Abduction And Deaths In An Accident

“Ah, I can’t see it anymore.”

Armin, who had been watching the warship moving northwest for a while, stared blankly at the sea with a disappointed expression. Seeing him like that, Ian somehow felt a hint of fanboying. Could it be that when he went home, he collected miniature models of warships or something?

‘Is that even possible in this era?’

Ian, tilting his head as if he didn’t know, soon realized it was time to go back and spoke to Armin.

“Let’s go our separate ways now.”

“Aren’t you stopping by anywhere today?”

“Well. There’s nothing in particular I need to buy today.”

Since he received a sufficient allowance every month as “royal dignity maintenance expenses,” he occasionally visited shops when he needed something, but today he didn’t feel like it.

“Just go home today. I’ll return to the royal palace.”

“Okay.”

The way he spoke with a hint of disappointment made it seem like he didn’t want to go home quickly. Ian, seemingly uninterested, walked towards the waiting automobile. For reference, two vehicles were waiting. One was the car of Baron Glang’s family, Armin’s family, and the other was his own.

Basically, each car had two people: a driver and a bodyguard. For reference, the person assigned to me was a royal guard, a bodyguard specifically assigned to me. Of course, we weren’t particularly close. It was more of a relationship where they provided security when I went out.

‘It does look a bit shabby though. I’m a prince, yet I only have one bodyguard, just like that Armin.’

Frankly speaking, the other princes and princesses had at least three or more bodyguards.
They were all children of concubines with high-ranking families as their maternal relatives. Of course, his own mother came from a count’s family, but it wasn’t a very powerful family, so it didn’t provide much help.

“Please get in.”

With the driver opening the door, he was able to board the car with the royal crest. As he got in, he saw Armin waving at him through the window. Ian nodded lightly in response, and in that moment, the car, with the driver and bodyguard already inside, started moving.

Vroom-

Being in the early stages of automobile development, the car was just a fairly boxy shape. The power to move on its thin four wheels wasn’t very strong or fast. It was quite bumpy, but it still had the advantage of being much more comfortable than a horse-drawn carriage.

The car had departed, and amidst this, he could see the cityscape still filled with smog and dirty garbage on the roadside. Still, being the capital and a relatively developed city, there were a few tall buildings. There were also electric streetcars running along the streets.

‘Is it a relief that we’re not a weak nation?’

Looking at the history of Korea on Earth, there was a nation called Joseon, and that country maintained a backward civilization compared to other developed nations. Because of that, it suffered many foreign invasions and eventually fell into colonialism. In comparison, being born as a prince of a relatively strong nation, I thought I was born into a good situation.

‘Still, being born in an island nation is a bit unsettling.’

Strangely, maybe it was because he was born Korean, but he didn’t have a very favorable impression of Japan. Of course, it’s not like he harbored intense animosity. It’s more like he felt a sense of unease and absolutely couldn’t stand to see them doing well. Of course, despite that, he did quite like Japanese culture and animation.

‘This country itself seems similar to Japan.’

Being an island nation was similar, and it was also a relatively developed country. Its naval power was also quite strong, inevitably reminding me of the Japanese Empire.

‘Still, is it fortunate that there’s no peninsula nearby?’

In a way, it had to be said it was unfortunate. Continuing north from the island, the Doicheun Empire, encompassing the entire southwestern part of the continent, was located. In a way, we had to worry about the empire’s invasion. There was no need to worry about this country invading others.

‘Still, they managed to create colonies in the New World.’

They were colonizing a place where indigenous people with considerably backward civilizations lived. Of course, it wasn’t like there was nothing there. They had been building various infrastructures, such as laying railroads to plunder the colonies.

Even the armies of several kingdoms were stationed there, and he heard that even a small-scale fleet was deployed.

‘This is all content I learned in class.’

Although the lessons were boring enough to make me yawn, he remembered quite a bit of the content that he needed to know. In a way, his current school life was a time to absorb knowledge that would allow me to properly understand this world.

