Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 85

85: The Beggar Siblings – The Prince’s Return

“Next!”

The gate guard shouted after allowing a caravan to pass through.

In front of the gate leading to the Kingdom of Conrad, there was a commotion with dozens of wagons lined up. Some people grumbled, saying, "We’re not getting out today."

A war had broken out between the Kingdom of Astin and the Kingdom of Bellita.

The guards meticulously searched each wagon to ensure no weapons were being smuggled out, making the inspections drag on endlessly.

The waiting people frowned in displeasure, but the soldiers were equally unhappy.

"Why are we even checking? With the war, weapon prices have skyrocketed. If anything, people would be bringing them in, not taking them out."

"Just do your job. Why do you think so much? Stop complaining and take the next one. Can't you see the long line? Do you not want to go home?"

Grumbling, the soldier gestured for the next group to come forward.

But this group was rather peculiar.

It looked like a farmer leading a cart with a mule, but the man driving the cart wore a two-handed sword.

“Show me your travel documents.”

“Here they are.”

The soldier’s eyes narrowed as he took the papers handed to him by a young man.

‘His eye color is unusual. Golden? Wait, I think I’ve seen this somewhere in an official document...’

The soldier tilted his head, then suddenly remembered an old bulletin.

- Capture the young man with a slender build and golden eyes, who was once a beggar.

“Wait a moment. Captain, can I speak with you?”

“What is it now?”

“Doesn’t that man look like a wanted criminal? I saw it in a bulletin before...”

The captain frowned deeply.

Not this again.

"Do you know how many people you've arrested because they 'looked' like criminals? Not a single one was guilty. We got complaints for wasting their time and you got reprimanded. And now this?"

“But still, wait a moment. Here, the bulletin...”

“You idiot! This is from last summer. And you remember it?”

“Look, it says to capture the young man with golden eyes...”

“Yes, a beggar with a slender build. Does that man look like a boy or a beggar to you?”

“Well, he could have grown taller and earned some money...”

“If that’s the case, we should arrest everyone here. Look over there, that bald guy. If he grows some hair and loses some weight...”

“...”

“We’re busy enough. Stop wasting time and check the documents quickly.”

“But...”

At that moment, the person in question intervened.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, my colleague here is mistaken. Hand me the documents. Let’s see... Hmm? This isn’t a travel document... Oh, you're a temporary knight.”

The captain, who took the documents from his junior, saw the large seal of the Second Knights and saluted lightly.

Giving a pointed look to his junior, the captain continued, “It says here you’re escorting your sister. Is that the person in the cart?”

“Yes.”

“And the other person? Oh, there’s an ID. A free citizen... May I see your sister’s face? Her hood makes it difficult to confirm... Oh!”

When the girl in the cart removed her hood, the captain and the suspicious soldier gasped.

Under her adorably round forehead and a lazy jawline, her youthful face shone like sunlight.

The soldiers were speechless, captivated by her twilight-golden eyes.

The young man urged them, “Can we pass now?”

“Yes, yes. Please go ahead.”

“Thank you. Take care.”

The two guards watched the receding cart blankly.

An annoyed merchant behind them shouted, "Hey! Are you going to work or not?"

Snapping out of it, the captain nudged his junior with his elbow, mocking him, “What if you had detained them? We’d be in big trouble for messing with a knight.”

“She was really beautiful...”

“This guy still hasn’t learned. Well, she was. Never seen anyone that pretty...”

"Hey! We’re in a hurry! Do your job!"

An impatient merchant finally ran up, breaking their reverie.

Annoyed, the soldiers conducted a thorough search, fining the merchant for illegal modifications and overloading his wagon.

Lena, Leo, and Cassia headed south along the border between the Kingdom of Conrad and the Kingdom of Orun.

Thanks to the 'First Foreign Trip' achievement, the mule pulling their cart, though not as fast as a horse, moved at a good speed, bringing them closer to Lord Bart.

The Kingdom of Conrad was bizarrely devoid of mountains.

It was as if someone had pounded the land with a giant hand, leaving only gentle slopes and vast plains, allowing their cart to move without stopping.

However, two months after crossing into the Kingdom of Conrad, they could go no further.

The sea halted their progress.

“Wow! Water! Brother, there’s so much water!”

Seeing the sea for the first time, Lena lifted her skirt and splashed around. While Cassia and her brother wandered the deserted beach, Leo stared at the vast horizon, lost in thought.

The {Tracking} skill still pointed south. He had expected Lord Bart to be hiding near the border, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

‘He escaped by sea.’

While traveling in the Kingdom of Conrad, Leo had heard news about Lord Bart.

A bounty had been placed on Lord Bart and his knights.

They were accused of raiding the duchy of Duke Tertan a few times each year and even murdering the duke’s grandson, Philas Tertan, last year, which led to their being hunted down.

It was said that Duke Lappert Tertan mobilized not only the knights of the nobility but also the Third Royal Knights to try to annihilate them.

The number of knights chasing them was said to be as many as three hundred, so it must have been a massive pursuit.

‘It makes sense, given that just seven of them took on a dozen or so knights single-handedly.’

While this simple calculation might hold, the fact that all the knights escorting Philas Tertan were merely regular knights played a significant role.

