6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade : Chapter 13
Chapter 13 - Visiting the Demon's Territory
Now that the matter with the king was settled, I was sent home for the time being.
However, things got complicated after I got home.
It had been discovered that I had tampered with the magic circle and traveled to the castle.
When I told my worried and fussy family that I had spoken to the king, my mother fainted first.
When I told them that I had only been helping out during the holidays, my second son collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
My father and eldest son, pale as a feather, pressed me on how I had managed to get back, so I had them sit in a chair beforehand, and then I explained that the king had used a teleportation spell on them.
I won't tell you that when I saw the two of them fall off the chair, I was grateful that I had let them sit down first.
A messenger from the king soon arrived with an official letter, and we ended up being busy late into the night that day.
My father repeatedly asked me, "If you really want to help, I won't stop you, but are you sure you're okay with that?"
It's a choice I made to protect my family and a relatively peaceful life, so I have no complaints.
Honestly, if the king had been a worse person, or a fool, I'd thought that a war between me and Mary's country might be the solution.
I'm glad we were able to come up with a compromise that we could both agree on.
A peaceful resolution is the best way to stay unobtrusive.
◇◇◇
And the next day.
This time, with his permission, I was teleported by my brother and arrived at the castle once again.
My job this time was to inspect the border facing the demon realm.
It seems the king wants to see what the situation is like since the Demon King left.
I heard that the leader of the inspection team was Princess Clarice, so I agreed.
Even though her father scolded her, the princess didn't mention me, so I thought I could trust her.
Besides, it seems the only areas we'll be inspecting are safe places on our own country's side, so as a first day's work, I guess that's about what I'd expect.
"Eddie-sama!"
I was guided to the castle gate, where it was Princess Clarice who greeted me.
We were supposed to be disguised at the border, so her appearance was quite different from the last time I met her.
She was wearing a robe and dressed like a traveler.
Her golden hair was braided so that it wouldn't stand out, and it was completely hidden when she put on her hood.
"It's been a while, Eddie-sama!"
"Wap"
She hugged me again, pressing her chest against me.
As always, the princess's habit of hugging me was a pain.
After struggling a bit, I let out a sigh.
"Whew. That's right, Princess Clarice. I'm sorry about everything. It seems like I got you in trouble."
"I'm sorry too... In the end, I couldn't fool my father..."
"No. It's better not to lie to the King. Thank you, Princess, for trying to respect my wishes."
"I'll do my best to help Eddie-sama so he can make up for this mistake...!"
I gave a wry smile to the enthusiastic Princess.
"No, no, I'm the one helping you, Princess!"
While we were having this conversation, the guards were coming and going.
There were four guards heading to the Demon Realm with us.
The surrounding area was crowded with soldiers preparing for the journey.
"Are these all the horses?"
"We've finished carrying all the necessary luggage."
"Lord Eddie, ride on my horse. I'm confident in my horse riding."
"Yes. Nice to meet you, Princess."
It's obviously impossible for a 6-year-old to ride a horse by himself.
And then there's--.
They're the guards who will accompany me to the Demon Realm, so I might as well get to know their abilities.
I chant in my head and quickly check the status of the guards.
The guards' ability values are more than sufficient for normal fighting.
That's good.
But what I'm curious about isn't the guards, but the horses the squire has brought with him.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Type: Horse
Stamina: 120
Condition: Fever, Fatigue
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I can't believe I noticed that my horse was sick after scanning it.
I looked around carefully.
Hmm.
The rookie-looking squire was so engrossed in preparing the carriage that he didn't seem to notice that the horse was sick.
Oh dear, pull yourself together.
I couldn't leave like this, so I decided to give him a casual warning.
"Hey, hey, guys!"
"Ah! Eddie!"
As I ran off, Clarice called out my name in a panic.
With an innocent look on my face, I told the squires, "Wait for me!" and ran off towards them.
"What's the matter, boy? It's dangerous to go near a place like this."
"It's fine. I guess it's unusual to have so many horses."
I choose to target the two squires who have been paying attention to me while they are working.
I point at the horses with a grin on my face.
"There are all kinds of horses here. Where do they all come from?"
"Hahaha. All the horses here belong to this castle."
"Does that mean that horse over there too?"
I tilt my head and change the place I'm pointing. The horse under my small index finger is a sick horse.
"Yeah, that horse is like that too."
"Hmm, but it's weird. That horse is doing something different from the others."
"Different?"
"Yeah! He flattens his ears and shakes them. The other horses don't do that, right? So I thought he must be from somewhere different."
The squires looked surprised at my words.
"Hey, hey! Look at him!"
"I got it!"
"Huh? Huh? What's wrong?"
"You see, boy. Maybe that horse isn't feeling well."
"What!"
I was pretending to be surprised, but in reality I knew from my previous life.
When a horse feels uncomfortable or stressed, it lowers its ears and wiggles them.
I thought the squires would notice if I pointed that out, so I was relieved when things unfolded as I had imagined.
"It's true... this guy has a fever. He can't go on a long journey in this condition."
"Get a replacement horse right away."
Looking at the squires who were starting to get even busier, I spoke in a relaxed voice.
"He had a fever... that's why the horse was so restless."
"It seems so. Oh, it's so pathetic that you didn't notice! ...But you know what, boy! That's amazing!"
The squires exclaimed in admiration and surrounded me.
"Where did you come from?"
"You know, he's a boy from a neighboring country who looked after Princess Clarice. Apparently the King asked him to come to our country to broaden his horizons as a thank you."
"Is that so? As expected, you have a different perspective."
As the squires began to look at me with admiration, I gave a stiff smile and stepped back.
I didn't ask for that at all, so please spare me.
"Eddie-sama...!"
Ugh.
I turned around to see Princess Clarice with her arms folded in front of her chest, her eyes sparkling.
As the squires left, Princess Clarice whispered to me.
"As expected of you, Eddie-sama!"
"I only used a little magic... but more importantly, Princess."
"I know, it's a secret, okay?"
Princess Clarice puts her finger to her lips and shushes, narrowing her eyes in amusement.
I nodded back with an ambiguous smile.
A little while later.
After we'd safely found a replacement horse, I got on to the princess's horse and departed from the castle with the guards.
This journey was supposed to be safe, but...
I never thought I'd be caught up in a battle between the highest-ranking demons so soon.
Even I didn't expect it.
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