Cave King – 276

Chapter 276 – It Was Perfect!

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The day after the fall of the fortress.

We were visiting the Arubal Company store in Lushika.

A merchant and well-dressed young man were standing in front of a shelf filled with precious stones.

“…What about this ring, which has a great, beautiful pearl? I am sure that the lady will like it.”
“Oh, quite wonderful!! However, it is rather expensive…”
“I am terribly sorry… But, if I may tell you a little secret, our craftsmen make jewelry for the royal family. And these items are only available once a year.”
“Is that so! Well, I suppose she will like it then…”
“There is no doubt about it. On top of that, this is your lucky day. I am sure you will get the answer you are hoping for.”
“In-indeed… I will buy it then!”
“Thank you!”

Alva was dealing with customers.

It was the same as always. Nothing strange. Both employees and customers would think that.

However, this was not the real Alva. It was actually Number 15.

“It looks like he is doing it well.”
“Yes. No one would even suspect it.”

Rienna said with a nod. Fule chuckled.

“It is almost scary how good it is… I’m glad that Number 15 is on our side.”

It wasn’t just appearance. The way he talked, mannerisms and posture. All of his habits. Number 15 had replicated them perfectly.

“Yes. Now, as long as everything goes according to plan, we will be able to uncover the real villain.”
“Alva talked about the company, didn’t he?”

I nodded at Fule.

“He even told us how to open the hidden vault at their headquarters. Apparently, it holds assets equivalent to an entire year of the kingdom’s national budget.”

Alva was very cooperative. During the interrogation, he told us about the company structure, their funds and contacts, rivalries within the company as well as secrets of the various officials.

Perhaps he thought that it would put himself in a better position.

However…

Rienna tilted her head to the side and answered.

“Still, he did not say the name of the person who hired them to do it… Besides, the company has so much money already.”
“Normally, they would not accept such a job. Perhaps the president had a weakness that they knew about?”

I answered Fule’s question.

“That is possible… According to Alva, this president is a very cautious man. There are no negative rumors about him. And so if there was something bad behind the scenes, he would want to hide it.

“So this president is known for being a virtuous person?”

Rienna asked. I nodded.

“Aye. He sends donations to temples and poor towns and villages every year. He has even helped orphans and gave them jobs in the company.”
“People like that who are actually villains behind the scenes… It’s not that uncommon.”

Claimed Fule.

“Perhaps… But the president has funds that match the national budget. It would be difficult to manipulate someone like that.”

“In other words, this person must be very powerful.”

“Yes. Also…”
“Also?”

“While a normal merchant would turn it down, what if he is not a normal merchant? He may be different from what we, or even Alva are thinking. Perhaps he readily agreed to this plan. In fact, he could be the true person who is behind it.”

“So, it wasn’t something he was forced to do.”

Said Rienna.

“In any case, we will have to look into this matter. Apparently, Alva had received orders about what to do if the plan ran into any problems. He was to go to the royal capital directly and make a report to the president.”

“Then…Number 15…Alva, will have to go.”
“Yes. We will send a carriage tomorrow. However, we should leave today, in order to take the lead…”

I looked out of the window.

There were a lot of people, and the streets were lively.

“They are celebrating the defeat of the bandits… Apparently, not just here, but in the other Leodor lands as well.”

“And as the hero, you cannot leave yet, Lord Heal.”

Rienna and Fule said with a smile.

“Hero. That’s an exaggeration…”

In fact, it seemed like there were people who called me that in the town.

The bandits of the Nostor mountain had been the biggest problem in the Leodor territory. So it was no wonder that the residents were happy.

However, I was not happy. The true enemy was undiscovered. And we were hiding the truth from everyone.

Of course, once this was all over, Alva’s crimes would become known. But I still did not know what to do about the device.

That’s why I could not celebrate.

In Langs, I had also lied about my identity. I was no good at lying. And so I had a lot of respect for Number 15, who could do it so perfectly.

However, this was all for Rish and the Leodor lands. If I wanted to get attention from the villains, then perhaps it was best to look like a dumb prince who was drunk on his victory.

“In any case…let’s go and meet Rish. She should be in the plaza.”
“Yes!”

I nodded towards Number 15 and then left the building.

We walked through the festive streets.

The buildings and trees were decorated in bright cloth and flowers. There were barrels and wooden tables laid with food and drink. The people of Lushika raised their cups and celebrated.

Eventually, their faces turned towards me.

“Ah, if it isn’t Lord Heal!”

“All hail, Lord Heal!”

I waved my hand at them.

“Lord Heal. You look tense! You should smile more, like this! Yes! Is everyone having a good time?!”

