The Water Magician

Ryo and Abel exited the Censorate.

"Confidence is not something easily obtained."

"Ah, the second prince."

Ryo shook his head as he spoke, and Abel let out a small sigh.

He seemed capable, but he was a strong candidate who couldn't be named the crown prince.

He was also not liked by the experienced minister of state, making him a strong candidate.

These two facts were not coincidences.

"This is troublesome..."

"Yeah, it is."

"The most reliable option would be to charge back into the Censorate and forcefully extract information from Shou-san. Abel..."

"Yeah, that last comment was unnecessary."

Gathering information is never easy, regardless of the era or the world.

"As a second-best strategy, we could storm the second prince's princely residence and, if luck allows, secure the prince's safety while probing for information. If we fail to secure him, we can at least gauge their response and make our judgments. Abel..."

"That last comment is still unnecessary."

Perhaps the intentions of a mage and a swordsman seldom align.

"You keep shooting down everything. Abel is always negative."

"Well, that's only natural..."

"I would appreciate it if you could suggest a counter-proposal. While I’m presenting such concrete ideas, all you do is deny them."

"Yeah, I suppose. I'll come up with a counter-proposal."

After pausing for a moment, Abel continued.

"It would be best if Ryo, clad in the armor of ice, charges into the second prince's residence via an ice path and holds a sword to Prince Kouri's throat. See? It's even more specific than your suggestion, Ryo."

"I'm rejecting that, as I might end up getting caught."

"...So you're okay with the possibility of me getting caught?"

"Of course. My identity as the first duke of the Naitorei Kingdom is well known. If I get caught, it jeopardizes the kingdom's position."

"I'm the king of that kingdom..."

"Since Abel forgot his identification, he's just my bodyguard."

Identification is very important.

"...Even so, if I get caught, Ryo would face supervision responsibilities, right? That wouldn't be good for the kingdom either."

"Ah, now that you mention it, that's true."

"Yeah, you should have understood that without me saying it."

Ryo dramatically slapped his right fist against his left palm, while Abel sighed.

"I thought a good idea would come to mind while we were talking so much..."

"Ultimately, nothing is coming to mind."

The two shook their heads simultaneously.

Suddenly, a phrase caught Ryo's eye.

"Fish dishes..."

"Are you hungry?"

"No, that's not it! I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from speaking like a hungry swordsman."

"Why am I being yelled at?"

"Speaking of fish, that means a ship. And ships mean a captain."

"Could it be, Captain of the public ship?"

"Yes, it's Captain Myun!"

Captain Myun is the head of the first ship that served as the royal barge from Princess Shio Fen's Bosunta Kingdom to the imperial capital.

Moreover, it seems that before becoming the captain of that public ship, he was an admiral in the Darwei Navy.

Because of this, he is said to be favored by his majesty the emperor.

Additionally, he also mentioned that he had fought alongside Prince Lyun and the second prince, Prince Kouri, on the same battlefield before.

This is fantastic!

After that, the two arrived at the public ship office near the port.

Of course, they first stopped at a liquor store to get a bottle of sake as a gift.

"I must say, Ryo is quite diligent," Abel mumbled, though Ryo couldn't hear him.

However...

"What? Captain Myun isn't here?"

"Yes, I apologize, your grace Duke Rondo. The captain has gone up to the imperial palace."

It seems that important people are often called to the imperial palace.

"We've run out of options."

"No, that's a bit exaggerated."

The two exited the public ship office after leaving their gift of sake behind.

Ryo lamented, and Abel comforted him.

"Because there really isn't anyone I know who has detailed information about the second prince."

"Well, that’s true... I can't think of anyone."

They decided to give up for today.

They had left gifts for Captain Li Chuu and Captain Myun, hoping to receive contact from them in the days to come.