Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince Chapter 60

“…Will you come to get me.”

 

A hot lump surged up from deep in my chest. In the salt island cave, he believed what I said without any conditions. The fact that I wasn’t the only one holding onto that memory, but that I was sharing it with him, suddenly felt so overwhelming.

 

『I will come to get you.』

 

Back then, when I had no one to rely on, he would never know how much strength those six words gave me. It wouldn’t have mattered even if it had been a lie. What mattered was that there was at least one person who believed in me.

 

“Yes. I will, for sure.”

 

Even if he didn’t want me to, I would come. I nodded and nodded again. If there was anything I could do for him, I would do it. Coming to get him was nothing compared to that.

 

“Haa.”

 

A deep breath slipped out like a groan. I could feel he was holding back with all his might because I was in front of him. Amidst the pain in his eyes, there was a flicker of worry for me.

 

Clank, clank.

 

The sound of chains clashing overlapped with memories. There was a time when I, knowing nothing, wanted to free him from those chains. Now, I felt like I understood that they were restraints for his own sake.

 

The image of him in the cave, buried in my memory, vividly came to mind. Hanging there, unable to even receive treatment, suffering in agony—his young face. Years had passed, but nothing had changed. Only the place and age were different.

 

This was only the third time I had seen his rampage with my own eyes, but the years he had endured alone in this desolate place hurt so much.

 

Clank.

 

His leg, which had been lying carelessly, moved as if to push something away. It would have been better if he just cried out in pain. The hardship he was going through was conveyed even more deeply through that.

 

“…Get out.”

 

His squeezed-out voice struck me in the chest. At some point, his black hair was drenched with cold sweat. A bead of sweat fell from his chin, turning into red blood as it dropped. His pain-soaked eyes were bloodshot and red. All of it entered my mind slowly and vividly.

 

I took a clean cloth from a linen pouch and wiped the sweat from his face. Every time his long eyelashes trembled, my heart pounded painfully.

 

Tap.

 

His hand, chained, grabbed my wrist. He gripped so tightly, it hurt, but I could endure it as much as needed.

 

“Sez. Go. Now.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, he bit his lip. It turned red, as if blood would bead up at any moment. With the hand he hadn’t caught, I brushed his lips. His burning heat was transmitted directly.

 

“…Shihien. I will definitely come to get you.”

 

His head fell back. I couldn’t be sure if he heard me. My legs felt weighed down, unable to move. But I had to go.

 

With him in my sight, I walked backward. Please, endure it. Please, make it through safely. I clasped my hands together and prayed.

 

Ssssh.

 

Then my legs were dragged backward. It felt as if a strong wind had blown me back. At this rate, I would crash right into the bars. There was no time to even think of teleporting.

 

“Mm.”

 

I braced myself for pain and shut my lips. But suddenly, my body stopped. As if someone had caught me.

 

Bang.

 

I bumped very lightly into the bars. Compared to the force that had pushed me, it was as if I had just barely touched them. There was only one person here who could do that for me.

 

“Cough, cough.”

 

He bowed his head and coughed. I saw a lump of blood he couldn’t cover with his hand.

 

“Shihien!”

 

As I tried to approach, he raised one hand. Then he shook his head. As if to say, don’t come any closer.

 

My heart had already gone to him a hundred, a thousand times, but my body couldn’t move. He wished for me not to come closer. With his head bowed so low, I couldn’t see his face properly. My vision blurred as I watched him like that.

 

Clank.

 

I left the cell and pushed the latch to lock it again. While working as a slave, I had never been afraid of anything. But pushing that latch in was the hardest thing I had ever done.

 

It was so cold and heavy that my hands trembled. If I could, I wanted to ask someone else to do it. There were three latches, but even one was hard to lock properly.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

I hadn’t even heard his footsteps. Baslo was suddenly beside me. He gently pushed me aside and locked all three latches in quick succession. Anyone could see he was in a hurry.

 

Baslo bowed deeply to Shihien inside the cell once more. Then he pressed lightly on Sez’s back, signaling me to go up. I heard the clanking sound again, and it seemed he had come down the stairs. I dragged my unresponsive legs and climbed the dark stairs one by one. It was longer and stuffier going up than coming down, making it hard to breathe.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

“Annihilated, you say!?”

 

Duke Lechegno jumped up from his chair. Even though it was a secret conversation, his voice rose. The chair, suddenly pushed back, rattled.

 

“I am sorry, but there is no one we can contact.”

 

“…Are you saying they’re all dead?”

 

Duke Lechegno lowered his voice. He had been waiting since nightfall for news of success. He was just waiting for the right moment to approach the Prince. He had even decided what to wear. But as no news came, he sent his subordinate to investigate.

 

“It seems highly likely. They would have contacted us somehow, if only for the money.”

 

There was still payment left to give if they failed. These were people raised to move for money, so even if wounded, they would have come. No matter how he thought about it, it was hard to believe that so many had all died.

 

“Besides, the Shihien has already arrived at the palace safely.”

