The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

The old fisherman navigated his boat, riding the tidal currents.

Unable to use his sail due to the wind blowing from land at night, he rowed with wrinkled arms to steer.

If it were a slightly larger boat, he would have used a rudder, but the old man’s boat was too small to attach one.

“Ngh, this is straining.”

Although it seemed he could just read the lighthouse and set his direction while the currents pushed the boat, there were many reefs in the sea around here that required constant course adjustments.

Only one who could read the dark, unseen sea could return to port.

In the dark night, the old fisherman turned his back to the countless stars embroidered in the sky and continued rowing, relying on the faint lighthouse and his meager lantern.

In the old fisherman’s boat, a tank smaller than his frame contained just three or four fish.

It was by no means a long voyage, but too small a number to make a living.

Any other fisherman would have filled the empty boat with sighs of lament.

But the dusty net placed at the back of the boat proved his disinterest in fishing.

The old fisherman looked up at the moon. He smiled bitterly, finding the faint, thin crescent resembling his own circumstances.

“Should I just give up?”

The old fisherman muttered, but he knew better than anyone that when the sun began setting tomorrow, he would take his lantern and head to the port again.

Arriving at the dock, the old man lowered his anchor and tied the bow to the mooring post with rope.

As he disembarked with his small tank and fishing rod, a middle-aged fisherman spotted and greeted him.

“You’re here?”

“Aye, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

At the old fisherman’s question, the middle-aged man pointed to a tavern in a corner of the port.

“Some peddler fellow says he’ll buy the most expensive drink for whoever tells the most interesting story! Ya know, the one the owner brings in from Ziliville, mixed with that sugar syrup!”

“That damnably expensive drink?”

As the old man showed interest, the middle-aged fisherman nodded.

“Right! The drink the owner bastard always says bums like us will never get a sip of!”

Of course, he knew it was a joke. Being close, cursing without reserve was a daily occurrence.

But it was certainly not a drink to put to one’s lips on an ordinary day.

“An interesting story, eh? Then I can’t miss out.”

In his youth, the old fisherman had been a match for any minstrel.

“Plus, I hear that peddler’s taken an interest in the mermaid legend!”

“Is that so? Seeing you blabber on to me, your intentions are plain as day.”

“Ahem!”

At the old man’s words, the middle-aged fellow avoided his gaze with a fake cough.

“Er, if you get a drink, could you spare me a sip?”

Seeing the scruffy man he had known since diaper days pleading, the old fisherman laughed.

“Aye, I’ll give it a go.”

With that, he headed to the tavern he occasionally visited when he craved a drink.

Inside were not only fishermen, but idlers who practically lived at the tavern, lining up craving the expensive liquor.

Some told of mermaid legends, while others simply shared amusing anecdotes.

Although the peddler was interested in mermaid legends, he had asked for entertaining stories, so it was no problem.

At the very front of the line, a blond youth with a fragile, young face listened to the stories with an arrogant expression and judged them.

“Puhahaha! That’s funny. But a bit crude. Barkeep, give him a mug of beer for effort.”

At the peddler’s words, the tavern owner poured beer into a mug and handed it to the man who had just finished his story.

It wasn’t the most expensive drink, but the youth was essentially buying a round for everyone in the tavern.

“Blech! You don’t really mean that was entertaining, do you? Barkeep, give this fellow a cup of seawater to sober up.”

No, it seemed he wasn’t buying for everyone after all.

At the peddler’s reaction, the fishermen in the tavern roared with laughter and jeered at the untalented storyteller.

Ignoring the line, the old fisherman approached the peddler and spoke.

“If it’s the mermaid legend, I know it better than anyone else in this city. Get ready to treat this old codger to a drink.”

The old fisherman grinned confidently.

At the old man’s appearance, the fishermen clicked their tongues, giving up on getting the expensive drink.

Intoxicated by the sweetness of sugar syrup I hadn’t tasted in a while, I laughed at their reactions.

“You’re quite confident. Judging from the reactions, you must be quite the storyteller?”

“Indeed. Ahem! But my throat’s a bit scratchy to begin a tale. Perhaps from facing the sea breeze until just now?”

Glancing slyly at an empty beer mug on a nearby table, the old man hinted at me.

I applauded his self-assured attitude.

“Hahaha! I concede! I’ll treat you to a drink before you begin, good sir. Barkeep, a mug of beer please!”

“Another drink over here~!”

As his sales rose thanks to me, the tavern owner hummed merrily as he handed the old man his mug.

Receiving the mug, the old man downed the beer in one go, defying his age.

As the sizable mug swiftly emptied, the surrounding fishermen cheered.

“Old Agni! He ain’t dead yet!”

“Looking good, old-timer!”

The old man called Agni held up his empty mug upside-down, flaunting his vigor.

Come to think of it, the dried fish merchant who told me to ask the fishermen had said Agni was the oldest among them.

That elderly fisherman seemed to be this old man.

“Ahem! Now that my throat’s wet, before I begin the story, I should sing a tune.”

Agni lightly tapped the table with his mug, creating a rhythm.

Rippling waves, surging spirit

Who dares block a man’s path?

The weaver girl next door

The pretty lass at the flower shop

Never will I look back

So unfurl your sails, men of the sea

Heave-ho, heave-ho, row onward

Yo-ho, yo-ho, over the waves

Fish in the net, fish in the well

Who dares block the overflowing sea road?

