Chapter 76
This time, Prince Declan asked her with a face full of curiosity.
For a moment, Maeve failed to manage her expression. Her face, which had twisted significantly as she failed to overcome a momentary antipathy, soon returned to normal.
“I heard of it through rumors.”
“Aren’t those old rumors? Modern sorcerers aren’t like that. The first thing they do is become close with the lords and kings of each territory. And they bring rare magical items to sell at high prices.”
“…….”
“Hearing up to this point, you might wonder what kind of fellows they are, but it’s not like I don’t understand them. Haven’t many places been devastated because of the Empire? And the one looking after the people of the lands even their masters abandoned is Sorten. A country that provides relief without compensation in that manner is rare.”
At this point, Maeve could not help but feel antipathy again. It was because some of the residents of the abandoned lands absorbed by Sorten in such a way were people exactly like her parents.
A princess of a fallen kingdom. From what Maeve heard, that was her mother’s origin.
Maeve could not help but snort.
“It is not without compensation. They would have absorbed the abandoned lands and people in that way.”
“That isn’t a bad thing. From their perspective, they probably don’t care if the country’s name is Bebe or Ambrox. They just need a fence to protect them appropriately.”
She thought the examples for the names were strange. However, the words Prince Declan added were quite unexpected.
Maeve, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked back at him. The Prince smiled broadly with an innocent-looking face.
“Because I am royalty, I know these things better. That is why I worked hard not to have my people taken away. By helping my brother who became King, my country……”
Prince Declan stopped speaking there.
“Anyway, the moves of Sorten are not that bad. Even if there are calculated ulterior motives, caring for a land that has once become a ruin is a task one would not even dare to attempt. It must be possible because they are sorcerers.”
“I didn’t exactly say they were bad.”
Prince Declan looked at the back of Maeve, who had turned away abruptly and was walking ahead again. To anyone’s eyes, she appeared offended.
Prince Declan still knew nothing about that woman. All he knew was her name. He didn’t even know where she was originally from.
Once again, along with curiosity, an impulse to pry into this and that surged within him. However, Prince Declan managed to keep his mouth shut and endure. The woman was quite defensive, much like her usual blunt demeanor, and she especially avoided bringing up her own story. It seemed she was not pleased when others asked about her past, either.
“Anyway, Viscount Quill was famous for sending his daughters to other countries to be married off in that manner to collect dowries. My mother especially loathed him. She said he was a man who traded his own children.”
Before long, the two reached the place where they had set the traps last night. It was a small clearing where old trees occupied various spots. Maeve soon discovered a brown rabbit caught in the snare trap she had made.
The rabbit was already a fully grown adult, and it had somehow survived without taking its last breath. The snare, made of sturdy tree bark, had tied the rabbit’s neck and front paws together. She thought that must be why it had survived.
Maeve felt a sense of apology toward the rabbit and pulled a small dagger from her bosom.
It was her duty to end its life quickly so it would no longer be in pain. If possible, in a single stroke.
The sharp piece of metal aimed for the scruff of the rabbit’s neck. Before stabbing it, Maeve closed her eyes and offered a short prayer.
“Maeve.”
She was just about to open her eyes and carry out the ritual in one go. At the same moment Prince Declan, who was standing quietly behind her, called out to stop her, the snare that had been tightly binding even the rabbit’s front paws burst apart.
Becoming free before she could even do anything, the rabbit used its liberated hind legs to dash into the nearby thicket. Maeve stared blankly as the rabbit, which was not even in good physical condition, fled just like that.
Then, she picked up the snare that had suddenly burst and examined it. It was a snare made from the bark of a sturdy old tree. While making it, she had thought she might be able to use it several times.
“Maeve!”
Prince Declan called her again.
Only then did Maeve turn toward the sound, as if asking why.
The Prince was standing there with a face that looked entirely uneasy.
“I think someone is here.”
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