Read Novel Full Vol 20 Chapter 16
Vol 20 Chapter 16
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Chapter 16 – Extravagant Hope
Preparations have begun for the regular route of the Castle to open. Since chaos is expected, everyone in the orphanage, including the staff, is evacuated to the Castle, and the guild master of the Merchant’s Guild in the city of Cagliari is called to convey our request. I also joined the conversation, but for some reason, I ended up criticizing Gilmas, so from then on, I will try to stay out of it as much as possible.
It’s been five days since the notice was sent to the Merchant’s Guild, and I’ve been staying indoors, so I don’t really know what’s going on, but from what I’ve heard, there seems to be a lot of shouting and wailing going on outside.
There’s also a lot of commotion inside the Castle.
The people who have been selected and deemed okay by Camille-san and the others can’t seem to stay calm in this situation, and they seem to be making a lot of requests for meetings with Camille-san and the others.
In the midst of all this confusion, Camille-san and the others are taking a hands-off approach.
They are said to be having light conversations with the passengers on board, but they are ignoring everything else.
I was also worried and asked if it was okay to react like that, but I got a frighteningly clear answer, and I, a wimp, was scared.
According to Camille-san, the discussion after the purge… punishment is more efficient, and it is also mentally kind because it is not necessary to be involved in the struggle.
It seems that the people who are desperately trying to get in touch with Camille-san and the others are basically the ones who screwed up and are making futile efforts to cover it up.
It seems that the Crown Prince will clean up those people nicely, and when he has done so, Camille-san and the others will start their business negotiations.
She told me this with a very bright smile, so I’m sure it’s true.
I suppose it’s understandable that they’ve been quite a nuisance to us, but I also think it’s not right that they can’t stop being in a good mood because of someone else’s misfortune.
Yesterday, I sent Marina-san out to spy on the town, and I was drinking while listening to the actions of the people in power running around in confusion. They looked like they were having a good time.
I don’t think Camille-san and the others are the type to do such sneaky and pointless things, but they must have been really stressed out. I feel a little sorry for them.
Also, Alessia-san, Carla-san, and Claretta-san are not on the ship at the moment.
After the discussion with Gilmas, we wondered if the out-of-control people in power might target the families of the Girasole members who are believed to be involved, so they moved to Lucca in a hurry.
I also suggested inviting their families to the ship, but since they can’t take such a long vacation and it seems that evacuating them would be an admission of their value, the Girasole members will take turns moving to Lucca to protect their families while also visiting their hometowns.
To be honest, I’m a little relieved that the invitation was declined. I’d like to say that there’s nothing against the family of Alessia-san and the others, but I won’t say who. If I invited someone, it would probably be a huge hassle.
Well, it’s sad that the three of them aren’t here, but I’m also quietly busy taking care of the children at the orphanage.
It’s hard to take care of the children, but I’m doing my best as the owner of the orphanage. Rimu and Pent are more popular than me, though.
Still, it’s peaceful. I know there’s a lot of screaming and crying going on outside the ship, but I leave that to each of them.
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Third Person POV
“…Say that again.”
The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Brescia was reviewing some documents at a desk in his luxurious, glittering, but not ostentatious, room, and he furrowed his brows as he asked the official who had come to report to him to repeat his report.
Although his appearance was dignified and worthy of a crown prince, he had a furrow between his eyebrows and looked as if he was praying to God that he had misunderstood something.
“Ha, the merchant guild has informed us that the Castle has decided to leave the country due to malicious interference. We haven’t confirmed it here, but since it’s been announced so widely, it’s unlikely to be a rumor. Here are the details.”
The Crown Prince listens to the official’s words again, then takes the documents handed to him by the official and looks at them.
“I thought I had a certain amount of information, but it seems I’ve caused more trouble than I thought. In particular, the actions of the people in my faction are beyond outrageous. Does that mean they don’t care about my instructions?”
The Crown Prince’s expression does not change, but a coldness creeps into his voice.
“Those who are close to Your Highness understand your policies, but it is difficult for those who are far away to understand everything. There are many fools who look down on those on that ship as mere commoners.”
The secretary working at the side of the Crown Prince responds to the Crown Prince’s muttering.
“Has the faction become too large?”
“There are also people who have left the second prince’s faction to join the Crown Prince’s faction. The number of people has increased significantly.”
“I wanted to take my time to get them to follow me, but I guess I need to clean up.”
“Even without the ship, Your Highness’s position will not waver, and giving up the ship will buy us time. What will you do?”
“Don’t ask me what you already know. Even without the ship, we won’t lose, but if we let the ship go elsewhere because of our mistake, it would damage our national prestige.”
“That is true. Most of all, I’m afraid of how angry my wife will be.”
“…..That’s right, both Mother and the royal consort will be angry as well. They really liked the things on the ship.”
“Speaking of which, the Queen wants to visit the ship, doesn’t she?”
“Not only Mother, but His Majesty as well. It’s a headache.”
The Crown Prince and his secretary look at each other and smile faintly as if imagining the trouble that will probably happen from now on. They feel sad about their own position from which they cannot escape.