Fule waved both arms in the air and smiled. The men of the town cheered in response.

…It seemed like she would fit in better here than me.

We continued on our way until we arrived at the plaza where many of the people were gathered. The smell of delicious food and drink was in the air, and people were dancing in the center.

I saw Rish holding a cup.

She was talking to someone, but excused herself when she saw us.

“Heal…! Your Highness. I am glad that you are here!”

“People seem to be enjoying themselves.”
“Yes! This all because of you, Lord Heal. On behalf of my father and the people, I thank you!”

Rish said with a bow. As she was in front of people, she spoke more clearly and confidently than usual.

We had told her about our plan to use a fake Alva. And that we would be heading to the royal capital soon. 

Speaking of Alva, he had been sent to the Leodor frontiers. He would live in a small remote village in the mountains, where he would be monitored.

“I just did my duty as the prince… People of Lushika!”

I said loudly while raising a cup that was on a nearby wooden crate.

“I, Lord Heal, have removed the threat of the bandits!! From now on, you can return to your days of peace!!”

The people cheered and raised their cups as well. After that, they chanted ‘Heal! Heal!’ over and over again.

Fireworks explode in the sky above, decorating the air with various flowers.

“Oh, how beautiful!”

“I’Ve never seen fireworks so big before.”
“Who made them?”

As the townspeople raised their voices in awe, Mappa looked a little embarrassed.

Apparently, he was the one who made them. I had a feeling that for the people here, the fireworks would be more memorable than me.

In any case, the festival was a great success.

Surely word would spread throughout the country now. The useless prince had defeated the impregnable Nostor fortress. All eyes would turn towards ms.

As I thought of such things, a sad voice echoed next to me.

“How beautiful…”

Rish was looking up at the sky.

At first, her eyes were bright, but she looked lonely now.

“Rish…”
“…Huh? What? Um, what is it, Your Highness?”

“They won’t hear you with the fireworks. You can talk normally.”
“Uh, yes. So, what is it?”
“Well, about us going to the capital. I think you should wait here. I think we can deal with it by ourselves now.”
“Heal… You are still worried about me.”

Rish looked a little happy, but shook her head.

“I’m fine. For Leodor as well, I need to end this.”
“I see…”

After a short pause, Rish opened her mouth.

“More importantly, your friends really are amazing, Heal.”
“I don’t mean to brag, but they really are. I couldn’t do anything alone. I am blessed to have them.”

This plan would not have worked without their help. It was always like that.

“Did you meet all of them in Sheorl?”

“Aye, that’s right. They took a liking to Sheorl. It’s a good place. With a beautiful sea…”

There was a lot that I was hiding from Rish. And so I was happy when there were questions that I could answer honestly.

“It must be a nice place… Will you take me there one day?”

“Of course. There are so many places that I want to show you.”

Rish said happily.

“Yes! Alright, next time, I’ll guide you to secret spots in Leodor too.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Once things settled down, I hoped that we could talk about the past together.

At the same time, when I saw her talking about Leodor, it reminded me about how much I missed Sheorl. I hoped that everyone was well.

As the fireworks died down, I heard screams erupt in the plaza.

When I turned my head, I saw the male customer that Alva had been talking to earlier. He was now kneeling in front of a woman and offering the pearl ring.

“I love you! Please marry me!!”

The woman’s eyes welled up with tears and she nodded.

So it was a success.

People cheered and clapped. 

Only God knew whether the ring actually helped him. Still, it was a nice thing to see.

“What a relief…”

I muttered, and then shocking words reached my ears.

“Prince Heal! You should marry Lady Rish too!!”

“Lady Rish is such a wonderful person! You will make a great couple!!”

Both Rish and I were stunned.
Other people agreed and whistled.

Rish turned bright red and fired back.

“Ho-how insolent of you! The very idea of someone like me marrying the prince!! As-as kind, gentle and handsome as he is…”

Our eyes met, and then she covered her face with her hands.

Why was she reacting like that? It was making me feel embarrassed too.

This was bad. And so I turned to Mappa.

“Ma-Mappa!! More fireworks!”

Mappan grinned and stared back at me quietly. Apparently, he was enjoying seeing me flustered.

“Hey! Mappa! I need your help!”

I said more loudly.

And so Mappa shrugged and waved his hand towards the outside of the plaza. And then the giant fireworks exploded again.

“I see… Well, that settles it, Fule.”
“Indeed. And she is very welcome.”

“We can talk about it when everything is finished!”

Rienna and Fule smiled.

I had no idea what they were talking about.

Regardless, the festivities continued after that.

And then the next day…

We set out ahead of Number 15,  and made our way to the royal capital by carriage.

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