I thought it would be quite comfortable in the carriage but it wasn't... Mother was glaring at me with eyes that if she could would burn a hole through my body. She seemed really angry because of my little stunt with the prince... I didn't mean it to be a luxury cruise with the son of the kingdom's king.
The Prince talked about lots of things as we were riding... Tedious works, studying etiquette, proper stances, proper way of talking to royalties and nobles... He kept on ranting about until he was satisfied.
Then as he signalled it, it was our turn to speak, as I was the first one I spoke of a really delicate subject.
"What do you think about enslaving and persecuting of Ylka race?"
Mother was dumbfounded... She didn't think that I would pear into the subject that involves myself... She looked at the prince with cold sweat running down her forehead.
"Why would you ask me of such a question? Do you know of an Ylka somewhere?"
"If I did, then I would also be persecuted or maybe worse, executed for helping a race of criminals..."
"Yes, that's what will happen to the likes of those who helped such a race, since it's according to my grandfather's orders... But I wish to change that once I take on the throne..."
I widened my eyes in surprise... Seriously? He would change it? But what would he gain from that?
"What are you aiming for?"
"Peace and Stability... Everyone aims for the same thing, but the others use vile and unforgivable means, and forces everyone to think that it's the peace they've been dreaming of."
"You seem to be a much better person than I think you are..."
"But I could've said a lie to lure out the hiding Ylkas..."
"Perhaps... But you don't seem to be a person who wouldn't keep his word."
"People of the Royal Family and the council that supports them are deceitful and treacherous people, I could say that cause I've experienced it first hand. Even though we were blood related, my brothers tried to kill me with poison and others with assassins... Most of all, since there are factions about who should be king, they helped the one they put their hands into and helped them with their schemes, so even if I caught them red-handed without power I can't put them to prison."
"Eh!? Your brothers are trying to kill you!?"
Shim exclaimed surprised as she listened to our story...
"Of course, being the crowned prince and all, but even if I'm the crowned prince there isn't really anything I can do, until the day I succeed father."
Back in my world, even in history there was such tales, betrayal by their own kin to secure the position they always wanted to attain, and was still being done until today though only with just a little killing and more blackmailing and threats....
It seems the reason why he wanted move away from the palace was because of his brothers' sad attempts at taking his life and also because of what Kieffer said as well... He wanted to see the state of things that the kingdom ruled and wanted to make plans for a better future.
We talked and talked but no more of heavy stuff but only light subjects like, What's your favorite food? What's your favorite past time? And what not and passed the time.
×××
"Your Majesty, we will be making a stop for a moment, it seems one of the wheels have broken... You two behave with his majesty, seriously..."
"Yes, Father!"
"Yes, Uncle..."
We had a rough awakening, the carriage's wheels seemed to have been broken, I looked towards and saw that it was not like a normal breaking, more like it was hit by a really large object. We were asleep until a while ago... Mother was... well, like the rest of us asleep... It was still afternoon, and the sun still floated above the sky, though the sky was tilled in an orange color already.
I looked towards my mini-map and saw movements... I squinted my eyes towards the direction I saw the dots... Five... No... 13 men with horses are running towards our direction, this is bad...
"Father! Mother! Movement due east! We need to get out of here! From the looks of it, it's 10-13 men riding horses!"
"What!?"
"Why now!"
"Those stupid brothers... They won't learn a thing! Guards!"
"Can I have one of those swords?"
"Ryomi! I can't let you..."
"Father, I don't like seeing people get hurt without me doing anything. Besides, you've trained me enough, I can hold my own in a fight."
I took hold of a sword and checked it's length and sharpness... This is the same length that I've been using with my wooden sword... Paired with the skills I learned from father and the magic I learned from mother I'm quite invincible, well, in my brawl fights anyway.
"Shim, stay with the prince... Remember what I thought you..."
"Don't go there, Ryomi!"
"I'll be fine!"
"You're always saying that but you always come back with bruises all over..."
