Chapter 12: Prince Deon
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Tu-dug. Tu-dug. Tu-dug…
The metal-clad hooves stirred up dust clouds as the horses ran over the unpaved village street.
"Hi-ya!" a teenage boy spurred his black horse.
"Your highness! Please slow down, it's dangerous!" a royal guard followed, riding a brown stallion; his expression that of great worry.
"Aaah! Go away! Why are you following me?!" the boy irritably shouted back.
"I'm your guard, your highness! Of course, I have to follow you!" the stubborn guard refused to back down.
"Let's go back to the capital, prince!" he pleaded. He cannot understand why the third prince has been acting rebellious lately when he used to be so meek. Even today, the prince snuck out of his palace to come to this remote area for no apparent reason. The guard feared that if the young prince gets hurt, he might be stripped of his position as a royal guard.
" I don't want to! I can take care of myself so go away!" the prince pulled the reins to stop his horse.
Mehehehe…
His black horse neighed before slowing to a stop in front of a market vendor.
Tap.
The prince unmounted and held the reins in one hand before approaching the vendor.
"Hello. Can I ask--"
Before he could finish his sentence, the vendor, an old woman, abruptly stood and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, young lord! What can I do for you?"
The woman peeked at the young man. From his cured monster-hide leather shoes to his expensive-looking clothes up to his plain-looking face and round brown eyes. Although he was not strikingly handsome, the young man exuded a regal air—an aura of nobility that intimidated the old woman.
She tensed; It's not every day that nobles come to this rural village, but the ones who came before were arrogant nobles who enjoyed harassing the villagers. Thus, it is inevitable that the young man's arrival caused the old woman to panic.
The prince noticed her anxiety and felt apologetic, "Ah… I just came to ask for directions…"
"P-pardon?" the woman stuttered.
"I would like to ask for directions to the abandoned orphanage."
The old woman was taken aback. She did not anticipate that rumors of the demon made its way to the kingdom's capital.
"My lord! Have you come to do the test of courage?" the woman nervously asked.
It has been two months since the news that gripped their entire neighborhood in fear spread to nearby villages. The main culprits to the gossip were the children who miraculously came back alive from the orphanage.
As their parents who rescued them were tightlipped, undoubtedly traumatized by the experience; only the children spoke of the events that occurred on that fateful night.
As they say, kids never lie.
Added to the dire warnings of their neighbor, the adults had no choice but to believe their ludicrous tale.
Curiously, the children acted as if they were on a mission to spread the rumor.
Not long after, flocks of men from different places came and challenged the orphanage but none came back quite like themselves, much less with the so-called treasure.
Every one of them returned to the village with looks of fear, muttering "D-demon… The demon is real…" under their breaths. Although none of them died, their precarious sanity was enough to instill dread in the villagers.
Since then, they have actively dissuaded people from going to the orphanage.
"F-forgive me, Young lord, but the orphanage is dangerous!" the woman strongly shook her head.
"What do you mean? Why is it dangerous?" asked the royal guard after seeing the woman's frightened visage.
"A demon lives there, sir! They say this demon killed over a hundred goblins in one night for trying to steal his treasure!"
"Treasure? What kind of treasure?" the prince asked. He came here after hearing that the place only tests one's courage; he did not know that there was a demon and treasure involved.
"It's power. The treasure is unimaginable power, sir." A boy interjected.
"George! You brat, I told you to stay away from visitors! Why are you always persuading them to take the test?!" the woman scolded, " My lord, please don't mind him. Ever since he came back, he had been spouting nonsense about treasures."
The prince turned to the child and asked, "Is it true? The demon and the power?"
George nodded, "the demon told me, sir, that he will give the treasure to the one who can pass his test."
"He told you?" the prince's eyebrows shot up, his tone skeptic.
"Your highness, it seems like a scam… maybe the villagers just want to increase tourism…" the guard whispered, "Let's just go back to the palace, prince Deon."
"But I'm already here. Let's check if it's real." Prince Deon concluded.
Seeing the frustrated look of his guard, Deon added, "If it's true then it would be my duty as a prince to solve this problem. If you don't want to come, I can go alone."
