Water Magician-Chapter 554: What One Should Have

Editor: Tseirp

The port was overflowing with people from the Imperial Capital.

Everyone was waving their hands or waving cloths, celebrating the arrival of the princess.

Facing the crowd, Princess Shio Fen smiled gently and waved back.

Behind her to the left stood her lady-in-waiting, Mifa, and to the right stood the captain of the princess’s guard, Bizis.

From the corner of her eye, Princess Shio Fen noticed Bizis tilting her head slightly.

“What’s wrong, Bizis?”

“Ah. It’s just… I thought I saw a white robe in the crowd…”

“The people of Darwei mostly wear Eastern-style clothing, right? The kind that opens at the front and is fastened with a sash?”

The princess asked, Bizis responded, and Mifa confirmed.

Anyone not wearing Eastern-style clothing would certainly stand out…

“The white robe person you’re thinking about is Ryo-sama, right?”

“Y-yes…”

Bizis responded, bowing her head at Princess Shio Fen’s confirmation.

“If it were a matter of love, that would be lovely, but in your case, you just want to receive sword instruction from him, don’t you?”

Princess Shio Fen sighed lightly and said with a wry smile.

For some reason, Ryo always seemed to be sought out as a sparing opponent.

“But I heard that ordinary people aren’t allowed into the Imperial Capital around the time of the princess’s arrival.”

“That seems to be the case. Abel-sensei too, and Ryo-sama probably won’t be entering the capital for a while.”

At Mifa’s words, Princess Shio Fen nodded.

“Princess, please proceed.”

A gangway was set up on the ship.

Already, soldiers from Darwei’s Ministry of Rites were lined up at the disembarkation point, ready and waiting.

Naturally, the princess’s disembarkation was part of the ceremony.

“Then, let’s go.”

As Princess Shio Fen said this, both Mifa and Bizis nodded.

At last, Princess Shio Fen’s party had arrived at the Imperial Capital, Hanlin.

“You have to hand it to the princess—she was so dignified! Mifa seemed to be doing her duty splendidly, too.”

“Yeah. I’m sure it’ll be tough from here on out, but they’ll be fine.”

Ryo nodded repeatedly, and Abel smiled as they watched the princess’s group disembark.

The white robe Bizis had seen really was Ryo.

After Princess Shio Fen’s party disembarked and moved toward the palace.

The crowd gradually began to thin.

Things were still hectic due to unloading from the ship, but… the person the two were looking for had already disembarked and was watching over the work of their subordinates.

Moreover, the person standing next to them was a familiar face.

Neither of them looked particularly busy—this was the perfect chance!

“Captain Myun, Captain Lau, it’s been a while.”

Ryo greeted the captain of the first ship in the princess’s fleet, Myun, and the captain of the tenth ship, Lau.

“Hm? Oh, it’s Ryo-dono!”

“Ryo-san! And Abel-san too. So you both arrived at the capital ahead of us?”

Both Captain Myun and Captain Lau remembered them.

“I’m sorry about what happened back then. The Ministry of Rites wouldn’t budge.”

“No, well, it couldn’t be helped.”

Captain Myun had tried to appeal to Deputy Minister Snus of the Ministry of Rites to keep Ryo and Abel with the fleet, but it hadn’t worked.

Ryo understood how inflexible bureaucratic systems could be, so he wasn’t particularly bothered.

“Really. After that, bringing in water was tough, and the crew gave Deputy Minister Snus some pretty cold looks. I did feel a bit sorry for him.”

Captain Lau said with a laugh.

“Actually, something serious has come up…”

With that, Ryo began to explain the incident he and Abel had gotten caught up in.

“That is troubling. Count Matan, Von Debout-dono, was in charge of hosting the princess, wasn’t he? I’ve known that since it was decided over a year ago… If Count Matan is in prison, someone else will have to take over his role. That’s sure to affect the princess’s entourage.”

“This wedding is just full of complications.”

Captain Lau expressed concern over the change in host, and Captain Myun sighed at the overall situation.

No doubt many things had happened after Ryo and Abel left the fleet.

“Prince Ryun, the Sixth Prince, seems gentle but is actually a man of strong conviction. That’s why I believe the Princess would be a good match for him as his main consort…”

“You know Prince Ryun well, Captain Myun?”

Ryo asked as Captain Myun muttered.

“Yes. In the past… actually, we fought on the battlefield together. I believe the prince was in his early teens at the time, but I remember him leading his unit to aid our forces. Thanks to him, the front line didn’t collapse. Later, the Second Prince, who commanded the army, praised him for it.”

“Oh ho.”

“But… I’ve never heard of Prince Ryun being brave or brilliant…”

Captain Lau tilted his head as he listened to the conversation.

“Yeah. That came afterward. He began acting deliberately inconspicuous. I kept watching him because I’d seen his bravery firsthand… he even started acting dull on purpose.”

“That’s because… of the Crown Prince…?”

“Exactly. It was right around when the Crown Prince passed away and the imperial succession issue became more visible. He probably didn’t want to get caught up in it. Prince Ryun’s mother entered the palace as a maid to the Crown Prince’s mother. Her status isn’t high. If he got involved in the succession, she might suffer too.”

Captain Myun held Prince Ryun in high regard.

However, due to his mother’s low status… there were likely various complications.

“Oops, we got sidetracked. You two came about Count Matan, right? We in the imperial fleet are technically under the direct command of His Majesty. We were lent to the Ministry of Rites for this occasion and usually operate alongside the navy, but ultimately, we report to the Emperor. I’ll be meeting with His Majesty this evening for a report—I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Really?!”