"This is a real fight! Have you seen me bruised when I fight my father? None right?"
"But that's not a real fight! Don't go!"
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"Mother, keep Shim safe..."
"I'm also not letting you go!"
"Mother!"
"I'm going with you... I can't let you go there alone! I will be a failure of a mother if I let you go alone!"
"I'm going as well... If you two are!"
With a smile he raised his arm, as if to make his muscle come out...
"Ooh! That's why I picked you!"
Mother jumped to father's arm and clung to it like a pole... Father has some really strong arm strength, even able to carry mother... Ah! They've gone to their lovey dovey space again!
"Mother, Father? Armed men?"
"Oh! Right!"
As I was wearing shorts and a shirt it's quite easy to move but I'm quite open to attacks... I casted intermediate level spell [Earth Armor] and wrapped my body in earth... I smell like dirt... But whatever... I keep on hardening the armor until a certain extent that which almost depleted my mana.
"Ready?"
""Ready!""
"Let's go!"
[Howling Wind]
Mother casted Intermediate level wind-spell [Howling Wind] and knock the horses down as a strong blowing wind bashed through the running horses. But it didn't knock all of the horses only five of them, the 8 riders still kept going and the archers from the back then released their arrows but was anticipated as they had shield already equipped and took the arrows head on.
They were only but 250m away... I casted Low level earth spell [Mud Pond] and turned the solid earth into a mud hole... With a length of 20m and width of 7ft some of the horse who jumped too early exactly landed on the mud and couldn't swim back up and those who jumped too late also fell landing head first.
Now only 4 horses kept on running... It was father's time to shine...
His eyes sharpened as he concentrated and firmly put his feet on the ground and jumped as soon as the targets have entered his 10m radius and slashed three of the riders at once, he lost one... But I won't let them take all the spotlight...
Like Father I concentrated and made my senses keener than usual. It was one of father's techniques... He called it...
[Threefold Sky]
Three heavy swings all at the same time, hit the horse, and the rider, I used the sword's blunt edge as to only make them unconscious...
I held the men, unconscious and conscious with my strengthened earth armor and confined them.
"I didn't know the Knight Captain will be here!"
"Tell me who sent you!"
"I'm not telling you anything!"
"I see... Emily!"
"Yes! Yes!~~"
She was smiling but her eyes wasn't... It was like this when that one time I played at the house's basement and broke a lot of her things... After that I feared her being like that ever again, and so did father... Even though he called for her,he shuddered the moment he saw her wife's smiling face. She was known for her experiments in the basement of the castle, where criminals who didn't want to admit their faults are brought, they are tortured in unspeakable way... By yours truly, Emily Harland...
"Hiii!!! Emily! It's Emily the Executioner!!!"
"That's correct! You know what happens to those who don't tell the truth, right?"
"Hiii!!!!! We'll tell you everything just keep us away from that crazy woman!"
Hey! Hey! Calling Mother crazy I can't let that go... To the one who let out those words I tightened the armor not to the point where he couldn't breathe but to the point that he will feel a lot of pain...
"S-stop! I-it hurts!!"
"Ryomi! Stop!"
"Uh! Ah!"
I loosen the armor as I heard Shim called out my name... I almost lost myself there...
"T, thank you Shim..."
"Seriously, you have to keep your emotions in check."
"Sorry..."
Shim held my hand and moved away from the scene then went back to the prince.
"Are you okay?"
"It's just... You were quite amazing using magic"
"Shim can use it too!"
"Because Ryomi taught me..."
"So that's how it is! You were quite the fighter as well, were you thought by the Knight Captain?"
"Yes, though it's harsh training, I endured and have achieved this level... Though I'm still lacking in some ways..."
"Your majesty... We need to go back to the Castle..."
"I see... Let's go back the way we went, it's quite rude if I made the Harland family walk back to town..."
"As you command..."
Kieffer went back and ordered the knights, the carriage turned back after the wheels were fixed and made our way home.