in both his land and heir were also nothing short of extraordinary.
I finally realised the terror of who I was trying to kill and could only tremble in place.
At the same time, I felt envious. From the bottom of my heart, I envied everyone in this country who honoured this man as their king.
I remembered laughing before what I thought was my death, all the while wondering whether I had any more regrets.
But people often do not know how their lives will turn out.
The king didn’t give the order for an execution. On the contrary, I ended up being one of his spies. But I wasn’t spared because he was generous or anything like that.
Common sense would deemed it disadvantageous to carry around a ticking bomb that could turn on you at any time, even if it meant possibly getting some high-level intel on Skeltz.
But not that I’m complaining. I had no desire to part with the good fortune I had found myself in.
They can call me untrustworthy all they want, I could just shut them up with hard work later.
I want to serve this country under its king.
That was what I wished for from the bottom of my heart.
“I was nearly handed over to his daughter, though.”
I unwittingly muttered, still lost in the past.
‘Did you say something?’ Wolf asked, but I simply shook my head.
It’s a funny story now that I look back on it, but I was in for quite the shock back then.
If it was the first prince then I might’ve been content, but his daughter? There was no reason why some pretty, caged-up, sheltered little princess would ever need her own spy. I was disappointed when I thought I was, once again, being used to humour a woman.
In retrospect, of course there was no way His Majesty, that mass of pure logic, would simply hand me over to his daughter over a stupid reason like that.
Rather than thinking that I was unnecessary, it was more like he thought the princess could be of use.
At the time, blood was rushing to my head so much that I was blinded from seeing through such a trivial thing.
At the princess’s discretion, I managed to avoid working for her, but I was soon assigned to follow her around anyway.
A lot of things that happened surprised me.
How could such a small, pre-teen princess have such a deep well of knowledge and connections? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I was astonished.
For better or for worse, there was constant turmoil revolving around the princess, who seemed to have a knack for attracting trouble.
I think it was her natural talent.
The first prince was famous for being perfect in all areas, but that was because of painstaking effort on his part, not ‘natural talent.’ The princess, however, was able to easily enchant people. Her charms go to the point that most, if not anyone, would want to do something for her.
If the princess was born a prince instead, the kingdom would’ve already broken into different factions by now.
But it’s not like I’m thinking, or even wanting, for that wish to be true.
In fact, she was the one woman who had overturned my thoughts on all women alike; that they were not mere beautiful decorations.
The princess’s journey was full of ups and downs, and she found herself in trouble many times over.
Despite that, she never relied on the strength of others. Even though it was easy for her to be offered others’ goodwill, she didn’t know what to do with it. And when she tried her hardest and still failed, she never blamed anyone else but herself.
She was different from every other woman I had ever known.
The way she went about things was undoubtedly unwieldy and tactless, but her foolish way of living was terribly precious to me.
Especially that time in the Kua village. I could never forget the moment she was about to be enshrined as a goddess.
I still remember to this day the surprise and fear that the princess in that crowd had felt; isolated with no support. Despite that, she still cut off the easy route in spite of her trembling heart.
If she had instead pretended to be a goddess and passed on her responsibilities to the patriarch as planned, she wouldn’t have to shoulder any worries that followed. The princess, however, purposefully chose the thorny path by herself. She chose to bow for the clan to protect their pride and save them.
No matter how much I twisted it, I could never see her as ‘a woman’. It was as if she was in a class of her own, a beautiful creature.
I will admit, it doesn’t matter to me if someone is either a woman or a man. I just know that there are people out there who deserve the utmost respect.
His Majesty and the princess came to mind when I thought of that. From meeting those two, I now feel as if my life wasn’t a waste.
“…Ah.”
The familiar sound of flapping wings brought me back to my senses.
When I jumped from the branch and reached out, the bird circling the sky immediately dived. I removed the letter from the bird’s leg as it birched on my arm.
It was a contact from Nebel regarding the princess.
“…As usual, that person always gets caught up in various things.”
“What is it? Are you talking about Marie?”
Overhearing what I had murmured to myself, Wolf reacted instantly.
The princess will probably be angry if she heard me say that she ‘always gets caught up’ in this and that.
With a wry smile, I nodded.
“I’ve got some news that could help convince those old geezers.”
“…What do you mean?”
Wolf asked confusedly.
