The Seventh Prince Wants to Bail — Chapter 30

SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER...

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!!

DAMN IT! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!

THIS PLACE...

THIS ISN'T...

AMICA'S DOMAIN...?

AM I BACK OUTSIDE?

JUST... LIKE THAT?!

THEN WHERE'S RATEL...

DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT FEEDING HIM.

HE'LL EAT WHATEVER YOU GIVE HIM.

...HIS NAME IS RATEL. RATEL ROERA.

...WHAT DID HE MEAN BY ASKING ME TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF HIM?

IT'S NOT LIKE I'M THE BOY'S GUARDIAN OR ANYTHING...

WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE STILL BREATHING.

I HOPE YOU MAKE IT SAFELY BACK TO WHEREVER YOU CAME FROM.

NOW THEN, WHERE COULD I BE...?

AAH! WH-WHO... ARE YOU?!

FIRST THAT LIGHTNING, AND NOW THIS... I'VE BEEN GETTING THE LIFE SCARED OUT OF ME ALL DAY.

DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE A GUARD... NO, YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ONE. WHO ARE YOU?

DAMN...! ARE THERE BANDITS AROUND HERE?

THIS IS TROUBLE.

THE ONLY WEAPON WE'VE GOT IS HANGING FROM THAT BOY'S WAIST...

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I FOUGHT ANYONE BARE-HANDED...

...NOW, CALM DOWN.

I WAS ONLY PASSING THROUGH—

ARE YOU TOO OLD TO UNDERSTAND ME?!

IF YOU WANNA FUCKING DIE, I'LL GLADLY GRANT YOUR WISH...!!

RATEL! YOU...!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKE?

...NOT LONG.

HEY. YOU'RE A BANDIT, AREN'T YOU?

HAND OVER EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.

O-OVER... THERE...

...?

WAIT, THAT'S...!

THOSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CAPTURED BY BANDITS!

RATEL! WAIT...!

ARE YOU BANDITS, TOO?

B-BOSS...?!

DAMN...! THE GUARDS ARE ALREADY HERE...?!

THEN THERE MUST BE SOLDIERS SURROUNDING THE WHOLE AREA BY NOW!

LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE THEY CLOSE IN ON US!

...DID THAT SOMEHOW TAKE CARE OF THINGS?

G-GOOD HEAVENS! YOU'VE COME TO SAVE US!

YOUNG MAN, PLEASE UNTIE US...!

WHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

I'M GOING TO EMPTY THEIR POCKETS.

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!

...BECAUSE I NEED MONEY?

CITIZENS OF THE EMPIRE, HAVE NO FEAR!

WE'RE HERE!

IT'S THE REAL GUARDS!

PLEASE, HURRY! PUT THOSE SCOUNDRELS TO DEATH!!

CAN WE REALLY TRUST THEM THIS TIME...?

I-I'M ONE OF THEIR VICTIMS, TOO...!!

C-CATCH THOSE FILTHY THIEVES!!

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN OF THEM...

STOP GETTING FOOLISH IDEAS!

LET'S JUST GET OUT OF HERE!

BROTHER, DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN?

YOU ALWAYS LEFT ME OUT AND PLAYED WITH DITO INSTEAD.

ONE DAY, THE TWO OF YOU WERE PLANNING TO SNEAK OFF INTO THE FOREST...

AND I HAPPENED TO FIND OUT.

I THREW A TANTRUM, INSISTING YOU TAKE ME ALONG.

IF ONLY YOU'D STOPPED AT THROWING A TANTRUM.

YOU INSISTED ON TAGGING ALONG, AND WE SPENT THE ENTIRE TIME BICKERING... UNTIL WE EVENTUALLY GOT OURSELVES LOST IN THE FOREST.

...LATELY, I'VE FOUND MYSELF THINKING ABOUT THOSE DAYS QUITE OFTEN.

WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO GO BACK TO THOSE DAYS?

DON'T YOU FEEL THE SAME, BROTHER?

WELL, I'D FIND IT FAR MORE WONDERFUL IF YOU'D LEAVE RIGHT NOW.

OH, BROTHER! WHAT A FUNNY JOKE!

YOU THINK I'M JOKING?

GOING ON AND ON ABOUT FAMILY BONDS AND CHILDHOOD MEMORIES...

LISTENING TO A GRINNING FOOL PRATTLE ON ABOUT SUCH NONSENSE IS GETTING ON MY NERVES.

AFFECTION BETWEEN ROYALS? EVERYONE WITH IMPERIAL BLOOD IS AN ENEMY.

THEY'RE NOTHING MORE THAN OBSTACLES STANDING BETWEEN ME AND MY RIGHTFUL PLACE AS EMPEROR.

NOT THAT ANY OF THEM COULD EVER HOPE TO STOP ME.

THAT DULL, WHEAT-COLORED HAIR OF HERS... IT'S UTTERLY INFERIOR TO MY BRILLIANT PLATINUM BLOND.

