I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 40: Baron

Just as Eric placed his hand back on Alina’s shoulder, ready for the teleport, she looked at him with wide, worried eyes.

"Wait!" she said again, looking around the empty clearing as if expecting someone else to appear. "Are you coming alone? Just you? Where are your Royal Guards?"

Hearing her question, Eric paused. She had a point. He was a Prince, even if people thought he was useless. Going alone to confront a potentially corrupt and dangerous Baron seemed... well, a little foolish. Shouldn’t he bring backup? He remembered Roald, his trainer, mentioning that he and other guards were busy with the King’s special investigation.

Eric frowned, realizing the likely truth. ’Roald said Father sent him on a special mission,’ he thought. ’And the System said Father and my brothers are busy investigating all the nobles...’ He pieced it together.

The palace was likely short-staffed when it came to guards available for escort duty right now. Most of the Royal Army and the best guards were probably spread out across the kingdom, busy with the King’s crackdown.

He looked back at Alina, feeling a bit unsure but trying not to show it. "Uh," he mumbled quietly, almost to himself, "I think... everyone else is probably busy right now. They... they can’t come with me."

Alina stared at him, clearly not understanding. "What are you talking about?" she asked, sounding confused and a little scared. "Busy? Too busy to protect a Prince going into danger?"

Eric straightened up, pushing his own doubts aside. He had made a promise. He had decided to do this himself. "No," he said more firmly, meeting her gaze. "It’s fine. Just the two of us will go."

Alina looked shocked, her mouth opening slightly as if to argue further. But before she could say anything more, Eric put his hand firmly back on her shoulder. "Let’s go," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument this time. "I won’t ask again."

Alina looked at his determined face, then seemed to realize she didn’t have much choice. She was stuck with him, the ’useless’ Prince who had somehow cut down a tree with a wooden sword and reset her powers.

She made a face, clearly unhappy and very nervous about the situation, but she didn’t argue further. "Fine!" she snapped, glaring at him. "But if something happens, you have to save my family, understand?"

Without waiting for his reply, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, concentrating hard. Eric felt a strange pulling sensation, like the air around them was twisting and warping. There was a brief flash of disorienting light, and then... nothing. The quiet garden clearing vanished.

Scene Shift: Crestport City Area - Alleyway

With a soft pop sound and another brief flash of light, Eric and Alina appeared suddenly in the middle of a narrow, dirty alleyway somewhere else entirely.

The transition wasn’t smooth. Eric felt his stomach lurch, and the world seemed to spin violently for a second. He stumbled forward, feeling dizzy and nauseous, and had to put both hands down on the grimy cobblestones to keep himself from falling over.

"Ugh... what was that?" he groaned, blinking hard, trying to clear his head. The teleportation felt rough, much rougher than he had imagined.

Alina swayed beside him, looking pale and equally dizzy. "That’s... the side effect," she mumbled, leaning against the alley wall for support. "It’s always like this. I can’t really... control the landing."

Eric took a few deep breaths, pushing himself back up to a standing position, though his legs still felt a bit wobbly. He looked around the unfamiliar alleyway. It smelled like garbage and damp stone. Buildings pressed in close on either side. "Okay," he said, shaking his head slightly to clear the last of the dizziness. "So... where are we?"

Alina also straightened up, looking around with more familiarity. She pointed down the alley towards where it opened onto a slightly wider street. "We’re close," she said, her voice still a little shaky. "The Baron’s mansion... it’s just over that hill, outside the main part of Crestport City. We landed pretty close this time, thankfully."

Eric looked in the direction she pointed. "Alright then," he said, gripping his wooden practice sword, the only weapon he had. "Let’s go pay the Baron a visit."

Alina looked at him, then down at his wooden sword, then back at his face. He saw a flicker of worry, even fear, in her eyes again.

’Is he really planning to just walk up to the Baron’s front door?’ she seemed to be thinking. ’Is he trying to get us both killed? I barely escaped last time...’ But then, Eric saw her expression change slightly.

A tiny bit of hope seemed to return. ’Wait... he reset my power,’ she likely remembered. ’If things get really bad... I can teleport us out again? Maybe going with him isn’t completely hopeless?’ She seemed to find some comfort in that thought.

Eric still held his wooden practice sword. Alina finally took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. "Okay," she said, sounding a bit more resolved. "Follow me. I know the way."

She led him out of the smelly alleyway and onto a dusty road that wound its way out of the city proper and up a gentle hill. As they walked, they could soon see it in the distance – a large, impressive stone mansion perched on top of the hill, overlooking the surrounding lands. It looked imposing, more like a small fortress than a home. High walls surrounded the property.

While they walked up the winding road towards the mansion, Alina kept glancing nervously at Eric. She eyed his simple training clothes and the wooden sword he carried. "Are you sure about this?" she asked quietly. "You... you forgot to bring a real sword, didn’t you?" She sounded genuinely concerned for him now, despite her earlier doubts. "we should think of a different plan?"

Eric looked down at his wooden sword. He hadn’t forgotten his real sword; he simply hadn’t thought he would need it. Back in the palace, practicing in the garden, the idea of actually fighting someone, especially a nobleman’s guards, hadn’t crossed his mind. He had assumed, perhaps foolishly, that just announcing himself as a Prince would be enough.

That his royal title alone would make any noble, even a potentially corrupt one, back down immediately. The thought of a noble actually daring to raise a weapon against a member of the royal family seemed impossible, something that only happened in nightmares. So, no, he hadn’t thought to bring a real weapon. He felt a little silly now, realizing his mistake.

He didn’t admit this to Alina, though. He just shrugged slightly. "This will be fine," he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

They continued walking in silence for a few more minutes until they reached the massive iron main gates of the Baron’s mansion. The gates were closed tight. Standing guard in front of them, and patrolling along the top of the nearby walls, were numerous soldiers wearing the Baron’s family crest on their armor. They looked tough and alert, armed with real swords and spears. There were easily a dozen guards visible just at the gatehouse.