"As if I can leave you alone…" his guard grumbled.
"You're going, my lord?" the old woman asked.
"Yes. we have to check the authenticity of the rumors."
"Haah… I understand… Then, if you go straight down this path, you will arrive at a forest. The orphanage is 20 minutes into the forest if you go on foot. If you follow the path, you'll have no trouble locating it, but be careful as beasts still prowl the area so you can't go unarmed."
The woman finally gave up, as if already used to stubborn visitors who just won't heed her warnings.
"Thank you."
The prince mounted his horse and noticed that the kid was still smiling at him.
'Huh? Why? Why does he look happy that I'm going? Also, his smile is kind of creepy…' Deon was unnerved by the kid's behavior.
"Good luck, Lord! I hope Mister gives you the treasure."
'Mister?' Deon cocked his head as he kicked his horse on.
He looked back and saw the boy waving at him, 'the kid sure is scary… is he friends with the demon?'
He shivered in fright.
"Your highness, are you alright?" the royal guard asked, his brows scrunched with worry, "As I thought, we should go back, My lord…"
"You're here, anyway. If I'm in danger then you can just save me." His guard's constant nagging annoyed the young prince.
"But it's a demon, your highness! If it's true then just one royal guard may not be enough!"
"It's just a test of courage. They say no one was actually harmed!"
As the two were bickering, they arrived at the outskirts of the forest.
---Chapter end--
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Tu-dug. Tu-dug. Tu-dug…
The metal-clad hooves stirred up dust clouds as the horses ran over the unpaved village street.
"Hi-ya!" a teenage boy spurred his black horse.
"Your highness! Please slow down, it's dangerous!" a royal guard followed, riding a brown stallion; his expression that of great worry.
"Aaah! Go away! Why are you following me?!" the boy irritably shouted back.
"I'm your guard, your highness! Of course, I have to follow you!" the stubborn guard refused to back down.
"Let's go back to the capital, prince!" he pleaded. He cannot understand why the third prince has been acting rebellious lately when he used to be so meek. Even today, the prince snuck out of his palace to come to this remote area for no apparent reason. The guard feared that if the young prince gets hurt, he might be stripped of his position as a royal guard.
" I don't want to! I can take care of myself so go away!" the prince pulled the reins to stop his horse.
Mehehehe…
His black horse neighed before slowing to a stop in front of a market vendor.
Tap.
The prince unmounted and held the reins in one hand before approaching the vendor.
"Hello. Can I ask--"
Before he could finish his sentence, the vendor, an old woman, abruptly stood and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, young lord! What can I do for you?"
The woman peeked at the young man. From his cured monster-hide leather shoes to his expensive-looking clothes up to his plain-looking face and round brown eyes. Although he was not strikingly handsome, the young man exuded a regal air—an aura of nobility that intimidated the old woman.
She tensed; It's not every day that nobles come to this rural village, but the ones who came before were arrogant nobles who enjoyed harassing the villagers. Thus, it is inevitable that the young man's arrival caused the old woman to panic.
The prince noticed her anxiety and felt apologetic, "Ah… I just came to ask for directions…"
"P-pardon?" the woman stuttered.
"I would like to ask for directions to the abandoned orphanage."
The old woman was taken aback. She did not anticipate that rumors of the demon made its way to the kingdom's capital.
"My lord! Have you come to do the test of courage?" the woman nervously asked.
It has been two months since the news that gripped their entire neighborhood in fear spread to nearby villages. The main culprits to the gossip were the children who miraculously came back alive from the orphanage.
As their parents who rescued them were tightlipped, undoubtedly traumatized by the experience; only the children spoke of the events that occurred on that fateful night.
As they say, kids never lie.
Added to the dire warnings of their neighbor, the adults had no choice but to believe their ludicrous tale.
Curiously, the children acted as if they were on a mission to spread the rumor.
Not long after, flocks of men from different places came and challenged the orphanage but none came back quite like themselves, much less with the so-called treasure.
