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Chapter 25 – The Crown Prince and the Shaman
“…Go and search for the whereabouts of that worthless man.”
He muttered.
It was a thin, faint mutter that seemed to fade like a ghost.
He must have forcibly peeled off the bandages that were wrapped around his body, as painful-looking wounds were visible. It made one want to avert their eyes.
“…What do you…mean…Your Highness?”
The words were uttered as soon as he came back to his room.
The servant didn’t understand. He was shocked to see the prince like this, as he had been in a very different mood when he was first summoned by the king.
“…Don’t make me say it again.”
It was a low voice similar to a monster’s groan.
The man servant had no clue as to what had been discussed. But even so, it was clear that Legulus was in a tremendously bad mood.
“Ye-yes, Your Highness!”
After bowing his head so deep that you could see the back of his neck, the servant left the room in a hurry.
Then, in order to escape the prince’s wrath, the others began to leave the room as well.
Eventually the only one left was Legulus and…
“…You are still here? Shaman.”
“I was not told to leave. I was ordered to come to the castle, and so I would not leave without permission.”
That was a sound argument.
A good responses.
However, at this point, after the conversation with His Majesty the King, the shaman had absolutely no value to Legulus.
And yet…
“…Do you know a man called Eldas Miheira?”
It was just something that he asked on a whim.
Even if he wasn’t useful as a shaman, Legulus decided to use him as a listener to help in organizing his thoughts.
The shaman was middle-aged, possibly in his mid-forties.
And so he may know something about the man called Eldas, who was banished from court ten years ago.
“…I do know him. Anyone from that time would know that fool… He was a man who everyone seemed to discuss.”
Why would Legulus ask such a question?
It must have been confusing, as it seemingly came out of nowhere.
And so after a long pause, the shaman answered him.
And then…
“Did His Majesty talk about him? About Eldas.”
The shaman did not hesitate to ask the question, not seeing at all how dangerous it was.
Soon after, a hand stretched out to his chest again, grabbing him.
“You are a nobleman too, aren’t you, shaman? If so, what do you think? Is the statement of the man named Eldas Miheira really true or not? Tell me now.”
Although his rank was low, the shaman who was called to the castle was also a noble.
Therefore, Legulus applied much pressure while asking the question. What he thought of the foolish words of Eldas.
“It’s obvious. There is no doubt that they were words from a hopeless fool. That is what I thought.”
“…What you…thought?”
Legulus’s eyebrow was raised by those suggestive words. However, in spite of the fact that the prince did not hide his distaste, the shaman continued.
“The country can prosper even without armed forces. However, the same is not true for a government that does not function. And only people from the upper class, such as us aristocrats, can run the government. Only we have the right to do it. Therefore, I recognized Eldas’ words as nonsense. The idea that we should cooperate with lowly fools, who rely on nothing but physical strength…it was preposterous. They exist to be used, that is all.”
“…Exactly.”
He agreed.
Legulus’s thoughts had matched with the man’s words perfectly.
However, the words didn’t end there.
“But is that really the best way?”
Then came words of doubt.
A question.
“…What do you mean?”
Legulus must have suddenly seen the shadow of his father in the shaman.
Slowly, the strength left the hand that was grabbing his chest, and then he let go.
“As your Highness knows, there are things called dungeons in this world.”
Common sense that even children know.
“In fact, I believe Your Highness has entered the dungeons at the behest of His Majesty. How did you find them?”
“…What?”
“The dungeons. At first glance, it seems like a way for those with great strength, but no knowledge, to make a living. That is the perception of many. No matter how many valuable things can be obtained, the act of crawling through mud can be left to such people. That is common sense.”
It was true.
That’s why Legulus was initially perplexed.
Why had the king charged him with capturing the dungeon?
“But surely Your Highness realized it as well? Dungeons are far more difficult to understand than some think, and it requires intelligence. It is no simple task.”
It was not so simple that you could charge in with brute force.
The pile of papers offered by Felx earlier was proof of that.
“…There are also commoners who are genius tacticians. Just as there are commoners with ‘natural’ magical talents. Therefore, instead of looking down on them, we should use their ideas, their minds, and strength for the further prosperity of the kingdom. That was the great fool’s argument.”
But no one listened to him back then.
On the contrary, they mocked and despised him.
They cursed and called him shameless.
In the end, he was just a pitiful man who was forced to leave the country.
That was all the shaman knew of the man called Eldas Miheira.
“I have no right to affirm that fool’s words, but even so, let me just say this here. I feel that he must have been correct…”
“…You have courage, I will say that.”
Without pretense, he was true to himself, and voiced his opinion.
Legulus stared at him with rage.
However, it was only for a brief moment.
He snorted in annoyance and then turned away.
“I don’t know why I even bothered to ask for your opinion. Now go. Get out of my sight.”
The shaman must have expected to be hit at least once, as he was quite surprised by this.
But…
“…Your Highness. You asked about Alec Ugritte’s whereabouts earlier. What are you planning to do?”
Even after being told to get out of the castle, he continued to talk.
“And why should I tell you that?”
He refused to answer.
After seeing Legulus’s unsettling smile, the shaman realized he would not get an answer, and so he started to make his way out of the room, before he angered the prince any more.
However, it was then that he heard a faint voice.
Although it was small, it was a voice that had a strong will.
“…I won’t admit it. Not ever.”