Chapter 101

Chapter 101: The Princess’ Visit. (1)

A little later, near the unloading dock.

The imperial sailing ship had dropped anchor and was in the middle of mooring, tying ropes, and securing itself to the dock.

“The P-Princess! The Princess!”

“Everyone, stay sharp. Don’t you dare make a mistake!”

“Yes, sir!”

Viscount Cobalt, Malion, and the retainers of Daphne stood lined up side-by-side in front of the pier, their faces pale.

They were all trembling from head to toe, looking extremely tense.

And it wasn’t just them.

“The Princess is coming here?”

“Unbelievable, what luck.”

“Who would’ve thought we’d see the Princess in a place like this?”

“She’s the descendant of God Faeron’s bloodline… hooo…”

The residents of Mudside had gathered like a flock of clouds.

The royal family, descendants of the Sun God Faeron.

In remote regions like Luden Shire, it was common for people to die without ever seeing the Emperor, let alone any member of the royal family. That’s why the townsfolk had crowded here, hoping to catch a glimpse of her while they could.

Then it happened.

Thud!

Four or five sturdy, long planks were laid between the pier and the sailing ship.

And then…

Princess Medeia, in her uniform, stepped forward with calm, unhurried strides.

Behind her, Lieutenant Benjamin and the escort knights could be seen.

They all walked with pride and overflowing confidence.

At that moment, sunlight shone from behind them, and the wind swept in.

“Ooooh…!”

“I-It’s the Princess!”

Everyone watching from the dock area had their eyes widen in awe.

And no wonder—at that moment, Princess Medeia and her entourage looked, how should one put it…

‘A messenger… of the gods?’

‘So this is what it means to be the bloodline of the Sun God?’

Was it because of the atmosphere created by the sunlight and wind?

Or was it because of her uniquely refined features, or the sheer authority that came from being of imperial blood?

For that brief instant, in everyone’s eyes, Princess Medeia seemed not like an ordinary human, but something divine.

The moment Medeia’s foot touched land—

“I am Viscount Cobalt Daphne. I humbly pay my respects to your noble bloodline.”

Thump!

Viscount Cobalt immediately knelt and bowed his head, offering the formal courtesy of nobility.

Then—

“…”

Ssshh—

Malion and the retainers followed suit, each kneeling on one knee and bowing their heads, while even the distant onlookers lowered their heads in their own show of respect.

It was in this solemn atmosphere, as they welcomed the Princess—

“T-That’s… Princess Medeia…”

Huh? What’s with him?

When Hardin turned his head, he saw Manton with a flushed face.

His eyes were fixed on Medeia, his mouth hung open, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

“What… are you doing?”

Hardin looked at Manton with a puzzled expression, but Manton seemed oblivious to his words, completely dazed.

‘I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d meet her in person.’

Known as one of the Empire’s Seven Great Beauties, with stunning looks, and celebrated as a hero who had defeated barbarians and saved several castles… she was the Fourth Princess, Medeia Fabian, renowned for surviving the jaws of death multiple times.

Manton still hadn’t forgotten the day he first saw her portrait in a journal, along with the accounts of her heroic deeds.

 To think… to think someone this incredible existed!

 Are you falling for the Princess, Instructor Manton?

 Wake up from your dream.

 N-No, it’s not like that!

Beautiful, noble, and the protagonist of incredible feats of valor…

What knight could resist admiring someone like Princess Medeia?

For as long as he could remember, Manton had harbored the wish that just once in his lifetime, he could meet her in person.

In fact…

 What, you’re saying you actually saw Princess Medeia?

 I told you, yes.

 Why! Why you guys and not me?!

 How should I know?

When the Maw mercenaries—no, the Maw unit members—told him they had met Princess Medeia at Ruslan Fortress, he had felt so envious it made him feel like he was going to die from sheer frustration.

And now, the Princess he had so desperately longed to meet was right before his eyes.

“G-God Faeron…”

His vision swam, his legs gave way, and—

Thud!

He collapsed sideways, foaming at the mouth as he muttered incoherently.

“T-To meet you… i-it’s such an honor. I-I really, truly, just once, wanted to meet you…”

“M-Manton?”

“What’s wrong with him?”

…Did he faint?

Everyone stared at Manton with puzzled expressions.

Hardin let out a deep sigh, crouched down, and lightly tapped Manton’s cheek.

“What’s wrong with you now? Hey. Hey. Snap out of it.”

“Princess… Princess Medeia…”

But there was no sign he would come back to his senses.

Just then, as Hardin exhaled sharply, a voice came from ahead.

“It’s been a long time, Hardin Daphne.”

“…”

When he slowly raised his head, Medeia was looking straight at him.

Hardin curved his lips into a faint smile and replied.

“You’re here? You came later than I expected.”

Medeia crossed her arms and asked,

“You were expecting me?”

“Yes. Considering you’ve invested a large sum of money, I thought it would be unlike someone as thorough as you not to come and inspect the place at least once.”

“…”

Medeia stood silently for a moment, and everyone from Daphne watching grew restless.

‘Could it be that?’

‘Is she here to withdraw her investment?’

If she had come for an inspection, that was the only reason they could think of.

Then, breaking the brief silence, Medeia spoke in a cold tone.

“Enough talk. Let’s start with the port.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Then I’ll show you the way.”

Hardin got up from his seat, helped Viscount Cobalt—who was standing at the front—up, and spoke.

“Father, please lead the way.”

“Hm? Me?”

“Yes. We’re guiding the Princess. Naturally, it’s proper etiquette for the Lord to do it.”

“…”

Sweat began to form on Cobalt’s forehead.

‘But this is so sudden…’

Princess Medeia.