Every one of them returned to the village with looks of fear, muttering "D-demon… The demon is real…" under their breaths. Although none of them died, their precarious sanity was enough to instill dread in the villagers.
Since then, they have actively dissuaded people from going to the orphanage.
"F-forgive me, Young lord, but the orphanage is dangerous!" the woman strongly shook her head.
"What do you mean? Why is it dangerous?" asked the royal guard after seeing the woman's frightened visage.
"A demon lives there, sir! They say this demon killed over a hundred goblins in one night for trying to steal his treasure!"
"Treasure? What kind of treasure?" the prince asked. He came here after hearing that the place only tests one's courage; he did not know that there was a demon and treasure involved.
"It's power. The treasure is unimaginable power, sir." A boy interjected.
"George! You brat, I told you to stay away from visitors! Why are you always persuading them to take the test?!" the woman scolded, " My lord, please don't mind him. Ever since he came back, he had been spouting nonsense about treasures."
The prince turned to the child and asked, "Is it true? The demon and the power?"
George nodded, "the demon told me, sir, that he will give the treasure to the one who can pass his test."
"He told you?" the prince's eyebrows shot up, his tone skeptic.
"Your highness, it seems like a scam… maybe the villagers just want to increase tourism…" the guard whispered, "Let's just go back to the palace, prince Deon."
"But I'm already here. Let's check if it's real." Prince Deon concluded.
Seeing the frustrated look of his guard, Deon added, "If it's true then it would be my duty as a prince to solve this problem. If you don't want to come, I can go alone."
"As if I can leave you alone…" his guard grumbled.
"You're going, my lord?" the old woman asked.
"Yes. we have to check the authenticity of the rumors."
"Haah… I understand… Then, if you go straight down this path, you will arrive at a forest. The orphanage is 20 minutes into the forest if you go on foot. If you follow the path, you'll have no trouble locating it, but be careful as beasts still prowl the area so you can't go unarmed."
The woman finally gave up, as if already used to stubborn visitors who just won't heed her warnings.
"Thank you."
The prince mounted his horse and noticed that the kid was still smiling at him.
'Huh? Why? Why does he look happy that I'm going? Also, his smile is kind of creepy…' Deon was unnerved by the kid's behavior.
"Good luck, Lord! I hope Mister gives you the treasure."
'Mister?' Deon cocked his head as he kicked his horse on.
He looked back and saw the boy waving at him, 'the kid sure is scary… is he friends with the demon?'
He shivered in fright.
"Your highness, are you alright?" the royal guard asked, his brows scrunched with worry, "As I thought, we should go back, My lord…"
"You're here, anyway. If I'm in danger then you can just save me." His guard's constant nagging annoyed the young prince.
"But it's a demon, your highness! If it's true then just one royal guard may not be enough!"
"It's just a test of courage. They say no one was actually harmed!"
As the two were bickering, they arrived at the outskirts of the forest.
---Chapter end--
Tu-dug. Tu-dug. Tu-dug The metal-clad hooves stirred up dust clouds as the horses ran over the unpaved village street. "Hi-ya!" a teenage boy spurred his black horse. "Your highness! Please slow down, it's dangerous!" a royal guard followed, riding a brown stallion; his expression that of great worry. "Aaah! Go away! Why are you following me?!" the boy irritably shouted back. "I'm your guard, your highness! Of course, I have to follow you!" the stubborn guard refused to back down. "Let's go back to the capital, prince!" he pleaded. He cannot understand why the third prince has been acting rebellious lately when he used to be so meek. Even today, the prince snuck out of his palace to come to this remote area for no apparent reason. The guard feared that if the young prince gets hurt, he might be stripped of his position as a royal guard. " I don't want to! I can take care of myself so go away!" the prince pulled the reins to stop his horse. Mehehehe His black horse neighed before slowing to a stop in front of a market vendor. Tap. The prince unmounted and held the reins in one hand before approaching the vendor. "Hello. Can I ask--" Before he could finish his sentence, the vendor, an old woman, abruptly stood and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, young lord! What can I do for you?" The woman peeked at the young man. From his cured monster-hide leather shoes to his expensive-looking clothes up to his plain-looking face and round brown eyes. Although he