Chapter 16
The Coming Of The Crown Prince (1)
Ian and his convoy had stayed in the village for a while.
Since the village was still recovering from the a.s.sault of the thieves, they decided to stay to relieve them.
[The Spearmaster, ‘Luki’ was brave. Confronting thousands of enemies, he wasn’t swayed at all. He trusted the perfect support of the 6th cla.s.s archmage. Then ‘Dragon Spear Luganis’ was swung and slashed its surroundings while flagging its own red feather….]
Under a zelkova tree in the village,
Luca was writing his novel on his notebook while laying his spear with a red feather on his thigh.
"Wait, what kind of magic will that mage use? He’s supposed to support. Hmm, maybe, the ice lance that Mr. Ian used? With a ma.s.sive amount of them, smash, smash, smash……!"
"I can. You want me to show you?"
"Ahhhhhh!"
With the sudden voice, Luca screamed.
Ian stood right next to him.
How long had he stood here?
"…..Mr. Mage?"
"I didn’t mean to scare you, I am sorry."
"N..no problem. I am fine. H…ha ha…"
He was making his best smile, but he wasn’t smiling inside.
Thanks to him becoming closer to Ian recently, he was able to manage himself to smile.
Otherwise, he would be p.i.s.sing his pants.
"Dragon Spear Luganis."
"…….yeah, yeah?"
"I can see the red feather on it. So is it….?"
Ian said while looking at Luca’s spear with a red feather.
A teasing voice and wink as a child.
‘So he read…..’
He hadn’t shown his novel to others.
Well, its first reader was Mr. Mage now.
Luca felt ashamed and wanted to go hide in a hole.
‘By the way, how can he read?’
It was quite an interesting fact that Ian can read the letters.
Although he became a mage, but it happened just a month ago.
Before that, he was just a son of a kitchen maid.
He wouldn’t have had a chance to learn letters.
‘When someone becomes a mage, then does he learn letters automatically?’
It took Luca a few years to read and write letters.
Of course, he didn’t know all of them yet.
He still had to learn many words and a lot of grammar.
"Y..you can read?"
Luca questioned courageously.
What if magic allowed him to read letters?
It is going to be very useful information.
"Of course. I am a mage."
"S..so a mage can read letters with the power of magic?"
"Of course. A Mage is the best."
"Wow…..!"
Luca took Ian’s joke seriously.
Ian laughed quietly while watching his stunned face.
‘I’ve always wondered, but now I am sure.’
Ian knew Luca.
Precisely, he knew the book Luca had written.
He never had read it but heard about it.
‘I heard about him when I just decided to leave the capital in my former life.’
In the Mogrian province, Ian was the most famous.
However, there was another man who had a lot of money and was just as famous as Ian.
‘Luca Luca’
The novelist earned a lot of money.
The novelist used the nickname ‘Luca Luca.’
Ian was sure it was him who would become a novelist.
Although he wasn’t famous yet.
"Mr. Mage, Here you are."
Someone called Ian.
It was the veteran knight, Eric.
"We are now ready to return to the province castle."
Ian looked at Ledio’s house.
Since the village was small, he easily found it.
‘Does he need more time?’
Ledio said to give him some time to think.
Ian thought he has given Ledio enough time.
"Ok, let’s move."
"Then, we will depart one hour later."
Llyod village was restored.
Same as Soil village which was a.s.saulted as well.
The house of Macspadden doubled the number of guard soldiers.
"By the way, Luca, what are you doing here?"
After finis.h.i.+ng the report, Eric asked Luca.
"I..I was taking a rest for a while……."
"While your comrades were preparing to return?"
"I couldn’t see anything that needed help….."
"Are there any more excuses?"
"S..sorry sir!"
Eric was a knight who was born to a non-n.o.ble family.
Thanks to that, he didn’t look down on other soldiers and he was friendly to them.
Of course, he knew his duty and respected his orders.
‘Well, he will have a hard time.’
Ian shortly felt sympathy for Luca.
Ian walked to Ledio’s house.
Did he need more time?
*Scree…*
At that moment,
The door of the hut was opened.
"Huh? Mr. Mage?"
Douglas and Ian made eye contact with each other.
Behind him, Ledio walked out.
While carrying a huge bag with him.
Not only on his back but in his hands.
"Have you decided?"
Ledio nodded.
"I have no choice. I better live longer at least."
Ledio roughly tousled Douglas’ hair.
He decided to survive by any means necessary for his only son.
"Wise decision."
"Please keep the promise."
"Of course."
The enemy of his former life Ian met coincidentally, now joined his side.
