Novice Alchemist 5-34 part 1

 

Chapter 5-34 : Dealing With The Client Ⅳ (part 1)

 

「Baronet Kirk, I thought a busy person like you wouldn’t have time to come to this remote area just to mess with a novice alchemist. I heard you talk about something very interesting. Would you let me join the conversation?」(Prince Ferik)

Prince Ferik, who had been enjoying tea and cookies, suddenly appeared in front of us.

「…Who the hell are you?」(Baronet Kirk)

Baronet Kirk asked, but Prince Ferik ignored him and glared at him with a stern look.

「Baronet Kirk, you are under suspicion of having sent an army into a royal territory without permission.」(Prince Ferik)

「Whaー!?」(Baronet Kirk)

Baronet Kirk was at a loss for words. His men also held their breath and took a step back. They looked nervous for some reason.

Sending an army into a royal territory without permission was the same as pointing your sword toward the royal family and would be considered a rebellion. Those who were involved could be punished by death.

I don’t know if Baronet Kirk really did such a thing. I don’t even know what he is planning in the first place. However, judging from his reaction, he probably did it but he didn’t seem to realize it.

「I’ve never done that! I’m not that foolish! In the first place, is there even a royal territory nearby?」(Baronet Kirk)

「Yes, there is one nearby, and you did send your army there.」(Prince Ferik)

While saying that, Prince Ferik pointed his thumb toward the back of my houseー No, wait… I think he’s pointing at the Great Sea of Trees.

Areas with plenty of alchemy materials like the Great Sea of Trees belong to the government and are considered royal territories.

I forgot about that because areas like that are a little different from the areas that are directly under the government’s control like the royal capital. People, especially Collectors and alchemists are free to go there, but sending an army is different.

The reason why areas with plenty of alchemy materials belong to the government is because alchemy materials are too precious for local lords to hold for themselves. The biggest income of this kingdom comes from alchemy after all.

Baronet Kirk sent his army to the snowy mountain, and because his purpose was to kill me, of course, he didn’t ask the government for permission. It can be regarded as “invading the royal territory”.

「You sent your army to the snowy mountain in the Great Sea of Trees, didn’t you?」(Prince Ferik)

「I, I… didn’t! How dare you falsely accuse me!? You don’t even have any proof! In the first place, who the hell are you!? You’re talking with a noble, so watch your f*cking tongue!」(Baronet Kirk)

This man doesn’t seem to recognize Prince Ferik’s face.

Nobles should know the faces of royal family members.

Well, Iris-san didn’t know when she first met Prince Ferik, but she is just a daughter of a low-ranked noble, so it’s understandable.

However, Baronet Kirk is the head of the Kirk Family, so he should have known Prince Ferik’s face.

He said that Prince Ferik was being disrespectful, but he didn’t realize that the one being disrespectful was himself.

He didn’t realize that what he was doing was the same as jumping into a forest of swords naked.

Prince Ferik didn’t seem to mind Baronet Kirk’s behavior toward him. Instead, he was smiling as if he was thinking that it was funny.

「Hee~ Are you sure you want to keep talking rudely to me like that? Did you forget my face? Ah, is it because I’m wearing this big hat?」(Prince Ferik)

While saying that, Prince Ferik smirked and took a step forward.

He then put his hand on his hat.

ーWait… Is he going to take his hat off? Seriously?

Prince Ferik slowly pulled up his hat, revealing his blond hair and of course… the bald spot at the top of his head.

The sun rays that came in from the window were beautifully reflected on his bald head, making his head seem to glow.

Beautiful blond hair, a pretty face, and a bald head…

Such a chaotic combination would have made me laugh if I didn’t know that he was a prince.

「「…Bwahahahaha!!」」(Baronet Kirk & his men)

Unfortunately for Baronet Kirk and his men, they didn’t know that they were laughing at a prince.

「Look at the top of his head! It’s so ugly! Bwaahaha!」(Baronet Kirk)

「Oh? You’re laughing at me. It will be added to your indictments.」(Prince Ferik)

「Huuhh!? My indictments? The hell is that?」(Baronet Kirk)

「The list of the crimes you have committed.」(Prince Ferik)

「I’ve committed no crime!」(Baronet Kirk)

I know that laughing at the royal family is the same as mocking them and can be considered a crime.

We’re lucky that Prince Ferik is a good guy. If not, Iris-san, Kate-san, and I would have been punished for laughing at him because of his bald head a while ago.

「Just… Who the hell are you!? You’re this bit*ch’s customer, aren’t you? I’m now talking with her, so you can f*ck off and wait until I’m done!」(Baronet Kirk)

「You still don’t realize who I am? I know you are a fool, but your foolishness seems to exceed my expectations.」(Prince Ferik)

「What did you say!?」(Baronet Kirk)

「Don’t you see my blond hair? My name is Ferik Laprossian. You know what it means, right?」(Prince Ferik)

「Wait… You… You are…」(Baronet Kirk)

After Baronet Kirk heard the name “Laprossian”, his face suddenly turned pale.

No matter how uneducated he is, he should know that the name “Laprossian” belongs to the royal family of this kingdom, the kingdom of Laprossian.

He probably wasn’t expecting at all that he would encounter a royal family member in this remote village.

「His blond hair… His name… He is a member of the royal family!」
「W, We were just laughing at a royal family member…」
「We’re doomed!」
「K, Kirk-sama, we just laughed at him! What should we do!?」(private soldiers)

Not just Baronet Kirk, but his men were also panicked.

「The hell if I know! I’m not worrying about that. What I’m worrying about is how the hell did he find out that I sent an army to the snowy mountain? It will be considered as rebelling against the royal family and can be punished by death!」(Baronet Kirk)

Baronet Kirk was so panicked that he accidentally said that out loud.

Because of his clumsiness, he unintentionally confessed his crime in front of Prince Ferik.

I never thought he would do that, but it’s great for me because it made it easier for me to accuse him.

「W, We’re gonna be alright, aren’t we? We’re not involved in that after all!」
「Yeah… Yeah, you’re right!」(private soldiers)

「No! If I get a punishment, then you will be punished too!」(Baronet Kirk)

「But, Kirk-sama, we were just following your orders!」
「Yeah, he’s right! It wasn’t us who committed the crime!」
「We just followed your orders! We’ve done nothing wrong!」(private soldiers)

「You bastards…!! You have been living a good life because of me! I won’t let you guys escape without me!」(Baronet Kirk)

Uwahh… He’s trying his hardest to drag his own men down just because he doesn’t want to be punished alone… What a scumbag.

 

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