Chapter 7: The Danger is Approaching

Chapter 7: The Danger is Approaching

The centurion felt awful.

Although there were two knights, he was the chief of the party. The Duke even appointed him himself.

However.

‘You lowly serf. So bothersome.’

It was none other than Ian.

Even though Ian was a prince, he did not like Ian, who was wearing shabby serf clothes.

The mission he was entrusted to, however best described, was no different from a chore.

And as if it wasn't enough for him to take on such a chore.

"Yes? Buy new clothes?"

"Yes. As you can see, it's all torn."

The centurion's mood could not get any worse as he received the clothes Nathan handed him.

And when complained if he could order him around like a servant, Nathan giggled.

“When it comes to choosing the prince’s clothes, we can’t just trust the eyes of the soldiers. I must have made a mistake with the prince’s clothes.”

"What? Mistake?"

"Yes. How is it possible for a person like the centurion to have such a rustic taste and didn’t prepare proper clothes?”

“......!”

“Since you are a centurion, you should be able to pick out clothes that would make the prince stand out, right? You must have great eyesight.”

At Nathan's smirk, the centurion grinded his teeth.

He was positive that this guy was harassing himself on purpose.

‘He noticed that I messed with the bag.'

And this was a threat.

While speaking nicely, choose a decent outfit.

‘I just did what they asked me to do.’

He thought it would be fun.

Anyway, thanks to him, the centurion was now pissed off.

"Wow. What's this?"

"Ah. This is the herb we use. It is effective for bruises and sword slashes.”

"Oh? These herbs have different colors."

"Huh? What? You notice that? Oh my gosh, you're amazing. Even veteran ginseng diggers also find it difficult to discern the colors. Anyway, we're going to use that color to distinguish medicinal herbs from poisonous herbs.“

"Then this purple one must be the poisonous herb, right?”

"No! It looks like it, but it's actually a medicinal herb! Rather, the one with the bright red color is poisonous. If you eat it, you will vomit blood and collapse.”

"Oh. What's the name of this herb?"

"It's Lorelin's tears, Prince."

As if from a lowly origin, he was mingling with lowly mercenaries without hesitation.

It was natural for the centurion's face to crumple.

‘Really, you're being the worst!’

Moreover, Nathan didn’t admonish the prince right away and was only sleeping on a board with his face covered with a hat.

Eventually, the centurion couldn't stand it anymore and approached him.

"Sir Nathan. It seems like the break is too long. If you want to stop by Yonte Castle, you need to hurry up a little more.”

"Yonte Castle? Why are we going there?”

“You told me to pick the clothes that fit the prince...! There are good things if we go there.”

“Ah, if that’s the case, then you can go alone. We'll be sleeping, so go ahead."

"Sir Nathan!"

At the look of the centurion, Nathan curled up his lips.

‘You must have been anxious for some time.’

In fact, Nathan was thinking a little bit about that, too.

Because he didn't like the blood of the royal family being close with the lowly people like mercenaries.

So he gently nodded his head.

“The mercenaries can manage on their own.”

"Thank you, Sir Nathan."

“You buy the clothes by yourself.”

The centurion groaned and looked at Nathan.

But he headed to the place where the aforementioned mercenaries were. Even if he went to the castle by himself, he did not intend to treat the mercenaries comfortably.

The savvy Galon was a problem, but Nathan would take care of that.

"Break is over! Start moving right now! Hurry up, everyone!"

"What? Now? I haven’t finished eating yet.”

"It's an order!"

Not only the mercenaries but also the soldiers looked flustered.

However, the person in charge of the schedule was the centurion. Even the knights had to respect his words.

They had no choice but to get up from their seats with a helpless expression.

***

‘Oh, look at this?’

Ian was making an absurd expression on his face.

It was only natural.

“Everyone, hurry up! A little more to go! We must hurry to the Duke’s castle!”

It was because of what the centurion was doing.

It was strange for him to forcibly end the break earlier.

‘Are you determined to get rid of the break time?’

