I'M THE NECROMANCER KING
Chapter 113: The Price To Pay
"Master, I have returned with the goblins that my Master needs. And he ...." Ivar glanced towards a skinny and also seedy slave behind him. "His name is Keith, he's a slave who previously served Baron Gustav, and now he's going to work in this settlement with other slaves brought from the border region."
"Before, I accidentally met him outside. I brought him here because he kept forcing me to meet my master and say there was something important he wanted to talk about."
"Alright, let me hear what he wants to say," said Mavis, then told the four field chiefs to make way for Keith to come before him.
Immediately, a frail man of forty was standing before Mavis. He was Keith, the slave Ivar was referring to. At this time Keith was wearing ragged clothes and an iron restraint device was seen around his neck with an elongated chain. There was no difference between him and the other slaves. However, what attracted the prince once he and Keith looked at each other, he found that the calmness of a noble was in the slave.
It's confusing and also strange. Mavis suddenly delves back into her memories when she first met Keith. Back then when it was still in the border region, the slave looked extremely helpless on the surface and was easily suppressed by Baron Gustav. In contrast to his current appearance, he stood in a calm manner and his gaze was straight facing towards Mavis.
"Greetings, Prince." Keith with his hands tied in chains could only bow as a sign of his respect for Mavis.
"Say, what important thing do you want to talk to me about?" mavis said with a smile on her face. He was aware of something, it seemed like Keith had been covering up his true identity all along. Seeing how he paid homage to Mavis, of course he was no ordinary person. Such subtle gestures, are not ordinary people can do easily.
"Prince, before let me introduce myself. My name is Keith Salman, an adventurer from the Yukhiro Kingdom who is far away in the central continent."
Then Keith began to tell how he could get to the eastern continent. It all started with the death story of Queen Carsey who was deliberately poisoned by her own sister. As a rebellion ensued, Prince Adamson took over the throne, and began hunting down anyone with close ties to the queen. No exception with the daughter of the queen herself who is still a baby.
Fortunately, Keth Salman is the only bodyguard of the queen who is still loyal, he took away the princess secretly. Naturally, going from a six affiliated kingdom was not as easy as turning a palm. With only his limited abilities, Keith lost his abilities while trying to escape from a dozen other red-planned adventurers, Prince Adamson said.
"You keep saying come with the princess, but I've never seen a child near you" Mavis said with a serious face.
"Prince, it's because bad luck has befallen us. At that time I was with the princess was traveling from the royal capital to the outskirts of the border. Our destination was a fortress in the southern region managed by a viscount. However, in the middle of our journey together with the small merchant caravans were ambushed by a herd of bandits and ended up separated."
"While my abilities at the time were very poor, I was still able to buy time against the bandits. Instead some merchants managed to escape and take the princess with them."
"Next, I completely parted with the princess. For several years I have been a slave to many bad rulers and my body has grown weaker from not getting enough food. Until the last time I was sold back into slavery on the black market and bought by Baron Gustav."
"Where was your position at the time of being ambushed by those bandits? And also do you remember which way they fled?" Mavis asked Keith with a curious face.
"I remember it clearly, Prince. They had to go towards the settlement managed by Baron Gustav. So I came to ask the Prince for help" said Keith.
Mavis momentarily fell silent, looking at the man before her with a skeptical look. After thinking about everything, he spoke to Keith again, "I'm currently busy doing my job, there's no way I can help you find the princess. Also, you have gone too far knowing everything about me and this goblin settlement. Normally, I would kill you after knowing the truth that you were an escape, because you would endanger me and those around me. However, this time I will make a slight exception for you, I will ask before I can make a decision."
"Why should I trust you? And also what do I get by helping you find the princess? I'm sure you're not a fool, you definitely understand how things work in this world. Nothing is free" Mavis said.