Descendant of the Sun God Faeron and the person who had invested ten million gold into their house.

Honestly, claiming he wasn’t feeling pressured would be a lie.

But what could he do? The situation was already upon them.

Viscount Cobalt forced the tension from his face and spoke in as steady a voice as he could manage.

“…Ahem, then I shall guide you personally, Your Highness. Please follow me.”

“I’ll do that.”

Viscount Cobalt walked forward with stiff, overly formal steps.

---

On the second floor of the Port Administration Office in central Mudside.

Inside, there was a room large enough to rival the main conference room of House Daphne’s main castle.

Because Mudside had grown rapidly and become an important strategic location for the Daphne Viscounty, they had built this room so that a house meeting could be held here at any time if needed.

At the center table of the room, various foods, tea, and desserts had been laid out in abundance.

“Ahem!”

On the left sat Medeia’s subordinates.

“…”

On the other side sat the people of Daphne.

Medeia took a sip of the black tea in front of her, then glanced out the window and spoke.

“This tea has quite a fine aroma. The view… is rather nice as well.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. The tea is made by drying seaweed and flowers found nearby.”

Viscount Cobalt, his forehead damp with sweat, answered while keeping both hands neatly on his knees.

While Medeia appeared completely at ease, Cobalt was so stiff and tense that anyone could see it.

‘Seriously, why’s he so nervous?’

Hardin narrowed his eyes, then shook his head.

She was just the Fourth Princess—what was so special that they all had to act like some great figure had descended upon them?

‘Tch, I don’t like it.’

For members of House Daphne to lose their nerve in front of someone like that(?)… it didn’t sit well with him.

Exhaling heavily through his nose, Hardin grabbed a cookie from in front of him and bit into it with a crunch.

Gulp!

He then spoke again.

“So. How was the port inspection, Your Highness?”

“…The port, huh.”

Before they had come to this conference room—

 Th-this is the unloading dock of our port, Your Highness.

 Hm, not bad.

 This here is the warehouse where the unloaded goods are stored, and over there is the residential district where the locals live. Also…

Guided by Viscount Cobalt, Princess Medeia and her entourage had already toured the interior of the port.

 How many residents live here?

 Roughly three hundred and fifty or so.

 Hm, that’s quite a number.

 Yes, there’s a bit of a story behind that…

During the tour, Medeia had bombarded them with questions without pause, and each time, Viscount Cobalt had answered while sweating profusely.

Hardin’s lips curled into a faint smile.

‘Well, I guess he was worried about this place too.’

After all… this could very well be his only lifeline.

Medeia tapped her chin lightly with her fingers for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Well, it’s not perfect, but it’s not bad either. I see potential for development in many areas.”

“Ahem! Thank you.”

Cobalt let out a relieved sigh and took a sip of tea—only for Medeia to continue speaking.

“Of course, that’s only if you can fill this port with ships.”

“Pffft!”

At that instant, Viscount Cobalt spat the tea in his mouth into the air.

“Ugh…”

Disgusting…

Hardin scrunched his face and wiped the tea off his cheek, when Medeia finished her thought.

“It seems you haven’t secured any port usage contracts yet. Considering the maintenance costs, that’s not a good sign. I imagine the deficit is quite large, isn’t it?”

Cobalt hurried to make an excuse.

“Ah, that’s only because the port has just opened. Give us a little more time, and we’ll secure contracts quickly to generate revenue. So please, don’t worry, Your Highness.”

“…”

When Medeia just stared at him silently, it felt suffocating.

Cobalt quickly turned his head to the side and called out,

“M-Malion. Report to Her Highness what we’ve been working on. Now!”

“Y-Yes!”

Malion glanced at the bundle of parchments on the table and began to rattle off the details.

“We’ve already sent requests to multiple guilds, dispatched letters to merchant guilds and trading companies, and assembled delegations from available retainers to send to surrounding regions. Through these efforts, we expect to secure as many contracts as possible within three months at the latest, and—”

At that moment, Medeia spoke in a low voice.

“Just the key points.”

“Ah, yes! Once all the contracts are finalized, we expect to be able to return the full amount Princess Medeia invested within three to four years. E-Everyone is working with all their might, so you don’t need to worry too much…”

What on earth am I saying right now?

Malion’s body trembled after finishing his words.

Princess Medeia looked at him quietly for a moment, then shook her head.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“…Pardon?”

“I didn’t come here to recover my investment.”

“…Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”

When Cobalt asked again, Medeia took another sip of tea before continuing.

“I never set a deadline for you to repay the investment in the first place, did I?”

“…Are you truly fine with that, Your Highness?”

“Are you saying you can’t trust the promise I made?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant at all…”

Viscount Cobalt lowered his head deeply, and Hardin, watching from the side, let out a faint chuckle before asking,

“Then may I ask what you came here for?”

“I told you already— to assess your situation…”

“If that was all, there wouldn’t have been any need for you to come in person.”

At those words, Medeia’s eyes changed subtly.

‘Still… a perceptive one.’

Medeia turned to Lieutenant Benjamin, who was standing behind her.

“Benjamin, bring it out.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Huh? What’s she talking about?

While everyone from Daphne exchanged puzzled glances, Benjamin suddenly stood, reached under his chair, and placed something on the table.

It was a long, gold-plated box.

“What is this?”

Cobalt asked cautiously, and Medeia replied,

“Open it. It’s a gift I’m bestowing upon you in celebration of your port’s opening.”

“…”

A gift?

As everyone looked on in surprise, Medeia gently pushed her teacup forward and urged,

“Well? Open it quickly.”

“Ah, yes.”

Viscount Cobalt slowly opened the box.

And then—

“This is…”

Expressions of awe appeared on everyone’s faces.

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