HEO 66

“Do you think I’m trying to get rid of him quickly because I’m ashamed of him? I’m doing this so I can act like a father for once. Are you going to leave the position of son-in-law of the Levenon royal family vacant forever?”

“What’s the problem? Just find him another partner and that’s that.”

“Just do that? Ha, you’ve never had to marry off a child yourself, so that’s the kind of nonsense that comes out of your mouth.”

Bronze-Billed Hawk gestured harshly at White Deer.

“It’s not easy to find a suitable match just to get rid of that brat. Besides, he abandoned his fiancée and fled the Levenon royal palace. No royal family in Atania would accept a man like that as a son-in-law!”

“Then if we find a match in Stoll…”

White Deer hesitated, unable to finish her sentence. Bronze-Billed Hawk snorted derisively.

“Doesn’t that sound ridiculous even to you? What warrior in Stoll would agree to marry that boy?”

“You’re right.”

White Deer’s shoulders slumped.

“I’ll concede this once. You’re right.”

At those words, Silver repressed his excitement. This meant their early return home was now completely certain. Their voices must have echoed all the way below deck, but to Red Eagle and Wolf, it must have sounded like meaningless drunken rambling. Well, now all that was left was the final blow.

As White Deer turned away with a look of disinterest, she glanced at Black Weasel.

“Ah, the remaining payment? Damn it, I hired some overly skilled bastards. If I’d known he was a worm-eaten apple, I wouldn’t have called him here in the first place.”

“In Atania, they’re fragrant Yaspia fruit.”

“No need for flattery; I’ll pay the balance exactly as agreed. One hundred florins of pure gold, Atanian gold coins. I’ll hand over the chest of gold coins by noon tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, but I want something other than gold coins.”

“What?”

White deer, who had been walking, paused. Black Weasel said nothing more. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, which remained as still as a figurehead on a ship’s bow. In an instant, a shiver ran through Silver’s entire body. It was the physical warning sign that always appeared when something bad was about to happen.

Something’s wrong.

“Are you saying that even 100 gold coins aren’t enough? If you ask for more, I refuse to pay. Do whatever you want with the worm-eaten apple. Tear him limb from limb with your own hands, if you wish. ”

“What I want is simple.”

Silver’s head buzzed at the succession of words.

“Give me Prince Red Eagle’s servant. That one alone is enough to cover the balance.”

***

“You… do you have a thing for men? You must be seriously smitten to try trading him for a chest of gold coins.”

White Deer chuckled. Black Weasel raised both hands and waved them.

“Think whatever you like. I just need to get what I want.”

“Well… fine. You can have the servant.”

The deal was quickly sealed. White Deer walked away toward Bronze-Billed Hawk, who was drinking.

Only then did Black Weasel turn his gaze toward Silver. A triumphant smile lingered on his face, bathed in the silver moonlight. Silver couldn’t move a muscle. It felt as if nails had been driven into his limbs.

“Silver—. I know you well.”

Black Weasel lifted his chin defiantly.

“You were planning to stab me in the back. You intended to send me off to dreamland so you could snatch the prince and his servant while I was out of the picture. Is that right?”

The cry of a snowy owl from the distant night sky reached here. That ear-scratching cry sounded as if it were cursing that damned assassin on his behalf. Black Weasel flicked Silver’s forehead with his finger.

“Here’s a word of advice. Never again measure an adult’s years with a child’s ruler. If you behave yourself from now on, I promise to extend that servant’s life a little longer.”

So he means he’s going to kill Wolf in the end.

Fucking bastard! Why go this far with Wolf!

Silver turned around. He stomped down the stairs leading from the hatch and ran all the way to the bottom in a single bound.

“Wolf! Prince! Where are you?!”

A narrow, long corridor stretched out below the deck. The lamps hanging on the walls were the only source of light piercing the darkness. The door at the very end of the corridor opened, and Wolf poked his head out. His face was as pale as a bleached animal bone.