“As part of the reward for preventing the epidemic in Nebel’s neighbouring countries, the princess seems to have made a deal with His Majesty for you guys. There’s now a facility in the works where you can not only treat illnesses and injuries, but also serves as a place for researching new medicines, and providing medical education on top of that.”
“Huuuh!? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that before, though!?”
“Yeah, it’s unheard of. Probably not a thing that would be completed in a year or two, but when it does, Nebel’s medical standards will shoot through the roof. Decades later… No, a few years after it’s established, young people aspiring to be doctors and nurses will be rushing to Nebel from all over the world.”
Really, the princess has been full of surprises lately.
How many ideas are crammed into that little head of hers?
“T-That… A thing like that…”
Wolf, who had cried out earlier with surprise, was now barely able to let out a muffled voice. I couldn’t see his expression because his face was downcast, but his shoulders were trembling.
For an old clan who have maintained their knowledge through traditions as pharmacists for generations, was such a revolutionary concept like that unacceptable?
Or perhaps…?
“Doesn’t a thing like that sound really interesting!??”
Wolf’s cheeks were flushed with excitement when he raised his face with vigor.
“The fact that it’s an actual facility means we’re not limited to just oral teachings! We can also offer field practice, right? And if we’re developing drugs, we can change the ingredients and test them live on the patient and follow their condition at the same time. Ah! But even without that, can that place even accommodate so many patients…?”
“I’m sure it can.”
“Awesome! Marie, I love you!!”
Those who noticed Wolf’s screams were looking our way. Even those guys gathered up there would have their eyes shining like a kid once they hear about this. The Kua Clan was crazy about furthering their medical knowledge, after all.
“I will absolutely go. And no one will stop me. Actually, if it’s education and research, it’s those geezers’ specialty. I will definitely bring them with me, even if I have to tie a rope around their necks!”
“Why’re you sounding like you’re planning to murder us lot!?”
An old man who had picked up on our conversation turned pale.
I snorted and laughed at their noisy quarrelling.
Perhaps the entirety of the Kua Clan can be brought back to you.
I whispered those words in my heart, thinking of the awaiting princess back in Nebel.
The country that that man described as ‘beautiful’ was certainly magnificent and prosperous.
Even the remote towns far from the royal capital stayed clean and vibrant. There was, of course, always a gap between the rich and the poor, but generally, the commoners remained reasonably wealthy. At least, much better than the living skeletons back in Skeltz. Not once did I see anyone starving, dying, or lying in the middle of the road.
The fields were filled with crops, and the roadside with flowers. Never were either under threat of being trampled by a warhorse. It felt like I was shown unshakeable evidence that peace truly existed in this world.
The royal capital was all the more abundant, with the main castle standing proud at the back of the orderly townscape; a true work of art. Unlike the vulgar, rugged, and gaudy Skeltz castles, it was breathtaking to see the chalk-like structure illuminated by the setting sun.
However, I didn’t feel the desire to live in this country like what that man had claimed.
It was so different from where I was born that I couldn’t imagine actually living in this dream-land.
Besides, this is where I die anyway.
With that in mind, a grand castle was no different from a well-decorated graveyard.
I knew myself enough to trust my arm with the sword.
But I never thought, not even for a single moment, that I would ever taste a sliver of a chance of assassinating the king of Nebel.
And of course, I failed miserably.
As I was pinned down by the guards who captured me, I looked far into the distance before silently muttering in my heart, I knew it would be like this. With mounds of riches and power at their beck and call, the Nebel Kingdom possessed abundant human resources. I couldn’t possibly do anything alone.
Just getting this far and so close to the King’s chamber was already an achievement in its own right. But however, in their eyes, I’m just a small fry that could be crushed at any time.
“And from which hole did you crawl out from?”
A nonchalant voice came above me as I was roughly held down against the floor.
Because my arms were restrained tightly, I barely managed to raise my face towards him.
A man who sank deeply into the single sofa leisurely crossed his legs. He had neat and handsome features, and I realised without a doubt he was the one who spoke earlier.
When I was seen by those piercing deep blue eyes gazing from behind his platinum bangs, my body instantly tensed up. I felt like I was suffocating.
I saw a born champion who was able to bend his enemies to his will without having to lift a finger. King Nebel Randolf von Wervard was looking down on me with no urgency whatsoever.
As I endured the temptation to avert my eyes, he quietly spoke.
The king also slightly tilted his head to the side. His perfectly straight hair sharply moved out of place.
“Don’t feel like saying anything, are we? Well, I have a rough idea anyway.”
