Chapter 105. Prince’s Tour

The Chapel Courtyard, Ironwood Viscounty

“So this is the community coop and kitchen...” Prince Vadim commented as he swung down from his horse, looking at the long lines of people waiting for their warm meals even as the snowy winds raged around them.

“That’s right. It has allowed us to avoid starvation as much as possible this Winter Freeze compared to the last-” Miller was in the middle of his explanation when the Prince suddenly interrupted him.

“I want to get a bowl then! Hey! Where is the beginning of this queue?!” Vadim exclaimed, already rushing off into the snow to join the commoners.

“Thanks to Francesca...” Miller murmured with a fond sigh, watching Prince Vadim excitedly run off into the distance. Shaking his head, he smiled and followed behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at one of the many wooden benches outside the chapel. The common citizens around them cast nervous, awe-struck glances every now and then at the Imperial Prince and their Lord casually eating among them.

“This is in every way better than the military rations we had to eat during the war,” Prince Vadim praised, taking a hearty spoonful of the hot soup.

“Indeed it is,” Miller replied, taking a bite of his bread.

Prince Vadim stared at his face intently for a few seconds. As the howling snowy wind momentarily died down, the Prince suddenly asked, “So, out with it.”

“What?” Miller replied, genuinely confused.

Prince Vadim chuckled, casually dipping his bread into his bowl. “Oh, come on. Something has clearly been troubling you since even before I arrived. Out with it, what is it?” Taking a bite of the soup soaked bread, he tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wooden table.

“Hmm... It is a bit of a sensitive topic. We can talk about it later in private,” Miller hinted carefully, side-eyeing the Imperial Knight guards standing stiffly in the distance.

“I see... Let’s go to the cable cart station then! I really wanted to see it in action,” Prince Vadim smiled, smoothly dropping the subject to give his friend space.

After finishing their meals, they both remounted their horses and, followed by a heavy escort of Ironwood Mercenaries and Imperial Knights, arrived at the Melony Lake docks. They headed straight into the bustling cavern housing the cable cart line.

The Cave, Melony Lake, Ironwood Viscounty

CLANK! CLATTER-CLATTER-CLANK!

The blue carriage shot forward, launching violently out of the cave mouth and disappearing into the blinding white expanse of the mountainside in an instant.

“Holy Goddess’s Lust! That is insane!” Prince Vadim exclaimed, watching the massive line of the cable cart operate with sheer disbelief.

His hazel eyes were sparkling as he watched the fast, synchronized motions of the heavy machinery and the workers rushing around the platform. A look of childlike wonder was written all over his face at the engineering marvel showcased before him.

He leaned over the railing to look down the steep slope, trying to see how far the tracks plunged into the mist. “This is so much faster than taking a normal carriage ride down the winding mountain road, right?!” he yelled over the deafening mechanical noise.

“Way faster, Your Highness,” Miller replied, shaking his head with a proud smile. “It only takes about fifteen to twenty minutes for a loaded cart to reach its final destination at the bottom and top.”

“It is a shame that we cannot safely transport people yet, but in the future, maybe it will be possible,” Chief Craftsman Aron commented, walking up to join them on the viewing platform. “It has only been fully operational for three days, but we have already completed more than a hundred round trips.”

“Uncle Aron!” Prince Vadim called out, his face lighting up as he pulled the burly old man into a tight hug. “See? I knew you were a genius craftsman! You just keep being far too humble!”

“My, my, don’t start with that nonsense again,” Craftsman Aron chuckled, shaking his head. He gestured toward the roaring machinery. “The grand design was all thanks to Her Ladyship. The only thing I did was use a bit of trial and error to refine it.”

Miller smiled warmly, stepping forward to pat Aron’s heavy shoulder. “It was Francesca's idea, but no one else would have been able to execute it so quickly and in such a perfect way, Uncle Aron. Be proud of it.”

Before Chief Aron could humbly retort again, Prince Vadim aggressively clapped his hands together. “Now! Now! Show us the blueprints and the inner workings in your office! Come on!”

Aron nodded, leading the two of them toward a sturdy wooden cabin built into the corner of the cavern. As the Imperial Knights moved to follow their Prince inside, Aron held up a thick, calloused hand to stop them.

“Apologies, but the structural designs are strictly confidential. I cannot allow anyone other than His Lordship and His Highness in here...”

The Imperial Knights bristled, wanting to push back and secure the room, but their Captain hesitated.

We just witnessed a marvel of engineering... the Captain thought, glancing at the massive line outside. It will look completely unreasonable and highly suspicious if we try to force our way into the Chief Craftsman's private office. His Highness will easily use it as an excuse to fire us.

“Now! What are we waiting for?!” Prince Vadim yelled impatiently from the doorway, flashing a hidden, knowing smirk toward Miller.

Seeing the Knights stand down, Craftsman Aron ushered both Miller and the Prince inside and firmly shut the heavy cabin door.

Inside The Cabin

“So Her Ladyship cannot conceive... and the Northern Central Church is using that information to drag you into their civil war,” Prince Vadim muttered in complete understanding. He leaned against the drafting table, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the wood.

Craftsman Aron sat heavily on a stool in the corner, looking utterly flabbergasted and heartbroken. “Why... why can’t you kids ever just get to bask in peace?” he complained softly to himself, pouring a trembling cup of hot tea.

“So, this is how you knew a Holy Civil War was going to happen?” Prince Vadim asked, nodding toward Miller.

Miller just smiled faintly, not elaborating. I have already told you a sensitive secret today, Miller thought to himself. He does not need to know about Francesca’s revival or the Azure Tear.

“Yes... but we just didn’t expect they would try to blatantly coerce us into the war,” Miller admitted, his voice growing tight. “I... I cannot let them-”

Miller was having trouble forcing the words out when Prince Vadim suddenly stomped his heavy winter boot against the floorboards, cutting him off.

“It is all for the better!” Prince Vadim declared, his hazel eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous intensity. “If we are going to be dragged into this civil war, then we can use our leverage to prolong it for as long as we want!”

“This is not a negative!”

A vivid, phantom memory suddenly flashed in the back of both Miller and Aron’s minds; a memory of a much younger Prince Vadim standing atop a snowy, blood-soaked mountain during the fiercest days of the Jin Kingdom war, shouting those exact same words of ruthless, tactical optimism.

A bitter, knowing smile slowly formed on both of their faces. The heavy, grieving tension in the room broke, replaced by the hardened resolve of seasoned veterans.

“Yes,” Miller and Aron replied in perfect unison. “It is not a negative.”