 

The duke’s underling whispered even more quietly. It was a voice that could only be heard right next to him. If the Shihien had arrived at the palace, it was a clear failure.

 

“I told them to be prepared. Idiots.”

 

A direct attack was a matter of life and death for the duke as well. No matter how skilled the Shihien, he thought numbers would win. Even after sending ten times the usual number, they had failed! It had to be that those idiots botched the operation or made some mistake.

 

“They didn’t leave any traces, did they?”

 

“We’ll need to investigate further.”

 

“Click your tongue. Search thoroughly. Confirm if they really were annihilated.”

 

“Yes, I’ll report again.”

 

Bang!

 

Duke Lechegno slammed his fist on the table. He rarely showed his anger so openly, so even his underling flinched. His shoulders shook with rage.

 

“They were so confident!”

 

He was furious at the masked man. What would he say to the Prince? He had expected the Prince would never set foot in the palace. But if the Shihien had already arrived, he would know it was a failure.

 

“Useless fools.”

 

Lady Cesaria, the masked men he had spent years and money on—all useless. How could it be so hard to take a single life?

 

Duke Lechegno sat down and covered his forehead with one hand. His breathing was heavy with uncalmed emotion. It felt like the revival of his house had been right in his grasp, only to slip away.

 

But he did not realize he had overlooked something himself.

 

After age ten, the Shihien had spent most of his time in Enapok. Since then, he had only heard rumors of his combat power, never witnessing it himself.

 

Each year, Shihien’s power had grown stronger, and his ability to control it had also increased, but the duke did not know this. He knew the Prince was born with excessive power, but not the limits of that power.

 

The biggest reason for his failure was overlooking that no one in the empire knew the true extent of his abilities.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

Knock, knock.

 

There was a knock at the door, and soon Baslo poked his head in.

 

“I knew it would be like this.”

 

He saw me sitting blankly at the table and strode over.

 

“Eat. Sez.”

 

Dinner was set on the table. I hadn’t taken a single bite, just stared at it. It should have smelled delicious, but I couldn’t smell anything.

 

“Shihien wouldn’t want this.”

 

Baslo took my hand and placed the spoon in it. The word ‘Shihien’ brought a surge of emotion again.

 

After leaving him behind the bars, I had no idea what to do. All I could think was that I had to go get him when his rampage ended. But Baslo led me to a room.

 

『Rest here. Shihien prepared this for you in advance.』 Of course, I had thought I would go to the slave quarters. But Shihien had prepared a place for me to stay ahead of time. As expected, it was a room with a canopy bed. It was right next to Baslo’s room.

 

“Eat at least a little. For Shihien’ sake.”

 

When I just sat holding the spoon, Baslo tapped my arm as if to tell me to move.

 

For Shihien’ sake—only those words echoed in my ears. I remembered his low voice, always asking if I had eaten. If he knew I was starving, he wouldn’t like it.

 

“Good.”

 

Baslo seemed to be trying to keep the mood from sinking. But his face, unlike his tone, looked more tired than usual.

 

I had been sitting there blankly, but when I finally tried to eat, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.

 

There was a plate piled high with butter-fried corn. The glistening kernels overflowed. It was the dish he had once fed me himself.

 

“Uh? Why—don’t cry. I’m no good at comforting people.”

 

With the hand not holding the spoon, I quickly wiped my eyes. I really remembered it as a heavenly taste. I had thought once that I wanted to eat it again someday. But I never expected he would remember and prepare it for me like this.

 

『Once you’re better, eat as much as you want.』 Shihien hadn’t forgotten what he himself enjoyed eating. It even made me think he might remember everything I had ever said.

 

In truth, this journey back to the Shihien’s palace couldn’t have been comfortable for him. It was for the rampage, after all. Yet he had prepared these small things for me in advance, and it kept choking me up.

 

“Are you crying because it’s good, or because it’s bad?”

 

I kept wiping my eyes so I wouldn’t cry. And I kept taking bites of the meal he had prepared. I couldn’t not eat what he had arranged for me. I ate until the plate was empty, my throat tight the whole time.

 

“Rest. Please.”

 

After I finished eating, Baslo insisted several times that I rest. I almost asked if Shihien had asked him to say that, but just nodded.

 

Of all the people from Enapok, only Shihien and I were here in this palace now. Everything that happened today felt as if it had taken place over several days.

 

“Be sure to put ointment on your neck.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

The attack by the assailant already felt like something from the distant past. Only a faint mark remained where the knife had touched my skin, which was a stroke of luck. In truth, it didn’t even hurt. This was a wound that would heal quickly.

 

Baslo must have had a hard day too. I was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

 

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

 

Tomorrow was Shihien’s birthday. The most painful time was coming. But neither Baslo nor I said it aloud—we shared our feelings only with our eyes. Tomorrow would be another long day.

 

And the next day, Unexpected news arrived at the palace.

 

A Beasts had appeared, not in Enapok, but in another village. This time, it was far away, at the Pikedor Port.