Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 141

<141>

About an hour into chasing Orhan.

My heart pounded, and my head throbbed.

Bearing the pain, I regretted not adding more functions to the bracelet I gave Ranua.

‘I should have added an automatic alert when the distance between us increased.’

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that I didn’t do it, but that I couldn’t realistically manage it in the time I had.

You can’t just whip up such a magical tool in three or four hours. An expert needs several days with specialized equipment to complete something like that.

Once I returned to the kingdom, I planned to formally commission the Gold Tower, which specialized in magical item creation.

The bracelet I gave Ranua was a modified version of one with anti-theft magic from [The Everything Store, a well-known magic shop]. It was just a temporary fix.

Just as I was about to ask Lucas to provide close protection for her until I could send a new, more robust magical tool, Orhan acted with surprising speed.

Shouldn’t it normally take at least three or four days to plan a kidnapping, prepare everything, and then execute it?

My miscalculation stemmed from not realizing that Ranua was Orhan’s absolute priority, to the point where he didn’t care about his family or property within the Noya tribe.

As someone who has never been instantly smitten with someone and experienced passionate love, it’s a realm beyond my understanding.

While lost in thought, I focused on the arrow indicating the bracelet’s location.

I was almost catching up.

‘Is it that hill over there?’

I put more strength into my legs and surged forward.

The moment I reached the top of the hill, I could see the border of the Hamel Empire in the distance.

There wasn’t a huge fortress wall, just outposts at wide intervals.

‘I’m glad I caught him before he crossed the border.’

Just as I was thinking that.

Rustle, rustle.

I heard a sound like someone struggling. I focused my magical power in my eyes and carefully scanned the bushes where the sound came from.

I saw Orhan, looking deranged, holding Ranua, who was bound and gagged.

‘That bastard!’

Was he trying to force a kiss or something?

In a hurry, I shot a [Magic Arrow], which I could conjure most quickly, at his head.

Whoosh—

Bang!

((Who is it!))

Still, Orhan reacted quickly, as befitting a great warrior. He blocked the [Magic Arrow] with a large axe and looked at me, shouting loudly.

((Hoo… hoo… I almost missed that.))

Breathing heavily, I met Ranua’s gaze.

Her face lit up.

She soon realized she was alone and gave me a worried look. I smiled gently to reassure her.

***

Seeing Evan’s face, Orhan swallowed nervously.

‘How did he catch up?’

That was the first question that crossed his mind.

Then came the worry. Evan chasing after him meant Nurgal might be with him too.

It was an indefensible situation.

‘If the Chieftain is here… I’m dead.’

As that thought occurred to him, Orhan subtly moved his large axe to a position where he could easily target Ranua.

He was considering taking her hostage in case things went wrong.

‘Me, taking Ranua hostage?’

Orhan hesitated.

He realized that the past self who believed he could offer his heart for Ranua was wrong.

The most precious thing wasn’t Ranua.

It was his own life.

((Relax, I’m alone.))

Orhan relaxed at Evan’s words.

If that was the case, it was worth a try.

He would split that guy’s head open and take Ranua, who had become his second most precious thing, across the Hamel Empire before the Chieftain arrived.

‘You fool.’

He didn’t know how he had been tracked, but he would make him regret not bringing a single escort knight.

Orhan licked his lips and examined Evan.

He had heard rumors.

That the 5-star magic swordsman Evan had shattered the mental domain of the 19th Prince of the Hamel Empire at the Crown Prince’s inauguration.

There was a limit to idolization.

Even if he told that story to the children of the tribe, he would be teased as a liar.

‘Strange. I can’t figure him out at all.’

Usually, he could tell if someone was inferior to him, a match for him, or someone he should never mess with.

Was it because he was a magic swordsman?

He knew him as a half-baked magic swordsman who was neither a knight nor a mage. Still, seeing him chase after him, was he a 6-star magic swordsman?

No.

Orhan couldn’t possibly believe that a being who had never appeared in history was standing before him.

He must have used sorcery.

Still, as the king of a nation, he must have some extraordinary divine artifact.

‘I’ll split his head open and take everything.’

Clang!

Orhan bared his yellow teeth and laughed fiercely, kicking off the ground. Evan gripped the hilt of his sword in response.

Lanua, watching this, widened her eyes.

The pure strength of Orhan, she knew, was second only to the tribal chief. If Evan tried to block the large axe he wielded with a sword, the sword would be split in two, along with him.

More than one imperial knight had been killed by Orhan due to carelessness.

“Oob- Oob-“

She tried to warn him, but the gag in her mouth rendered her efforts useless.

Evan drew his sword.

Weeeeeeeeeng─!

The sword, emitting a strange cry, collided with Orhan’s large axe.

Lanua tightly closed her eyes. She could vividly imagine Evan being split in two from head to toe.

She even wanted to cover her ears.

She braced herself for the roar of the large axe cleaving Evan in two, anticipating the sound of it even splitting the ground, feeling like she would lose her mind.

But.

Swish─

‘?’

The sound Lanua expected didn’t come.

Tingling.

Didn’t that sound like Orhan dropping his large axe powerlessly to the ground?

Cautiously, she opened her eyes.

((Ker- Ker-))

Orhan, with more than half of his neck cut, was making a whistling sound as he clutched his head, which was barely attached to his body.

Evan flicked his sword once and sheathed it, saying to her.

((It’s not a pretty sight, so close your eyes a little longer.))

Evan’s soft voice.

Lanua’s tension completely dissipated.

Was that why? She willingly succumbed to the encroaching sleepiness. Her eyes gently closed.

***

It had already been a week since returning from visiting the Noya tribe.

The return was delayed by a day because of that insignificant Orhan. Because there was a reliable witness named Lanua, there were no particular conflicts.

