They don't want me to try anymore.

“I… am indeed a Connaught, but that was six or seven years ago…”

David sighed and said, “I used to be a hunter in the Connaught Woods, but then the whole forest was contracted out to Standard Fruit, you’ve heard of them, right? I had no other choice but to join the company and become a ranger…”

“My job mainly involves protecting banana groves, and the income is decent, so I was quite happy at first… But later, my superiors ordered me to deal with troublesome farmers…”

Richard narrowed his eyes.

“Those farmers used to be my neighbors! They were forced to pick bananas after their fields were taken away because they didn't know how to use a musket. They caused trouble because they injured their hands and feet while cutting banana trees and couldn't walk, yet they were…”

David then recounted in detail the injustices his neighbors had suffered and how he had defended them, which resulted in a conflict with the overseers, ultimately leading him to emulate Ruth Bader's actions.

"...I had no choice but to run away. I originally wanted to go to the Divine Grace Islands, but the Standard Fruit's thugs were keeping a close watch on the port, so I couldn't get out. Instead, I ran to the Imperial interior...and that's how I ended up here."

David gave a wry smile, but then a softening look appeared in his eyes:

"The mountain people of Abarania are also on the fringes of the empire. I've been hiding here quite well, like a fish in water. I've lived here for six years now, and I even have a wife... Although I still sometimes think about my hometown..."

As they were talking, a woman came out of the house. She was rough and clumsy, and seemed a little timid when she looked at Richard and the others, but she was carrying a pot of oily onion soup that smelled very good.

Richard nodded slightly, feeling quite moved.

What David did sounds simple, but upon closer inspection, none of it was simple at all!

After the conflict broke out, he escaped the plantation while being pursued by the Standard Fruits, and then fled to the interior of the empire thousands of miles away. As an outsider, he settled in the xenophobic Abarania and even rose to a high position, becoming a minor leader among the bandits...

You're ruthless too!

And it's a fart in bed—you can smell it and cover it up!

To be honest, Richard was somewhat appreciative of David's talent at this moment, especially since David was legally his subject.

He roused himself and continued to probe for information.

Einstein once said that once a person can't hold it in anymore, they can't hold it in anymore... Anyway, David continued to say more and more.

Especially after taking a couple of sips of strong liquor, he almost revealed his connection with the bandits.

At the table, Zoe and Katyusha both looked somewhat wary.

Richard gestured to them with his eyes, signaling them not to act rashly and to continue listening.

David continued speaking...

Suddenly, the insults turned to Richard!

"The magistrates of dog shit, the royal family of dog shit, and the standard fruit are in cahoots..."

Well, Richard's expression turned sour now.

He could only be certain that his father, Henry II, had always been at odds with the standard fruit, otherwise his own palace wouldn't be less luxurious than the embassy in the empire.

However, he dared not speak confidently about the relationship between the judges, inspectors, and administrators at all levels outside the palace and the standard fruit.

...especially considering that nearly a third of Connaught's prime land is occupied by standard fruit, making the company practically a local tyrant.

From this perspective, he and the mountain people actually have quite a lot in common.

Katyusha couldn't hold back any longer when David's words became increasingly offensive.

"You are not allowed to insult His Highness..."

Halfway through her call, the maid suddenly stopped, glanced at Richard who remained motionless, realized she might have ruined her master's question, blushed, lowered her head, and sat back down.

But that reaction was enough for David.

More specifically, Richard's accent, Richard's questioning about Connaught, and that inexplicable sense of intimidation all led him to subconsciously make a guess, which was finally confirmed by Katyusha's words.

He stopped speaking, staring at Richard's face, and memories from many years ago surfaced in his mind—Connaught was so small that ordinary citizens also had the opportunity to see the prince.

"You...you wouldn't happen to be...Targians?"

"it's me."

Richard said calmly.

David paused for two seconds, momentarily wanting to kneel down, but then his face flushed red, and he did the exact opposite.

He stood up and glared at Richard.

"I am no longer your subject... Yes, you abandoned me... As our future king, have you done what you were supposed to do? Incompetent! You..."

After cursing a few times, a cool breeze blew through the dilapidated house. He caught a glimpse of his wife's worried face at the door, which sobered him up a bit, and he immediately felt a sense of dread.

He was no longer a Connaught, but he was still a commoner, while the man before him, though not an Imperial, was still a nobleman, and he had insulted him to his face…

"My lord, that's not what I meant. Everyone knows you can't do anything about it, and the empire is just as bad..."

"Don't be nervous."

Richard smiled and shook his head: "I'm very grateful to you."

"Uh?"

“You’re right. As the royal family of Connaught, we have indeed failed in our responsibilities. I apologize to you.”

This is the truth.

While in Connaught, Richard had heard many of the Standard Fruit’s atrocities, but as a prince raised in the palace, he was focused on learning magic and never met the victims directly.

This made him start to reflect: he was determined to save his hometown, but did he really understand it? Had he really investigated the suffering compatriots?

At this moment, he felt a mix of emotions, and the joy of defeating Linda in the duel not long ago had faded considerably.

It's just a minor squabble between students, nothing serious at all...

To defeat the empire, he needs to do more and do it better!

The nobility in this world did not practice self-reproach edicts, so David was completely stunned when Richard suddenly said such a thing.

Let alone a prince, even the scarred bandit leader he knew before would rarely admit to doing something wrong; he would only push the blame onto his subordinates.

He wasn't moved, only terrified, thinking Richard was being sarcastic.

"What...what makes you say that? I'm not worth your attitude."

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not. Although our positions are unequal, our personalities are equal. You don't need to be so afraid."

After Richard finished speaking, he realized that some things couldn't be changed in just a few words, so he stopped trying to comfort him and simply said in a deep voice:

"David, what's your last name?"

"I don't have a surname..."

“…Then I’ll call you David.”

Richard stood up, and the midday sun shone through the window, casting a golden veil over his face.

"As the future King of Connaught, I make you a king's promise: one day, I will eliminate the Standard Fruit and allow you to return freely to your homeland!"

…………

……

I found a picture that looks a bit like Alice in Wonderland~

…………

This chapter has been edited, and some parts may not match up. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Nun was very curious

David doesn't understand equality.

But he often heard the king's promise from the bards.

This time, he was genuinely moved.

He stood up, wanting to kneel, and was about to confess about being a bandit again... but at the last moment, he stopped himself.

"No need to kneel."

Richard narrowed his eyes, knowing that the man in front of him hadn't really let his guard down just because of his imposing figure. So he pulled the man up and patted him on the shoulder: "Just remember this promise."

"I……"

"If you want to express your gratitude, please show us around the village."

Richard stretched and said, "I'm full, I want to take a walk and also tell everyone in the village that we're not gophers, so please stop throwing stones at us."

"Okay, please follow me!"

David immediately transformed into a "collaborator".

This time, the villagers' eyes softened considerably.

Richard was also able to observe the village's conditions more clearly: the fields, cattle, sheep, farm tools... Compared to the villages he had seen on his way to Saint Goethe, the conditions here could hardly be described as thriving; at the very least, they were extremely poor.

Most of the villagers were thin and hunched over, clearly exhausted and malnourished, and possibly suffering from parasitic diseases. Their hands were covered with dark stains that could never be washed off.

Their clothes were tattered and old, and their houses were simple and probably drafty.

Richard remarked, "Is Professor Arnold's hometown probably similar to this place?"

After saying that, he simply rolled up his sleeves and helped an old man whose cart was stuck in the mud to push it out, leaving the villagers somewhat at a loss.