Picking Up the Exiled Prince

Translator: SCP-423

Editor: geli

Chapter 10: Knight Chris Levsky

Frustrated by Prince Alan’s escape from the castle and the fact that he was still at large, Prime Minister Gabriel was restlessly pacing back and forth in his office.

“What! You still haven’t found the prince yet?!”

Prime Minister Gabriel’s loud, booming voice echoed around one of the castle rooms. 

The prince had managed to flee from the castle and despite the best efforts of the soldiers to locate him, he still hasn’t been found yet. Gabriel’s expression was grim, as he hadn’t expected to spend so much time looking for one boy.

Then a young man’s voice called out from outside the room. 

This young man was dressed as one of the soldier’s captains; he entered the office and stood tall in front of Gabriel, before genuflecting.

“Don’t worry, sir. We’ve already got men stationed at the entrances and exits of this city. He will not be able to leave so easily. It’s only a matter of time before we find the prince.”

The young man, whose short brown hair and deep green eyes gave him a refreshing aura, reported this to Prime Minister Gabriel as he was kneeling.

“He must return to the castle.”

“Yes, sir!… On my name as Levsky, I swear that I’ll bring the prince back safely.”

Indeed, I hope so. Gabriel nodded at his response and sat down in the Prime Minister’s chair. 

After this exchange, the young man stood up and left the room. He walked quickly through the corridors of the castle to get to their station. Several soldiers followed behind him.

“…We will protect him at all costs as soon as we find him! More than any other squadron!”

At the young man’s call, the soldiers replied “Yes!” in unison. The young man’s name was Chris Levsky. At just 24, he was a knight who had already been entrusted with command of a squadron. He came from a family that has been active in establishing the Kingdom of Lant for generations. 

Chris was restless with the current state of the situation.

I must definitely find you before the other squadrons… I can’t help but remain suspicious about these charges against you.

Chris, who was in charge of managing the troops, had heard about the situation in the castle to some extent even if he didn’t report directly to the royal family. First of all, he was still shocked by the fact the king had been murdered. At the same time, he was left wondering why nobody had spoken out about the incongruities present in the case.

They claimed that the prince murdered the king.

It was said that a bloody knife was actually found in the prince’s room. However, the prince, who was first in line to the throne and was doted upon by the king, had no real motive to do so in the first place. Also, according to the maid, the window of the king’s room had been shattered. Under such circumstances, the first possibility that’d usually be considered was assassination from the outside, but the focus of the investigation was solely on the prince. 

Furthermore, no one else was objecting to it… what else was it if not suspicious?

Chris worried that the prince would be in a terrible position even if he returned to the castle. He felt too uneasy about the circumstances to trust in Prime Minister Gabriel’s account of the king’s murder.

As such… he had no choice but to find him before any of the other squadrons did and temporarily move him to a safe place. 

The only way to ensure the prince’s safety would be to find someone who could possibly support the prince, or to flip the situation upside down by finding the true criminal who murdered the king. 

Nonetheless, in the current situation, the prince could end up being used as a justification. It was one of those things that, if handled poorly, could lead to civil war. It would be hard to find someone who was truly loyal to the prince. 

However, Chris intuitively felt that it would still be better to prevent him from returning to the castle.

They left the castle and headed towards the temporary base where the soldier’s orders were given out. It was almost dawn, and the soldiers from other squadrons were still resting. In other words, it was the ideal time to secure the prince, and they couldn’t waste this chance. 

When he reached the place where the base’s soldiers had gathered, he found that the team who had just been searching had returned.

“Captain Levsky, I’m a little worried…”

“What’s on your mind?”

Chris responded to him with a suspicious expression as that group’s leader spoke with an impatient look.

“Yes, I witnessed Danis Harvard was in the neighbourhood where there were reported sightings of someone who looked like the prince. From the recent accounts of those who saw him carrying a blonde boy… maybe…”

“What did you just say?!”

Chris’ eyes widened in surprise. 

Part of it was because of the name the group leader had mentioned, but the other part of it was because that man was a member of the criminal underworld who he had been trying to track down recently. Chris had actually managed to locate him a few times before, but each time he was able to escape. 

If that person was involved, he didn’t know how they would respond in the future. He had evaded capture many times and, despite the size of the city, it was difficult to even trace him in the downtown area… he was a very clever man. 

He might have gotten wind of today’s disturbance, and Chris had no idea how it would turn out if Danis realized that the kingdom was actually in a state of emergency… 

If he really was working with the prince, then what was that man’s objective in doing so…? Chris had no idea.

“I’m not that sure yet, but… I’m a little concerned that we’ve devoted so much manpower to the search and we’ve yet to find him.”

When the leader of the group said that, Chris put his hand over his mouth and thought for a while. 

If the prince really was with the person named Danis, then he definitely felt uncertain about the future. However, Danis’s skill in cleverly escaping from soldiers… and with the prince’s current situation…

“…You’re sure that someone’s hidden him?”

Chris was surprised at first, but he seemed to have calmed down somewhat. On the other hand, the group’s leader nodded to him with a doubtful look.

“Is there a way I could possibly talk to Danis directly or get in contact with him?”

“It’s going to take a little while, but I can contact him…”

“…Keep it secret and do it quickly.”

The leader of the group had become more agitated, as if he had realized something.

“No way…”

“If the future of this country is at stake, then it’s not the time to be choosy about the methods we use! If we don’t side with the prince now… this kingdom won’t survive.”

Chris turned away from the soldiers. The soldiers in the group bowed briefly before moving to carry out their orders.

I don’t know how this choice will turn out. After all, the other party is a serious bastard.

But more importantly, protecting the royal family was the highest priority. If the prince was in a dangerous situation, then Chris could only retrieve him by force.

If there was any other option…

Perhaps this isn’t the time to be concerned about the method.

Please, stay safe.

Chris hoped the prince would do so until his men reported back.


TL Note: The Prime Minister really hired an amateur, didn’t he. There isn’t anyone who isn’t suspicious about this situation.

Want to Read Ahead? Support Us on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments