The Traitorous Prince

Ice Fortress (2)

Two days later.

"Come on."

Shion, who was at the forefront of the party, pulled the reins and stopped taIking. Beyond the ridge of the mountain, she finally saw the Ice Fortress. Shion shouted back.

"Huey! The Ice Fortress!

However, Huey, who had been desperately looking for the Ice Fortress, did not respond.

"Huey?"

Shion, who was wondering, turned around, and saw Huey who was drooping like a corpse on the saddle.

"Oh my..."

“…”

Ugh. Shion sighed softly.

Kay, who was coming right behind Huey, shook her head and murmured.

"Prince, you're really out of shape...

The Ice Fortress was located in a deep canyon, and the road became rough as it got closer. They had to climb the mountain for almost half a day.

Since they crossed an environment where they could not move on horseback for a while, they got off their horses and walked for half a day, and now Huey looked like that.

Huey barely raised his pale face and trembled.

"Hey, hey, I feel like I'm going to die..."

"Why didn't you rather come slowly with the soldiers? We can scout ourselves."

"Oh, no. I have to see it with my own eyes... Ugh.

Huey even had bubbles around his mouth and spread again over the saddle.

You've only been hiking for half a day, and you're dying like this? Kay shook her head. Huey's physical strength was worse than expected after having been imprisoned for three years.

'I'm worried about the future...'

Unlike Kay, who was worried about how to assist the troubled prince, Shion, who had never expected good physical strength from Huey in the first place, immediately ignored it.

"If we go a little further, we will see a panoramic view of the fortress. I'll move forward."

"Well, wait a minute... Let's take a break..."

"Giddy, giddy."

"Hey, Shion! Are you going to do this between us? Oh, Shiooon~"

Without mercy, Shion drove his horse forward again. Huey followed with a faint scream on his horse.

Kay drove along the ridge, monitoring whether the prince was falling or Canis was following well.

Canis just looked around as calmly as usual.

The four riders passed in a row on a desolate mountain path. The mountains of late winter were dense with dry, thin trees. Squirrels, deer, rabbits, etc. would stand far away and run away quickly, surprised by the sound of the horses. There was no sign of activity.

Something came into Shion's eyes as she was looking around, nervous, just in case she could see the enemy from the lead.

"Ah.

She saw a small green leaf at the end of the darkly frozen gray tree.

'A new leaf.'

A faint smile appeared on Shion's expressionless mouth, Like the sprouts of that branch, it was a small smile that one would not notice without looking closely.

The smile came into Huey's eyes, whose upper body was staggering, He tilted his head.

"Why are you smiling all of a sudden?"

He was not in good condition enough to ask and she was not kind enough to answer.

Normally, he would have made a joke saying, 'You're pretty because you're smiling, Shion!' but now he did not have the strength to do that. Huey fell down on the saddle again. Shion turned her eyes back to the front after passing the tree.

Her icy face smoothed with a smile as small as a snowflake. Winter was almost over.

Spring was coming soon.

* * *

On the ridge of a canyon.

The party reached the point where they could see the panoramic view of the Ice Fortress. Huey, shivering in the cold and hugging a leather cloak, looked down at the fortress.

A black flag with a dragon pattern was flying all over the fortress. The flag of the Brunhilt Empire.

"As expected, it fell.

Huey moaned and swept his hand around his mouth. White breath leaked through his hands.

“…”

When the result unfolded in front of them, Shion clenched her teeth and Kay's face darkened.

Looking back on those two, Huey smiled.

"Hey, why are you looking like that?"

“…?!”

Shion and Kay turned to Huey, Huey shrugged his shoulders with ease.

"At times like this, you need to be calm. Does the answer come out?'

Shion squinted her blue eyes.

"...I'm sorry, Huey? I think you're the one who's scared the most?"

"What? I'm fine? I'm totally fine? Look at you putting it on someone else.

Huey's legs were shaking violently as he was talking like that.

"I mean, I was preparing for this situation by myself even when you were complacent. There's no reason for me to be scared? Right?'

"Your voice is shaking, Huey."

"Tsk, it's because it's cold."

"Your eyes are shaking, too, Huey."

"It, it's because of an earthquake."

"No, there isn't...

"Oh, you talk a lot! I wasn't scared! Oh!"

Kay, who was watching the conversation between the two next to her, broke in with a cold sweat.

"Hey, Prince. Don't cry..."

"I'm not crying! I'm not crying! Not crying!"

Huey twisted his face and got angry, It was ugly.

"...Luna will be fine.

Shion, who turned to the fortress again, whispered.

"Because she is someone who cannot be hated by anyone.

