The Seventh Prince Wants to Bail — Chapter 11

I... REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TREATING MY LEG...

BUT AT THIS POINT, I WON'T EVEN ASK WHERE YOU'RE TAKING ME.

SO COULD YOU AT LEAST UNTIE THE ROPE AROUND MY LEFT ANKLE?

IT'S HARD TO WALK WHEN IT KEEPS GETTING IN THE WAY.

NO.

YOU MAY BE YOUNG AND NOT UNDERSTAND, BUT AT MY AGE, A FALL CAN BE DISASTROUS.

I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET BACK UP IF THINGS GO WRONG.

IF THAT HAPPENS, WOULDN'T IT JUST BE MORE TROUBLE FOR YOU TO DRAG ME?

UGH...!

HE'S COMPLETELY IGNORING ME...!

ANYWAY, TO THINK THERE WAS A CAVE LIKE THIS NEAR THE IMPERIAL FOREST...

...I CLEARLY HEARD HIM MENTION AMICA EARLIER.

AMICA, THE GROUP OF HERETICS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT OVER 50 YEARS AGO...

HAVE THEY REALLY BEEN HIDING IN THIS CAVE ALL THIS TIME...?

THINKING BACK TO BEFORE I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS...

I THINK I WAS LAUNCHED TOWARDS THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE FOREST'S CENTRAL TOWER...

...NO, WAS IT SOUTHWEST?

ONCE I ESCAPE, I'LL BE ABLE TO PINPOINT THIS CAVE'S LOCATION.

FOR NOW, I NEED TO FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE CAVE'S INTERIOR.

SO THAT I CAN RETURN LATER WITH REINFORCEMENTS...

...HOW ABSURD.

TO THINK A TRAITOR TO THE IMPERIAL FAMILY IS STILL THINKING LIKE THE IMPERIAL KNIGHT COMMANDER.

...WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

AH, THAT'S...

...FEEDUS.

MY NAME IS AGONY FEEDUS.

I WAS HONESTLY SURPRISED WHEN I FIRST FOUND YOU, OLD MAN.

THIS CAVE IS PROTECTED BY A DIVINE BLESSING.

IT'S NOT A PLACE ONE CAN ENTER BY THEIR OWN WILL.

ESPECIALLY NOT SOMEONE FROM THE ABIRAN EMPIRE.

...-?!

WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN... ?!!

FEEDUS,

THERE ARE ONLY TWO POSSIBLE REASONS YOU HAVE COME HERE.

EITHER YOU ARE A MINION OF THE ABIRAN EMPIRE SENT TO EXTERMINATE US.

OR YOU HAVE COME AT THE CALLING OF GOD AMICA.

EITHER WAY, WELCOME TO AMICA'S DOMAIN.

HNGH...!

HUU...

SINCE THE TIMELINE HAS ACCELERATED, IT'S BETTER FOR FEEDUS AND THE PROTAGONIST TO GET MOVING SOONER AS WELL.

WITH ANY LUCK, I MIGHT EVEN GET NEWS ABOUT THE PROTAGONIST.

I FEEL A BIT GUILTY FOR MAKING THE OLD DUKE FEEDUS SUFFER NEEDLESSLY, BUT...

HEY! WHY DID YOU ONLY BRING THIS MUCH TODAY?!

YOU NEED TO BRING A LOT MORE SO I CAN GET BETTER FASTER!

DID YOU JUST...

YELL AT ME?

...NO, IT'S JUST BECAUSE I'M FRUSTRATED.

HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE TO KEEP UP THIS DAMN TREATMENT?

AS I CLEARLY TOLD YOU, RUSHING THE PROCESS WILL RUIN YOUR BODY.

HAVE SOME PATIENCE AND TAKE IT SLOW.

ISN'T THERE SOME FASTER METHOD?

ISN'T THERE SOMETHING ELSE MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE HOOKAH?!

HOOKAH? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NOW?

DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT ON THE DAY YOU FIRST BARGED IN HERE?

THAT IF I WAS WORRIED, I SHOULD QUIT THE HOOKAH FIRST!

AH, THAT...

IT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH ANYWAY, SO WOULDN'T IT BE GOOD TO QUIT?

YOU BASTARD...?!

...DAMN IT!

ACTUALLY, THE HOOKAH REALLY IS RUINING HIS BODY.

THE WINE HE'S DRINKING, THE DINNER HE ATE EARLIER,

EVERYTHING HE CONSUMES IS PRACTICALLY POISON TO HIM.

