The Fifth Prince Was Banished to the Frontier, but He Survived Easily With His Luck Skill - Chapter 31

Galiera’s falcon, used for communication, was a type of monster called Adlabur. While not easily attached to humans, once it did, it had an excellent memory, boasting a continuous flight time of nearly sixteen hours at a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour.

Therefore, the falcon released by Galiera, named Cutlass, flew tirelessly throughout the night to reach Maria Palermo, a mercenary active in the Kingdom of Vestfalen.

“As expected of Galiera. I had a feeling you might have caught onto something,” Maria smiled, reminiscing about Galiera’s strong, tanned skin, a comrade-in-arms she had shared the battlefield with.

After reading the letter tied to Cutlass’s leg, Maria whistled lightly.

“I’m surprised to hear that the nameless knight Mayer has heard about this. But being in Ouroborosland might just be a stroke of luck.”

Depending on who hired them, mercenaries could easily find themselves fighting against each other, even if they were comrades-in-arms the day before. Such is the fate of their profession, where allegiances could shift overnight.

However, there are some comrades one would rather not turn against. For Maria, Galiera was one of those few she preferred not to face as an enemy.

Galiera, known as the ‘Tanned War Demon,’ was a significant factor in decreasing her chances of survival if they ever became enemies.

“I owe her one from the past. Might as well return the favor,” Maria muttered, starting to write a reply.

After feeding Cutlass a piece of leftover meat from her breakfast, who cooed cutely in return, she continued, “If you’re in such a remote place like Ouroborosland, you shouldn’t get caught up in unnecessary battles. Once this is over, I’d like to work together again.”

The official reason the Kingdom of Vestfalen was recruiting mercenaries was to fill the gap left by the numerous guards accompanying the king to Princess Cornelia’s wedding.

However, recruiting mercenaries just to replace about fifteen hundred guards seemed absurd.

The more astute mercenaries realized this was preparation for war. The question was, who would be the enemy?

Since the Kingdom of Vestfalen and the Kingdom of Norgard were allied against the Kingdom of Spencer, it would normally be assumed to be Spencer. But…

“The key Spencer Kingdom hasn’t shown any signs of moving north from the Kingdom of Ledaig lately.”

Moreover, she had heard rumors that just yesterday, they had won a naval battle against the Kingdom of Tiaron and occupied the military port of Provan.

Such quick access to information was a distinctive trait of mercenaries. This meant the likelihood of Spencer being the opponent was low, as Maria deduced.

“If Galiera were in Norgard, I’d tell her to escape quickly.”

Indeed, Maria suspected that Vestfalen’s real enemy might be its ally, Norgard.

That meant Princesses Marguerite and Cornelia were sacrifices. The likelihood of an allied country’s princesses remaining unharmed was very low, especially when no rumors suggested they were on good terms with the prince.

“That prince, despite his good appearance, is wicked.”

Crown Prince George, expected to be an excellent successor, was believed to be kind and gentle.

But to think he would abandon his own sisters…

“There, that should do it.”

After attaching the letter to Cutlass’s leg, the falcon immediately took off as if its job was done. Maria thought it could be a bit more sociable.

Galiera was stunned after reading Maria’s letter.

It hinted at the possibility of Vestfalen starting a war soon. Although it didn’t explicitly state it would be against Norgard, it broadly outlined Maria’s speculation, and Galiera was sensitive enough to sense what she was hiding.

“Impossible… That’s ridiculous!”

Vestfalen and Norgard were historic allies, with royal families interrelated for generations and a bond especially strong among the Northern Seven Nations. Moreover, with the common threat of Spencer, the rationale for breaking the alliance and starting a war was unfathomable.

But Galiera could guess the cause of the war. The fact that the king, who rarely appeared publicly, would attend his second daughter’s wedding was suspicious in itself.

The king being harmed in another country would be a perfect casus belli.

The plan would be to fabricate his assassination by Norgard, positioning Vestfalen advantageously for the upcoming war.

“Does this mean the king has already passed away in secret?”

“Cornelia is in danger!”

Galiera crumpled Maria’s letter in her hand. They were too late in gathering this information.

Understanding the risk, Maria had risked informing her. Cornelia and Herman’s wedding was the next day, and it was already hours from dusk.

Suppressing the urge to rush to Cornelia’s side, Galiera hurried to Elroy for this reason.

“This is serious. I just got word from a comrade – Vestfalen is about to start a war!!!”

Perhaps Elroy could think of something. Galiera had come to rely on him unconsciously, and he had earned her trust.

Elroy, too, realized from Galiera’s words alone where Vestfalen’s aggression was directed.

“—I will definitely save them.”