“…”

Shion knew well why Huey was agitated.

He was worried that something bad might have happened to his sister Princess Luna,

"I'm sure the Brunhilt army is keeping Princess Luna safe."

Her calm voice soon calmed Huey down.

"Shion...

"So don't worry too much, and let's think about what we have to do in the future, Huey."

Huey looked at Shion for a long time with his sparkling eyes as if he were touched, and slowly opened his mouth.

"What if she isn't safe? What if they hurt her? Huh? Are you going to take responsibility?"

“…”

"You're taking responsibility, right? If my sister isn't okay, you're responsible? Did you promise?"

"Sigh..."

I'll just stop talking. Shion clasped her sore head.

"Anyway! The fortress has fallen to the enemy."

Huey stretched out his neck and took another look at the fortress, The distance was far, so the exact situation was unknown.

"We need more information.

"Where do we collect information?'

"There must be some of our soldiers who escaped alive. We need to find them and meet...

Rustling.

Then they heard the sound of stepping on the fallen leaves from behind. The party looked back in unison.

In the frozen forest, about a dozen soldiers dressed as Eindel soldiers appeared armed.

The soldiers stood up with their spears and swords in front of them with wary eyes and approached the party.

Huey smiled broadly and clapped his hands.

"Oh, look at you coming out as soon as we say it. You saved us the trouble of finding you!"

The soldiers stopped walking as they got closer. But the spears were still sticking forward.

Huey, who drove his horse to the front of the party, shouted cheerfully.

"I'm Huey 'Star Seeker' Eindel, Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Kingdom of Eindel! Identify your affiliation and rank!"

“…”

The soldiers quickly exchanged glances with each other, but did not open their mouths. Huey frowned.

"Did you eat your ears? You're ignoring the Commander-in-Chief's orders?"

“…”

"Hey! Hey, you guys, tell me which unit you belong to and your rank!"

Still, the soldiers were silent.

"You... you punks...

Huey, who was shaking, shouted when he saw Shion next to him.

"Come on! Help me! Oh! They're ignoring me!"

“…”

Shion came forward with a look of annoyance.

"I'm Shion Magnus, the Commander of the Order of Knights of the Kingdom of Eindel. It looks like you came from the Ice Fortress, identify your affiliation and rank."

“…”

Still, the soldiers were silent.

"Oh, you guys are going to cut me some slack!"

Huey was about to scream with his veins visible on his neck, but two knights came forward after breaking through the soldiers.

"I've never heard this before.

The two knights were a man with dark brown tail hair and a woman with light brown long hair. The man smiled and tilted his head.

a

"Isn't Prince Apoleon the Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Kingdom of Eindel, and Sir William the Commander of the Knights?"

Kay, who recognized the two knights, shouted happily.

"Oros! Bianca! You're safe!

The man, Oros, waved and Bianca, the woman, greeted her with a smile.

"Long time no see, Kay, Shion."

Kay got off her horse, ran to Bianca and hugged her. Startled, Bianca screamed.

"Wow! Kay?"

"I’m glad you're safe, Bianca. Ugh, really...

Kay hugged Bianca tightly, feeling a little teary.

Bianca looked surprised for a moment, but soon smiled kindly and swept Kay's back.

"Of course I am. Aren't the Knights of Eindel strong?'

Huey, who was watching the scene, whispered to Shion.

"What, do you know each other? Why are you guys staying together? Please introduce me, too.

"...Sir Oros and Sir Bianca are from the Central Knights of the Kingdom. They were stationed in the capital and were dispatched to the Ice Fortress three months ago."

"Oh, I see.

Huey looked at Kay still hugging Bianca.

"It's my first time seeing our '4th in the Knights' ranking' do that."

"When a colleague who you thought was dead is alive, you are usually happy. It may be hard to understand for a cold-blooded person like you."

"You're talking too much..."

Huey grumbled, pouting. Without caring, Shion turned to the fallen fortress again.

"...Too many people have died."

On countless battlefields, countless defeats were ringing. The communication system between the units collapsed, and it was the current situation that it was impossible to even grasp where and how much they died.

"Everyone's survival is a miracle. We can't help but be happy."

“…”

Leaving Huey in thought, Shion got off the horse and headed toward them.

"I’m very glad to see Sir Oros, Sir Bianca, and the soldiers safe. But...

Shion glanced through them. There were two knights and ten soldiers.

"Is everyone here?"

Bianca's complexion dimmed for a moment.

"Well, actually...

When she was about to say something, Oros interrupted and stepped forward.

"Yes. We're the only ones who succeeded in escaping. The rest are either dead or... have been captured."

