Chapter 78 – The prince and his thoughts

I, Hicked Migha, start thinking back to my conversation with my fiancee, the fifth princess of the kingdom of Fairytrof, Ninaev Fairy.

She was surprised to hear what I had to say.
There was clear shock on her face when I told her I met a girl that is probably the real miko.

My fiancee… Nina, looked like she was pondering what I said carefully.
The fact that she gave it that much thought makes me think that she also doubts the miko that the temple in Fairytrof took into their custody.

Now that I think about it, that empty beast people’s village was rich in nature, and had perfect soil to grow crops.
There are even talks of putting that place in order and developing the unexplored forest but… I think the quality of the soil is a consequence of the love the miko felt for that land.

I do not know if that girl is still alive.
If she really went into the unexplored forest, there is a good chance that she is dead, to be perfectly honest.
But if that strange girl really is the miko, I do not think she would die so easily.

Still, what is to happen to the kingdoms of Fairytrof and Migha? If the blunder that is the temple of Fairytrof harboring a false miko is made public, surely the relationship between the two kingdoms will change.

My father is trying to avoid a war because the kingdom of Fairytrof has the miko, and he is trying to acquire more slaves because he feels anxious.
If he discovers that the miko in Fairytrof is not real, he will certainly use this as a pretext to start a war.

The cat beast people that were captured before are mainly being put to work as combat slaves, but I also heard that some of the captured women were sold to brothels.

My subordinates inform me about what happens to the beast people that I capture.
Honestly, it just hurts my heart.
Being stripped of your freedom and going through something like this is not that uncommon in the kingdom of Migha.
My father has no qualms about enslaving anyone who isn’t human.
In fact, he will enslave anyone who goes against him, even humans.

When I’m in a remote region such as this one, I really get the feeling that there is quite a bit of opposition against him and his actions.

“…I have no idea what will happen.”

Honestly, I have idea how these people that oppose him will react if they discover the miko in Fairytrof is not real.

Nina seems to have no intention of telling her father about our conversation.
I still do not know exactly what my fiancee is thinking, but I do know that she is very calm for her age, and she is a forward thinking princess.

She has a low right of succession, just like me, which is a much more complicated position than most would think.
We could be abandoned and ignored at any time, and most of the population does not even know our names quite well, if at all.

For me, my father is someone whose word is absolute.

I cannot defy him, and will continue following his orders.

For now, he is in a good mood due to my engagement with the fifth princess of Fairytrof, but once this cools down, I will certainly be tasked with capturing slaves once again.

Rumors are circulating in the capital that the fourth prince, my older brother, has captured a dragon person.
Also, under my father’s orders, the fifth prince has been sent off to live with people with strange customs.

I do not know how much influence the existence of the miko has over such things, but the simple idea that the miko has appeared has a big impact on this world.

For now, all I can do is get more acquainted with my fiancee.
We do not know what will become of our countries, or if we will even end up getting married, but I want to at least understand her intentions.

As for me… All I could really do was not tell my father about the girl that is probably the miko, and instead relay that information to Nina.

If I were a little more reckless, I would have done more, but I fear my father, and I cannot stray from the path he lays down for me.

Even if my father died, I would not know what to do.
That is the kind of person I am, and I hate it.

—The prince and his thoughts

(The prince becomes engaged to a princess from the neighboring country, and thinks about many things.
He still cannot cut himself from the control of the king.)