18-5
Prince Georg and the Dirty Old Man
Translator : PolterGlast
・The
Dirty Old Man
This was the day we arrived at Erin after a large detour. Hearing that
Prince Georg had rushed to the
mansion in Erin, I asked Prince Ashley for an introduction.
「This
is the knight Aureus. He accompanied
us in the Wasteland of the Farthest End and guarded the archer Kachua. If I were to evaluate him, he's
a slightly suspicious but interesting man.」
「Oi oi,
what kind of introduction is that...」
「And,
this is Georg-aniue. An excellent
man, but inflexible. It would be better to choose your words carefully. But he
is more sincere than anyone. See ya.」
「Wait,
where are you going, Ashley!?」
「There
is a book I want to read. You two handle the rest as you please.」
I might have asked
the wrong person... He's the kind of guy who, despite being the leader of the
Shadows of Bergelmir, goes on an
expedition to the Farthest End of the west... He was incredibly sloppy, and his
footwork was strangely light... Prince Georg
and I, while averting our eyes from each other, were bewildered about what to
do.
「Sorry...
My younger brother is that kind of person... Having accompanied him on the
expedition, I think you've already guessed, but... he especially prefers
freedom and independent action...」
「Ah,
please don't mind that, I'm already used to it.」
「I
apologize again and again... My brother must have caused you a great deal of
trouble... Should I be a little stricter with him, I wonder...」
「I
think that personality is ingrained to the core. Or rather, if telling him
would do anything, wouldn't Georg-sama
and the others have already done something about it?」
He looks like a
Prince who is seriously troubled. Prince Georg,
the Knight Order's greatest enemy, let out a deep sigh and was apologizing to
me again.
「It's
somewhat surprising. When you say General Georg,
I had the impression of a tremendously strict, unapproachable General-sama.」
「I am
not being strict because I like to. I am doing it because it is necessary... I
have heard of the knight Aureus too.
Excellent, but because he repeatedly violates military discipline, he's a
maverick who cannot be promoted no matter what.」
「That's
the first I've heard of it. Did I have a chance for promotion if I behaved
myself?」
Well, everyone's
like that when they're young. As a knight in the countryside, there is honor,
but the inside is an unrefined country bumpkin.
「Why is
the sharp-minded Aureus siding with
us?」
「Haven't
you heard from Shinza—I mean, Ashley-sama?」
「That
guy's actions are always reported after the fact... There are countless times
he's disappeared without permission... That's why Atomina, Puis, and I
have no choice but to support him...」
It's somehow
different from what I thought. Georg-sama
is a person with this much human warmth, huh.
「Then,
I'll say it straight. I'm a bat bastard.」
「A bat,
huh. To say it yourself.」
「Yeah,
since I'm a knight with land, for the time being, I want to protect the system.
But I don't feel that vessel in Prince Yord—or
rather, I'm somewhat uneasy. If so, I want insurance to avoid the worst
outcome.」
「Yord, huh... The current Empire is full
of problems; it makes my head ache...」
Prince Yord apparently won a match against
this man during their time at the military academy. Unbelievable. How can one defeat something like him? Just by facing him, I
understood the difference in our abilities. Prince Ashley and Sigrun were
also outrageous, but Prince Georg
has no openings. He was refined as a warrior.
「So,
what will you do for us?」
「I will
leak our information to the enemy. To play a double spy.」
「Hence
the bat.」
「Trivial
information of low importance is fine. I'll make them trust me with that, and
draw out bigger information from them.」
He's a General of
the Empire, a creature of the court where conspiracies swirl. Prince Georg doubted my true intentions. If Ashley-sama had just explained the full
story of our trip to the Farthest End a bit more, the talk would have been
smoother, though...
「I
don't know what Yord will do...
Their information is necessary.」
「I
suppose so.」
「But,
there is also the possibility that the bat will betray us. If asked whether you
can be trusted, I wonder...」
If he ain't this
solid, the country can't be entrusted to him. If the commoner-faction Prince Ashley were the Emperor, and Prince Georg supported him as Prime Minister,
there would be quite a sense of security, though...
「That
depends on Yord-sama. Well, I think
it's no good.」
「What
is the basis for that?」
「The
other day, he appeared in the Knight Order territory, so I went to greet him.
But, it seems he's thinking of something not very good... He seems to be
forming a united front with the second son, Prince Julius, but he intends to outsmart him.」
「I
see...」
There is no solid
proof, but he seems to have predicted that Yord
would betray Julius.
「Even
if I betray someone, I won't do something like kicking sand in people's faces as I leave. Please remember that much at least.」
「Who knows. We have our positions.
To protect the people, there are times we make choices against our will.」
「Well,
I can't deny that part; I want to avoid an outcome where the folks in the
territory pant and suffer.」
「I see.」
Prince Georg smiled. Strong, beautiful, and a
man who also possesses charisma. If this man were the Crown Prince, things
wouldn't have turned out like this...
「But,
meeting like this, I've realized, I don't think I can come to hate Georg-sama or Ashley-sama. I can like you much more than those other arrogant imperial
family members.」
He was a good guy.
That's why I harbored an emotion that blunted my judgment, thinking I didn't
want to become his enemy.
「Excuse
me, Georg-sama. I thought if there
was anything I could help with—」
Then a knock echoed,
and a high-pitched boy's voice could be heard. When Georg-sama gave permission to enter, a boy in bandages appeared.
「Ah!?」
And so, I noticed...
「Wh...
You, what happened to that body!? What on earth happened!?」
「Th-that's...
ugh, urgh... I-I'm sorry...!」
He's the boy who
disappeared from our presence a long time ago. I had been worried the whole
time. I unintentionally pressed forward and yelled at the man who, of all
people, might become Emperor.
「W-What's going on, that's the
brat from our Knight Order!? Why is he here!」
He didn't answer
immediately. I couldn't perceive any guilty emotions; if anything, I felt like
he was hesitant to answer.
「Are
you acquainted with him?」
「He's a
servant of the Knight Order... I looked after him a few times during training,
but he suddenly disappeared, and that was it. Why is he here...」
I'm glad he's safe.
Thinking about it carefully, there's no way the folks here would do anything to
that brat. But why is he here...?
「I
see... Ashley picked him up.」
「Ha,
hahaha... Why does Ashley-sama's
name come up there...」
「My
younger brother has a troublesome personality, and cannot abandon the small to
save the large...」
Oi oi Ashley-sama, your older brother has his
head in his hands. Just how much have you messed up...
「I
cannot speak of the details, but he was confined by the knight Codwall, and was receiving unspeakable
abuse along with violence. He picked him up...」
「Ah...
If it's that bro, he might just do that... Oops, excuse me, Prince Ashley.」
My favorable
impression of bro rose again inside me. And so, I thought anew that Prince Yord is a definite no.
「Why is
my younger brother like that... I can't bear to watch...」
「It's
those kinds of unwavering
parts that attract us commoners, ain't it. Well then, I'll come report if
there's any information. Because another reason to associate with the Knight
Order has disappeared...」
When I left Georg-sama's room, I searched for the
boy in bandages. And then, I rejoiced at his safety, promised not to report to
the higher-ups, and deeply apologized for leaving the shittily corrupt Knight
Order unchecked.
Codwall was the man who was Yord's treasurer. 'I didn't know' won't cut it... The Knight Order sold this child. To the lowest super-pervert. I ain't got any obligation to associate with them anymore. Yord is an incompetent who can't control his subordinates. We don't need such a human as the head of the Knight Order.
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