"Is that so?'

Three months ago, the Ice Fortress had a garrison of four hundred knights and three hundred soldiers.

There were two knights and ten soldiers. It was ridiculous, but Shion was not surprised.

This was because there were other battlefields that suffered more damage than this.

"We need to exchange some information first."

Huey d rove h is horse forward.

"Hmm! Can you report on the situation ofthe fortress as you know it, Sir Oros? Sir Bianca?"

It was very uncomfortable to see him straining his neck more than usual and putting on airs. Shion and Kay looked disgusted at the same time. Oros, who noticed the commander-in-chief's symbol on the chest of the coat worn by Huey, immediately bowed down to show courtesy.

"I'd be happy to, But before that...

Oros smiled softly with a soft face. It was like a fox.

"If you have something to eat, could you share it with me, new Commander-in-Chief? We've all been starving for days.

"Of course. We only have dry bread, beef jerky, and deer meat that was just caught."

"That's a feast."

Only then did the faces of the soldiers, who were standing out, turn bright.

“…?!”

Kay, who was listening, tilted her head.

"Well, but... Prince? We don't have any deer meat we just caught?"

"Haha, Sir Kay, don't you think you can figure out my pattern at this point?"

Huey, who was smiling, pointed at the forest.

"Hunt!

“…”

Kay's face was distorted at once. Shion, who knew this would happen, snorted.

* * *

The skinned deer and rabbit meat sizzled on the bonfire. The soldiers ate meat frantically. Along with the dry bread, beef jerky, and a few bottles of wine that Huey brought.

The portable food brought by Huey's party was not enough, so Shion and Kay really had to go hunting.

"It would have been much more comfortable if Sir Handel was here..."

Kay, who swallowed the rabbit meat in one bite, murmured.

Handel, who handled the bow well, would have hunted twice as much.

"Yum yum yum.

Next to him, Huey was holding the deer legs with both hands with a happy face and tearing them apart.

Kay's forehead was covered with blood, This damn prince, it looks like he made me hunt because he wanted to eat it...

Across from the fireplace, Oros and Bianca sat side by side and ate in a hurry.

Oros carefully arranged Bianca's disheveled hair, mumbling happily with the meat.

"There's a lot, so eat slowly. Is the meat cooked enough? Is it okay to eat?'

Bianca nodded greatly.

"Yes! It's delicious."

Oros, who was always smiling, had a warmer smile than usual.

"Okay. Eat a lot."

Huey, who was looking sideways at them, looked back at Kay and Shion.

"These two are very... No, they're too close?"

Kay, who swallowed the contents of her mouth, nodded.

"Yes, they're a couple."

"What?'

Huey's eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

"Oros and Bianca are married. They met at the Knights, and got married last year."

"No, is it okay to date within the Knights? Isn't this a disturbance? Aren't you going to ban it?"

Shion, who finished her meal, broke out in a cold sweat.

"There's no reason to ban it..."

"Hey, Shion. What about you? Huh?"

Huey suddenly glued to her, changing his expression slyly. Shion's eyes cooled cold.

"What?"

"Didn't you like anyone in the Knights? Huh?"

Shion snorted.

"I'm not interested in dating."

"Oh, you're doing it again. Again, it's not funny."

Grumpy, Huey changed his target to Kay.

"What about you, Sir Kay? Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Kay smirked and then put the meat in her mouth.

"I'm not interested in men who are weaker than me."

"As expected, it's a comment from someone who is ranked 4th..."

"Stop teasing me about that...

Kay, with her fierce eyes, paused for a moment and shrugged.

"There was someone I liked."

"Oh, really? Who is it? Who is it?'

Only then did Kay realize that she had made a mistake when Huey's eyes sparkled.

"Ugh... I won't tell you."

"Oh, what? Is that so? Why are you doing that after saying already that much~?"

She knew that she would be teased even more.

Huey whined when Kay, who had guessed, shut up.

"If you don’t tell me, I'll just say that you like me. I'm going tosay that you're in love with my brill iant resourcefulness and handsome face?"

"I'll kill you, man!"

Kay, who was sincere, even pulled out her mace. Huey hid behind Shion, hissing.

At that time, Oros, who finished eating, opened his mouth while wiping his hands.

"Okay, I'm full, shall we get down to business?"

Huey's face brightened up.

"Yes! Yes, yes! Please! Let's hurry up and start!"

"Tsk...

Kay reluctantly put down her mace. Annoyed, Shion took off Huey behind her.

“…”

He had no authority. He did not look like the commander-in-chief.

'How broken is the Eindel army?'

Oros had an awkward smile.