That’s a given, I agreed, throwing the towel deep within my heart.
Only a handful of countries were currently willing to fight Nebel, a kingdom that was booming in commerce, mining, and agriculture.
Although the Raptor Kingdom fit the criteria above, that country’s leaders preferred to use their cunning methods and opt to slither around like a snake instead. Those guys would probably wait for an opportunity when Nebel’s powers waned, like during a war, not when they were in their currently matchless condition.
It wasn’t common to send out assassins outside of one’s own country, but if a king were to be killed when international tensions were high, chaos would definitely ensue. An event like that would be far-reaching. Since the stakes were high regardless of the possible benefits, only an idiot would ever attempt to do something like that.
That means there was only one person foolish enough to send out an assassin for the King of Nebel in times like this.
But I wouldn’t admit it despite the obviousness of it all.
Of course, I wasn’t doing it out of a sense of duty or loyal devotion. Rather, it was my own sheer stubbornness.
Since being born, I had always been treated as something cheaply expendable, but at the very least, I had the grace of being born a human.
I’d rather die proudly than beg for my life before being miserably killed off.
I wanted to be the one to choose how my own life ends.
The king continued to gaze at me as I refused to say even a single word. His brows furrowed in slight irritation. I heard a sigh escape from his well-shaped lips.
“It seems the rumour that a certain spendthrift king is more than willing to waste his excellent men by throwing them at my castle is true.”
For a moment, I was dumbfounded by what I’d just heard.
Who would’ve thought that despite being treated like trash even back in my own motherland, the king of an enemy nation—and my target, no less—would just casually praise me?
The king, however, continued without paying me any mind, and I stared at him, still stunned.
“Even if the attempt was successful, I doubt the situation would improve on his end. What foolishness.”
“…Wouldn’t this country plunge into chaos when you fall? Nebel wouldn’t be in any state to wage a successful war.”
Curious, I raised a question to him.
My determination to remain silent was broken by the interest I had for this man.
I thought I would be reprimanded for my attitude, but the king didn’t care at all. And perhaps it was because they knew the king’s intentions, the guards holding me down didn’t say anything either.
“Sure, it would be somewhat chaotic, but it would soon return to normalcy almost immediately. This country wasn’t built so brittle that it can be toppled by the death of one person. Both the country and my successor.”
The weight of those simple words almost made me forget how to breathe.
The cold, rational thinking where one would only see themselves as a mere piece on a board while standing on top of a country. His trust in both his land and heir were also nothing short of extraordinary.
I finally realised the terror of who I was trying to kill and could only tremble in place.
At the same time, I felt envious. From the bottom of my heart, I envied everyone in this country who honoured this man as their king.
I remembered laughing before what I thought was my death, all the while wondering whether I had any more regrets.
But people often do not know how their lives will turn out.
The king didn’t give the order for an execution. On the contrary, I ended up being one of his spies. But I wasn’t spared because he was generous or anything like that.
Common sense would deemed it disadvantageous to carry around a ticking bomb that could turn on you at any time, even if it meant possibly getting some high-level intel on Skeltz.
But not that I’m complaining. I had no desire to part with the good fortune I had found myself in.
They can call me untrustworthy all they want, I could just shut them up with hard work later.
I want to serve this country under its king.
That was what I wished for from the bottom of my heart.
“I was nearly handed over to his daughter, though.”
I unwittingly muttered, still lost in the past.
‘Did you say something?’ Wolf asked, but I simply shook my head.
It’s a funny story now that I look back on it, but I was in for quite the shock back then.
If it was the first prince then I might’ve been content, but his daughter? There was no reason why some pretty, caged-up, sheltered little princess would ever need her own spy. I was disappointed when I thought I was, once again, being used to humour a woman.
In retrospect, of course there was no way His Majesty, that mass of pure logic, would simply hand me over to his daughter over a stupid reason like that.
Rather than thinking that I was unnecessary, it was more like he thought the princess could be of use.
At the time, blood was rushing to my head so much that I was blinded from seeing through such a trivial thing.
At the princess’s discretion, I managed to avoid working for her, but I was soon assigned to follow her around anyway.
A lot of things that happened surprised me.
How could such a small, pre-teen princess have such a deep well of knowledge and connections? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I was astonished.
For better or for worse, there was constant turmoil revolving around the princess, who seemed to have a knack for attracting trouble.
I think it was her natural talent.
