Chapter 25: The Return of the Prince

When all the scheduled events were over, it was finally time to leave for real.

Dmico, Bramia, and several Dwarves came out to see Rohan and his group off.

The entrance to the coal mine was brightened by blazing torches.

"It would have been nice if you could have stayed a bit longer. It's a pity," Graham said.

At his words, all the Dwarves nearby smiled and nodded in agreement.

Graham’s wife, Bramia, handed over a bundle as she spoke.

"This is a gift prepared by me and our Dwarves as a token of our gratitude! Rohan, you’ll come visit again, won’t you?"

"Of course, Bramia. Thank you for the gift."

Rohan nodded with a gentle smile.

At that, Graham cleared his throat and carefully extended both hands.

"This is my own gift for you, Lord Rohan."

Graham hung a long necklace around Rohan’s neck.

"The ornament on this necklace is proof that you, Apostle, are an eternal friend to us Dwarves—and my friend as well. If you have this, no matter which other race you meet, their wariness will be eased."

The token necklace was layered atop the 'Flame of Pelion' Rohan had received from Alcon.

"May peace and rest follow you always on your journey."

With Dwarven ceremony, Graham sent Rohan off, and the Dwarves who’d come out with him bowed their heads in unison.

"That's quite the hero’s sendoff."

As they left and entered the mine entrance, Retina threw out a comment.

"Is this really such a big deal?"

Rohan asked, fiddling with the necklace's token.

The round token was engraved with the face of the god Lokteum and unknown script.

"You could say it's almost impossible to get. Among all the different races, maybe only the leaders have received it? Or maybe not even them."

"Oh?"

It was an even more incredible item than he'd thought.

"But..."

Still playing with the necklace, Rohan glanced at Retina.

"Why are you coming with us, anyway?"

"Me? Well..."

Retina gave a sly smile.

"Because I have to take you to Silvaren?"

"What? I told you I can’t go for a while."

"Exactly. No matter what, Lord Nas told me to bring you. So until you can go, I’ll just stick by your side."

"Huh."

"I'm also curious about the human world."

"...Hmm."

Rohan felt a throbbing in his head.

Then suddenly.

'Huh? Maybe this isn’t so bad?'

A good idea came to him.

"Then, while you’re at my side, could you help me out a bit with my work?"

"Work? I’m not coming to be your subordinate."

Retina looked serious, but Rohan shamelessly continued.

"I’m not asking you to be my subordinate. But if you help me a little, my work will be done faster, and that means I’ll be able to go to Silvaren that much sooner, right?"

"...!"

Retina’s eyes widened slightly.

"If I help, you’ll get to go faster?"

"Of course."

Retina hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

It was a simple answer, but Rohan inwardly rejoiced.

A Blood Elpyrian with outstanding physical abilities. And among the Elpyrians, she was a superior being, a 'Silvarenian' with unique abilities.

If someone like her, who didn’t side with any human, decided to help him, it was as good as gaining an incredible ally.

Meanwhile, Dmico stood nearby, beaming as he held the parchment containing Graham's promise.

"Are you that happy?"

"Of course!"

He rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"When Your Highness first said you’d resolve this, I didn’t believe it. Honestly, I even foolishly looked down on you."

"I know."

"I sincerely apologize for that. Your Highness saved not only our Gerald Territory, but the people of the Empire as well."

If the dispute had gotten worse, the coal supply would’ve been cut in half, so he wasn’t wrong.

"And... thank you for giving me a memory I’ll never forget for the rest of my life."

For an ore fanatic like him, the trip to Loktercia must have been a sweet dream.

"Yeah. When we get back, things over there will get pretty lively too. Oh, and about what I did..."

"Of course, I’ll keep quiet!"

Dmico nodded enthusiastically.

He was a pretty perceptive guy.

Guided by the soft glow of luminous stones, the party ventured deeper into the mine.

How much deeper did they go?

Murmur, murmur.

The sound of people talking could be heard from the cave entrance.

"...If we wait any longer..."

"We need to act quickly..."

The voices were clear.

Three people and an Elpyrian kept walking forward.

Before long, they arrived at the plank Rohan had broken.

"Who’s there?!"

At Dmico’s shout, there was a commotion outside.

"My lord? Is that you, my lord?"

"Your Highness, that's the voice of Gerald Castle’s steward."

It was a familiar voice to Dmico.

"That’s right! It’s me! Hold on, I’m coming out!"

Dmico squeezed his body through the broken planks.

"Phew, finally made it back."

When he appeared, three people surrounded him, checking if he was alright.

"My lord! Are you alright?"

"What happened? We were so worried!"

"Dear! Are you okay? What were you doing all this time? Do you know how worried I was?"

They were the steward of Gerald Castle, the commander of the knights, and his wife, Baroness Bellata.

Behind them, Gerald Castle's soldiers stood at the ready in their battle gear.

As expected, if they’d been any later, things might have turned bad.

Dmico scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well, as you can see, I’m fine."

"Dear, but... what about His Highness the Prince? Could it be..."

At Bellata’s words, everyone turned pale.

It was a relief that Dmico was safe, but if something had happened to the prince who went in with him...