Fierce storms, waves drenching the deck

Toothless, one-legged evil spirits of the deep

Nothing frightens me

So take the helm, men of the sea

Heave-ho, heave-ho, ride the gale

Yo-ho, yo-ho, forge ahead

Precia and I applauded the song, sung in a voice too clear to believe came from an old man.

And his ensuing tales of voyages with colleagues in his youth were at times funny, at times sweat-inducing.

In the midst of his stories, Agni skillfully paused to cough, and each time I ordered and offered him beer.

Downing the beer, intoxicated with excitement, he sang again and continued on with stories of past generations and legends.

And eventually, as he unfolded the mermaid legend, it even felt as if he were recounting his own experiences.

“So, how entertaining was this old man’s story?”

At the old fisherman’s question, I readily nodded.

“No one told a more engaging story than you, good sir. Are you sure you’re not more suited to being a minstrel than a fisherman?”

He cackled at my half-joking remark.

“Ahahaha! Not at all. If you saw me sailing, you’d swallow those words. That’s why even at this age I go out to sea in my boat.”

“That’s impressive.”

I sincerely thought so.

Even young people would struggle with modern deep-sea fishing boats.

Let alone engaging in fishing on a wooden sailboat.

Unless you could use magic or cultivated the path like a knight, it was impossible for an ordinary person.

But I sensed no extraordinary power from the old man.

“I’d like to treat you to that expensive drink right away, but there’s one thing that bothers me.”

“What is it?”

At Agni’s question, I rested my chin on the back of my hand as if it were nothing.

“The content of the mermaid legend didn’t differ much from what others have told me. Of course, your song and eloquence alone were plenty entertaining, but I was hoping for even slightly different information, so it’s a bit disappointing.”

“No, I understand. No matter how fun a story is, the more you hear it, the less interesting it becomes.”

Lost in thought for a moment, he sighed with a hint of resignation.

“Actually, that mermaid legend isn’t a very old story. Ah, I suppose to a young man like you it may feel old. Even those islands now called the Whirlpool Archipelago were known as the White Wave Archipelago when I was young. The sight of rough, swirling currents colliding with the islands, shattering the waves white.”

I smiled at his words.

I had searched properly.

I had wanted to hear the mermaid legend from more people to see if there was a hidden story, but it seemed I didn’t need to look any further.

“It appears the owner of the prize I offered has appeared.”

“As expected of Old Agni. I’ll make it with the utmost care.”

The tavern owner deftly mixed a cocktail and handed it to Agni.

The old fisherman received the glass and savored it.

“It’s certainly delicious. Seems well worth the high price. I remember your father scolding you, saying you were full of hot air and doing useless things, but you’ve become able to make a fine drink. Well done.”

Acknowledged by Agni, the tavern owner turned his head shyly and sniffled.

“I’d like to tell my damned father that. Well, seeing as it doesn’t sell, I suppose he was right.”

“It’s too good a flavor to drink alone. Have a sip, all of you.”

Agni passed the glass to the young fishermen, and as they took turns drinking the expensive liquor, they bickered over who drank more or less.

“The old-timer must be well-liked, huh?”

The tavern owner nodded at my question.

“There’s not a fisherman in this city who hasn’t been helped by the old man, so of course he’s popular. Even I was aided by him in running away from home as a child.”

Wait, running away?

As I made a flustered expression, the tavern owner snickered.

I placed three 1000 ducat silver coins on the bar as payment for the drinks I had ordered so far.

I had essentially spent about 1 million won on drinks.

“Give him a drink on me with the leftover money when he wants one.”

“…No, you’re about 230 ducats short. The drinks you bought were expensive. Plus, you ordered a lot of beer.”

Embarrassed by his words, I added another silver coin.

I should check the price tag before ordering from now on.

Well, I still had plenty of the allowance I received from the king before leaving the palace, so it didn’t matter.

“Is it enough now?”

“Oh my! Of course! That’ll cover about three months’ worth of beer for the old man, since he doesn’t come by daily like the others. I won’t pocket his money like I would for someone else, so don’t worry.”

He would have gulped it down without a second thought if it were for anyone else.

I stood up from my seat and approached the old fisherman, who was watching contentedly as the fishermen passed around the glass.

“Mr. Agni, if you don’t mind, there’s a favor I’d like to ask…”

As I spoke to him, suddenly a gust of wind blew and Navi landed on my shoulder.

Damn it, it was a message from Gilbert, whom I had instructed to send one if anything happened.

It seemed he had caused some kind of incident.

“There’s a favor I’d like to ask, but it’s late today, so I’d like to see you tomorrow. Is that alright with you?”

“A favor? For me? Well, I’m an old man with time to spare, so that’s fine, but I do like to sleep in, so I’d prefer to avoid the morning.”

“Then I’ll treat you to lunch. Is it alright if we meet in front of this establishment?”

Agni laughed as if he found my suggestion amusing.

“If you’re treating me to lunch, I know a tasty place in town rather than here. Though it is expensive.”

“Then let’s meet at the central plaza. The place with the whale sculpture fountain.”

He nodded, agreeing it was a good idea, and I took Precia and ran, following Navi’s lead.

If he had caused an incident, I hoped it was within a manageable scope.