‘But, where are we going now? This doesn’t seem to be the way to the royal palace?’

Lost in thought for a moment, I realized that the scenery outside the window wasn’t the usual road I saw. I couldn’t possibly not know the road I had been traveling on since I was 8 to 10 years old. I glanced briefly at the driver and the bodyguard in the front.

‘The atmosphere is strange, like they have another purpose… Could it be assassination? Kidnapping?’

Having the status of a prince, there could be threats of assassination. Of course, as the ninth prince, I was far from the line of succession, but it could still be someone’s plan to eliminate competitors in advance. However, the more likely possibility right now was kidnapping.

‘Come to think of it, those two seem to stick together and talk a lot lately.’

Over the past few years, the driver and bodyguard had changed frequently. In the meantime, the driver and bodyguard who were assigned half a year ago were often seen hanging out and talking. I just thought they had become friends, but maybe they were plotting together to kidnap me or something.

‘Maybe I’m thinking too negatively. Isn’t it possible that the road just branches off in a different direction?’

While having these rational thoughts, I didn’t feel particularly nervous or worried. I believed in the supernatural power I possessed. I also had the confidence that I could get out of any situation. I had already regained 70% of the supernatural abilities I had in my previous life.

Frankly, I was confident that with this level of power, I wouldn’t be easily defeated or killed anywhere. Anyway, thinking I should at least ask, I opened my mouth.

“Where are we going now? This doesn’t seem to be the way to the royal palace?”

It was directly said, and at Ian’s words, the bodyguard, who had been looking away, suddenly turned his head, his expression different from usual. In an instant, the muzzle of a pistol he had taken out from his chest was pointed at Ian’s chest. He then said with a sinister smile.

“It would be nice if you just stayed still, Prince. Let’s make this easy for each other.”

“This… is this a kidnapping?”

“Hehehe, that’s right. It’s a kidnapping. If you don’t want to die, you better not do anything foolish.”

“…You won’t get away with this unscathed, you know? Are you perhaps thinking of demanding money from the King?”

“Do I look like I’m crazy enough to do that? He’d probably be furious that I threatened him and try to kill both you and me. I’m thinking of demanding money from your maternal family, the Prince’s mother’s side. They’d at least pay the ransom.”

He seemed to know the reality of the situation quite well. Indeed, the King wouldn’t care about someone like him and would have been enraged by the very act of being threatened, ordering to wipe everything out without regard for Ian’s life.

“Were you two in cahoots?”

“Hehehe, what’s the point of saying? But, aren’t you scared in this situation?”

“Why should I be scared?”

“You really are a creepy prince. I’ve been watching you, and you’re quite strange.”

“I agree. I’m strange myself.”

“Pahahaha! You’re really something. Do you think I won’t kill you?”

“Yeah, you won’t. You need to kidnap me and threaten my mother’s family to get money, right?”

The man found it bizarre that Ian remained so calm even as the kidnapping was underway. Feeling somewhat like he was being played, the man raised the gun further and said.

“That’s right. I need to get the money. But why do I feel so unpleasant?”

“Hmm. Why could that be?”

“That’s right. I don’t like your tone. A kid should be scared like a kid, but I don’t like that knowing look and tone of yours.”

“Hey, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

The man who was driving said in a restraining tone, and the man holding the gun nodded as if he understood.

“I know, it’s bad to leave wounds unnecessarily. But this kid keeps getting on my nerves.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

At Ian’s words, the man thought he was still annoying. He then pointed the gun directly at Ian’s forehead and growled.

“Hey, Prince. What do you think would happen if you got a bullet in the forehead and died right here? Your mother would probably cry and make a fuss seeing your dead body, right? Aren’t you scared now?”

“……”

“Looks like you’re finally a bit scared? Hehehe.”

The man showed a satisfied reaction, and Ian said to him.

“I’m not scared, I’m just thinking about how best to deal with you guys. Looks like this won’t work. An accidental death would be better than a kidnapping.”

