41
Alton, whose eyes were tired from paperwork, sat on a bench in the garden and looked at the plants swaying in the wind. He finds a bright red flower that has just bloomed, and he thinks of the face of the man he loves.
The other day, when he took him(Y) to this place during his stay, he said with a smile, ‘I’m looking forward these flowers blooming’. He will surely be happy once he(A) told him about it. I just hope that it stays blooming until Yaquel’s next visit.
Behind Alton, who was thinking of calling the gardener and asking him later, Reno stands behind the tree.
“Reno?”
“Yes.”
“No one is here. It does not matter even if you show yourself.”
Basically, only people related to the royal family are allowed to enter the garden, but on rare occasions, nobles who have obtained permission, or royal families and executives from neighboring countries who have heard rumors of the elegant garden, have seen it. Reno, who can’t show himself to people from other countries as a spy, acted carefully while knowing where he was.
With Alton’s permission, Reno showed up and immediately got to the point.
“This is about the aforementioned investigation.”
“How was it?”
“Yes. As expected, Lustful Snake appears to be targeting Hana-Hana.”
Hearing Reno’s report, Alton lightly clicked his tongue.
Alton was also aware of the Lustful Snake. After all, that man has destroyed eight important cities in his country, so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t investigate. They somehow managed to find out his whereabouts and let him go free, but to think that his next destination was Pyacca and his current target is Hana-Hana where Yaquel is at. It never dawned on him. The other day, Reno’s subordinate, who was monitoring the Lustful Snake, reported to Reno and Alton that he started going in and out of Hana-Hana.
He wants to do something. He wants to do something before Yaquel gets hurt but it’s not that easy in reality.
First, Lustful Snake’s troublesome feature is that it takes him a short amount of time to destroy a district and he doesn’t stand out. If he’s destroying it using violence then he(A) can wave his hand and capture him, but Lustful Snake’s method of mentally and physically driving the influential people and prost*tutes of the city of colored snakes is too quiet and inconspicuous. By the time the districts’ representatives come to him, it was already too late.
Besides, even if they caught the Lustful Snake in that situation, it’s also troublesome that they can’t convict him of that as a crime. After all, all that man did was just embrace the women. He didn’t instigate nor threaten them. The women were simply captivated by him. Making them think of nothing else but himself is not a crime. He is truly too vicious.
“Is it possible?”
“…Honestly, I think it’s difficult.”
“Even if it’s you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with what Lustful Snake does. It’s just going to a shop and paing a woman to play with. Women also welcome him, so it’s difficult to get rid of him…”
“What a seriously annoying man.”
“Also, Lustful Snake’s real identity hasn’t been ascertained yet…”
Reno and Alton were worried about the uncanny foe whose real identity is unknown.
“You’re about to know his real identity.”
Hylm appeared and said so, and following diagonally behind him was Bang, who bowed towards Alton.
“It’s you two. What do you mean by what you just said?”
He also consulted with Hylm about the Lustful Snake. Because they recognize and respect each other’s feelings for Yaquel, they always share anything related to Yaquel. Therefore, Hylm was investigating the disturbing movements of the Lustful Snake from a different angle.
“I was visiting the other day to celebrate the marriage of the crown prince of Yugoona, and at that time Bang saw the face of the second prince, and the face of the Lustful Snake looked very similar.”
“Were you telling the truth, Bang?”
“Yes. He’s pretending to be a gentleman-like traveler now, but from the facial features, the position of the mole, the body shape and the way he walks, I’m sure it’s the second prince of Yugoona I saw.”
Alton raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“Why is the second prince of Yugoona doing such a thing…”
The country of Yugoona is a great power on par with this Krantz country. Blessed with rich nature, the crops grown on the vast land are highly nutritious and taste perfect. In addition, light stones that shine beautifully in seven colors taken from the depths of the sea are also used for lighting, and even in this Kranz country, they are useful as neon lights that light up the city. It is a country that has prospered due to its rich resources. During the time of the previous king, the relationship with the Krantz country had deteriorated, but after Alton became king, they should have built a friendly relationship.
“Does he want to wage a war with Krantz Kingdom?
“I can’t say for sure but.”
“Speak.”
At Alton’s statement, Bang talks about the information he gathered.
“According to my investigations, currently, the king of Yugoona is bedridden from an illness and that his days are numbered.”
“I heard about it.”
“And, the future king is the current crown prince but it seems that he’s thought to be quite docile and be weak in politics, and they seem to fear that he will be left behind by other countries. On the other hand, the second prince seems to have a bullish political mindset to make Yugoona bigger through military force and diplomacy. That’s why Yugoona’s internal affairs seem to be split into two factions, one that favors the politically moderate prince as the next king, and one that favors the aggressive second prince.”
Yugoona’s problems can only be solved by Yugoona itself.
“That is, originally, the crown prince was decided to be the throne’s successor by the king himself…”
“”It is necessary to show that the second prince is superior to the crown prince. Is that what you mean?”
“Most likely.”
In short, he was able to show the people who supported the crown prince that he was able to destroy a conspicuous city of the great power Krantz, and that he had the power to protect Yugoona more than the crown prince and that he was suitable to be the next king, that’s probably what he wants them to realize.
If the aggressive second prince becomes the king and invades the neighboring countries and becomes a greater power than Krantz, he may even attack this country. In other words, what Lustful Snake is currently doing is gathering information and rehearsing for that time. If so
“He can’t be left unchecked anymore.”
“What are your orders, sir?”
“Arrest him not as the Lustful Snake but as the second prince of Yugoona.”
“What about the charges?”
The one who answered Reno wasn’t Alton but
“It is forbidden for the royal family of other countries to stay in this country without permission. Arrest him for espionage at once.”
Reno and Bang put their hands on their chests and said, “By your will.” to Hylm’s dignity and intimidating air, suitable for the next Krantz king.