＊＊＊
“Hey, Master, take a look outside.”
It had been a little over a month since I had arrived at the Castle, and although I loved to relax, I was getting a little bored, so I was thinking of going to visit the children when Ines called me.
I went out on the balcony, expecting to see something interesting, but I saw something unexpected.
“Well, it’s a ship. It doesn’t look like a warship, but there are a lot of them, and they look armed. What’s wrong with those ships?”
The port in Cagliari is a military port, so I’m used to seeing warships, but these are definitely different. Could they be pirates?
No, there are no pirates attacking a military port.
“It’s armed, and they’re probably after this ship.”
“What? This is a military port, right?”
I thought there were no pirates attacking military ports, but I never thought they actually existed. Fantasy goes beyond what you expect.
“There’s a crest on the sails, so it’s probably a noble ship.”
Obviously, they weren’t pirates. That’s right, even in fantasy, there aren’t many pirates attacking a military port. I can’t say for sure that there aren’t any, though.
“Ah, so it seems like they were cornered and looking for a sudden turnaround?”
Both Camille-san and I basically ignore what’s going on outside, but we still get information.
According to the information we’ve received, it seems that the Crown Prince is wielding a large hatchet.
Because of the extensive exposure with evidence of the harassment and pressure that we have received, I hear that there is a big mess because of the demotion and stripping of titles, the punishment and pressure without question to the Merchant’s Guild, and the complaints and responsibility to the Merchant’s Guild as well.
I think they’re probably just making a last-ditch effort to get their hands on the Castle.
“Master, Camille-san and the others have something to ask you.”
Felicia, who had been outside, returned with Camille-san and the others. I think they want to talk about the ship outside.
I invite Camille-san and the others in and ask Felicia to prepare some drinks. Well, she’s just ordering room service.
“So, about that thing outside, it’s probably going to attack us. What should we do?”
To be honest, even if it’s a warship, there’s nothing they can do to Castle, so I don’t think it’s worth getting too excited about.
Camille-san and the others know that we are unstoppable against powerful sea monsters in the open sea, so I don’t think they’re worried about being in any kind of danger.
“We don’t want to get involved either, but we’re worried that it might interfere with the pickup and delivery of our customers.”
Ah, I see; they can’t do anything about the Castle, so they’ll probably target the ship that picks up and drops off the customers.
It’s fine if I do the pickups and drop-offs by boat, but that could cause a lot of trouble.
“Can’t the military do something about that?”
It’s a military port, so there are a lot of military ships, so I want them to take care of it quickly.
“The crest on the sail is that of Count Tontrade. He is the second prince faction, but he has a lot of ships in his coastal territory and has influence over the navy. That’s why he tried to get his hands on the Castle by any means necessary and ended up digging his own grave. I also revealed a lot of things.”
Yes, Camille-san’s last words definitely caused that.
“So you’re saying that the military won’t move immediately because he has influence over the navy?”
“And also his title. Even if he is rotten, he is still a count, so the army cannot overthrow him alone. Under the current circumstances, as soon as word gets back to the royal capital, I am sure permission will be granted to overthrow him, but until then, it will be difficult to do anything about it.”
The only time they have is the time it takes a messenger to travel to and from the city of Cagliari. They are really making a last-ditch effort.
If they can get their hands on the Castle, it will be a great achievement, allowing them to get away with a certain amount of ruthlessness. The Count’s side seems to be full of hope. But it’s a hopelessly unreasonable request.
“Hmm? Do you hear something?”
“Master, it’s coming from the ship outside. It seems like they’re using wind magic, so it should be easier to hear if you go out on the balcony.”
“I see, then I’ll go and listen.”
I don’t think it will help, but it might be easier to decide on a countermeasure if I listen. Camille-san and the others seem to agree, so we all go out onto the balcony.
“My name is Dorund, and I am the head of the prestigious family of Count Tontrade!”
The head of the family came out himself? It looks like he’s cornered. He’s probably about to fall.
“You fools who shamelessly use the ancient heritage that should be administered by the nobility for profit, if you surrender now, I will spare your lives! But if you waste my mercy, I will show you no mercy! Prepare to answer!”
“Well, I’ll spare your life, but give me all your possessions. Is that what he means?”
The nobility should handle it… It seems that he doesn’t even want to leave it to the royalty.
“Since he only means life, it doesn’t only include property, but also selling yourself, right? So I guess he would only save our lives, because if he kills us, he can’t sell us.”
Oh, they’re going to sell us? That Count is amazing. The fact that he seems to think that such a request is truly merciful is especially amazing.
“Well, what are we going to do? I don’t really want to get involved…”
You know, that Count, he’s the kind of person who will tire you out the more you talk to him. There is no doubt about it.
Even if he were to become an enemy, I would have preferred a more straightforward opponent. Oh, regardless of their good or bad character, if they were people with a certain level of intelligence, they wouldn’t think of picking a fight with the Crown Prince and the mage, right?
My hopes were extravagant.
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