On the surface, the third prince had no option other than to comply. He was too weak to fight back, and for some reason spewing blood through his mouth every now and then without warning. At this rate, he just might die from blood loss. The kidnappers were losing hair just having to think about what they would say to their boss if the prince ended up dying.
Thanks to that, Reis was left to his devices for most of the time. The ropes were untied, and wounds were treated, although they were stingy about providing him a set of clothes to change into. Not that he'd fit into any either way.
So Reis was stuck in his blood-stained silk shirt, looking like a tragic extra from an opera. Keith would probably have an aneurysm if he saw this scene. Forget the rest of the family.
Counting the number of meals he had received, it hadn't been more than a day. He couldn't eat anything, though. Other than throwing up blood, Reis's throat wasn't doing much work.
For most of the time, Reis had acted like a model abductee. That was the least he could do to return the kindness of these criminals. He refrained from insulting them, did not ask unnecessary questions, and didn't (couldn't ) try to fight or escape.
'How much longer do I have to put up with this?'
'This' in question was the tearing pain in his heart, spreading through his veins, and sometimes prickling inside his head. This road construction project inside his body needed to end. Fast.
Compared to the pain, the kidnapping was a secondary issue for Reis. They were giving him food, not making him work, and likely weren't aiming for a kill. Cause what was the point of holding someone hostage only to kill them? At least before gaining whatever they wanted?
Yeah, later issue.
|The construction will be complete within a few hours.|
|You are doing a great feat by not panicking in the face of danger.|
'Hah! I'm definitely blaming you if I die from this.'
|You cannot blame everything on me. This isn't my doing.|
'You bet I will. You were the one who couldn't give info properly.'
|...The guardian is right in calling you ungrateful.|
Hmph.
This was the so-called guardian's fault to begin with. From giving him a useless power to pressuring him to clear the mana channel to conduct summoning, he was the culprit.
But more than an otherworldly mishap, the burning stare bothered him more at the moment.
"Counselor, can you just say what you want to instead of glaring at me?" This had become a repeated episode. The man whose name and title had been lost in a dusty corner of his mind would show up, glare at him, and leave as if he were the wronged one. Reis was getting annoyed by this childish act.
"Your highness, if it were up to me, I would have killed you." That was one way to start the conversation.
"Just look at yourself," the man sneered, "You act as though you are above all but can't even protect yourself. How can someone so fragile ever be worthy of the throne?"
Reis wanted to clap. Valid point, sir. How nice of this person to understand his sentiment, in whatever twisted way it may be.
"So, you're doing this to remove me from the trials?"
"Indeed. Some things need to be corrected before it's too late." Reis had no intention of prying into this guy's sixty-year-old-middleschooler syndrome if that were a thing.
"But you are acting as though I've already won the trials." That was the thing. They were the heirs, and they were competing for the throne, however unwillingly it may be.
But in the end, it was still only the beginning of the trials. None of them had a higher or lower chance of succeeding to the throne unless someone actually said they wanted it. And Reis, not even in his nightmares, had made such a declaration.
"The sheer idea of you having a chance of ascending is a horror." Welp, there was nothing Reis could possibly say about that when he himself lived through that horror every day. "All you can be good for is a nice face on display."
Now, that was just mean. 'Ann' was also good at a few things other than having a nice face. Reis was actually quite glad for some of them. Like, knowing the kingdom's map down to the last detail. He could even make a rough guess of where this underground passage led with the information. That was far more praiseworthy than the face. But nobles were so materialistic.
"And holding me here helps the case in what way?"
The councilor laughed. "As I said, I'd rather kill you, but that's disruptive to the trials."
|The Ascendency Trials are overseen by Gods. Trying to eliminate a candidate, especially by the people who were responsible for the management, is blasphemy. |
So there's such a rule.
"The Gods would surely enjoy that too."
What is this? A period drama?
"If you mean a means of entertainment, isn't the whole thing for that purpose?
Reis didn't want to read too much into that comment. Rule to a peaceful life in a different world: The less you know, the better.
That way, people can't use you or see you as a threat.
"Lucky for me, someone has use for you." Damn it. "This is just a temporary arrangement before we hand you over. The sooner I pass you over, the better."
Actually, unlike what he said, the counselor did not feel lucky at all. Not only did he not understand what use this weak prince could even be to someone, but he also hated having to take care of the said fragile creature.
If someone in the trials were to be unfairly killed, the gods wouldn't let it slide. As a council member, he couldn't partake in such an act. Abduction was the highest limit he could possibly reach. But kidnapping an heir, from a place where flies were checked before allowed inside? If it weren't for the backing, no matter how desperate he was, he didn't want to take such a complicated, and axe-to-the-feet step.
But the counselor never thought the prince would be in such a condition. Who would even believe him that they hadn't hit this guy even with a feather? If this troublemaker died while in his care, he'd be done for. If not the gods, that man would definitely kill him. He could not even eat in peace until the trouble was handed over.
Reis couldn't care less about all that. What he heard was that someone had use for him, which meant someone was planning to make him work. Why couldn't they just plan to kill him like normal people? He'd just shift the blame to those two creatures and be done with it.
|...Could you please stop it?|
He had planned to wait it out, but that no longer seemed like a good idea.
'Depends. When are you going to help?'
|If you want to escape, you know the way.|
___
Easy to say when you aren't the one having to walk with needles poking your muscles from the inside. Unlike Reis, the blue screen of doom still had the fast travel option, just popping up whenever, wherever.
But for the man who had sticks for limbs, currently much closer to shutting down, one step was an introduction to another advanced course in pain. Two was a surprise test. And Reis was failing spectacularly so far. He didn't even know the way for real, just guessed.
At least the crooked screen finally decided to be helpful and planned out an exit route. Even ungrateful complaints can be helpful if submitted properly.
The only obstacle left now was the guards, or by textbook terms, kidnappers.
If a random person were shown a picture of Ann and asked how many people they would need to guard him, the answer would be one. At best, two. Ask the same question to the palace security teams, and they'd also say two. Two from each team, excluding the mages, specialized knight orders, and healers from the church.
No, that lineup wasn't to protect him; another team was paid a hefty salary for that job...probably facing hell around this time. This team was solely dedicated to keeping him from running away.
If there was anything Ann was good at, it was escaping and slipping past surveillance. Be it like a child looking for a midnight snack or a criminal hiding from the police.
The counselor was well aware of this, which is why he put together a team of fifteen despite the cost. The passageway was also enchanted with many traps. A perfect arrangement, which left a huge dent in his funds despite what he received for the task.
|Trap under the seventh tile.|
None of that actually worked in the end. The guards had fallen asleep, and the system was working overtime to help the weak creature.
Within twenty minutes, Reis managed to find the exit beyond which should be the palace walls.
Should be.