"That's so huge!" Ariel's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the huge wall encompassing nearly a hundred kilometers long and tens of feet tall.
Henry smirked at this and replied, "Wait until you see our capital city. It's just a few days' ride from here." He's not exaggerating, as the only Great Kingdom located at the innermost center of the continent, Lioncrest Kingdom's capital city has the largest territory among the other Great Kingdoms.
It won't be wrong to call it a miracle by how the previous Kings of Lioncrest were able to maintain the economy and military strength of the Kingdom despite its large area of responsibility. Normally, a Kingdom as large as this but ruled by bad Kings wouldn't take long before having their military stretched thin just to maintain order and protection on the edge of their territories, but King Maximus and his forefathers are not.
"Prince Henry, Temacia's local lord is on his way here on a carriage, should we wait?" Ser Liam asked, holding a parchment in his hand.
Henry shook his head and replied, "Let's grab our horse and we'll meet him on the way there, to the stables we go." Ser Liam nodded his head and left, followed by half of his retinue while the rest stayed with Henry.
Although he doesn't need protection, it's more of a formality rather than his safety.
"Let's roam around in the meantime. I'll show you around." Henry held Ariel's hand and started walking, dragging her with him. Behind them, the knights could only look at one another before shrugging. Henry is their prince, and wherever he wants to be, they must follow.
———
As they wander around aimlessly, with Ariel leading the way with her pointing of fingers at whatever catches her curiosity. While Henry patiently explained to her about everything.
Eventually, the populace has taken notice of them and some even recognized their Crown Prince Henry.
"I-It's the Crown Prince! Didn't the rumors say he died on his voyage?"
"You idiot! Of course it's a lie! It's pretty obvious from the start! Our Prince has many enemies!" The man who replied even leaned forward and whispered, "I have a hunch it was his siblings who orchestrated it!"
"Shh! Don't say such a thing in public! Do you want to face a death sentence!?"
"Hmph! If I do, wouldn't Prince Henry be there to protect me? He always protected us from the powerful."
"But still, his siblings are royalty, more powerful than nobles."
"Speaking of his siblings, I wonder what their reactions were when they heard the news that Prince Henry is back? Prince Tim has been parading around and showing himself off."
"He's just trying to get our favour like how Prince Henry once did. Did someone tell him it's not working by the way?"
Hearing the murmurs and whispers around him, especially those that are about his siblings, Henry's lips took a sharp curve, 'Classic Timothy. But your political moves are way too outdated.' He snorted at the thought of it.
"Oohh~ Henry, let's go over there! That looks so fancy!" Ariel snapped him out of his thoughts as she shook his arm before pointing at a certain building.
Tracing where she's pointing at, he chuckled when he saw what it was.
Of course, it's a branch of his restaurant here. As the inventor of fancy restaurants that are widely different from taverns, Henry had branches in every city under the Lioncrest Kingdom with even a few outside.
Scanning his eyes around the retinue behind them, some were putting up a brave front while the rest were practically salivating from the smell emanating from the restaurant, Henry puckered his lips and said, "Well, from the looks of it, you guys could use some good food."
Coincidentally, the restaurant was a few streets away from the stables so Henry sent someone on an errand to relay the message of their location. After all, it's an evil thing to leave Ser Liam and half of the retinue while they eat extravagant dishes.
It didn't take long for Ser Liam and the rest of his retinue to come back. Even the former was salivating from the smell.
———
"T-This is so good!" Ariel was crying in tears as she had her first meal of the day, a juicy and spicy fried boar meat. Her first bite filled her with ecstasy and then followed by a look of suffering as the spiciness of the boar meat finally took her tongue hostage.
On the other hand, the rest of the retinue and Ser Liam were having their own feast at another table.
Henry refrained from ordering seafoods and he's pretty sure the reason was obvious.
"Does it still taste good?" Henry smirked and asked, watching her down an entire glass of squeezed orange juice in one go. Of course, when it didn't work, only then did Henry finally snap his finger and order a single glass pitcher of milk.
Ariel's shoulders finally relaxed when she drank at least two glasses of milk. Just one bite, she only took one, and yet she had to drink three glasses of two different beverages just to fight off the spice.
She sniffed and wiped off the tears that had accumulated in her eyes and croaked, "W-What was that? I thought I was about to die!" Hearing that, Henry laughed out loud.
"That was not funny! I thought I ate a poison disguised as good food!" She pouted.
"Alright alright. I'm sorry. I just couldn't help but find your reaction funny." Henry waved his hand in dismissal as he continued, "It's spice."
"Spice?" The word was foreign to her.
"Well, basically it's something that we put on our food. Depending on the spice, it can make a food taste ten times better than without it while some can make it spicy, which is what you just experienced." Henry calmly explained, grabbing a piece of boar meat and eating it in one spoonful.
He chewed a few times before swallowing. Even though the taste was less than what he used to have back in his previous life, at least it's better than the first meat he ate in this world.