RASIA ABIRAN IS DESTINED TO RELY ON THIS TREATMENT UNTIL THE DAY HE DIES...

UNLESS THE "SEED" PLANTED IN HIS BODY IS TAKEN CARE OF.

WE SHOULD WRAP UP THE TREATMENT HERE.

WE CAN'T BE LATE FOR THE EVENING RITUAL.

IT SEEMS LIKE HIS MANIS HAS INCREASED MORE THAN USUAL...

AS EXPECTED OF YOU, BROTHER! YOU'RE TRULY AMAZING!

IF THERE ARE NO MORE CHALLENGERS, WE WILL CONCLUDE TODAY'S RITUAL HERE.

LET'S WAIT A MOMENT UNTIL EVERYONE LEAVES.

THAT WAY, I CAN LEAVE LAST WITHOUT DRAWING THE ATTENTION OF THE OTHER ROYAL—

HEY, BLACK BUG!

WHY ARE YOU STILL SITTING THERE?

DIDN'T YOU HEAR THAT THE RITUAL IS OVER?

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR BIRTH MOTHER WHO RAN AWAY WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE?

I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ILL-MANNERED BRAT AT SOME POINT...

YOU LOOKED GLOOMY THROUGHOUT THE RITUAL.

P-PRINCESS! I-I DEFINITELY WASN'T...!

...I GREET THE FIRST PRINCESS.

ARE YOU FEELING UNWELL?

NOT AT ALL. ISN'T THE RITUAL USUALLY A BIT BORING?

THAT'S A RELIEF THEN.

EVEN IF IT ISN'T PARTICULARLY ENTERTAINING, IT'S STILL A RITUAL OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE.

IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO MAKE IT SO OBVIOUS THAT IT'S A BOTHER.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME THEN.

W-WAIT! WHY IS THE FIRST PRINCESS ASKING ABOUT THE WELL-BEING OF SOMEONE LIKE YOU...?!

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?!

...SOMEHOW, THIS JUST BECAME EVEN MORE BOTHERSOME.

WHAT IS GOING ON?

SELOS, IS THERE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM WITH RAN?

Y-YOUR HIGHNESS...?!

IT'S NOTHING.

I WAS MERELY EXCHANGING A FEW PLEASANTRIES WITH MY YOUNGER BROTHER.

YOU MUST BE BUSY AS WELL...

SO I'LL TAKE MY LEAVE.

LET'S GO TOGETHER, BROTHER.

THE SECOND PRINCE, DITO ABIRAN.

HE'S ALWAYS BY THE FIRST PRINCE'S SIDE.

HEY, YOU, TALK TO ME FOR A SECOND!

YOU KNOW THE ACTING HEAD WHO SUCCEEDED THE LATE DUKE FEEDUS, DON'T YOU?

HIS NAME WAS... TOLLIN CRYSA, WASN'T IT?

IT SEEMS HE'S PLOTTING SOMETHING INTERESTING...

IN THE CENTRAL TERRITORY THAT WAS TRADED FOR DUKE FEEDUS'S LIFE.

HMPH! I HAVE NO INTEREST IN BUGS LIKE THEM!

THE FEEDUS FAMILY HAS ONLY ONE YEAR LEFT ANYWAY.

THAT LAND WILL FALL BACK INTO MY HANDS IN JUST A YEAR.

THERE IS NO NEED TO WAIT A WHOLE YEAR.

...WHAT?

I HAVE A GOOD IDEA.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR IT?

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!

THE SEVENTH PRINCE, RAN ABIRAN.

WHY ARE BOTH THE FIRST PRINCESS AND THE FIRST PRINCE PAYING ATTENTION TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU?!

TELL ME THE TRUTH BEFORE I BURN YOU TO ASHES_

WOULDN'T THAT PUT YOU IN A TOUGH SPOT?

WH-WHAT...?

TRYING TO BURN ME WITH A MANIS THAT CAN BARELY LIGHT AN OIL LAMP...

IS GOING TO TAKE FOREVER.

WHAT IF OTHERS FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS?

IT WOULDN'T BE VERY GOOD FOR YOU, WOULD IT?

H-HOW DID YOU...?

IF YOU WANT ME TO KEEP QUIET...

THEN THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO IS FIX THAT SHITTY ATTITUDE OF SPEAKING INFORMALLY TO YOUR OLDER BROTHER.