Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Immortal Legion (2)
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We stared at them in stunned silence for a moment.
They'd said their forgetfulness stemmed from their tribal heritage...
And it turned out to be true.
"Ah, what was it again?"
"That's it!"
"What's 'it'?"
"...Yeah, what was the question?"
The one whose expression had hardened again looked at me.
"Would you mind asking again?"
I let out a short sigh and spoke.
"Why do you need to take us with you?"
"Ah! Right! Yeah, that's what we asked."
"Yeah, I remember now! The ritual these guys are performing right now—we have to stop it! We came to tell you how!"
"Right! That's exactly it! They're trying to awaken a forbidden power! We have to stop them!"
"Yeah! That's it! That's why we need your strength!"
The three of them blurted out their recollections as if snatching them from the air.
Talking to these guys was making even me feel like an idiot.
I said,
"You're saying there's a specific way to stop it."
"Exactly."
"We know how."
"We didn't forget!"
I glanced at Nederman. Allen, who had been riding on his back, was looking at me too.
"Let's hear them out and then move."
Nederman welcomed my decision and set Allen down from his back.
"Excellent idea. Now I can finally put this three-year-old down. With thighs like a bear's, he won't lag behind them."
Allen grumbled back without missing a beat.
"Just what I wanted. I didn't want to be carried anyway!"
"Splendid. Finally taking his first steps, eh?"
I left the two bickering and said to them,
"Lead the way."
"Got it. We'll guide you to the village—just keep up!"
With the conversation over, the three dashed off into the grass.
Their movements were surprisingly agile.
We followed at a leisurely pace.
Fortunately, they didn't forget the way back to the village.
"Hang on! Is this the right path?"
"Probably?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, right. I remember now."
"Let's go!"
...Could we really trust these guys?
Watching their antics made me uneasy, but I figured we'd at least learn the overall situation with the ritual.
Rescuing Liriel was important, but we had to stop their ritual too.
For now, we'd have to meet their chieftain.
I followed them with a nagging sense of unease.
* * *
Whoosh. Roll, roll.
A bright red apple arced through the air and landed in the grass, only for a blurry shadow to chase it like a gale and snatch it in one bite.
Crunch.
The creature then looked off to the side, wagging its tail.
With gray mane rippling in the wind and a body the size of a calf, it was a massive wolf.
"Come back, Ness."
At his master's call, Ness lolled his tongue and bounded over, rolling onto his back.
"Good boy."
The Fake Crown Prince scratched his belly.
"It's a Lycan Wolf. I saved him as a pup when he was injured by chance, and he's followed me devotedly ever since. My one and only friend. Without him, I might not have survived life here."
"Ah. I see."
Even though Liriel showed no particular reaction, the Fake Crown Prince continued.
"He especially loves red apples. Goes wild for them."
"If I had red hair, he'd love me more."
The Crown Prince, crouched beside Ness, looked up at Liriel's blue hair.
"Then he might see you as prey."
"..."
"I'm kidding."
The two carried on their conversation naturally, with Ness playfully romping between them despite his size.
It was a forced walk under the knights' watch, but it helped lighten the mood. The Fake Crown Prince stroked Ness and spoke.
"You must have been shocked to suddenly get separated from your companions."
"You must have been more shocked, Your Highness."
At Liriel's words, the Fake Crown Prince gave a self-deprecating smile.
"...True enough. But the shock isn't as bad as I thought."
Liriel shot him a surprised look.
To have his entire life denied overnight and yet not be that shaken...
It was unbelievable.
But it was true—the Fake Crown Prince seemed surprisingly composed.
He'd looked dazed at first, but he'd recovered quicker than expected.
Gazing at Ness, he continued.
"Probably because I understood what my uncle said. For ten years here, I've lived only thinking of Francia. How to rule them—that's all I could do, and that kept me going. They are my life and my dream. So what if I'm a fake now? I'll die as the Crown Prince."
His hand paused mid-stroke on Ness.
"No matter what anyone says, I am Jenes Kun Francia."
Liriel had no words for his resolve.
His final statement sounded less like it was for her standing beside him and more like a declaration to himself.
Maybe that's why he hadn't rebelled much against Halent—because no one wanted to be Crown Prince more desperately than he did.
Liriel cautiously spoke up.
She just wanted to comfort him.
"Just because others call you fake doesn't make your life fake. And just because they call you real doesn't make it real either. If you've lived sincerely all this time, and you continue to, then your life will always be real."
The Fake Crown Prince mulled over her words in silence, then stroked Ness's scruff.
