Chapter 21: The Last People for Preparation (2)

Patrick and Dike followed him into a guest room on the second floor.

There were chairs and a table placed inside. As they took their seats, Fordman rubbed his hands together and spoke cheerfully.

“Alright~! So, tell me. Are you here to sell something? Or perhaps to buy? If there’s an item you’re looking for, I can find anything, even if it’s from another kingdom beyond this one!”

It was the typical salesman’s pitch.

However, Patrick frowned, clearly displeased with his chatter.

“I’m not here to buy or sell anything. The person I serve merely wishes to meet you.”

“The person you serve? Then are you, perhaps, a butler of some noble house?”

“Yes. A butler.”

At Patrick’s simple answer, Fordman tilted his head from side to side, thinking distractedly.

“I do take house calls now and then, but I’d need to know what sort of goods they’re interested in before I can prepare properly. Would it be possible to know their tastes? Ah! If it’s about a purchase, please note that we don’t deal in art pieces—only jewels and ornaments are acceptable.”

Fordman still thought the meeting was about merchandise.

Patrick began to show signs of irritation.

Until now, no one had ever tested his patience, but finally, someone had.

“As I said, it’s simply a meeting to talk. Whether there’ll be a deal or not—that will be up to you afterward, Mr. Fordman.”

“Hmm… Still, it doesn’t feel polite to visit an esteemed client empty-handed. Couldn’t you give me a little hint at least?”

“Tch! I’ve said everything I can. The meeting place is Taron’s Palace, located southeast of the royal castle. That’s where the person wishes to meet you.”

“……Wha–? Ta–Taron’s Palace? Th–that place! Surely you don’t mean… hey, wait!”

“The time doesn’t matter. Come whenever you wish. Then, please excuse us.”

Unable to bear Fordman’s endless chatter any longer, Patrick simply dropped the message like a notification and left the inn with Dike.

Meanwhile, Fordman mumbled to himself about the person who wanted to see him, then lightly slapped his own cheeks.

Even after some time passed, he still couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Patrick and Dike boarded a public carriage and headed toward Taron’s Palace.

Since Dike was still very young and might have struggled with the slope, Patrick had intentionally chosen the carriage.

Upon entering, Dike’s eyes sparkled as he looked around curiously.

Then, when they arrived before the palace, his eyes grew even wider.

“Th–this is really where that person lives?”

The enormous size of Taron’s Palace seemed to overwhelm him.

“That’s right. Depending on your choice, you might end up living here as well.”

“M–me? Here?”

The vast garden and the pristine outer walls of the palace looked so elegant and refined.

For Dike, who had only ever lived in a small dwarf village, it was like an entirely new world.

As he looked around in awe, Monica, who had come out to hang laundry, spotted the two of them.

“Butler! You’ve returned!”

Startled by Monica’s clear, ringing voice, Dike quickly hid behind Patrick’s back.

“Oh my, don’t be so scared.”

“My, who’s this little one?”

Dike’s sky-blue hair fluttered in the chilly breeze as his large eyes blinked rapidly.

Seeing that, Monica grew even more curious and hurried over to him.

“Really, who is he? How can he be this adorable? Hey, little one! Who are you?”

Full of curiosity, Monica looked Dike over from head to toe.

“Hahaha. He’s the guest the prince has been looking for. And if you rush him like that, you’ll scare the child.”

“Oh my! The prince’s guest? I’m so sorry. He was just too cute, I couldn’t help myself…”

Meanwhile, Dike’s face had turned bright red upon hearing her words.

Just then, Raion and Jade came walking out of the forest after finishing their training.

“Your Highness, you’ve worked hard again today. And you too, Sir Jade.”

“Thanks to His Highness, I’m finally getting proper training. But—who’s that kid?”

Jade was the first to notice Dike and asked.

Raion also saw him and immediately recognized who he was.

“My second guest, Dike.”

Raion walked forward and bent down to meet Dike’s eyes.

“Am I right?”

Dike cautiously nodded at his question.

“It must’ve been hard coming all the way here. And… since you lost your father and mother, being alone must’ve felt very lonely, hasn’t it?”

At his gentle words, Dike’s blue eyes trembled as tears welled up.

“Waaahhhh!”

The tears he had been holding back since meeting Patrick at the Eye of the Moon burst out all at once.

Clinging tightly to Patrick’s leg, Dike sobbed uncontrollably.

Everyone around stood frozen, unsure what to do.

Only Raion and Patrick quietly watched him.

“Uwahhhh… ahhhh…”

He cried for quite some time.

When his sobs finally began to subside, Raion spoke again.

“If there’s something you want, I’ll help you achieve it—whatever it may be. It won’t happen quickly, but someday, it will. Even if it’s revenge against the Dior Empire.”

“Your Highness… how did you…?”

Patrick had witnessed everything that happened outside. And he had also heard about Dike’s situation when they visited the Eye of the Moon.

