"Hey, don't disgust me like that! Isn't anyone going to do something?"
"Are you called the instigator, sir? I will definitely remember your kindness! I'll come bail you out once I earn some money."
"Tch, who needs you to bail me out? How could this great one possibly go to jail? Watch me perform!"
Grin smiled smugly, leaned close to the edge of the prison wagon, and beckoned to Reinhard with a hooked finger.
"Reinhard, could you come over here, please!"
Faced with the prisoner's rude request, Reinhard not only didn't get angry, but obediently slowed his pace and came to Grin's side.
"Sir instigator, may I ask what you need?"
Grin, acting as if they were old friends, reached out a paw and patted Reinhard on the shoulder.
"Sigh~ What instigator? Who knows which bastard gave me that name. Just call me Grin."
"Alright, Mr. Green."
"Actually, I wanted to ask you a question. A very important question."
"Please speak, Mr. Green."
"Rein, wouldn't you like a golden-haired loli for a wife? Just say the word, and I'll have her delivered to you right away."
Hearing this, Otto quickly pulled Grin back a bit: "That's too rude, Mr. Green. Offending a knight right now is not a good idea."
Reinhard's expression remained unchanged, still wearing a bright, cheerful smile.
"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Green. However, I haven't considered marriage yet. The kingdom's safety will always be my top priority."
Grin narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Not even a surviving princess of the Lugnica royal family?"
A ripple finally stirred in Reinhard's previously placid, unreadable eyes.
A surviving princess? How could that be?
In Lugnica Year 47, Month 1, the first case of a strange illness that even Dragon Blood could not cure appeared in the royal family. In Month 6 of that year, the last royal, Frieze Lugnica, died from the illness. In Month 7, Sage Council officially declared the 'Royal Bloodline Extinct' and initiated the Royal Selection. It has been over half a year since then.
What puzzled Reinhard was that his Divine Protection of Discernment did not indicate Grin was lying.
Either Grin had numbed his own mind, deeply immersing himself in a vortex of lies first; or, what Grin said was the truth!
"Mr. Green, I cannot pretend I didn't hear that."
Reinhard's voice became serious and earnest.
Grin knew the ancient precept of the Sword Saint lineage: When the royal bloodline is extinguished, one must protect the final seed.
"Your Excellency Sword Saint, rather than doubting my words here, why not go verify them yourself?"
With that, Grin tossed an object the size of a coin to Reinhard.
Reinhard caught it and saw it was precisely that amber-colored insignia that could prove Royal Selection qualification. It would emit a faint glow like a dragon's eye when in the hand of a Royal Selection candidate.
"The Dragon Chronica Insignia? Mr. Green, are you adding a charge of stealing royal treasures?"
"Pah! How come you're always slapping charges on people, kid? Isn't it possible I retrieved it through a righteous act? Otherwise, why would I be chased by suspicious characters?"
Grin was somewhat speechless. This Sword Saint was better at falsely accusing people than he was.
Reinhard suddenly understood, adjusted his mindset, and bowed towards Grin.
"My apologies, Mr. Green. Please forgive my preconceptions; that was a shortcoming in my knightly standards. I hope you can let bygones be bygones and tell me the princess's location."
Grin was also at his wit's end; he really couldn't go to jail.
Once the Sword Saint found Felt, the princess lost among the common folk, and helped her become a candidate for the throne, everything would be resolved.
Felt is my good friend! Once she gets me out, a promotion, a raise, marrying a rich beauty, reaching the pinnacle of life—it'll be as easy as plucking a single hair from nine oxen.
"This is a serious matter. Lean in closer! First, you do this and that, then you do this and that. You must get this passphrase right; only then will that Giant Race old man let you in..."
"I see, I see!"
Grin chattered away in Reinhard's ear, and Reinhard nodded repeatedly, not daring to miss a single detail.
Just as Reinhard was about to set off to find Felt, Grin called him back again.
"Hey, wait a second, Rein."
"Mr. Green, is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Grin pondered for a moment, then said:
"This insignia belongs to a certain Half-Elf. Remember to return it after you're done. Don't forget one of the knightly tenets: Justice. You don't belong to any faction yet."
Reinhard nodded solemnly and replied:
"Thank you for the correction, Mr. Green. I swear on my knightly honor that this insignia will be delivered intact to that lady."
The Sword Saint swirled his cape, turned with a dashing flair, and set off on the road to retrieve the lost princess.
The other Guards escorting Grin were now a bit dumbfounded. The Sword Saint had left; what were they, these small fry, supposed to do?
"Captain, it seems we heard some rather incredible information."
"So, do we still arrest him? This instigator probably has a deep connection with that princess."
"You believe the words of an instigator?"
"The Sword Saint believed him!"
"This is terrifying, Captain. Will I still be able to go home for dinner today?"
"D-don't panic! We Guards must also uphold justice. Yes, that's right! Take him back first and wait for word from the higher-ups."
...A short while later, in the guardroom of the Royal Capital Prison.
Grin and Otto sat facing each other across a square table, each holding a goblet, lost in a drunken stupor.
After a hearty gulp, a Guard immediately refilled their cups.
Otto's face was already flushed red from drinking. He quickly cut a piece of steak and stuffed it in his mouth to steady himself.
"Master Green, you're amazing. This is nothing like being in jail; it's completely comparable to a noble's hotel."
While marveling, Otto kept eating. He hadn't eaten so satisfyingly in a long time.
The reason for this current situation was that the prison Guards firmly believed Grin was a member of some royal candidate's faction.
As for his crimes: First, lacking identification.
Thinking carefully, this was very likely because he was on some secret mission and couldn't reveal his identity. He could just get an ID issued later.
Second, inciting residents and causing panic. Actually, it was just scaring quite a few children. Of course, Grin had caused so much panic that quantity had transformed into quality, starting to endanger the stability of the district.
Even if sentenced to the maximum for these crimes, it would only be expulsion from the capital and labor reform at the border.
These kingdom Guards considered themselves mere small fry.
And a royal candidate supporter—if their candidate succeeded and ascended the throne—would immediately become a close aide to the emperor. They really didn't dare offend him.
"Following your big brother Grin, could I possibly let you down? *Munch munch*~"
Grin was putting on a big show, but his mouth wasn't idle either; he had actually been quite hungry for a while.
"Sniff... Alright, Master Green. I'm really blessed by your fortune, *munch munch*."
Otto expressed his gratitude profusely, picked up a plate of pastries, and started devouring them.
A nearby Guard watched in amazement, muttering softly:
"They're completely two pigs!"
"Pig? Where's the pig? If there's pig, bring it up! Serve my brother Otto some hearty dishes! Listen, Otto, back in the day, your brother here could be said to devour mountains and rivers. A whole pig? I'd polish it off in three mouthfuls!"
Grin was drunk and didn't hear clearly, unaware someone had insulted them.
"Keep your voices down, you idiots!"
"Captain, how long are we keeping them? With this appetite, if we lock them up for a month, we'll all starve to death."
"Shut up! I've already reported it. It won't be much longer!"
...[Mini Theater]
*Knock knock knock* (Sound of knocking)
Old Man Rom: To deal with a big rat
Reinhard: Use poison
Old Man Rom: To deal with the White Whale
Reinhard: Use a fishhook
Old Man Rom: To deal with our esteemed dragon
Reinhard:...Go eat... go eat, go eat some kind of filthy substance (A flash of inspiration!)
Old Man Rom opened the door and shouted: It's 'go eat sh*t'! Damn it, don't mess with my passphrase!