The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 228

Asar was equally at a loss for words due to his shock.

“Is that really true?”

It was hardly unreasonable for suspicion to immediately arise at the tremendous resume this knight had suddenly presented. Someone who had been leisurely staying in this countryside with nothing to see, without a word, was not only a formal knight from the Empire, but had actually been appointed by the Heliotrope Knights? And he hadn’t even attended an affiliated military academy? The world really should have had more swindlers.

When the knight behind Asar stepped forward with an expression of disbelief, Cayan took something from his chest and showed it to the prince’s party. It was a small medal, and a ring was also hanging from the cord that held it.

Glint!

In the center of the medal was a delicately crafted heliotrope flower, its subtle purple light sparkling and capturing their attention. It was said that certified mages of the Empire created these to emit light like this when certain conditions were met, allowing one to find direction properly even in spaces without a single source of light. The ring dangling below it was small in size but had the same pattern engraved on it.

Asar, who had visited the imperial palace of the Helia Empire, made a satisfied expression and nodded his head.

“It’s genuine.”

“Your Highness?!”

“I’ve seen that thing directly. Hmm, but anyway….”

Asar’s manner of speaking became even slower, like a snail passing over dried grass blades.

Not bad. There’s no need to hastily examine everything one by one in this situation. It’s tradition to engrave initials on the back of that ring and embed the knight’s name inside the medal, and surely we can verify one knight from the Empire?

‘For now, he’s worth taking along.’

The Heliotrope Knights were a prestigious order famous throughout the entire continent, so there was nothing wrong with a knight from another country, especially one from the Empire. Now that he knew the inside story, he was rather pleased.

Despite being in a position where he had to propose a groundbreaking contract first, Asar dawdled instead of hurrying. There was a reasonable justification for this. After all, the other party had been pushed out from a scaled-down force due to insufficient ability, hadn’t he? This side was a proper adult prince and the first heir to the throne who would soon inherit a brilliant crown.

If he showed obvious favorability by saying he desired a contract with him, the other side would obviously think they held the upper hand and act arrogantly. What Asar wanted was justification that would make even an Imperial knight willingly bow his head and serve him, and loyalty directed toward himself. It was a somewhat hasty thought, though.

How should I continue the conversation… Ah! That’s it.

The fellow had supposedly first put a woman who wasn’t even wearing a veil on the horse that the coachman had brought earlier. Seeing that he intended to take her along on horseback rather than in a carriage…

‘She’s probably not a noble lady. It’s fortunate I didn’t act rashly. Wait, could they be… in that kind of relationship?’

A secret affair!

Now that he thought about it, it was suspicious that someone who was young, well-built, and even from the Heliotrope Knights had been abruptly expelled from the margrave territory of Eynt on the frontier.

Asar was well aware that a mage had recently destroyed a monster nest in the Empire’s northeast, officially declaring it no longer dangerous, but it was still a border region. Just considering the extermination of monsters that would have scattered here and there, there was no immediate reason to terminate a contract with a capable knight.

Could this knight before his eyes perhaps not be honorable? What if he was carrying some scandal shameful enough to be dishonorably expelled from his own country and had come to hide in another country—the small Kingdom of Devran, no less…?

Asar tried not to clutch the back of his neck, which was growing cold on its own, and casually began to speak.

“Hmm, I noticed earlier that you were with some la…dy and…”

“Excuse me! I got these from the lady who bakes the best pastries in this village—please have some madeleines!”

Just then, some woman with flushed cheeks came carrying a small basket and placed it in the center. Asar pretended not to look while observing the woman.