He went out of the carriage, came to a halt next to it, and yawned, stretching his arms up. His tummy made a grumble after he looked around and noticed some guards were still eating.
On the other side of the camp, he saw a tree with dark blue fruit. He proceeded towards the tree, as he walked, he noticed a few knights and royal guards were glancing at him.
"Your Highness..."
He turned around to see a slim guy in armor approached him, holding a bowl. When he took a closer look at the dish, he discovered it was vegetable soup. He hoisted the knight and drew the bowl close to the knight's body with a little smile on his lips.
"Thank you! but you need it more than I do."
The knights were obviously confused, first because the prince wore just the black Gambeson with the Warthron's Crest and a black blade attached to his left side, no metallic armor, and second, because he rejected food; what had just happened to them was out of the ordinary.
'I hope he doesn't get me wrong. He really was very thin; and in the situation I'm in; there could be poison in the bowl.'
Arriving at the tree he took the dark blue fruit; with the appearance of an apple and as soft as a strawberry.
He took a huge bite that made the lighter blue juice drip from inside the fruit.
Most people avoided that fruit because people mistakenly believed that Scarvons were related to it. But not him; putting together the knowledge of the novel and Raiden's few memories: he knew that it [Dowue fruit] was beneficial for many things, including helping his body purify the mana impurities.
Raiden was eating the fruit when a soldier approached him; wearing male armor, despite her shaved hair making her look like a boy. But for Raiden clearly inside the armor was a woman.
"Your highness, I have something to say."
"Feel free to."
Raiden was eating the fruit while gazing at the young knights he suspected of being responsible for Raiden's death.
'What could it be. If it's a declaration of love unfortunately...'
"Your highness… some people want to take Aethereal Noir."
She said quietly after taking a fruit from the tree and stopping next to Raiden.
'Oh! Even Raiden's friends and guards were unaware, but she knew...'
"The king artifact? are you sure?"
Raiden said as he glanced at her.
"Although I don't have proof, I got this."
She approached Raiden and passed the fruit she had taken to him.
'Look at that, she has some skills.'
Along with the fruit, she had passed a small glass capsule the size of a finger. He smiled and said thanks to her.
The only reason he knew about it was because several tribes on the Isle of Snakes were led by the Madman of Poison, and the signature of their poisons was a purple glass capsule with a cap depicting a black snake biting itself.
"I hope your highness remember this favor from the Dewny's."
Raiden gave her a brief glance before shaking his head. Raiden remembered about the Dewny's; they were part of the nobility under King Warthron's command. They weren't powerful or excelled in any way. The intention behind that favor was obvious to him.
"I will take my leave, excuse me your highness."
She bowed and slowly walked, but after a few steps…
"I hope the Dewny's remember; this mission had specific requirements."
As she listened to him, she came to a halt; her eyes opened as she stared blankly at the ground.
'I would let it pass but If I can, I prefer not give a blank check.'
He thought as he glanced at her. Then she turned her head and looked at Raiden.
"Your highness, remember the fruit is cursed; could be harmful to your highness health."
Raiden smiled and shook his head as he glanced at her briefly. Then she continued to walk and right after: Raiden took a big bite of the supposedly cursed fruit.
'Those royalty always with second intentions, unfortunately for them: I like to play those games.'
He put the poison in his leather bag and began to eat another [Dowue] fruit while standing.
…
"What were you talking about with Dewny's boy?"
Raiden looked in the direction of the voice and recognized Kaian, who was yawning as he approached him.
"He said this fruit is cursed."
He was looking at Kaian; his eyebrows raised and his head tilted to the side as he showed the [Dowue] fruit.
"But it's true isn't?"
"I don't think so, I feel better after eating it."
"But with this color, don't it taste like poison?"
"Taste sweet tho, Wanna try it?"
Raiden raised his head in search of another fruit.
"I don't know…"
Kaian scratched the back of his neck as he looked to the side.
"It's good! Just bite it."
Raiden held a fruit with his left arm extended toward Kaian.