“Silver, over here. Hurry!”

Wolf gestured urgently. Silver ran quickly toward him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have something to show you. That.”

Red Eagle was huddled right behind Wolf, trembling. Why was he acting like that again? There weren’t even any corpses here.

The moment he stepped into the room, the mystery was solved. Silver was struck by a powerful shock throughout his body. Something worse than a corpse was blocking his path directly ahead.

A large tapestry hung on the wall. It was bigger than a bed. Densely woven silver and black threads glistened dullly in the lamplight. In the center of the woven tapestry, a girl stared at him. A young face with light blonde hair. A body of white bones. It was ‘it’. The skeleton evil spirit.

The ceiling boomed, and the tapestry swayed slightly. Silver flinched and took a step back. For a moment, it looked as though the skeleton was stepping out of the tapestry.

“Why is that… here…?”

He barely managed to ask the question. Even to Silver himself, he sounded foolish.

“Silver, you were startled too, right?  Um, maybe that wasn’t an evil spirit, but a god? This looks like a room used by someone of high rank…”

At Wolf’s words, Silver looked around the room. A bed pressed against the wall. A folded blanket. A small, locked chest next to the bed. A lamp hanging from an iron hook on the ceiling cast a long shadow on the floor. There were no ornaments or luxuries. Only the tapestry broke the stark practicality of the room.

This is the room given to the prince. Then, is the owner of this place White Deer?

“There are thousands of gods in Stoll. That skeleton might be a god you didn’t even know about, Silver. Isn’t that… Your Highness!”

Wolf supported Red Eagle. The prince clutched his head with both hands and muttered in a hoarse voice.

“Princess… Princess…”

Seeing him like that, Silver’s chest tightened. Whenever he fell into delirium, Red Eagle would call out for the princess. Did he think it was a magic spell that would save him?

Back when they used to play together in the cave, he was such a sweet and lively fellow. Back then, he never could have imagined he’d end up as a frail madman. Perhaps this was normal. It was Wolf who was the odd one out, chewing jerky nonchalantly at the scene of a disaster or maintaining his sanity after going through such an absurd ordeal.

Damn it, but why am I feeling so down? Was I really treating that crybaby as a friend, not just Wolf?

“Your Highness, don’t worry. I’m right here.”

Wolf, who had been comforting Red Eagle, looked up at Silver. His face was filled with tears.

“Silver, what should we do? What if His Highness never comes back…?”

“…Don’t worry. He’ll recover soon.”

Silver plopped down in front of Red Eagle.

“Prince, good news.”

“Princess… Princess…”

“Your half-brother and stepfather says it’d be a shame to miss out on a good match like the Levenob royal family, so he wants you to hurry back. You can board a ship bound for Atania within three days at the latest and reunite with the princess!”

“Re-Really…?”

Red Eagle’s blurry eyes suddenly focused. What a simple-minded kid. However, it was a relief that his ears still worked properly.

“I’m not lying. So, what you need to do from now on is pray that the princess didn’t cheat on you with another man while you were away.”

“The princess and I will soon…”

“You won’t see her immediately. It’ll be at least three months before you can reunite. So stop daydreaming and pray day and night.”

“Yes. Thank you, Silver.”

Red Eagle wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic. A faint but distinct flush spread across his cheeks.

“I hate it here. I’m… scared. I feel like that monster is going to kidnap me.”

“Let’s go out into the hallway, Your Highness! It’s not that cold out there.”

Wolf quickly helped Red Eagle to his feet and led him out of the room. The hallway was suffused with a strong smell of salt. With every thudding step, the ceiling quivered like a drumhead, sending dust into the air. The sound of something crashing, followed by fits of laughter, echoed intermittently.

Silver sat with his back pressed against the wall. Wolf was to his left, and Red Eagle beside him. The lamplight cast the three boys’ shadows across the wall. They looked like castaways clinging to a broken raft, being swept along by steep waves.