Proofreader: DreaMing
Prince of the Kingdom of Prona, Nell.
Having received proper education from his childhood, he was not an authority-drunk jerk. He was not arrogant and had an actually good personality.
There was nothing special about him, but most agreed that under him, the kingdom will have a stable rule.
And this prince was now lying in his room, quavering under a blanket.
– Pull the heretic to the guillotine!
– Haul the prince to the guillotine!
– Overthrow heresy! Overthrow the Prince!
The angry voices of the masses still echoed in his ears. They seemed unwilling to stop unless the prince was hung on the guillotine.
‘The guillotine… the guillotine…!’
Wasn't decapitation by guillotine a death penalty used to publicly execute vicious criminals?
So why him?
Why? What wrong did he commit?
The prince trembled as he recalled the sharp blade of the guillotine glinting under the harsh sunlight.
"Prince!"
The door swung open and his escort knight barged in.
“Huh?! S, Sir Carr? You surprised me!”
“Your Highness, now is not the time to be surprised. Yours, the prince's name has been cleared!"
"What? No, I mean, how all of a sudden?”
“It is difficult to explain in words. Please, follow me!”
Nell felt very confused.
Just when he was thinking of the guillotine, feeling afraid, his escort knight suddenly comes in and says his name was cleared. How can anyone not be surprised?
But the escort knight's eyes were serious, so maybe? That thought made a small wave in his mind.
Nell got up from his bed and followed the steps of the knight.
“But where are we going?”
“To the dungeon.”
“Dungeon? Why there?”
“Your Highness will understand only after looking with your own eyes!”
When he finally reached the dungeon, Nell could understand Sir Carr's words.
An octopus humanoid was shackled in captivity.
This was really hard to put into words. Even if Sir Carr had said it himself, Nell would not have believed it.
“Nell, you are here?”
The King, William, turned to Nell and smiled.
The king was not alone in the dungeon.
Butlers, scribes, knights, etc.
All the high-ranking officials in the palace had gathered.
“Father? I've been told that my name has been cleared, but… what the hell is this? What is this octopus humanoid!?”
“Calm down, I will explain everything. Good, take a deep breath."
Only after hearing the king's words did the prince realize just how excited he was. The thought of getting rid of the accusations that had been tormenting him for the past few weeks had made him exhilarated.
Nell took a deep breath and calmed his mind.
“…I have shown an insightly behaviour, apologies.”
"It's alright. Everyone here knows how much you've suffered. Head butler, will you explain to the prince?”
"Yes, of course, Your Majesty."
The head bulter bowed and then began to explain everything Nell.
Hearing the explanation, Nell was astonished.
“Are you saying that the archbishop was holding hands with the demons to frame me? An archbishop, what in the Goddess' name?!”
Even if an ordinary priest had teamed up with the demons, it would have been a shocking matter. But the archbishop? No one would could have fathomed.
The prince could hardly believe the words of the head bulter.
"Can't that demon be lying to dirty the Archbishop's name?”
“The chances of that happening are… small. Which many people would have the audacity to label the royal family as heretics and incite the masses?”
“What… for what… what did he do this for?”
Seeing the prince staggering back in disbelief, the head butler shook his head with a bitter expression.
“That we haven’t figured out yet.”
At the head bulter's words, Nell sharpened his teeth.
He strode forward and grabbed the demon's collar.
"Say it! Why…"
The prince's anger quickly cooled when he saw the traces of terrible gashes on the demon's body.
Cuts, tears, pokes, and stabs.
Traces of simple but heinous wounds were engraved on the demon's body. There was no sense of focus in the demon's hazy eyes.
“What is this…”
“Those are the signs of torture. And what made the demon open their mouth.”
Nell turned his head in the direction the voice came from.
Cloud was leaning against the wall.
When Nell entered the dungeon, his figure had been obscured behind the king and officials.
"Hero? Why are you here?”
“The thing the prince is holding, I caught it.”
The prince turned his gaze to the king.
The king nodded his head notifying that the hero's words held the truth.
Nell's expression brightened.
He let go of the demon's collar, approached Cloud and grabbed his hand.
“You are my benefactor!”
“In retrospect, that’s what it is.”
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to get rid of the dirty accusations. I will repay this favor somehow!”
“Repay the favor?”
"That's right. Let me know if you want anything. I'll do anything that I'm allowed to."
“Then let me ask you that one thing right now. Please ask others to leave. I have something to say to His Majesty in private."
“Ummm…”
The prince gave him a slightly troubled expression.
To have a private conversation with the king.
This was a request that went beyond the authority of the prince. One could only do it with the permission of the king himself.
Nell glanced at his father, the King. Feeling his son's gaze, William met Cloud's eyes.
‘…he must have something important to say.’
The king recognized it from Cloud's eyes and raised his hand to stifle the opposition of his subjects.
“Leave with the prince.”
“Your Majesty, please don't. At least keep Sir Weasel by your side.”
"Your Majesty, please allow me to stay with you as the head butler says.”
The butlers and the knights asked for it, but the king was adamant.
“Why do I need Sir Weasel's protection when engaging in conversation with the hero? Do you think the hero will harm me?”