AND HER MANIS DOESN'T SEEM PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE, EITHER.

...WHAT WAS IT AGAIN? SOMETHING TO DO WITH WIND?

AND YET THOSE INSECTS HAVE THE AUDACITY TO WORSHIP HER AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE EMPIRE.

I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED.

WHAT WOULD THAT INSUFFERABLE, SMILING FACE LOOK LIKE TWISTED IN DESPAIR?

YOU STILL SEEM RATHER CLOSE TO DITO.

DITO?

...HMM. HE'S QUITE PERCEPTIVE AND AFFECTIONATE.

NONE OF MY OTHER SIBLINGS UNDERSTANDS ME NEARLY AS WELL AS HE DOES.

HOW ENVIABLE.

I SUPPOSE THE BOND BETWEEN BROTHERS RUNS DEEPER THAN ANY WOMAN COULD UNDERSTAND.

BY THE WAY, BROTHER... DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST BECAME SO FOND OF DITO?

I DON'T SEE THE POINT OF YOUR QUESTION.

WHY THE HELL DOES THAT MATTER?

IT DOES MATTER.

COULD THIS BROTHERLY AFFECTION BE NOTHING MORE THAN A ONE-SIDED ILLUSION?

WOULDN'T IT BE WORTH REFLECTING ON THAT, JUST ONCE

SHE'S BEING ESPECIALLY IRRITATING TODAY.

SHOULD I JUST KILL HER?

...I WON'T TELL YOU AGAIN.

I'M BUSY. LEAVE.

VERY WELL.

BUT DO GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT, BROTHER.

AFTER ALL... TAKING THE TIME TO REFLECT ON THE LIFE YOU'VE LIVED...

IS FAR MORE WORTHWHILE THAN BURYING YOURSELF IN ALL THAT PAPERWORK.

WHAT AN UTTERLY POINTLESS WASTE OF TIME.

I'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE SHE NEVER COMES BOTHERING ME AGAIN.

AS IF THAT EMPTY-HEADED WOMAN HAS ANY IDEA WHAT'S WORTHWHILE...

DID YOU HAVE A VISITOR?

AAAAH?!

H-HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN MY ROOM...?!

I'VE DONE THIS PLENTY OF TIMES. WHY THE SURPRISE?

AND I ONLY JUST ARRIVED. LITERALLY JUST NOW.

SURELY YOU HAVEN'T DECIDED YOU NO LONGER NEED TREATMENT...

JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN FEELING A LITTLE BETTER LATELY?

...WELL, THAT MORE OR LESS CONFIRMS IT.

DITO AND MENTIL HAVE JOINED FORCES FAR EARLIER THAN THEY DID IN THE ORIGINAL STORY.

WHICH MEANS THE OBJECT MENTIL WAS USING IGO CRYSA TO SEARCH FOR WAS PROBABLY...

THE RED BOOK.

THE RED BOOK IS A CRUCIAL ITEM THAT GUIDES THE PROTAGONIST THROUGHOUT HIS JOURNEY.

IN THE ORIGINAL STORY, DITO ABIRAN SEARCHES DESPERATELY FOR IT...

BUT IT'S ALSO A BOOK THAT MENTIL SHOULDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTS AT THIS POINT.

DAMN IT... I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD SOMEHOW FALL INTO PLACE ONCE THE PROTAGONIST ARRIVED.

BUT EVERY TIME I MANAGED TO GET ONE EVENT BACK ON TRACK... SOMETHING ELSE WOULD HAPPEN AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IGO IS COMPLETELY BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.

I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHY HE'S BEEN SEARCHING SELOS'S ROOM, BUT...

THE RED BOOK ISN'T THERE.

THE REAL PROBLEM IS... MENTIL AND DITO ARE BOUND TO REALIZE THAT SOONER OR LATER...

AND ONCE THEY DO... IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY FIGURE OUT WHERE THE RED BOOK ACTUALLY IS.

THAT MAKES MY NEXT MOVE CLEAR.

EITHER STOP THEM FROM FINDING THE RED BOOK...

OR GET TO IT FIRST...

IT'S A PAIN, BUT I'LL HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER MOVE.

THOSE TWO SHOULD BE SETTING OFF FOR THE CAPITAL RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

AND IF SOMEONE MANAGES TO STEAL THEIR RED BOOK... IT'LL BE A COMPLETE DISASTER.

DAMN IT, WHERE DID THEY GO?

THEY SHOULD BE AROUND HERE...

WILL YOU JUST BE QUIET?!

NOTHING GOOD WILL COME OF FIGHTING THEM HERE!

I'M ALREADY A MERE SHADOW OF THE ABIRAN EMPIRE.

IF THE GUARDS DISCOVER WHO I AM, I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.

...THE CAPITAL.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME...

SINCE I LAST SET FOOT THERE.