Instead of resting, they were moving fiercely.

"You need to pee. You are dizzy from riding the carriage. What is it this time?"

At his roar, Ian peeked his face out the window of the carriage.

The centurion begged Ian if this was the last time.

"Please. Let's just go. Yes? We might end up homeless otherwise."

It was natural for the centurion to cry.

‘It's annoying that the lowly mercenaries overjoyed with the breaks. Why does this kid keep getting in the way?’

But whether Ian knew his feelings or not.

“My butt hurts. Let’s rest for a while.”

"This... This!"

At Ian's bright expression, the centurion’s patience looked like it was about to crumble like a broken vase.

However, he could not blatantly say that Ian, a royal family, was a pain in the ass. If the prince, Ian, said so, he couldn't disobey as per the hierarchy.

Nathan shrugged as if he couldn't help it.

"It's the solemn command of the noble prince. Do what you should do."

As the centurion shook and trembled, the mercenaries burst into laughter among themselves.

"It's refreshing to see the centurion, who used to scold us and act mighty for having a knight, couldn’t say anything."

"That's right. Even if we complain that it's hard, they say it's okay, so let's move. Whereas the prince is quite gracious."

Mercenaries were originally not treated well anywhere they went.

This was all the more so when together with two knights like now.

The nobility naturally treated them this way, but the centurion was even ruder to the fact that there were knights with him.

But after Ian stepped in himself, everything was different.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Do you need anything?"

Ian often got off the carriage and chatted with the mercenaries.

Not only did he distribute water to drink, but he also handed out snacks originally exclusive to soldiers.

And no matter the serf background he came from, a royalty was still a royalty.

Ian came out and moved himself, but nobody dared tell him to go in without offending him.

Because of this, the centurion could only bury his seething rage, and the mercenaries naturally got a rest.

Thanks to this, the mercenaries favored Ian.

"I hope we can keep moving like this!"

"That's right! It's been so long since I've been treated like this. I want to get closer to that prince."

Gerard the mercenary captain also agreed with them.

He seemed to like Ian quite a bit.

“Everyone, thank the prince for his grace.”

“Haha, after this mission is over, I’m going to retire. I have to go home and confess to Jaina and give birth to a son who resembles that prince.”

"You punk, if a child who looks like you resembles a prince, that's...”

The mercenaries were idly chatting like that.

Meanwhile, Nathan looked at Ian in bewilderment.

“I don’t know why the prince is doing this.”

"Didn't he say his butt hurt?"

"Hooh. What kind of candy is the prince's ass made of?"

Nathan looked at Ian suspiciously.

“Is he taking too much rest for the sake of the mercenaries? At this point, he is ignoring the stamina of the mercenaries too much.”

“Haha, it must be because he’s a little kid. Let’s be understanding.”

The soldiers laughed secretly among themselves.

Galon and Nathan thought that was the only thing mattered.

At the same time, Ian was looking at the mercenaries with a serious expression inside the carriage.

‘It’s important to win their hearts, but...’

Ian's eyes staring at the moon hanging in the sky turned serious.

‘Second night after leaving the village.’

It was obvious.

‘It will happen tonight.’

On this day, all mercenaries would die. Except for two people. Of course, the future could have changed as the past had changed.

But at that very moment, Ian smelled the familiar fruity scent in the forest. He immediately shouted.

"Everyone, watch out for your surroundings!"

Everyone stood up surprised by Ian's shout.

The mercenaries and soldiers also tensed up.

"Prince?"

“What, why all of a sudden...”

Nathan tilted his head in confusion for a moment, too.

But it was then.

Nathan, startled by something, had his eyes instantly changed, and Ian shouted again.

"You idiots! Raise your shield right now!"

Others might not know anything, but Ian could not ignore it once he had said it.

As the surprised mercenaries lifted their shields.

Hook!

The lights suddenly went out.

Whooshh!

The moment numerous arrows were raining down from the sky.

Ian's eyes gleamed in the dark.