A few years ago, people in this world only ate bread and meat that was cooked over a fire. That's it, no added spices or anything to make the meat taste good.
So that's the same year that Henry launched an expedition to find spices. Starting from rural mountains and even the shores to harvest salt.
In a single year, the entire Kingdom of Lioncrest had a new tradeable resource that amplified their wealth ten times. Henry introduced spices and new ways to cook food in this world. Of course, Henry didn't waste the opportunity to monopolize spices and salt.
Even though the rest of the people would eventually discover them in the future, at least, as of now, Lioncrest holds the only source of spices and salts, all thanks to Henry's knowledge.
"I didn't know human food could be this good!" Ariel exclaimed after tasting another delicacy. Her cheeks were full like a squirrel's.
"Only the food here in this restaurant can be this good." Henry corrected her, afraid that her expectations of human food would crash the moment she ate other delicacies from other places.
Nevertheless, Ariel was full of nothing but praise, "Your Kingdom is so amazing Henry!"
'Wait until you see the rest.' Henry murmured in his heart, taking pride in his homeland. Who wouldn't be?
"Henry! This is so amazing!" Gub-Gub came rushing to him with a steak in his mouth. Right, he had someone fetch Dr. Dolittle and his partner along with the gang to come eat with them. When he said that everyone will eat, he meant it.
"Stop running in closed doors, Gub-Gub!" Polynesia, flew over and knocked him on the head using her beak. Thankfully, the entire restaurant was booked out by Henry, so aside from the staff and chefs who were surprised to see animals in the establishment.
Though they wouldn't complain since it's their boss's guests and the restaurant belongs to him.
"Be easy on him, Polynesia. He's just excited." Henry smirked as he patted the pig's head while the parrot was left clicking her tongue and muttering 'you're spoiling him' and things like that.
———
They finished eating and that is without Henry having to pay anything. The entire business is literally his own, whatever losses it has means his own loss and he would never be short when it comes to coins. Not in a thousand years.
Half of the Kingdom's overall wealth is thanks to him and he still has many ways to multiply it.
"This is yours, Prince Henry. Best in the city they say." Ser Liam said while handing him the reins of a dark-furred horse. Henry accepted it and to his surprise, the horse spoke.
"Are you my new owner? Hmm, you look handsome, and strong. Alright, I'll take you in. Come hop on my back and we'll ride until the earth ends! Yeehaw!" The horse's enthusiastic energy caught him off guard. It reminded him of Shade back from Arendelle, except this one seems more energetic, especially that neigh at the end.
'Did I just encounter the first cowboy horse?'
"Do you have a name?" Henry asked while the horse turned his head to him and nodded his head.
"My previous master used to call me Boy. So I guess that's my name."
'That's not a name…' Henry's lips twitched, "Well, how about we change your name? Would you like that?"
Ignoring the looks of surprise on the faces of Ser Liam and his retinue, Henry focused on the horse named Boy in front of him.
To his surprise, the horse shook his head, "No need. I've grown used to that name by now. I feel like the name is now a part of my being…"
'Since when did a horse get wise like this…' Henry thought to himself before nodding his head. If Boy likes to be called that way, then it's not his right to change it.
Meanwhile, Ser Liam had to rent three carriages just to accommodate the animal friends. Especially Chee-Chee the gorilla—he occupies an entire carriage for himself. The gorilla felt lonely inside so Dr. Dolittle had to join him.
The two other carriage was occupied by Mary, who is an old woman and doesn't know how to ride a horse, and the rest of the animal friends.
On the other hand, Henry helped Ariel climb onto Boy. As a former mermaid, she has no idea how to ride a horse, so Henry would be his rider today.
On their way to the city lord's manor, they encountered an obese man riding a panting horse. Behind him followed an entourage of Lioncrest Knights.
"My Prince! I-It is an honor to have you here!" The obese man pulled his horse to a skidding halt before jumping off his saddle, much to the horse's look of relief.
Henry frowned, "You should start losing some weight, Wylan." Although his words sounded harsh, the local lord took it with a grateful smile on his face. If he dares to complain, he would have his position seized.
The only reason he wasn't affected during the year when Henry purged all the corrupt nobles was that the only sin he had was his obesity, which Henry didn't take as a big deal.
But now that changed especially seeing his horse. A horse shouldn't have that kind of expression.
"Yes, yes. I will lose some weight, my prince!" Wylan licked his lips and nodded his head, rubbing his palms together like a typical asslicker. Though one can see through him that he didn't mean those words, just saying them to appease the Crown Prince.
However, instead of agreeing, Henry simply looked at him coldly, "I said, lose some weight, Wylan. I mean it, I'll come back here in 5 months and by that time, I want Alexander's clothes to fit on you, capisce?"
Everyone went silent. They've never seen this side of Henry and even though they don't know why the man's obesity is making him like this, they don't want to be in the man's position to face this side of him.
Wylan almost peed on the spot and with his legs shivering, he kept nodding his head profusely.
'He's so scary!' Everyone, even Ariel and Boy murmured in their minds.