As Eric and Alina approached, the guards immediately spotted them. Their eyes narrowed, focusing on Alina. One of the soldiers standing near the gate pointed directly at her.

"Hey! Look!" the soldier shouted to the others. "It’s her! The girl! The one who escaped a few days ago! Quick, grab her!"

Immediately, about eight guards standing near the gate reacted. They drew their swords with menacing rasps of steel and rushed forward, surrounding Eric and Alina in a tight circle before they could even react. Sharp sword points were suddenly aimed right at them.

Eric felt a jolt of alarm, but he reacted instinctively, stepping slightly in front of Alina. He held up one hand, palm outwards, trying to project an image of calm authority. "Hold on!" he ordered, his voice louder and firmer than he expected. "Lower your weapons! This girl, Alina, is under my protection now!"

The soldiers paused for a heartbeat, surprised by his command. They looked at Eric, taking in his plain training clothes and the wooden sword he held. They glanced at each other, confused. Who was this boy, dressed like a commoner, ordering them around and claiming to protect the runaway girl? He didn’t look important.

One of the soldiers, a burly man with a sneer, chuckled darkly. "Your protection?" he scoffed, not lowering his sword. "We don’t care who you are, kid. We have orders to capture this girl." He gestured towards Alina with his sword tip. "And we will capture her. If that means we have to cut you down first, so be it. Now, step aside, unless you want to die."

Eric stared at the soldier, shocked by the open threat. They were really willing to attack him? Didn’t they care who he might be? Then it hit him – his clothes! They didn’t recognize him! They thought he was just some random commoner boy trying to interfere.

Alina, hiding behind Eric now, tugged urgently at his sleeve. "Tell them!" she whispered frantically, her voice trembling with fear. "You idiot! Tell them who you are! Use your title!"

Eric felt foolish. Of course! He should have realized sooner. He took a deep breath, stood up taller, and raised his wooden sword, pointing it forward not as a weapon, but as a symbol.

"You dare threaten me?" he declared, his voice ringing with newfound authority, copying the tone his father sometimes used. "You will kneel before me! You do not know who I am!" He paused dramatically. "My name is Eric, I am the Third Prince of this Kingdom!"

The soldiers froze. Their sneers vanished, replaced by looks of shock and uncertainty. The Third Prince? Here? Dressed like this? They looked at each other again, unsure what to do. Threatening a commoner was one thing; attacking royalty was treason, punishable by death.

The soldier who seemed to be in charge of the gate detail quickly looked towards the main gatehouse. Another soldier inside the gatehouse, likely the sergeant on duty, caught his eye and gave a very slight, almost imperceptible nod. At the same time, Eric noticed the sergeant inside subtly touch a small device clipped to his belt – likely some kind of communication device to alert the main guard commander inside the mansion.

The lead soldier outside understood the silent signal. He turned back to face Eric and the other guards. He slowly, deliberately, sheathed his sword. "Our apologies, Your Highness," he said, his tone suddenly much more respectful, though still wary. He bowed stiffly. "We did not recognize you." He straightened up. "You will have to come inside with us. The Baron will wish to speak with you."

Seeing their leader sheathe his weapon, the other soldiers hesitantly did the same, though they still kept their hands near their sword hilts and watched Eric and Alina closely.

Alina let out a shaky breath of relief behind Eric. ’It worked,’ she thought, surprised. ’Just saying his title made them back down?’ She felt a renewed flicker of hope. ’he can help after all.’

Eric felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. His title did have power. They had backed down. He nodded curtly at the lead soldier. "Very well," he said, trying to sound regal. "Lead the way. I will follow."

The lead soldier nodded and turned, gesturing for Eric and Alina to follow. Two soldiers walked in front of them, and the other six fell in behind them, escorting them like prisoners but without touching them. They walked towards the massive iron gates, which creaked open just enough to let them pass through.

Inside the main gate, the grounds opened up. Well-kept gardens lined both sides of a wide road paved with smooth white marble that led straight towards the imposing stone mansion in the distance. It was clearly the home of a very wealthy and powerful nobleman.

As they walked along the marble road, escorted by the wary soldiers, Eric looked ahead. Standing on the wide steps leading up to the mansion’s main entrance was a group of people waiting for them.

In the center stood a man who Eric assumed was the Baron. He looked to be middle-aged, perhaps in his late forties, but he carried himself well and looked younger than his years.

He was dressed in expensive, dark clothing. Eric could sense a faint aura of power around him, stronger than the guards, indicating the Baron was likely skilled in combat himself.

Standing beside the Baron was a younger man, probably around 21 years old. He had an arrogant look on his face and was dressed just as richly as the Baron.

Eric guessed this was the Baron’s son. The Baron and his son were at least twenty more heavily armed soldiers, looking even tougher and better equipped than the gate guards. They stood rigidly at attention, their eyes fixed on Eric and Alina as they approached.

Just as Eric and Alina reached the bottom of the steps, stopping about twenty feet away from the Baron, the massive iron gates behind them clanged shut with a heavy, final sound. Eric glanced back and saw the gate guards quickly take up positions, blocking the only way out. They were trapped.

Eric turned his attention back to the Baron. The middle-aged nobleman looked down at them from the steps, his expression unreadable, neither welcoming nor openly hostile, just cold and assessing.

Eric felt his nervousness return, but he pushed it down. He had come this far. He had to see this through. He met the Baron’s cold gaze directly.

"Baron," Eric called out, his voice carrying clearly across the space between them. "You have kidnapped this girl’s family! Release them immediately! Do you have any idea how serious a crime that is?"