Idle Talk - The Machinations of the Monkey Prince
I am just a soldier from the humble Ambitose Kingdom. Upon the request of the Monkey Prince from the Nonette Kingdom, I, along with a hundred soldiers from the Rocha Regional Army, twenty-three Camyuho-ho-ho birds carrying provisions, and the knights of the Knight Kingdom on black horses, are advancing along the desert road.
In the summer desert, it's common to find shade among rocks and sand dunes during daylight to escape the scorching heat, and only travel after the sun has set. However, the Monkey Prince wanted to reach the capital of the Ambitose Kingdom, "Hofsta," as soon as possible, to settle matters with the Ambitose royal family. To achieve this, he decided to rest only during the hottest hours of the day and spend the rest of the time on the move.
I thought it was absurd. However, the Monkey Prince had a secret plan, and that was magic.
"Come on, everyone. Let's cool off with a bath."
After marching for a while during the daytime, as we started feeling our body temperature rise and thirst creeping in, the Monkey Prince used magic to shower us with water. It turned out the Monkey Prince was a mage. Not only him, there seemed to be mages among the soldiers as well, and they too sprayed us with water. Our clothes became soaking wet, but our body temperature dropped. This was good; we could stay cool until they dried.
With this, even during this season, we could travel when the sun was up.
During a break on our journey to the capital, one of my fellow prisoners strayed from the formation and ran off.
Oh no, was he trying to escape? Just as I turned pale, the Monkey Prince reassured me, saying, "No need to worry."
"He mentioned that his hometown is nearby, so I sent him to deliver a letter."
"A letter? What kind of letter is it?"
"Well, you see... Oh, by the way, isn't this area close to your hometown too?"
What?! How did he know that? I was taken aback, and the Monkey Prince chuckled.
"While you prisoners were chatting about your hometowns, one of the soldiers who was monitoring you reported it. I just read that report."
The Monkey Prince said it so casually. Not only did he remember the prisoners' faces, but he also knew where the guy's hometown was based on a report. Where on earth is the enemy commander who remembers the details, including the hometown, of a prisoner he's supposed to be guarding? With a mix of surprise and bewilderment, a rolled-up scroll was handed to me. Upon closer inspection, it was a rolled piece of paper, possibly a letter.
"What's this?"
"A letter to be delivered to the leader of your hometown. You can take a look at its contents if you want."
"No, no. It's not right to sneak a peek at a letter meant for the leader!"
"Is that so? Well, even if it's called a letter, it's not sealed, so no one will know if you take a sneak peek."
The Monkey Prince said with a puzzled expression and left to reassure the other prisoners. I held in my strong urge to read the mysterious letter. Stealing a glance was definitely not an option.
With permission granted near my hometown, I detached from the formation. I couldn't help but wonder if it was okay to release prisoners so easily, but the Monkey Prince had thought it through.
"As prisoners, only a few are needed to guide the way. Others will be released in exchange for delivering letters. You might wonder if we're going to demand a ransom for their release, right? Haha. No need for that. After we conquer this country, you'll become citizens of Nonette. I won't do anything to reduce the wealth of someone who wants to become my citizen."
Really, do they intend to win the war with just a hundred people?
Even if there's a knight from the Knight Kingdom among us, can it truly be possible?
I can't help but doubt, but for me, who has strayed from the formation, the war is no longer relevant.
Running through the land, where rocks and sand are in a 7:3 ratio, we managed to reach the village by nightfall.
I felt relieved at the familiar scenery, and the people of the village who spotted me called for my parents.
Instead of a heartwarming reunion, they greeted me with insults.
"You idiotic son! Why didn't you die in the war? It would have been better if you had!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If it's revealed that you're alive to the king, our entire family will be sentenced to death for not protecting the prince!"
The desert people value their families. It seems they are dissatisfied with my existence, which could have a negative impact on their families.
I understand their feelings, but I'm also a part of a family. It would be nice if they were happy that I'm alive.
As I brooded in silence over their discontent, the elder approached.
"Now, now, won't you stop this? Console the child who returned from the war. Moreover, if you make a fuss, it might actually reach the king's ears."
With the elder's intervention, my parents quieted down.
Ignoring my parents, I handed a letter to the elder.
"Who is this from?"
"It's from Prince Nonette - um, Prince Milimos sent it to you, Elder."
"What does it say?"
"I don't know. Prince Milimos said it was okay to look at it, but I felt it was wrong to sneak a peek, so I didn't."
The elder seemed troubled as he held the letter, but he mustered the courage to read its contents.
Onlookers who had come upon hearing about my return and commotion gathered behind the elder, peering at the letter's contents.
After some time, a sigh could be heard from someone in the crowd.
"Hey, elder. What did it say?"
I asked, and the elder touched his forehead, as if he had a headache.
"It contained the reason for the war between Nonette and Ambitose. It states that the root cause of it all is the Ambitose royal family. If anyone lost their family in this war, instead of directing their anger at Nonette, it is only logical to swear revenge on the Ambitose royal family. In short, it goes something like that."
"Hmm. It doesn't say anything out of the ordinary."
When I commented, the villagers were taken aback.
"What's with those faces?"
"Are you taking the side of the monkey prince?"
"It's not about taking sides. It's just that the contents of the letter are indeed accurate. No, the reasons behind this war are truly terrible."
To alleviate my frustration from being berated by my parents, I exaggeratedly recounted the sequence of events that I had learned during my time as a prisoner.
The villagers wore pained expressions.
"If that's true, does that mean the knights of the Knight Kingdom are truly siding with the monkey prince?"
"Yes, indeed. Just a little while ago, I saw it with my own eyes."
"Was it really a knight from the Knight Kingdom?"
"Come on. In the scorching desert sun, they were knights riding on black horses clad in full metal armor. If they weren't from the Knight Kingdom, both they and their horses would have collapsed under the sun."
"...So, the Knight Kingdom is truly with the monkey prince."
Seeing the elder's pained expression, someone from the village spoke up.
"Elder, the king sent a message saying to inform him if Nonette's army comes, but we might actually be better off abandoning the king. Even if the monkey prince loses the battle, the Knight Kingdom will come for a funeral!"
"Once one of the two major nations arrives, this country will be like a piece of straw in a sandstorm. It's better to stay quiet and avoid the aftermath."
"That's right. Regardless of who wins the war, if we're uninvolved, we can survive!"
With the villagers pressing the issue, the elder, though troubled, seemed to decide to firmly insist on having no connection with the war.
As for what would happen to me, I wondered. Then, I found myself confined in one of the barns.
"If, by some chance, the monkey prince wins, and you were dead, the entire village might be held accountable. So, stay quiet here."
"Alright, alright. I'll enjoy the treatment of three meals and afternoon naps."
Moving away from the closed door, I lay down on the rug made of Camuhoho's feathers woven together.
And what I thought about was Prince Milimos's letter.
"The people of Ambitose value their families more than the entire nation or the village. Reading the contents of that letter, if the captive who delivered it tells the truth, the outcome will be like this. The others who delivered the letters are probably in the same situation as me."
Well, well, what will happen to me and the other captives?
We won't know until Prince Milimos reaches the capital and the matter is resolved.
Until then, I'll wait slowly, hoping that Prince Milimos will win—or rather, that the Ambitose royal family, who put me through this ordeal, will get their comeuppance.