Chapter 59: The Second Assassin (1)

About ten kilometers away from Kanas Castle lay a small village.

It was a place called Teron, which had begun to flourish about three years ago after it started producing a special kind of product.

Raion visited the village together with Lord Shtefan.

However, he had not known their destination until they were nearly there.

Shtefan, with a surprised look, asked,

“Was Teron Village the place you wanted to visit with me, Your Highness?”

To that, Raion slyly countered,

“You know of it?”

“It’s where they produce those amusements called Chers and Jagir. They’ve become popular across the continent, so I imagine even Your Highness must have heard of them?”

Since Raion himself was the creator of those very items, there was no way he wouldn’t know.

Still, he deliberately concealed that fact and replied,

“I know. I came here to see if it might be of benefit to the territory.”

“Just like Your Highness, I’ve tried to make an approach myself. But a merchant named Fordman signed an exclusive contract, so it’s difficult to move freely.”

“Let’s go in for now. Wouldn’t it be all right to speak directly with the person in charge?”

The carriage entered the village.

Unlike most other places, Teron was financially well-off thanks to the profit from Chers and Jagir.

The village’s appearance, too, was tidier and more organized than usual rural settlements.

The sight of such a luxurious carriage drew murmurs from the townsfolk passing by.

They were wary, as it was clearly an expensive vehicle at a glance.

Moreover, Jade and the knight commander, Alkas, rode on horseback alongside the carriage.

So as not to cause unnecessary alarm, Raion had intentionally refrained from bringing other knights along.

Click!

Moments later, Patrick opened the carriage door, and Raion and Shtefan stepped down.

Waiting before the carriage stood Teron’s village chief, Colden.

“My lord, what brings you to such a humble village?”

Colden bowed so deeply that his long white beard brushed the ground.

“I did not come of my own accord. This gentleman here said he had business in the village.”

At that, Colden’s gaze turned toward Raion, who stood beside Shtefan.

“This gentleman? Might I ask who he is…?”

“He is the Third Prince of the Canel Kingdom. He’ll be staying in our Kanas Territory for an important matter.”

“Th–The prince, you say?”

Rumors had already spread from the lord’s castle.

Colden, along with the nearby villagers, could not help but be startled.

At once, all of them bowed their heads before Raion.

Of course, Raion scratched the back of his head awkwardly at the sight.

“Everyone, please raise your heads. I’d like to have a private word with the chief, so could you prepare a place for us to talk?”

Upon hearing that, Colden straightened his back.

“I’ll guide you to the village hall. It’s a bit of a walk, so perhaps you’d prefer to take the carriage again?”

“No need. The scenery is pleasant enough—let’s walk.”

As Raion took the lead, Colden walked beside him.

Behind them followed Shtefan, Jade, and Alkas.

Patrick climbed onto the driver’s seat to move the carriage aside.

A short while later, they arrived at the village hall, which was nothing particularly special.

Raion sat down at the table that had been set up, and Colden stood quietly before him.

“Your Highness, you may speak now.”

His voice carried a tense undertone.

The villagers standing nearby also wore anxious expressions.

Raion easily understood the atmosphere.

They were afraid that a royal might seize control of their livelihood.

“Are you afraid I might take something from you?”

At that, Colden’s shoulders trembled visibly.

“N–No, Your Highness.”

The villagers around them exchanged uneasy glances.

That alone showed just how deeply their worries ran at the prince’s sudden visit.

“Don’t be so tense. I came here to help this village grow even more prosperous than it is now.”

At Raion’s words, Colden bowed again and spoke cautiously.

“However… the goods produced here are made under exclusive contracts with certain merchants. We can’t simply hand them over, and if something were to go wrong, the responsibility would fall heavily upon us. The lord beside you is well aware of this matter.”

Teron Village had rejected Lord Shtefan’s offers several times already.

Nothing had changed since then.

From their point of view, their caution was only natural.

“Even if the rightful owner of those goods himself came to speak, would it still be impossible?”

“If the owner were to come, that would be different. But the merchant in charge is not present, and we don’t know who the true owner of the goods is, either.”

Colden explained as carefully as he could, perhaps to avoid giving away anything that could be used against him.

Raion understood his meaning perfectly well.

He extended his hand to the side, and Patrick, standing beside him, produced a parchment from his coat.

Raion spread it open across the table.

At the bottom of its contents was a familiar signature and seal.

[Owner: Raion Canel]

[Entrusted Manufacturer and Seller: Fordman]

The moment Colden read that line, his face stiffened.

It bore the signature of Fordman—the merchant who held the exclusive commission for producing Chers, Jagir, and the copied cooking recipes of Teron Village.

At the same time, his gaze shifted to a section he had not yet noticed.