-I’m sorry. I knew about his desire for Lanua a long time ago, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.

Nurgal apologized neatly.

He promised to make some concessions in the alliance agreement that would be made after he obtained the consent of the entire Khan tribe. That was enough to satisfy Evan.

Although Orhan was dealt with, just in case, as soon as Evan returned to the palace, he commissioned the production of magical tools from the Golden Tower [a renowned magic item workshop].

Of course, two of them.

One for Lanua, one for Reina.

Reina, after learning about what happened in the Khan tribe, was silent for two days.

She also knew that I might take a second or third queen depending on the situation. We had talked about it a few times in bed.

But it seemed that actually going from being *the* queen to being the *first* queen was quite a shock.

It was understandable.

Being an only child and then having a sibling is a huge stress, let alone a husband’s second wife.

I wanted to keep it a secret because it wouldn’t be good for her prenatal care, but it wasn’t easy to hide.

A woman’s intuition is more amazing than I thought.

Fortunately!

Thanks to Adol secretly informing her that I didn’t touch Lanua during my visit to the Noya tribe, she seemed a little relieved.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking on the office door.

Looking out the window, I was reminiscing about what had happened since visiting the Khan tribe when the knocking returned me to reality.

“Your Majesty, Baron Ira has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The door opened, and Ira, who was solidifying her position as a confident, modern woman following in Miloua’s footsteps, entered.

She was wearing a fur coat from a globally renowned brand.

Her past simple appearance was nowhere to be found. She was at the forefront of fashion from head to toe.

“Is that the report I asked for in your hand?”

“Yes. I barely slept while writing it.”

It was a report on how long the Aitz Trading Company’s finances could last after supplying food to the Khan tribe.

“I understand. Because it’s that important.”

I received the report she handed over and quickly scanned it. I read the final conclusion in detail once more and gave a simple review.

“There’s more leeway than I thought.”

“Leeway?”

Ira sounded surprised.

“It should be written that even with tight management, it’s 1 year and 3 months… Did you perhaps misread it as 3 years and 1 month?”

“No, I saw it correctly. 1 year and 3 months.”

There were 3 more months of leeway than I had expected.

It must be because of that.

“The Red Death’s vaccine, ‘Angel’s Wing,’ has higher sales than I thought, even though the Pantheon [a powerful organization with medical authority] hasn’t certified it as safe yet.”

“I really don’t know why the Pantheon is dragging its feet when the second clinical trial was also successfully completed. The reason for the high sales is that people in countries where the Red Death is prevalent trust and buy it because of the track record of Genesen and Genesia, according to the analysis.”

As expected, image is important.

At some point, a trend began to emerge where people trusted and used Aitz Trading Company’s products without question.

“If the Red Death is caught in the countries that purchased it in the first round, the Pantheon won’t be able to delay certification any longer.”

“If that happens, the period we can hold out will be longer. The details… I’ll have to calculate it.”

A face asking if she should.

“No, there’s no need to calculate it.”

Calculating for just over a year was sufficient.

Ira’s expression brightened considerably.

I placed the report in my desk drawer. Official business concluded. Now, it was time for a private conversation with her.

“I heard Count Merton discovered your relationship with Julian, which is causing some trouble.”

“Oh! Where did you hear that? From the Third Princess? Or the Queen? Could it be Count Milroa?”

“The source is confidential.”

Julian is one of my closest aides, but he doesn’t hold a formal title.

This is mostly because he operates in the shadows, so there hasn’t been a suitable reward commensurate with his services.

You could argue that being alive is reward enough, but seeing him work so diligently as a close aide makes you want to acknowledge his efforts. That’s only human.

“Soon, Julian will have a title befitting Ira’s, so don’t worry. I wanted to let you know that.”

Revealing his pivotal role in retaking the Northwest and establishing a secret alliance with the Khan would warrant at least a baronetcy [a hereditary title of nobility, ranking below a baron].

“I am the kingdom’s rising star, following in Count Milroa’s footsteps. I wasn’t concerned about his title being lower than mine.”

She could have simply said okay. She’s clearly embarrassed.

“Don’t tell Julian. It might put undue pressure on him. Though, I doubt it will.”

“Yes! My lips are sealed.”

After some additional small talk, I dismissed Ira.

I rose from my chair to get some fresh air and approached the window. I noticed Reina taking a stroll, holding Harrion in her arms.

It’s been over a month since I brought him here, but he remains small and fragile. If he were a cat, he’d be running around by now, wouldn’t he?

‘I wouldn’t know; I’ve never raised one before.’

Will his growth accelerate if the Danar Order’s power expands?

Expanding the Danar Order is currently on hold, as it needs to be linked to the Pantheon, according to the diary. For now, I must concentrate on retaking the Northwest.

I watched Ira approach Reina and exchange greetings as she left the office, then returned to my desk.

My gaze landed on the newspaper headline I had pushed aside on my desk.

『Mysterious Serial Killings Occurring in the Arya Royal Palace. Who is the Killer?』

The neighboring island nation is gripped by a series of mysterious murders.

This is peculiar.

This incident was absent from the ‘future.’ Clearly, a butterfly effect caused by my actions.

I searched in the [Library, likely a magical or comprehensive archive], but I couldn’t identify the culprit. That implies they leave no ‘record.’

I also investigated the First Princess of Arya, who exuded a chilling aura, but…

>Is it possible that the First Princess of Arya is a serial killer?

「Yanderesia’s diary is filled with entries expressing fear of the serial killer. As of now, the probability of her being the culprit is very low.」

Who could the culprit be?

‘Well, does it even matter?’

As soon as I receive word from the Khan, I need to mobilize the kingdom’s core forces north. A serial killer destabilizing the Arya royal family at such a crucial time is…

A stroke of good fortune.