“What? What nonsense are you talking about! Are you kidding me!”

“Well, it’s something like this.”

Vroom-!

Suddenly, the speedometer went up. Along with that, the car started to speed up even more. In this situation, the driver was flustered and tried to stop, but even when he pressed the pedal, the car didn’t stop. Even the steering wheel was locked and wouldn’t budge. Although its performance wasn’t great and it wasn’t fast, hitting something at top speed would still be fatal.

“Hey, why are you suddenly doing this! Slow down!”

“Ah, no, the car won’t stop! The steering wheel isn’t turning either! Eeeek!”

“What?!”

He was straining with all his might, but the steering wheel wouldn’t turn at all. It was inevitable. Ian’s psychokinesis was blocking it. It was even pressing down on the pedal, causing the speed to continue to increase. Even if it wasn’t a satisfactory speed, the impact would still be quite significant.

‘The front windshield was just a single piece of glass, right?’

He knew well that if it broke, sharp fragments would scatter everywhere. At this moment, the bodyguard was also trying to turn the steering wheel, but it wasn’t turning at all, and a smile crept up Ian’s lips at the sight.

Seeing this, the bodyguard didn’t know what was going on, but he had a feeling that the prince in front of him had done something.

“You, it’s your doing, isn’t it!”

“Yeah, that’s right. I did it.”

“Eeeek! Put it back to normal right now!”

“No, I don’t want to. I think it’s better if there’s an accident. At least it won’t be a kidnapping case then.”

He judged that an accident would be better (?) for his mother than a kidnapping. The bodyguard was confused by Ian’s behavior, but he felt that if he didn’t kill the prince immediately, he would be killed. He pointed the gun at the prince again and tried to pull the trigger. But the trigger wouldn’t move at all, as if something was blocking it.

“The trigger won’t be pulled. I’m stopping you from shooting.”

“You, what the hell are you?!”

“I’m not telling you. Well then, goodbye.”

Along with these words, the driver screamed, “Aaaah!” A building wall visible through the front windshield was rapidly approaching. The car was charging straight towards the building. At this sight, the bodyguard also had to scream.

In an instant, the car crashed into the building with a bang! Crash! The front windshield shattered, and countless fragments rushed inside. Among those fragments, several seemed to move on their own and flew straight towards the driver and bodyguard sitting in front.

Thud! Thud! Glass shards pierced their necks and eyeballs, and with that, death came to their bodies, which were already shaking from the impact. In this situation, Ian was just sitting in his seat as if stuck there, amidst the violently shaking car.

At this moment, the large glass fragments that flew towards Ian hit only the surroundings, as if avoiding him. Meanwhile, the small fragments flew directly into Ian’s body and embedded themselves. He had deliberately allowed it. He had to leave traces of being in an accident, at least.

‘I should be able to explain that I survived by luck, right? Should I make a few scratches?’

With this thought, small fragments created only thin lines on places like his hands and neck. Of course, nothing approached any dangerous areas. It was truly the power of precise psychokinesis.

The collided car came to a stop, and all that remained was a car with its front completely smashed. Both the driver and the bodyguard were already dead. Perhaps they would have died even if the glass fragments hadn’t been deliberately embedded, but it was also an action done with the intention to kill them for sure.

Buzzing, buzzing…!

People were gathering around before he knew it. They had gathered because of the accident. Meanwhile, seeing the royal crest on the car, people finally realized it was a vehicle belonging to the royal family. In this situation, Ian simply pretended to be unconscious and remained still.

Several people carried out rescue efforts, and amidst this, a reporter who happened to be passing by discovered this scene and captured the accident with his camera. Ian was taken to the hospital, and the next day, the news of the ninth prince’s accident was reported in the newspaper.

Being an accident involving a member of the royal family, it garnered quite a bit of attention, but since he was the ninth prince, far from the line of succession, this attention was bound to fade quickly over time.

There was also brief news about the deaths of the driver and the bodyguard. Of course, no one paid any attention to it.