It was a good start.
"Have you said goodbye to the village people?"
"I just drank shortly with the village men, only had a few. I was just a stranger who was brewing strange medicine."
Ledio’s voice as bitter.
Of course, the village people acted normally.
Ledio didn’t blame them as well.
"S..sir…."
Douglas came to Ian and opened his mouth.
Mages were fearful existences to people.
He acted carefully.
"Can you really…..
Captain.
What a cute word which suits a young kid.
In his former life, this innocent kid became a man filled with anger and hate.
"Alright. Call me like that then."
"Yes! Captain!"
The conversation between young son and Ian who acted like a mature man.
While Ledio listened to this weird conversation, he pulled something from his bag.
It was a flask with a long lid.
"This is my contract gift."
Ledio handed it to Ian.
Ian gently shook the flask.
"Something is in here."
It was a flask filled with an unidentified liquid.
Would it be the elixir he had brewed?
But normally, elixir wouldn’t be contained in such a flask.
"It’s an alcohol."
"Alcohol?"
"I drank it with the other men all the night, and that’s the last one…"
Although Ian acted like matured man, did he just give alcohol to a kid?
"Well, I’m not saying it’s real alcohol. Actually, it is alcohol, but …… What should I say."
"Alcohol that’s good for your body?"
Douglas tried to help his father.
However, It wasn’t a description that Ledio wanted.
"It is sort of…. a half elixir."
"Hmm, half elixir."
"What do you mean ‘half’?"
"It is good for your body but it tastes like alcohol."
"Then it won’t make me drunk?"
"It makes you drunk."
Then isn’t it alcohol?
"But its effect I guarantee. Unlike standard elixir that increases your power in the long term, It is a potion which gives immediate effect……"
Ledio added a long description.
It was the new side of Ledio which he hadn’t shown to Ian before.
Maybe this was his real character.
It also proved that he decided firmly.
"Mr. Mage!"
Suddenly,
A soldier came to Ian.
"A messenger from the province castle is coming."
A soldier pointed to the hill outside of the village.
Indeed, a man was coming while riding a horse.
With the Mogrian flag on his back.
*Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Clip-clop!*
The sound of hoofbeats was closing in.
Ian walked to the entrance of the village.
Other people also followed Ian.
"Woah! woah!"
The rider calmed his horse as he saw Ian.
By his appearance, He was a province soldier.
"Mr. Mage."
"You may speak."
"You better hurry to go back to the province castle."
An urgent voice came from the rider.
"Is there any problem?"
"The messenger informed us that the crown prince has pa.s.sed Garmath river."
"Garmath river? Already?"
"The message arrived today’s morning."
Not only Ian, but Eric and other soldiers started to make noise.
Garmath river is the river which is located at the beginning of the north side.
It would take only around two days to the province castle.
‘Why were they informed so late….’
In common sense, they should inform the castle ten days beforehand, via communication post. So the province had enough time to prepare to welcome the crown prince.
‘I’d better move quickly.’
There was not enough time to move altogether.
Unless every one of the convoys and Ledio family rode horses.
"Please lend me a horse."
After Ian decided, he said to the rider.
"Do you know how to ride?"
"I don’t know riding technique, and my legs are too short."
Ian’s body was too small so he needed a custom saddle.
Due to that, the rider asked in confusion.
"Then how do you…."
"I will befriend it shortly."
Ian approached the horse while saying that.
While petting the horse, Ian cast a spell on it.
The magic that made him able to control a peaceful animal.
"Taming."
Then, the horse waved its tongue to Ian.
Taming magic started to work.
"I will see you there later."
Ian rode the horse immediately.
Being honest, he was hanging onto it as strongly as he can.
"Sir Eric, please come along with the alchemist over there."
"Yeah? Who is he….."
"I thank you. See you there."
After Ian asked Eric to escort Ledio and Douglas, he whispered to the horse.
"Let’s go to the province castle. Will you?"
*Prrrrrgghh!*
As a reply, the horse whined.
It started to run straight to the province castle.
There was no need to pull its bridle, nor kick its stomach.
"……"
Eric suddenly received Ian’s favor.
He gazed at Ledio.
Ledio didn’t avoid his eyes.
It was a totally awkward situation.
"My name is Ledio. I am an alchemist."
Ledio tried first to get rid of this weird situation.
"My name is Eric, A knight of the Mogrian knight order."
However, after the greeting, the awkwardness started again.(E/N: cue the tumbleweed)
Eventually, they just looked at Ian’s backside which was getting far.
For a long time.