The seven being chased were all knights of Katrina’s caliber. Especially Lord Bart, who was far superior to any regular knight, couldn’t be stopped by just fifteen regular knights.

‘But why would such a strong knight only resort to raiding the duchy?’

Leo lifted the necklace hanging around his neck.

The necklace had three blue droplets engraved in relief, with unknown characters carved above each droplet.

The same pattern was engraved on Lord Bart’s sword. It was speculated that he was a royal guard closely associated with the prince and princess.

It seemed that he sought revenge against Duke Laffert Tertan, who had helped to banish Lena and Leo...

“Lena! Cassia! Time to go!”

Leo set aside his doubts.

He would find out when he met Lord Bart.

The cart, with the sea to their right, slowly headed east, losing the benefit of the ‘First Foreign Trip’ achievement.

In the foggy early morning, a fishing boat docked at the Noyar harbor.

The only sounds were the creaking of the moored boats.

Although it was early morning, the poor visibility made it difficult to set sail, so the harbor was nearly empty.

Like most small vessels without anchors, the fishing boat approached the pier and tied a thick mooring rope around a bollard.

What disembarked were not freshly caught fish or fishermen full of the joy of a full catch.

Five silent men stepped onto the pier.

They all had eyes burning with a desire for revenge.

As the men who disembarked first turned around, the last man off the boat gave a nod.

They quietly moved forward, with the nodding man following behind, gritting his teeth.

‘Damn that duke.’

The gaunt, hollow-cheeked man was Bart, once a royal guard of the Yeriel family.

‘I should have killed the duke in the capital instead of his grandson.’

Bart had hoped that killing Philas Tertan would force Duke Lappert Tertan to rush out of the capital. Although raiding the duchy hadn't moved the duke, he expected that this time, the duke wouldn’t be able to stand by.

But the duke remained in his mansion in the capital.

The rumors that he doted on his grandson were false.

While it was satisfying to end his lineage, the wrong decision had cost two comrades. Comrades who had long lived for revenge couldn’t see their dreams fulfilled.

‘I’m sorry.’

With their current skills, they could have stormed the duke’s mansion and killed him. They wouldn’t have survived, but wasn’t that all they had been living for?

However, upon learning that the duke’s grandson was coming to the Kingdom of Orun to meet a lady named Harie Guidan, Bart could think of nothing else but killing him first.

At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. They were blinded by the incredibly fortunate information they had obtained, thinking it would be easier to capture the duke if they drew him out.

It was a mistake.

Why had they chosen such a path, hoping for some glory after easily killing the duke and surviving?

Bart raised his head, closing his eyes tightly against the thick fog.

Though delayed by the pursuit following the murder of the duke’s grandson, it was finally time to end their ten years of wandering.

Now they would rush to the capital, kill the duke, and put an end to their wretched lives, bringing solace to the souls of the late prince, princess, and their fallen comrades.

- Thud.

Lost in the memories of long years of glory and grief, Bart bumped into the comrade ahead, snapping out of his thoughts.

“What is it? Why did you stop?”

“...”

As he opened his eyes, he saw his comrades standing still, trembling.

Surprised by their strange behavior, Bart looked in the direction they were staring.

And he too began to shake.

- Your Highness!

Amidst the mist, the figure of the prince appeared.

With unchanging golden eyes, blond hair tinged with blue like the Yeriel royal lineage, thick eyebrows, a high nose, and a slender jawline reminiscent of the king...

The prince, who had been lost at the age of about seven, stood before them, grown into adulthood.

Some of the knights, tears welling up, began to kneel towards the ghost of the prince, while others rubbed their eyes, unable to believe it.

Though Bart’s chest was full of emotion, he fought back the tears threatening to spill.

Had the prince come to deliver a message?

As they were about to kill Duke Tertan, had he come to offer final encouragement?

But... the prince before him felt alive.

Startled by the sense of presence, Bart quickly regained his composure, only to lose it again.

“Lord Bart.”

“W-What? Your Highness?”

The knights gasped.

Not a ghost.

The prince they had dreamed of approached, parting the mist.

“Yes, it’s me. Leo de Yeriel.”

The bewildered knights, half-kneeling, looked to Bart.

With a trembling voice, Bart asked, “D-Do you have proof? We need proof that you are the prince.”

In truth, proof was unnecessary. This man was undoubtedly the prince.

But having lived for revenge, their minds could be clouded by wishful thinking, seeing only what they wanted to see.

Moreover, it was hard to believe.

How could the prince appear like this?

How could he have survived and found them, even evading the duke’s pursuit?

Perhaps it was a sweet trick of the devil. The dense fog playing strange magic.

However, as soon as the prince took something out, Bart knelt, shouting, “I greet the prince!”

“I greet the prince!”

The comrades followed, kneeling and shouting.

The prince held a small white necklace. It was something he had worn as a child.

An unmistakable proof that emerged after ten years, bringing the knights to tears.

Their lord was alive.

The knights, including Bart, prostrated themselves, asking to be killed for failing to protect their lord, crying profusely.

[Achievement: Loyalty – ‘5’, As long as loyalty does not waver, those who swear allegiance will trust and follow Leo.]

The returned prince comforted the knights, but the middle-aged men’s tears wouldn’t stop.

Leo’s nose tingled with emotion, though he didn’t know why.