Ryo was surprised by Captain Myun’s offer.

This was completely unexpected.

“Well, if he really did attack someone in the palace, there’s no hope for a pardon, but I might be able to find out how the story has been reported to His Majesty. Come by again tomorrow. I’ll be at the public fleet building over there.”

Captain Myun pointed to a massive stone building by the harbor.

That must have been the public fleet’s headquarters.

“Thank you so much!”

Ryo and Abel expressed their gratitude and left the area.

“Man, it really pays to know a captain of the imperial fleet!”

“Most people don’t, though.”

Walking away from the captains, Ryo and Abel chatted.

Right now, they needed as much information as they could get.

Captain Myun had promised to let them know what was being reported to the emperor.

That was a major breakthrough.

“But, it’s not like this one move will solve everything.”

“Well, obviously.”

“But but! If, for example, we saved His Majesty the Emperor from being attacked, he might grant us a favor and we could save Von Debout-san!”

“Yeah, and as usual, that’s never going to happen. I mean, the Emperor being attacked? That’s absurd. And even if it happened, the imperial guards would take care of it before we even got there.”

Abel, as always, shot down Ryo’s light-novel-style hopes for a heroic twist.

“But apparently, there was a king who got ambushed by imperial troops. Right in his own country.”

Ryo was referring to the incident in the north where Abel himself had been ambushed.

“Yeah, that did happen…”

Abel frowned.

“Honestly, what kind of king gets outdone by a few imperial soldiers? Pretty lame, if you ask me!”

“Hey, come on now…”

“You should be able to take out a few imperial soldiers with just your pinky! If you can’t do that, world domination is a pipe dream!”

“Uh, I don’t want world domination…”

“A king’s vision is important. If you’re always caught up in what’s right in front of you, you can’t truly lead your people. Practical policies grounded in reality, yes. But also bold, idealistic goals. A true king balances both.”

“Uh, okay…”

“I have high expectations for you, Abel. That’s why I speak harshly. I don’t want to be disappointed.”

“Why do I feel so… conflicted right now…”

Ryo didn’t want to say all that.

But Abel was a king.

No one else would speak so frankly to him… and that’s why Ryo, as the premier duke, had to.

He didn’t want to.

But for the good of the country, he had to…

“Kukuku, it cannot be helped.”

“Why are you laughing while you say that?”

“Ah! My mistake. Please pretend that never happened.”

“…”

There are some things in this world that just… slip out, even when you try to hide them.

The two of them were heading back to the waiting area to make their report when…

“About twelve people are watching the place.”

“There weren’t any when we left earlier, right?”

“Right. They definitely weren’t there.”

Ryo used his

and confirmed they were now being watched.

There hadn’t been any watchers when they came back from the Moonlight Banquet Pavilion, so the surveillance must have started while they were at the port.

“Hmmm, I can only detect up to eight of them.”

Abel said with some frustration.

“Yeah. The other four are probably professionals. Even their breathing is totally different—calm and composed.”

“So, that means multiple groups are keeping an eye on us.”

“Most likely. So, what do we do? Go in? Stay out…?”

“If it’s an official intelligence agency or something, they’ve probably already figured out we were hired by Lord Von Debout. We’ve been guarding him for three days, after all.”

“Ah, good point. No use worrying about it now, I guess.”

The two agreed and walked into the waiting area.

Inside was only Wei Fon.

The others had all gone out to gather information.

Wei Fon had probably wanted to go too, but… as the captain, he couldn’t leave so easily.

“Ah, you’re back. Did you find anything?”

“Yes, a few things.”

Ryo proceeded to explain what had happened at the port.

Including that the station was now under surveillance.

Wei Fon nodded.

He had suspected as much.

“All the entourages of the other lords have left. And no one new is coming in.”

Indeed, the waiting station was eerily quiet—just the three of them remained.

Whether it was on someone’s orders or a collective decision based on each lord’s intel.

It was clear this place was being avoided.

“The more successful our intel gathering is, the more likely we’ll be targeted.”

Abel voiced his concern.

If they had just been regular escorts or attendants, they might have been ignored. But once it was clear they were skilled and gathering useful intel, someone with something to hide might decide to act.

“True. Not just here—even the ones out gathering intel alone are vulnerable. If they’re attacked, it’ll be tough.”

Wei Fon began to consider the risk to their dispersed members.

Things were getting dicey.

“For now, we’ll all regroup at the Ryusen Residence tonight. It’ll be easier to defend than this place.”

Wei Fon’s tone was firm.

Part of that decision was based on the fact that other powerful merchants and local lords were also staying at the Ryusen Residence. Their forces might help with defense if needed.

Ryo and Abel understood that and didn’t blame him.

Of course, in terms of gathering intel, the waiting area— right next to the palace—was ideal.

But once they pulled out, they’d likely lose the right to return.

With Lord Von Debout imprisoned in high security, Wei Fon and his group, as his retainers, would no longer have authorization to use it.

They were only still there because no order had officially forced them out… yet.

“We’ll withdraw by 5 p.m., before dark.”

“Got it. We’ll head back out for intel gathering. We’ll return before then, but if we don’t make it back in time, just head to Ryusen Residence without us.”

Abel replied to Wei Fon’s plan.

“Will you be okay?”

“If it’s just the two of us, we’ll manage somehow.”

Abel said confidently, and Ryo nodded.

Yes—these two were actually pretty strong.

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