"Ness, see this person?"
"Woof!"
"She's going to be my wife. Treat her the same as me. Got it? She's your new master too."
"Woof! Woof!"
As if understanding, Ness barked loudly and flopped onto his back again. Despite his looks, he was incredibly gentle.
"Try petting him."
"I'm not planning to marry you, Your Highness."
"Just pet him. Look, he's getting antsy."
Liriel crouched and stroked Ness's belly.
"It's softer than I thought."
The fur felt plush and velvety under her hand.
"Try tossing him an apple."
Liriel nodded and flung one far off.
The apple sailed over the fence and into the distant woods—farther than the Crown Prince's throws.
Liriel gave an awkward smile.
"...I threw it too hard, I guess."
Even so, Ness bolted after it eagerly.
Watching his frantic form, the two shared a brief laugh.
The Fake Crown Prince said,
"Why won't you marry me? You could be Queen of Francia."
"What's so great about being queen?"
"...Well, lots of benefits, right?"
"Are you trying to become king for wealth and power?"
"No. I want to be king for the people, for the kingdom's prosperity."
His eyes were resolute.
He seemed utterly sincere, at least.
"I wouldn't become queen for that either."
"...I misspoke. Sorry."
"No, it's fine. It's my fault for being pretty. Everyone acts foolish around the person they like."
Seeing the stunned Fake Crown Prince, Liriel continued.
"Right now, the Francia Kingdom doesn't exist. It's been forcibly annexed by the Empire and suffers under the Francia Governorate's harsh rule. What good is being queen of a country like that? Just a puppet with no nation or people."
Sunlight danced on her eyelashes.
"Above all, our betrothal vow ended the moment Francia fell and House Serious was wiped out. I'm no longer Liriel Serious. Just Liriel. Real or fake, I have no intention of marrying you."
"...Not because there's someone you like?"
"Pardon?"
Liriel flinched at the unexpected, disconcerting question.
The Fake Crown Prince gave a wry smile.
"I knew it."
"I don't have anyone I like yet!"
"It's Jenes, isn't it?"
"What?! That's ridiculous. Did you hit your head? Me, with that guy? No way! Not in a million years! Who do you think I am?"
Her face flushed beet red as she fumed—a complete reversal from her usual calm.
Like a flower bud blooming wide open. Watching her, the Fake Crown Prince felt certain.
"When you like someone, they're all you see. That's how you can tell where their heart lies. That guy's lucky."
"I said it's not!"
"Yes, I understand."
Watching Ness return from afar, the Fake Crown Prince continued.
"You believe he'll come to save you?"
"Yes, of course. No one can stop him."
Liriel nodded without hesitation.
"Really?"
"But what if Halent dies? What then?"
"Uncle dying? To that guy? Impossible."
In the world he believed in, that could never happen.
"But if it did. Then there'd be no one to make you Crown Prince. What would you do?"
"Would that even happen?"
"Just imagine it."
Welcoming back Ness, the Fake Crown Prince stroked his mane, pondered, then cautiously spoke.
"...I'd travel the continent with Ness. Leave this island and roam the wide world freely."
His gaze lifted to the vast sky.
"I went to the Empire briefly once. My first long trip off the island in ages."
He recalled the memory with a bright smile.
"Even seeing the world through a carriage window made me happy—just for escaping this place."
Liriel stared at him, lost in reminiscence.
Happy from just a glimpse of the world through a tiny window.
How lonely must he have been here all these years?
She couldn't imagine such a life.
There wasn't even an outlet from the daily grind here.
"On this island, the only break is patrolling the mines—once every few months. So yesterday was fun for a change, after so long."
So there was a hole, after all.
"Even as a hostage. It was my first real conversations with kind people. Except that Jenes guy."
He nodded toward the knights behind them.
"As you can see, they're all so stoic."
There were servants at the mansion, but they all avoided talking to him—lest word reach Halent's ears and bring punishment. Though Halent visited only once a year, his word was absolute.
That's how he'd spent ten years alone on this remote island.
With Ness.
"...Is the ritual almost done?"
At Liriel's question, the Fake Crown Prince nodded.
"It's in the final stages. I slipped into the mines during that brief gap before the last rite. Probably ends tomorrow. If so, unfortunately, Jenes and his group will all die."
"That won't happen. That guy's insanely strong. What he showed was just the tip of the iceberg."
"...You trust him deeply."
"Yes. To put it simply, he's as strong as he is foul-tempered."
The Fake Crown Prince grasped his strength instantly.
