I Was Reincarnated as a Villain Prince’s Follower, but I Refuse to Be Ruined—Turns Out the Prince Is Surprisingly Competent - Chapter 11

After fully enjoying the hot springs, Rufus and his group stayed overnight at the resort and sent a fast horse to the Governor in Teuton. However, that was just a distraction. Rufus revealed his true objective only to the Imperial Knights in strict confidence. Since the group included the Governor’s private soldiers acting as guides and monitors, they had to move in total secrecy to avoid being discovered.

Following the plan Rufus created, they swapped clothes with the knights and slipped out of their rooms to travel by horseback. In their place, knights with similar builds and hair colors acted as body doubles, while the Governor’s unsuspecting soldiers stood guard over the decoys.

(This is just like a spy movie!)

They left the inn after evening passed and arrived near their destination just as a beautiful full moon rose into the sky.

“This is a good sign,” Rufus murmured as they rode along the mountain path.

“What is?”

“The Governor claimed the mountain paths weren’t developed, but this is a wide, open road. It’s clearly wide enough for transport wagons to pass through easily.”

“Which means…”

“Without a doubt, there is something here.”

As they galloped, Jeremy couldn’t suppress his inner excitement. As they reached the area Rufus had targeted, they sensed the heat of people and heard the sound of voices. At Rufus’s signal, everyone dismounted and moved toward the sounds, staying low. Soon, they saw the glow of bonfires. Dozens of laborers were working there, with armed soldiers standing guard.

“…It’s a gold mine.”

Rufus nodded as he looked at the contents of the mine carts being hauled out.

“It seems your intuition was right. Veteran workers have been gathered here… and considering the sheer number of people, the reserves must be significant.”

“What should we do? Should we head back now and confront the Governor?”

“No, we need evidence to block his escape routes. If he catches wind of this and blows up the mine to destroy the evidence, it’s over.”

“Would he go that far?”

“When your head is on the line, you don’t care about appearances.”

“Even if we need evidence, taking gold back won’t prove much on its own.”

“That’s why we’re going to seize this place.”

“That’s reckless! We’re completely outnumbered.”

“They are just a Governor’s private soldiers. We may be few, but we are an elite force. We can handle them.”

It was a bold move—unusually so for the normally calm Rufus. For a moment, Jeremy felt a flash of the “villain prince” from the original story who tried to take Chris by force.

“Your Highness—”

“Jeremy. You stay here.”

“You’re going too!?”

“Yes!”

Leading the knights, Rufus leaped into the light.

“Everyone, stop working! We know this is a hidden mine! This is a clear act of treason against the Kingdom! If you don’t resist, we will be fair! If you understand, drop your weapons and kneel!” Rufus shouted.

The scene fell into a moment of confusion, but the soldiers—likely unable to imagine that Rufus was royalty—attacked. Rufus and his men drew their swords and fought back. Rufus began knocking down his attackers one by one.

(Amazing…)

He moved with incredible speed. Rufus didn’t flinch before the private soldiers; he parried their blades and landed a powerful kick to one man’s stomach. Although they were outnumbered, he wasn’t bothered by the disadvantage. However, as Rufus was occupied with one opponent, another man lunged at him from a blind spot. Rufus dodged the thrust, but the sudden movement caused him to lose his balance.

His sword slipped from his hand. The guard knights noticed Rufus’s struggle and tried to help, but they weren’t going to make it in time. Another soldier climbed on top of Rufus and raised his sword high.

“Your Highness! —O Wind, Rend!”

Jeremy thrust his hands out and screamed. In this world, magic is cast using spells that match one’s attribute. Jeremy is a user of wind magic. As a reincarnated person, he wasn’t sure if he could actually use it, but there was no time to hesitate. A green whirlwind condensed between his hands and shot forward. It moved with terrifying speed; before he could even blink, it blasted the soldier off of Rufus.

“M-Magic!”

Magic is a privilege of the nobility. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say that those strong enough to use magic gained privileges and were eventually called nobles.

“Gale, Howl!”

Feeling a rush from defeating enemies with magic, Jeremy chanted again, sweeping away the soldiers fighting the knights. However, he immediately felt a wave of dizziness.

(Oh no… is this ‘magical exhaustion’? I have so little mana!)

Struggling against the vertigo, Jeremy faced the cowering soldiers and raised his voice.

“Everyone, drop your swords and stop resisting! If you continue, I’ll kill you all with wind magic…!!”

The private soldiers let out high-pitched cries of terror and dropped their swords one by one. Jeremy rushed over to Rufus.

“Your Highness! Are you hurt!?”

“…How pathetic of me,” Rufus said with a self-mocking laugh.

“Are you injured!?”

“No, I’m safe thanks to you. Thank you.”

“Thank goodness…”

Jeremy took Rufus’s hands and helped him up. Part of the reason Rufus was called a disgrace to the royal family wasn’t just his birth, but the fact that he couldn’t use magic despite being a royal. The knights quickly bound the private soldiers. Rufus brushed the dust off his clothes and turned his gaze toward the terrified miners.

“W-we were just working as Count Curel told us! We didn’t know anything! Treason against the King is…”

“I know. What I want from you is your testimony that you worked here. If you provide that, you won’t be held responsible.”

Rufus ordered some of his knights to request aid from nearby lords and told others to send a fast horse to the royal capital. Late that night, with the help of the neighboring nobles, they arrested the Governor and his associates. Now that the hidden mine had been seized, the Governor had no way to talk his way out of it.