The first prince was famous for being perfect in all areas, but that was because of painstaking effort on his part, not ‘natural talent.’ The princess, however, was able to easily enchant people. Her charms go to the point that most, if not anyone, would want to do something for her.
If the princess was born a prince instead, the kingdom would’ve already broken into different factions by now.
But it’s not like I’m thinking, or even wanting, for that wish to be true.
In fact, she was the one woman who had overturned my thoughts on all women alike; that they were not mere beautiful decorations.
The princess’s journey was full of ups and downs, and she found herself in trouble many times over.
Despite that, she never relied on the strength of others. Even though it was easy for her to be offered others’ goodwill, she didn’t know what to do with it. And when she tried her hardest and still failed, she never blamed anyone else but herself.
She was different from every other woman I had ever known.
The way she went about things was undoubtedly unwieldy and tactless, but her foolish way of living was terribly precious to me.
Especially that time in the Kua village. I could never forget the moment she was about to be enshrined as a goddess.
I still remember to this day the surprise and fear that the princess in that crowd had felt; isolated with no support. Despite that, she still cut off the easy route in spite of her trembling heart.
If she had instead pretended to be a goddess and passed on her responsibilities to the patriarch as planned, she wouldn’t have to shoulder any worries that followed. The princess, however, purposefully chose the thorny path by herself. She chose to bow for the clan to protect their pride and save them.
No matter how much I twisted it, I could never see her as ‘a woman’. It was as if she was in a class of her own, a beautiful creature.
I will admit, it doesn’t matter to me if someone is either a woman or a man. I just know that there are people out there who deserve the utmost respect.
His Majesty and the princess came to mind when I thought of that. From meeting those two, I now feel as if my life wasn’t a waste.
“…Ah.”
The familiar sound of flapping wings brought me back to my senses.
When I jumped from the branch and reached out, the bird circling the sky immediately dived. I removed the letter from the bird’s leg as it birched on my arm.
It was a contact from Nebel regarding the princess.
“…As usual, that person always gets caught up in various things.”
“What is it? Are you talking about Marie?”
Overhearing what I had murmured to myself, Wolf reacted instantly.
The princess will probably be angry if she heard me say that she ‘always gets caught up’ in this and that.
With a wry smile, I nodded.
“I’ve got some news that could help convince those old geezers.”
“…What do you mean?”
Wolf asked confusedly.
“As part of the reward for preventing the epidemic in Nebel’s neighbouring countries, the princess seems to have made a deal with His Majesty for you guys. There’s now a facility in the works where you can not only treat illnesses and injuries, but also serves as a place for researching new medicines, and providing medical education on top of that.”
“Huuuh!? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that before, though!?”
“Yeah, it’s unheard of. Probably not a thing that would be completed in a year or two, but when it does, Nebel’s medical standards will shoot through the roof. Decades later… No, a few years after it’s established, young people aspiring to be doctors and nurses will be rushing to Nebel from all over the world.”
Really, the princess has been full of surprises lately.
How many ideas are crammed into that little head of hers?
“T-That… A thing like that…”
Wolf, who had cried out earlier with surprise, was now barely able to let out a muffled voice. I couldn’t see his expression because his face was downcast, but his shoulders were trembling.
For an old clan who have maintained their knowledge through traditions as pharmacists for generations, was such a revolutionary concept like that unacceptable?
Or perhaps…?
“Doesn’t a thing like that sound really interesting!??”
Wolf’s cheeks were flushed with excitement when he raised his face with vigor.
“The fact that it’s an actual facility means we’re not limited to just oral teachings! We can also offer field practice, right? And if we’re developing drugs, we can change the ingredients and test them live on the patient and follow their condition at the same time. Ah! But even without that, can that place even accommodate so many patients…?”
“I’m sure it can.”
“Awesome! Marie, I love you!!”
Those who noticed Wolf’s screams were looking our way. Even those guys gathered up there would have their eyes shining like a kid once they hear about this. The Kua Clan was crazy about furthering their medical knowledge, after all.
“I will absolutely go. And no one will stop me. Actually, if it’s education and research, it’s those geezers’ specialty. I will definitely bring them with me, even if I have to tie a rope around their necks!”
“Why’re you sounding like you’re planning to murder us lot!?”
An old man who had picked up on our conversation turned pale.
I snorted and laughed at their noisy quarrelling.
Perhaps the entirety of the Kua Clan can be brought back to you.
I whispered those words in my heart, thinking of the awaiting princess back in Nebel.
