WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Prince of Rage ◈
Chapter 78
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Long journeys always require time to rest. They simply must.
It was time to recharge, and sometimes time to store up happiness.
Someone might spend their whole life walking a difficult road, sustained by that one moment of rest.
So they had to rest.
A month had passed since the Duke of Nearcaster died and Valerie's party began staying at the Lokir Merchant Company's estate.
They had decided it was better to spend the winter here rather than make a clumsy journey south.
In other words, it was a kind of break.
The sight of a young girl riding with her long golden hair streaming behind her was truly picturesque. Her posture was not completely steady yet, but she was visibly growing more accustomed to it.
Should I go faster? No. Hild said I should always think of my friend.
Ivy did not indulge only her own desires. She considered the condition and feelings of the horse she rode.
There was something only those who had ridden horses could know. A horse and its rider shared emotions, or resonated with one another. That was why it was good to build trust and faith over a long time.
Training was important too, but without trust, neither horse nor rider could fully demonstrate their potential.
That was the secret behind why few in even the royal capital of Valden could match Brynhildr as a rider in jousting tournaments. Strangely enough, it was similar to Valerie's way of handling horses.
After riding into the wind for some time, Ivy gradually slowed down and looked around. Brynhildr was riding nearby, some distance away.
She had been watching Ivy while seeming to enjoy the ride herself. Yet Brynhildr looked less like a Valkyrie in the sense of a princess, and more like one from legend.
She passed Ivy, skillfully turned her horse around, and looked back at the girl.
Then she came closer and said,
“Let's rest for a while. For everyone's sake.”
Brynhildr herself could have ridden all day, but she said it for Ivy's sake, and for the sake of the two horses.
“Okay.”
Brynhildr dismounted first, then helped Ivy down. Ivy practically threw herself into Brynhildr's arms as she came off the horse. Finding that amusing, she giggled for a while.
Then they led the horses to a large nearby tree and removed their tack. The horses did not wander far, instead grazing on the grass around them. Running joyfully was good for horses too, especially when it was with a rider they liked.
Fallen leaves and pine cones lay scattered around the tree. They shifted in the breeze or rolled across the ground.
Brynhildr took out a comb and brushed Ivy's hair.
“You did well. You didn't get greedy halfway through, did you?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“I could tell.”
“Still, I think I ride better than Sir Yorick now.”
Ivy said. Part of it was the difference in talent, but Yorick had also never properly learned to ride from Knut.
Knut was prone to getting irritated whenever things did not go his way, so there was no way Yorick could have learned properly.
“Want to race Yorick sometime?”
“No, I don't.”
“Why not?”
“Now that I'm actually better, it doesn't make me that happy. If anything, I feel a little sorry for him. Though I won't let him off if he makes fun of me again.”
She was such a kind-hearted child that she naturally made one smile.
After brushing Ivy's hair, Brynhildr braided it. Ivy's hair was lovely, but Brynhildr's skill was excellent too. With her hair neatly braided and put up, Ivy looked like a young lady from a noble house.
Brynhildr took out a silver mirror and showed her. Ivy beamed at her reflection.
She kept looking at herself from different angles. Mirrors themselves were precious, so she rarely had the chance to properly see her own face.
Then, as though she had noticed something she disliked, her expression darkened slightly. She looked back and forth between Brynhildr and herself.
“What's wrong?”
“I'm ugly.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The outer corners of your eyes turn up a little, but mine droop.”
“That has nothing to do with being beautiful. If anything, I used to hate how much my eyes turned up.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But I'm fine with it now. I know that beautiful eyes come not from their shape, but from the light in them. And that light changes depending on what thoughts and feelings you hold. If you think good thoughts and hold a good heart, your eyes will naturally become beautiful.”
“Really?”
Ivy opened her eyes wide and kept asking whether it was true. Looking at her eyes, it seemed she believed everything Brynhildr said.
In truth, Brynhildr's words had also been meant for herself. When teaching someone, especially a child, one naturally wanted to teach them only good things.
As she followed that train of thought and drew out those good things, the teacher herself was influenced for the better.
Perhaps Ivy had never seen such a wonderful older sister in her short life, because she wanted to imitate and resemble Brynhildr in every way.
Therefore, to be a good example to a child, an adult had no choice but to grow as well. In other words, teaching someone was also teaching oneself.
“I'll braid yours too.”
Ivy said. Brynhildr gladly offered her hair for Ivy to braid.
Of course, Ivy was not yet skilled at braiding hair, so she could only braid parts of it. Her hands were still clumsy, but they had a certain sensibility.