"But if I die…"
"Look…"
Raiden pointed to the ground; his mouth almost full. Kaian looked down and saw many fruit kernels near Raiden's foot.
"You eat all of that?!"
Kaian said as he looked at Raiden with his eyebrows raised.
'Who else could it be? There's just me around this tree.'
Raiden thought as he extended his hand [carrying the fruit] a bit closer to Kaian, tilting his head slightly as he looked at him.
Kaian grabbed the fruit in his hands and gazed at it for a few moments before biting into it with his eyes closed.
"What! how can this be!"
After Kaian's first bite, he glanced quickly at Raiden (He was standing looking at Kaian). Kaian continued eating until he had eaten all the fruit.
"Can I eat more?"
"But of course! I will go to the forest for a moment."
Raiden wasn't going to do as he implied, he was uncomfortable with those suspicious knights; he didn't want to let them make the next move, if they had one.
He had taken a few steps, but then he remembered.
"Kay!"
"What?"
"Do not eat more than 14 fruits!"
"Why?"
"Just don't eat it!"
Kaian agreed before biting into the fruit as he held up his thumb.
Raiden was well aware of the benefits of the fruit, such as the fact that the more he ate, the better; the body would not accumulate and remove all of the impurities at once.
In fact, certain substances would stay in the body and help with mana purification.
As a result, the more he could stockpile, the longer he could maintain this effect.
However, as the saying goes, [anything in excess is bad]...
Raiden continued his walk towards the woods.
'As expect…'
Raiden thought, after noticing that four knights and one royal guard had started to come towards him.
A few moments later, deeper into the forest…
"Where is he?"
"I don't know, he must be right up front."
'Apparently it worked.'
Raiden was hiding behind a tree around 10 feet to their right, with a black metallic blade in his hand.
He'd learned a technique called [Phantom Movement]; for some reason, the previous Raiden was very interested in learning it, so he studied it well, making it simple for the illusionist to grasp in a matter of minutes.
"Did he notice us?"
"Are you kidding?!"
"What?"
"You forgot? About that Garrett bitch."
Hearing this, Raiden's headache returned, and more memories emerged.
He saw Count Garrett's oldest daughter (the same lady whose portrait he had seen previously within the locket he was carrying in his left hand), and she was one of the aristocrats from Steollor (A kingdom bordering Warthron territory).
She stated that she would only marry Raiden if he participated in battle with the mysterious monsters and killed at least one of them in retaliation for her brother's death.
Something was clearly suspicious to the illusionist, but for the prince in love at the time wasn't.
'Oh Raiden… I pity you boy.'
Raiden took a deep breath and sprinted ahead, making no noise, in pursuit of the attackers.
'I think I will change plans…'
The dagger in Raiden's hand changed to a small curved knife.
"Hey you guys!"
The five individuals looked around with eyebrows furrowed.
"Don't you think is wrong to kill the prince for just an artifact…"
"Who are you?"
Raiden came out from behind the tree that was just forward where they were heading towards. They looked at Raiden and then briefly at each other.
"Where is the Aethereal Noir?"
"I left at my carriage, look…"
Raiden turned around after putting his hand up. Making a small knife vanish from their point of view was a child trick for an illusionist like him.
"Prince Raiden you better follow us without resisting."
The royal guard sheathed his long double-edged sword and waved a hand in the direction of the camp as the other four knights cleared the way.
"No problem."
As soon as Raiden reached two steps away from the royal guard, he approached him quickly, utilizing the phantom steps and holding the curved knife pointing forward, piercing the royal guard straight into the artery of his neck.
He twisted his body and moved the knife to his other hand as he passed the royal guard who had his hand on his neck, without allowing the knights a chance to react.
A split second later, he was near to the knight standing alongside the royal guard, and he stabbed his neck as well.
Raiden stood sideways, his knife-wielding arm in front of his lower abdomen nearly totally hidden from those in front, and his other arm in front of his chest, his hand slightly open near his shoulder.
As he looked at the other three knights, they were astonished; the prince, who had barely managed to kill a monster with a Unique artifact, had now just slain the strongest of them executing knife moves they had never seen before.