Naturally, there was no way Raion, who stayed only within Taron’s Palace, could have known about matters in another country.

“I have my ways of knowing. Anyway, Dike. What will your choice be?”

“Me… what should I do here?”

“For now, you can just live here and do whatever you want. If there’s anything you need, just tell us.”

“Really?”

Dike looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Seeing that, Raion’s expression grew more serious.

“The time when we’ll need you isn’t now. When that time comes, I’ll tell you myself. So, until then, live as you like and wait. Alright?”

Dike nodded again at Raion’s words.

Watching him, Raion turned his gaze to Patrick and Monica.

“Both of you, take good care of Dike. As I said before, if there’s anything he needs, provide it for him.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As both replied, the once quiet Dike spoke up cautiously.

“Um… you’ve been calling him ‘Your Highness’ since earlier… Is he really a prince?”

He was pointing at Raion.

Patrick made a face as though realizing he had forgotten to mention something important.

“I forgot to tell you. This gentleman is Raion Canel, the Third Prince of the Canel Kingdom.”

“Now that you mention it, I didn’t introduce myself properly. As Patrick said, that’s who I am. I look forward to getting along with you.”

“Y–Your Highness!”

Startled, Dike quickly dropped to his knees. He had just realized how disrespectful he had been to royalty.

“There’s no need for that. Just stay comfortable around me, like you have been.”

Patting Dike’s shoulder, Raion began heading toward the annex.

“Ah, Your Highness. We’ve also found the last person.”

“You mean Fordman?”

“Yes, sir. It seems he’s been traveling all over the kingdom, but he entered the royal capital yesterday. I met him just now and told him to come here tomorrow.”

“Excellent. Then I should prepare as well.”

“However…”

Patrick trailed off slightly, as though something was still on his mind.

“Hm?”

“It’s just that… is this merchant named Fordman really that necessary, like the others?”

“Why, did something happen? Ah~ or is it his personality?”

“Ahem! It’s not exactly that, but…”

Raion couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

In the original future, Patrick and Fordman often clashed.

Patrick had always despised Fordman’s talkative nature.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Patrick. But he’s someone we absolutely need, so there’s no helping it.”

“My apologies. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand completely. Don’t worry about it.”

Raion patted Patrick on the shoulder and continued walking toward the annex.

The next day arrived.

The merchant Fordman stood before Taron’s Palace with a face full of worry.

There was no difficulty entering through the gates.

His concern lay in knowing who currently resided there.

“The Third Prince of the kingdom… If I make even the slightest mistake, I could be in serious trouble.”

Ordinary citizens might not care much about the royal line of succession, but a merchant was different.

Traveling across territories for trade meant hearing stories about it all the time—especially since taxes and commerce were directly tied to the royal court. Naturally, the next heir to the throne was of great interest to businessmen.

“Should I just turn back? It’s not too late yet.”

Fordman stood in the middle of the path to the palace, pacing back and forth anxiously.

“But… there’s too strong a scent of profit here. I’d feel like I’m losing something huge if I just leave.”

After much internal struggle, Fordman finally made up his mind.

“That’s right! I’m Fordman, a man of courage! You only live once—might as well go for it, whatever happens!”

As Fordman shouted to himself, someone approached him from the side.

“Ahem! Ahem! Are you planning to keep shouting like that?”

It was Patrick, the butler.

Patrick had been tending the outer garden when he spotted Fordman walking up and came to meet him.

“Ah! When did you get here?”

“Just now. More importantly, have you decided whether to go in?”

Seeing Fordman still hesitating, Patrick asked firmly.

“Of course! I, Fordman, have decided to go in!”

“Hmm… In that case, please follow me.”

“But this is my first time seeing Taron’s Palace—it’s truly magnificent. The cleanliness of the garden, the grandeur of the sculptures… These must have been personally selected by the royal family, right? I heard the Fifth King himself was so fond of the scenery here that he decided to convert an old prison into this palace!”

As Fordman’s chatter resumed, Patrick’s temples began to throb.

“You’ll be meeting His Highness soon, so it might be best to save your words for now.”

“Ah! Is that so? But then why didn’t you tell me yesterday that the person I’d be meeting was a prince? If you’d told me, I could have prepared myself properly!”

Patrick tried to silence him, but failed miserably.

Fordman only grew even more talkative, rambling endlessly about one thing after another.

Eventually, Patrick decided to ignore him altogether and started walking faster.

“Hey! Why won’t you answer me? If you’d just told me in advance—!”

But Patrick kept his silence.

At last, they reached the annex where Raion’s workshop was located.

Knock knock!

“Fordman has arrived. I’ll bring him in.”

Patrick said this, opened the door, and briskly left the annex.

Fordman, left standing before the open door, looked completely bewildered.

From inside the workshop, Raion’s voice came.

“Are you not coming in?”