This time, Ivy held up the silver mirror. Brynhildr smiled.
“It looks pretty. Thank you.”
“Hehehe.”
Braiding each other's hair was nothing special, yet perhaps it would remain a memory that occasionally came back to them throughout their lives.
It was a precious time of rest, like a treasure.
But one could not rest forever in this world.
“Don't you think there have been a lot of pigeons and crows flying back and forth lately?”
Ivy said as she looked into the distance. A tall tower stood in one corner of the estate's courtyard, with a place at its top for sending and receiving carrier pigeons.
It was an interesting sight at first, but once one got used to it, the only thought was that it was better not to walk underneath it. One might get hit by bird droppings.
“That's true.”
Brynhildr had heard roughly what had been happening lately. The Third Prince coveted the dukedom, and the King was said to be granting the dukedom to the military training officer among the Kingmakers.
The Lokir Merchant Company was one of the five largest merchant companies in the kingdom, so it could not avoid being affected by such matters.
Sure enough, someone came riding across the field toward them. It was Yorick.
He crossed the field to where the two were and spoke. Normally, he would have cracked a joke or teased them, but his expression was far from bright.
“Valerie is calling for you. You should come. Ivy, it's time for you to stop playing too. Go clean something.”
“We aren't playing.”
“Anyway.”
Brynhildr and Ivy put the tack back on the horses and mounted. They followed Yorick across the field toward the estate.
They left the horses at the stable and entered the manor. As they headed for Lucas's office on the second floor, Yorick said to Ivy,
“You go clean.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? Do it when I tell you to. Or go organize your things.”
It seemed like he might be joking, but he was not. Yorick's expression was serious.
“I'll come by in a little while. Go to your room.”
“...Okay.”
Ivy went back reluctantly. Watching her leave, Yorick opened the office door.
Inside were Valerie, Lucas, and Knut. There was also a strange smell, somewhat like fish.
A box sat on the office table with its lid already open. Inside were a human head, fingers, and other things preserved in salt. That was the source of the smell.
Ivy had some tolerance for seeing terrible corpses, but corpses made in battle differed from those made with malice.
Besides, they were there to discuss business.
“This is the manager of our Hayden Crossroads branch. Mercenaries called the War Dogs killed him. The way they sent this message shows it wasn't for plunder or because they killed in a fit of anger. The Third Prince is obviously behind it. It seems he wants us to swear allegiance, but we have no intention of doing that.”
Valerie said from his seat by the fireplace.
The Third Prince himself knew it would be difficult for him to obtain the dukedom. He could not become Duke directly, so he wanted to place one of his own people in the position.
That was why he had come up with the idea of pressuring the Lokir Merchant Company. It did not seem that he meant to secure the dukedom through pressure. Rather, if he could not have the dukedom, he appeared to want the merchant company under his own faction.
When something like this happened, the lord should have protected them. Of course, if there had been a lord, it would not have happened in the first place.
But with the Nearcaster dukedom currently vacant, he must have thought there was no one to protect them.
So he seemed to believe that a little pressure would naturally make them submit to him.
Of course, he could not even imagine that Valerie, the Fourteenth Prince, was staying with the Lokir Merchant Company.
Knut, sitting on a table in one corner, Lucas, seated before the office desk, and Yorick, who had just entered and sat on the sofa, all looked at Brynhildr.
“So what have you decided to do?”
Brynhildr asked.
“We're sending a message too.”
“It seems we're past the point of exchanging letters or words.”
“Right. So we're sending them the mercenary captain's head. That will be our answer to their demand for an oath of allegiance.”
“Wouldn't that make things impossible to take back?”
“I thought it would be better to make our position clear than resist halfheartedly. Lucas agrees too. Knut and I will go, along with those who can ride.”
“What about me?”
“I called you to ask what you wanted to do.”
Brynhildr thought for a moment. She had no particular feelings about what the men had planned. Ivy simply came to mind, though she did not know why.
“I'll go too.”
“Good. We're leaving in two days. Be ready. Tell us if you need anything.”
“Alright.”
“But what's that?”
“What?”
“Your hair.”
Valerie was referring to Brynhildr's hair, which had been clumsily braided here and there.
“Oh, this. Ivy braided it.”
“I see.”
The conversation seemed to be over, but Lucas awkwardly smiled and joined in.
“Ahaha, you seem to be getting along well with Ivy.”
“Thanks to you, I have been having a good time, Company Head.”
“I told you that you can speak more casually.”
