Josuke

Issei, his clothes tattered and stained with coal, knelt and looked up at King Kazuma. The king remained silent for a moment, weighing his words.

<You will have to watch over my son.>

Issei wasn't sure if those words were true or if they had a hidden meaning. But the king was serious.

<Should I guard the prince?>

Issei asked. His voice trembled; he wasn't sure what he was saying. Being a king frightened Issei: one word too many would send him back to forced labor.

<As a babysitter!>

Kazuma said, approaching. Issei continued to stare at the floor. He was breaking out in a cold sweat, unable to understand the king's behavior. The tension was palpable.

<I'm sure you will love my son, Josuke.>

Across the room, a door slammed open. A worried soldier emerged from it, as if searching for something.

<Your Majesty.>

The king sighed, knowing what the soldier was about to tell him.

<The prince... has escaped. Again.>

The king brought a hand to his face, whispered something to himself, then looked at Issei with a smile.

<Your task begins now; you must find Josuke.>

Issei looked up. The king was looking at him as if examining him. A curious look, like that of a child finding an object he's never seen before.
Issei remained still; it didn't seem real. He'd never been a bodyguard, in fact, he wasn't supposed to be. Instead, he was supposed to be doing something even more absurd: babysitting the prince.

His life was made of war, blood, and pain. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. The king raised an eyebrow.

<Hurry up, or you'll never find him.>

Issei leaped to his feet, his eyes locked with the king's. Then he nodded and ran toward the castle exit.
Issei could easily run away, but the king was sure he wouldn't.

Josuke... Josuke... where could he have gone?

Issei ran here and there, knowing he couldn't disappoint the king. He had to find the prince at all costs.

He searched the entire castle garden. The maids stared at each other, whispering vicious things about the knight. The gardeners all turned as the knight passed. Issei was still wearing his prisoner's clothes, obviously receiving a glare.

He tried to escape the castle walls; the kingdom before him was colossal. He swallowed, prayed, and ran to find the prince.

The numerous houses stared at him, laughing; the inhabitants closed their doors as he passed; other villagers who had been chatting stopped talking, staring at Issei in disgust. He was still a criminal in the eyes of the people.

The town began to calm down; it was now evening. Issei had searched for the prince for hours before returning to the castle empty-handed. He walked with his head bowed to the castle entrance, at which point he noticed a servant walking behind the castle.

The castle has a garden in the back! But it's all woods, he couldn't have gone all the way there. It doesn't matter, every place needs to be checked thoroughly.

Issei turned into the woods. He wasn't as frightened by the dark clump of trees as he had been as a child, but he doesn't remember it.

Distracted by some weeds that had stuck to his pants, Issei didn't notice the stream ahead.
He fell face-first, scraping his feet on the hard ground, full of small stones smoothed by the current. Issei let out a cry of pain and then pulled himself up.
His soaked clothes dripped as he rested on the other side of the bank.

<Look at me. I've really fallen so low...>

At that moment, the grass behind him moved; there was something in the woods.

<Prince? Is that you?>

Two bright red eyes stared at Issei. He tried to get closer to see who it was. Then, suddenly, a wolf attacked him. Issei was unarmored, and the wolf bit his arm. A torrent of blood gushed out, and Issei screamed in pain.

<You stupid beast, let go of me!>

The beast tugged at Issei's arm, trying to tear it off. Then, from behind the tree, a child appeared with a wooden sword in his hand. He was trembling with fear, but slowly approached.

<Child, don't come here, it's dangerous. Call for help.>

The child, however, didn't listen, took a stance, and lunged at the wolf. The wolf didn't let go, glared at the child, and with a growl, proclaimed that he would be its next victim.

<Child, give me that sword!>

Issei took his sword and stabbed it into the beast's eye. It let out a sharp yelp of pain and walked away.

<I feel like I've seen something like this before.>

The boy gasped at the sight. But then he covered his mouth, his eyes widened, he turned around, and then... Bleah!

The boy, seeing the blood on the man's arm and the beast's destroyed eye, couldn't help but vomit.

<Hey, are you Prince Josuke by any chance?>

Issei asked the still-vomiting boy.
When he finished, he turned to the man who had asked him the question.

<No, I'm just a normal boy who happened to be around here.>

Issei sighed.

<You're not very smart, are you? By now, the noble families have all gone home. The castle gates are closed to ordinary residents, and entering the forest is forbidden.>

Issei scolded the prince, who, rather than regret his mistake, decided to laugh.

<Hahaha, what do you want? You're all wet and dirty. Isn't that a prisoner's robe? Did you escape the guards?>

Issei's nervousness was visible on his face.

<Now I'll take you back to the castle, Prince Josuke!>

<No, please, don't touch me! GUARDS!!!>

Issei laughed.

<You've run away from everyone, no one can hear you. Hohoho, I could do anything to you, I could kill you and make it look like an accident, and no one would suspect a thing.>

The boy began to breathe heavily, terrified by Issei's words. But the knight was just joking; he was simply angry at the situation he had found himself in.

<No! Help! Don't touch me!>

Issei smiled, his teeth reminiscent of the wolf's from before. He picked up the prince and returned to the castle. Josuke continued to kick the entire journey, whining and begging to be let go, but Issei ignored him. His face was that of a man of old, carrying his wayward son home.

The knight arrived at the castle still wet. A servant with a cloth in her hand followed Issei, wiping away the drops of water beneath him.
Issei knelt, still carrying the child on his shoulder, and addressed the king.

<Your Majesty, I have brought your son Josuke back to you.>

The king scratched his goatee.

<Excellent work. Now you may go change. Lois take our brave Issei to the room designed especially for him.>

The servant who was wiping away the wetness stood up and bowed her head. Issei left Prince Josuke and followed the servant. The prince stretched and watched the knight walk away.

<What manners.>

The king, without being heard, approached the prince.

<Josuke, why did you run away again? You didn't go to the city, did you?>

<No, father, I went behind the castle.>

<Behind the castle?! You know it's forbidden to go there. Certain dangerous creatures roam around.>

The conversation between father and son continued all the way to the prince's room. Josuke closed the door in the king's face and went to wash. The king twiddled his thumbs.

Did I do something wrong in raising him?

The prince, locked in his room, revealed his true intentions.

<I wanted to see the wolf.>

<The wolf?! Don't ever go back to the woods again, I'll send a team to eliminate that beast.>

<No, father, I like the wolf, even if the prisoner from before almost killed him.>

<So he attacked you?!>

<Yes, but the prisoner chased him away. And then he tried to throw me into the river.>

...

<It's definitely him.>