was not strikingly handsome, the young man exuded a regal airan aura of nobility that intimidated the old woman. She tensed; It's not every day that nobles come to this rural village, but the ones who came before were arrogant nobles who enjoyed harassing the villagers. Thus, it is inevitable that the young man's arrival caused the old woman to panic. The prince noticed her anxiety and felt apologetic, "Ah I just came to ask for directions" "P-pardon?" the woman stuttered. "I would like to ask for directions to the abandoned orphanage." The old woman was taken aback. She did not anticipate that rumors of the demon made its way to the kingdom's capital. "My lord! Have you come to do the test of courage?" the woman nervously asked. It has been two months since the news that gripped their entire neighborhood in fear spread to nearby villages. The main culprits to the gossip were the children who miraculously came back alive from the orphanage. As their parents who rescued them were tightlipped, undoubtedly traumatized by the experience; only the children spoke of the events that occurred on that fateful night. As they say, kids never lie. Added to the dire warnings of their neighbor, the adults had no choice but to believe their ludicrous tale. Curiously, the children acted as if they were on a mission to spread the rumor. Not long after, flocks of men from different places came and challenged the orphanage but none came back quite like themselves, much less with the so-called treasure. Every one of them returned to the village with looks of fear, muttering "D-demon The demon is real" under their breaths. Although none of them died, their precarious sanity was enough to instill dread in the villagers. Since then, they have actively dissuaded people from going to the orphanage. "F-forgive me, Young lord, but the orphanage is dangerous!" the woman strongly shook her head. "What do you mean? Why is it dangerous?" asked the royal guard after seeing the woman's frightened visage. "A demon lives there, sir! They say this demon killed over a hundred goblins in one night for trying to steal his treasure!" "Treasure? What kind of treasure?" the prince asked. He came here after hearing that the place only tests one's courage; he did not know that there was a demon and treasure involved. "It's power. The treasure is unimaginable power, sir." A boy interjected. "George! You brat, I told you to stay away from visitors! Why are you always persuading them to take the test?!" the woman scolded, " My lord, please don't mind him. Ever since he came back, he had been spouting nonsense about treasures." The prince turned to the child and asked, "Is it true? The demon and the power?" George nodded, "the demon told me, sir, that he will give the treasure to the one who can pass his test." "He told you?" the prince's eyebrows shot up, his tone skeptic. "Your highness, it seems like a scam maybe the villagers just want to increase tourism" the guard whispered, "Let's just go back to the palace, prince Deon." "But I'm already here. Let's check if it's real." Prince Deon concluded. Seeing the frustrated look of his guard, Deon added, "If it's true then it would be my duty as a prince to solve this problem. If you don't want to come, I can go alone." "As if I can leave you alone" his guard grumbled. "You're going, my lord?" the old woman asked. "Yes. we have to check the authenticity of the rumors." "Haah I understand Then, if you go straight down this path, you will arrive at a forest. The orphanage is 20 minutes into the forest if you go on foot. If you follow the path, you'll have no trouble locating it, but be careful as beasts still prowl the area so you can't go unarmed." The woman finally gave up, as if already used to stubborn visitors who just won't heed her warnings. "Thank you." The prince mounted his horse and noticed that the kid was still smiling at him. 'Huh? Why? Why does he look happy that I'm going? Also, his smile is kind of creepy' Deon was unnerved by the kid's behavior. "Good luck, Lord! I hope Mister gives you the treasure." 'Mister?' Deon cocked his head as he kicked his horse on. He looked back and saw the boy waving at him, 'the kid sure is scary is he friends with the demon?' He shivered in fright. "Your highness, are you alright?" the royal guard asked, his brows scrunched with worry, "As I thought, we should go back, My lord" "You're here, anyway. If I'm in danger then you can just save me." His guard's constant nagging annoyed the young prince. "But it's a demon, your highness! If it's true then just one royal guard may not be enough!" "It's just a test of courage. They say no one was actually harmed!" As the two were bickering, they arrived at the outskirts of the forest. ---Chapter end--