“Well, I suppose it will happen naturally once I become more comfortable.”
“Yes, well, if that is what you prefer. By the way, we have some spare funds after selling the clothes Lucy used to wear. If you need clothes, weapons, or anything else, feel free to say so.”
The dresses and jewelry Lucilia had worn were luxuries far more expensive than one could imagine. One dress alone was worth nearly enough to hire a mercenary company.
There had been far more than one or two such things, so the money left after selling them was truly enormous.
At Lucas's words, Brynhildr suddenly remembered something she had told Ivy. That good hearts made one's eyes beautiful.
“Winter is coming soon. It would be good to offer charity to the poor. Even just providing firewood and food would be a great help in getting through the winter.”
Everyone looked a little surprised at Brynhildr's answer.
“Are you serious?”
Knut, who had only been watching quietly, asked.
“Rather than being sincere, I am trying to be. I said something to Ivy, so I can't take it back now.”
“What did you say?”
“That a good heart gives one beautiful eyes.”
“Seems like a waste to me...”
Yorick, who came from the humblest background of them all, muttered. It was not because he was mean-spirited. He knew from experience that if one treated people well, they tended to get above themselves or become dependent instead.
“It just gives them a chance. Things may be different when spring comes.”
Valerie said.
His view differed somewhat from simple kindness. He was considering the practical effects of charity. Moderate generosity could increase loyalty and preserve productivity.
“Come sit down. We received some tea that can only be enjoyed at this time of year.”
Lucas rose and naturally led Brynhildr toward where Valerie was sitting.
Brynhildr, who had been standing, then sat beside Valerie by the fireplace, around the table.
Yorick closed the horrible box, and as Lucas poured the tea, a nutty fragrance spread through the room.
“Is my hair bad?”
Brynhildr asked Valerie.
“No. It just looked different.”
At that answer, Brynhildr's mood quietly improved, like the fragrance of tea spreading through the room.
“Did you know something?”
“What?”
“They say the eyes are mirrors that reflect the soul.”
“I've heard that.”
“What do you think my soul is like?”
At Brynhildr's question, Valerie, who had been watching only the fireplace flames, turned to look at her.
He quietly studied her blue eyes, then turned his gaze away again.
“Stronger than I expected.”
“Huh?”
Lucas, who had also been looking at Brynhildr's eyes, reacted as though he did not understand.
“What about my eyes?”
“And mine?”
Yorick and Knut, apparently curious as well, came closer and asked Valerie. They pulled over chairs and sat down, until the five of them were gathered together.
“Yorick, deep down you think you are better than everyone else. Knut, you have no interest in anything unless it interests you.”
“Gasp.”
“Wow.”
Yorick sharply inhaled as though he had been caught, while Knut was impressed.
Valerie was indeed unusually observant. And he had not said it merely by looking at their eyes. He had simply judged them from their actions and way of thinking until now.
Valerie smiled at their reactions.
“You didn't think you were better than me, did you?”
Knut asked as he turned to Yorick.
“Ahaha...”
At Yorick's evasive laugh, Knut's already large eyes widened further.
“Are you crazy? Better than me? Isn't that treason?”
“What treason? Young Master, you are young. I am older.”
Their age difference was only five or six years.
Rather than getting angry, Knut looked somewhat dazed, as though he could not believe it.
But he soon furrowed his brow and became angry, asking how Yorick could do this to him. Yorick took it in stride.
The mood quickly lightened, and Brynhildr said,
“Can we call Ivy now?”
“Right. I'll get her.”
Yorick rose from his seat. Before long, he returned with Ivy. At last, all six of them were together.
Then they began chatting about nothing in particular by the fireplace.
The warmth of the firewood, the nutty aroma of tea, and comfortable conversation warmed and filled Valerie's party.
Outwardly, Valerie's party was staying as guest retainers, but when one looked closely, they seemed almost like a family.
They were not connected by blood, but their conversations, actions, and the way they treated one another made it seem so.
Within their own little world.
And it was also time to recharge before they went out into the chilly autumn wind to kill someone.
They were not going to kill out of aimless rage or vengeance. It was simply to make someone pay for their encroachment, and as a warning not to cross the line.
Valerie thought, If I kill my brothers again, at least it will not be out of resentment, anger, or for my own survival.
I have a world to protect. I will simply follow the resolve to fight for it.
That was why Valerie's pale sky-blue eyes were not merely beautiful.
They were like a well-honed spearhead, like lonely autumn leaves, and like a delicate yet vivid flame, if that was what reflected the soul.
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