The parchment stated that all the work and goods produced by Teron Village belonged to Raion Canel.

It was the ownership contract Raion had drawn up before he ever commissioned Fordman to begin the current work.

“C-Could it be that the name written here is… Your Highness’s?”

“Unless I’ve remembered my own name wrong, yes—Raion Canel.”

At that moment, Colden was at a complete loss.

Since he could not yet discern the prince’s true intentions, he was unsure how to react.

“You seem nervous again.”

“N-No, Your Highness.”

“I’ve no intention of doing anything to Teron Village. And I don’t plan to seize your business either.”

Colden let out a faint sigh of relief, though his manner remained cautious.

“T-Then, what do you intend…?”

“As I said earlier, I plan to help this village flourish. Soon, a large number of workers will be moving here. You, Chief, will oversee them and expand production.”

“Workers, you say? But our village has no houses or facilities to accommodate them.”

Teron was a small settlement built on limited land.

Even if everyone in the village gathered, they barely numbered a hundred—so there were naturally few houses.

“Among the workers, there will be carpenters. They’ll come first to build. You just need to prepare the land. Do you understand?”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Ah, and you’ll also need to produce these items here.”

This time, Raion placed several sheets of large parchment on the table.

They contained blueprints detailing the materials and crafting methods for slingshots and slingbows.

“What are these?”

“They’re called slingshots and slingbows. Weapons for soldiers—make them sturdy. Also, where is your materials storage?”

“We have a warehouse set up outside.”

“Lead the way.”

When Raion stood, Colden led him out front.

Upon arrival, Raion opened the warehouse door.

Inside, materials for making Chers, Jagir, and the recipe copies were stacked here and there.

“This place will do.”

Raion approached a suitable spot and opened his storage, piling up heaps of steel ingots inside.

Both Shtefan and Colden were taken aback by the sight.

Of course, Shtefan had already seen Raion’s storage once before, but he hadn’t expected literal steel ingots to come out of it.

“Where did you obtain all this metal?”

Shtefan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

Raion, as usual, appeared unconcerned.

“I bought and stored them long ago. I thought they might come in handy someday—fortunately, I was right.”

At that answer, Shtefan picked up one of the steel ingots to inspect it.

“This is top-grade steel. With this, we can forge weapons of considerable strength.”

“There’s still more. For now, Chief, focus on revitalizing this place. Of course, I’ll ensure there’s no issue with the funding for production.”

“Understood. If it’s Your Highness giving the word, I’ll trust it without question.”

Raion, looking at Colden, opened his storage once more.

This time, heaps of gold coins poured out.

Chwarururururuk!

Colden’s eyes widened again at the glittering sight.

“T-This is…!”

“It should be a little over 3,000 gold. Use it for the workers’ wages and materials.”

“Th-Thank you so much!”

After giving the necessary orders, Raion stepped out of the warehouse.

A man dressed like a mercenary was walking through the streets of Kanas Castle.

He had a rugged face, a broad build, and stood well over 190 centimeters tall.

“What a miserable place.”

The man was a mercenary known as Aiden of Steel.

As he stood in the square of Kanas Castle, two men approached him.

“Boss, I’ve finished the check.”

“So have I.”

The two were Traki and Frank—Aiden’s right- and left-hand men.

“Have you found their location?”

At Aiden’s question, Traki replied first.

“I heard they went out for an inspection of the village together with the lord.”

“Did you find out which village?”

This time, Frank answered.

“The east gate. I slipped a few coins into someone’s hand, and they told me easily. To think the lord’s movements are sold off this carelessly—seems this place is rotten to the core.”

Not long ago, Conrad had been punished within the Kanas Territory.

Naturally, it was difficult to root out everyone connected to him.

So there were still plenty of people willing to move for money.

“The east gate, huh. How many people went with them?”

“They said the prince was accompanied by the lord, the knight commander, his personal guard knight, and the coachman—butler.”

These three were Night Ogre mercenaries, hired by Queen Elina through the Dagger of Darkness.

And right now, the opportunity before them could not have been better.

“Only five people, including the prince. Perfect. Then let’s move that way and prepare to strike.”

“This is going almost too smoothly.”

It had been only four days since they’d crossed the Clamen Mountain Range from Hasein to Kanas.

While gathering information to assassinate Prince Raion, an opening had presented itself.

“Then it’s all the better for us.”

“Once this job’s done, we’re leaving Canel for good.”

At Frank’s words, Aiden smiled faintly.

“With the amount we’re getting paid, we could live idly for the rest of our lives. And frankly, there’s no guarantee we’ll live if we stay after taking the money.”

This wasn’t their first assassination.

They knew all too well that assassins often became targets themselves—so this time, they would be more cautious than ever.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep