The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 241 ?Folklorist? Mogers (11) - Warm Wind Although it might sound strange for him to say this after being the one to first make the proposal, in truth Mogers did not expect the youth to readily accept his suggestion. If they were the type to dig out a hideout in such a place and operate from it, they would surely be those brimming with hot blood and completely united by anger and revenge toward the castle town. In such circumstances, even if a strange outsider suddenly appeared and spouted something like 'I'll give you new land so let's migrate there and live,' there was no way they could readily accept it. No, rather, if they did accept it, that would be the problem. So receiving backlash and suspicious looks was well within the expected range of outcomes. "Let's leave for new land? Everything will be solved just by giving money? Don't talk nonsense. Then those pieces of trash in the castle town will continue living perfectly fine." However, the atmosphere emanated by the young man called Raslro and his gang was clearly different. Anger? Revenge? If it were just that, there would be no need to make an issue of it. Considering what they had endured, telling them not to harbor such emotions would be even more absurd. "Those bastards all need to pay the price for their crimes. With these hands, I need to bite through their throats and crush their neck bones, split open their bellies and tear out their entrails. So why should we leave our prey behind and run away? Huh?" However, the emotion felt from Raslro's eyes as he spoke mockingly was closer to ecstasy and anticipation. At that attitude, as if telling them not to pour cold water on an enjoyable game ahead, Mogers narrowed his eyes and asked back. "So you're saying you won't consider leaving because you need revenge. Is that it?" "That's right!" "Then how far does the revenge you're thinking of extend?" "Ha, such an obvious question." As if it were utterly natural, Raslro spoke with gleaming eyes. "The entire castle town." "......" "Those who tormented us, those who looked at us with disgust, and even those who stood by and watched. All of them. I'll kill every single one." "Hmm." "And you're the same." Clank. Some of the youth raised their weapons, threatening Mogers and Morana. Spears that were originally used for hunting beasts gleamed threateningly as if they would pierce the two at any moment. "Wait! What are you doing on your own, Raslro!!" "On my own or whatever, these guys need to die here. If they go back like this and run their mouths, it's all over." "Are you in your right mind!? This man has deep connections with the castle town's upper echelons! If he suddenly disappears, who knows how they'll react! And Morana is our kin!!" "Kin my ass! How is a bitch who wagged her tail at the castle town's trash our kin!?" "Raslro!!" "Or what, Vanya. Don't tell me you've been tempted by this old man's talk about refuge or whatever?" "Are you done talking!?" The two's voices grew increasingly loud, and as if responding to it, the group of youth also split into two factions. The group led by Raslro was small in number but each emanated an ominous aura, while the group led by Vanya was larger but relatively overwhelmed in terms of momentum. Since they were already here, they would be those who thought of having a violent confrontation with the castle town, so they would be far from moderates, yet because Raslro's side was so extreme, it seemed that even within this group, radicals and relative moderates had been divided. Then, Morana's gaze met Mogers'. She was holding her pole-mace tightly with both hands, looking as if she would go on a rampage to break this encirclement at any moment if Mogers gave the signal. Mogers subtly shook his head so others wouldn't notice. It meant to wait and see for now. Some time later. "Hmm, still, this is a rather moderate response." In some bleak stone chamber. Sitting heavily on the floor that radiated cold air, Mogers joked around. As a result of the clash between Raslro, who said they should kill the two immediately, and Vanya, who said they shouldn't, the youth agreed to confine the two for now. Even so, their hands and feet weren't particularly restrained, and the stone chamber where the two were confined looked more like an unused part of civilian housing rather than a prison blocked by bars, so it was indeed a moderate response as Mogers said. Morana asked. "What do you plan to do now? Even if no immediate crisis has occurred, at this rate it's only a matter of time before they resort to extreme actions." "Well, that's true. Originally, in situations where most people are wavering, it's the loud and extreme ones who tend to dominate the atmosphere." Despite saying that, Mogers didn't seem particularly worried. When Morana asked about that, Mogers just smiled and told her to watch and see. *** The first start was a complaint about heating. "Hey there, friend. Do you happen to have any blankets or maybe tools to make a fire? At this rate, I'll freeze to death." Even if it was temporary, if there was a prison and prisoners, it was obvious that there would also be guards watching them. When Mogers raised his voice to call out, a blunt voice came back from beyond the door. "Don't act like a baby. What's so cold about this level?" "Oh my, that's only for young people like you who have received the Goddess's Blessing. For an old man like me who hasn't received divine protection, my bones ache." In fact, Mogers wasn't old enough to be called an elderly man, but at least his outward appearance and the atmosphere he gave off certainly made him seem experienced. When he added subtle praise about the Goddess's Blessing and such, quiet laughter could be heard from outside the door. It was closer to a scoff than genuine amusement or joy, but a laugh was a laugh nonetheless. Not missing that gap where vigilance and tension had slightly eased, Mogers continued to engage in conversation. "If there aren't any supplies here to take care of us, it would be fine if you could just take out a blanket or something from my luggage that you took. There's various food inside too, so you should take some for yourself. I have rather refined tastes, so I packed good quality ingredients - it shouldn't be bad." "...Hmm. Wait a moment." After feeling signs of the young man talking with someone else outside, the door of the stone chamber (unlike the walls, this one was made of wood) opened shortly after. Morana thought Mogers might take advantage of that opening to ambush the young man, but Mogers simply accepted the blanket meekly without resorting to violence. Was he really just cold? Her bewilderment was brief. Not long after, the young man spoke up again from across the door. "This yellow dried fruit here tastes good - what's it called?" "That would be kumara. Technically it's not a fruit but a tuber crop... you know, like roots that grow underground like potatoes." "Potatoes are this sweet?" "It's only similar, not the same species. Plus, that's been dried with moisture removed, so the sweetness is stronger. It's a relatively common food in the central continent. Oh, did you happen to see the glass bottle that was in the bag?" "You mean the one with some sticky liquid-like stuff in it?" "That would be marmalade made from citrus fruits. You can spread it on the thin, flat bread commonly eaten here, or mix it generously with water and drink it - it's good for fatigue recovery. If you're going to eat it anyway, I'd recommend eating it with your friends. Originally, these kinds of things cause problems if you eat them bit by bit alone." "I wouldn't do such petty things even without you saying so!" The polar regions of the southern continent. There was no way those staying in such a place, far from cities, could have enjoyed a proper diet. The guard youth, who was munching on kumara - which in a certain Crown Prince's memory was close to dried sweet potato snacks - seemed to quite like the taste and soon began trying Mogers' other recommended foods, naturally drawing his acquaintances into it as well. The warm comfort and pleasant satiety were enough to soften the heightened sharpness of the youth, and since there wasn't much else to do in front of the door, chatter naturally became lively. "Hey there, scholar. This kumara thing - can't it be grown around here? You said it's similar to potatoes anyway." "That might be a bit difficult. Potatoes grow well even in cold and barren places, but this one is relatively picky, so its growth slows down even if it's a little cold, and it dies completely if the temperature drops below a certain point." "Ha. Now I see it's a complete weakling. What a frail thing." "What about this yellow drink? When I drink this, somehow my body feels light and my eyes feel clear." "The citrus fruits that are the raw materials for that are also somewhat difficult to grow in this area. But similar to the dried ones, once processing is finished, distribution becomes easy, so it's not that hard to obtain." "Damn it. So the guys living up north eat this stuff comfortably? I'm damn envious." "Well, that place has its own hardships too. It's true that it's relatively good land to live on, but there are just as many monsters and wild animals crawling around. Big ones too." "Ha! As if they could compare to the monsters here!" "That's... hmm. Hard to deny. Well, you are skilled hunters. Central continent monsters might not pose much of a threat to you." "Right? You know something!!" The voices heard from outside the stone chamber became increasingly diverse, and Mogers skillfully answered their questions. The conversation that initially centered on food somehow flowed into topics about various lands outside the castle town, and the youth listened intently to Mogers' stories, filled with curiosity. Mogers' descriptions were extremely realistic and rich, fully explaining advantages while not forcibly covering up disadvantages either. He clearly explained that while other lands outside the south certainly had advantages, they weren't some kind of paradise. However, that kind of speaking style seemed to come across to the youth as even greater trustworthiness. '...Magic?' Watching this from the side, Morana seriously wondered if Mogers might be using some kind of magic she'd only heard about in stories. The Belastok she knew were people completely bound by exclusivity and wariness. But what about the sight before her now? Saying it was inconvenient to converse through the door, they had spread out seats right in front of the stone chamber and gathered harmoniously to listen to stories - even to Morana, who was their kin, it felt excessively naive. "It's the opposite. Because they've been treated harshly, they're even more vulnerable to this kind of approach." Who would have told the Belastok such stories? Who would have ever sincerely responded to Belastok questions and tried to satisfy their curiosity? Who would have ever admired and praised the characteristics the Belastok possessed as something to be proud of, rather than despising them as monsters? It was perhaps natural that what makes a traveling stranger take off their coat is not cold, harsh wind, but warm sunlight gently shining on them. The number of youth listening intently to Mogers' 'stories' gradually increased, and before long Vanya came looking for the two. "What on earth are you doing?" "Even if you ask what, we were just having an ordinary conversation." "That's not what I'm asking about! This right now..." Vanya spoke as if scolding, but soon had to trail off. The atmosphere among the youth was subtly changing. Up until now, the Belastok youth had practically no real choices to speak of. Either continue being oppressed and slowly die as if being strangled by grass, or struggle desperately regardless of success to regain freedom. They hadn't set out with some grand vision or future plan, but had simply acted driven by resentment, defiance, and hot blood, so naturally there were many flaws, and while they shared big goals like 'revenge' and 'regaining freedom,' there had to be many differences of opinion about detailed policies. But in that situation, when Mogers presented the concrete danger of other kinfolk's safety and the new option of migrating to new land, and the perception spread that it wasn't entirely absurd, young people who were secretly hesitating about their actions while not openly saying so were rapidly increasing. And in just a day or two! If Mogers' eloquence was magic to Morana, to Vanya it was something closer to deadly poison. "Anyway, stop it right now. Raslro is extremely agitated. If you leave things like this, he might really bite you to death." "Speaking of that, may I ask a few questions?" "Questions?" "The young man named Raslro and his group seem to have gained the ability to transform into wolves. They mentioned something about the Goddess's Blessing - what specific method did they use?" "There's no way I'd tell you that." "Then let me ask something else. These ruins - did Raslro's group discover them?" Vanya seemed to ponder for a moment, but apparently thought it wouldn't matter to tell him that much, as she nodded. "Yes." "By any chance, was it also Raslro who taught the method of receiving the Goddess's Blessing?" "...So what?" "Hmm." Mogers stroked his rough, bearded chin. And he spoke. "─You wouldn't happen to be uncomfortable with that so-called blessing, would you?" Vanya's complexion changed.