"Damn, he must be ridiculously powerful."
"Yeah."
Liriel smiled and turned her gaze to the rippling colorless forest beyond.
Jenes and the others would be there.
* * *
The village of the Umpa Umpa Tribe, clustered with quaint huts.
After a winding journey, we arrived and headed straight for the chieftain's dwelling.
As they walked, the Umpa Umpa tribesmen offered unprompted explanations.
"Our tribe originally lived in the City of Immortality at the island's heart, but Halent drove us out."
"Right! That's what happened! That bastard! We never forget our enemies, no matter what!"
The one beside him suddenly remembered and fumed. Then the next one too.
"Yeah! How much we've suffered because of him!"
What kind of people are these?
Just listening to their chatter was mentally exhausting.
"What? Who's that?"
On the way to the chieftain.
Tribemembers going about their tasks peeked out curiously one by one.
"It's those people."
"Oh, the ones who arrived on the island."
"Yeah."
"Why'd you bring them?"
"...Why did we bring them?"
"To stop Halent!"
"Oh, right."
They pieced together their memories through talk.
Unmistakably Umpa Umpa tribesmen.
Nederman chuckled at them.
"Live with them a few days, and you'd catch their forgetfulness too."
At Nederman's words, one of our guides whipped around, eyes fierce.
"You could never have forgetfulness. It's a divine blessing on our tribe! Thanks to it, we unite and live together."
He looked immensely proud.
To them, forgetfulness wasn't a flaw—it was a divine gift. Nederman smiled faintly, intrigued.
"Then the chieftain must be the forgetfullest of all."
"Of course."
He answered confidently, without hesitation.
Apparently, the degree of forgetfulness was a point of honor here. I dreaded our talk with the chieftain wouldn't be smooth.
"Here! The chieftain's house!"
"That's your house! That's the chieftain's!"
"Oh, right."
We entered a somewhat larger hut. Inside, an elderly man who seemed the chieftain sat in a chair made of animal hide, waiting for us.
Was it the hut's eerie atmosphere, or the deep wrinkles etched with years of wisdom?
His gentle gaze conveyed sage-like insight.
Outwardly, the very picture of a wise elder.
With a benevolent smile, he spoke.
"Who might these people be?"
"They're the ones you told us to fetch, Chieftain."
"Did I? Why?"
"To stop the ritual awakening the forbidden power."
"Yes! Right! That's it. Come in, come in!"
The chieftain welcomed us warmly.
Just as expected.
"Our tribe learned too many worldly secrets, so we were granted the divine blessing of forgetfulness. Coming from the mainland, it must seem strange. Please understand with open hearts."
He smiled kindly and gestured for us to sit.
Then he said,
"So, what brings you here?"
"They're the ones you told us to fetch, Chieftain."
"Me?"
A tribesman kindly explained as if for the first time.
At this rate, they were goldfish—or birdbrains.
"Ah, right! I did! Then before I forget, let's get to the point."
A brief silence fell.
With a warm smile, he opened his mouth.
"But what was the point again?"
Damn it.
.
.
.
It was quite some time later when we finally left the hut.
Having achieved our goal, we headed for the City of Immortality.
Racing along the open forest path, Nederman let out a long breath.
"Whew, now I can breathe. That was suffocating."
Allen, riding on his back, agreed.
"Tell me about it. I felt this hot surge in my chest."
I felt the same.
Their unintentional mental assault had worn us down.
"I nearly killed them."
Even Buddha might have clenched a fist at their endless loops. The hot-tempered would've collapsed on the spot.
Even I struggled to endure the frustration.
If only we could've written notes—but their script differed, and they said that wouldn't work.
"At least we got this."
Allen held up the small glass vial around his neck.
Inside were tiny green seeds.
Immortal Grass, a plant that feeds on mana. With it, we could absorb the ritual's mana and halt it.
That wasn't all they gave us.
A small talisman tucked in my pocket.
It held a spell to counter Halent's spatial transfer magic.
Spatial magic was delicate; this could neutralize it.
Nederman smiled amusedly.
"Who'd have thought the immortal legion from some novel actually exists."
As he said, their tale was fascinating.
A power from another dimension.
If it reached the mainland, it'd cause chaos.
We had to stop it.
"Pick up the pace."
The Umpa Umpa Tribe's forgetfulness had delayed us more than expected.
We'd arrive around morning tomorrow, it seemed.
As planned, we stood on a hill overlooking the City of Immortality at dawn the next day.
Now, the clash begins.