The Empire's Crown Prince

Elza made a full recovery after sleeping for a while.

Her condition seemed to have been only temporary.

After that, everything moved quickly.

The sailors were skilled, and with Alexia's wind magic, the massive galleon glided smoothly forward.

Though the waves were still large, with the storm no longer an obstacle, we arrived at our destination, the city of Iselia, in no time.

"The straight-line distance isn't actually that far. It's just that the storm made things difficult… though that storm has calmed down now."

"I just tried it. I never thought it would actually be resolved."

"No, it's good news for us, so we're not complaining. This will make travel much easier."

I had thought there might be interference from another member of the imperial family who was supposedly besieging Iselia, but nothing happened.

According to the sailors, our ship arrived so quickly that they couldn't do anything.

Is that how it works?

If they were trying to mount any sizable interference, it would slow their own progress.

If they had assumed we would be cutting through that storm, their preparations might not have been ready in time.

In any case, I was glad we arrived safely.

From the ship, we could see a group surrounding the city.

They weren't particularly numerous, but they looked like an army.

Being surrounded by such a group must be incredibly stressful.

You could say this was one step away from civil war.

We pulled the ship up to the harbor we'd arrived at, and the sailors on shore used the ropes we threw to pull the ship in.

It came to rest exactly at the designated spot, and the anchor was lowered to secure the vessel.

Setting aside small boats, this was my first time on a large ship.

I learned a lot.

Learning about containers in particular was something I was glad to know.

I had thought cargo was just piled loosely, but that alone couldn't withstand storms, and there were various other problems.

Apparently, for iron ore or burning stone, some basic measures to prevent spillage were enough, but this time we were transporting wheat, which would be used as food.

It would rot if it got wet from seawater or rain.

So we sealed it in wooden boxes and covered them with sheets to make transport possible.

This concept could definitely be applied to something.

I watched as the sailors unloaded the containers from the ship.

This was their job. They told me to stay out of the way, so I left it to them.

"It's pretty normal. They said it was blockaded, so I thought it would be more chaotic."

"Yeah…"

I nodded at Alexia's words.

We had only seen the harbor, but nothing seemed particularly strange.

Looking at the city, it seemed a bit smaller than Ateil, but there were people on the streets and they didn't seem to be in much trouble.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has been doing a lot for us."

"That's right. And now that the wheat has arrived, we're saved."

"No, I'm just glad we could deliver it safely."

The crown prince seemed to be quite popular.

They say a person's true worth shows in difficult times.

Being the next in line for the throne, he must be capable.

"Now please sign this paper."

"Understood."

I got the representative of the harbor to sign the receipt, completing the task entrusted to us by the duke.

This should be enough to return without any problems, but apparently the ship wouldn't be leaving immediately.

There was an iron ore mine near Iselia.

Although they couldn't mine any new ore while under siege, they planned to transport what they had to the duke's territory and exchange it for money.

If we couldn't use the ship, we would have to go by land, which meant potentially being questioned by the besieging forces.

If they asked what a Kingdom citizen was doing in a place like this, it probably wouldn't end well.

We should accept their hospitality here until the ship departed.

"I have a letter to deliver to His Highness the Crown Prince. Would you accompany me?"

"We've come this far. I'll go with you."

Orleans looked somewhat relieved.

It would be quite nerve-wracking to send her off alone to meet someone like that.

First the Kingdom's princess, now the Empire's crown prince.

If you just listed the titles, it would seem like an impressive network, but try to use these connections carelessly and your head would roll.

I would just accompany Orleans for her greeting.

Iselia was an open, bright city befitting a port town facing the sea.

Some food items seemed to be rationed, but there was no sign of chaos.

Soldiers were patrolling, but they were chatting with citizens, showing they were accepted.

The place where the crown prince was staying was a house only slightly larger than the others.

It hardly seemed like a place for royalty to live.

But there were people who appeared to be guards, and people were bustling in and out.

It seemed we had the right place.

Perhaps it was a temporary base.

"We are emissaries from the Duke. We would like to meet with His Highness the Crown Prince."

"… Who are those behind you?"

"My companions."

A large man glared at us.

I returned his gaze with a forced smile.

After looking back and forth between Orleans and us for a moment, he agreed to let us through.

We probably didn't look like assassins, and having mostly women in our group probably helped.

We were led inside the house and taken to the largest room.

We were told to wait for a bit, so we waited patiently.

Then, a young man and a woman entered the room.

Finn started glaring at the woman the moment she saw her.

The young man dropped heavily into a well-worn chair and flashed a grin.

"Have a seat. If you're guests from the old man, you're welcome."

So this young man was the crown prince.

I sat down in a slightly wobbly chair.

"Sorry about the chairs. Bear with it. Things are busy right now. That kind of stuff is on the back burner. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kelves Ambishul. I'm the crown prince, first in line for succession."

"Kelves-sama, I've told you many times that you shouldn't introduce yourself first."

"Don't be like that, Gloria. This way is faster."

I hurriedly introduced myself in return.

Though he didn't seem particularly interested.

It felt more like he was meeting us because we were guests from the duke.

A letter was handed from Orleans to Kelves, who read it.

He seemed like an easygoing young man, but he was the person closest to becoming emperor in this chaotic empire.

There was even a possibility he was just acting.