'Gerald Territory wouldn’t be able to avoid responsibility!'

Emergency bells rang in everyone's heads.

Seeing their faces grow ever more anxious, Dmico hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, no! It’s not what you think!"

"Eh? Then..."

"I’m right here."

At the sound of a youthful voice, the crowd parted like water.

"Your Highness!"

"Prince! You’re safe!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That’s the knight accompanying him, and... who’s that woman?"

The steward, checking the people, pointed at the red-haired woman with a puzzled look.

"Ah, she’s..."

As Dmico started to speak, Rohan cut in.

"She’s my guest. No need to worry."

"Ah!"

The knight commander and Baroness Bellata looked puzzled, but the steward seemed to understand and quickly bowed his head.

"Understood. Since she’s Your Highness’s guest, we must treat her well."

He’d picked up on Rohan’s message not to ask further.

"For now, let’s talk in more detail inside. Everyone has been worried about Your Highness and the lord."

At the steward’s suggestion, Rohan nodded.

And so.

The journey to Loktercia, neither too long nor too short, came to an end.

---

"You were welcomed? So you weren’t captured by the Dwarves?"

"Then our lord went to Loktercia as a guest?"

Upon arriving at Gerald Castle,

Dmico’s family and closest aides were amazed by his explanation.

"Here, look at this. This document was written personally by Elder Graham, the leader of the Dwarves. It contains their promise to sign a peace treaty and transfer development rights for this coal mine to us."

"That's really Loktercia’s seal!"

"Dear! This is wonderful!"

The steward’s face lit up, and Bellata hugged Dmico, exclaiming.

The coal mine was a crucial asset for Gerald Territory, so reclaiming it meant their future wouldn’t worsen.

"To think all this was achieved by His Highness..."

"It’s truly amazing."

To them, the prince had always looked so young.

But now he looked completely different.

With a stately bearing, sipping black tea, Rohan was no child but the very image of a true prince of royal blood.

"To personally persuade those stubborn, hostile Dwarves. I wish I could’ve seen it myself."

"No need to say more! His Highness is truly remarkable."

"And the lord... you just enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?"

At the steward’s pointed remark, Dmico broke into a nervous sweat.

The steward knew Dmico well.

If their ore-obsessed lord went to Loktercia, his eyes must have been sparkling the whole time.

"Ahem! Steward, isn’t that a bit much? I nearly died, you know?"

"Yes, yes, my apologies."

At Dmico’s protest, the steward replied with an empty apology.

Their family had served the lords of Gerald for generations, and so their relationship was more like family than merely hierarchical.

"Anyway, now that everything is settled, I’ll need to rest a bit. Loktercia was so hot, but it’s freezing here."

Dmico rubbed his arms and looked at Rohan.

"Your Highness must be exhausted as well. Please rest up."

Come to think of it, Rohan had traveled all the way from the capital before heading straight to Loktercia.

He hadn’t had a single moment’s rest, so he should be tired, but his face was still peaceful, even radiant.

"Yes, I’ll rest."

Rohan smiled and stood up.

"Tomorrow, come see me early in the morning, Dmico."

"...Pardon? Again?"

Dmico trembled a little, suddenly uneasy.

"We’re not going far, so don’t worry. There’s just something I need to get before I leave."

"Ah, I see? Yes, understood."

Dmico saluted with a smile, and Rohan left the meeting room.

When he went outside, Martin and the knights were waiting for him.

"Your Highness."

Hans stepped forward and bowed.

"We were all very worried."

"I figured as much. Sorry to make you worry."

Rohan smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Not at all. I heard you handled the dispute with the Dwarves splendidly. Congratulations."

"Congratulations!"

The knights echoed Hans’s words in unison.

"Thank you. In two days, we’ll return to the capital at dawn, so be ready."

"Yes, understood!"

Smiles spread across the knights’ faces.

Their prince, whom they’d secretly rooted for, had accomplished something difficult, so they felt proud and happy.

After the knights left,

Rohan also made his way to his prepared room.

Click.

When he opened the door, a woman was sitting by the window, gazing at the moon.

"Retina."

So she came here, after vanishing like the wind right after arriving.

"How did you know this was my room?"

"I smelled you."

"...."

Rohan glanced around and soon spotted a pile of luggage.

It was his baggage, brought to Gerald Territory.

'She tracked me down just from my luggage?'

The senses of an Elpyrian were truly monstrous.

"The day after tomorrow, we leave for the capital at dawn."

"I don’t care. Even if you try to ditch me, I’ll always be able to find you."

"That’s... kind of creepy."

"You haven’t forgotten who I am, have you?"

Retina turned her head and grinned.

Indeed.

If she was an ally, she was reassuring, but if she was an enemy, there’d be nothing more terrifying.

"You know that man from earlier, the steward? If you find him, he’ll assign you a room."

"No need."

Retina stood and perched on the windowsill.

"The clouds are my blanket and the earth my bed."

She said with a cheerful face, and vanished in a flash.

"Why does she always use the window instead of the perfectly good door?"

Staring blankly at the open window, Rohan scratched his cheek.